Just Home - Amsterdam - Alaska

[22Vines]

Hi,

 

Just returned today from the ms Amsterdam. Here is a quick off the top and initial feelings, from me (52 old guy)review. Did a roundtrip from Alaska via Vancouver BC. We have sailed 3 times now on HAL and all the other mainstream lines. We had five travelers this trip (3 Adults and 2 Teens). Overall:

 

Cabin: 1884

Overall product and cruise: Amsterdam - Good cruise and relaxing. Although, compared to other HAL Alaska trips, I feel Osterdam and Zuiderdam were better based on the whole package. Amsterdam was marginally better than all the other cruise lines we have been on, only because I am a HAL fan.

Cabin Staff: Very good – friendly all the time and attentive.

Bar Staff – Good

Overall Dining Service – OK – very much off key from any other cruise – not sure what the deal was this trip – they tried but they were slow and sometimes missed the mark.

Ship – Liked the layout and size. One of the smallest ships we have ever been on. Nice classic ship. Never felt crowded. More walking room on Lido dining area would be good. Amsterdam is in very much need of some maintenance outside and in…showing wear. Oh, and I am not a picky person.

Food – very good. MDR was great and Pinnacle was excellent.

Wine – Good choices.

Shows – Liked the Comedian. The magic show was odd.

Ports – Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan – seen enough.

Glacier Bay – could spend a week just here and anchored!!!!!

Weather/Seas – not in our control….had a great evening of thunder and lightning….one day was a bit rough. Rainy off and on….some great fog too. Oddly, we really never sailed the inside passage much like on the other routes. We arrived late and saw very little of the inside before nightfall.

Main Issue - sewer smell or something on most decks- why? Do not know.

Would I sail HAL again? – Yes!!!

Amsterdam – Yes after some maintenance.

Let me know if you have questions. Thanks

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[erewhon]

Thanks for your review of the Amsterdam cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your review.

Glad you had a wonderful Alaskan cruise.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report. Sounds like overall you had a great time.

[Keith1010]

Thanks for writing this report and welcome home.

 

Keith

[coldinerie]

Heading on the Amsterdam on July 5, I have a few questions:

 

How was the weather? What should we pack? My suitcase is overflowing and need to eliminate some items, what were the average temps?

 

Did they have wifi in the cabins, and if so,do you know the costs?

 

What were the movies in the cabins?

 

What shore excursions did you take and what were your thoughts on them?

 

Lets talk about the smell. Did it go inside of your cabin? We are booked just a few cabins from yours, so just wondering.

 

If you toured around Vancouver, what would you recommend visiting? We are arriving a day earlier, so would love suggestions.

 

I booked this cruise 2 weeks ago, so not a lot of time to do research. Never been to Alaska, said I would 'never pay to be cold' (because I hate snow, I live in COLDINERIE). Any ideas would be great! Much thanks!

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[kazu]

Thanks very much for taking the time to share your experiences with us:D

 

Welcome home:D

[Rowsby]

 

How was the weather? What should we pack? My suitcase is overflowing and need to eliminate some items, what were the average temps?

 

If you toured around Vancouver, what would you recommend visiting? We are arriving a day earlier, so would love suggestions.

 

Checking weather.com will give you a somewhat accurate 10 day forecast of each port....

In May....we had to take our jackets off in Juneau...it was so warm.....but then cooler and rainy in Skagway....

The Big Bus hop-on, hop-off is a great way to see Vancouver....check their website for a printable map showing their route and stops....

Hope you have a great trip.......!!

[22Vines]

Coldinerie,

How was the weather? Cool in the morning (low 50’s). Pretty nice during the day. Warm in most ports (60's). Got a sunburn in Alaska. Easy to do. Came home to over 100. There was some rain off and on. I would take a look at NOAA weather for the next 10 days. Looks like it could be wet at times.

 

What should we pack? My suitcase is overflowing and need to eliminate some items, what were the average temps? Lots of good packing lists on the forum...I wore mainly jeans or shorts and short sleeve shirts during the day, minimal layers were needed. Saw some decked out for Antarctica weatherJ. Not needed. Glacier Bay can be chilly in the AM. They keep the ship pretty toasty. A light raincoat at the most for day time wear and maybe a couple of long sleeve shirts with t-shirt under. Can get breezy on the outside decks and cool. Casual dinner slacks/shirt and coat/tie during formal dinner.

 

Did they have wifi in the cabins, and if so,do you know the costs? Yes - didn't use as I put that away on the trip. It is pricey. Kept the cell phone off too unless you want some hefty phone charges via ship Sat service.

 

What were the movies in the cabins? They had a bunch offered for free...didn't use as we spent more time out on deck.

 

What shore excursions did you take and what were your thoughts on them? Didn't do any organized ones. We took a hike up to lower lake in Skagway. Take bug repellent. Mosquitoes were thick near fresh water sources. Took a cab (cheaper if in a group) to Mendenhall in Juneau and just walked around in Ketchikan (up Creek street). Pretty uneventful.

 

Lets talk about the smell. Did it go inside of your cabin? We are booked just a few cabins from yours, so just wondering. That was the weird thing. Mainly in the cabin bathroom or cabin halls on various decks and often back pool deck. Wondering if back pool deck was something else? It would come and go at times. Pretty persistent in the cabin bathroom/halls. But, it wasn't a deal breaker.

 

If you toured around Vancouver, what would you recommend visiting? We are arriving a day earlier, so would love suggestions. Spent two days in Vancouver. Great city. Went to Stanley Park (drove around the park – was pouring rain), Granville Market (good beer at the brewery), Gas Town (walked some and good brewery too). Also spent time watching ships come and go. Tons of places to eat.

