Amsterdam-14 day Alaska cruise Review 7-8-11

[rajkr74]

14 day Alaska cruise on the Amsterdam-7-8-11 thru 7-22-11 Review

 

We are a couple in our early 60’s (hate that word, sixty, since we just turned 60) and we are very mobile and do a lot of walking. I will keep posting each day as I get it typed…slowly. Once we get all of our photos reviewed and posted to our Microsoft Skydrive we will put a ling on this thread.

 

Day before cruise: Since we live 5 ½ hrs south of Seattle it was a treat not to have to worry about airlines, luggage weight and how much we could and could not pack. We drove up to Seattle Thurs. afternoon to Lorin and Bonnie’s house outside of Seattle. Got there around 7:300pm with no problems. We met Lorin and Bonnie on our April Westerdam Panama Cruise and accepted their nice invitation to stay at their house that night.

 

Day 1, Friday Seattle: Lorin was kind enough to take us right to Pier 91. Our car stayed at their house for the 14 days. We left their house about 10:00am and got to the dock about 11:00, not bad for driving thru the “famous” downtown Seattle traffic! There was very little traffic or cars on the dock so it was easy to negotiate the unloading. We rolled our three suitcases into the building along with some small carry on packs. The line for check in had very few passengers so check in took only a few minutes. We then went to a waiting area near the Embarkation photo area and waited there 20-30 minutes until we were allowed to board. We boarded on the ship's 3rd level, the Promenade deck, starboard side into the Atrium. Our room was on the same level, 3368 on the port side. As happened previously, on our April Panama cruise, the room was ready and we dropped off our carry on items there. This has turned out to be a great change from previous cruises were you had to haul your carry on items with you or leave them at a designated area until the rooms became available around 1:30pm.

 

We then headed to the Lido for lunch and found it not very crowded and easy to check out the lunch menu. Great feeling walking around trying to decide what to eat for lunch! After lunch we then took a little tour of the ship since we have not been on this class of ship before. We have only been on HALs Vista class ships, the Zuiderdam and the Westerdam. This was our 4th cruise, all of which have been on Holland America. We have been very happy with them and we say “if its not broken don’t fix it”. The lifeboat drill was at 4:15 pm and was easy not having to put on the lifejackets. We then went up to the stern on the Lido deck for sail away. The weather was perfect for Seattle, around the mid 70’s with clear skies. After the ship left we went down and did some unpacking since all of our suitcases had been delivered.

 

We headed to diner around 6:00pm. This cruise we had “As You Wish Dining”. On our other 3 cruises we had fixed dinning but since we booked this cruise so late the fixed dining option was full. We walked up to the podium in the La Fontaine Dining room 4th deck and were setted at a table for 6…..immediately. We expected to maybe have to wait a few minutes but this was way too easy. We did this most every night there after and never had to wait. We always agreed to be seated with others on larger tables. We reserved a dinning time only once during the cruise. This option was very rewarding since we got to meet a ton of fellow passengers that we would not have met with fixed dining. The down side was we usually did not have the same waiters and so did not get to know them.

 

We skipped the Queen’s Lounge with the singers and dancers entertainment and went to the Wajang Theater for the Kenny Chesney Summer in 3-D movie at 8:00pm. Good show and the seats were comfortable. After the movie we were tired so we headed for bed after a long day. So far everything was going very well.

[Himself]

I will read your observations with a keen eye since I was on the same voyage.

[rajkr74]

I will read your observations with a keen eye since I was on the same voyage.

 

Just for reference, I was the 6' 9" guy around the ship ducking under all the low doorways and life boats...lol. Hope you had as much fun on this cruise as we did.....beside who could have come up with that great weather?

Rick

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great start -- looking forward to the rest.

[rajkr74]

Day 2, Saturday-Sea day inside Passage: Woke up early to see the sights of the inside passage. We went to breakfast at about 6:30am in the Lido. We enjoy cruising thru the Lido trying to figure out what to have for breakfast. We both had omelets with fresh squeezed orange juice; the omelets were very good since you can put what ever you want in them. Spent some time on the outside Lido deck on the stern watching the beautiful sights of the inside passage.

