Holland America R2L Cruise Tour Review

[blitzerlove]

Your review is awesome! I just booked an Alaska land/cruise and I am reading anything I can find so your review is very helpful.

[oaktreerb]

I'm enjoying your review. We're looking forward to returning to the Chalets in 2017 to see all of the changes they have made. The Pioneer Covered Wagon excursion would be a new experience for us since we have been to Denali several times.

[ron1946]

We bid goodbye to Denali after three wonderful days, and boarded the motor coach for the approx. 3 ½ hour trip to Fairbanks. These motor coaches are fairly comfortable, with a rest room onboard, but supposedly only for "emergency" use. There was no water available in them, but bottled water was available on all coach trips.

 

Again, even though it was drizzling, we passed some beautiful landscape. We actually arrived early to Fairbanks, so our Journey host bought us to the town square in downtown Fairbanks for lunch. There was some sort of festival going on and there were all types of activities in the square.

 

 

From the square could also be seen the oldest church in Fairbanks. I believe this was a Catholic church.

 

 

Then after lunch it was on to Gold Dredge #8. This tour was included in the cruise/tour by Holland America.

 

Upon arrival, you also see the Alyeska Pipeline, but we will be briefed on that at the end of the tour.

 

 

The tour is narrated by an older gentleman that actually grew up in the area. He is dressed as an old time prospector, and is very knowledgeable about the Gold Dredge since his dad actually worked on it.

 

 

You actually board a small train that takes you through the property, where different types of machinery, which are operational, are pointed out as you pass by, and eventually getting to Gold Dredge #8.

 

We were entertained by the conductor that thinks he is Johnny Cash!

 

 

My wife and I on the train

 

[ron1946]

Along the route to the Gold Dredge the train stops and the crew shows you how to pan for gold. There is a definite “knack” in getting down to the “pay dirt” that is hard to master!

 

 

The Gold Dredge itself is in a state of decay. If you have seen “Gold Rush” on TV, this dredge is exactly like the one shown in the TV show.

 

 

When we arrived at the building and after disembarking the train, each individual is given a small pouch which contains dirt, gravel and gold.

 

 

Then it is our turn to actually pan for gold. There are folks standing by to help you get to your fortune! It was a lot of fun. After you are done, you place your gold in a little vile and take it to be weighed and are told how much it is worth. Between my wife and I we made a whopping $39.00! However there were some in our group that made as much as $70.00.

 

 

You are given time afterwards to shop (of course) and hot chocolate/coffee/tea and cookies are provided. You can also have your “fortune” made into jewelry. My wife had a keepsake locket with our gold inside of it made. I believe it was only $29.00, so it is affordable.

 

Everyone is loaded up on the train once again, and taken back to the original “station”. It is right by the Alyeska Pipeline. Here the “prospector” provides extensive information on the Pipeline. This became a little long winded, so we cut out and went back to the bus after getting a couple of pictures.

 

This is the actual Alyeska Pipeline.

 

 

My wife under the pipeline.

 

[ron1946]

The Westmark Fairbanks was a fairly nice hotel, but pretty standard and we had two queen beds. It was clean and comfortable, and the staff were friendly and helpful. We had received instructions when we checked in concerning our flight to Dawson City the next morning. Again, bags had to be out by 8:00 and we loaded up to go to the airport about 10:30. When we arrived at the airport, we received some bad news. Our plane had a problem with a tire when it landed, and a new tire had to be flown in from Canada, so at this time, did not know how long the delay would be. After about an hour and half wait, Simon, our Journey host, made arrangements for those that wanted to, could go to Pioneer Village in Fairbanks. My wife and I dislike sitting around airports so we opted to go on this excursion. We are glad we did.

 

Pioneer Village was only about 15 minutes from the airport. Again, our motor coach took us, and we found it to be a nice alternative to sitting at the airport.

 

The entrance to Pioneer Village was just beautiful. Let me inject here that every city/town that we went to had an abundance of beautiful flowers. We found this interesting since it was late August when we were there.

Here are some of those flowers at the entrance.

 

 

Most of the houses were converted into shops, and they were either replicas or actual homes that were brought into Pioneer Village. Here is a shot looking down main street and you can see some of the old homes. (Notice the sign on the bench!)

 

 

There is also an old paddle wheel boat. This was an actual boat used during the height of the Gold Rush Days. Notice the name – “Nenana” – the name of the river that was behind our cottage in Denali!

