Anxious for reports from Statendam Alaska cruises!!!

[pspercy]

Going by the reports/reviews it seems most if not all of HAL's older ships often have AC and plumbing problems. We really want to do the Alaska 14dy cruise but have been reluctant to book because of these frequently reported issues. Maasdam is doing it next year, is it any better?

[cruz chic]

Going by the reports/reviews it seems most if not all of HAL's older ships often have AC and plumbing problems. We really want to do the Alaska 14dy cruise but have been reluctant to book because of these frequently reported issues. Maasdam is doing it next year, is it any better?

 

Any ship can have plumbing problems but the statendam, Veendam and maasdam seem to have the most that I'm aware of.

[KruzPrincess]

Still looking for reports on the cruise. I assume there were other things going on besides water leaks and respiratory infections. It's worrisome that that was going on, but I'd also love to hear about other cruise experiences. Thanks.

[CowPrincess]

Still looking for reports on the cruise. I assume there were other things going on besides water leaks and respiratory infections. It's worrisome that that was going on, but I'd also love to hear about other cruise experiences. Thanks.

 

Am feeling marginally better so here are a few more very random comments :D

 

Embarkation was the smoothest ever. I think we arrived around 11:30 and were on the ship with no lining up in very little time -- maybe 15 minutes.

 

I got sent to the Wine Table to pay corkage on my over-limit wine. Fine with me, but others might need to know ;)

 

Embarkation lunch in the MDR was decent, though getting seated was a bit of a gong show.

 

We had no issues with our cabin, really. The basics worked: hot and cold water, functioning toilet, and comfortable temperatures. We overhead someone at the Front Desk a few days into the cruise insisting that he be allowed to speak with an officer about the cabin temp, as the Front Desk person was trying to sell him a story about each cabin being checked for temperature and the crew just hadn't gotten to the cabin in question :rolleyes:

 

We had fixed dining and the MDR service was very good to excellent.

 

Sitka has changed a lot since my last visit 5 years ago. St. Michael's is now charging $5 "donation" per person to visit.

 

We tendered in Sitka. Be up early to watch sail in if the weather is decent.

 

Victoria is very walkable so that's what we did. Lots of choices on things to do there, both on your own and through the ship.

 

Lots of whales spotted before we got to Tracy Arm Fjord. We got a good view of the glacier but did not get to the face as there were so many seals and pups on the ice flows that the Captain did not want to disturb them.

 

Heard part of one evening show and the cast had great voices.

 

More later as things occur to me. If you have specific questions feel free to ask :)

[chrisbu315]

Am feeling marginally better so here are a few more very random comments :D

 

Embarkation was the smoothest ever. I think we arrived around 11:30 and were on the ship with no lining up in very little time -- maybe 15 minutes.

 

I got sent to the Wine Table to pay corkage on my over-limit wine. Fine with me, but others might need to know ;)

 

Embarkation lunch in the MDR was decent, though getting seated was a bit of a gong show.

 

We had no issues with our cabin, really. The basics worked: hot and cold water, functioning toilet, and comfortable temperatures. We overhead someone at the Front Desk a few days into the cruise insisting that he be allowed to speak with an officer about the cabin temp, as the Front Desk person was trying to sell him a story about each cabin being checked for temperature and the crew just hadn't gotten to the cabin in question :rolleyes:

 

We had fixed dining and the MDR service was very good to excellent.

 

Sitka has changed a lot since my last visit 5 years ago. St. Michael's is now charging $5 "donation" per person to visit.

 

We tendered in Sitka. Be up early to watch sail in if the weather is decent.

 

Victoria is very walkable so that's what we did. Lots of choices on things to do there, both on your own and through the ship.

 

Lots of whales spotted before we got to Tracy Arm Fjord. We got a good view of the glacier but did not get to the face as there were so many seals and pups on the ice flows that the Captain did not want to disturb them.

 

Heard part of one evening show and the cast had great voices.

 

More later as things occur to me. If you have specific questions feel free to ask :)

 

Do you recall when the Formal Nights took place?

[CowPrincess]

Do you recall when the Formal Nights took place?