 

We then went to the bow for some different photo angles. We shoot two cameras and take quite a few photos on our cruises. Thank heavens for digital cameras. Just after 11:00am we went to the Microsoft digital workshop for the Windows 7 operating system. We just bought a new computer to handle all the photos we shoot and we wanted to learn a little about Windows 7 which came with the computer. We run XP on our current desktop and Vista (yuck) on our laptop. After taking a number of these classes while on this cruise I picked up a number of things from Frank the teacher. He was very good and has a lot of information to give out and is really patient with all the questions asked. Looks like Windows 7 has a lot of good things and I feel will be just as good as XP if not better. If you want to learn about digital photos you should take these free classes. We have gone to them on this cruise and last 2 cruises and always learn something new from the classes.

 

We then headed to in the Lido for lunch after 12:15. It was pretty crowded and it took some time to find out what we wanted to eat, get in line and then find a table. However, we are used to this style of dining and go with the flow even when it is busy. If we can’t find an unoccupied table we don’t hesitate to ask if we can sit with someone at an occupied table. We have never been refused and we meet new people that way. The food was good as usual. After dessert (ice cream & cookies) we wandered out to the stern for inside passage viewing and more pictures. We then went to our Meet & Great for the CC Roll Call at 2:00pm. It was held in the Crows Nest on the port side on the room. Quite a few people came and Wendy who organized the meeting did a great job with all the prizes, name tags and details in general. They had coffee, juice and cookies. We had booked this cruise only about 45 days before embarkation so we were not on the roll call as long as others. We did not get to met everyone at the M&G since there were about 40 people present and the room was not arranged so you could mingle easily. We then went back to the aft Lido deck to enjoy the warm sun by lounging in the deck chairs.

 

We went back to the room for a nap before the formal diner. Again we showed up for As You Wish dining on the lower floor of the La Fontaine dining room and were seated quickly with two other couples. Dinner, as usual, was very good. Over the course of the cruise the one thing I enjoyed over our other cruises on HAL was the quality of the dinner rolls. There was a good variety of different rolls and they were softer than what we experienced on the Westerdam in April. I found the rolls on the Westerdam to be hard crusted and not very soft. After dinner we went to the singers and dancers show in the Queens lounge. The show was OK but they were not as good as the dancers we had on the Westerdam in April. After the 8:00 pm show we went back to the room and changed clothes.

 

We then went up to the 11:00 late night snack. We do not eat another full meal but just checked out some of the items and took a few items to “snack” on. They have a different “theme” for the food each night and its kind of fun to see what is available. I usually go for a little dessert or ice cream. We have always had good contact with the wait staff in the Lido and got to know a number of the staff over the length of the cruise. We are always interesting to learn about their families and how long they have worked for HAL. We have always done this and have totally enjoyed learning about them. We love the smiles we get from them each night when we come upstairs to the Lido. We are always impressed with their ability to learn our names and how they always great us with smiles along with how long they sacrifice being away from their families and home. I could not do what they do for as long as they do it. We then go back to bed to sleep with an extra hour of sleep since the clocks get turned back an hour…YES I need that extra hour.

[Kittym7]

I look forward to your next installment. We are going to take this cruise 9/2/11 for our 35th anniversary. Be sure to tell us all about your favorite shore excursions.

[rajkr74]

Day 3, Sunday, Ketchikan: We were expected to arrive in port at 7:30am. Sunrise was at 4:20am but we were not up at that hour. We usually get up to the Lido from 6:30am to 7:00am each morning when coming into a port. This morning we were up there around 6:00. Arriving this early in the Lido made it pretty easy to find a seat by a window and have a great breakfast. I zeroed into the chocolate milk available each morning since I don’t usually get that at home. After breakfast we went out on stern to watch the docking procedure coming into Ketchikan. It turned out to be a beautiful morning with smooth water, clear skies and no rain. So far the weather gods have been on our side. Little did we know it was only going to get even better.

 

We then got off the ship around 8:00am and went to a few shops that were close by the dock since we had a HAL excursion at 9:30am. We came back to the ship and loaded a small back pack with cameras sunscreen and other items for the excursion. We signed up for the Wilderness Exploration and Crab Feed prior to the start of the cruise. The excursions brochure stated we would get lunch of a full Dungeness crab and drink after a boat ride around the area. We met the bus on the dock and headed out south of town for about a 20 minute drive to the lodge where we boarded a boat along with about 16 other people. We then headed out on the water for sightseeing views. Again it was a very nice day and the water was glassy smooth and the surrounding country was magnificent. The guide gave us a narration of the history of the local area and she was very good. We spotted eagles, harbor seals and viewed an old Libby salmon cannery. I was interesting learning how they caught salmon back then. They just about decimated the populations of salmon. We then pulled up into a small inlet were they pulled crab pots to show everyone the famous Dungeness crab. We did not have any keepers but it was fun to see the difference between males and females.

