Tracey/Thom

We were there 2 weeks ago, (May 11) lots of spectacular views! The snow was very high along the tracks and we got some phenomenal photos. The platform is small, so we used both platforms at the front and rear of the carriage. The carriage is heated, and they gave us bottled water. Bathrooms are clean. Have a great trip!

We are just off the Nieuw Amsterdam, HAL and did the whale watching tour in Juneau (through HAL). We saw 2 humpback whales, but it took hours of careful watching to spot these elusive creatures. That was 2 weeks ago in Auk Bay. We also saw an Orca off the ship. They're easier to spot if you're on deck 3 or 4. The top deck is like being on an 11 storey building and looking for an individual on the sidewalk below.

We were there 2 weeks ago, on the Nieuw Amsterdam, HAL. The Whale Quest was magnificent (but cold!), and Mendenhall was wonderful. The visitor center was very informative but we only had enough time to walk the "short trail" to get a glimpse of Nugget Falls.

Just off the Nieuw Amsterdam two weeks ago. Love the $49 laundry service. For 2 people for 7 days, it's quite reasonable. We had a 14 day vacation, and was able to pack for a 7 day vacation, which cut down on luggage, cut down on airline fees. The first couple of days we stuffed that bag! After that, the we filled the bag loosely. They were having some staffing shortages, so sometimes our clean laundry didn't arrive until late in the day, which wasn't a big deal for us, but it was for some (surely they should just focus on their wonderful cruise?!LOL).

We did! Apparently 70% of visitors never see Denali, she’s tall and covered in fog / clouds/ snow. We didn’t see her the first day, but our second day, on the Domed Rail from Denali to Anchorage we got fabulous views for about 3 hours!

We're just off our first HAL cruise, to Alaska, (Nieuw Amsterdam) on May 15th. We also loved, loved, loved, MSC Divina - it's still our favorite cruise line. I would say HAL has great service and absolutely great dining. There is definitely no chest contests, loud blaring music, or drunken booze cruise people on the Alaska HAL cruise we just had. It was also very different from the Caribbean cruises we've done - and we loved it. We had an aft balcony, on the 7th deck, and the service was outstanding. We'll be cruising Alaska again for sure. Not sure if we'd go with HAL. While the jazz, the park ranger narration in Glacier Bay National Park, the classes were nice, it was just a bit too sedate for us. There was Mahjong, and card games, and a great art gallery. There were no children (probably still in school prior to Memorial Day) and no college students. Definitely an older crowd. The ship was immaculate, and well maintained.

We boarded 8th May in Vancouver. The weather was great for us too! Snow, sunshine - but cold - and so bright, we loved it! Our day in Ketchikan was also rainy and 35 degrees on the RealFeel, but we didn't care, it was a great day for us! We found a great shop (Weavers) and bought a pair of hand made, one of a kind boots, can't wait till it's cool enough to wear them! We love Alaska - putting it back on the bucket list for a second cruise!

We took the Natural History tour into Denali National Park, about 4-5 hours. We'd originally booked the Wilderness Tundra tour (much longer), but it was cancelled due to too much snow. It was a great tour, on a school bus, put on by a park ranger. I'd recommend it if you want to explore the park - which is 5 million acres big. and just not possible without transportation, in my opinion. We stayed at HAL's McKinley Chalet Resort and ate there. We took a walk up the hill but everything was closed. (even the Subway!) We ate at Karsten's Pub, small menu, burgers, salmon, pasta and that was it. They were having staffing issues on May 16th, so service was slow and lines were long. Make a reservation as soon as you get there! We also walked up the hill to Princess Lodge and ate at Fannie Q Saloon, just a bowl of soup and some fish and chips. Again, pretty limited menu, but all the food was good. Half up up a mountain, I"m sure it's difficult to get supplies in. The food on the Dome train from Denali to Anchorage was good. Breakfast was eggs and bacon/reindeer and coffee/juice for abotu $15pp. I didn't eat lunch, but it was standard fare, and looked good. There was also a bar on each carriage (and a dining car on each carriage), and the bar tender wandered around asking each person (frequently!) about drinks. The train ride from Denali to Anchorage was great! The guide talked non stop, was funny, gave lots of great tips about photo taking, the train slowed down at Kodak points to take photos of Denali. We saw moose, porcupines and bald eagles from the train. The "motor coach" ride from Whittier to Denali was 9 hours and quite awful (no flushing toilet on the bus) - at the least Denali's park school bus told you up front there was no bathroom, and made regular pit stops. Hope that helps, have a great cruise, we loved Vancouver!

