Jmdemos

I am booked on the May 20 cruise with Noordam and am very interested in doing the heli/dogsled shore excursion. Great to hear you thought it was worth the money. Did you book it yourself or through the cruise ship? This is our first cruise so not sure which is the better way to book excursions.

Thanks.

Booked it myself through the company. I think we saved around $80.

Did the Zaandam a few years ago which was great. We are doing RCI next summer so I wanted to know who booked the helo trip with in Skagway?

We booked it with Temsco. They are out of Juneau and Skagway.

Really very very bad idea. What if you buy the tickets and the weather is lousy and you will not be able to see anything. Will the ship give you a refund. How much do you save buying on board as opposed to buying at the tramway ticket office?

 

DON

Ehh I think you are being a smidge dramatic. They make these things called weather reports. Ours was actually spot on for the entire week. I'm not sure of the cost difference, I just know that people like to save money when possible. You can buy one the day before. It saves money and time in line. But honestly, people can do what they want. It won't make or break the trip.

Can I ask what company you booked your fishing day with?

Baranof

Thank you for your review. We're on Zaandam in September for the cruise/land trip and really looking forward to it. Can I ask if there were independent excursion tours that you can book once you get to the ports? We've only cruised the Caribbean before and know that when we get off the ship at the port we can always find an excursion without pre-booking through the ship.

Juneau and Skagway definitely had tour operators near the port to book with. Not too sure about Ketchikan.

During our cruise last week, they introduced a couple who were President Level Mariners: over 1000 nights.

I posted a long review in the Alaska page.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2502967

Here's some extra HAL stuff.

We ate in Pinnacle twice, both nights were excellent. Canaletto was also great. We ate in the main dining room three times and all the meals were good. Our room had a lot of room. We had many drawers for clothes and lots of hanging space for clothes. The bathroom was large but a little outdated.

We had the internet package. Reception was decent but we hated the way the package worked.

I was very surprised at some of the lines to get on and off the ship. These were the longest we have ever encountered on a cruise.

My biggest complaint was communication. I felt that there were multiple errors in the daily publications. They weren't great about making announcements on times to get off ship or where to get off the ship. Entertainment was decent. The comedian was hilarious and my husband loved the violinist. There wasn't as much to do and I was really disappointed there wasn't a hands on cooking class.

The bartender Renado in the Lido Deck bar was our favorite and we went out of our way to go to that bar for drinks.

We were just there last week. Booked privately through Baranof Fishing in Ketchikan. It was great!

One more thing. We flew into Vancouver the night before. We took the train down to the waterfront and walked to our hotel. We stayed at the Delta Vancouver Suites. This hotel room was amazing and frankly I can't believe I got such a great price. I booked this through the name your price on priceline so didn't know which hotel we would end up with. It was a four block walk to the pier. We got up early the next morning and ate breakfast and some highly rated Yelp restaurant for breakfast that was delicious. We then walked to Stanley Park and rented bikes to ride around. Unfortunately it poured the entire bike ride so we didn't get to enjoy it as much but I would have still done it knowing that it was going to pour.

The boarding process in Vancouver was the longest boarding process of any cruise we have done. It took well over an hour and honestly the line kept getting longer.

Ok I think that is all for real now.

Glacier Bay: This was beautiful. We were incredibly grateful for our balcony. The deck gets crowded with people. It was cold and rainy out this day so we were dressed with many layers.

Seward: We had plenty of time to kill before our flight so we did a 6 hour Kenai Fiords Boat Tour. This was actually pretty great as we saw plenty of orcas, humpbacks and many other wildlife. There were times that the water got rough and I think that people were getting nauseated. Lunch was served. After lunch the ride got a little long and I felt like people were getting anxious to get off. After this, we got on a bus to the Anchorage Airport. This was our coldest/wettest day, especially while outside on a moving boat.

