Review of the Amsterdam Aug.16 Alaska

[Lauranne]

Sitting on the verandah watching the beauty of B.C. inside passage go by on our last night of the cruise and working on my review. I wasn't going to post until we arrived home but as I have a few extra minutes on my internet plan I though that I would start and then continue at home.

We planned this cruise late in January as a family cruise of the oldies as my children like to say. My DH, his parents, his sisters and husbands, his aunt (DH's dad's sister) a cousin and her husband and the cousin's husband's mother. Confused yet? I am!

We booked a variety of rooms from balcony to inside. I booked through HAL for myself and DH's parents. The rest booked through a TA.

I was the official cruise director for the group and did all the research. I sent out Sunday cruise reading to the group to enjoy.

A couple of weeks after we booked HAL had a special which included a stay at the Pan Pacific the night previous of after the cruise and airport transfer. I called HAL and they were able to add this to our reservation.

I received an upsell for us and the parents three weeks out (did not take) and two weeks out (better price, grabbed it for us, DH's parents did not wish to change rooms).

We arrived in Vancouver from our vacation on Vancouver Island on August 15th. Checked into the hotel at 3pm, room 1102 and waited in the lounge for the group to arrive. Once everyone checked in the 4 seniors decided that they would eat at the hotel as they were very tired. The rest of us younger oldies went to Steamworks Brew Pub for dinner. We had loads of fun and while the food isn't amazing we enjoyed it.

Back to the hotel for bed and dreaming of the cruise. Went to Steamworks brew pub with our group for dinner. Fun place to go. I had fish tacos and Dan had a stilton sirloin salad.

[Mtn2Sea]

Looking forward to hearing about your cruise. Family gatherings aboard a ship are nice!

[PathfinderEss]

Can't wait to hear more about your cruise on the Amsterdam.:)

[AlohaPride]

REALLY looking forward to the rest of your review! The inside cabins you have, are they doubles, triples, or quads? If they are quads, do you have any pictures? Thanks in advance!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sounds like you all had a wonderful start.

Looking forward to the rest of your review.

[KirkNC]

Look forward to the rest of the review. We have never sailed on the Amsterdam.....YET :p.

[Lauranne]

Friday, August 16th

Meet at the Holland America desk in the lobby of the Pan Pacific to transfer at 10:15. A lovely lady led us to the cruise terminal. We went through security and immigration and were in our stateroom at 11:45. Our Neptune Suite stateroom 7030 was gorgeous. I now understand why some only book a Neptune Suite, large and a great verandah. 7030 is the beginning of the overhang so it has a steel beam in the middle of the verandah. The forward portion doesn’t have the overhang and the aft portion does. This is great for Alaska when it rains as the aft portion stayed perfectly dry.

We went for the Mariners lunch in the dining room. I had shrimp cocktail and the Yucatan chicken salad, very good. Dan had the shrimp cocktail and the Rueben sandwich also good. I finished with a coffee and the lemon sherbet. We bought the 7 bottle Navigator’s wine package and booked a wine tasting for the next day. We went back to the room and meet our room attendants Heri and Heri. They quickly provided ice for chilling the wine for later. We went to the muster drill at 3:15 and then had a sail away party in our suite with all twelve of us. Even with that number of people the room never felt crowded.

We went to the Pinnacle Grill for dinner at 6 and it was excellent. Both food and service was top notch. I started with crab cakes and then had the 7 oz filet. Dan had the caesar salad and then the 10 oz filet. I had the asparagus and scallop potatoes as a side. Dan had the asparagus and rice as sides. We had the cheese plate and fruit plate for dessert. Back to our room for a nightcap and bed at 10. I slept poorly so suspect my after dinner coffee was not decaf as ordered or perhaps way too much food!:D

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Glad you are enjoying the Amsterdam, my favorite ship at the moment. We did this cruise in June and it was wonderful. Looking forward to the rest of your review.

