LIVE! Koningsdam 7-Day Alaskan Inside Passage

[*Miss G*]

DAY 8 - DISEMBARKATION

 

Our last breakfast in Club Orange and we pack up to disembark.  The terminal is well staffed and highly organized.  We pick up our luggage and hand the Customs Declaration Card to the officer on our way out the door to the taxi stand.

 

Good morning, Vancouver.

 

 

 

[canadianbear]

Welcome back to our beautiful city of Vancouver.  We kept the nice weather for your arrival!  

Safe travels home.  

 

[Florida_gal_50]

1 hour ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Oh my gosh.  I was going to comment on this in the summary but I will respond now.

 

THE FOOD WAS HORRENDOUS!!!

 

I have always said how much I love Club Orange.  Well, there is nothing like a touch of reality to temper glowing reports.  When they weren’t trying to kill me, they were trying to make me ill.  Of the 7 nights we ate there, only two of the meals were edible:  the Arctic Char, which was excellent, and the American Pot Roast, which was good.  Besides the two cracked pepper nights, I had one night of raw salmon, without the benefit of it being sashimi, one night of raw steak, and one night of raw prime rib.  This morning my eggs were actually cooked properly and so were the hash browns!  My husband commented that it’s almost like we got a new chef.  We felt bad for the staff because they were the ones who had to deal with everyone sending back their meals.  The chef definitely needs to go back to school or the galley until they bring their skills up to speed.  We both commented that it was the worst food we have ever had on a cruise.  And I am very sad to report that.

Ugggggg.  I thought you’d been very complementary before.  I’ve really enjoyed it as well so this is super disappointing and unacceptable. I wonder if the chef would have enjoyed eating slop like that.  Ridiculous.

[*Miss G*]

DAY 8 - DISEMBARKATION

Saturday, September 10th

 

Our last breakfast in Club Orange and we pack up to disembark.  The terminal is well staffed and highly organized.  We pick up our luggage and hand the Customs Declaration Card to the officer on our way out the door to the taxi stand.

 

Back at the Airport Marriott, we pick up the car and head back to my Uncle’s house.  My husband had to leave all his work items to save him bringing it on the cruise with us.

 

Up ahead it looks like fog, but it is not.  It is smoke from the wildfires and a burning mill on the Fraser River.  It is intense.  As we cross the border, on our way to Seattle, the smoke gets so heavy that everyone’s headlights turn on.  We pull into our hotel and it looks like it is snowing.  It is ash.  By the time we have checked in, taken our bags to our room, and returned to park the car, it is covered in ash.  A man sitting outside listening to a radio says it has been like this all day.

 

Before I forget, here is what you now get for Future Cruise Deposits.  Oh, and the Captain gave a lovely memorial address on the evening of the passing of the Queen.

 

 

[*Miss G*]

40 minutes ago, Laughing Angel said:

Thanks for the travelogue, *Miss G*! I am loving the photos and descriptions (“House of Negotiable Affection”--snort).

My sister and I were on the Koningsdam at the end of July, and had a grand time (and no serious complaints about the food. I guess we lucked out). I don't know if I missed this in your review, but were you able to find anything to enjoy in the Lido Market or Pinnacle Grill? Or did you stick to the main dining room?

 

Except for boarding day lunch at the Grand Dutch Cafe and some mediocre fish and chips at MDR lunch on the second day, we only ate in Club Orange.  I guess you could call me an eternal optimist.  Or a sadist.  We usually got some fruit or a light snack in the lounge between breakfast and dinner.  Club Orange staff apologized for the food problems as we said goodbye this morning.  We were told a new chef had just started and I tend to believe that is where the problem lies.  

[Florida_gal_50]

15 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Except for boarding day lunch at the Grand Dutch Cafe and some mediocre fish and chips at MDR lunch on the second day, we only ate in Club Orange.  I guess you could call me an eternal optimist.  Or a sadist.  We usually got some fruit or a light snack in the lounge between breakfast and dinner.  Club Orange staff apologized for the food problems as we said goodbye this morning.  We were told a new chef had just started and I tend to believe that is where the problem lies.  

Thank goodness on the new chef.  I don’t think that should be a training ground for people that clearly don’t know how to cook.

[oaktreerb]

It was my understanding that the Club Orange dinner menu items were prepared in the MDR kitchen.  If you ordered the entree special for Club Orange it was probably prepared in the Club Orange kitchen by the new “Chef”.  Your meals in the Club Orange dining room should have been at least as good as in the dining room.  If HAL wants Club Orange to be an upscale experience they need to work on quality control for CO.  

[Florida_gal_50]

2 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

It was my understanding that the Club Orange dinner menu items were prepared in the MDR kitchen.  If you ordered the entree special for Club Orange it was probably prepared in the Club Orange kitchen by the new “Chef”.  Your meals in the Club Orange dining room should have been at least as good as in the dining room.  If HAL wants Club Orange to be an upscale experience they need to work on quality control for CO.  

Yes that’s my understanding as well that it’s only the daily special that is prepared in club orange.

[Dreamer115]

9 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

Here is a video of a seal pup on an ice flow.  Mom just dove into the water but I didn’t hit record in time.  You can see her nose pop up towards the top of the picture.

 

 

IMG_6534.MOV 14.72 MB · 5 downloads  

 

The next two videos show us leaving the Johns Hopkins Glacier.  I had to add the 2nd video so you could see the change in colour of the water and how gorgeous it is.

 

 

IMG_6523.MOV 17.99 MB · 2 downloads  

 

IMG_6522.MOV 40.38 MB · 5 downloads  

 

IMG_6522.MOV 40.38 MB · 5 downloads  

 

I could not open you movies/videos as my computer says there was a virus detected.

