maz1838

Used them in September 2012. Were met from the ship at 7.30am taken to station and shown our carriage. We were in the last carriage with 2 other couples. They met us with the group who had taken the van up, we toured with them, had lunch etc. We dropped off the van group and were the only ones in the van for the ride back to Skagway. Enjoyed the ride back as we could see the train across the valley and had the perspective of where we had been on the train. Side of the train was not an issue as we could move around and step outside and ride the platform. But left side of carriage on the way up would be the views. Take walm clothing as it was so cold and wet. Loved it all.

Hi,

Just off the Amsterdam in San Diego. As a previous poster mentioned there were no major changes, new carpets, new blue day of the week mats in the lifts, the ship had a new/clean feel and smell. I overheard the Hotel Manager mention that pipe work had been replaced, there had been no leaks in the dry dock, but once we were underway there were some leaks and buckets placed under them. Did not use the internet, the pricing was the traditional pricing structure (too expensive)

There were contractors on board renovating the lower prom deck, they were stripping the teak and renewing the jointing material, they departed the ship midway to San Diego, parts of the deck were still in need of maintenance. There were also contractors working below decks.

The cruise was enjoyable, the staff were excellent as usual and seemed to be relieved that their dry dock was over.

Mary

Just returned from Norway on the Ryndam. Found free wi-fi at tbe Tourist Offices in Bergen, Geiranger, Stavanger, Trondheim and Tromso. The password is generally on a sign on the wall. In Stavanger the password was passed out on slips of paper. Managed to check emails, load pictures onto Flickr and download a newspaper from home.

Ship Services for UK Passengers -

hal_ship_services@hollandamerica.com, or you can speak to the call center in Southampton on 0843 374 2300. They are open from Monday to Friday between 0900 and 1800, and on Saturday from 0900 to 1700.

I emailed to ask about having a bottle of Jack Daniels for our stateroom, got a reply advising me to order it in the indulgences section, they missed the point, its not listed there. I may have to ring.

Great tour, highly recommended, book direct.

https://alaskacrabtour.com/Reservation/

Mary

Sailed on Volendam last September. Our laundry had 8 machines total, 4 washers and 4 dryers. There were also 2 ironing boards/irons. There is no need to take detergent, the detergent supplied is low suds, and is eco-friendly. Take some dryer sheets. We went to the laundry on embarkation as we had been on the road two weeks, it got very busy as our load finished. Getting to the iron can be challenging in the time before dinner to plan accordingly.

Hi

Please can I have the PDF Walking Tour for Alesund, visiting in July and starting to plan.:)

mkrawec@yahoo.co.uk

Thanks

Mary