First Timer with Rotterdam Questions

[govgurl]

Greetings Master Cruisers!

As the title suggests, I will be going on my first ever cruise this summer. I am heading to Alaska with my parents, aunt, great-aunt, and grandmother to celebrate my grandmother's 80th birthday. I'm very excited, though I'm in my eearly 20s and not likely to have a lot of age-peers on board, I can't wait for a week off from my hectic life to read, relax, and visit Alaska. We will sail on the Rotterdam in August. I was hoping you all could answer a few questions for me, specifically about the Rotterdam.

 

1) Boarding (embarkation?): All of the Rotterdam reviews I've read from Alaska have mentioned that eating lunch in the Lido after you board is a complete zoo. I was wondering if that was just the first early cruises in May that were that disorganized or should we expect that in August as well?

 

2) The Retreat pool: Again, the early Member Reviews on the Rotterdam are all from May and all mention how the Retreat was too cold to use. Has anyone who has been on the Rotterdam pool since then? What are your thoughts? Are the pools not heated on the Alaskan cruises? Are the ceramic loungers in the Retreat pool heated like they appear to be in the Spa.

 

3) Speaking of the Spa, how much does it cost for a day pass/how much for the whole week? Can someone give me an idea also of massage prices (I understand they vary and you can get specials on port days, but what is the range)? My brother and I would like to get my mom a massage as a belated mother's day gift. After a week with her in-laws I think she'll deserve it!!

 

4) Finally, do any experienced HAL Alaska cruisers have suggestions for good excursions for older people/people with mobility challenges? Our ports will be Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, and briefly Victoria. My mom and I (and to a somewhat lesser extent my dad) are pretty outdoorsy, we like to hike and so on so we will be all set. My mom and I are already booked to go ziplining in Juneau and sea kayaking in Ketchikan. While I doubt my grandmother and aunts will want to leave the casino or the ship, just in case they do want to get off, what are your suggestions for things they might like to do? The aunts are not in good shape/don't like to walk long distances. Grandmother has some mobility issues, though she can ride in a wheelchair if one is available and she will occasionally be persuaded to bring her cane with her (she thinks it makes her look "old", so there's some resistance to the cane). I was thinking maybe the Mt. Robert's Tramway?

 

Thanks for your help!

[Mary Ellen]

Welcome to the CC!

 

1) Lido boarding lunch. It could be busy. I've never seen it a "zoo" on the Rotterdam (E'dam, yes), but people's definition of a zoo and their arrival times in the Lido will vary.

 

2) Retreat Pool. This is a open air area, unlike the one with the retractable dome. If the air temperature is cool, the wind chill will make it seem even colder if the ship is moving at all. It can get nice and warm (again, definitions of warm will vary) in Alaska, but I wouldn't count on being able to spend any pool time there. It really isn't built for swimming anyway. It is more of a wading pool. The loungers in the retreat pool aren't heated.

 

3) Spa. Someone else will have more knowledge of this.

 

4) Shore Ex. I would suggest paying attention to the number of 'walkers' each tour is designated. The 1 'walker' tours will be the easiest and the 3 'walkers' the most strenuous. There are nice boat trips in Sitka. For Juneau the buses out to the Mendenhall Glacier are easy. We've enjoyed the Misty Fjords & Wilderness Explorer (boat trip) in Ketchikan

The casino will be closed in ports.

[TracieABD]

Guvgirl-

When are you leaving Seattle for Alaska?

There are roll calls that are dedicated to specific cruises for specific weeks.

The Thermal Spa is $89 for the week.

 

Not sure about the other stuff!

Bon Voyage!!:)

TL

[IRL_Joanie]

First off let me welcome you to Cruise Critic!!

 

You will find a number of people on board in your age range as well as all the others!! August is a popular month for all ages to cruise Alaska:)

 

As a mobility challenged person, I can help in this area!!!

