PHOTO REVIEW! Just off the Koningsdam to Alaska.

[Bostonjetset]

Hi fellow cruisers.  I just returned from the Koningsdam's 7-night sailing to Alaska and wanted to share my thoughts.  The trip left from Vancouver via the Inside Passage and visited Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, and Ketchikan,  I usually post reviews in a diary style format so you can read my thoughts as I wrote them during the trip.

 

BACKGROUND:

I sailed on this trip with my mother as a celebration for her 70th birthday; I am 40 for those who like to track demographics.  Koningsdam was a new ship for the both of us.  I had sailed on her sister ship, Rotterdam, twice with DH but mom had never sailed on a Pinnacle-class ship before.  This was my sixth HAL cruise and her fourth.  I had been to Alaska back in 2016 with DH on the Westerdam but it was mom's first trip to Alaska.  On my prior trip, we left from Seattle and called at Sitka so Skagway and Vancouver were both new ports for me. 

[canadianbear]

Looking forward to read the rest! 

[Bostonjetset]

Day 1: Boston to Vancouver [8/25/2023, 9.30pm]

 

An early start today as our flight was scheduled to depart at 7.45am.  We arrived at 6 and breezed through security so had time for breakfast in the beautiful Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge.  They had a delicious shakshouka that was made to order.  We boarded on time but then sat on the plane for almost 90 minutes before taking off!!  Luckily we had the preferred coach seats with extra legroom but it was still unpleasant to add 90 mixture to an already 6 hour flight.  Also, Air Canada has to be the cheapest "legacy" airline there is!!  They didn't even serve snacks like cookies or chips unless you paid for them.  All that was free were soft drinks, water, and coffee/tea.  ON A 6 HOUR FLIGHT!

 

Once we arrived in Vancouver we took a Lyft to our hotel, the Century Plaza.  I booked a studio but we ended up with a huge one-bedroom suite.  The decor was a bit dated but we had lots of space and a private balcony which had great views as we were on the 23rd floor.

 

We went for lunch as a restaurant called Joey that is just down the street from the hotel and then we walked over to the Gastown neighborhood to browse the ships and see the stream clock.  It's a really cute area but Chinatown was awful.  It was borderline scary with homeless people everywhere and some people even smoking crack on the street in broad daylight!

 

 

 

 

[Bostonjetset]

Day 2: Vancouver and Boarding Koningsdam [8/262023, 10.44pm]

 

Woke at 4.30am this morning due to a combo of jet lag and an early bedtime last night.  Since we didn't have to head over to the sip until around 11am, we took a Lyft to Stanley Park for a quick visit.  What a lovely space for the citizens of Vancouver.  The rose harden was beautiful as were the views of downtown across the water.

 

The port experience was a bit of an ordeal between check-in, security, US Customs, and then waiting to board.  Once we were on the ship from start to finish was about an hour and 15 minutes but I've heard stories of over 2 hours!  We upgraded last minute from an oceanview to a balcony for a special price of $49/pp.  We got stateroom 5126 which in on the corner of the bump out of the ship and thus has a larger balcony by about 50%.  It is a triangle shape with lots of extra space.  A real treat!  

 

Dinner was somewhat of an ordeal tonight though.  I had booked [and paid for] Canaletto months ago.  When we got there we were told that they no longer open on embarkation night and my reservation was moved to tomorrow.  As we like to eat in the MDR for formal/dressy nights, I had to move it to our last night on the ship, Friday.  I was not pleased at the disorganization but the issue seems to be fixed now at least.  Due to this, we ended up eating in the buffet tonight.  They did have a wonderful Indonesian beef rendang.  Also, the BBQ pork ribs and popovers were terrific as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[canadianbear]

Welcome to our world of Air Canada (and WestJet) where you pay pay pay!

 

Unfortunately near the cruise port you have to be careful as drugs & homeless abound.  
 

Love the old steam clock, glad you got to see and hear it.

Nice view from your hotel! 

Beautiful photos too of Stanley Park and some on the ship.  You scored a very nice upsell! 

Edited September 5, 2023 by canadianbear

[vicd1969]

Canaletto not opening on the first night sounds a bit suspect. Maybe they needed a night to switch to the new menu? I ate at the Canaletto on the first night on board the Nieuw Amsterdam three weeks ago.

[canadianbear]

3 minutes ago, vicd1969 said:

Canaletto not opening on the first night sounds a bit suspect. Maybe they needed a night to switch to the new menu? I ate at the Canaletto on the first night on board the Nieuw Amsterdam three weeks ago.

It is strange isn’t it.  

