First HAL cruise to Alaska Koningsdam September 2-9 Thoughts and Comments

[MonikaJ42]

Hi All

We are back from our fist HAL cruise and wanted to provide our thoughts and comments. 

 

Embarkation: From Vancouver.  We were all worried as we heard such horror stories but to our surprise it was really quick and smooth.  We had Club Orange so the priority embarkation I'm sure helped matters as we arrived to the port at 11:30am and stepped foot on the ship at 11:49am.  There was only 2 ships in port, the Koningsdam and the Majestic Princess.  

 

Cabin: Vista Suite 5127.  Great location and layout.  It was the perfect size for the 3 of us.  The pull out couch was overall comfortable.  Minor comment was the on and off vibration that you could clearly feel but it was not overly bothersome.  Our stateroom attendant was absolutely wonderful, always smiling and knew our names by day 1.  We would definitely book this room again.

 

Ship: The Koningsdam is a beautiful ship, the perfect size, not too big or small.  She's 7 years old but in great shape. All the public areas/restaurants are clean and well taken care off.  Casino is on the smaller size but we still had fun gambling.  There was always something happening for entertainment purposes.

 

Ports of Call: Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan: This was my 2nd cruise to Alaska (1st on the Disney Wonder) and my parents first.  . Juneau, we did the salmon bake which was ok (not sure we would do that one again) For Skagway, just be aware, it is a tad of a walk to town from where the ship is docked.  So if you have mobility issues and planning to walk to town, give yourself some time.  We rented a car when we got to town and drove up to Emerald Lake, the drive is absolutely beautiful and scenic and I highly recommend it as you can stop anywhere you want and I think you see more than taking the train. Glacier Bay was just WOW.  Pictures do not really do it justice.  Ketchikan was the only port where we had rain but the rain stopped by the afternoon. Of all the towns, my parents enjoyed Ketchikan the most.  Creek street and the lumberjack show are a must do.

 

Food/Drinks: The food was good and plentiful.  Drinks were well made and served quickly.  We had breakfast/dinner in the Club Orange dining room.  Service was quick and you were made to feel very welcome.  We ate at the Pinnacle Grill on day 2 as our included specialty restaurant in the have it all package.  We liked our dinner but all agree that we probably would not have paid the surcharge to eat here otherwise.  The highlight for us was Tamarind.  We paid the $35 surcharge and was blown away by the service and food.  Everything was delicious and just a great experience that we highly recommend.

 

Disembarkation: As we had Club Orange, we had the option of 8-9:30am disembarkation time (Group Black 1).  We had our final breakfast in the Club Orange dining room and was off the ship by 8:30am.  Breezed thru Canadian customs and in the car driving home by 9am.

 

Final Thoughts:  A wonderful cruise and just a great experience. Definitely would book with HAL again.  I'm thinking soon as due to our play in the casino, we received free cruise offers!  Bring on the next one!

 

Thanks for reading, here are some pictures.

 

[Roz]

Nice concise review.  Glad you were impressed with HAL. 

[zonk42]

Thanks for your review. We’ll be on the same ship and itinerary next May. Where were the pictures with all the sand taken?

[oakridger]

Very nice pictures and review!  If I go back to Skagway, I plan on doing the same as you and renting a car and driving up.  The train is really enjoyable too, but I have been on it three times so a change of scenery will be good next time.

 

Thank you for taking the time to give us your review.

 

~Nancy

[Dancing Shoes]

Nice pictures.  The sand is at the Carcross Desert.  

[MonikaJ42]

1 hour ago, zonk42 said:

Thanks for your review. We’ll be on the same ship and itinerary next May. Where were the pictures with all the sand taken?

Carcross Desert along the drive from Skagway to Emerald Lake 😀

[MonikaJ42]

1 hour ago, oakridger said:

Very nice pictures and review!  If I go back to Skagway, I plan on doing the same as you and renting a car and driving up.  The train is really enjoyable too, but I have been on it three times so a change of scenery will be good next time.

 

Thank you for taking the time to give us your review.

 

~Nancy

Thank you, yes the drive is quite nice and so scenic.  It’s so worth it 😀

[Haljo1935]

Beautiful pictures; thanks for sharing. Happy to hear your impressions of HAL were positive and that you'll be back.😎

We really like the K'dam as we quite enjoy Grand Dutch Cafe.

AK is awesome!!

Edited September 11, 2023 by Haljo1935
Typo

[MonikaJ42]

6 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

Beautiful pictures; thanks for sharing. Happy to hear your impressions of HAL were positive and that you'll be back.😎

We really like the K'dam as we quite enjoy Grand Dutch Cafe.

AK is awesome!!

Thank you! Yes she is a beautiful ship, we had a wonderful time 😀

[horseymike]

Thanks for taking your time to share your experience . Glad you enjoyed your cruise 🛳️

[MonikaJ42]

10 hours ago, horseymike said:

Thanks for taking your time to share your experience . Glad you enjoyed your cruise 🛳️

Thank you! We had a wonderful time 😃

[KaylaJ13]

Sounds so fun! We will be going next year! I have to ask, what was the dress like for dinners and such? Formal nights that need dresses for women and ties for men? Thanks!

[MonikaJ42]

11 hours ago, KaylaJ13 said:

Sounds so fun! We will be going next year! I have to ask, what was the dress like for dinners and such? Formal nights that need dresses for women and ties for men? Thanks!

It was, you will have a great time.  Day 2 and Day 5 are dressy nights as they call it with photo stations all across the ship.  I have seen people dress to the nines while others were just in jeans and even shorts so really its up to the person 🙂

[KaylaJ13]

Ok! That helps so much thank you! This will be our first time cruising Holland so we weren't sure what to pack to wear hahaha to wear off the ship, was it pretty chilly and shorts aren't needed?

[Btimmer]

We've done Alaska cruises a number of times.  In Skagway, we found a really cool thing to do is to go up to the Musher Camp (booked independently) and take a ride behind a dog sled team.  The camp has the dogs there in the summer to pull tourists around in order to keep them in shape for their normal winter activity.  It's a real Alaska adventure type excursion.  One must be mobile and able to walk up stairs into the Unimog transport vehicle.  Our grandkids totally loved this excursion.

[BackNow]

We were also on the same ship at the same time.  We really lucked out on the weather.