 

First I rent an electric scooter from Special Needs at Sea http://www.specialneedsatsea.com/index.cfm/reserve-equipment/scooter-rentals/ then I contact HAL's Access & Compliance and request their form to fill out with the Scooter Retal information Access and Compliance Department @ 1-800-547-8493 or e-mail us at HALW_Access@hollandamerica.com. They will also be able to make sure that your family members needing assistance will receive it.

 

I also take my walker and cane with me for a couple of the excursions, such as in Juneau I do the Whale watching by Catamaran on Auke Bay. I have to use my walker and cane for that one, but it is amazing!! I leave the scooter at the bottom of the Gangway where one of the crew members who has assisted me getting to the bottom safely then rides it back up to just inside the ship and brings me the back the key. I use my walker to get to the bus (very short distance) and then board the bus to Auke Bay for my excursion. ALL of the crew members on HAL ships and the excursion will go out of their way to make sure the mobility challenged are well taken care of!!

 

When I get back to the ship a crew member takes the scooter key from me and goes up and retrieves it for me. I then go shopping in town and can return at anytime I want with no problem (as long as it is at least 1 hour prior to the ship leaving port!!)

 

I also use my scooter to go up Robert's Tram!! What an awesome view from there!!

 

In Sitka or other Tender Ports the crew will physically lift the scooter onto and off of the tender and assist the mobility challenged on and off also.

 

You and your family, of all ages will truly enjoy the cruise!!:)

 

Joanie

[jtl513]

1) The first day there are lots of people trying to eat between 12:00n and 1:30p because the cabins aren't ready, so they "might as well grab some lunch." For the rest of the cruise lunchtime gets spread out more. It's the same everywhere, all year, not just "early May disorganization."

 

4) Mt Roberts is good, and I second Mary Ellen's suggestion of a bus to Mendenhall. They can get a city "Blue Bus" pretty cheap, or they can book a HAL excursion that includes a salmon-bake lunch.

 

Edit: this snip from Frommer's doesn't say specifically, but I'm pretty sure the $15 is round-trip if the tour is $30:

 

Mendenhall Glacier Transport (tel. 907/789-5460; http://www.mightygreattrips.com) does a 2 1/2-hour town and Mendenhall Glacier tour for $30, or you can ride their "Blue Bus Express" to the glacier for $15. Generally, it runs every half-hour both directions, from the waterfront visitor center to the glacier and back, daily 9am to 6pm in summer. Otherwise, take a rented car or, for vigorous people, bike 24 miles out to the Mendenhall Glacier and back.

 

Read more: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/juneau/0010010029.html#ixzz0sX5vdqdy

[RuthC]

Welcome to CC, and to the HAL board. I have a couple of thoughts on your questions.

First, after the cabins are opened (around 1:30), there will be many fewer people in the Lido on embarkation day. It will be a much more relaxing lunch if you go then.

Second, anyone reluctant to take a cane should consider the tides. It's possible to leave the ship on a gangway with a gentle slope, but return to one that looks like mountain climbing. The cane could come in handy.

Third, although the city bus will take you to Mendenhall, it will leave you with some distance to walk up to the center itself. If there are mobility, or stamina, problems involved, I suggest taking a HAL tour (if that's where people want to go).

The HAL crew will be very solicitous of those who need assistance. They are good at it.

Have a great time in The Great Land!

[dreamer320]

While I can't speak from experience (we're on Rotterdam in August), I'm traveling with my 80-year-old mother who can walk but used a wheelchair for distances. We're renting a manual one from cruiseassist.

 

In Juneau, we're doing the HAL evening whale watch excursion. I'd rather do one of the smaller boats, but I think my mom is going to be more comfortable on the larger boat. We also plan on taking the MGT bus to Mendenhall, and either Mt. Roberts or just shopping/wandering.

 

In Sitka, we're doing our own thing all day: the National Historic Site, the cathedral, etc.

 

In Ketchikan, I think we're going to Totem Bight, likely an excursion rather than the city bus, since I'm thinking it may be easier for her. She's American Indian (well, I guess I am, too, lol), so she's looking forward to the native sites. From what I've read, the Lumberjack show may be a possibility in your family's case, since I think it's close by the port.

