Cruisetour review 5-30 to 6-10 on Zaandam

[coltsgal1]

We appreciate all the advice and info from these boards, very helpful.

 

We took an 11 day cruise tour starting in Fairbanks, to Denali, Anchorage and then Seward where we embarked on the Zaandam.

The cruise tour portion was very interesting but a little tiring with all the movement/packing and unpacking etc. Got a little tired of buses and waiting on people but mostly everything went okay. Can understand the push to DIY.

Fairbanks: Loved the Riverboat Discovery tour, relaxing and informative. Enjoyed the Indian village. Lunch was great. Also enjoyed the Evening Salmon bake and Palace theater. Surprizingly was the only place mosquitoes were a bit pesky.

Train ride to Denali next day was scenic and fun, w new experience. Arrived in Denali at noon, our lodge at McKinley Chalet very nice but far from main area. No problem getting a shuttle to and from. Raining upon arrival, we were worried about our flight seeing tour but it turned out to be breathtaking, sunny and clear over the park and by one side on Mt McKinley. These 8 seat planes were also a new experience, we loved it. I was sorry not to see in the park from the ground as my DH would not get on a bus for many hours to do that. So we flew which we enjoyed. A reason to return I guess.

We enjoyed a visit to Husky Homestead in the am, Jeff King was great.

TRain to Anchorage left at 1pm, while waiting for it a moose appeared on the track for awhile. Guess he knew when to move.

This train ride was 8hrs and time flew by. Very scenic, a great view of Mt McKinley from 70 miles away. Food on train was pretty good. Guide this time was rather annoying but staff in general very friendly.

Spent night in Anchorage and then bus to Seward to embark the Zaandam. Here is where I regret not doing something else the rest of the day but hubby gets tired easily and enjoyed this down time after lunch.

 

Day 1- sea day with glorious sunshine and about 55-60 degrees. Lovely and smooth seas. Enjoyed relaxing, walking the deck around the ship and reading. The evening show was pretty good. The ship is older as others have described but we liked it. Well laid out and lots of good features. You can look for upgrade needs and find them but we really thought it was elegant.

Our suite was very nice with lots of storage. We enjoyed the Neptune lounge for snacks and coffee and information as needed. We also loved our veranda which was huge. Great viewing, blankets provided if needed, had good protection from wind.

 

Day 2- Glacier Bay, a long ride into the area very scenic and pretty chilly. This day we needed the layers, hat and gloves. Croves Nest was crazy crowded but good viewing. I chose to move around from different areas. Glaciers were beautiful, saw some calving and eagles.

 

Day 3- Haines. Small little town so quaint. Loved the people in the gift shop across from the pier. WE took a morning tour- Off the beaten track and saw the Hammer Museum ( my hubby desired this) which actually was interesting. Then to Dalton City and an art gallery way out in the boondocks-Extreme Art. All very different.

In the afternoon we went on the Tanshanook 4x4 trail ride on these cars up a mountain to 1500 feet. This was a lot of fun. The weather improved from the morning cloudy and drizzle to sunshine. Cooler as we went higher. My hubby really enjoyed driving and the views spectacular. We had a pit stop at a lovely cabin for cookies/drinks/bathroom on the way up and on the way down stopped there for a great lunch-delicious. Very friendly people and guide.

 

Day 4- Juneau- We had really anticipated our whale watch tour with Captain Greg of Weather Permitting. Weather was chilly, rainy off and on. We were picked up at pier after some confusion and to marina. Some eagle sightings. This boat is for 6 people and it was us and four others. Comfortale inside cabin with snacks. We saw one set of whales very close, it was awesome. Just a little disappointed that was all we saw for 3 hours. Our expectations were out of whack.

MY hubby went back for a nap after lunch at the Red Dog Salon, good food and fun atmosphere. I shopped a little and found some things.

 

Day 5- Ketchikan- Short time in port arriving at 11am. My DH not feeling well-head and chest cold so he stayed onboard. I went to Creek Street and shopped until time for our Deadliest Catch Tour. I loved this, it was so much fun and weather was very nice most of the time. The tour guides were so friendly and funny at times with touching stories and information. They went out and fed eagles which came by in swarms they were so beautiful and graceful. So close to us. MY jaw dropped. Enjoyed seeing the whole operation of bringing in the crab pots etc. There were only 30 of us so very enjoyable and plenty of room to move around.

 

Day 6- Inside Passage-- another beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky and decent temp. Pool cover partly open, sun felt good. We didn't do much, packed and walked around. Enjoyed evening show after dinner at Pinnacle Grill for my birthday. Great meal.

 

Day 7- We had transfers with HAL off the ship to airport which went smoothly. WE enjoyed taking out time as our flight was 2pm. We arrived at 1045am to airport and made it thru customs and security easily only to find our flight had been delayed. The delays continued every hour. United Airlines should be ashamed. IT was delayed until 1030pm. We received no information unless you went up to ask. Had to ask for meal vouchers. We had to change our connecting flight in Chicago to the next morning--we were originally going to have to stay overnight in Chicago but we got there 5am- flight left 8:30am so we spent more time waiting in an airport after 12 hrs in Vancouver. Exhausting end to a really nice vacation.

 

In summary, I can see why people want to return to Alaska. There is so much to see you certainly can't begin to do it all. Perhaps we will think about going back someday soon. too.

 

Will try to post some photos.

[vbmom87]

Thank you for your review. I am glad you enjoyed your tour overall. It was fun to relive my time in Alaska. Sorry you didn't see more whales. One never knows what kind of experience they will have out on the waters searching for whales. Although most people seem to have a great experience, every so often I read of someone who saw very few whales. That is such a big disappointment. Thanks again for taking the time to share your cruisetour with us.

[Pittypatbr]

Thanks for posting your review. We did it the opposite way, and loved the Zaandam too.

[erewhon]

Thank you for your review.

 

Sorry that your airline caused such a disappointing end to your holiday.