Dave’s Live from Amsterdam 14-day Alaska, August 24 – September 7, 2014

[G&G]

Great thread. Do not miss the Unexpected Boys tonight. They are excellent. It is a takeoff from The Jersey Boys but with a HAL favor.

[RetiredMustang]

Monday, Sept. 1, Homer (cont.)

 

We sailed down the Cook Inlet and had a beautiful sunrise, with two planets gleaming among the deep pink clouds, and Orion above the eastern horizon. The sun continued to climb and burn off what clouds and mists were about. We saw a few snow-capped peaks in the Alaska Range to the west, including this one:

 

 

 

We have turned and are heading toward the Kachemak Bay, and we can see the Homer spit at the north of the bay’s entrance. It is promising to be another fine, sunny day.

 

More later,

Dave

Edited September 1, 2014 by RetiredMustang

[superoma]

What a beautiful picture. it must have been amazing in real life!! really enjoying your review. We did this cruise 2 years ago and your review is bringing back a lot of good memories. I hear Alaska calling again!!

Edited September 1, 2014 by superoma

[RetiredMustang]

Monday, Sept. 1, Homer (cont.)

 

We were cleared to go ashore about 10:30, and a lot of people left then. There were shore excursions meeting up and a small line for shuttle buses to the businesses on the spit, but we decided we would like a walk, so we set out along the road, and then took the foot/bike path north for about a mile before turning around to go back toward the end of the spit where there are a couple of blocks of shops and restaurants on either side of the road:

 

 

 

We passed along the boat basin and I took a shot across the basin of the Amsterdam:

 

 

 

 

We then found the Salty Dawg (DW pointed out that I had misspelled it as “dog” earlier). We visited both the exterior:

 

 

 

And the interior of the bar:

 

 

 

The bartender said that once a year, they take down the dollar bills and donate the money to charity.

 

We then strolled along the beach, on a beautiful crystal day in one of the most glorious settings I have seen, with water, and mountains and snow (and possibly glaciers), and blue sky:

 

 

 

This is a special place. The scenery is superb, even by the very high standards of Alaska.

 

More later,

Dave

[cruz chic]

More great pics. Love them!

 

You mentioned it being sunny but how warm is it?

[RetiredMustang]

More great pics. Love them!

 

You mentioned it being sunny but how warm is it?

 

Low to mid 60s F, about 16-17 C. It was one of those in between days -- we had jackets, which we appreciated in the shade when there was a little breeze, but felt like taking off in the sun.

 

Dave

[cruz chic]

Low to mid 60s F, about 16-17 C. It was one of those in between days -- we had jackets, which we appreciated in the shade when there was a little breeze, but felt like taking off in the sun.

 

Dave

 

Thx for the speedy an answer. I think it's colder in Calgary today. Enjoy the rest of your day!

[VermeulT]

Thanks Dave. again. It has been so great keeping up with you.

 

I can't wait to hear more!

[Himself]

Thanks for the report from Homer and the Spit. Some of your pictures have been gorgeous. Enjoy your day on Kodiak Island

[RetiredMustang]

Monday, Sept. 1, Homer (cont.)

 

We had a pretty lazy rest of the afternoon, and watched the quick sail away from Homer. We hope the weather is as nice, or at least close to, the weather we enjoyed today.

 

Here is the dinner menu:

 

Appetizers

- Orange and Grapefruit Medley (With pineapple and citrus fruit segments beightened with a touch of orange Curacao)

- Carpaccio of Beef Tenderloin (Razor-thin slices drizzled with fruity olive oil, topped with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and accompanied with a robust whole grain mustard)

- Thai Tempe Lettuce Wraps (Filled with glass noodles, cucumber, mint, roasted peanuts, julieene vegetables and peanut sauce, served with soy dipping sauce)

- Double-Baked Cheese Souffle (With arugula and roasted bell peppers)

 

Soups and Salad

- Mulligatawny Soup (Sauteed apple, carrot and onion slowly simmered with lamb, in a curry-flavored chicken broth, finished with rice)

- ‘DAM’ Bacon and Cabbage Soup (Chicken-tomato broth with a chiffonade of green cabbage and onion, flavored with paprika and sherry )