 

We had 3 formal nights. The first one was NOT on the first sea day, unlike most cruises I have been on. This is what the dates on my pics show as formal nights :D

 

The day we sailed Tracy Arm

At sea the day after ISP

At sea the evening before Victoria.

[chrisbu315]

We had 3 formal nights. The first one was NOT on the first sea day, unlike most cruises I have been on. This is what the dates on my pics show as formal nights :D

 

The day we sailed Tracy Arm

At sea the day after ISP

At sea the evening before Victoria.

 

Thank you.

[CowPrincess]

Another random bit of info. The Statendam internet pricing was the "old" style, 100 mins for $55 and such. No "unlimited" option. Did have a by-the-minute plan.

[BldLvr]

DH and I were also on this cruise and yes DH got the respiratory bug also, I actually got it when I flew from Chicago to Seattle 2 days earlier. We never coughed on people tho! I wanted to tell KruzPrincess that we both thought this was a wonderful cruise , we could not have asked for better weather and felt the crew was wonderful. We never experienced any problem with plumbing or the AC. We always stay on the bottom deck, midship. We did hear banging noises a few times from the deck below us but it never interfered with our days or nights. The ports of call were wonderful, we enjoyed this cruise immensely. The food was very good but there were a few times in the Lido the food could have been warmer/hotter. We don't use the ships wifi so can't comment on that. I would not hesitate to recommend this cruise. Thanks for listening.

[VermeulT]

I live just a few miles north of you on I-5. If you'd like, come on over and I'll cough on you and you can get an vaccinated.

 

ROTFL.

 

But seriously - Thanks for your feedback... Cowprincess too.

[CowPrincess]

I apologize that my information is so scattered and random :) However, I wanted to mention the Fishermen's Memorials in both Homer and Kodiak. It was a very moving experience to spend time there reading the dedications. I was teary-eyed at both of them.

[BldLvr]

I thought this cruise was one of the best I/we have had. We just walked the town of Ketchikan and visited a few museums and shops. Tracy Arm was wonderful and there were alot of mamas and baby seals on the ice flows. We still had alot of snowcovered mountain peaks and it was beautiful. In Juneau we did the Photo Safari and Mendenjall glacier tour. I really enjoyed that, saw lots of whales and eagles. IcyStraight Point was my favorite port. It is a short call and a tender port. If you are not on a HAL excursion you must get a tender ticket, do that as soon as you can. We went onshore alittle early and walked around. It was a quaint little setup. Whale watching was good but too many people for us and not enough outside space on the boat we took. Anchorage was nice, we took the free shuttle in town and walked, then went to the zoo and a few museums. Homer was good. Took the shuttle to the spit, then went on a Taste of Homer tour, ok. Loved Kodiak. Took the Fort Ambercrombie Nature Hike. Loved that, beautiful scenery and saw the WWll bunkers and museum. Hubbard Glacier, awesome. We got so close. Sitka was another tender port, get your tender ticket early if you want to go earlier in the day. Our ship tour was cancelled so took a bus to the Fortress of the Bear, great. Eagles were everywhere!! Victoria BC was ok. I did an Orca whale watch, saw orcas but not as close as the humpbacks. Loved this cruise. We did 2 days first in Seattle, wonderful. I think we had unusually great weather which helped. If I can help in any way, let me know.

[KruzPrincess]

Thanks so much to everyone who has responded. I'm very excited about going on this cruise. I love reading about your experiences. Sounds like it will be beautiful. [emoji4]

[KruzPrincess]

I have a question for those of you who have been on this itinerary. I have some mobility issues. I can walk on my own and go on the tenders, but I don't walk long distances well. I understand that one or more of the docks may be difficult to navigate due to steep ramps. Can anyone fill me in on which ports may be difficult and which ones are easily walkable. I just want to know in advance so I can make plans. Thanks.

[RuthC]

...I don't walk long distances well. I understand that one or more of the docks may be difficult to navigate due to steep ramps. Can anyone fill me in on which ports may be difficult and which ones are easily walkable.

