Trip Report-HAL Nieuw Amsterdam & Royal Princess (6/12/19-7/7/19)

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Before I begin, I would like to apologize for getting a late start on this review.  For some strange reason I have had a hard time recovering from the “cruise ship crud” (cough.)  I have never had a problem before; I guess I’m just getting old.  Ok, let’s get started.

Timeline:We recently returned from three consecutive cruises to Alaska:  Week 1:  Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam (Vancouver-Vancouver itinerary) and weeks 2&3:  Royal Princess (Vancouver-Whittier-Vancouver itinerary.)  We chose the two cruise lines because we wanted our Alaska trips to be all about the glaciers and the combination of the two cruise lines allowed us to do just that.

About Us: Many years ago, my husband worked in Alaska on a variety of engineering projects.  One year, for my birthday, he sent me a ticket to join him in Fairbanks so I could experience Alaska firsthand.  Even though  my stay was short, I knew there was something magical about the place.  Alaska had left its mark on us and we wanted to be a part of it in some small way.  So, when the opportunity presented itself, we purchased a brick as part of a fundraiser for the Alaska Zoo.  We had our last name and wedding date inscribed on the brick as a reminder of the memories that brought us together 38 years ago.  My husband is 73 and I am 68.   

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Alaska Cruise Count:  Including the above three cruises, we have enjoyed a total of  27 beautiful cruises to Alaska.  We join the group of many on this board who find the beauty of Alaska to be awe-inspiring and worth repeated visits.  We are not loyal to any one cruise line; itinerary and port times are priorities for us.  Our Alaska sailing history includes the following cruise lines:  Princess (6), Royal Caribbean (8), Celebrity (10) and Holland America (3).  We have had mini-suite, ocean view, balcony, and inside cabins during our sailings to Alaska; for this trip we chose inside cabins.  To be honest, all cabins have their pluses and minuses and we are not driven to one over the other.

Planning:  Like many of you, I am a planner.  I try to book hotels and flights ASAP especially since we use points and miles to pay for some of our expenses. I monitor our cruise reservations to see if I can pick up perks when cruise lines have their sales --- every bit helps when going to an expensive destination.  I reserve my excursions early especially  for our favorite small boat or popular vendors to ensure we get to enjoy the experiences we want. 

Pre-flight:  We knew that the check-in time for our inbound flight to Vancouver was going to be very early on a weekday, so we decided to stay at a hotel near the airport.  I booked the Homewood Suites using Hilton points.  The hotel was very nice, and the location alleviated the stress of an early check in time and travel congestion on the roads.

Flights:  I drew upon our Alaska Airlines points for our flights from Sacramento-Seattle-Vancouver.    Our Sacramento-Seattle  flight was delayed about 20 minutes causing some anxious moments when thinking about our connection.  Fortunately for us, airport construction had shifted flight gates and our connecting flight was only a few doors down from our arrival gate. 

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Vancouver Airport:  I know many people are stressed at the thought of arriving in Vancouver. However, I can assure you that it really isn’t that bad.  Vancouver has put a very organized processing system in place.  Relax and take a deep breath, it will all be over before you know it.  Upon our arrival in Vancouver we departed our plane and followed the clearly marked signage to Immigration. At Immigration, we followed the verbal instructions by one of the representatives to scan our passports, fill out our immigration form and take our place in line for processing. Although the lines looked very long, the whole process was quick and painless. After Immigration, we made our way down to the baggage claim area to retrieve our luggage. One nice thing about the Vancouver Airport is the availability of “free” luggage carts to use while retrieving/hauling your bags. We estimated we waited in the Immigration line about 20 minutes and 15 minutes at baggage claim.

Transportation to the Hotel: With all our luggage on our cart, we followed the signage directing us to the ground transportation area.  Just outside the door, there was a taxi line that moved very quickly.  Taxi to the Marriott Pinnacle was a flat rate of $35 plus tip.  Please note, however, that the flat rate prices for the airport taxis have changed (according to a post that I just read) so consult the taxi rate graphic shown on the Vancouver Airport website for the latest information.  We were very thankful that the ride from the airport to the hotel was a fixed rate as construction caused extensive traffic delays.  We estimated that our ride to the hotel took 45min-1 hour.

Hotel:  During our past visits to Vancouver we have stayed at the following hotels: Pan Pacific, Hyatt Regency, Fairmont Waterfront and Marriott Pinnacle; all are wonderful hotels.  For this visit, we used Marriott points so we opted to stay at the Marriott Pinnacle for both our pre-and post-cruise stays.  We had a wonderful room with a view of the water and were able to see the cruise ships come and go.

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Embarkation Day-Nieuw Amsterdam:  After a good night sleep and a hearty breakfast, we decided to take a quick stroll down to Canada Place to see our ship.  For us, it was a double treat:  we got to see the ship that we would be embarking on later that morning, and we  also got to see the Royal Princess, the ship that we would be embarking on one week later.  Even though we have cruised many times before, the sight of seeing our ship always awakens the “little kid” in us. Since it was a nice, crisp morning we decided that we would return to the hotel check out of our room, forego the cab and roll our bags down to Canada Place.  Luggage is so much more manageable these days, so we thought, let’s give it a go.  We arrived at Canada Place around 10 AM and took the Pan Pacific Hotel elevator down to where the luggage handlers for Holland America were stationed.  We turned over the luggage and tipped the porter.  We then made our way over to the Holland America representative for further instruction.  Although the process seemed like we were going through lines at Disneyland, I can assure you that the system proved to be quick and painless --- at least for us. 