 

 

 

The railroad car that President McKinley road in is also located here. He came and made Denali a National Park, and rode in the car “Denali”, appropriately named. You could go inside and tour the railcar also.

 

 

As I mentioned, everywhere we went were beautiful flowers, and Pioneer Village was no exception.

 

 

Finally a picture of a totem pole, indicating the diverse peoples that inhabit Alaska.

 

 

We spent a couple of hours at Pioneer Village, and when it came time to board the bus again, Simon found out the plane still had not been fixed. So since it was getting around dinner time, we were all bused back to the Westmark Fairbanks and Holland America purchased our dinner for us.

 

We finally were able to leave Fairbanks for Dawson City around 7:20 PM. This was the very latest we could depart Fairbanks, because any later, the plane could not land in Dawson City. Dawson City has a gravel runway and does not have any runway lights! Very encouraging! But we did make it, and that will be the next part!

[ron1946]

Even though we had a difficult time leaving Fairbanks, the wait for Dawson City was well worth it. This little town had a lot to offer, and was fairly easy to get around, as most of everything was within walking distance to the Westmark Inn. Here was our chartered plane that had the tire problems. As mentioned, the runways at Dawson are gravel, and we literally arrived in a cloud of dust!

 

 

Dawson City is a quaint town with all of the buildings mostly of historical significance. This post will be basically a very small compilation of the buildings we saw while in Dawson City. Notice all the streets are dirt/gravel. Fortunately it was a dry day for us!

 

The Red Feather Saloon is where the Dance Show was put on.

 

 

This is an old period house that has been turned into a restaurant

 

 

Looking down the street from our hotel building

 

 

This is a very old building that is on the water front. I don’t know if it was occupied or not, but can just image what it was like in its hay day!

 

 

This is the Westmark Inn in Dawson. There are several different buildings that make up the hotel. We were in building #6. The keys to the rooms are the big old fashioned keys like they used in the old time jails! The hotel was typical Westmark. The rooms were a little smaller than we had experienced before, but they were clean and comfortable. We were one building down from the main lobby and restaurant/coffee shop. BTW something we learned very quickly is that Discover Credit Card is not accepted in the Yukon! Fortunately we had others that were accepted!

 

 

Next up is the HAL provided tour aboard the Klondike Spirit on the Yukon River.

[TheCalicoCat]

It's been fun keeping up with your tour.

[ron1946]

Thanks Calico Cat. I am sorry this is taking me so long, and it is in such detail, but trying to sort all the pictures out, etc., plus working, honey do's, etc. I have just had a difficult time getting to it. So let's plug on!

 

The next day we went on the Klondike Spirit, an excursion that was part of the tour package. The Klondike Spirit is a replica of the paddle wheel boats that were one of the primary means of transportation bringing prospectors to the area during the Gold Rush Days. Dawson City was one of the primary terminals for the prospectors heading out to find their fortune.

 

Here is the Klondike Spirit.

 

 

We “set sail” from the dock and went up the Yukon River for about 45 minutes, made a U-turn and came back the other direction, past Dawson City.

 

The Klondike Spirit had a nice “lounge” out of the weather on the first deck where they served coffee and tea, as well as having other snack bar items for purchase.

 

Here is our Journey Host, Simon, heading for the coffee pot!

 

 

The scenery was mostly the mountains but we did pass this small settlement that had a nice little church.

 

 

During the Gold Rush, many boats operated out of Dawson City, but once it was over, the need for all the boats diminished, so many of the boats either left, or in the case of the one below, it was just taken up river a little and ran aground and abandoned.

 

 

We also passed many abandoned shacks that have been used over the years, and for one reason or another, the occupants just left and abandoned the homestead.

 

 

And finally, just before heading back to Dawson City, we came across this floating home. There was some show on TV where these homes were frozen in on the Yukon River, and we were wondering if this was one of them. This house was occupied as we went by it.

 

 

Up next is the Midnight Dome excursion.

[ron1946]

We booked the Midnight Dome excursion directly with Husky Bus. It saved us a few bucks per person, and come to find out it is the same tour bus the folks from HAL booked. We decided to take the late tour which is at 8:30 in hopes of getting some better pictures with the sun reflecting off of the mountains a lot better. To get to the “top” there is a winding gravel road with a lot of twists and turns, but once you get to the top, the view is fantastic

 

Here is a little information as to what the Midnight Dome is all about:

 

 

As you look out over the edge, you can see almost all of Dawson City as well as the rivers around Dawson.