We'd actually booked the Wilderness Tundra tour months and months ago. They put us on the Natural History Tour the night before (without telling us, so we were not happy!), but that's another story. The school bus (run by park rangers) took us up into Denali National Park as far as they could, and then we ran out of road because of the 100 year snowfall that occurred recently. It was a white out, and quite spectacular, I might add. Definitely out there in the wildnerness, no cell phone service, no wifi - out there! Absolutely gorgeous. We saw several moose, up close to the bus, (as soon as the park ranger hit the brakes!) but no bears. No birds either, which I hadn't realized, the long duration of the winter is just too much for birds. Hope that helps!

Yes, we booked it online a couple months ago. We did the 7 day cruise first (out of Vancouver), disembarked in Whittier, they put us on a bus to Mt. Mckinley Chalet Resort (Long, bad, 9 hour bus drive!), then after 2 days in Denali, we took the McKinley Dome rail to Anchorage. 2 in our group. There was no Covid testing when the land segment began. Hope that helps!

It's almost 2 weeks later and we're still on a high from a fabulous Alaska cruise - our first on Holland America, and it was fabulous! There were some hiccups as the season in Alaska has only just started (late April, I think), and of course, Alaska cruising has been cancelled for 2 years. I know this because this cruise was supposed to happen May 2020 - we're thankful it finally happened! We flew across country to land in Vancouver, BC and spent 2 nights at the lovely Blue Horizon hotel. Just 10 blocks from Canada Place cruiseport, but we took a 5 minute cab ride because we had luggage. It was SO efficient! The driver took us down into the car park specifically for Holland America, our cases came out of his trunk, given to HAL, barely time to find cash to tip him, and he was off and away, and we were on the elevator into the terminalship! This has never, in all our cruising (out of Florida) happened so fast, it was amazing. We walked through the terminal, all roped off for big lines, but there were NO lines, and lots of staff. We'd done online check in before we left home, and had a QR code, Verifly and Canada Immigration all in the iphone. We literally walked through, flashing our QR card at each request and landed on the ship - barely time to sit down for 5 minutes. It was the best embarkation day ever! We had a lovely lunch in the main dining room. We arrived a few minutes HAL told us to arrive for check in, and the MDR was open. One thing that was very different - we couldn't order wine without our room card. On every other cruise, we were told not to go to our room until later in the day to give staff time to clean it. On this occasion, we were supposed to go to our room (no one told us) to retrieve our card from the door box. We did this and enjoyed a sumptuous lunch in the MDR. It was a good start to a great cruise. (Debarkation was also just as fast efficient, no lines, no hassle, in Whittier) More to follow, just wanted to get started, and see if any one had any specific questions, seeing as we're among the first to get to cruise to Alaska in 2022!

Just off the Nieuw Amsterdam, Alaska (May 15th). High tea was nice, Tazo, Bigelow, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, it was a very nice selection.

We disembarked Nieuw Amsterdam in Whittier May 15th, they took our luggage from our cabin and we didn't see it again until we arrived at Mt. Mckinley Chalet Resort. It was all very efficient, very organized. The 9 HOUR bus ride from Whittier to Mt Mckinley Chalet Resort was not fun, the "restroom" was a hole in the bottom of a toilet, no flushing handle, no running water in the sink. The driver drove, and said nothing. We took the train back from Mt McKinley to Anchorage and that was great.

We're just off the Nieuw Amsterdam in Alaska, and ate at Canaletto and Pinnacle Grill on May 15/16 - glad it was a promotional from HAL, because we definitely didn't think the food or the service was any better than the Main Dining room. We would not pay extra for it. It was good - but not any better.

We just got off the Nieuw Amsterdam May 15, 2022 in Whittier, Alaska. We wore masks inside, but they were not mandated and only a few other passengers were wearing them. All the staff wore masks, all the time.

I can bring my own Earl Grey and decaff, but flying in from across country means every item packed is important. Does anyone remember if there was a selection of decent teas available on the buffet or whenever coffee is served? Thanks in advance!

We're excited to take our first HAL, first Alaska cruise in 2 weeks. Alaska airline (booked through HAL) has changed the flight itinerary (flying in from Florida) and we now only have 45 minutes to land in Seattle and board the Vancouver flight (where we board Niew Amsterdam) 2 days later. I know that's the minimum time approved by the airlines, but am worried about our luggage not making the switch! Should I be worried? Anybody done this recently? We were planning on take 1 large suitcase for the 2 of us, but am now thinking about 2 suitcases (with half of our things in the other case) in case one gets lost. Due to physical limitations 2 cases would be a major hassle, but on a 10 day cruise, no suitcase would be bad.