Cruisa Loosa

I am going on an Alaska cruise on the Hollan America Zaandam in late August. I have booked a couple of excursions and am looking for anyone who has done these ones. I am 60 years old of moderate fitness level and want to be sure I will be able to do what is required.

So, has anyone done the following excursions, and if so how would you rate the difficulty?

Mendenhall Glacier Guide's Choice Hike in Juneau, and the Rain Forest by Bicycle in Skagway.

Thanks for your help! :)

I am going on an Alaska cruise on the Zaandam in late August. I have booked a couple of excursions and am looking for anyone who has done these ones. I am 60 years old of moderate fitness level and want to be sure I will be able to do what is required.

So, has anyone done the following excursions, and if so how would you rate the difficulty?

Mendenhall Glacier Guide's Choice Hike in Juneau, and the Rain Forest by Bicycle in Skagway.

Thanks for your help.

The "charm" of Ketchikan isn't in the tourist area around the cruise ship dock. 8 1/2 months out of the year a good chunk of it sits empty. As BQ said get off early and get away from downtow. Rent a car, take a taxi tour, or even the city bus just don't waste a day looking at made in china trinkets.

http://www.cruisetimetables.com

 

Check out this website to see who, what ship(s), are in a port with your ship on a specific date. During our 3 Alaskan cruises, I believe the average was 4, a combination of docked and tendered ships.

Thanks! This is a great site to bookmark for all future cruises. Great resource!

Thank you all for the excellent advice. We do have excursions booked for each port thankfully. I had hoped to wander around the port after the excursions so I guess I will be prepared for some crowds. I come from a large city so it will be just like home....lineups everywhere.

Heading to Alaska for the first time in late August on a seven day cruise round trip from Vancouver. Wondering how crowded it gets at each port when there are several ships in at the same time? Do the crowds spoil the feel or enjoyment of the port? Do you know how many ships typically dock at the same time?

Any comments from experienced cruisers would be appreciated. Thanks!

We are booked on an Eastern Caribbean on Celebrity Silhouette March 2015 and already looking at options for our next trip. We are interested in a Southern Caribbean - most likely sailing out of San Juan as 7-8 days is probably my max, probably end of Feb - beginning of April 2016 or slight chance of fall 2015.

 

Any recommendations on lines, ships and itineraries?

 

Thanks!

We did the southern Caribbean medley itinerary with Princess a few years ago and it was fantastic! Ten days, sailing out of Fort Lauderdale. Highly recommend the trip and of course Princess is just wonderful anytime.

This is all great advice! We are looking forward to our trip very much! We are going on the August 15th trip. I haven't started a roll call either. When is everyone else going? I think there is many ups and downs to every cruise, but going in with an open mind and looking to experience what we can! :)

We are touring BC for a week before the cruise on our own. Then our cruise leaves August 22nd. No roll call started yet.

Ooh' date=' my birthday is next Sunday (yes, May the Fourth be with you Day). I'll have to check my spam filter if I don't see it by then.[/quote']

 

Hey! I've never got an email birthday card from Princess, nor has my DH. What the heck is going on? Oh well, no biggie.

What a fantastic video! It was just amazing! Loved every minute of it, you should get into the video making business for sure.

We did our very first cruise on the Emerald in the Southern Caribbean, such wonderful memories. You have created a lifetime of memories for your family! Well done!

The staff

Our observations of the staff on this cruise led to an interesting discussion, fairly early into the voyage, between Steve and I. The majority of our cruises have been 7 days, and normally on those we manage to get to know several staff members fairly well. Not so this time. It seemed to us that the staff were generally not quite as friendly as we were used to. There was no small talk in the dining room, at the bars. We did have a few conversations with the Heris as we passed them in the halls. And generally speaking, we also noticed a bit more of a language barrier, especially with the staff in the Lido when requesting food or them clearing our plates. We wonder if it's because they don't have to speak English as frequently (because they are all from the same country). On other lines, sometimes English is the only common language the crew members have, so they are forced to become more fluent in it.

 

The little things.

In ending on a positive note, we really liked all the little things that HAL does. The personalized invitations to cocktail receptions, lunches, and notices were nice. The chocolates on your bed every night, as well as the reminders about changing clocks forward/behind. I LOVED the cruise log at the end of the trip. (Steve and I couldn't help but wonder what the World Voyage Log looked like! Maybe someday we'll find out.) In many ways it really was the just slightly more refined version of a mass market line that we hoped it would be. So although we have not been completely converted to HAL cheerleaders, if all things were equal in itineraries and close in price, we probably would prefer HAL for cruises in the future.

Wow, that was the best review I've ever read, and I've read tons of them. So well done, great humour, lots of detail and helpful information, thank you so very much for capturing the essence of your wonderful trip. We are cruising to Alaska on HAL in August, our first time on HAL after several cruises on Princess, so very curious to see how it will be.

Just wanted to note, that in your post above you noted the little things that HAL did that you liked...personalized invitations, chocolates at night, reminders of time changes etc....well, you must try Princess...they do all of those things and more as a routine on every ship for every passenger regardless of stateroom. The service is fantastic consistently on Princess and the ships are so beautiful. Just sayin...you might want to add that cruise line to you future plans sometime. Just as I look forward to trying HAL and many other lines that I'm sure are wonderful....any cruise is wonderful, right?

