TableGirl

I apologize but my pictures are blank when I upload them.

@RetiredMustang thanks for posting those pictures. Here are pictures of the Lido area outside. If I can get them to upload.

Some folks waited up to 2 hours to get on a tender. Seas were a bit rough but not awful, so getting from ship to shore took a bit longer and there was only 1 tender unloading at a time. And only one tender loading at a time at the ship. I think people were also confused as to where they would go to get their tender ticket. If you were on a HAL excursion you went to the World Stage. If you were a 4 or a 5 star Mariner not on an early excursion you went to the Rolling Stone Lounge. Everyone else went to yet another location to get their tickets. I had a paper in my room the night before explaining it but people tend to not read instructions. And if I’m not mistaken, the lifeboats are used as the tenders. Nope, no doors - at least not on this ship’s lifeboats. It isn't rocket science but people do need to pay closer attention to information given to them. If you bother to go to the Q&A why not listen carefully to what you’re being told so questions are repeated when they’ve already been answered. These folks are here to help and want you to have the best experience possible. They are very patient.

Then I guess this crew (CD and Shore Excursion staff) have never been and there isn’t an old “file” to go by?

Two other things of interest from yesterday’s Q&A on Valdez and Seward: - Someone asked if announcements for tenders could be made in the outside areas as well. The response was a flat “no” - they are not allowed to make announcements outside of the ship in Alaska so as not to disturb the peace and tranquility of Alaska. (Noise pollution I guess?) - The ship won’t actually drop anchor, which might make tendering even more complicated - especially for those with mobility issues. I didn’t get why they won’t anchor - but I’m sure someone else will chime in on this. Perhaps it has to do with the sea floor?

I have to agree the tender operation wasn’t very smooth in Sitka. Keep in mind, it was our first tender operation on board. Tomorrow (in Valdez) we are also tendering in and there were what seemed like a million questions in the Valdez/Seward Q&A today with the CD and the head of Shore Excursions - thankfully the onboard lecturer, Kurt was there too, Kurt has been to these places. I don’t think HAL has ever (or if they have it’s been a long time) been to Valdez. Stone made her presentation on Valdez from what she could find on the internet (explaining that they hadn’t been there) and I don’t think and we ever really got around to discussing Seward in much detail. I must say, I wish people would listen more carefully instead of asking questions which have already been answered as they did on both Q&A sessions so far…..Stone has the patience of a saint. So now to the excursion I took in Sitka…. I too was confused about where the tender dropped us off. I was not familiar with the location at all and closing the street in town to vehicle traffic made me lose my sense of direction. But I still managed to find Ashmo’s Food Truck with wonderful fish and chips for lunch before my excursion. Anyway, my excursion was HAL sponsored and called “Volcanic Coastline Expedition by Ocean Craft” or something like that. Maximum 6, but there were only 5 of us. The lady who picked us up at the pier where we docked and took us the warehouse to outfit us was named Lisa and she was a bit crusty. She tried to scare the crap out of us but inside I think she was a softie. Our ‘water craft” (very similar to a zodiac boat) was Captained by Chad who spends 6 months in the summer working in Sitka and the rest of year at his home in FL. Our small boat took off and returned to the pier where the Eurodam and the RC Quantum of the Seas were docked. (Seeing those big ships I was glad we tendered in despite the lengthy time it took to get us in from our ship.) The seats on our small boat were like air filled buoys that you sat on like a horse saddle. Your feet still touched the floor of the boat. There was a handle to hold on to in front of you and a bit of a back support. We were outfitted in cold weather jumpsuits, gloves and balaclavas. I had a hat on under my balaclava and I ended up wearing my own gloves so I could use my touch screen. Their gloves were far too big for my hands. I expected this to be a bumpy ride but it wasn’t. We headed out and Chad realized the wind had just changed (it was his 3rd or 4th trip of the day - we were his last) so he changed courses and we flew across the water. It was an amazingly smooth ride. We went into an inlet/cove where we were practically surrounded by gray whales. We stayed there for about an hour and got lots of pictures. Being lower to the water level made us feel like we were closer to the whales. After spending time with the whales he took us along the coastline and explained the trees - he said 4 types of trees make up the Tongass Forest - CASH - Cedar, Alder, Spruce and Hemlock though I must say there was a word before spruce (descriptive of the type of Spruce) but I’m not sure what it was. Anyway, Lisa had previously explained there is very little topsoil on the slopes and the tree roots all grow together. Many of the cedars were bare and dying - Chad said that the dead cedars stay in place up to 80-100 years! Apparently the lack of snow has something to do with the cedars dying. It is a beautiful coastline indeed. He said there are no moose, and few bears because the forest is so thick they can’t get through. There are small deer like creatures though but I can’t remember what he called them. I would 100% do that tour again in a heartbeat. It was the best. However, had it been raining it would NOT have been much fun as there was no roof to get under on the boat - it was totally open. We were so lucky to have better weather than we had in Ketchikan. Here’s hoping tomorrow in Valdez is nice for our Glacier Cruise.

