New to Holland American

[3 cats in a row]

I have picked the Holland American for my Sept 7, 2015. cruise to Alaska.

Is the Statendam ship have lots of people? How many does it hold?

I will be leaving on Sept 7 2015 from Seattle and disembark in Seattle

Sept 21.

How should I pack for the trip? And I will be having a birthday

while on the ship? I will turn 60 yrs old.

Any tips I need to know

My mother will be going too and she is in a walker

does the ship allowed people with walkers? Or

will she need to use a wheelchair for the rooms.

Are there any conting rooms on the Statendam?

Thanks 3 cats in a row aka sally

[Daisyloo]

I have picked the Holland American for my Sept 7, 2015. cruise to Alaska.

Is the Statendam ship have lots of people? How many does it hold?

I will be leaving on Sept 7 2015 from Seattle and disembark in Seattle

Sept 21.

How should I pack for the trip? And I will be having a birthday

while on the ship? I will turn 60 yrs old.

Any tips I need to know

My mother will be going too and she is in a walker

does the ship allowed people with walkers? Or

will she need to use a wheelchair for the rooms.

Are there any conting rooms on the Statendam?

Thanks 3 cats in a row aka sally

 

I haven't sailed on the Statendam but I know she is not a huge ship, about 1250 passengers. I would suggest you check out the Holland America website - they have all sorts of informtion on there about their ships, you can see deck plans and actual photos of your ship.

Also, here on cruise critic you should check out the Holland America boards and the Alaska boards. They will be wealth of good information for you.

As far as a walker for your mom, yes she can use it.

Have fun researching and planning your cruise. We did Alaska last summer and loved it.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Daisyloo

[crystalspin]

Hi 3-cats!

Join your roll call here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=43452733#post43452733

You'll only be the second member, but it should pick up in the coming months!

 

Read this article, and then Google "Packing for Alaska cruise" and read some more.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?id=1255

 

You may want to try for an "accessible stateroom" (cabin) on the ship, for more open room (for the walker) and more handrails etc. There is a "Handicapped Cruisers" section on Cruise Critic for more tips. There are not very many of them on this ship, the key to the deckplans says:

{marked with solid star} Suites SA030, B200 & B202 and staterooms K500, G501, G502, C563, FF829 & FF831 are modified accessible, shower only with small step, step into bathroom, standard interior and exterior door size

{marked with international wheelchair symbol} Staterooms EE389, EE390, G704, G706, G709 & G711 are wheelchair accessible, roll-in shower only, wheelchair-accessible doorways

 

The higher the number of the stateroom, the lower in the ship.

 

We sailed one-way to Alaska on the Statendam about 5 years ago -- it's a wonderful trip! Have LOADS of fun! Also, Happy Birthday (in advance)!

 

PS Was "conting rooms" supposed to be "connecting rooms" and the keyboard mistyped? It's odd to me, but the deckplans on the HAL website do not show any connecting rooms although there is a symbol in the key (a + sign) that is used on other ships. I never noticed that! I've been on the Statendam *twice* and I can't remember if there was a locked door for connecting to the neighboring cabin... Hoping someone else more observant than me can answer you.

Edited January 12, 2015 by crystalspin

[take us away]

Depending how mobile your mom is, you may want to consider renting a wheelchair for use on the ship. Minimally I would recommend a wheel chair for boarding and disembarking as the terminals can be very large and a long walk to the ship and to your cabin. Your TA can arrange this for you as a free service provided by the port people and HAL. Even though the Statendam is not huge, walking from the dining room in the back of the ship to the show lounge in the front of the ship can be a long walk for some. My sister has a bit of a mobility issue, used the wheelchair service for boarding and ended up renting the chair for the entire cruise so she would not get overly tired with a long day in port and walking the length of the ship. There are several agencies who offer the rental service.

[Krazy Kruizers]

You will see lots of walkers, scooters and wheelchairs on the ship.

If your mother wants to use a wheelchair instead of a walker on the ship, she will need to rent one. HAL does not provide wheelchairs for every day use.

Dress in layers -- we take Gortex coats that have zippered linings, take a hat, gloves and water proof shoes. Also take small portable umbrellas.

What do you mean by "conting" rooms? Connecting rooms? Yes there are a few.

[Susie51]

Renting a wheelchair in your home town is a wise thing to do. Sometimes it is a long distance between connecting flights. The Maasdam has a very roomy handicap accessible OV room which my mom and I used. Statendam probably has a very similar room.