!!! HAL Amsterdam !!! To Alaska ^_^ The Ultimate Review and Complete Pictorial Guide!

Below is the link of our cruise to Alaska a month ago. I will post two chapters per day. I hope everyone enjoys :):)

http://www.cruisewithgambee.com/holland-america-amsterdam-alaska-chapter-1/

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Hi Gambee, so glad to see this. I've missed reading your reviews and it's good to hear from you again. Also happy to hear things are going well with you and your mom.

Can't wait to read the rest of your review, I always look forward to them so many great photos and always fun to read. We loved our Alaska cruise, hoping to get back there again one day.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with all of us!

Great start.

Enjoyed your first 2 chapters and pictures.

Wonderful review with lovely photographs that brought back so many of my memories of the cruise DH & I took on Amsterdam in July 2014 with a similar itinerary. (DH died in August 2017, but we took 7 more cruises, all with HA, his favorite cruise line, before he died. Your pictures brought tears to my eyes as well as a smile to my heart. Thank you.)

We had that balcony off the spa all to ourselves every time there was scenic cruising, which was fabulous. We weren't sure why no one else discovered it, but it was heavenly. When we got chilly, we'd go back inside and sit on the heated loungers, where we could still see some of the views. Best of both worlds!

Great start! Happy you finally got to take an Alaskan cruise! We love Alaska and really love the Amsterdam!

Cheers, Denise

Enjoying your review and pictures!! Thanks for sharing:)

Enjoying your review and great photos! Thanks for posting.

Thanks!

Hi Gambee, so glad to see this. I've missed reading your reviews and it's good to hear from you again. Also happy to hear things are going well with you and your mom.

Thank you, yeah I have to say that we missed cruising was well.

Can't wait to read the rest of your review, I always look forward to them so many great photos and always fun to read. We loved our Alaska cruise, hoping to get back there again one day.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with all of us!

Yeah, we would love to go back at some point in time. It is very different from the Caribbean cruises. You're welcome, I hope you continue to enjoy =)

Great start.

Enjoyed your first 2 chapters and pictures.

Thank you, hope you continue to enjoy :)

Wonderful review with lovely photographs that brought back so many of my memories of the cruise DH & I took on Amsterdam in July 2014 with a similar itinerary. (DH died in August 2017, but we took 7 more cruises, all with HA, his favorite cruise line, before he died. Your pictures brought tears to my eyes as well as a smile to my heart. Thank you.)

 

We had that balcony off the spa all to ourselves every time there was scenic cruising, which was fabulous. We weren't sure why no one else discovered it, but it was heavenly. When we got chilly, we'd go back inside and sit on the heated loungers, where we could still see some of the views. Best of both worlds!

I am sorry to hear about your husband, but sounds like you have really good memories with him. I am glad the pictures brought out those memories again.

Great start! Happy you finally got to take an Alaskan cruise! We love Alaska and really love the Amsterdam!

 

Cheers, Denise

Thank you Denise. Agree, yeah this was one cruise that finally happened. Something always seemed to destroy our previous plans.

Enjoying your review and pictures!! Thanks for sharing:)

You're welcome =)

Enjoying your review and great photos! Thanks for posting.

Very welcome, glad you're enjoying it

Thanks!

Welcome =)

Gambee - you had posted a while back on another thread that you were going on this cruise and I have been waiting for you to post one of your awesome Trip Reports!!!!!! Thanks as always for providing us a chance to view cruising from your viewpoint - it's always a pleasure to "travel" with you :)

I was on this cruise! It was glorious! Lovely reading your review!!

Gambee - you had posted a while back on another thread that you were going on this cruise and I have been waiting for you to post one of your awesome Trip Reports!!!!!! Thanks as always for providing us a chance to view cruising from your viewpoint - it's always a pleasure to "travel" with you :)

Lol, I remember that post =). Glad to know that you're enjoying the review.

I was on this cruise! It was glorious! Lovely reading your review!!

It was something very special, we had a great time =)

Two more Chapters, including our stateroom and Seattle's Sailaway!!!

http://www.cruisewithgambee.com/holland-america-amsterdam-alaska-chapter-3/

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Great reporting with wonderful pictures.

That mystery area was originally the Oasis for the children -- and there was a waterfall there. I see that they still have some children's chairs there and added some of the adult lounge chairs.

Love your pictures & write up.

Enjoying this! If you don't mind me asking, what hotel did you stay at in Seattle?

So the Oasis area for kids is basically abandoned? Seems strange they didn't either fix or refurb it during the drydock.

Gambee, can I ask what category/number room you had? Seems like you had the upgraded bathroom which some rooms got and some didn't - but there doesn't seem to be much consistency. At first it was mentioned that it was just on the upper decks with suites but it looks like you were on either Main, Dolphin or Lower Prom deck. I'm wondering if they are slowly remodeling all bathrooms, cabin by cabin.

In case you aren't familiar with his work, Gambee is huge on the NCL CC board. We found his reports to be chock full of information during our pre-cruise research last year.

Great review...you may want to fix the first picture...it shows you sailing from Vancouver...

Gambee, can I ask what category/number room you had? Seems like you had the upgraded bathroom which some rooms got and some didn't - but there doesn't seem to be much consistency. At first it was mentioned that it was just on the upper decks with suites but it looks like you were on either Main, Dolphin or Lower Prom deck. I'm wondering if they are slowly remodeling all bathrooms, cabin by cabin.

By the size of the room/fixtures/furnishings it has to be Main or Dolphin decks. Definitely not Lower Promenade. My guess is that they were in a category C room on Main as those were the ones rumored to have gotten the full bathroom refresh with glass shower replacing the tub. I think the only other non-suite rooms to get any bathroom updates were the category D rooms on Lower Promenade that were converted to Lanais.

Great reporting with wonderful pictures.

That mystery area was originally the Oasis for the children -- and there was a waterfall there. I see that they still have some children's chairs there and added some of the adult lounge chairs.

Well that explains the children chairs, and the lack of view, in addition to being right on top of the kids club. I really wonder why they did not change it during the remodel of the ship. Thanks for the info.

Love your pictures & write up.

Thank you, hope you keep enjoying it =)

Enjoying this! If you don't mind me asking, what hotel did you stay at in Seattle?

Marriot Waterfront. It is really much more than I was willing to spend, but my husband covered it for us. Nice hotel, good location. Thank you for following :)

So the Oasis area for kids is basically abandoned? Seems strange they didn't either fix or refurb it during the drydock.

 

Gambee, can I ask what category/number room you had? Seems like you had the upgraded bathroom which some rooms got and some didn't - but there doesn't seem to be much consistency. At first it was mentioned that it was just on the upper decks with suites but it looks like you were on either Main, Dolphin or Lower Prom deck. I'm wondering if they are slowly remodeling all bathrooms, cabin by cabin.

Yeah, that was my thought. They really should had repurposed that area.

We were on the Main Deck, category DA, room number 2557. yeah, I remember mom telling me that some rooms got remodeled and some did not. I guess we got lucky. We loved the room and the location.

In case you aren't familiar with his work, Gambee is huge on the NCL CC board. We found his reports to be chock full of information during our pre-cruise research last year.

Thank you, you flatter me lol :)

Great review...you may want to fix the first picture...it shows you sailing from Vancouver...

Oh Dear :eek::o, thank you. I will go in and fix it right now :)

Thank you for following