- Chilled Pineapple Pina Colada Soup (Very refreshing with coconut and rum flavors)

- Sunset Salad (Radicchio and frisee lettuce with caramelized pear, grilled red pepper, and blue cheese crumbles, tossed in our signature vinaigrette)

 

Entrees

- Linguini Caponata (Tossed with diced eggplant, olives, tomato, garlic, bell pepper, capers, and basil, topped with toasted pine nuts and grated parmesan cheese)

- Herbed Breaded Scallops (With a velvety beurre blanc sauce accompanied by San Francisco-style fried rice and sautéed Swiss chard)

- Prime Rib of Beef au jus (Slow-roasted to exquisite tenderness and carved to order, served with crisp green bean amandine, sugar-glazed carrots and a baked potato)

- Thai Curry Coconut Pork (Served with baby eggplant and fragrant jasmine rice)

- Chicken Cordon Bleu (Breaded and baked breast of chicken with gruyere cheese and slice ham, served with mushroom medley, green zucchini and parsley chateau potatoes)

- Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage (On roasted red bell pepper sauce)

 

 

Here is the dessert menu:

 

Desserts

- Caramel Chocolate Toffee (A sweet pastry topped with toffee and finished with a mild chocolate ganache)

- Apple Tart (Tart sliced apples slightly sweetened and blended with cinnamon, soaked raisins and baked under flaky sweet lattice pastry dough, served a la mode on request )

- Tiramisu (Clouds of light mascarpone cream and coffee and rum-soaked ladyfingers)

- Strawbeery Mousse Torte no sugar added (Delicate sponge cake topped with a thick layer of sweet, sugar-free strawberry mousse)

 

Frozen Treats

- Vanilla Ice Cream

- Rocky Road Ice Cream

- Strawberry Sorbet

- Blackberry Frozen Yogurt

- No sugar added Vanilla Ice Cream

- No sugar added coffee Ice Cream

- Hot Fudge Sundae (Vanilla ice cream covered with warm chocolate sauce, whipped cream and toasted nuts)

 

Espresso Drinks

- Espresso $1.25

- Cappuccino $1.75

- Extra shot $0.50

 

Recommended Cordial of the Day: Nutty Irishman (Frangelico, Bailey’s Irish Cream), $5.95

 

Available Daily

- The Gold Rush Baked Alaska (Cookies and Cream ice cream surrounded by vanilla sponge cake and coated in meringue dusted with gold, served with your choice of topping)

- Fruit Crisp of the Day: Blueberry Crisp (Fresh out of the oven, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream)

- Sliced Fruit Plate

- North American Cheese Plate (English Stilton, Humbold Fog, Edam, Old Amsterdam)

 

 

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Tuesday, Sept. 2, Kodiak

 

Today we visit Kodiak, and are planning a hike in Fort Abercrombie State Park. Right now, the eastern sky is straring to get light, and there are a lot of stars about, so the air is clear and there are no clouds. Hopefully, that means a nice day coming up.

 

Here are today’s On Location pages:

 

 

 

 

 

And the Kodiak pages from the Explorer:

 

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

[POA1]

I have to say that I admire that you are taking the time to type in all the dinner menus! You must be a fast typist. (If I lost eight of my fingers in an accident, I would still type at the same speed. ;))

[hotzej]

Really enjoying your post. Have yet to do Alaska, but, will be on 2015 and 2016 World Cruise on the Amsterdam. It's nice to see up-to-date photos of the ship. I also, noticed that in one of your photos' of the Casino Bar there was a bottle of Hendricks Gin in the mix of the other liquors. They have never served that prior on HAL. I was wondering if you could ask the powers that be if this will now be a regular Gin for HAL, or at least maybe on the World Cruises. Thanks for you help.

[RetiredMustang]

Tuesday, Sept. 2, Kodiak (cont.)

 

We pulled into the harbor just before dawn (sunrise was at 7:12 a.m. today):

 

 

 

After we watched the mooring and setting up of the gangway, we got ready to go on our shore excursion, to Fort Abercrombie State Park. During World War II, the Army and Navy fortified Kodiak Island to defend against a potential Japanese invasion. The invasion never happened, but there are still some remnants of the fort.