 

We then headed back to the lodge for lunch. The waitresses all wore bright yellow bibbed rain gear and I wondered why they had those on other than maybe to look like fisherman???? Answer later. We had a salad along with a drink , pop, beer or tea and then a lesson on how to pick crab. They then came out with large bowls of freshly cooked crab and ran around the room putting crab halves on our plates. They also stated there is a contest to see who could make the tallest pill of crab shells on a plate. There were no rules in this contest. Now I have been picking Dungeness crab since I was about 8 years old and I love crab. Turned out that it was all you could eat crab…..yes. Bring on the crab! I think I got at least 3 full crabs picked into a pile of Dungeness crab meat on my plate. But it could have been closer to 4 full crabs. The waitresses were outstanding running around the room supplying crab to anyone who hollered for more and cracking jokes. They were quite a show in themselves. With all the crab flying around and being cracked there was a lot of liquid on the tables and occasionally in the air. That’s when I then figured out the function of the bibbed overalls the waitresses were wearing. We tied with other tables for the tallest stack of crab shells. We had a distinct disadvantage since there were only the two of us on our table and other tables had 4 people or more on them. The winners, one person from each table (lucky us), got to get up and do the “crab” dance in front of everyone. Luckily my wife was selected over me for the dance (miracles happen everyday) and boy that made me very happy. This was one of the best excursions we have ever taken and we highly recommend it to others.

 

After the excursion we were taken back to the dock about 1:30pm were we dropped off our coats and back pack and then headed out to tour the town and do some shopping. Visited Creek Street and went down to the bridge above the boat harbor to watch the local’s fish for salmon. We had been to Ketichan 4 years ago and really like this town. We wanted to get out to Totem Bright park and don’t really like to spend the money for a taxi. We had looked into the town bus system and the times they went there, but we were nervous about how long it would take going out and back that we decided to stay downtown. We went back to the ship since all aboard was at 4:30pm with sail away at 5:00pm. We went to the Promenade deck to watch for “runners” late for boarding. Had two guys that were late but still 5 mins before sail away. They did not seem to be in a hurry as they casually walked to the ship and got cat-called for being late by all of us watching them.

 

We went to diner around 7:00pm. After diner we went to the show with Marty Brill, a TV & motion picture comedy writer. I found him not funny at all and just about fell asleep during his show. So far the entertainment on the Amsterdam has not met the standards we had while on the Westerdam in April, where every show was great. We went back to the room and read for awhile until 11:00 and the late night snack. Do I really need more food? Don’t worry I keep asking that same question for the whole trip since I could not decide what the answer was.

[erewhon]

RAJKR74,

 

Great to read of your Alaskan cruise, thank you.

[Assateague Island Princes]

More please!:D I am so loving your writing style and enjoying hearing about your experiences on the Amsterdam. I board this Friday, 8/5 along with my niece and her boyfriend - who are not only cruise newbies, but Alaska newbies as well. Looking forward to showing them MY Alaska! My DH and I did this 14 day itinerary on the Amsterdam last year (May 31st sailing) and so enjoyed it. It was all I could think about over the long, cold Pennsylvania winter. So when DH ended up getting a new job this spring, and my niece expressed interest in going, I was there!! Can't wait to hear about each port from your perspective. The Ketchikan excursion sounds wonderful - I think I'll try that next time;)....and there will be a next time! Though this is my 4th AK trip coming up, I just can't seem to get enough. Sounds like you feel the same way.

 

So again - more please????

[cdkempton]

Thanks for reporting on your cruise. We're on the 9/2 sailing and enjoy getting all the info I can. Glad you've had such a great time (so far). Looking forward to the rest of your postings. :D

[kazu]

Can`t wait to hear the rest. A great review with a lot of fun in it. If only I had some of the skills of my fellow cc - ers. Thanks so much:)

[rajkr74]

More please!:D I am so loving your writing style and enjoying hearing about your experiences on the Amsterdam. I board this Friday, 8/5 along with my niece and her boyfriend - who are not only cruise newbies, but Alaska newbies as well. Looking forward to showing them MY Alaska! My DH and I did this 14 day itinerary on the Amsterdam last year (May 31st sailing) and so enjoyed it. It was all I could think about over the long, cold Pennsylvania winter. So when DH ended up getting a new job this spring, and my niece expressed interest in going, I was there!! Can't wait to hear about each port from your perspective. The Ketchikan excursion sounds wonderful - I think I'll try that next time;)....and there will be a next time! Though this is my 4th AK trip coming up, I just can't seem to get enough. Sounds like you feel the same way.