The views coming into Yakutat Bay (did I spell that right?) are breathtakingly beautiful - snow covered mountains and blue skies with wispy white clouds. Two of our party are taking the excursion today that can only be booked through HAL. You go from the ship directly onto a smaller boat to get up close to the Hubbard Glacier. You can see and hear the calving and it is just incredible. I did it in 2019. It is pricey as I recall but well worth it. I had a wonderful excursion in Sitka yesterday and let me just say I’m spoiled for the rest of the trip. I was helping a friend deal with a consular emergency as soon as I got back so I didn’t have time to post about it but will do so later today. I’m up in the Retreat and out of the wind, but also out of the sun. I’m thankful for the hand warmers I have stuck in the back waistband of my leggings to help keep me toasty! So don’t forget to pack the “Hot Hands!” Search for them on Amazon if you don’t know what they are. Worth every cent!

Will do!

On the day we embarked we went to the MDR to see if we could get reservations there for that evening. We learned 2 things - you can only get MDR reservations early or late - everything in between is first come, and they will also make reservations at the specialty restaurants for you. But that line was long so I wouldn’t recommend going there unless you get there early.

@Cruise Suzy Thanks for responding this inquiry and correcting me. I will say, when we first made reservations back in January or February there wasn’t a box to check to use a dining credit so that was not an option at the time. Could have been a glitch in the website or maybe it was just too early - I can’t remember if we made reservations before or after we paid our cruise fare.

In Ketchikan, we booked a whale watching tour with Eagle One Enterprises. I wish I had booked it through their website because it’s a family owned business but I found it through Viator and booked through them. The owners are Melanie and Jessie Tiffany and Melanie communicated with me up throughout my booking to explain how far we would have to walk to get to the boat. One of our party uses a walker and distance is difficult for her. Melanie knew where our ship would be docked and explained exactly how far we would have to walk and where to go to meet up with our group. The Captain, Jessie was assisted by Kaylie, his deckhand. She was very sweet and helped with our mobility challenged cruiser. They had great snacks on board along with hot coffee, tea, hot chocolate and water. We saw a pod of Orcas, several Humpback whales, otters and we went to an eagle sanctuary on an island where Kaylie threw fish onto the rocks so we could watch the eagles swoop in and pick them up. The weather was drizzly and rainy with temps in the low 50s, but the boat had a small inside cabin with some seating that was nice and toasty. There were 14 of us on board but the boat can hold 22 people. We had boarded right at Salmon Landing a very small shopping mall that has a quilt shop on the 2nd floor (it was closed) and mostly souvenir shops on the bottom floor. Lots of t-shirts and a crab restaurant. The Alaska Fish House was right next door and we stopped in for fish and chips there. Fresh and delicious! Considering the crummy weather it was still a great day whale watching those majestic creatures. Today we are in Sitka and I have a HAL Excursion exploring the volcanic coast by water craft with saddle type seats. Thankfully they provide wet weather gear, even though we aren’t expecting rain in Sitka today but temps in the low 50s.