 

I booked this cruise 2 weeks ago, so not a lot of time to do research. Never been to Alaska, said I would 'never pay to be cold' (because I hate snow, I live in COLDINERIE). Any ideas would be great! Much thanks You will love it and enjoy your cruise.

[Sir PMP]

"Amsterdam is in very much need of some maintenance outside and in…showing wear"

 

100% correct...

[Himself]

Thank you for the report.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for the quick review of your Amsterdam cruise. Glad you had a good time. Welcome back.:)

[coldinerie]

22VINES, thanks for all your information. May need to rethink what I pack.

 

I think I will pack a small air fresher for bathroom as well. this may make the trip more enjoyable!

 

Looking forward to seeing Alaska, again, thanks for your feedback! Coldinerie

[vbmom87]

Thanks for your review.

 

When you were on your other AK cruises, did they sail out of Vancouver? I ask because Seattle sailings are less scenic since they typically sail the open ocean the first and last days full days.

[solocanadian]

Thanks for taking the time to post a review. Hope they get rid of the sewer stink by September.:eek:

[22Vines]

Thanks for your review.

 

When you were on your other AK cruises, did they sail out of Vancouver? I ask because Seattle sailings are less scenic since they typically sail the open ocean the first and last days full days.

 

Yup from Vancouver and once from Seattle.

[madera1]

Glad to hear you had a good trip to Alaska. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

[janeo]

We were on the previous week's Amsterdam sailing and enjoyed amazing weather, almost too warm in Skagway. Dancing in the Crows Nest while watching the fantastic sunset with the mountains in the background (at 11 pm!) was a magical experience.

 

Must agree with the poster and the smell on the back deck got worse as the week went on. However since there was very annoying music playing over the speakers constantly, we didn't hang out much on that deck. If only we'd had some wire cutters ..!

 

This was our 4th HAL cruise over the past six years and it is disappointing how the cutbacks have affected things - for example, we really miss that freshly squeezed orange juice - had juice the first morning but it was so watery didn't bother after that. The bread pudding is still good though!! - but the coffee is bad!!

[22Vines]

I really thought about this today after making some comments.

 

So the Amsterdam needs some maintenance? I should explain why. To some this might be annoying and to others means much. I ask for your forgiveness.

 

I love cruising and ships. I have a real love for the lines of the ship and the showmanship/quality visual on a ship. A quality visual should be an expectation along with the food and fun. We pay for what we eat, drink, do, and to have an overall fun relaxing time. But we also pay for what we see or sense each day as we cruise. There should be some expected visual wows on a cruise ship. This is why the big ships are winning and the smaller classic older ships are going to the side these days. Visual quality and sensations are setting the tone and folks want to be on the newest clean ship with the 40 mega super slides, 200 restaurants, and bazillion things to do. Which to me ends the cruise idea. The standard though should be consistency.

 

So for the ms Amsterdam:

 

1. The ship’s hull….I have never seen so much rust and sea life clinging to any hull below the waterline on a major cruise line ship. That was my first impression and that set the tone. My fault for watching the ship doc the day of our cruise. Even my Son said something about the appearance without me baiting a response a few days into the cruise. Look at other the lines (and we saw many) for the clean look. Amsterdam fell short. Yes it is a ship, but not a fishing boat.

2. The smell. It was obvious. Said enogh on this.

3. Ok petty, but, white bright caulking to fill holes in the bathroom areas that doesn’t match? Not a real hard thing to do. Another visual.

4. Sheets with holes and stains. Another visual.

5. Windows….fuzzy, stained, and unclean. Another visual.

6. Rust on the white bent rails outside. Rust takes time to build. Overall a worn look.

 

Enough…I have said my part.

 

Ok, before you throw me off the ship. Keep in mind, I have been on many ships that pay attention to this stuff and I am really not picky. But when it hits you face on, it stands out. I had set the bar very high for the Amsterdam based on reviews. They fell short. That is my fault for expecting more. You may very well not experience any of this, and that is my hope.

 

There are many many great things about the ship, crew, and food etc….and those need to be for our individual determinations. Just like the above is my first thought.

 

Interesting, we had a first time HAL cruiser with us. They were not sold. I spent some time trying to sell them on HAL. I think I failed.

 

Now for all those who may ask, should I cancel my cruise…NO!!!!! I would sail again on HAL and Amsterdam without a doubt. Things do need to be cleaned up to beat the other Lines. HAL can do it. Cheers.

[JamesEM]

Thanks for you input, what a shame if Holland is watering down the OJ.

[coldinerie]

22VINES; I too get what you are saying. Having cruised a very long time, I notice those little things, especially the windows and rust. The sad news,as you know, is that you can get that on any line, if the ship is older and not a mega ship (except for Disney, but you pay 2-3x more to sail on them). We typically cruise the smaller vessels and not the mega ships because we don't like all those people. The smaller ships are the older ones. Cruising has changed so much from the 1980's, the push is to save money, at the passengers expense. On the converse side, prices are down compared to the 1980's (in my opinion) so I can sail more times per year. I may not get my clear windows, fresh squeezed juice, but I still get a fun time. I would think most of us who frequently cruise would think this.

 

I am looking forward to sailing on the Amsterdam on Friday. There is nothing like being on open water, seeing new things (never been to Alaska) and spending time with my family, with out all the distractions. Can't wait. Bringing some $1.00 air freshener with me for the bathroom and I am ready to set sail.

[vbmom87]

Thanks for you input, what a shame if Holland is watering down the OJ.

 

I was following a report on the Volendam, and passengers complained that the juices, in general, tasted watered down. Yes, it is a shame. HAL keeps dropping prices to fill their ships. We are seeing the consequences of those cheap prices.