[Lauranne]

REALLY looking forward to the rest of your review! The inside cabins you have, are they doubles, triples, or quads? If they are quads, do you have any pictures? Thanks in advance!

 

One couple was in an inside double on deck 2. I don't have pictures but did go there once. It was quite small but they were happy with it.

[Lauranne]

Saturday, August 17th

Got up at 7:30 and got ready for yoga. All us girls attended the class and I enjoyed it. I woke up with a sore back and the stretching made a great difference. I had a breakfast parfait in the Lido before going back to my room. DH had breakfast in the Neptune Lounge. We decided to explore the ship as we had yet to figure out where things are. While up on the 10th deck forward we saw a pod of approx. 100 dolphins right beside the ship. It was truly amazing. At noon we went to the dining room for lunch. I had a curried seafood salad, Dan had the seafood chowder we shared the pulled pork sandwich. I had Lime Sherbet for dessert. I enjoyed the whole meal. After a short rest we attended the wine tasting at 2:00. It cost $15.00 per person and you get 4 tastings of about ½ a glass each. You also get an assortment of cheese a small piece of bread. Seven of us attended and we has loads of fun. So much so that I needed a sleep until it was time to get ready for our formal night. We had cocktails in our room with the oldies and off we went to the dining room for a six o’clock dinner. I had spoken to the concierge yesterday about a standing reservation for the twelve of us even though we had open seating. She e-mailed the maître d who agreed to the six o’clock time although they preferred us to have a 5:30. We had two wonderful window side tables for 6. Perfect. We sat with the seniors and asked for two bottles of wine for the table from out navigators package. We had the Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc for our white and Three Blind Moose for the red. We ordered a jumbo shrimp cocktail then a pear salad followed by duck for me and shrimp for DH. Dessert was cheese cake and the soufflé. Cheese cake was very good, soufflé not so much.

We went to the piano bar and enjoyed the entertainment. At 9 drinks were buy one get one for a dollar. Bed at 11 after putting out our breakfast order for morning.

[Lauranne]

Sunday, August 18

Clocks went back one hour last night so we were up at 6:30. We had ordered room service breakfast between 7:30 and 8. After watching whales off our balcony for a bit we decided to walk the Promenade deck seven laps, two miles. We came back to our room and breakfast was waiting for us. We both had omelets, coffee and toast. It was excellent. We ate on our deck in the cool temperature while watching numerous humpback whales surface close to the ship. It really was a perfect experience. We went to the talk about Alaskan wildlife in the Queens lounge followed by bingo. I won game 2 along with another gentleman. We each won $109.00. How fun!

We arrived at Juneau at 12:45. We had a quick lunch at the Lido of salad and a sandwich and we left the ship shortly after. We took the blue bus to Mendenhall Glacier and saw a bear on the way. We watched salmon spawn and enjoyed the views of the glacier and the movie at the Interpretive center. We then went back to Juneau to walk around town and have a beer at the Viking hotel. This was a much quieter spot than the Red Dog and we enjoyed our time there with the locals. We went back to the ship to have a cocktail before dinner.

We once again had our two wonderful window tables. Our server Karyan and wine steward Louie took wonderful care of us. I had the Yukon Wild Berry Fruit Melange basically fruit with a bit of whiskey on it followed by the Yukon Bay fisherman’s salad. The salad was excellent lots of shrimp, scallops, squid with a lovely piece of grilled cod. Dan had the Chilled Yukon Gold Soup and then the Pork Shank. I had the Cranberry fruit crisp for dessert. The fellows all decided to go back to the rooms and us girls went to the piano bar for the Lionel Richie tribute. Good times!

