Review: Nieuw Amsterdam Sept 3 - Sept 10 (with D2l land tour)

[MrBill923]

This was our 10th cruise, first on HAL and first to Alaska. We are active 60+ "young adults". We traveled with my brother and his wife. Thier first time on HAL and in Alaska. Trip started at Anchorage airport with bus to Westmark Hotel for a night. Would not stay there again. Think Motel 6. HAL should be ashamed to put customers up there. Next day took a bus to McKinley Resort Chalet at Denali. That ride was well narrated by driver with lots of scenery. McKinley Resort was large and spread out. Rooms were OK. Our heat didn't work correctly but we made do. Two restaurants on property with several across street along with other shops. Down the street was Princess Cruise property with many restaurants and shops. Everything is extremely expensive up there in the middle of nowhere. 

Took bus excursion up thru national park. Again, well narrated with amazing views. Also saw: Moose, Caribou, black and grizzly bears, eagles. Did see Dall Sheep way up on mountain side (as white dots). Next day took free shuttle from resort to Park. There we walked around Nature center and then grabbed shuttle to go see dogs and dog sled presentation. Next day took train to Whittier with a few hundred other guests. It was a 10-hour trip. There were several guides talking almost the whole way there. Breakfast and lunch were served in the train cars. Drinks were also served. All of this was at our own expense. A few drinks were $25 and lunch for two was $45. When we arrived at Whittier train station. We waited and then walked across parking lot into port terminal. It took almost an hour to board. Got on ship about 5:30. Forgot to mention -- Weather: first 5 days were 4 days of scattered rain and 50 degrees. One day was sunny and 52 degrees. 

Most employees we encountered were friendly and knowledgeable. Most were 20-30 years old, and this was there summer "gig". Many were headed home or to other jobs in other states in the next two weeks. We tipped them well. 

I will continue my review of the ship later. 

[albingirl]

15 minutes ago, MrBill923 said:

This was our 10th cruise, first on HAL and first to Alaska. We are active 60+ "young adults". We traveled with my brother and his wife. Thier first time on HAL and in Alaska. Trip started at Anchorage airport with bus to Westmark Hotel for a night. Would not stay there again. Think Motel 6. HAL should be ashamed to put customers up there. Next day took a bus to McKinley Resort Chalet at Denali. That ride was well narrated by driver with lots of scenery. McKinley Resort was large and spread out. Rooms were OK. Our heat didn't work correctly but we made do. Two restaurants on property with several across street along with other shops. Down the street was Princess Cruise property with many restaurants and shops. Everything is extremely expensive up there in the middle of nowhere. 

Took bus excursion up thru national park. Again, well narrated with amazing views. Also saw: Moose, Caribou, black and grizzly bears, eagles. Did see Dall Sheep way up on mountain side (as white dots). Next day took free shuttle from resort to Park. There we walked around Nature center and then grabbed shuttle to go see dogs and dog sled presentation. Next day took train to Whittier with a few hundred other guests. It was a 10-hour trip. There were several guides talking almost the whole way there. Breakfast and lunch were served in the train cars. Drinks were also served. All of this was at our own expense. A few drinks were $25 and lunch for two was $45. When we arrived at Whittier train station. We waited and then walked across parking lot into port terminal. It took almost an hour to board. Got on ship about 5:30. Forgot to mention -- Weather: first 5 days were 4 days of scattered rain and 50 degrees. One day was sunny and 52 degrees. 

Most employees we encountered were friendly and knowledgeable. Most were 20-30 years old, and this was there summer "gig". Many were headed home or to other jobs in other states in the next two weeks. We tipped them well. 

I will continue my review of the ship later. 

10 hour trip and guides talking most the way there. What a nightmare. See, I  like to doze on buses and this would seriously irritate me. It's possible that I  have very little patience. Sad.

[MrBill923]

Forgot to mention the most annoying part of the land tour. The early morning before each stage of moving from one point to the next - we had to have our luggage outside our door by midnight or 5am. The morning to get on the Whittier train, we had to have it out there at 5am, but when we departed our room at 7am it was still sitting there. They use a truck (6 hours) to transfer all luggage to Whittier while we take a 10-hour train ride. 

[oakridger]

Thank you for sharing your review with us and thanks for changing the font to black!  (The blue is more difficult to read)

 

I decided after reading many reviews from the land portion for Alaska that I will go on my own when I get back up there.  The early morning calls and regimentation of the tour are not for me, but I realize that many people prefer not to have to deal with the logistics and they really enjoy it.  It's good to see reviews such as yours so anyone contemplating these tours can ask themselves if it fits their travel style.

 

~Nancy

[MrBill923]

Something else we noticed is that some of the info we were given at the different locations was different than what we had been given pre-cruise. Some info actually had two different times on the front and back of the info. We were also given info about luggage tags for each part of the trips. Some of this info was not clear either. Like departure times or location. Another example was that sail away was supposed to be at 8pm, but we departed at 7pm. 

Don't get me wrong, it was nice to get additional info for the different legs of the land trip, but it would have been better to be not conflicting. 

[AKJonesy]

@MrBill923 You are absolutely right about The Westmark.  Oh, there is so much more I could say about that place but I'd probably get my post taken down, so I'll leave it at that.  When people come here, I tell them to dumb down their expectations when it comes to hotel accommodations.  Like you said...think Motel 6.  On top of it, the unpleasant virus has made everything worse and prices sky high.  

@oakridger I agree with your comment about doing land portion on your own.  You can control the schedule, price and more.  If you need help, a few of us on here are also on trip advisor forums for Alaska where you can go to find and ask anything about your land based trip.  