 

So again - more please????

 

Oh darn...now you have put the pressure on me to get this done, lol. My typing leaves something to be desired, but I will try to get as much as I can posted. Joyce is working on the photos and they should be ready tomorrow Sunday.

[IRL_Joanie]

I am Absolutely Loving your review!!!

 

More Please Sir??

 

Joanie

[rajkr74]

Day 4, Monday, Scenic cruising in Tracy Arm. We slept in this morning to 7:30am then to the Lido for breakfast, but not before going out on deck for a few photos. We swore we would try room service on this cruise since we have never tried it before on our other 3 cruises, but it looks like we enjoy going to breakfast more than eating in the room. I think I had French toast, sausage links, fruit and orange juice. Oh, forgot the chocolate milk also!

 

At 9:30 am went to the Techspert session for the digital class by Microsoft. This class time allowed you to come in and work on photos, slideshows and get help from Frank. This is open help time during Techspert Time. Joyce went to the “deck” sale at the mid-ship Lido pool area to see what they had for sale. She found some tee shirts with Alaska themes on them. I think they sold at 2 for $20 but you had to buy two shirts and could not buy one for $10.

 

By 11:00am we headed out to deck 6 toward the bow for viewing Tracey Arm. This deck is two levels above the bow and we liked it for viewing. The bow is accessed thru the Queens Lounge deck 4 either side of the stage. There are a number of other ways to get to the bow and you should explore these different ways to get there before Tracey Arm because it’s a bit hard to explain it here. All be it, there are a number of way to get there so explore. The bow is open quite a bit of the time and gaves one a pretty good view. Make sure you get there early to get a good spot at the rail because as you get further up the arm or near the glacier it gets crowded. The Lido deck at the stern pool is another good place but as you are going in you can’t always see everything but good for when we were leaving.

 

We did Tracey Arm 4 years ago in the rain and this day we had glorious SUN….yes. It gave us a very different view and pictures. But we did have a little wind that day going in. Waiters came out on the decks early serving us Split Pea soup which was very good. They did this four years ago and is a tradition. Not sure if it is served in other areas of the ship. We got lucky and went way up the arm and got pretty close to Sawyer Glacier, fabulous photos and views. Saw a lot of seals on the ice flow with small baby seals. Went around an island close to the glacier and spotted an eagle in a tree. It was close to 5:00pm when we came out of Tracey Arm, it was a great experience.

 

This night we went to dinner at the Pinnacle Grill which we do at least once on each cruise. Again it was very good and we had good service. Joyce had the filet minion and I had the 20oz Porterhouse….yum, can you say stuffed? After this great diner we went (waddled) to the movie Country Strong at 9:00 in the Wajang Theater. After the movie we walked up to the Lido deck aft and were amazed how light is was outside at 11:00pm. The other thing we noticed when we came out on deck was the ship was anchored in a channel a short distance from Juneau but we could not see Juneau from this spot. There were a couple of other cruise ships that went by us while we watched. Nice warm evening standing there talking to folks from Australia. Then we ran in to see what was on the menu for the late night snack. Darn more food……

[rajkr74]

I am Absolutely Loving your review!!!

 

More Please Sir??

 

Joanie

 

Thanks. This is the first Thread I have done and am maddly trying to get more days completed since some members are going on this same cruise next friday and in Sept. Boy do I like spell check since I'm not best writter.

Rick

[vbmom87]

Thanks. This is the first Thread I have done and am maddly trying to get more days completed since some members are going on this same cruise next friday and in Sept. Boy do I like spell check since I'm not best writter.

Rick

 

Maybe your spelling isn't stellar, but your writing is great. Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

[rajkr74]

Day 5, Tuesday, Juneau: Well we were not very far from Juneau and I think the anchor came up around 5:00am with arrival at the dock in Juneau scheduled for 8:00am. Well again like a “broken record”, the weather was great, clear skies, calm waters and temps in the high 50’s as we pulled into dock. We watched the whole docking process around 6:30 to 7:00am. Again we went to breakfast in the Lido. I am getting pretty used to this, being served breakfast and know I am going to have the withdrawal shakes when we get home after the cruise.