[Lauranne]

Monday, August 19

We woke up to Skagway! Breakfast arrived at 7:30, omelets once again and a large carafe of coffee. I went to the explorations café to visit SIL who went here every morning for coffee and then we left the ship to check out Skagway. Pretty town, way too many jewelry stores. I bought a crab Pandora charm and that was all. We went back to the ship for a light lunch in the Neptune Lounge before our Train and Cycle tour. We really enjoyed this excursion. The train was fun and informative. We departed the train in Bennett B.C. after Canadian Customs took a passing glance at our passports and took a van to the top of the summit. We were outfitted with bikes, rain pants, raincoats and gloves. Be well prepared for the cold at the top of White Summit pass. We had layered up sweaters and coats so were fine. The ride is easy and it went well although we did have a 40 min. wait at US customs. Our guide Michael said that usually the wait is about 5 mins. Not sure what was going on. Back in Skagway we went for a beer at Skagway Brewing Company (this is becoming a theme!) and back to the ship to get ready for supper.

I had the seafood cake, gourmet greens salad and the Roasted Salmon Moroccan Style Barbecue Sauce. DH had the chilled Apricot Soup, Caesar salad and the quail. The salmon was perfect. We all went to the Crows nest for “Don’t forget the Lyrics”, we came in second and then stayed for line dancing and Karaoke with the HalCats. My two SIL’s as well as DH did a Karaoke number. Loads of fun tonight. I went off to bed; DH did a bit of time in the casino.

[Lauranne]

Tuesday, August 20

I woke at 6:30 and decided to catch up on mail and this blog. Room service breakfast of omelets once again delivered at 7:30. We are cruising into Tracy Arm. Lots of small icebergs. The whole experience with waterfalls and glaciers was a highlight of the trip. We exited Tracy Arm and for most of the afternoon whales gave us a great show. We lunched in the dining room. I had the French dip. It was really excellent. Bingo at 3:30 but no wins this time. We met up for drinks in the crows nest before dinner. For dinner I had the crab and shrimp tower with avocado salsa to start followed by the Orange Ginger pork. DH had corn Pancakes with Dill Orange cured salmon, the Radicchio Salad and then the Orange Ginger Pork. I had flourless Chocolate cake for dessert. Yum. We went to bed early after a wonderful relaxing day.

[Lauranne]

Wednesday, August 21

 

Had lattes in the Neptune lounge and then 2 miles on the promenade deck. We went to the Lido for breakfast and had Eggs Benedict, easy on the hollandaise, as well as an assortment of fruit. We docked in Ketchikan at 9:30. I phoned my children to make sure that all was well and we were off the ship by 10:15. We shopped for gifts until 1:00 when we all meet up at Fish Pirates Saloon for a beer (here we go again:p) and lunch. Back to the gift shop for some crazy t-shirts that we spotted on the servers and then back on board trying not to get wet in the downpour. I had a nap for about an hour before getting ready for our last formal night.

Right behind the Amsterdam was the Celebrity Millennium. The last of the passengers had flown out of Ketchikan today. We certainly felt sad for the cruisers. We would have hated to end this cruise early.

The dining room looked beautiful with the chair covers. We had an amazing last dinner starting with escargot followed by spinach salad and surf and turf. Soufflé for dessert. We went to the casino as DH had a few chips left. Our towel creation was a monkey hanging from a picture on the wall. These attendants are really amazing.

[Lauranne]

Thursday, August 22

We had a bit of a sleep in as clocks went ahead last night. We had coffee and bran muffins in the Neptune Lounge. Off to sign up for the 5k walk for cancer and to purchase future cruise deposits.

We lined up for the Mariners lunch at 11:00 and met up with four others in our party to share a table for 6. We had a seafood chowder and Ling Cod followed by a berry crisp. The glass of sparking wine was already at our places when we sat done. Very nice. Two mariners were recognized. We received our tiles and off for a rest until the 5k walk. We went down to the promenade deck at 1 and walked the 11 laps. I walked in memory of my mother who died of cancer in March.