[POA1]

Thanks for the review!

[MrBill923]

Sorry for delay, Covid has slowed me down. I will keep this brief, I think.

 

SHIP: Always seemed clean and mostly good shape. There were a few places that needed attention. Nothing to stop us from enjoying. Afterall we are there for the scenery. We did think some of the signage around the ship was lacking info or just not noticeable. 

WEATHER: During the 10 days we were in Alaska, we had 2 days of sunshine, most days were raining and or cloudy. Temps were 40-50 degrees. 

CREW: Most all friendly. Some ship crew did not make eye contact when walking past them, including officers. Just figured they are over worked not rude. Customer Service was very helpful with two different strange problems with App and internet connections. Michelle Maria was very good. 

FOOD: We ate in buffet for breakfast and lunch. Good food variety and friendly smiling servers. We did find it troubling that individual food items were not marked. There was just one sign over the entire counter with what was in that area. The signs were hard to read. We did like that they served the food. Finding a table was difficult at times. They were slow to clear tables, and at times there were people just sitting around not eating, looking at phones or chatting and not willing to go somewhere else as their fellow cruisers were circling looking for table. We did try and like the NY Pizza and Dive-in burgers. We did not like the Coffee Cafe all the way on top deck. Not worth the time to go all the way up there.

MDR: We had open dining time. We prefer set late dining, but we gave this a try. We were able to get the same server team and table after the second night around 7:30. Zae and Fauzi were outstanding. They were friendly and knowledgeable. Food was good and served in timely manner. Serving sizes were fine, but a few more options would have been nice. There was no sommelier. We did not eat in MDR for breakfast or lunch. 

BAR/DRINKS: I commented in another thread about the service. Basically, the drinks were good, but service was slow in many different locations. There were waiters taking drink orders, but many times just one bartender. It took 15 minutes to get a drink sometimes, and they weren't that busy. Drinks were made differently and in different glasses at times. Wine selection by the glass was small, and came in different size glasses for the exact same wine. 

CABIN: We had verandah cabin on deck 7, starboard. It was clean and neat. Our attendants were Ishlah and Jeny. They were friendly and always smiling. Ishlah told us on the first day they only provided once per day service. We had no problem with that, and if we saw them in the hallway they always asked if we needed anything. As others have mentioned the entry hallway past the closets is tight and dark. We are average size adults. There is a motion nightlight under the closet doors and also one in the bathroom. Both are a nice convenience. We did have trouble controlling the temp in the cabin but made do. We also notice a slight sewer smell at times but could not figure it out. It was not enough to chase us out. 

FITNESS center: Typical equipment. Some items needed to be replaced as they looked old and wore out. 

ENERTAINMENT: BBkings band was great. Problem is the venue is too small. One night there was a great comedian in there. What a mistake. That same time/night Holland played a movie in the World Stage. What a waste of space, there were more people trying to see and hear comedian then there were watching movie. He was at World Stage another night with several hundred watching and was hilarious. The two acts that were in the World Stage were a dance group and a singing group. Nothing close to a production show with a live band playing music. The ship was a graveyard after 10pm. 

SCENERY: It's Alaska, you get what you paid for. Plenty of natural beauty. Some wildlife. 

PORTS: Three ports, all as advertised. Plenty of jewelry stores and gift shops. Excursions were completed without problems. Keep in mind that everything is very expensive in Alaska. 

DISEMBARKATION: We were not in a hurry to get off as we were staying a night in Vancouver at the St. Regis Hotel. Left ship at 9:15, quickly found bags and had brief visit with Customs agent. Then out and into a line of a few hundred people waiting for taxi. That was 45 mins, but under control. We waited in and open garage area. Taxi rates are per zone. 

 

I guess that is everything. Probably forgot something. I will be glad to answer questions. I have lots of pictures, will try to load a few later. 

 

Hope the above info is helpful to a few cruisers.   

[PHXscuba]

44 minutes ago, MrBill923 said:

 

"ENERTAINMENT: BBkings band was great. Problem is the venue is too small. One night there was a great comedian in there. What a mistake. That same time/night Holland played a movie in the World Stage. What a waste of space, there were more people trying to see and hear comedian then there were watching movie. He was at World Stage another night with several hundred watching and was hilarious. The two acts that were in the World Stage were a dance group and a singing group. Nothing close to a production show with a live band playing music. The ship was a graveyard after 10pm. "

 

Agree with you about the comedian/movie mismatch of venues. Especially since most of the people already in BBKIng's for trivia (?) stayed so very few seats opened up for the comedian. (Plus the movie showing was a bad match for the cruise/demographic IMO)

 

PHXscuba

 

[QuattroRomeo]

Thanks for the review! Which excursions did you do? Were they enjoyable?

Hope you feel better soon!  😷

[MrBill923]

Thanks. In Skagway we did White Pass Summit scenic railroad. It was good and as described. Three hours in an old train car with an oil burner for heat. Saw lots of sights and one black bear. In Juneau we did Mendenhall Glacier and Gardens. It was good and very well narrated. Plenty of time to get out of bus and walk around. Just be aware that at the Gardens you ride in an open 12 passenger shuttle (large golf cart) and the roads are narrow. If you have fear of height, etc --- this might not be for you.  I'll check if I have any photos of that cart. In Ketchikan we just walked the city and took in the history, and saw salmon and otters. 

[MrBill923]

Here are a few pics from WP Scenic Train, Mendenhall Glacier, Glacier Gardens.

Sorry I did not have a pic of the shuttle/cart that went up thru the gardens.