Let me correct myself - her birthday is July 2nd….

Last night’s dinner in the Canaletto was good. The menu has changed in the last year or so - some new items, some are the same. I started with the Tiger Prawn appetizer but for me the shrimp were a bit fishy and not great. My friends had the Canaletto salad (she ate it all) and the other friend had the Caprese Salad, The tomatoes aren’t quite ripe enough and they put a big hunk of burrata on the plate instead of slicing it. For the main, I had the sea bass which I loved, and the others had a mussels/prawns pasta dish which she ate all of and the other had the Chicken Parmesan. The waiter asked if she wanted one or two pieces (it comes with 2 pieces) and she opted for 1 piece and it was a big piece. We all had gelato for dessert. They were out of one of the flavors and substituted strawberry, so I had 2 strawberries and 1 chocolate (it comes with 3 flavors but I don’t care for rum raisin). I’d say we’ll probably eat there again. Service was excellent. Drinks and food came quickly. Our 4th friend wanted food from the MDR so she ordered room service which she said was good. She ordered an extra Flourless Chocolate Torte for me (I took a coat to her room after dinner to use on an excursion today.) I had one bite of it but didn’t love it. I think the recipe has changed slightly because it used to be my favorite dessert on HAL. Today we are in Ketchikan going on a private Whale Watching excursion with Eagle One booked through Viator. Afterwards we’re going to eat lunch at the Alaska Fish House - I don’t usually like Coleslaw but theirs is great. As is the Fish and Chips. I ate there in 2019. Let’s see if it is all still as yummy. I will let you know! PS Today is Stone’s birthday so if she is your CD next year wish her a Happy Birthday!

Typically if you have dining credits, you will have 2 dinners for the Pinnacle Grill and 1 for Canaletto. I would make your reservations ahead of time but in order to use the dining credits I think you may have to call. I’m not sure if you can make reservations online using your dining credit. I will say tonight we have reservations at the Canaletto but it is ‘dressy’ night and the menu in the dining room looks good so I wouldn’t recommend you go to a specialty restaurant on those nights. Dressy nights are always on sea days. We are having 4 of them on this trip. So I would look at your shore excursion schedule and pick days when you are less likely to be tired from a shore excursion so you can enjoy your specialty dinner. Some of our shore excursions are 5-6 hours long and I think afterwards I’ll want a hot shower or the hydro pool and as snack and my bed especially if I’m cold. I'll let you know how tonight’s dinner is.

So, if anyone tells you only need layers, don’t believe them. You need layers AND a parka at this time of year. I knew I should have brought my parka. And my Sherpa! The scenic cruising is NOT to be missed but it is cold outside. And windy. Last night we ate at the Pinnacle Grill because we didn’t want to fight the crowds at the MDR. My filet was cooked perfectly, the baked potato was yummy which I split with one of my dining companions and the shrimp cocktail was less waterlogged than what you usually get in the MDR. Two of our people had the Alaskan Halibut which they liked and one had crabcakes. The Mait’re de came out after dinner to check on us and acknowledged it took us a long time to get our food. And it did. Our reservation was at 5:30 and we didn’t get any food until around 6:30. Two of us went to the MDR for breakfast this morning it easily took 30 minutes to get our order. The Naturalist onboard (Kurt) gave a talk at 11 am in the World State and he was very good - and funny. He gave a good overview on Alaska. He has a masters in “Alaska Environmental History” and teaches now in Washington State at Skagit Community College. He’s been lecturing on HAL for 27 or 28 years I think he said. There is another lecturer today at 2. The captain is wonderful keeping us informed - I just wish he would speak up a bit more so we could hear him better. Our cruise and travel director is Stone and she’s good too! We have a cabana but it’s windy up here today and the blankets are a bit small. They could do better on that. But not many cabanas taken. However we don’t have to fight for bow space! I enjoyed the hydro pool last night - there were 2 others that come right after I got there. My room is a verandah and it feels so much smaller than verandah cabins on the Pinnacle class ships. However, there is decent storage. But then, I am alone in my cabin. I did, however bring 2 suitcases and putting clothes away was no problem. The desk is too small and there are no drawers incorporated with the desk. I’ll try to post some pictures eventually. This ship is in desperate need of refurbishment. The decor is tired and a runs to the shabby side. It feels dark and dated. The bathrooms still have the tiny tubs you have to step into. That said, the water pressure was great. I’ve been spoiled traveling on the newer Pinnacle Class ships. If anyone traveling on the 2025 cruise has questions ask away!