 

We drove through town and to the west and north a few miles to the park. We walked through pretty forests of Sitka spruce (some with a lot of moss), western hemlock and alder:

 

 

 

 

 

At one point, we came across an old military bunker:

 

 

 

 

More in the next post,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Tuesday, Sept. 2, Kodiak (cont.)

 

The park has several hiking paths, but the one we took also included several great views of rugged coastline:

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the high point of the park were more bunkers, and some old guns:

 

 

We took the ship’s tour, and although our guide was knowledgeable, he spent a lot of time answering questions instead of hiking. It probably would have been better just to catch a cab, get a map and go on our own – it would have been less talk/more walk.

 

More later,

Dave

[cruz chic]

Thx for today's update. More great pics!

[Mtn2Sea]

Really enjoying your photos and commentary. Looks like you're having a nice cruise.

[RetiredMustang]

Really enjoying your post. Have yet to do Alaska, but, will be on 2015 and 2016 World Cruise on the Amsterdam. It's nice to see up-to-date photos of the ship. I also, noticed that in one of your photos' of the Casino Bar there was a bottle of Hendricks Gin in the mix of the other liquors. They have never served that prior on HAL. I was wondering if you could ask the powers that be if this will now be a regular Gin for HAL, or at least maybe on the World Cruises. Thanks for you help.

 

I spoke with Voltaire, the head bartender in the Crow's Nest. He opened showed me the bottle. He said they have it on Amsterdam, and are trying it on most of the ships. Not every ship will have it, but ask for it. It was not listed on the bar menu, and Voltaire said that is because the menus were printed before they stocked it. He said it costs $6.75 per drink, so it is more than Tanqueray or Bombay, but still not a bad price.

 

Dave

[1of4]

WOW. I have to visit this port! Love the pictures, thanks again for posting them.

[rajkr74]

Tuesday, Sept. 2, Kodiak (cont.)

 

We took the ship’s tour, and although our guide was knowledgeable, he spent a lot of time answering questions instead of hiking. It probably would have been better just to catch a cab, get a map and go on our own – it would have been less talk/more walk.

 

More later,

Dave

 

That is what we did in Kodiak on our June/July cruise, took a cab out to the park for $17.00 and had many hours to hike a lot of the trails. The park is real nice and the moss covered trees were real interesting. We had a cloudy day in July so your pictures are neat to see the sun in them.

[RetiredMustang]

Tuesday, Sept. 2, Kodiak (cont.)

 

For lunch today, we tried the new Dive In burgers and fries. I chose the basic “Dive In” burger, and took a small dish with a spoonful of onions from the taco bar to add to the burger. I found the burger to be pretty good – not as good as Five Guys or something I would drive a ways to get at home, but much better than what HAL was serving before. The patty is still fully cooked, but seems moister, and the bun is better. The “secret sauce” had too much mustard and a pepper overtone that I did not really care for, but I suppose you could ask for one without sauce. Ketchup and mayonnaise were available at the burger place, and I suppose mustard could be had from the main Lido. The fries were OK – they are coated with some kind of starchy substance like some of the fast-food ones. I got mine “naked” (without sauce). Here is a photo:

 

 

 

 

For dinner, I had the quail, which is not all that common on HAL these days:

 

 

 

Here is the dinner menu:

 

Appetizers

- Sliced Orange with Watermelon Salsa (Sun-golden citrus with a sweet-and-sour salsa of watermelon, lime, cilantro and jalapeno)

- Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail (With American cocktail sauce)

- Prosciutto, Genoa Salami, Melon and Figs (served with crostini, olives and sun-dried tomato)

- Escargot in Red Wine and Mushroom Ragout (escargot simmered with button mushrooms, shallot, garlic, and red wine, enhanced with a touch of cream and served beneath a puff pastry pillow)

 

Soups and Salad

- Cream of Pumpkin Soup (Lightly flavored with brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, thickened with pureed pumpkin and served with a drizzle of cranberry)