 

We selected the Roberts tram for an excursion prior to the cruise. It lets you go anytime during the day and unlimited trips up and down. We were hesitant about buying that thru HAL because if it were cloudy we wondered if we would see everything. The price thru HAL and direct at the lift was $27pp, the same price. But we had been adding up our numbers and days toward our 3 star Mariner status and decided we needed to buy it thru HAL for the points and gamble for good weather. Boy we guessed correctly, wonder if Vegas could be a new occupation for me?

 

We got off the ship with long pants and heavy shirts to walk around town and then take the tram up the mountain. Boy did we guess wrong, one block away from the ship and we returned back to ship to change clothes into shorts and light shirts. I also took out all the coats from the pack and decided to lather up on sunscreen. I wonder if Juneau had experienced an earth shift and was now located off the coast of Calif.? We really enjoyed the ride up the mountain that morning and all the shops and sights. We got to see a family called the Alaska String Band play the fiddle, violin, bass and sing in the auditorium. They were great and we really enjoyed it. Nice family but the mother was sick that day so we missed her. We walked around the hiking trails and got some MORE pictures of the town and the four cruise ships at dock below us. There were fabulous views of the scenery of Juneau and the surrounding countryside. Boy this could not have been a more perfect day with temps in the mid 70’s. I wonder how many more days this weather would keep up before it rained? Joyce just yelled at me for that statement because I might jinx the rest of the trip. We then went back down the tram and back to the ship for lunch around 1:00pm. After lunch we walked around the town shopping and then decided to go back up the tram. Once up there I found a seat over looking the harbor and just watched the sights. Boy, again it was a lovely afternoon. After an hour or two up there we went back down and did some more shopping. We bought a 6 pack of Alaskan Brewing Co. beer to take home and four glasses for my collection.

 

We got back on ship at 5:30 and went to dinner around 7:00pm. Sail away was scheduled for 10:00pm. The show was a multi-instrumentalist by the name of Ben West, which we did not go to it. We just wandered around the ship taking more pictures and visiting the shops on board. We watched sail away a little after 10:00pm. Went up to the Lido for the snack….again. Boy I am trying to remain strong, but which way? To eat or not to eat?

[localady]

Thanks for your great review. :D Juneau can be hot, I do recall swimming in the back Lido pool and getting a suntan one afternoon in Juneau. The deck was full of sunbathers! Glad your weather was sooo spectacular. :D

[DutchByAssociation]

There are many times, especially this summer :rolleyes: , where AK can be quite a bit warmer than Seattle even... it completely boggles the mind :)

[JamesEM]

Enjoy reading your review, DW and I will be sailing on the Amsterdam next August, thanks for sharing your cruise experience.

[jschm27]

Hey RAJKR74!

 

Enjoying your travel log. Where booked on WESTERDAM mid August. You've given me a lot of good info on ports. Thanks!

 

Question: In your first post you said that you did the life boat drill without your lifejacket?

 

Comment: I had Vista on my lap top and it sucked. We upgraded to Windows 7 and have been quite pleased.

 

Have a great cruise!

John

[rajkr74]

Hey RAJKR74!

 

Enjoying your travel log. Where booked on WESTERDAM mid August. You've given me a lot of good info on ports. Thanks!

 

Question: In your first post you said that you did the life boat drill without your lifejacket?

 

Comment: I had Vista on my lap top and it sucked. We upgraded to Windows 7 and have been quite pleased.

 

Have a great cruise!

John

 

John,

Too many people tripping on the lifejacket cords while going up and down stairs to their stations so HAL did away with them a few years ago. Makes things a lot easier.

Thanks for the vote of confidence on Windows 7. The best thing we saw from the classes on ship was the snip tool which allows you to take the cursor and outline anything on any page and copy it to another page including web pages..pretty neat!

[rajkr74]

Day 6, Wednesday, Icy Strait Point: We were up early this morning at 6:30am because we needed to be off the ship as soon as the tenders allowed for a private excursion we booked on line. Well…I did it in Juneau…I jinxed it by asking about rain. This morning we had a low wispy cloud layer that obscured the sun. However I must have been living right, it was not raining. We grabbed our packs with rain gear and headed for the Queens Lounge for our tender tickets around 7:00am. When we got there we were immediately told to go to the tenders on the 1st deck (I think). We think it was the second tender to leave and it was not completely full. Took about 15 mins to load and get to shore. Water was smooth and it was a pretty nice trip to shore.