 

 

You can also see where the gold mines are operating and have operated.

 

 

As I mentioned one of our goals was to get the reflection of the sun on the mountains and meadows and even though it was a little overcast, the sun broke through for a couple of pretty good pictures!

 

 

 

The view from the Dome is amazing, and I recommend this excursion to anyone that enjoys taking good pictures. There is no strenuous walking and the parking area for the bus was right at the edge and viewing area of the Dome

 

 

Up next is the motor coach trip to Minto and Whitehorse.

[ron1946]

Before the motor coach tour to Whitehorse, I just wanted to show you this last picture taken in Dawson City. We went into the General Store, which is right across the street from where we got on the Klondike Spirit. We just wanted to check prices to see how they compared to the lower 48. Most items were not that more expensive, fruits and vegetables were fairly comparable. Some of the local items were even at a bargain, however, we did come across this which I think you will agree is much more than what you or I would pay!

 

 

The motor coach trip from Dawson City to Whitehorse was about 8 hours long. However, there were many stops along the way for photo ops as well as restroom breaks. Of course the scenery was fantastic.

 

The Tintina Trench was a beautiful stop. It had a nice lake as well as the valley and mountains.

 

 

This was one of the first stops, and it was still fairly early in the morning so the clouds had not burned off yet.

 

 

I have mentioned before the beautiful wildflowers that we encountered everywhere we went. Here are some at one of our stops.

 

 

One of the stops for a restroom break was at the Moose Creek Lodge. This had a nice little gift shop, as well as coffee and snacks available. It apparently is also a popular camping site in the Yukon.

 

 

I have heard that the mosquitos in Alaska are large enough to carry you off. However, in three trips (two in May and this one in August) we have never been bothered by mosquitos or bugs of any kind. Maybe we should knock on wood, especially since this guy here was just outside the lodge door!

 

[ron1946]

Our next stop was for lunch in Minto. The “cabin” was located in a dense forest, and it was right on the Yukon River. Very nice serene location with the river running behind it. Lunch was very good and consisted of your choice of different soup, build your own salad and dessert. Coffee and tea also were available. This is also part of the tour.

 

Here is the “cabin” where we ate.

 

 

We were greeted by this guy as well as several other stuffed animals.

 

 

The Yukon River was located right behind the cabin, and many of the tour groups used this as a backdrop for their group picture.

 

 

As mentioned, it is in the middle of a dense forest, and the Whitehorse-Dawson main road used to pass right by it.

 

 

You never know what you are going to find at some of these places. This is a very well used birdhouse that was between the cabin where we ate, and the restrooms.

 

 

I believe this was also a camping area, but the beautiful trees and the river made for a very secluded and quiet area.

 

 

Next we continue on to Whitehorse.

[ron1946]

Sorry folks, I'm going to have to put this on hold for a few days. Hurricane Matthew is heading our way, and I have to "batten down the hatches"!:eek: Be back as soon as I can!:(

[angeleyes27]

I enjoyed your pictures

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[TheCalicoCat]

Hope you fare well through Matthew.

[ron1946]

Okay - Back after Hurricane Matthew provided a little bit of interruption.

 

As we continue on from Minto to Whitehorse, again via the motor coach, we stopped at several places to take pictures, making the trip not so tiresome and boring. However, I cannot conceive of anyone being bored travelling through a beautiful scenic drive of Alaska!

 

Approximately 20 minutes after we left our lunch stop at Minto, we stopped at a place called the Seven Rapids. This is a spot on the Yukon River that, according to history, was a treacherous spot for the paddlewheelers and steamboats. These treacherous waters supposedly claimed many of the boats during the Gold Rush days.

 

 

Very pretty, but as can be seen, it can be very treacherous too!

 

After about another 45 minutes to an hour we stopped for a restroom break, and this is where the huge cinnamon rolls can be purchased. As you can see from the picture, they are quite large, and quite frankly, taste very good. Just a little tip. We saved our last $10.00 Canadian bill to pay for this, rather than $10.00 US. The Yukon will always give you change in Canadian money even if you pay in US cash. At the time the exchange rate was $1.25 Canadian to $1.00 US.

 

 

We arrived at the Whitehorse Westmark Inn around 3:30 PM. The Westmark Inn was nice, typical Westmark, rooms were a little small, but comfortable. We decided to get out in town and look around before it became dark, and we did not have excursions scheduled here. There is a monument to the Gold Miners right in the middle of town (seems they all have a monument like this!)

