14 Day Alaska Maasdam Cruise - Here we come!

[midwest 852]

Great! I hope you figure out how to keep posting. I'm doing the same itinerary in August and plan on doing a live report. My eyes are too bad for posting on a phone, though. I plan to bring my laptop and see how good (bad?) Maasdam's wifi really is. Does anyone know if there is easily walkable , free wifi in any of the ports, at a Starbucks, etc?

 

We found free wifi in all the ports except Kodiak. And the Maasdam's wifi is really really bad. Hommer and Anchorage you need transportation

[hobo1937]

We were on the May 23rd sailing and had a fantastic time...hope you do the same.

 

The pier in Icy Strait is completed so no tendering.It is located near the zip line. We also docked in Sitka and there were free shuttles to the downtown. The drop off area was on Harbor near Lincoln and near the Library, which probably has internet. We were on Main deck in cabin 662 and the ships internet worked very well, at least at about 7am when we typically used it.

Edited June 15, 2016 by hobo1937

[StartrainDD]

We are doing the same cruise in August and are VERY excited to hear everything about your trip, etc. This will be our first time with HAL and from what people have posted, we are sure it will be wonderful. Thanks.

 

With no intent to 'hijack' this thread, I thought many might like to read our experiences last year on a similar cruise on the Statendam (slightly smaller ship). Here is the link: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=512475&et_cid=2400193&et_rid=16969669&et_referrer=Contest_NCL_2013

 

As I wrote in the introduction: "This review won't likely help future cruisers of the Statendam, as HAL is transferring the ship to P&O Australia. But it may help future cruisers on HAL's 14 night Alaskan voyage - which we really enjoyed!

 

This review is in a log format. If you just want the summary, scroll way down to the bottom!"

 

If this helps anyone have a better experience, it is worth it! Enjoy Alaska!

[utahtea]

I can hear the sail away horn already! I just printed out our boarding passes and express docs today. Can you tell I'm excited? :D

 

I noticed on our boarding passes there is a notation that this cruise has 3 Gala Nights. Does anyone know which nights will be the Gala Nights?

 

I'll post the itinerary below.

 

Date Port

01 Aug Seattle, Washington – Point of Departure

02 Aug Scenic cruising Vancouver Island

03 Aug Ketchikan, Alaska

04 Aug Scenic Cruising Tracy Arm

05 Aug Juneau, Alaska

06 Aug Icy Strait Point, Alaska

07 Aug At Sea

08 Aug Anchorage, Alaska

09 Aug Homer, Alaska

10 Aug Kodiak, Alaska

11 Aug Scenic cruising Hubbard Glacier

12 Aug Sitka, Alaska

13 Aug At Sea

14 Aug Victoria, BC, Canada

Aug 15 Seattle, Washington – Leave ship and fly home

 

Thanks

 

Did this same cruise in 2014 on the Amsterdam....we LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!

 

We had 4 formal nights on that cruise so my times probably won't mean anything. I will mention that 3 of them were on sea days.

 

Enjoy,

 

Utahtea

[VacationCharlene]

 

You guys will have an amazing time and in case you have not seen my review ....here it is.

 

Just returned from our 14 day Alaska May 23-June 6th cruise on the Maasdam.

 

Started out PERFECT with our pre-arranged transportation with AJ and SEATAC Towncar Services (206) 697-5577. We used him three times this trip and he was always on time and with a smile on his face in a great and safe vehicle. Highly recommend them. Be sure to tell them Charlene says HI !

 

LOVE LOVE LOVED the Maasdam and all it had to offer. We took along with us our well seasoned cruise travelers, brother and sister-in-law of MANY cruises and they were very impressed with the ship and all it had to offer as well.

 

Embarking was super easy from Seattle and because the ship is a smaller ship we never really encountered many lines or long wait times for anything. We arrived at the port around 10:45-11:00 and on the ship for lunch 11:30-11:45. Many people on the ship had mobility issues and used walkers etc and got around just fine. Navigating the ship was pretty easy as well. Deck 6-Promenade outdoor walk-around is a place you will be able to walk off some of the delicious food as far as exercise.

 

The shows were great, the food delicious and varied, everything was terrific! For this cruise they offer Alaskan Beers that are wonderful and average $6 a beer. Lots of wine options as well.

 

We met so many great crew members that after 14 days, a few, felt like they were family. They sincerely enjoyed their jobs and us, their guests. The food in the Lido deck is dished out by crew members helping speed up the process and also less chance of cooties from all of us. If you need help getting your food back to the table they will help you there also.

 

The weather was great and the seas calm for MOST of the time. We had a couple days of stormy seas. The weather in most ports was between 55-65 degrees but hit in the 80's in Victoria where it was actually HOT. We got rain in Kodiak all day and some in Anchorage so our water proof jackets and umbrellas came in handy. I DO recommend some type of hat or beanie and some gloves to have in your day pack as well.