 

We booked a whale watching excursion thru F.I.S.H.E.S. out of Honooh the town near Icy Straight Point. Once on shore we walked a short distance thru the gate to the right of the complex where Floyd was waiting for us. His aluminum boat held 6 people with a very comfortable heated cabin. We waited a few minutes for the other couple and their two young boys and then headed into town to his boat in the harbor. Got on board and headed out but took a few minutes to get MORE photos of a Bald eagle in a tree near the harbor. We got some pretty good shots of him. It took about 40 mins. to get out to where the whales were but that was interrupted when Floyd located a brown bear on shore. We detoured toward the shore to get MORE photos of the bear. Pretty cool!

 

Floyd was in contact with another boat looking for whales and let him know they had one breaching near them. However the fog descended upon us and visibility dropped a little. Floyd did not mind this over the day before when it was clear and the wind picked up and caused the ocean to get pretty rough. So far our ocean was smooth as glass but it was a little chillier than what we had experienced in Juneau. We finally sighted some whales fairly close. We saw their backs and tails as they came out of the water. Then we spotted a sea otter very near the boat rolling in the water. That was pretty neat as they are pretty animals. We were also in a school of salmon with them fining near the surface. Oh how I wished I had my fly pole and a salmon fly on the leader. We also had a number of fish jumping to point I thought one would jump in the boat. Floyd’s boat had a large open bow with a ramp that we allowed us plenty of room to take MORE pictures. (I’m going to find the person who invented digital cameras and get his patent pulled or buy stock in digital card manufactures when I get home).

 

The two boys (5 and 7) with us were having a great time also and behaved very well. But that could have been because there was a cookie jar full of cookies on the table that kept them occupied most of the morning. Either way they were a pleasure to have on board. We kept seeing a few whales along with sea lions close to the boat. Then it was time to head back even though we could have stayed out another 4 hours but Floyd had another group of 6 customers for a 2nd excursion. It was a very good trip and I’d recommend them to anyone interested since it was a smaller boat with a lot of flexibility.

 

Once back in the harbor his wife Marjorie was there to drive us back to the Icy Straight Point complex but we decided to stay in town and walk the one mile plus back to the complex. We walked around town but there was not much to see or shop for. But it was warming up and the walk back to the complex was easy. Saw another eagle in the tree on walk back.

 

Once back to Icy Straight Point there were shops and displays to visit and walk around. They have a huge zip line that is purported to be the longest in the world. But at $100+ for a 60(e) second ride I did not partake. We also learned that a whale had showed up right off the shoreline in the morning where people got a pretty good show and they did not pay $150pp to see this show, darn! Well I guess that’s the luck of the draw?

 

We headed back to the ship via the tender since the last tender was at 3:30 and sail away was 4:00pm. We had a small lunch after getting back to the ship. We then headed to another Techspert session to pickup some more pointers on digital photos. We also stopped by the dinning room and checked out the menu and found nothing that looked good so we went to the Lido for dinner around 6:30pm. We missed the raffle in the jewelry shops, I need to learn to eat faster. We then walked into the Lance Ringnald show who was an Olympic gymnast. He did a number of routines that were pretty remarkable for someone who is now 41 years old. I never looked that good at 21 years old! He was pretty funny too and put on a pretty good show. Then finally, for a change of pace, back to the Lido for a late night snack. I need to find a mechanic who has a leather hole punch so I can adjust my belt!

[Corby114]

Thanks Rick for your great review. We were on Glacier Wind Charters in Icy Strait Point. Floyd was talking to our captain Shawn about whale and bear locations. I understand that they're good friends. We really enjoyed the boat ride. We saw 3 whales and Shawn waited until a fluke before we headed back. He wanted to keep us out longer, but had another tour booked at 11:30. Even the fog enhanced this tour. Can't complain since we had such wonderful weather throughout this cruise.

[rajkr74]

Thanks Rick for your great review. We were on Glacier Wind Charters in Icy Strait Point. Floyd was talking to our captain Shawn about whale and bear locations. I understand that they're good friends. We really enjoyed the boat ride. We saw 3 whales and Shawn waited until a fluke before we headed back. He wanted to keep us out longer, but had another tour booked at 11:30. Even the fog enhanced this tour. Can't complain since we had such wonderful weather throughout this cruise.

 

We heard that you had a breaching whale, did you see it? We got lucky and saw the bear on the beach and Floyd got as close as he could for photos and for the two young boys on board to see. If I remember you went by the same spot the bear was at but did not see him, correct? We did see a sea otter which was neat. Wish it was not so foggy but it was still a good trip.

Rick