 

 

Here are a few pictures of the “main drag” in Whitehorse.

 

 

Did you notice the time on the clock!

 

 

I had mentioned before the beautiful flowers that seemed to be everywhere in all of the towns we went into. Whitehorse was no exception:

 

 

Next up Whitehorse to Skagway, via Carcross.

[ron1946]

Baggage had to be out early the morning we left Whitehorse, as it had to go to Fraser and be placed aboard the White Pass and Yukon Railroad train we would be taking into Skagway. We left on a motor coach about 9:30, and had another pleasant, scenic drive. One of the places we stopped was the overlook above this river. Notice the beautiful color of the water!

 

 

Our next stop was somewhat of a nostalgic stop for my wife and I. We stopped at Emerald Lake, and although the pictures don’t do it justice, the water is a beautiful emerald color. This is a result of the way the algae grows in the lake.

 

 

What was nostalgic for us, is that my wife and I stood in this exact same spot four years ago and had our picture taken!

 

 

We continued on for a while and came to the Carcross Desert. This is literally a desert that was made as a result of the glaciers moving across the area depositing silt in lakes. When the lakes dried up the silt was left behind, so basically the “sand” is glacier silt. It was quite a large area, and it did feel just like sand.

 

 

We then went into the actual town of Carcross. There really isn’t much there. A visitors center a couple of general type shopping stores, and some pretty good ice cream!

 

 

The town itself was important during the Gold Rush Days, as it was the terminal point of the White Pass and Yukon Railway. It was originally known as Caribou Crossing and sits on the base of Bennett Lake and was originally home to some of the local native people.

 

It is pretty run down, but an interesting place to stop for just a little bit. There is a skeleton of a sternwheeler there to tour but not much more.

 

 

Next up our trip down to Skagway via the White Pass and Yukon Railroad.

[ron1946]

When we arrived in Fraser to meet the White Pass and Yukon railcars, it was pretty foggy. The fog lasted for a while and as we started to head towards Skagway, it completely lifted. Again, the scenery was breathtaking (even what we could see in the fog!). Our tour group was assigned our own rail car. The cars are restored to the original décor as used during the Gold Rush days. Seats are really not very comfortable as can be seen in the photo! FYI there is a restroom onboard each car. Here is the car and our group just as we were leaving Fraser.

 

 

Just a little tip here. This is our second time on the WP&Y Railroad. If you are traveling from Skagway to Fraser (up the mountain) sit on the LEFT side of the train. Traveling from Fraser to Skagway (as we were this trip) sit on the RIGHT side of the train, otherwise for the majority of the trip you will seeing nothing but the side of the mountain and rock walls!

 

 

A few pictures of the rivers we crossed. I am not sure, but these pictures may all be of the same river, but needless to say, each crossing was just beautiful.

 

 

 

 

Looking out across the canyon we saw these buildings. Not sure, but I think they are actually the customs point location for entering from Yukon to Alaska along the highway.

 

 

Once again, the train ride was very nice, I just wish it had been narrated so we knew what we were seeing.

 

Next is Skagway

[ron1946]

When we arrived in Skagway, U. S. Customs came onboard the train and looked at each passengers passport, so make sure you have it with you.

 

We really enjoyed Skagway. The shopping is great, restaurants are very good, and there is a lot to see and do here.

 

The Westmark Inn in Skagway was the typical Westmark, however, be advised that there is no elevator and all the rooms are on the second floor. These old bones sometimes struggled to get up the stairs. Our room was in the back of the hotel, very comfortable and had a great view of the mountains behind us.

 

 

There are a lot of interesting things so see in Skagway. Many different types of buildings as well as things like this mural, which was actually on three different buildings.

 

 

The location of the hotel is on a side street, right in the middle of downtown (all 7 or 8 blocks of it!), so getting around was pretty easy. Here is part of downtown, again with some unique buildings.

 

 

This particular building was built in 1899 (as can be seen), but it is constructed totally of driftwood. It is still in use today!

 

 

Here is the infamous Red Onion Saloon, which was a brothel during the height of the Gold Rush. You can take tours and eat there, but we did not participate.

 

 

Here is another shot of the downtown area

 

 

Next we continue in Skagway.

[liptastic]

Ron just came across your thread tonight, and it's wonderful. Your photographs are great and I am so enjoying your narration. Can't wait for your next installlment. Thank you, Jean.