 

In Victoria, we're taking one of the shuttle buses to the Inner Harbor area and just wandering around.

[govgurl]

Thank you all, these are great suggestions! I appreciate your thoughts, they'll help make our cruise much more enjoyable. I think my grandma would really enjoy things like whale watching or visiting Mendenhall (incidentally also things that I would enjoy, so something we can do together), she's from a small town in the Midwest and she hardly ever leaves there, so this is a big adventure for her and I mostly want her to have fun doing things she otherwise would never be able to do. These are all good suggestions.

 

I noticed that there are several city tour excursions in each port. Does anyone have experience with those? Were they fun/interesting?

 

On a note totally unrelated from my grandma, does anyone have experience using Blackberrys or iPhones on board? I know from reading the HAL website that you are able to make calls and send/receive emails if you have a phone that is so enabled, but are you charged extremely high roaming data rates? Any tricks on how to avoid that (did you buy a special Alaska data package or something similar?) I pay for my iPhone and work pays for my blackberry, so on both sides I try to keep the costs down as much as possible.

[lilipad2]

I'm so glad you've asked these questions (and others have answered). We're in the same boat sorta. Well ok, literally. LOL. We'll be going on the Rotterdam in Aug and my mother, who also has difficulty getting around, will be joining us. Not sure which cruise you'll be on, perhaps the same as ours. In any case, check with HAL before hand especially if your grandmother needs wheelchair assistance embarking or disembarking. Also, if she needs any specialty equipment either HAL or cruiseassist should be able to help.

 

Regarding the phones, from what I've been able to find, prepare yourself for some sticker shock. The rates while onboard and sailing are about $5-7/minute. It's because there are no cell towers out at sea, only the ships really expensive satellite. Cell phones should work in AK, but wait until the ship turns its system off (not sure how you can tell, maybe someone can jump in here).

 

If you want some sort of communication method while onboard with your grandmother, I hear walkie talkies work. I don't know if they need to be a certain frequency or not (I know nothing about them really). Also, others have suggested using post it notes to leave messages for friends and relatives. There are in cabin phones so you can call another cabin. I don't know if there's a charge associated with that though.

[jtl513]

I noticed that there are several city tour excursions in each port. Does anyone have experience with those? Were they fun/interesting?

We took one in Ketchikan, but IMO the best part was walking down Creek Street after we got off the bus!

 

If you want some sort of communication method while onboard with your grandmother, I hear walkie talkies work. I don't know if they need to be a certain frequency or not (I know nothing about them really).

Good (i.e. expensive) ones may work OK, but generally the cheap (kids' toy) ones just can't deal with all the steel around. Even cheap ones will give you a choice of about 10 channels to use.

[RuthC]

There are in cabin phones so you can call another cabin. I don't know if there's a charge associated with that though.

No charge to use your cabin phone, or a house phone. Your cabin phone has a voice-mail system, so messages can be left and retrieved.

[govgurl]

I

Regarding the phones, from what I've been able to find, prepare yourself for some sticker shock. The rates while onboard and sailing are about $5-7/minute. It's because there are no cell towers out at sea, only the ships really expensive satellite. Cell phones should work in AK, but wait until the ship turns its system off (not sure how you can tell, maybe someone can jump in here).

 

 

Ouch. Well I will try to use my blackberry sparingly then, since when I say "work" pays for it, what that means is that taxpayers pay for and, you know, I figure one less government employee on a splurge is all for the best. Plus, then I have an excuse to really unplug from my job for the week, it's a win-win.

[Belle]

Unless you really need it...

 

Call only from land in Alaska.

No extra charge.

 

Also usually works from the ship

when it's close to land (Alaska)before

the ship is docked and when in port. They

turn off the tower then.

[Hockey Granny]

A problem that we encountered using our walkie talkies is that we aren't the only ones with that great idea. The last time we took ours, we continually ran into "busy" channels and in one instance were told to get off the channel because some people thought that they owned it. We did find they worked well on board ship.

Hockey Granny