On Board the Nieuw Amsterdam:  After room key and document processing, we waited approximately 30-40 minutes in a holding area before we were allowed onto the ship.  Once on board, we were welcomed by friendly staff members and immediately directed to the buffet.  I am a big fan of Holland America’s food and the variety of choices available. 

Cabin:  I believe our cabin was available about 1 PM.  As mentioned before, we opted for an inside cabin.  For this cruise, our cabin location was forward; a new experience for us. The cabin layout was spacious, and we were very pleased.  Holland America has large bathrooms; a plus in our book. Our luggage was delivered shortly after 1 PM and our room steward connected with us within an hour to introduce himself, give us his card (with his name, his assistant’s name and phone number) and ensure we got all our luggage.  We received excellent cabin service throughout the entire week; Holland America cabin stewards have never let us down in this area.

Inside Passage Cruising:  This was our 3^rd cruise to Alaska on the Nieuw Amsterdam; we love this ship.  Because we did not have a balcony cabin, we spent a lot of time out on deck.  The Nieuw Amsterdam has many places to sit and enjoy the scenery.  Blankets are available on deck for your convenience should you want to use one.  We often took advantage of the great wrap-around promenade deck strolling around its numerous times throughout the day. We spotted several whales off in the distance; some breaching and some just “cruising.”  We also saw Dall’s porpoises playing near the ship.  We are always amazed at people who never venture out on deck; they are missing out on so many beautiful events.

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Tracy Arm/Juneau:  We have taken the Tracy Arm excursion offered by Allen Marine twice before and opted to do so again.   For this excursion, the Allen Marine vessel pulls up right alongside the Nieuw Amsterdam.  Once cleared to do so, all those taking the excursion go from the Nieuw Amsterdam to the Allen Marine vessel and venture on to Tracy Arm while the remainder of the cruise ship passengers continue cruising on to Juneau.  After our excursion, Allen Marine reunites us with the Nieuw Amsterdam which is then docked in Juneau.  Although we did have a small amount of rain, we were lucky to have been able to make it all the way into North Sawyer and South Sawyer.  The journey can only be described as magical.  Cruising by the multi-colored icebergs that varied in shapes and colors is truly something to behold.  We saw numerous seals clustered together, a whale’s tail (we arrived just after the dive), waterfalls, calving and amazing landscapes.  Here are a few photos of the sights we encountered.

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[Coral]

I am loving  this review!

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15 minutes ago, Coral said:

I am loving  this review!

Thanks, I'm trying by best to get it done in a timely manner.

 

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Skagway:  Since we had been to Skagway many times before and knew that we would have two more opportunities to visit this place, we decided that this would be our “down day” so we hadn’t planned anything of importance.  After a nice leisurely breakfast, we ventured into town to do some souvenir shopping and just walked, and walked, and walked with no real agenda. 

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Glacier Bay:  We always look forward to our visits to Glacier Bay as none of them have ever been alike:  weather and time of day all contribute to an ever-changing landscape of beauty and awe.  Glacier Bay viewing is a long day for us.  We start by going to our favorite viewing place on the ship  (usually the Promenade deck) and then settle in for the journey.  Fortunately, we had wonderful weather and did not have to deal with any rain.  It was a little chilly, but we were prepared.  The park rangers were on board narrating our transit and answering questions out on deck.   One of the things my husband enjoys about our Holland America Glacier Bay days is his complimentary cup of split pea soup.  Way to go HAL! 

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As I mentioned before, we spend A LOT of time out on deck especially on Glacier Bay days and, when it is all over, we look forward to sitting down, resting our feet and having a bite to eat.  Well, a little hint for those that have never experienced Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier cruising --- everyone loves to take up all the seats in the cafeteria and all the food venues where there are windows.  Eating places will be VERY crowded so plan accordingly!  Have patience and accept it for what it is and go with the flow.

Because we got to enjoy Glacier Bay three times during our Alaska adventure, I will post a few pictures for each of those times so not to tire you out too much.  Enjoy!

 

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Marjorie Glacier showing its might.

 

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Ketchikan:  Woke up to another beautiful day and got us ready for our next adventure:  Bering Sea Crab Fishermen’s tour.    If you are a fan of the “Deadliest Catch” show that airs on the Discovery Channel you will enjoy this tour.  We have taken this tour a few times before.  Because the crew and their personal stories change, the whole experience has never been boring to us.  The crew is extremely attentive to its customer’s needs and work hard to ensure all have a good time while on board the Aleutian Ballad.  There is plenty of viewing space with overhead heating (should it be needed).  There are home-like restrooms on board for passenger comfort.  Upon conclusion of the tour, a small snack (goldfish crackers) is passed out for all to enjoy. 

Even if you have never seen the “Deadliest Catch” before, this tour has something for everyone to enjoy:  History of the Aleutian Ballad, personal stories of the crew, demonstrations of how relevant marine life is caught and hands-on experience holding these creatures.  One of our favorite moments during the excursion is when the crew throw fish over the side of the boat and  large numbers of eagles swoop and fly with the sole purpose of getting food.  It is amazing to watch and a real photographer’s challenge to capture the moment. 

If you would like further information about the tour, here is the link that can provide some insight.  http://www.alaskacrabtour.com/

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