[Mtn2Sea]

Thanks for taking the time to do a review of your cruise.  Enjoying your photos,

[albingirl]

Will be following and wish to thank you for posting.  Travel did sound a bit disorganized but I hope your cruise is seamless and happy.  Most cities are facing an ongoing crises with homelessness and it is awful.  It seems no one knows the answer to this problem. Do have fun on your trip...your upsell is fabulous!!!

[horseymike]

Hope you have a great cruise 🛳️

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for sharing your cruise.  Looking forward to seeing more!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for sharing. 

[terrydtx]

Loving your review, we sail on the Koingsdam in November and it will be our first Pinnacle class ship. 

[Bostonjetset]

9 hours ago, canadianbear said:

Welcome to our world of Air Canada (and WestJet) where you pay pay pay!

 

Unfortunately near the cruise port you have to be careful as drugs & homeless abound.  
 

Love the old steam clock, glad you got to see and hear it.

Nice view from your hotel! 

Beautiful photos too of Stanley Park and some on the ship.  You scored a very nice upsell! 

Thanks for reading!  Yes I was shocked at Air Canada. I though US airlines were bad but at least they give you a cookie or a bag of chips lol. 
 

9 hours ago, vicd1969 said:

Canaletto not opening on the first night sounds a bit suspect. Maybe they needed a night to switch to the new menu? I ate at the Canaletto on the first night on board the Nieuw Amsterdam three weeks ago.

Funny you mention that because she said it was a recent change. Either way it was an ordeal and they didn’t tell me ahead of time so caused a hiccup. 

 

2 hours ago, Mtn2Sea said:

Thanks for taking the time to do a review of your cruise.  Enjoying your photos,

Thanks for reading!  I’m back at work today but will post some more this afternoon. 

[Bostonjetset]

3 hours ago, Mtn2Sea said:

Thanks for taking the time to do a review of your cruise.  Enjoying your photos,

 

1 hour ago, albingirl said:

Will be following and wish to thank you for posting.  Travel did sound a bit disorganized but I hope your cruise is seamless and happy.  Most cities are facing an ongoing crises with homelessness and it is awful.  It seems no one knows the answer to this problem. Do have fun on your trip...your upsell is fabulous!!!

 

1 hour ago, horseymike said:

Hope you have a great cruise 🛳️

 

1 hour ago, puppycanducruise said:

Thanks for sharing your cruise.  Looking forward to seeing more!

 

1 hour ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Thanks for sharing. 

Thank you all for reading. 

[Bostonjetset]

43 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Loving your review, we sail on the Koingsdam in November and it will be our first Pinnacle class ship. 

Enjoy Koningsdam!  I love the Pinnacle class. They are really pretty and the Grand Dutch Cafe is fabulous. 

[terrydtx]

12 minutes ago, Bostonjetset said:

Enjoy Koningsdam!  I love the Pinnacle class. They are really pretty and the Grand Dutch Cafe is fabulous. 

Thank you, we booked this cruise with Club Orange and we are looking forward to the CO restaurant. We also have an aft facing verandah cabin.

[SilvertoGold]

10 hours ago, Bostonjetset said:

Day 1: Boston to Vancouver [8/25/2023, 9.30pm]

 

An early start today as our flight was scheduled to depart at 7.45am.  We arrived at 6 and breezed through security so had time for breakfast in the beautiful Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge.  They had a delicious shakshouka that was made to order.  We boarded on time but then sat on the plane for almost 90 minutes before taking off!!  Luckily we had the preferred coach seats with extra legroom but it was still unpleasant to add 90 mixture to an already 6 hour flight.  Also, Air Canada has to be the cheapest "legacy" airline there is!!  They didn't even serve snacks like cookies or chips unless you paid for them.  All that was free were soft drinks, water, and coffee/tea.  ON A 6 HOUR FLIGHT!

 

Once we arrived in Vancouver we took a Lyft to our hotel, the Century Plaza.  I booked a studio but we ended up with a huge one-bedroom suite.  The decor was a bit dated but we had lots of space and a private balcony which had great views as we were on the 23rd floor.

 

We went for lunch as a restaurant called Joey that is just down the street from the hotel and then we walked over to the Gastown neighborhood to browse the ships and see the stream clock.  It's a really cute area but Chinatown was awful.  It was borderline scary with homeless people everywhere and some people even smoking crack on the street in broad daylight!

 

 

 

 

IMG_0516.MOV 7.93 MB · 2 downloads  

Wonderful! Shakshuka made to order! Wow!     Air C is not wow, I know all about that,  but much, much better for long haul, like Vancouver to New Zealand: more experienced, helpful cabin stewards, lots and lots of food, seating OK.

 

Great thread :) Love seeing photos of my town and the ship, along with your lovely writing style. 

Edited September 5, 2023 by SilvertoGold

[canadianbear]

@Bostonjetset  oh no. Back to work…I don’t miss those days!  I hope your Mom had a wonderful 70th birthday-great way to celebrate on a ship.

