Koali

We did the private tour with Victor Bodden. I think since it costs the same that you should just do the private tour. You can go wherever you want and stay as short or long as you want. A smaller group with the monkeys is definitely a treat!

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We booked victor Bodden for our own private tour in advance, but I think they have drivers ready at the port for walk ups. You can email him and ask as well. You have to walk outside of the port to reach the independent tour guides.

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I've tried reserving a table for 2 during opening dining and they only had openings either around 5 or 8. We decided to do fixed late dining next time.

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I wasn't looking, but I think the DVD player connected using the 3 color ( red, yellow, white) cables. Not sure what other connections are available though.

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We took a side by side ATV ride in Denali. I forget the name of it, but it was a lot of fun. There was only 6 of us, but there were 3 guides. They stopped at gorgeous areas of scenery and we stopped on a river bed. They provided a very hearty meal (BBQ). It was a really fun adventure.

We visited Jeff king's home where he keeps his sled dogs. You get to hold the puppies, soo cute. He is a very charismatic speaker as well and has some great stories.

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I was worried as well the first time. When we landed, the airport was packed! It was like a Monday morning on the east coast. I was so surprised.

I don't know if 100% deet can be found, but I just bought 98% at REI. Trying looking at sports/camping stores. The pharmacies only sell products that contain up to 30-40% deet.

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We went on an ATV ride. They bring you up the mountain. You stop halfway at the lodge from some snacks before heading up to the top. At the top is absolutely gorgeous view of the lake. They stop at several points to take pictures ( on a bridge, in front of the waterfall). On the way down, you stop at the lodge for a home cooked meal, pretty delicious. We saw a few birds, which the guide pointed out. We even ran across a bear, a little too close though! I highly recommend it.

http://www.takshanuktrail.com/

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We went on the Misty Fjords tour last summer. It was about 5 hours long and wasn't too interesting. There were some nice areas of scenery, and they gave samples of smoked salmon which I ended up buying, but I fell asleep for most of it because it was that boring. There were lots of shops but unfortunately we only got to stop in one.

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Cruise port in Costa Maya. Just a short ways past the gate/entrance to the main area from the pier. Everyone used to think it was a full HRC when it first opened and before they started building the short lived one in Casitas the area just outside the cruse port.

Is it walking distance from the port? I didn't see the costa maya location listed on the HRC website

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I'm not sure where it is on the island, but I hear there are taxis at the port.

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Mosquitoes have been known to attack the "filet" only if there's one nearby. So if you see someone who's getting bitten up, they will more likely ignore you. Unfortunately I'm the filet mignon. Hang out with me and you're golden.

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On our first cruise in Alaska we noticed they served very similar items on the MDR and Lido on the first night. After that we just ate in the Lido. It was convenient but we always felt like we were overeating. So we decided that we were going to try the MDR on our next cruise.

As someone commented earlier about the tablecloths in the Lido, the Zaandam didn't have tablecloths. They just wiped the tables after collecting the plates.

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Holland America Zaandam has free detergent, it was my first cruise so I don't know if this is common across the line. You can buy a box of detergent in the travel size section. It looks like the stuff you get in a laundromat. I think detergent is all about brand loyalty, but in the end it's all pretty much the same. I personally like Tide :)

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When we went to Glacier Brewhouse on a Monday or Tuesday night it was packed and we had to sit at the bar, which was a sit yourself. I think the wait was around 20 mins for a table. I don't remember the name of the hot dog stand, but it's on the corner diagonally opposite from the log cabin visitor center.

Re your bags. On the train they ask that you only bring 1 bag that can fit underneath the seat in front of you like a plane. There is plenty of space over the seats to place your bag on the bus. Not sure about the plane.

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We stayed at the Westmark in Anchorage and McKinley Chalet in Denali. The Westmark was okay nothing fancy. I second the Glacier Brewhouse in Anchorage as well. Food was very tasty and the seafood tasted very fresh. There is also a famous hot dog stand a few blocks away near the visitor center where they sell reindeer hot dogs. The Chalet in Denali was not bad, you have a separate living room area and then the bedroom. I don't think there is any AC, but they give you a fan. We were there in May (with a freak snowstorm and 20 deg most days) and certainly did not need it. Since we were there the first week of the season, most restaurants weren't open so we had to eat at the hotel. Food is definitely pricey. Breakfast buffet was $20pp and it wasn't anything fabulous. Across the street are plenty of restaurants and gift shops.

Some additional tips on looking for flights. It may not apply because you are flying during holiday season. Booking about 6-8 weeks out will usually yield the best flights. Booking midweek will usually have cheaper rates. Surprisingly to me, flying on Saturdays are cheap, returning midweek is also cheap. Mondays and Fridays are typically business flyers.