[*Miss G*]

2 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Thank goodness on the new chef.  I don’t think that should be a training ground for people that clearly don’t know how to cook.

 

To be clear, the staff were blaming the problems on the new chef who had just started in CO just before we boarded.  Apparently there were no issues with the previous chef.

 

 

1 hour ago, oaktreerb said:

It was my understanding that the Club Orange dinner menu items were prepared in the MDR kitchen.  If you ordered the entree special for Club Orange it was probably prepared in the Club Orange kitchen by the new “Chef”.  Your meals in the Club Orange dining room should have been at least as good as in the dining room.  If HAL wants Club Orange to be an upscale experience they need to work on quality control for CO.  

 

Yes, that is what I thought too, and I believe that’s how it was.  However, the chef we had was cooking the main entrees right there.  A lot of items seemed to come from the MDR galley, like the items which could be batch-prepped in advance, but the protein mains were being cooked in CO.  So, for instance, my steak and fish were cooked in CO because I watched the servers/CO Manager take them to the chef, have a conversation, and then I saw the chef put the replacement items on the grill.

 

[*Miss G*]

1 minute ago, Dreamer115 said:

I could not open you movies/videos as my computer says there was a virus detected.

 

I am sorry to hear that.  To put your mind at ease, there is definitely not a virus.

[Dreamer115]

15 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

I am sorry to hear that.  To put your mind at ease, there is definitely not a virus.

I am sure there wasn't but thought I should let you know.  Thanks for your great review.  I think I would have given up by day 3 on club orange and gone somewhere else, there are so many options.

[*Miss G*]

We are staying at a hotel north of Seattle.  After checking in we received an evacuation alert.  Not knowing the area, we had to ask at the front desk whether this was anywhere close to us.  She said it was about an hour from our location.

 

 

Thirty minutes later it was rescinded.  Turns out it was sent in error.

 

 

Here is some of the ash on the car after a few minutes of sitting idle.

 

[canadianbear]

44 minutes ago, Dreamer115 said:

I could not open you movies/videos as my computer says there was a virus detected.

I had no issue viewing the videos.  

[*Miss G*]

5 hours ago, canadianbear said:

How disappointing about your fish n chips experience.  I’m spoiled as my husband fishes here on the west coast & cooks fish n chips once in awhile as a treat. 

 

I am jealous!  We went to Andy’s Fish House in Snohomish, this evening, to have the halibut & chips.  It wasn’t Canada or UK-grade, but it was pretty darn good!  Finally!

[canadianbear]

5 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

I am jealous!  We went to Andy’s Fish House in Snohomish, this evening, to have the halibut & chips.  It wasn’t Canada or UK-grade, but it was pretty darn good!  Finally!

Finally-well that’s good!!   It’s funny because I actually do try fish when cruising which annoys my husband sometimes as he catches salmon, cod, halibut etc but I tell him I want to compare!  

[MarinersBaseballFan]

5 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

As we cross the border, on our way to Seattle, the smoke gets so heavy that everyone’s headlights turn on.  We pull into our hotel and it looks like it is snowing.  It is ash.  By the time we have checked in, taken our bags to our room, and returned to park the car, it is covered in ash.  A man sitting outside listening to a radio says it has been like this all day.

Too bad you caught the smoke - bad luck. Today was the first day this summer that we've had any significant wildfire smoke in the Seattle area, though it has been more of a problem on the east half of our state. Fortunately the forcast has the wind blowing off the ocean by Monday 9/12 which will clear out all the smoke west of the Cascades. Growing up north of Seattle, this was never a problem until about the last 10 years. 2 or 3 summers ago we had smoke for maybe 3-4 weeks total, up to a week at a time.

[*Miss G*]

5 minutes ago, MarinersBaseballFan said:

Too bad you caught the smoke - bad luck. Today was the first day this summer that we've had any significant wildfire smoke in the Seattle area, though it has been more of a problem on the east half of our state. Fortunately the forcast has the wind blowing off the ocean by Monday 9/12 which will clear out all the smoke west of the Cascades. Growing up north of Seattle, this was never a problem until about the last 10 years. 2 or 3 summers ago we had smoke for maybe 3-4 weeks total, up to a week at a time.

 

When flying to Seattle, a couple of weeks ago, I could see the fires scattered around the Eastern portion of the State.  😢

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

[Florida_gal_50]

9 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

To be clear, the staff were blaming the problems on the new chef who had just started in CO just before we boarded.  Apparently there were no issues with the previous chef.

 

 

 

Yes, that is what I thought too, and I believe that’s how it was.  However, the chef we had was cooking the main entrees right there.  A lot of items seemed to come from the MDR galley, like the items which could be batch-prepped in advance, but the protein mains were being cooked in CO.  So, for instance, my steak and fish were cooked in CO because I watched the servers/CO Manager take them to the chef, have a conversation, and then I saw the chef put the replacement items on the grill.

 

Thanks for the info on the new chef.  That said people old or new should know how to cook.  

[Florida_gal_50]

8 hours ago, canadianbear said:

I had no issue viewing the videos.  

Me either.

[StLouisCruisers]

12 hours ago, Dreamer115 said:

I could not open you movies/videos as my computer says there was a virus detected.

 

12 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

I am sorry to hear that.  To put your mind at ease, there is definitely not a virus.

 

12 hours ago, Dreamer115 said:

I am sure there wasn't but thought I should let you know.  Thanks for your great review.  I think I would have given up by day 3 on club orange and gone somewhere else, there are so many options.

 

I almost always get the virus detected message when I try to view videos from Cruise Critic.  It's probably settings that are extra cautious with warnings on my computer.  I'm sure your video is just fine to watch.