Clothing:

On chillier days I wore leggings under my jeans. On top, I wore a Eddie Bauer thin t-shirt, some sort of sweatshirt, an Eddie Bauer thin down zipped up jacket (I feel like half the people we saw had these) and then a heavier jacket (not a winter coat) to wear on top on the coldest days. I only wore my heavier jacket in Skagway, while outside cruising Glacier Bay, and in Seward on the boat ride. I wore gloves and a hat/hood those cold days as well. I packed way way way too many clothes and yet still had laundry done on the ship because I found which clothes I loved wearing. I also found that HAL was very lenient with clothing for dinner. We wore jeans with dress shirts most dinners. On the Gala night we were some of the fanciest dressed with a dress and leggings and my husband in a sport coat with collared shirt and slacks. We were fine with the leniency.

What I brought and didn't wear: any dressy short sleeved or sleeveless shirt, most of my dresses, capris. I did wear sweatpants and sweatshirts on sea days. I also wore my tennis shoes almost everywhere.

I think that's it. I appreciate everything I read on here to help plan my trip because I feel that it did make a difference.

Hi, I thought I would give some information from my recent trip to Alaska. We just got home yesterday. I must say that this was my favorite vacation ever. My husband and I loved every minute.

The ship: The Zaandam is an older, smaller HAL ship. There was definitely some need for updates, but overall we had nothing to complain about. The staff was outstanding. The food was delicious. Our Vista Suite room was lovely and we had a perfect location in the midship. There could have been a tad more activities, but we were fine. I will say that I am glad that this was not our first cruise as I think we might have been slightly disappointed in the ship. However, we have cruised HAL before and were thrilled to sail again with them.

The ports:

Ketchican: We booked a fishing day, independently. We were very lucky that the weather was perfect. We had a blue sky with not one drop of rain. The locals kept saying how lucky we were. I was nervous booking this, as it's not salmon season yet. My husband caught a rockfish and I caught a flounder. After fishing, they took us to a wilderness area where they cooked the fish and a delicious meal for us. We had about an hour or so to walk around town. The line to get back on the ship this day was insanely long and I have never had to wait that long on any cruise before.

Juneau: We started out on the Mt Roberts Tramway. I recommend buying tickets to this on the ship as they are cheaper. I did not do this but would have if I had known. I also recommend doing this as early as you can before a long line appears. We spent about 60-90 min on the top. Afterwards we headed to Tracy's Crab Shack for a snack. We then did the float plane tour to Taku Lodge. We both loved this and lunch was great. We were lucky enough to get a bear siting. We then went on the evening whale watch tour. We saw plenty of humpback whales and even a bear. The weather here was also amazing. We had no rain.

Skagway: We did the helicopter to the glacier/dogsled tour. This was my favorite thing we did on the trip and I would recommend it to anyone. It was expensive but worth every penny. Somehow we were the only people booked at that time and were there by ourselves. We then took our rental car to Emerald Lake. This drive was long but beautiful and scenic. The lake was gorgeous but there are no facilities or anything at the lake. It is literally a pullout to get out of your car and take pictures. You cannot get to the waterfront. We did also stop in Carcross. There is not much to this town. We did get coffee and scones at Caribou Coffee. Caribou Crossing was also ok. We paid to go see the wildlife and puppies. The puppies were 4 months and not too playful. We did walk around town in Skagway before our helicopter ride. There isn't much here so make sure you have plenty of plans for the day.

We are on the same cruise. Finally got our assignment yesterday. No upgrade, but hey...we are going to Alaska! Can't wait!

 

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I am so excited! Hard to believe it is a week away!

We leave on the Zaandam on the 14th and finally got our room assignment today. We originally booked a balcony suite cat BB. We are in a cat A vista suite!!!! I'm super happy!

My husband and I are in our 30s. We did a HAL cruise last year as our first cruise. The booking agent tried to talk us out of it because of our age. We LOVED HAL. We are cruising HAL again in 3 weeks. We look forward to being some of the youngest on the boat.

Our flight leaves at 11:30 PM on the day we disembark so we have about 15 hours to do something. I need opinions on my options! I want to know what you would do. We would love to spend extra time in Alaska but the grandparents will only keep our 3 kids for so long! ;p

 

1) We could do a ship Kenai Fjords cruise + airport transfer. It's a 5 hour cruise tour with a lunch and transfer. 11 hour total excursion.