You can try pricing out airfare for a trip in March/April and see what rates are going for to get an idea of what to expect will be "normal".

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We were in the same position last May around the same time too. We eventually made our decision to go with Holland based on the itinerary. It was our first cruise so we didn't really have any expectations or loyalty to a cruiseline. We met fantastic people and got their opinions of different cruise lines. We are definitely planning on returning to Alaska on another cruise!

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We went the first week Denali was open last May. Only the lodges at the park were open, one pizza restaurant, a few souvenir shops and a convenience store. Since May is a shoulder month, the crowds are generally smaller and weather is cooler. The weather was supposed to be 50s, but we got a freak snowstorm while we were there. A foot of snow and temperatures in the single digits. The park roads were still covered in snow and ice, so we could only go 14 miles into the park. We did see plenty of animals in the park and most excursions were still operating.

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I know it's a little off topic but.....can you access your lanai when locked (such a taking a walk around the deck) from the deck or do you have to use the hallway?

I heard that you can only access the room from the deck with your key card.

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We have terrible tap water at home so I drink filtered or bottle water. I generally don't drink tap water when traveling. I usually buy a gallon of filtered water and bring back to the hotel. I don't mind tap water but sometimes there's an obvious taste to me. On my last cruise on Zaandam cold tap water tasted fine. When I filled up my water bottle and drank it the next morning, I could taste the "tap water". Not my preference, but I'm sure it's clean and delicious to others. I plan on bring soda and water on board.

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We are doing the Land/Sea Cruise in June - the only difference - we are doing 10 days starting with Anchorage, 3 days in Denali and going on to Fairbanks, Dawson, Whitehorse, and Fraser/Skagway, then joining the Volendam for the last 3 1/2 days.

 

1. We were wondering about our luggage and if we were responsible for making sure that it was loaded on board the buses or planes that would be transporting

us between the various locations?

2. With us being on land for 10 days, are there laundry facilities available some where along the route?

3. How many meals will we be responsible for while on the Land portion?

 

Thanks for the help.

 

Barbara

 

Previous Cruises

 

September, 2009 Westerdam Alaska

September, 2010 Rotterdam Alaska

Oosterdam April, 2011 Mexican Riveria

Amsterdam September, 2012 Alaska

We started with the land part of the cruisetour first. We had to pack separate luggage for the land portion and for the cruise portion. We didn't see our cruise clothes until we boarded the ship. Generally, you leave your luggage outside the room in the morning and the luggage will arrive at your next location. The luggage usually went in a separate truck so make sure you keep the important items with yourself. It might be different depending on your tour. I don't know if there were any laundry facilities at the hotels we stayed on land, but you can do laundry on the ship if needed.

Here's a link to a PDF that has lots of information about packing. http://www.hollandamerica.com/assets/cruise-destinations/Tour_Tips.pdf

Meals covered by HAL depends on the tour, my trip did not cover any meals on land except for the bus ride to the ship. I think the link I provided above may have some details about meals.

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Family of 4 (16, 15, 12 and myself) on Carnival Ecstasy Feb 3 going to Key West and Cozumel (4 days). I plan to put down $1000 cash on my Sign and Sail card. Do you think this will be enough for the trip? I only plan to have 2-3 drinks a day (wouldn't drink heavy around the children), i want to get them the soda card, i plan bringing soda/water for myself (i like pepsi) and a few dollars in the casino. Of course we'll purchase a few pictures and they'll get some souvenirs.

 

My biggest excursion (swimming with the dolphins) is already paid for and since we're docking early in Key West, i'm just gonna play it by ear. I do plan on having separate money for our port days.

 

Should i plan on putting down additional money, should the $1000 cover it?

 

Our gratuities are pre-paid

I haven't cruised on Carnival, do you get the leftover money if you don't use all of it? If so, then $1000 is probably more than enough. Can you tie your credit card to your account in case you spend all of the money? Can you purchase your soda cards ahead of time? Does carnival allow you to bring soda on board? That might be a good way to save a few bucks. Pictures are probably the most expensive item. I think my husband and I spent about 1000 for a 7 day trip for the ship activities ( drinks, extra food, souvenirs, pictures).

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We did the cruisetour to denali from anchorage, so your route is different but I'm sure they'll do something similar. There's a dining car on the train. A bit pricy but I thought the whole area of Denali was more expensive in general. Then we took a bus back to anchorage to catch our ship. They will stop along the way for bathroom breaks and food. I don't think food is covered on the bus trip either. My bus got stuck in ice and snow on our way, so they bought us lunch at the nearby Princess lodge. Awesome view of Denali.

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