So 2 friends and I arrived in Seattle tonight. There is no way to avoid the trek to get to ground transportation. From baggage claim you go up a floor cross over to the parking garage and go down a floor. It’s a ‘schlep’! We were all tired from traveling so we didn’t bother to get the shuttle. This is why Seattle offers Port Valet I’m guessing. It’s a pretty airport but what a hot mess. We are staying at the DoubleTree that had the special rate. The $99 per night is about what this place is worth but we are all paying more than double that for the night we added (tonight which, oddly enough does NOT include breakfast). Our flight was delayed leaving Minneapolis so we were glad we came in 2 nights early. If I had it to do all over again, I’d send both suitcases ahead and bring a barebones carry on for one night and stay at a nicer hotel closer to the port or downtown. But I wanted to see Seattle on this stay. (Last time I came in a couple days early and we visited the Cascades National Park which was also totally worth it but we stayed at a nice Marriott Courtyard that overlooked the lake where the sea planes take off and land from.)

You can set up a roll call for 2025 but check to see if someone has set it up first.

I'm starting this new thread so folks can add their experiences for the benefit of others on the trip with us as well as those who moved to the 2025 cruise. Anyone is free to add information, make comments etc.... I found a review someone did this spring very interesting and helpful. It was unbiased - gave information factually, and enthusiastically.

Given the recent discussion I'm sharing this article that I will have to read more thoroughly as I have a friend with mobility issues (so far just a walker) that I cruise with. One never knows when one might find oneself in a wheelchair. I hope some might find this article helpful though it sounds like some have very carefully researched this topic. https://thepointsguy.com/guide/cruise-tips-for-wheelchair-users/?utm_section=lat&utm_source=TPG Daily Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=9773196&utm_usr=8eff77074cdadb0f9664e891000ba85d5d122d05a634dc8dfe00585fdd2e8925

I think HAL is not keeping enough staff/crew onboard to maintain any kind of standard. I've heard people think the problem is visas but I don't think that is the problem as I work for the DoS and crew visas are the easiest to renew. I think HAL, along with other cruise lines are so deeply in debt that they are cutting back on staff, among other things, to save money. It IS sad. However, cruise demand is so high they don't seem to be suffering. I read an article on the TPG recently that basically said, don't believe the cruise line ads that say "offer ends soon" because all the offers keep getting extended despite the high demand. I am still cruising on HAL in June/July for a 28 day "Legendary" Voyage and am scheduled (but haven't paid yet) for a Hawaii cruise from Vancouver to San Diego. I'm going on Viking in March next year. There are fewer and fewer reasons to travel on HAL and I'm certainly trying other lines. It's just as a solo traveler it is cheaper to pay for a room on HAL than my preferred lines.

Thank you for that information. I'll be sure to try one next year when I'm on Viking. 🙂

@Gray Area - Who has the best burger at sea? I love a Dive - In burger on HAL and the lunch time burger at the Pinnacle but I thought it was awful on Regent, Oceania, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.

I was just in San Diego last week and the airport is very close to where the cruise ships dock. I didn't see a ship disembark there so I'm sure others will chime in. Parts of the San Diego airport is under construction (at least the Southwest terminal will be moving into a new terminal eventually, from what I was told.) Either way, as long as the ship docks on time and there are no problems with gangways (which has happened to me on HAL once) or ship clearance you would be fine.

Yes! Thank you again @BermudaBound2014 for those videos. Ah to be in that crystal clear (and warm?) water!