Thank you again for sharing your trip with us. You are amazing!

Thanks for all the input. We aren't cruise newbies and have had 8 days at sea in a row before. We haven't cruised Princess in a couple of years, so we were just wondering if they change things up on their longer cruises.

We did that 28 day South Pacific cruise on the Sapphire last fall. It was amazing! We were never bored and loved the sea days. They kept the meals and entertainment varied throughout the trip. Lots of things to do or not do. The islands are gorgeous, the water clear and warm. I'd say go for it! We would go again in a heartbeat. It was our second cruise and since then we've done a back to back in the Caribbean and will be doing Alaska in August. If you love cruising then how can it be bad?

Welcome to Holland America. Welcome to a wonderful experience in Alaska. Spend time on the various port of call threads and the roll call for your trip and plan to have a wonderful time. No need to worry about that oceanview cabin with blocked view. In Alaska your best views will always be from out on deck or in the Crows Nest. Be sure to dress in layers so you'll be comfortable everywhere.

 

Have sailed several times on the Zaandam and also on her sister ship MS Volendam. They are lovely ships. You have chosen well.

 

In regard to the comments by Appygirl on this thread, I have no doubt she had a problem with her dining room wait staff, but it appears she still enjoyed the Zaandam. Perhaps she preferred to suffer in silence rather than speak with her waiter or with a supervisor. I agree that dining room service is not what it was in earlier years, but I have never had an inattentive waiter, or cold food. Have always enjoyed dining on HAL.

 

If you go prepared to make the best of everything you will have a great trip.

DH and I are joining family and friends for the Alaska cruise in August as well. We have been on Princess cruises but this will be our first HAL, looking forward to trying a new cruise line and especially looking forward to Alaska! Have found many good tips and information on these boards. Any cruise is a good cruise! Has anyone started a roll call for the Zaandam trip in August yet?

Hi Everyone,

Well, DD (now 18) and I just got off the Ruby on one of her little 5 night cruises. Thought I'd share a bit:

 

1. Embarkation: wow, they are taking the new wine policy very seriously. I acknowledged that there was wine in my carry-on and then was sent to the "naughty" table where I basically had a staring contest with some overly stringent (IMO) rep. Told him he was free to open my suitcase but he just gave me the nastiest once-over. Not a pleasant way to start the cruise.

 

Also, embarkation was slower than usual despite our purposefully late arrival as most guests just carry on luggage for this length, which speeds down security.

 

2. Ship/Cabin - in lovely condition. Crew were always out and about sanding, polishing, cleaning. Really top notch. Our cabin steward was in his early 60's I'd say and he always seemed tired. He also seemed to have a LOT of rooms.

 

3. Casino - I must be wrong, because I could have sworn it was 18 to be in the casino. DD wanted to try some slots but we were told it was 21. (Maybe it is 18 on other lines?) Ergo, they got none of our money.

 

4. Food - perfectly acceptable to pretty darned good. Full disclosure - I have been in the restaurant business my whole life and am "picky" shall we say. I thought they did a good job. Menu had changed up a bit since we sailed last, but I think they suffer from "just one more thing might make it better" in regards to the food. (Well if we just add THIS it will be great, instead of sticking with a good thing.) DD had troubles as she has some food allergies and had middle of the road food tastes.

 

Room service- as a subset to food, was a horrible mess. We ordered a PB&J one day for DD and it came, 45 minutes later, without any Jelly.... I get that the folks in the galley making it were not likely raised on PB&J's but really? Then another day I ordered a pot of coffee and a couple of juices (full disclosure - to put in my fridge as I don't like juice in the morning, but after a full day of sun it's nice to have). One hour, 2 phone calls, and no coffee later they realized my order was brought to the wrong cabin. I give the room service a big thumbs down.

 

5. Entertainment - we skip most of the production shows now. The comedian onboard was good, but I prefer an evening "adults" show in the Explorer's Lounge over the general (PG) comedy in the Princess theater. I walked out of the "Broadway Dreams" show as I thought it was silly at best. I feel for those dancers who work hard and then are put in silly Bollywood outfits and made to do such choreography.

 

6. Stops - Cozumel - a pain to be at the "wrong" pier. Adds $$ to get into town. We did go to Chankannub for the day to Swim with the Dolphins, per DD's request. Note - I booked online directly with Swim Discovery the previous week and they were having a buy 1 get 1 free sale. If you book this way it includes the $21 park admission. When we got there they even threw in free buffet lunch. Otherwise, you get there and pay the $21 then they try to talk you into the dolphin swims. We both recommend it (vs the one we saw in Grand Cayman the next day which was run by the same company but took place in a pool environment).

 

Grand Cayman - coming in at 11am was difficult as most of the on shore operators are out and on the water at 9 or 9:30. We took a land based tour that was not worth the $ (IMO). Would have loved to have gone out to Rum Point but I am glad that I did not rent a car with the left hand driving and all of the roundabouts. That likely would not have turned out well.