- Chicken and Corn Soup (A rich chicken broth fortified with corn kernels, diced smoked chicken, scallions, bell pepper and mushrooms)

- Chilled Peach and Ginger Soup (Refreshing blend of peach and ginger with buttermilk and apple juice)

- Heart of Romaine Lettuce Nicoise (Flakes of tuna, crisp green beans, cucumbers, sun-ripened tomato, olives, red onion rings and tender dice potato, dressed in a fresh oregano vinaigrette)

 

Entrees

- Spinach Tortellini (Olive oil, garlic, julienne of bell peppers, scallions and fresh spinach sautéed together, tossed with hearty stuffed pasta and a Roma tomato basil sauce)

- Alaska King Crab Legs (Steamed in an aromatic fish broth with a delicate vegetable julienne, served with drawn butter and boiled new potatoes)

- Oven-Roasted Beef Tenderloin Topped with Button Mushrooms (Tranches of beef roasted to perfection, served with a creamy sauce of button mushrooms, roasted potatoes and spring vegetables)

- Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Mint Basil Pesto (Served over a cabernet reduction with potatoes gratin and braised zucchini)

- Oven-Roasted Quail (Plump quail, deboned, then stuffed with spinach and goat cheese, served on a bed of mushroom risotto with glazed pineapple)

- Roasted Vegetable Tart (Accented with tomato fondue and parmesan cheese)

 

 

Here is the dessert menu:

 

Desserts

- Vanilla Souffle (Served warm with vanilla sauce)

- Carrot Cake (Moist cake, flecked with carrot and studded with walnuts and raisins, topped with a satin-smooth cream cheese icing)

- Chocolate Decadence Cake (A rich and almost flourless chocolate cake, served with raspberry coulis and mixed berry compote)

- Raspberry Mousse Torte no sugar added (Delicate sponge cake topped with a thick layer of sweet, sugar-free raspberry mousse)

 

Frozen Treats

- Vanilla Ice Cream

- Tiramisu Ice Cream

- Pineapple Sorbet

- Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

- No sugar added Vanilla Ice Cream

- No sugar added Butter Pecan Ice Cream

- Blueberry Sundae (Vanilla ice cream capped with a sweet-tart blueberry sauce)

 

Espresso Drinks

- Espresso $1.25

- Cappuccino $1.75

- Extra shot $0.50

 

Recommended Cordial of the Day: Love Boat (Tia Maria, Crème de Banana, Bailey’s Irsih Cream), $5.95

 

Available Daily

- The Gold Rush Baked Alaska (Cookies and Cream ice cream surrounded by vanilla sponge cake and coated in meringue dusted with gold, served with your choice of topping)

- Fruit Crisp of the Day: Banana Crisp (Fresh out of the oven, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream)

- Sliced Fruit Plate

- North American Cheese Plate (Maytag Blue, Brie de Nage, Aged Gouda, Leiden)

 

 

More later,

Dave

[Aruba]

Tuesday, Sept. 2, Kodiak (cont.)

We took the ship’s tour, and although our guide was knowledgeable, he spent a lot of time answering questions instead of hiking. It probably would have been better just to catch a cab, get a map and go on our own – it would have been less talk/more walk.

Were the trails well marked? I mean, good enough that someone could walk here independently rather than pay $$$ for a HAL guided tour? Thanks -- really enjoying your posts. :)

[RetiredMustang]

Wednesday, Sept. 3, Hubbard Glacier

 

Today is a day of scenic cruising. We are due to sail along Hubbard Glacier from 1:30 to 6 p.m. (with Dutch pea soup served 2:30-3). The forecast says a chance of rain, and it appears mostly cloudy now, but we hope we will stay mostly dry for the time near the glacier.

 

Here are today’s On Location pages:

 

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

[Sage]

Thank you so much for allowing us along on your cruise. I have enjoyed each posts and now want to return to Alaska.

[hotzej]

Thank you so much for looking into that for me. Here's hoping they will put it on all of the ships and especially keep it on the Amsterdam for the world cruise. Enjoy the rest of your cruise and maybe we will meet up on a wonderful Holland America Cruise.