RoyalVisit

3 minutes ago, Himself said:

I will be on the NA in a few weeksP.  I have found there is quite a selection of movies on the TV in the State room.

Correct - they had  a lot of films to choose from, all free include 2 or 3 new releases, one of which was "Glass".

2 hours ago, Karsten9 said:

We will be sailing on the Nieuw Amsterdam at the end of the week.  We know there are a bunch of movies that you can watch on the TV in your stateroom, but we like to go to the little movie theater to watch the movies.  Anyone recently home (or on the sailing now) that can tell me what movies they are currently showing?   Thanks!!

Just off the NA Saturday morning.  The screening room was renamed, to the Tasman Room but I never entered the space so I cannot offer any help in that regard.  I recall seeing the BBC films on the daily programmes but they were either in the Mainstage or the BB Kings venue.

I've started to upload some clips I took throughout the cruise which includes the Experience the Yukon and Suspension Bridge excursion. I still have many clips to add including Caribou Crossing and Carcross. Click on my YouTube channel name under the video to see the others posted so far.

4 hours ago, ccndfw said:

 

You booked this directly thru the cruise line?  Was there a name for the tour company used?  We were there last summer and had an awesome guide for a tour and her name was Candace as well... wondering if it was the same person.  We will be there again in July and would love to go on another tour with Candace as she made it really fun... very informative and told a lot of great stories.  Also, what type of bus was it?  How many passengers?

Directly through Holland America. Unfortunately I don't know the actual tour company name but the excursion was titled "Experience the Yukon and Suspension Bridge". Candace was great...best way to describe her is referencing her long wavy red hair... and among her many talents she also plays the guitar. Her husband's name is Tom in case that flags any memories! Large coach, not sure exactly how many but 45-50 would be my estimate.

5 hours ago, Katwoman007 said:

How was the drive up and back? I was worried I would find it boring, but then looking again at the choices, this got us more sights vs just being in town or on the ship. Were you on a huge bus? I could not figure out how big our group was going to be. haha 

Thank you for sharing! We go next week! 😄 I am hesitant about the BBQ chicken (crazy but I do not like meat on the bone) but I am also not a fan of curry. Food was the least of my worry though. 😉 

Drive up was great but the best view is from the right side and on the way back the left side. We were on a large coach.

Signs are ignored and crew are also ignored or confronted if they try to maintain standards.  I find it disgusting when men go to the washroom without washing their hands then march past the hand sanitizer into the Lido to eat but I'm not about to give a lecture in the loo or the Lido. Best advice is worry about your own hygiene and advise a crew member to clean up the contaminated area or remove the contaminated food item. 

5 minutes ago, Coral said:

That is great about the bear! Always a bonus.

 

I have done several tours up there and sometimes they include it and other times they do not. The last few times, I have driven a car there. I think they should always include it as it is so beautiful.

 

What kind of soup did they serve you? The BBQ chicken is good for those who eat meat.

I think it was Dahl...rice/mild curry combo in a small bowl. I enjoyed it and it was filling. 

16 minutes ago, cruisingnewtoit said:

We DH & I were on NA Aug 2018 we saw 1 whale and no other animals from the boat. The prior week the natuaralist recorded lots of animal sightings. It was still a great trip. Loved the crew on NA.

 

We are sailing Millie a X ship mid June 2020. It's a southbound trip. Hoping for more success.

I guess it's like the Alaskan weather...unpredictable! we also saw a young grizzly on our excursion from Skagway to the Yukon.

4 minutes ago, Coral said:

My friend is doing this with Princess. I tried to convince her to go with Chilkoot (combo) but she choose this instead.

 

I am glad they got you up to Emerald Lake!

I'm not sure that Emerald Lake is normally included but we were ahead of schedule so Candace included the stop for us. We also saw a young Grizzly bear!

Vegetarian lunch at Caribou Crossing (BBQ chicken for the carnivores) and Suspension Bridge

More pics

Just off the Nieuw Amsterdam this morning and I wanted to recommend a HAL offered excursion called "Experience the Yukon and Suspension Bridge" out of Skagway. The tour was $129US pp for 8.25 hrs and we had a fantastic tour guide/driver named Candace.  The weather was absolutely beautiful and warm.  Summit, scenery stops and visits to the Yukon Suspension Bridge, Caribou Crossing (lunch) and Carcross.  I'd recommend this tour to anyone who loves scenery and sightseeing by coach. Animal lovers like we are may find the stop at Caribou Crossing a bit difficult but the sled dogs and other animals in the petting zoo area seemed well cared for. 

Just off the Nieuw Amsterdam this morning. We saw Orcas from the ship using binoculars on many occasions. One dived right below our balcony stateroom so we could see it's arched back quite easily without binoculars.