We went up to deck 8 aft for a draft beer and whale watching with the family. We decided to bump dinner up to 5:30 as we want to be on deck to see the Seymour narrows and Quadra Island. It was international night and while many are not fond of this menu, we found great selections. I had the Vietnamese Spring room followed by pumpkin soup and the beef entree over grits and greens. DH had the Brie in phyllo pastry followed by the seafood chowder and the duck as an entrée. We had Baked Alaska for dessert. We went to the piano bar for a while before packing and setting out our suitcases. Sad that this was our last night but as we have only been home ten days this summer it is time to get back to reality.

[kazu]

Great report. Really enjoying hearing all about it.

 

Thanks for taking the time and looking foward to the finale of course:D

[Lauranne]

Friday, August 23

 

We got up at 6:30, showered and went to the Neptune for a Latte, fruit and bran muffins. We said our goodbyes to family and our number was called just before 8. We were off the ship and into our car in 20 mins. I have never experience such an easy customs experience. We decided to drive straight home, ten hours. I need a couple of days home to recuperate before going back to work on Monday. We had a wonderful cruise. It was great to spend time with our extended family but I am happy to be home to see my children before they are back to university.

 

Some miscellaneous items

 

Yes there were day of the week mats in elevators.

Beautiful flowers in the room and on room service trays.

Room Attendants Heri and Heri were excellent. The room was always clean and tidy and they provided buckets of ice daily for drinks and to cool wine.

La Fontaine Dining room menu delivered daily to Neptune Suite (I loved this)

Beds excellent!

Ship well maintained. Repairs and cleaning going on constantly.

Very impressed with laundry service. We used laundry and pressing.

We were invited to two captains cocktail parties. One on Saturday at 12 and the other on Wednesday at 7. We attended neither but we did attend the interview with Captain Mercer and purchased his book. Very interesting man.

Loved the Neptune Lounge. The concierge was wonderfully helpful. We enjoyed the lattes and the yummy food.

Internet is slow and spotty but kept us connected as much as we needed.

Beautiful ship and wonderful crew. :)

[solocanadian]

Laurie: Really enjoyed your brief and precise review. I don't think you forgot a thing. You have me looking forward to happy hour at 9:00 in the Piano Bar. Hope they have one in Crow's Nest at 4:00. Since I travel solo, it is a nice way to meet people. Trust you had an uneventful trip home. I'm treating myself to a night at the Pan Pacific with a Harbour view the night before my cruise so was pleased to read they have a HAL rep there.:)

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for taking us along.

 

Looking forward to hearing more.

[solocanadian]

Laurie: Really enjoyed your brief and precise review. I don't think you forgot a thing. You have me looking forward to happy hour at 9:00 in the Piano Bar. Hope they have one in Crow's Nest at 4:00. Since I travel solo, it is a nice way to meet people. Trust you had an uneventful trip home. I'm treating myself to a night at the Pan Pacific with a Harbour view the night before my cruise so was pleased to read they have a HAL rep there.:)

 

Forgot to mention that I sailed with Captain Mercer 18 years ago so am looking forward to seeing him again. I have some photographs to share with him that were taken long before the era of digital cameras. Will be interested in seeing what his book is all about. Am taking my copy of the Alaska Cruise Handbook that I bought on the Zaandam last year. Captain Mercer will be the 3rd Captain to sign it for me.:D

[Lauranne]

Forgot to mention that I sailed with Captain Mercer 18 years ago so am looking forward to seeing him again. I have some photographs to share with him that were taken long before the era of digital cameras. Will be interested in seeing what his book is all about. Am taking my copy of the Alaska Cruise Handbook that I bought on the Zaandam last year. Captain Mercer will be the 3rd Captain to sign it for me.:D

 

Captain Mercer also has his own book of his experiences in his maritime career. It is called, "Captain, who's driving? The Journey of a Cruise Ship Captain" It is a 71 page paperback and a fun read. I didn't get him to sign it so I must sail with him once more.

[erewhon]

Enjoyed reading your great review.

Thank you.