chaperonemom

I know that it's a bit late, but I was wondering if any of you are cruising this date and what advice you had for a 60ish couple both on and off the ship?

Thanks!

What a cool idea for a thread. I hope others follow your lead and do the same.

I know I will when the opportunity presents.

Indeed! Thank you! And....if anybody on the Westerdam caught a nice photo of the Statendam, I would love a copy of that as well!

How do you copy and paste pictures here? I have the 4 Westerdam Glacier Bay pictures on my desktop, and I tried to copy and paste, with no success! If somebody wouldn't mind also educating me on other ways to add the photos here, I would appreciate that also. The offer still stands to email the pictures too. I know how to do that!

We sailed the Statendam on 8/31-9/7/14. The hubby went to the Lido and made a "to go" plate of cheese and crackers and took that and 2 glasses of wine that were poured in our rooms out to the lower promenade for our own little happy hour. We did that 2 different days, and nobody said a word, and we thoroughly enjoyed the scenery!!!

While on our cruise, on the Statendam heading into Glacier Bay, we passed the Westerdam heading out of Glacier Bay on 9/2/14. I'm a novice photographer but caught a few good shots of your ship. If you were on that cruise, and would like copies of the pictures, I would be happy to forward them to you. Just answer with your email address.

My hubby just informed me that he didn't want to pack for the formal nights on the ship. Did I see where we can order the same meal offered that evening to be delivered by room service? Thanks!!!

However all grocery stores sell wine and liquor. The liquor store near where you are staying has a wide assortment of wines and liquors. There are a couple in the downtown area.

Do you have any recommendations to get good wine considering we will have a rental car? I saw there are a couple Sam's Clubs in the area there. We could go there too. Thanks!

I am trying to finalize plans for our trip. I just booked this bus transfer from Anchorage Airport to Seward and got a bad vibe from my interaction with the person at this company. He was a little loose on how we were to connect at the airport. He gave me a confirmation number after I paid and then abruptly hung up. I called back and inquired about how much he charged to my card, and the price he charged was more than what his web site stated. Then, of course, I found a bad review, written within the last month, on Yelp. I was hoping somebody else here could ease or confirm my fears about this company.

Thank you!!!

This will be mine and hubby's 1st HAL cruise as well, and if we were on the same ship, I would be thrilled to share a dinner table and excursions with you both! Everybody deserves love! Have a great trip!!!

Becky

Thank you both for your answers!!!

For those who have sailed on the Statendam, Which ocean view would you prefer and why, Main Deck or Lower Promenade? I just saw on our cruise that all of the suites are sold, thus dashing my hopes for a suite (sweet) upsale! We are booked on the main deck right now. Thanks!

The more posts on the formal nights, the more anxious I am getting about our AK cruise! If I read previous posts correctly, don't the more special meals take place on formal nights? I would not want to be embarrassed by being turned away from a special dinner with my sweetie! He's a tall boy, so his extra long clothes take a lot of luggage space. I may try a space bag and keep my fingers crossed it doesn't come out looking like he slept in it! See, I told you I was anxious! =)

PS Wished I could still be there!!! Bare with my replies since I am new at doing this and knowing how to reply.

Thank you! I really appreciate the time you took to both post your thread and answer my questions!!!

Becky

I am so thrilled to see a review from the ship we will be sailing on late summer!!! I am sorry to swamp you with questions, but I''m starting to get a little anxious not knowing some things.

1. Did you do North or Southbound?

2. Where were the rough seas? Was it typical or related to a weather event?

3. In Haines, what do you think our chances are to make the 1st run on the fast ferry? (fast or slow getting off the ship?)

4. We are considering, with a good price, an upsell if it were to come, to a balcony. Did you have one and how much time would you use it there?

5. Did you think port or starboard was a better choice for rooms?

6. Did you dine in the PG? Thoughts?

7. How did you get to/from Seward to Anchorage?

Thank you!!!

Becky

So happy for you!!! Did you tell your PCC ahead of time that you might consider an upsell, or was this a cold call you received? BTW...I'm also a Hoosier girl too!

I have asthma. My allergist said asthma onset after age 40 was due to being raised in a smoking home. I never smoked. Lesson, it does indeed pose health risks, whether you object to the smell or not and can show that damage in the future. From what I am reading here, I am understanding that the designated smoking areas don't keep the smoke in those designated areas. I have until today to cancel my cruise. I'm going to have to think seriously about that now!

You pick up the fast ferry right at the same area where the ship docks so it is just a short walk. I can't really answer your specific question on the Statendam time except to say in our experience in Alaska the ships generally dock right on time and start releasing passengers promptly. I would venture a guess that HAL Shore Excursions has passengers booked on the same 6:45 am ferry to get them over to Skagway for the train trip so I would expect you would be able to make it as well! Have a great time. And if you get a chance, spend some time in Haines too. It is a great little town.

You are soooo clever! Thanks! The cruise does offer the train trip departing at 6:45 AM, so I am very relieved! As long as we stay with that group, we are sure to make our DYEA Dave connection!

We will be cruising on the Statemdam. I was hoping those of you who have been on HAL to Haines could answer a couple questions for me, please?

How close is the Fast Ferry dock to where the HAL ships dock?

If our itinerary shows us docking at 6:30 AM in Haines, is that the actual dock time or disembark time?

If that is the disembark time, how likely is it for us to make the 6:45 AM ferry to Skagway?

Thank you!!!

Becky

I would recommend you call them directly to discuss availability on your date. When we planned to do this a couple of years ago I discovered that most of the seats on the early and later ferries are pre-booked by the cruise lines for those going on ship tours to Haines. The availability for individual booking for some of the peak times was virtually non-existent. I did put our names on a standby list for times we wanted, but was told we would probably not know if we were going to get on until a day or at most two before the port date. We ended up opting to book a tour through the ship in order to secure our places at the times and for the excursion we wanted instead of trying to do it independently.

 

Here is the link:

 

http://www.hainesskagwayfastferry.com/

Thank you for this info! I went to the web site & found only 8 seats left for the time we needed! That was for a September date!

Captain Albert has a new report on his blog' date=' as of today - with photos.:)[/quote']

 

Where can I find this blog? Thank you!

Confession time....visiting AK is not on my bucket list! It was my late FIL's biggest dream to see and biggest regret of not seeing AK. My DH had heard about it for years, and well, we are going for Dad and my DH! To be honest, the more research I have done, and the eloquent reviews such as this, have made me beyond thrilled to be planning this trip! I can't wait to see my DH's expressions as he gets to see these incredible sights! I'm going to let him read this review tonight, after his golf game-of course, and will love seeing his excitement that you have expressed! Thank you for your review!!!

Chaperonemom please send address. Atlanta.david@gmail.com

Email has been sent. Let me know if you don't receive it! Thank you!!!

I have an extra copy. You should receive it end of June early July. Hope someone can use it![ATTACH]315194[/ATTACH]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

I would love to have it!

GPS uses battery power so I think it is a negative. There is a low tech GPS option that is on 100% of cameras. Take a picture of a sign so you know where you took the next set of pictures. Write the date and location on a piece of paper and make your 1st picture of the day. If there are no signs, write the location on a piece of paper and take a picture of it.

 

Works 100% of the time and does not use battery power.

 

DON

Don...LOVE THIS IDEA! Thank you for this tidbit of help!

Becky

Thank you for the opinions! I did purchase a camera w/o the GPS and WIFI. I saved over $100, and Sadly still have a dumb-phone, so I will wait until I get home to post pictures. Not a problem! Oh...I bought the Lumix FZ70...and love it so far!