2) We could rent a car in Seward and drive to Anchorage. What is there to see along the way?

3)Take an early (cheaper) transfer to Anchorage and rent a car there and explore Anchorage and the surrounding area for the day. Suggestions on where to go?

 

A little about us, we are in our early to mid 30s and this is our 10 year anniversary trip. We love the outdoors, hiking, viewing wildlife, etc... Our excursions for the cruise include Adventure Bound small boat excursion to Tracy Arm Fjord, float plane of Misty Fjord in Ketchikan, and renting a car in Skagway to drive to Emerald Lake. Thank you for your help!

Hi, we have a similar situation, although our flight is at 8 pm. I'm curious to see what people suggest. I was looking at the cruise options as well. I asked someone I know who is from Alaska, and she recommended doing a scenic flight. There's one to Denali, but it's super expensive.

There is no "must", it's what YOU want to do. :) If I am reading this correct, you are leaving the same day you get off the ship? IF the case then the only Kenai Fjords boat trip available would be the 8am one (verify schedules), that you CAN take, if of priority interest? I find these tours to be a highlight for glaicer viewing and varied wildlife. You ideally need at least 6 hours on the water to get out of bay. The shorter trips, are way down the pole in my opinion.

 

Although costly- a suggestion that could really give you a fantastic opportunity (I sound like a salesman- yikes :( ) is to rent a one way car. Yep costly, but transportation for 2 with no wasted time, doing "nothing". :) You could have a nice Exit Glacier visit, maybe the Alaska Sealife Center? Drive to Portage, an hour Portage Glacier boat tour, ranger activity at the Portage Glacier visitor center, hiking? Girdwood, Winner Creek trail with the hand tram :) stopping along the Arm- multiple times, Potter's Marsh? hiking? or a day in Anchorage. www.anchorage.net You do need a 2 hour window at the ANC airport. perhaps have dinner then drive direct there?

Yes there is an early departure. I think we meet on the ship at 7:15. Renting a car is not a bad idea either. Thanks I appreciate the help.

Ask questions of your fishing vendors. I have cruised a lot in May and have yet to met anyone who has caught anything during this time. I would ask what your chances are of catching whatever you are trying to catch. Most people say they spent $400 plus per person to not see any activity.

Wow, thanks for this. I called and left a message with the vendor I was interested in. This might make the decision easy.

That hike looks pretty great. We are looking into it. Yes I did consider that a combo whale tour might be the way to do it. We don't have time to spend a few days in Vancouver unfortunately.

Hi. I don't post much but have been reading on here daily. My husband and I are doing a NB cruise on HAL Zaandam in May. We are cruising Vancouver to Seward. I think I sort of have things narrowed down after all the reading here but could use opinions/ideas. We are in our 30s, in relatively good shape and like to do somewhat active things.

Ketchikan: we can't decide between the Aleusian boat trip vs booking a fishing and then eating the fish you catch trip. Both of these would be independent vendors.

Juneau: we are going to book a whale watching tour. I am lookin at two different vendors: Harv and Marv vs Juneau Whale Watch. Harv and Marv seems more our style however we would have to do a 1:30 departure time and I'm not sure how to spend the rest of the day. The Whale Warch company would leave soon after we arrive in port. We are in port 10-10.

Skagway: I have booked a helicopter dog sled tour for the morning. Not quite sure what to do with the rest of the day. Do the train? Rent a car and go to Emerald Lake? We are in port 7-9.

Seward: our flight isn't until 740 pm so we want to make the most of our day. There are two tours through the cruise ship which is nice because of luggage getting transferred to the airport but we would be willing to forego that for a great independent day. One is a boat tour through fjords and the other is a 2.5 mile hike. We also have considered a flightseeing tour of Denali, but that is a lot of $$$ and I'm just not sure if it isn't a must.

Anyways, I really appreciate any help you can give.