LIVE! Koningsdam 7-Day Alaskan Inside Passage

[*Miss G*]

My husband is in Seattle on business so he decided to tag on an Alaskan cruise for the two of us.  After two weeks of leaving voicemails and emails with our PCC, I came to the conclusion that he had “left the building”.  Time was a-ticking, as I had one cruise to cancel and two to book, so I gave him one last call.  After reaching his voicemail for the 3rd time, I called the general reservations line and 10 minutes later I was speaking with G.  Whilst on the phone, guess who called back?  I stayed on the line with G because I was convinced our PCC had gone AWOL and that it wasn’t him.  (It was.)  I wish I’d hung up and taken the incoming call because the number of errors and return calls to correct them made for a less than ideal experience.

 

Anyway, when you book last minute you get the dregs of the choices (Verandah Deck 5) so I was resigned to being thankful. 

 

This itinerary is a Vancouver/Return and takes the inside passage.  Seattle/Seattle was a consideration (since we are already here) but we wanted to see family in Canada.  We also like the Pinnacle-class ships and Club Orange dining so that settled it for us.  Vancouver, here we come.

 

[*Miss G*]

We were hoping to take the Amtrak Cascades to Vancouver but they haven’t yet resumed service.  Because flying is annoying, and busses aren’t my thing, I went ahead and booked the HAL transfer from SeaTac to the cruise port.  (I know, I know, it’s a bus but you’re on said bus with fellow cruisers and it’s more about the convenience.)

 

When reading over my booking confirmation I saw G had booked our transfer from YVR(!) to the cruise port.  You’ve got to be kidding me.  I called back and spoke with someone else because G lied to me when he said that his contact information would be in the email.  (It wasn’t.)  I explained to the new person that I had specifically requested transfer from SeaTac but G had us down for YVR.  She told me SeaTac was waitlisted and maybe that’s why he changed our reservation to YVR.  Huh?  That doesn’t even make any sense.  Okay, well, whatever.  Just remove the charge please.  

 

We have decided to turn in my husband’s business rental and pick up a personal rental.  Prices were ridiculous for picking it up at SeaTac so we’ll jump on the train to a downtown location.  I am not paying $400 extra for convenience…. especially since the drop-off is at SeaTac instead of the Seattle location.  They must think I’m dumb or something.

[*Miss G*]

Cruise-prep has become an annoyance.  Vaccinations, boosters, COVID tests, VeriFLY, ArriveCAN, and then ArriveCAN.  I was hoping to wait for the new booster to come out but it’s been 7 months since the first one and I was beginning to get nervous.  I went ahead and got both the 2nd booster and a flu shot.  Since I react every time to Moderna, I might as well do both and get it over with.

 

Fingers crossed that we won’t be randomly selected for a COVID test at the border.  Will the fun never end?  Or begin, even.  I have been doing a lot of research on the testing and still need to make a decision.  Will probably go with proctored online because physical locations require appointments and are a logistical nightmare when there are so many moving parts.  Fortunately, there appear to be lots of options to fall back on.

[*Miss G*]

12 days out and we receive an upgrade offer!  Sadly, I did not discuss this with my husband before he left on a business trip so I hemmed and hawed and then called about the Signature Suites.  Gone.  Pricing was high for the Neptunes and Vista so I declined one of those.  Oh well.

 

My husband FaceTimed after work and I told him about the offer and my sadness.  While we were chatting, my mind was running sub-routines.  It occurred to me that we had purchased Club Orange.  I called the paid upgrade number, once more, and checked to see if any Signature Suites had become available (no).  I mentioned we had purchased Club Orange and was wondering if that cost could be applied to the upgrade.  YES!!  I am super excited now.  Neptune Suite, here we come!

 

P.S.  Neither rep said this was an option so make sure you mention it if you find yourself in the same situation.

 

Looking over the new booking confirmation I notice there is still a charge for transfers from YVR to the cruise port.  I call the general reservations line.  Again.

[lstrong]

Cruises in/out Canada are a real pain!  Can’t wait to read more. Especially info on Koningsdam. Thanks 

Edited September 1, 2022 by lstrong
Misspellings

[*Miss G*]

Less than a week out and our embarkation time has changed from 11:00am to 10:00am.  I am leery of this because we usually take our time on arrival day to have a leisurely breakfast and avoid the crowds.  Hmmm.  Will have to give this a think.

 

As I check in for my flight at the T-24 hr mark, I notice it’s full.  That is good news since the chance of it being cancelled for that reason is now eliminated.  I receive an email asking for volunteers to take a later flight for a $350 credit.  Nope.  No thanks.  Spending time in airports is really not my thing and $350 won’t really get you anywhere.