 

 

All in all, an excellent value, though I won't likely do a 5 nighter again. I really just start to relax at about day 3 or 4 so I prefer a week.

 

Anyone w/ questions, ask away!

Hi and thanks for your review, very helpful. We are going for a nine day cruise in Caribbean on the Ruby on April 3rd. Just wondering how the beds and pillows were? I know Princess is working on replacing mattresses on some ships and not sure if Ruby has been done yet. Also, what movies were they showing on MUTS? Thanks.

Glad you had a good time.

When was your first Princess Cruise?

 

Our first was on the Original Crown Princess in October, 1991. Although we started cruising in 1980, the Crown was our first Princess trip. We had cabin C159 which was an outside with a large window. Our one week cruise with stops at Nassau, Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel cost a total of 1,046. We still have our shore excursion book that lists all the prices for excursions offered by princess. There really has not been a large increase in the prices for them over the last 23 years.

 

In the photo, the Crown is docked by the Big Red Boat in Nassau (I had almost forgot about that ship). There certainly is a striking difference in ship size and amenities since then.

 

Our first cruise was on the Emerald Princess for her very first voyage in the Caribbean. We di the southern Caribbean medley for ten days to celebrate our 25th anniversary. It was amazing! We spoiled ourselves with a mini suite with balcony. Totally hooked us on cruising and now that we have retired we are planning at least one cruise per year for as long as we are able. Best way to travel in our books!!

 

Oops, forgot to say that our first cruise was in 2007.

When was your first Princess Cruise?

 

 

 

Our first cruise was on the Emerald Princess for her very first voyage in the Caribbean. We did the southern Caribbean medley for ten days to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Went to Princess Cays, Dominca, St. Thomas, Bonaire and Aruba. It was amazing! We spoiled ourselves with a mini suite with balcony. Totally hooked us on cruising and now that we have retired we are planning at least one cruise per year for as long as we are able. Best way to travel in our books!!

I wrote a blog article...How to fit everything into one suitcase, and it includes pictures and tips for packing when you are taking long or short cruises...

http://karanandmichael.blogspot.com/2013/11/how-do-you-fit-everything-into-one.html

Feel free to browse this post.:)

Great blog Karan! I enjoyed wandering around your posts. So envious of all your travels, but we are well on our way to catching up. Happy cruising!

If anyone has ever stayed in an Oceanview cabin and the bed WASN'T under the window' date=' let me know.[/quote']

 

Spent 28 days on the Sapphire in the fall and saw lots of ocean view rooms with the beds against the wall, separated into twins as well as under the window. Looks like all three configurations are used. From my understanding they will rearrange the room if you want them to.

Can anyone tell me if they have been in cabin 6157 on deck 6 on the Zaandam? Is it quiet? Good location? We have booked it for Alaska in August and friends have booked 6159, we are hoping to open a door to make it one big balcony...will that be possible?

Thank you in advance.

My first cruise was on the SS Stephan Batory in 1978, from Montreal to England (I forget where we landed). It was old world classic cruising and I loved every minute of it. Dinners were a very formal affair, with ice sculptures and dressing up. Yes, I was hooked but it took me many, many years before setting foot on a cruise ship again. Now, we are totally hooked and a year is not complete without a cruise...with many more to come in the future!

I have been waiting until my anger decreased to contact HAL about something that happened. I would like advice on who I should direct my complaint to and the best way to send the complaint.

 

A friend asked me if I would mind if he went on the same cruise as I. He would have his own cabin. I said OK with me. I did not give him any info about my reservation other than to send him the itinerary.

 

He called the main HAL reservation number and gave them my name and phone number and they not only helped him make his reservation but linked his to mine and then booked him on every excursion I had purchased.

 

My problem with this is how did they know he was not a stalker? Since I cruise alone this is really bothering me.

 

I have no problem with what my friend did but HAL should have told him to get my booking number from me before giving out information.

 

Am I blowing this out of proportion?

I think you are very right to be angry. That is unbelievable! You are not blowing it out of proportion. I would go straight to head office with this complaint, without delay!

Thanks for the replies...very, very helpful! Much appreciated.

Zaandam on August 22 2014 to Alaska, a seven day northbound cruise from Vancouver. First time on HAL....hope it is at least as good as Princess has been.

We are cruising on Zaandam in August to Alaska. My brother in law is strictly vegan for health reasons. Does anyone know if there are meal options for that diet?

We did the 28 day cruise from LA last fall, on the Sapphire Princess. It was a dream! The ship was perfect, the weather outstanding, the ports interesting and most of them gorgeous. Went to four islands of Hawaii, Bora Bora, Pago Pago, Apia, Moorea and Papeete. The excursions were well done for the most part, we always do snorkelling. It was very relaxing and we loved the sea days. It was over way too quickly. Loved the native dancers who came on board in both Hawaii and Tahiti. The ship played South Pacific type music in the background all the time which was a nice touch. The service was outstanding, especially in the dining rooms. The pizza to die for. Always found lounge chairs on deck. Had a great bunch of people walking the promenade every morning. It was wonderful to be on board that long and really get into a great rhythm on the ship. Can't say enough great things about it.