Knowing that "long distances" can be a relative term, these are my impressions of some of the ports:

The dock at Icy Strait Point is long, and can be steep.

In Sitka, it can depend on which tender dock is being used. The one in town isn't terribly long, but the one by the bridge is, and can be steep.

Homer is a long dock to get to the shuttles and tour busses.

If you have to tender in Kodiak, that dock can be very long, and steep; the pier if docked is fine.

Ketchikan and Anchorage are flat piers.

 

Any of the ports can have a steep gangway at times, depending on tides. Sometimes the deck is changed during the day, but if you don't time it right, that can be tough.

 

Hope this helps.

[CowPrincess]

That's a bit tough to say. The gangway is usually moved if the tide shifts dramatically. I still remember back in 2000 (I think) that they didn't move the gangway in Ketchikan and we scaled the gangway back onto the ship. Felt like we needed crampons ;) Only happened to me once there.

 

At ISP you may have some trouble, as the angle of the ramp to and from the tender dock changes with the tide. Similar thing in Sitka. Those are the only ports we tendered in.

 

The dock in Homer is fairly long IMHO. You need to walk it to get to the vehicle area. Kodiak's dock was not terribly long, and then you are at the area where the tours pick up. In Ketchikan the tours pick up very close to the ship if you are on a ship shore excursion. It also isn't far to get across the street to grab a cab if you want. In Juneau (as long as you aren't at the furthest-out spot, can't remember the name, maybe AJ?) you are fairly close to Franklin Avenue. Anchorage is a bit of a walk to where the shuttle and the tour buses were, but I can't tell you how far.... I'd guess maybe 1.5 city blocks? But that is a guess only.

 

Is this specific enough? Feel free to ask other questions about specific ports.

 

edited to add I see RuthC and I posted at the same time :)

Edited June 7, 2015 by CowPrincess

[CowPrincess]

I think the top illustration on this page shows where we docked, and might give you an idea of the length of the dock. See the Deep Water Dock? I'm pretty sure that is where we docked. My DH overheard several people at the Front Desk complaining about how far the walk was. In my guess it is further than the length of the cruise ship. My guess.

 

http://www.mxak.org/ports/southcentral/homer/homer_facilities.html

[KruzPrincess]

Thanks for the information. I jotted down some notes. I've been to Ketchikan and Juneau, so I'm familiar there. I understand the tide changes. I'm pretty good on flat areas and can walk OK if I can take my time. I might have trouble with a really steep incline. It's just good to know in advance so I know what to expect.

[JanDom]

We were in the Statendam Cruise at the 18th of may.

Hopefully I will write a review with pictures as soon as I can.

The itinary is great, the weather was great and the crew was very very nice!

The ship is in a really good shape and everything was clean!

Our cabin was noisy, but we never heard about any Problems!

The Ship is small and it never felt crowded.

Embarkation and disembarkation went fast and we were in time at every port.

 

Sunny Greets Janine 🌼

[KruzPrincess]

We were in the Statendam Cruise at the 18th of may.

Hopefully I will write a review with pictures as soon as I can.

The itinary is great, the weather was great and the crew was very very nice!

The ship is in a really good shape and everything was clean!

Our cabin was noisy, but we never heard about any Problems!

The Ship is small and it never felt crowded.

Embarkation and disembarkation went fast and we were in time at every port.

 

Sunny Greets Janine

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to post. I'm looking forward to this cruise!

[KruzPrincess]

I'm bumping this to the top in hopes that anyone getting off the most recent cruise will respond with their current experiences. [emoji4]

[JanDom]

Here is our Review

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2221603

[KruzPrincess]

Here is our Review

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2221603

 

Thanks so much for sharing your review. You have some very nice pictures. I'm really looking forward to going on this cruise. I hope we have nice weather like you did.

[liketraveling]

Loved this cruise. I did it last year on the Amsterdam.

[zelker]

I just found out that there are wildfires burning around Anchorage, primarily around the Matsu Valley and the Kenai Peninsula. Keeping everyone in my thoughts and prayers and hoping they can contain these fires soon.

 

Here's a link:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/w...unity-31792351