Live and live from Nieuw Amsterdam on her voyage up north to Alaska

[Aubergebleu]

Hi John,

 

When I try to open the missing image, I get a 

"URL signature expired" message.

 

I don't know either, but it would appear that the link to the FB images have a limited life time?

 

I tried saving the current live images, and it went well.  But the expired images are no longer available ...

 

Dick

 

Ps:  I've been following your posts for years...  In a recent post about the history of Holland America, I found some your great posts back to 2005 when Carnival brought HAL under their wing...  Thank you for your dedication to enlightening your readers! 

[Copper10-8]

Day 9 – Thursday 04 MAY 23 - Scenic cruising Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (con't)

 

This was the second/last, as HAL calls it now, dressy night. Dinner for us was a 7:15 reservation at the Tamarind Restaurant and low and behold, we were once again seated in Ing Ing’s (see pic) section! Happy Days!

 

We started out with the Emperors Nectar (Maria); mandarine Napoleon, apple juice, cinnamon syrup, ginger beer, lemon juice, and Moonstone Asian Sake (moi); creamy body, big pear flavors, hint of sweetness warmed up and served in a flask. We followed that up with and appetizer of Lobster & Shrimp potstickers (Maria); smoked shoyu, pickled ginger and the Satay sampler (moi); Thai chicken, Malaysian lamb, Chinese Beef, Indonesian pork, and Vietnamese shrimp that comes with green mango, yuzu kosho and black bean powder. For our main entrée, Maria wound up having the Thaii Basil Szechuan Shrimp; chili pepper glaze, Asian spices, straw mushrooms, sweet bell peppers, scallions, chili sauce with Jasmin rice on the side, while I had the Wasabi and Soy Crusted Beef Tenderloin with brown rice. For dessert, Maria chose the Mango Posset; coconut macaroon, passion fruit jelly, mango sorbet, while I had chocolate ice cream.

 

Once again, we had an excellent dinner as well as professional service from Ing Ing and her colleagues. Plus to top it off, we had a view from our table of a very nice Alaskan sunset.

 

The main entertainment tonight was the comedy act of Lamont Ferguson, the pickleball enthusiast who has performed on all eleven HAL ships. we caught his 9:00 PM show and this guy is both unique and very funny! He has a late show on Friday night and we'll be there again

 

As usual, we finished up the night with the BB King All-Star band in the lounge named after him/them.

 

Tomorrow (Friday) is the last port of this particular voyage, that being Ketchikan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PSR]

How did the rest of your cruise go? You haven't posted in awhile.

[Copper10-8]

1 minute ago, PSR said:

How did the rest of your cruise go? You haven't posted in awhile.

It's coming! Transitioning 😉 

[Copper10-8]

Day 10 – Friday 05 MAY 23 - Ketchikan, AK

 

So, on Friday morning Nieuw A. left Clarence Strait and came sailing down, so southbound, Tongass Narrows, the Y-shaped channel at 0900 hours, passed Guard Island, and eventually Ketchikan International Airport with an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-790/MAX N626AS running up and getting ready to takeoff for Seattle’s SEA-TAC in one hour and 39 minutes as Flight AS 7005. Btw, the only way to reach the airport is to take one of the two small car ferries across Tongass Narrows! They run two departures every hour in each direction from 6:15 AM until 9:30 PM. One of the aircraft parked on the general aviation apron was a Cessna 172 with big Alaskan bush wheels, big, fluffy, puffy tires, which make it easier to land on unimproved grass and dirt strips. While this was all happening we had our breakfast in the PG.

 

Upon arrival at Ketchikan proper, Nieuw Amsterdam then got ready to take her place port side alongside at Berth #2 out of the four cruise ship berths, along Front Street. Nieuw A was safely docked by 1000 hrs. Behind us at Berth #3 Celebrity Solstice was already alongside (0700-1600). Joining us for the third time since Victoria, Discovery Princess was at Berth #4 (0800-1600) and in front of us at Berth #1 was our stablemate Westerdam, all the way from Japan (1000-1900). We would be here today until a 6:00 PM All Aboard time.