[ron1946]

Skagway is the “home” of the White Pass and Yukon Railroad. In addition to a period train depot, they have several displays about some of the original as well as modern equipment.

 

Here is a replica of one of the original trains that carried prospectors north over the White Pass to the gold fields.

 

 

Some modern day equipment included these rail cars that also had a snow removal car with blades that would remove the snow from the tracks.

 

 

To give you some idea of the size, my wife is 5’6” standing in from of the snow removal car.

 

 

As in most of the towns in Alaska and the Yukon, there are monuments to the prospectors. This one is located in the area where WP&Y Railway has there displays.

 

 

On somewhat of a sad note, we will be leaving our Journey Host in Skagway, and boarding MS Volendam. The last night we had a farewell party for our host and the AAA host and group that was journeying with us. It was held in one of the hotel's lounges, and very nice snacks were available. There was a pay as you go bar. It was also the time where each of us showed our appreciation to the Journey Hosts by providing their gratuities. Here is my wife and our Journey Host, Simon.

 

 

I mentioned shopping. We found the best shopping to be at the Outlet stores on both ends of the main street. One is just before you get to the Brewing Company the other is right across the street from the WP&Y Railway display. Very good selection, very good prices and be sure to pick up the flyer as you go in the stores as they have sales going on!

 

One final shot looking down the main drag of Skagway.

 

 

Next up - Welcome aboard Volendam!

[ron1946]

We left the hotel around 10:00 AM and it was a short bus trip (15 minutes) to Volendam. Here we actually said “goodbye” at our Journey Host, Simon. Our luggage had been picked up earlier, and as we would find out, already delivered to our stateroom when we arrived. Volendam was berthed on the pier right next to the mountain. Boarding was simple, with a “progressive” check in, and we were given our sign and sail cards on the bus. Upon entering the ship, it was the familiar “ding” and through security. We had arrived! From there we were directed to the theater where our documents we checked and picture added to the sign and sail card, then we were turned loose to find our stateroom. Since this was our third Inside Passage trip, we opted for an oceanview to help with the cost factor. We had an oceanview on the Ryndam two years earlier, so we were familiar with storage, and the layout of the stateroom.

 

When we opened the curtains in our stateroom, we were looking right at the “signature” wall of the mountain. Every ship that calls in Skagway, on their first port visit is asked to “sign” the signature wall. There are many, many examples of the ships that have called here.

 

 

One of the first stops after boarding of course is the lido deck for some lunch/snacks. Volendam’s lido deck was typical of the HAL smaller class ships.

 

 

Of course we had to tour the ship a little bit, so one stop was the Atrium.

 

 

We also went back to the theater to get a better look since all the hub-bub of checking our tour group in was over and done with. Very pretty.

 

 

After settling into our stateroom, we checked on when we had reservations at the Pinnacle Grill. Good thing we did, as they were for that evening. We tried to change them, but were told it was impossible since the Pinnacle had been sold out already. This was part of our Explore 4 package. We really didn’t want to go the first night onboard, but had no choice in the matter. However, I must admit, it was a wonderful dinner, with excellent food and excellent service. I had the 16oz Ribeye, and my wife had the stuffed eggplant. Both were very good as can be seen in the picture below. We were somewhat disappointed in HAL though, since every evening we would pass by the Pinnacle Grill and it was half empty!

 

 

We went to dinner and afterwards strolled along the promenade deck. Here is a picture of the mountains behind us. The ship had not left port yet as underway time was 10:00 PM. It was a beautiful evening with a breathtaking view from the outside decks.

 

 

Up next: More of Volendam

[alwaysfrantic]

Is that nice sunny shot of the ship from 10 PM??? I am having a hard time even imagining what the skies will look like on a June night.

[ron1946]

Is that nice sunny shot of the ship from 10 PM??? I am having a hard time even imagining what the skies will look like on a June night.

 

That picture was taken about 8:45 PM, end of August, when daylight is starting to get shorter. If you are going to Alaska in June your days will actually be longer.

[MAPCruises]

We are traveling to Alaska and Doing Denali next July. Thank you so much for taking time to post your adventure and pictures!

[ron1946]

We are traveling to Alaska and Doing Denali next July. Thank you so much for taking time to post your adventure and pictures!

 

I know it will be a wonderful trip for you. While in Denali I HIGHLY recommend the Tundra Wilderness Tour if you can take it. You won't be sorry!