Just off the Nieuw Amsterdam this morning...

Items I used frequently were lightweight gloves (which I used mainly while walking on the cool windy promenade and in Glacier Bay), binoculars (small, lightweight and I had them with me all the time which was the right choice based on all the Orca and other wildlife sightings) and a hoodie/lightweight zip sweater in case I needed the extra layer under my lightweight rain jacket.

Just off the Nieuw Amsterdam this morning and we greatly enjoyed cruising the Inside Passage. We had lovely weather for the majority of the time and had loads of opportunities to see whales both at a distance and closer to the ship (binoculars are a must) along with seals, otters (mainly in Glacier Bay area), eagles, and other terrific creatures. This was our first Alaskan cruise and I cannot wait for our next! 

Just off the Nieuw Amsterdam this morning after an Alaskan cruise. The attire on Gala night for Open Seating in the Main Dining Room on Deck 2 was a mixed bag. We dined at various times and at Canaletto one evening. The men were mostly wearing shirts with collars from polos and golf shirts to dress shirts with short or long sleeves... with or without sweaters. Some also wore sport coats or a suit but very few ties. I counted 2 tuxes and they both stood out from the majority. One gentleman wore khakis with a T-shirt (no collar) and a sport jacket (collar). On smart casual nights we saw just about everything from t-shirts, track suits, a beach style tank top (on a woman), majority were in jeans, khakis, trousers etc. 

We were dressed like the majority.

6 minutes ago, frankc98376 said:

Nieuw Amsterdam docked in Skagway at abut 0700 this morning to steady rain and chilly. Some hearty souls headed ashore early- we'll wait until eases up as we are here until 2300.

 

Now 1150 and rain has stopped and sun is trying to peek through- should be a nice day.  We are at the dock with the bow over main street so easy in and out.  NCL behemoth is at the dock at the base of the mountain.  Appears there was a big landslide over the winter above the dock.  I'll get a picture and post when we head out.

 

I wonder if the Skagway final ship tradition applies to the first ship of the season also 🙂 

I'm excited to see Skagway next week (also on the NA).  We're taking the "Experience Yukon and Suspension Bridge" excursion through HAL.  How is the ship looking after the bump? have they done any repairs? Enjoy yourselves! 🛳️

To meet the suggested dress of a collared shirt and trousers for men...I wear this style...my tux, suits and sport jackets are staying home - they didn't earn or pay for this vacation 🤣 

I tend to find the A/C a little chilly so I add the sweater for comfort.

Deck 4...I'm 5 10".  I had read about the awkward design beforehand. It is an awkward angle but unless your very tall it shouldn't be an issue.

9 hours ago, frankc98376 said:

Thanks for the pictures Canadianbear.  Can really see much from the Seaview.

 

Was great seeing you again!!  Now the big question is when will we sail. We don't care- no such thing as a bad day on a ship

According to cruise mapper both ships are now at sea.😀

1 hour ago, frankc98376 said:

Thanks for the pictures Canadianbear.  Can really see much from the Seaview.

 

Was great seeing you again!!  Now the big question is when will we sail. We don't care- no such thing as a bad day on a ship.

We're on the NA a week from today. Hope you're not delayed too long while they make the repairs.

CityTV has an article about the accident:

https://www.citynews1130.com/2019/05/04/two-cruise-ships-collide-near-canada-place/

Have a great cruise! We're on the Nieuw Amsterdam, May 11th round trip Vancouver.  First time cruising to Alaska.  Excited to get onboard! 😍

1 hour ago, Mountaineer0313 said:

 

lol, Alaska is still in the US, and the menus in the restaurants will offer the same options you can find in restaurants anywhere. So if you can't find anything to eat in a restaurant in your hometown, then you're probably out of luck. If you eat out regularly and find things on the menu you like, you'll be fine.

 

For those that don't "like" seafood, vacation is the best time to try it. My husband swears he doesn't like a lot of things, but I make him try almost everything because I really can't stand when people say they don't like something they've never tried. He now craves the fish tacos and smoked fish dip from our favorite bar in the Florida keys, he ordered halibut more than once while in Alaska last year, and probably ate 5 lbs of dungeness crab in Ketchikan. The only thing I can't get him to try is sushi. His mother let him be a picky eater and I'm still trying to undo 25 years of coddling her child.

I know this, clearly my attempt at humour wasn't understood.

The rest of your comment is irrelevant to my post.

3 hours ago, beaming90 said:

Double digits!  Yippy!  August cannot get here fast enough!!!!!

Yeay! We leave for Alaska in 12 days...our first visit to Alaska and our 3rd cruise on HAL...I am beyond excited!