 

Ketchikan is located on Revillagigedo Island (named in 1793 by Captain George Vancouver), seven hundred miles north of Seattle, WA, and 235 miles south of Juneau, AK. in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, the southeastern most city in Alaska. Ketchikan's economy is based upon government services, tourism and commercial fishing. The Misty Fjords National Monument is one of the area's major attractions while the city is surrounded by the Tongass National Forrest, which is managed by the United States Forrest Service from their headquarters in the Federal Building downtown. Deer Mountain, a 3,001 feet peak, rises immediately east of the city's downtown area. Ketchikan’s maritime heritage is proudly reflected in its nickname: “The Salmon Capital of the World”, and the region’s history runs deep in cultural and geological evidence that is still vibrant today. With a population at the 2010 census of 8,050 within its city limits, it is the sixth-most populous city in the state.

 

Unlike Glacier Bay yesterday, which was just glorious weather, today in Ketchikan would be a dreary day, but that’s expected in the first week of May and big boys don’t cry! We were looking at light rain all day long with temps in the mid fifties Fahrenheit so, rain gear on and umbrellas in the backpack.

After having a lunch of New York Pizza and a salad, consumed in the Lido, we had a 3:00 PM ship sponsored shorex by the name of City Highlights, Totems & Creek Street by Trolley.

 

It was described in the literature as learning the history and culture of Ketchikan; while passing by some of the city's most colorful landmarks; traveling through downtown Ketchikan and passing the bustling boat harbor, lush City Park and beautiful Ketchikan Creek. Next; an opportunity to stretch your legs on a brief photo and shopping stop is next, followed by a stop at Saxman Totem Park and a visit to one of Ketchikan's finest stores to purchase authentic Native-made items as well as curios. Finally, the trolley goes back to Creek Street where you can get off and make your own way back, or be driven back to the ship.

 

Besides the visit to Saxman Totem Park and learning about its history, I would not recommend this tour! Yes, we did follow Ketchikan Creek and drove by Walker Field where the Ketchikan girls’ softball team was playing a game in the drizzle, our driver/guide made an immediate left turn on Stedman Street which turns into South Tongass Hwy. There was no leg stretching, photo and shopping stop, ah well! South Tongass Highway, among other things like U.S. Coast Guard Station Ketchikan, leads to the town of Saxman, located a little less than three miles south of Ketchikan.

 

Saxman is a predominately Alaskan Native Tlingit community which was founded in the late 19th century when residents of the traditional Tlingit villages of Cape Fox and Tongass decided to consolidate their communities at a new build village location on Revillagigedo Island. The area, a site of just one square mile, has a population of just over 400 today, mostly Native Alaskans, and remains rich with Alaska Native culture including the Saxman Totem Park. The park includes an extensive collection of traditional totem poles, a totem carving center, tribal house, and the cultural hall.

 

So, our only stop on the shorex was in Saxman at the Saxman Village’s Totem Park. The 25 totems here are authentic replicas of original poles that were left in abandoned villages as Native Alaskans moved into more populated cities. The park was designed along a main axis—Totem Road—with totem poles on each side, and a rectangular area enclosed with logs carved with frog heads. Leading to the square, there are two stairways marked by totem poles on each side. The flanking poles represent bear and raven figures, the symbols of the two phratries of the Tlingit people.

 

The art of totem pole carving was a luxury that experienced its heyday in the mid-1700s to the late 1800s. The fur trade had provided the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian peoples with a newfound sense of wealth – and time to focus on the artistry of the totem. These poles were symbols of cultural and economic wealth that told comprehensive stories about the people and legends of the land.