 

No craziness at IAD when we arrive.  We are at our gate just over an hour from the time we left our house.  Alaska Airlines does not provide even a light snack on a 5.5 hour cross-country flight.  I am shocked.  Luckily, the seats in economy are decent, with lots of legroom/seat pitch.  Recline isn’t that great but it’s a daytime flight so as long as I’m not forced to sit ramrod straight I am okay with it.

 

I am not, however, okay with the young teens behind me who clearly have coughing, congestion, and snorking issues.  I do not appreciate that they are not wearing masks, nor do they cover their mouths when they cough.  I also do not appreciate them hanging over my seat to talk to their mom, who is seated next to me.  I finally have to ask “Can we not do this?” to get them to back off.  Ugh.  There are high-pitched screaming children all around me.  I imagine this is what hell is like.

 

We arrive in Seattle and everyone jumps up to get their carry-on.  A man a few seats up has stowed his bag a few seats back.  He asks a guy near me to pass it over.  Guy grabs my bag and passes it to him, all the while I am trapped in my window seat yelling “That’s my bag!!!”  Man with my bag keeps walking towards the exit ignoring the yelling.  Thankfully, all the passengers around him start yelling “That’s not your bag!!!” and man finally clues in.  Phew.  Crisis averted.  On heightened alert, I maintain eye contact with my bags whilst on the car rental shuttle.  

[Florida_gal_50]

OMG brutal.  I hope it turned out/is turning out better for you.   How can the guy not realize it's not his bag?

[*Miss G*]

14 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

OMG brutal.  I hope it turned out/is turning out better for you.   How can the guy not realize it's not his bag?

 

I know, right?!  Mine didn’t even look like his!!

[Florida_gal_50]

7 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

I know, right?!  Mine didn’t even look like his!!

Wow!

[*Miss G*]

Checked into our hotel on Monday and headed out for dinner.  Mount Rainier at sunset was spectacular.  I couldn’t grab a pic in time, as we were driving, but it looked exactly like the picture in this link:

 

Mount Rainier at Sunset

 

 

 

[*Miss G*]

Well, breakfast in the Concierge Lounge the first morning was interesting.  The hot offerings were scrambled eggs and sausage.  As I do not like sausage I asked the attendant if there happened to be any bacon coming out.  

 

It turns out that her mom died last month.  She hadn’t been feeling well and went to the hospital. The hospital told her she was fine and sent her home.  Two days later she was not.  Unlike the attendant, I will spare you the gory details.  Suffice it to say that her mom was secreting fluids and they had to bury her fast.  It was a closed casket because the funeral home was worried she’d explode.  Needless to say, I set my eggs aside.

 

At dinner, my husband and his team were relating they weren’t happy with that morning’s breakfast.  I warned them not to ask for bacon.

[*Miss G*]

Yesterday I went to Chihuly Garden and Glass.

 

It was lovely but pricey at $35 for entry.  $64 if you included the Space Needle!  I would have loved to be there in the evening for the light display but I wasn’t about to take the monorail then the train back to SeaTac in the dark.  Safety first.

 

First pic is a sculpture just outside of the exhibit.  In the second-to-last pic you can see a reflection of the Space Needle in the blue sphere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[*Miss G*]

Exciting news to report!  We did online proctored testing with OnPoint this evening and we both have tested negative!!  Phew.  What a relief it is to know we can now board the ship and see family.  It’s also nice to get that behind us because we were going to drop into the Curative walk-in clinic just before we picked up our rental car as it’s right next door.  Now to get all the information entered into ArriveCAN, VeriFLY, and Navigator!!  😀

[eetonaee]

Our previous 20 or so cruises have involved long flights to the departure port in Florida, California or Europe.

Finally we’re taking an Alaska cruise from our home town.

Our travel involves a short drive to the SeaBus passenger ferry for a 15 minute ride, and then a 10 minute walk to the terminal.

Sounds like we’ll be less stressed than you this Saturday 😉

 

[*Miss G*]

7 hours ago, eetonaee said:

Our previous 20 or so cruises have involved long flights to the departure port in Florida, California or Europe.

Finally we’re taking an Alaska cruise from our home town.

Our travel involves a short drive to the SeaBus passenger ferry for a 15 minute ride, and then a 10 minute walk to the terminal.

Sounds like we’ll be less stressed than you this Saturday 😉

 

 

Yes, you definitely have a shorter commute than we do!  😂  See you onboard!

[Dismomx5]

On 9/1/2022 at 2:58 PM, *Miss G* said:

 

I know, right?!  Mine didn’t even look like his!!