@SilvertoGold  I also love it when people cruise from Vancouver and post photos of our city.  

 

 

[WanderingTheWorld]

12 hours ago, Bostonjetset said:

Chinatown was awful.  It was borderline scary with homeless people everywhere and some people even smoking crack on the street in broad daylight!

About 6 years ago, I lived in Vancouver for a couple of years. It is a lovely city, but the homeless are concentrated in the area you mentioned. One Saturday morning, my husband and I decided to visit Chinatown and then walk to Gastown. We observed a similar scene on our journey.

 

If you ever revisit the city and wish to see the real Chinatown, take the Skytrain to the Richmond Night Market.

 

I am glad you were able to visit Stanley Park! Vancouver has so many beautiful green spaces and is very walkable. I miss it a lot!

[Bostonjetset]

32 minutes ago, WanderingTheWorld said:

About 6 years ago, I lived in Vancouver for a couple of years. It is a lovely city, but the homeless are concentrated in the area you mentioned. One Saturday morning, my husband and I decided to visit Chinatown and then walk to Gastown. We observed a similar scene on our journey.

 

If you ever revisit the city and wish to see the real Chinatown, take the Skytrain to the Richmond Night Market.

 

I am glad you were able to visit Stanley Park! Vancouver has so many beautiful green spaces and is very walkable. I miss it a lot!

Yes it’s truly a beautiful city. Outside of Chinatown it was great. 

[Bostonjetset]

Day 3: Sea Day [8/27/2023, 10.50pm]

 

Just back from dinner and some casino time.  Since it's mom's 70th birthday today, the dining room waiters sang the Indonesian birthday song and brought her a piece of cake.  We have open seating on this trip and they sat us at a wonderful window seat today.  We saw loads of whales outside from our table and other guests were coming over to have a look.  It was quite cool to see so many all at once.

 

The rest of the day was fairly calm.  I went for a swim and soak in the hot tub around 9.30am, before the area got crowded.  We also went to the ship's library and I borrowed an Agatha Christie book of Miss Marple short stories.  After tea was INSANELY busy!  By the time we got seated, they ran out of all the tea sandwiches and most of the pastries.  We ended up with 3 tiers of mini French macarons and one strawberry tart with nothing else.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 6, 2023 by Bostonjetset

[Bostonjetset]

Day 4: Juneau, Alaska [8/28/2023, 10.08pm]

 

We arrived in Juneau at 1pm so had the whole morning to relax.  We ate breakfast in the dining room with a delightful Australian couple and an older lady from Canada who was traveling solo.  The food was good but the service was terribly slow, as it has been throughout the trip so far.  They still seem to be rather understaffed.  

 

We had booked an excursion for an Alaskan salmon bake at 1.30pm which was quite good.  The salmon was truly delicious and so fresh tasting.  The baked beans with reindeer sausage were terrific as well.  The cornbread, coleslaw, and salt were mediocre but one really goes for the salmon anyway.  There is a short trail with a lovely waterfall behind the site which was a nice addition to the day.

 

Once back in downtown Juneau we just browsed some of the shops.  A lot of tourist tat and cruise port jewelry stores that didn't interest us but I did get a Christmas ornament and some postcards to send to friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bostonjetset]

Day 5: Skagway, Alaska & Carcross, Yukon Territory [8/29/2023, 11.21pm]

 

Today was a long but wonderful day exploring Skagway and the Yukon.  Our tour started on a bus up to Carcross in the Yukon Territory of Canada.  There was plenty of lovely scenery along the way and several photo stops were made.  Once at the Caribou Crossing luncheon facility we got a plate of BBQ chicken, coleslaw, and half of a grilled/roasted potato.  Dessert was a homemade doughnut [or three].  All were pretty mediocre but it did the trick of keeping us from being hungry.  We then spent about 30 minutes exploring the "downtown" of Carcross before heading down to Fraser, BC to board the White Pass & Yukon Railroad back to Skagway.  The train trip was AMAZING!!  The views and the sudden drop-offs right next to the track were surreal.  So far, Skagway takes the cake for best Alaskan cruise port that I've been to.  The small town of Skagway itself is also quite charming; we spent about an hour exploring after the excursion.  Honestly, U'd be happy with an itinerary that included both Sitka and Skagway in lieu of Juneau.  

 

Once back on board, mom went to round 2 of the slot tournament she qualified for.  She then made it to the final and ended in fourth place so won $1,000 in cash.  That was exciting since her entry to the tournament was free.  Tomorrow is Glacier Bay National Park; a highlight on any Alaskan cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bostonjetset]

Day 5 Continued: Photos and Video of the Train Ride.