Crew News

Formal attire on gala nights is one of the items to which I pay special attention and report on my live cruise threads. In two gala nights, I could count the number of tuxedo-clad and long-gown passengers on two hands. Lots of sparkly shawls. Half of the males wore sport jackets and half of those added a tie. The other half of the males went the minimum polo/long-sleeved shirt route for dinner. Except for those who wore their formal attire for the rest of the gala evening, the majority of jacket wearers removed them right after dinner. IMHO "Gala Night" has changed to just "Gala Dinner Night". I must add that the Lido Market attire did not conform to the gala night theme and did include a number of bathrobes. Regular ship attire was dominated by sweatshirts, flannel shirts, sweaters, t-shirts, and jeans. Of course there was a group that spent their time in bathing suits and bathrobes. Of interest, is one Lido Market serving line at the end of the serving window hours was restricted to only crew. That was also the case for the seating area across from the forward beverage station.

Your third statement is incorrect. My roundtrip from Vancouver to Alaska in September requires masking per the email I received last week from HAL.

Here are the daily activities and daily menus: When & Where (daily activities) MDR Dining Menus MDR Lunch Menu (same every day)

Holland America Alaska cruises are booking Yukon train excursions to Lake Bennett out of Skagway for next May. Maybe Princess will as well.

There will be bears in the area. No need for bear spray, just walk in a group and make some noise on your stroll to the falls.

The time and distance to reach whale feeding locations is far superior in ISP than in Juneau. I have seen a whale show a huge tail within 100 yards of the ship at the ISP pier. Lots more active feeding in ISP. Huge open mouths!!

I strongly recommend Fly Denali. As a photographer, the views and especially the landing in the snow was awesome. Here is a a photo link from my Fly Denali excursion: Fly Denali Excursion

Travel to Alaska when the weather is still cool, late April and May. Prices are much cheaper, no mosquitos, and still a hint of snow on the higher peaks.

At the lower right of this post, you will see a link to all of the HAL menus for restaurants and beverages.

Room Service for Signature and Pinnacle-class ships. Room Service Menu for Signature and Pinnacle-class ships

I can answer some of your questions. You may order free Room Service 24/7 as well as regular dining room meal during the dinner hour for room delivery. Some Specialty Restaurant food is avail on the Room Service menu (See link below). You can take as much food as you wish from the Lido Market Buffet and consume in your room. Shows are not crowded. Mask requirements come and go based on location of the cruise. Room Service Menu for Vista Class Ships

Received HAL notice that Nieuw Amsterdam Alaska roundtrip Sep 11-25, 2022 will require masks while indoors.

Unless you are asleep, you should see Dawes Glacier while in Endicott Arm.

That vibration was true but on the Nieuw Amsterdam in 2012. Not sure about Eurodam. The Tamarind dishes ithe Nieuw Amsterdam that year took quite an effort on my part to keep them from just moving to the edge of the table. That condition was repaired and now the Nieuw Amsterdam was fine in 2015.

All whale watching boats go to the same place to watch whales. When a whale is spotted, the boats radio each other and then converge. The size of the boat makes no difference in finding whales. Boats differ in levels of comfort which includes bathroom facilities. Larger boats have excellent bathrooms, free snacks, wheelchair support, and a snack bar with two levels for whale watching. Small boats have extremely limited bathroom facilities and no snack bar.

B2B testing was not required for my B2B in April on the Zuiderdam.

My last four cruises on HAL (Nieuw Statendam, Nieuw Amsterdam, and Zuiderdam (2) had MDR reservations available online for booking. I do not see it available for my September Nieuw Amsterdam Alaska cruise.

Each ship sets their own thermal spa pricing it appears. There are also discounts on port days but they are not standard across the fleet.

Here is a new link: Spa Price List

I have been on this excursion with Allen Marine twice and confirm there are nice bathrooms, good snack bar, free salmon snacks, huge windows if you don't wish to go outside to see whales, and two outer deck levels for outside whale watching, On every whale watching excursion in Juneau, I have seen whales.

Spa Price List Nov 2021

Not sure about any changes but here is the menu: Half Moon Cay Butler Menu

Here is a link to your daily activities to find your happy hour times/locations and also your daily dining room menus: When & Where Dining Room Menus

Only one booking number at a time can be displayed in the app.

If I remember correctly, it just affirms that you have had a COVID test and required vaccinations even though you have already been screened at the ticket counter.