Sadly, my hubby is oblivious to all those little details, too. He never remembers which bag is ours....even though he put it above less than 3 hours earlier. smh

[Dreamer115]

Can't wait for more.  I certainly hope all works out smooth sailing from here on in.  We leave in 3 weeks on the same cruise.

[*Miss G*]

Yesterday was a busy day with my husband finishing up some work, car rental drop-off, train to downtown to pick up new rental, back to hotel to pick up luggage, then finally hit the road with 50,000 other people.  Seattle traffic has always been bad but this one was for the record books.  

 

When we finally got to the border (Pacific Highway) the NEXUS lane was backed up and moving at a snail’s pace.  We have no idea what the problem was but when your NEXUS lane is slower than your regular lanes… there’s a problem.  I decided to time the little red car in front of us.  Six minutes and then sent to secondary.  I would say that was happening to 60% of the vehicles.  Thankfully, not us.

 

We finally made it to my family’s house for a lovely visit with Uncle and Cousins (my 2nd-Mum Aunt passed 3 years ago), had a nice BBQ of Pacific salmon, chicken, and salads followed by fresh berries and rhubarb sauce from the garden, then off to the Vancouver Airport Marriott.

 

There were obvious signs we were on the COVID ward. I mean, floor.

 

 

[Vict0riann]

Looking forward to hearing more!

[*Miss G*]

DAY 1 - EMBARKATION!

PORT OF VANCOUVER

 

We had a mediocre breakfast at the hotel, but they redeemed themselves by having great coffee.  Packing up, we had the Front Desk call for a taxi.  This hotel is not how I imagined it to be in that I was expecting there to be a Valet to park the car and hail a taxi.  I guess the price threw me.

 

We had a fairly quick and terrifying drive to the port as our driver was a bit of a madman.  The nice thing about taking a taxi is they bring you right to the luggage drop-off point.  Staff were refusing to let anyone proceed to the terminal if you weren’t wearing a mask.  Elevators were busy so we took the stairs.  I believe we walked up three flights, so a series of six sets of stairs to get to check-in.

 

Today the Royal Princess is also in port.  

 

[*Miss G*]

The VeriFLY line was long so we went through the Suite line.  A very nice lady checked VeriFLY and passports, then put a red tag inside.  Next were the check-in kiosks.   We were sent to an actual person as they were using both for efficiency.  He checked boarding passes then took a picture.  I guess we must have changed a lot in 8 months.  

 

Next, it was out the door and downstairs to Security.  Another snaking line, show your red tag, then put your bags on the belt and walk through the body scanner.  Off you go to US CBP.

 

They were not taking NEXUS/Global Entry users today.  Canadians and Americans were directed to one line; all other passport-holders went to the World line.  After snaking around for a while, we finally got to the kiosks.  You scan your passport, answer the Customs questions, and then it spits out a receipt.  Unless, of course, you’re me.  I was rejected by the machine and told to proceed to a CBP officer.  We were redirected to the (very busy) World line.

 

OMG.  Another huge line to stand in!  After directing the people in front of us to join the World line, I asked the officer if that also applied to NEXUS holders.  Since the handicapped line was fairly short, he said we could go there.  Phew.  Others, behind us, piped up that they, too, had NEXUS, so they joined us.  Non-holders had to queue up in the World line for a longer wait.

 

Once through CBP we are sent outside and then down another flight.  Here they checked our VeriFLY, again, then sent us to the Suites/4&5* Mariner section.  

 

At 11:30 they announced that our rooms wouldn’t be ready until noon but we could board now.  As we entered the ship they were scanning the boarding passes and telling us our rooms were ready.  Okay then!  We are finally at the end of our boarding odyssey. 

[*Miss G*]

DECK 7 - NEPTUNE SUITE

 

Unlike our last HAL voyage where they forgot to put our room keys outside the door, this time they were in the slot.  Wheeee!  We’re in!

 

A fabulous feature of a Koningsdam Neptune Suite is the separate water closet.  I knew this would be a hit with my husband who comments on every single HGTV show which shows the toilet out in the open.  Gone is the ample dressing area in the other class ships, but this is a great use of space and we are happy to have it.  In the main bathroom is a shower, a jetted tub with wand, and two sinks.

 

The WC from the hall showing the door to the main bathroom:

 

 

The main bathroom from the WC:

 

 

The WC from the main bathroom:

 

 

 

 

[Florida_gal_50]

The port of Vancouver is such a beautiful port.  I love it there.

[*Miss G*]

This room would be perfect for a longer voyage as it has more than enough drawers, storage cupboards, and closets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[*Miss G*]

2 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

The port of Vancouver is such a beautiful port.  I love it there.

 

It really is.  Here’s the Royal Princess as we sail away.  

 

I’ll be back to post more later.  We have docked in Juneau so are heading into town.