 

Most all of our excursions were amazing but for some reason the couple we booked with HA were either a little late getting started or had some small issues. We highly enjoyed the Glacier Winds Charters for whale watching in Icy Strait but feel you would also do well in Juneau as well. We rented a standard SUV from Avis in Downtown Anchorage for $50 for the day and went on our own (4 of us) to Byron Glacier which we walked to in the rain, and loved it, went to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center for $12.50 adults or $9.00 senior and loved it. We also stopped at the Aleyski Ski Lodge in Girdwood and took the tram to the top that was beautiful!! It was a very easy and smooth ride up to the top. They offer a $32 lift/lunch ticket and get $20 food credit per person in the Bore Tide Deli in the top that had great sandwiches, basket of fries that feed four adults and drinks. Snow at the top. In Ketchikan we went on the Bering Sea Crab Excursion which is a bit pricey but really a great experience and put on by guys that love their profession....we enjoyed it a lot. I always like promoting in Sitka that it is an easy place to go around on your own and can get to the Fortress of the Bears for transportation for $10 pp and entry $10 pp for the non-profit. Sitka is now a pier port and they complimentary bus you downtown, 15 minutes away, to the old pier in town and the hub of all excursions. (I miss the old tender port) In Victoria we really enjoyed the Victoria Butterfly Gardens and Butchart Gardens that we took thru Hal. We used Memory Makers in Kodiak but it was a very rainy day and so we did not get to enjoy much of the pre-planned excursion....was a big and expensive disappointment because of the weather. Rented bikes in Homer and tired my ass out :-) but stopped at a few pubs and enjoyed the Homer Brewing Company and their tasty brews.

 

On cruising the beautiful Fjords and glaciers they open the front bow of the ship for you to enjoy being outdoors for many photo ops. We saw quite a bit of calving as well. It was PERFECT.

 

Hope this helps the rest of you planning your cruise...It really is so beautiful. Feel free to ask me questions and I hope I see them :-)

[SherriM]

Following along! Thanks for posting. Safe travels!!!

[JimAOk1945]

With no intent to 'hijack' this thread, I thought many might like to read our experiences last year on a similar cruise on the Statendam (slightly smaller ship). Here is the link: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=512475&et_cid=2400193&et_rid=16969669&et_referrer=Contest_NCL_2013

 

I just finished reading your very enjoyable review. Thanks for posting the link!

[JimAOk1945]

 

You guys will have an amazing time and in case you have not seen my review ....here it is.

 

Thanks for posting your review. I am really looking forward to our first HAL cruise on the Maasdam!

Edited June 16, 2016 by JimAOk1945

[JimAOk1945]

I'll be on the same cruise and plan to start a live thread, probably the day before the cruise begins. After the thread is started, I plan to update and make posts by using my iPhone and the application Tapatalk. I find that works very well.

 

I'm glad to read that you are planning to do a "live from" thread about this cruise. After giving it some more thought, I think I will leave the live threads with you and the others who have experience doing them. :D

 

As my wife pointed out, this cruise is all about enjoying ourselves and celebrating our anniversary! :p

[lazey1]

I am on this same cruise and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this entire thread and the reviews.:D

 

Did an Alaska tour/cruise many years ago with husband, my mother and father. Only duplicate ports are Juneau and Sitka.

 

Also did a Canada/New England cruise on the Maasdam and absolutely fell in love with the ship. It is my second favorite HAL ship, the first being the prior Noordam. I am hoping that the decor hasn't changed; I know from reading here on cruise critic that the staff/crew remains one of the best.

[joekerstef]

Just off Maasdam 6/20 for the same cruise. I may do a review after I get home (a few days off yet), but I will just reiterate a few points here. Ship is in great shape, no major issues. Great crew. No tendering in any ports. Bow is open all the time during daylight hours except during bad weather, not just for glacier viewing. Gala nights were 2nd night (first Tuesday), Gulf of AK sea day (I think that was first Sunday), and Last full at sea day (second Saturday). We had much better weather than the previous voyage--calm, often glassy seas, even on the ocean and in the gulf; only rain was briefly after departing Icy Straight Point; often sunny and warm (I got a pretty good sunburn in Homer). Great itinerary. We couldn't do Tracy's Arm because too much ice but did Endicott Arm instead and that was really nice. I only went to one show, but my mother saw most of them and really enjoyed them. Saw lots of whales and other sea life along the way. Wonderful cruise, would do same ship and/or same itinerary in a second.