 

The two poles out of the 25 that stood out to me where the Proud Raven pole, aka the “Lincoln Pole” because of the likeness of Abraham Lincoln at the top, and the Seaward Pole, aka the Secretary of State Pole, because of the likeness of Mr. Lincoln’s Secretary of State, William H. Seward, who was perhaps more than any other one person, responsible for the purchase of Alaska from Russia. After learning about some of the totems from our guide/trolley driver, we were given about 20 minutes to check out the gift shop across the street. Unfortunately, both the interiors of the tribal/clan house, nor the carving (restoration) building were not part of this tour.

 

Once back in Ketchikan, near Creek Street to be more specific, everyone was given the opportunity to vacate the trolley, look around, and walk the relatively short distance back to Front Street and the ships, or be driven back there in the trolley.

 

We chose the latter option and looked around some of the stores on Front Street, prior to reboarding Nieuw A via the long shoreside gangway to Deck 1 port side. We didn’t feel good about this shorex because it did not deliver what was advertised.

 

To be con't

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Seasick Sailor]

John we took this tour. I enjoyed the totem museum, but a bit disappointed in not seeing much else. What was really amazing were the big, ugly, slimy banana slugs covering the sidewalks. 

[Copper10-8]

Day 10 - Friday 05 May 23 - Ketchikan, Ak (con't)

 

Nieuw Amsterdam left the dock at approximately 6:35 PM and sailed south down Tongass Narrows, then via Nichols Passage to Dixon Entrance and into Canadian waters at Hecate Strait.

 

We had a 7:15 PM dinner reservation at Canaletto, Nieuw A’s Italian-themed restaurant inside the Lido Market, starboard side midships. The Canaletto host, Rose, from Kenya, guided us to a nice window seat. The manager up there is Anthon Broto Prakoso from Indonesia. This was our third, and last, specialty restaurant dinner. We wound up sharing a small plate of Veal and Sage meatballs with glazed cipollini onions in a rustic tomato sauce; and we each had a cup of Minestrone soup, farro, borlotti bean, minestrone and Pecorino cheese; and, for the large plates, we shared the braised beef short rib Gnocchi with mascarpone, butter-roasted carrots and celery; finished it up with a dessert each of gelato ice cream which came in malaga, pistachio and bacio flavors. We each had a glass of Moscato which is the Italian name for Muscat Blanc.

 

The entertainment on the Main Stage was once again (2nd performance) the comedy and magic of Craig Diamond at 7:00 and 9:00 PM. We had already seen him once, so decided to check out, for the first time, the Third Avenue West trio inside the Ocean Bar. Third Avenue West consists of a pianist, bassist and a vocalist/guitarist. Tonight, they performed at 5:00, 6:00. 8:30 and 9:30 PM. They played easy listening music which can be danced to. There is a wooden dance floor in front of them. We stayed there until about 9:30 PM while enjoying a glass of Disaronno Originale (Amaretto) and Remy Martin VSOP cognac. It is good to see a live band in the Ocean Bar again!

 

So, at 10:00 PM, we had the late-night comedy of Lamont Ferguson, also someone we had seen before but we think Lamont is uniquely funny. The black shirts had set up about six rows of folding chairs on the dance floor of the B.B. King’s Blues Club, similar to what they had done when Captain Jeroen was preparing his “Erwten soep” (Dutch green pea soup) during the northbound Pacific Coastal cruise to Vancouver. We grabbed two of those because, at 9:30, the booths and chairs facing the dance floor had already been taken, an obvious sign of Lamont’s popularity. Met a retired Vancouver Police constable now residing in Courtenay on big Vancouver Island. It was fun and interesting exchanging “war stories” with him. Lamont, once again, did not disappoint, especially his ending which demonstrated how women/men react to certain songs from the past and current, complete with snippets of those songs.

 

At 10:30 PM, the B.B. King’s Blues Club once again turned into a dance studio with dancing to the hits. Tomorrow, Saturday, will be our last day onboard as Nieuw A sails for Vancouver, BC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[oakridger]

I definitely like having a group in the Ocean Bar and it's a good addition to the options in the evenings.  Glad HAL added them.

 

~Nancy