 

 

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[JimAOk1945]

Just off Maasdam 6/20 for the same cruise. I may do a review after I get home (a few days off yet), but I will just reiterate a few points here. Ship is in great shape, no major issues. Great crew. No tendering in any ports. Bow is open all the time during daylight hours except during bad weather, not just for glacier viewing. Gala nights were 2nd night (first Tuesday), Gulf of AK sea day (I think that was first Sunday), and Last full at sea day (second Saturday). We had much better weather than the previous voyage--calm, often glassy seas, even on the ocean and in the gulf; only rain was briefly after departing Icy Straight Point; often sunny and warm (I got a pretty good sunburn in Homer). Great itinerary. We couldn't do Tracy's Arm because too much ice but did Endicott Arm instead and that was really nice. I only went to one show, but my mother saw most of them and really enjoyed them. Saw lots of whales and other sea life along the way. Wonderful cruise, would do same ship and/or same itinerary in a second.

 

 

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It sounds like you had a fantastic cruise. I hope you will do a complete review when you get home.

[cvpends]

Just off Maasdam 6/20 for the same cruise. I may do a review after I get home (a few days off yet), but I will just reiterate a few points here. Ship is in great shape, no major issues. Great crew. No tendering in any ports. Bow is open all the time during daylight hours except during bad weather, not just for glacier viewing. Gala nights were 2nd night (first Tuesday), Gulf of AK sea day (I think that was first Sunday), and Last full at sea day (second Saturday). We had much better weather than the previous voyage--calm, often glassy seas, even on the ocean and in the gulf; only rain was briefly after departing Icy Straight Point; often sunny and warm (I got a pretty good sunburn in Homer). Great itinerary. We couldn't do Tracy's Arm because too much ice but did Endicott Arm instead and that was really nice. I only went to one show, but my mother saw most of them and really enjoyed them. Saw lots of whales and other sea life along the way. Wonderful cruise, would do same ship and/or same itinerary in a second.

 

 

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It is fabulous to hear from you. I am very interested to hear that you sailed Endicott Arm when unable to do Tracy Arm. I have twice been on Alaskan cruises that had Tracy Arm listed, but we were unable to do it because, reportedly, of ice -- and no substitution was made. It sounds like the Maasdam captain is a cut above :) Enjoy the rest of your travels, and I look forward to hearing more when you get home.

[scluvsrain]

Who is the captain?

 

 

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[SightCRR]

Don't forget to look into and then buy the two weeks of unlimited laundry. Great bargain. We did have to check the bill as it was often double billed but a great service especially for wet clothes.

Sightcrr

[joekerstef]

Who is the captain?

 

Maasdam's captain is Ane Jan Smit.

[cvpends]

Don't forget to look into and then buy the two weeks of unlimited laundry. Great bargain. We did have to check the bill as it was often double billed but a great service especially for wet clothes.

 

Sightcrr

 

 

Good to know! What was the price on this?

[SightCRR]

The laundry is $98 per cabin for the 14 day Alaska cruise. Unlimited and send as much as you want from day 1 to about day 12 so that there will be enough time to get everything back in time to leave. sightcrr

[JimAOk1945]

Don't forget to look into and then buy the two weeks of unlimited laundry. Great bargain. We did have to check the bill as it was often double billed but a great service especially for wet clothes.

Sightcrr

 

Good advice. Thanks

[cvpends]

The laundry is $98 per cabin for the 14 day Alaska cruise. Unlimited and send as much as you want from day 1 to about day 12 so that there will be enough time to get everything back in time to leave. sightcrr

 

 

Thanks for this info!

[scluvsrain]

That seems like a lot of money to spend on laundry for a 2 week cruise. You can also pay $20 for a bag's worth. All you can stuff in. And you can stuff in quite a few things. Even if you did 4 bags that's only $60.

 

 

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[scluvsrain]

I meant 2 bags. One each week.

 

 

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[cvpends]

That seems like a lot of money to spend on laundry for a 2 week cruise. You can also pay $20 for a bag's worth. All you can stuff in. And you can stuff in quite a few things. Even if you did 4 bags that's only $60.

 

 

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I think it's a matter of personal preference. Many will like the convenience of the one-price plan. Another option is the coin laundry available on some ships. It is nice that all these options are available, in my opinion.

[bcummin]

We found free wifi in all the ports except Kodiak. And the Maasdam's wifi is really really bad. Homer and Anchorage you need transportation

 

We found wifi at McDonald's in Kodiak in 2014. Just walk a few blocks inland to the main road and turn right. Walk farther and you find a wonderful sporting goods store on the right with a huge stuffed Kodiak bear. Mack's Sport Shop

Do not miss the Russian Orthodox Church, the Seminary, and more great musuems than you will have time to enjoy. All within walking distance :)

 

Since you are celebrating your anniversary, you might want to splurge on the laundry package.

 

Barbara

Edited June 22, 2016 by bcummin

[joekerstef]

I think it's a matter of personal preference. Many will like the convenience of the one-price plan. Another option is the coin laundry available on some ships. It is nice that all these options are available, in my opinion.

 

I did two loads of laundry myself in the self-service. Total cost, $6 for washing and drying, and maybe 3 hours of time (which of course you could go back to your cabin and do something too). :D