Vancouver to Whittier May 2024

[kelliebiz]

I’m about to start my second solo cruise with Holland America, departing from Vancouver BC and then ending at Denali National Park for just two days. Got a great deal and just couldn’t pass it up, so here we go. I got off to a rough start today after taking a cab to my hotel, then discovering that I left my cardholder with drivers license and a couple other cards on his back seat! I didn’t notice till the hotel clerk asked me for my ID and there was nothing in my pocket yikes. Thankfully I had my passport so I could still check in, and I had one credit card plus some cash, so I could still pay.  The clerk told me I could call the company since I had the receipt, but then she saw that I was getting a bit frantic looking for my cards so she went ahead and called them for me. I didn’t ask her to but it was kindness for sure since I was started to get a bit frazzled.
 

The driver brought my cards by about two hours later thank goodness. Here’s hoping this is my only hiccup on this journey! After I got that all buttoned up I had some fish tacos and a pint and all was right with the world. Lesson learned: take an extra minute to check your pockets to make sure you have everything before you exit a taxi, bus, shuttle, train, canoe, whatever. And make sure you know the name of the transport service you’re using so you can call them if need be! I myself don’t always notice, what shuttle bus am I on if I need to look for it later. 

[kelliebiz]

Wow, today may have been the fastest boarding I’ve ever experienced! My taxi dropped me off at 10:40am and I was eating lunch in the Lido buffet by 11:25! Very fast. 
 

My first solo cruise was 15 nights and this one is only 7 plus 4 days ashore. First one let me see what to expect and so this one will be more relaxing. 
 

I promise to post pictures that are not food in the days to come 😄

[kelliebiz]

Here’s what an inside cabin on Nieuw Amsterdam looks like. It’s a touch smaller than the cabin I had on Volendam. The room seems about 4 feet shorter than my last cabin so there’s fewer closets and the desk is in a different spot since there’s 4 less feet on the other wall. I think this would feel too small if I was sharing the cabin. This room does have more electric outlets and some USB charge ports, plus a refrigerator. But this shower has a curtain instead of glass door 👎🏼 

[kelliebiz]

Here’s some scenes from Vancouver as we pulled away from the dock

[kelliebiz]

Today I attended the “Solo Lunch” listed in the daily activity planner. This is only my second solo cruise and the solo lunch was not what I expected. They simply took six of us that arrived around the same time and seated us together. That’s it! I thought it would be an organized thing, maybe a coordinator would say a few words to a crowd of solos, perhaps there’d be a solo section in the dining room. Nope! It was lovely to meet and chat with some others but having never attended before I thought HAL would be involved somehow. Now I know. 
 

Funny when I presented myself to check in for lunch the woman just flatly told me no others had arrived yet like that was it. But I wasn’t to be put aside so I said well can you seat me at a smaller table and add others as they arrive? Just then another woman walked in and they seated us at a table for six. As we chatted others did join us and we all had a pleasant time. Until one woman kind of instigated a semi political argument about the treatment of indigenous peoples in another’s country. Both women had firm beliefs and neither would yield. One felt defensive because her whole country had been insulted. Thankfully the waiter came by for something else and that broke the tension. Both parties agreed to drop it and the argument ended. Not sure why woman A from country A though it was a good idea to tell all this to woman B from country B, a perfect stranger. The rest of us were relieved when it ended. 
 

So probably a good idea to steer away from polarizing topics the first time you talk to someone! I imagine these two won’t be friends 😳

[kelliebiz]

Tonight at dinner I went to the Main dining Room alone and requested to share a table, and I specified not the big giant table please because dinner takes so long. They said no table to share available at the moment but they gave me my own table for two 😄 OK. 

 

And it was nice, the meal went quickly, and the folks at the next table started a conversation with me, so I did not end up sitting alone after all. Ended in time to head over for the music trivia in the Billboard Onboard lounge. 
 

Today we were in Ketchikan where there was light rain in the morning but the sun came out later. Beautiful day to be out! I’m a birder so I had my binoculars pointed at the sky most of the time. 

[kelliebiz]

Put your card holder in a fanny pack or a hanging thing from now on. I am notoriously absent minded and leave things everywhere! I won't embarrass myself by telling stories of things I've left behind! @sambamama

 

I moved your comment here, as I inadvertently have two copies of the same topic on the boards. 
 

Good idea! I’m embarrassed to say that today, going to Totem Bight state historical site I realized while on the bus that I’d left me photo ID, all credit cards, all cash in my stateroom safe. For goodness sakes! I got used to being cashless for a few days there and didn’t think to grab it. I had room key card, binoculars, camera, phone, but no ID and no money. certainly kept me from overspending in the gift shop 😄 

No harm done, when the bus brought us back to town I skipped up to my room to get it and went back to town. Ended fine, just extra steps on my Fitbit. 

[Jaynay]

Enjoying your review on traveling solo on Holland in Alaska!

[kelliebiz]

Gosh I haven’t posted in a while. I got home from my trip last night, which included four very rushed nights on land after disembarking the ship. So this was only my second solo cruise and it felt very different than my first. And the differences were due to my own behavior, not outside forces. 
 

My first solo was 15 nights aboard, and I had concern in advance for feeling lonely and isolated. So, I went out of my way to be talkative, make friends, meet people for meals and activities, etc. And I never felt lonely or isolated; in fact I felt like I was socializing so much that I was missing my chill alone time. This cruise was only 7 nights and I knew I’d have plenty of folks to chat with if I wanted, but this time I kept to myself more. Sure I ate dinner with people, met a group of people most nights for team trivia, but I didn’t put myself out there as much. And in ports I did my own thing, never got friendly with any shipmates in town. Same when we disembarked and headed to Anchorage/Denali/Fairbanks. 
 

So it’s hard to say which experience was better. They were just different. So all that is to say if you are concerned about cruising solo it may be that the cruise will end up being exactly what you make if it. You will be in control of what kind of cruise you have. I do think the more social cruise was more “fun” because there was always someone to chat and joke with. But, I really really enjoy just doing what I want without consulting with an excursion buddy, what do you want to do now? I really enjoy going outside with my binoculars with no limit on how far I’ll walk or how long I’ll be gone. That is the absolute best part of solo cruising for me. I went hiking alone in Denali and I didn’t have to make sure someone was keeping up with me or was scared because of bears or whatever. I never once saw a bear in Alaska but I did see moose. Here’s a short video of one I spotted on my solo hike at Horseshoe Lake in Denali. It was blocking the trail I needed so I had to wait about 20 minutes for it to move. 
 

I do know that I very much preferred the longer cruise. 7 nights is just not enough. As soon as you get acclimated it’s time to get off 😕 

[JimDee363636]

@kelliebiz

As I was reading your thoughts about not having to consult with other people before shore excursions, etc., I was reminded of something Thoreau said: "When you travel alone, you go when you're ready. When you travel with someone else, you go when he's ready."

 

I don't always travel solo, but when I do I find it a relief not to have to deal with all the little negotiations you have to go through when you're with a companion. 

 

Jim

[kelliebiz]

@JimDee363636 yes it is very much a relief to not have all of those little negotiations. I’ve only gone solo the two times and I enjoyed both very much, mostly because of the fact that there are zero negotiations. I also enjoyed not having to share the cabin space and closet space with anyone. And I would not hesitate to go solo again. I think I do enjoy cruising more when I can share all the experiences with my partner, but the solo experience is absolutely wonderful, and if the circumstances present themselves again, I would definitely go solo again. 

[kelliebiz]

The only thing I did not enjoy about this cruise journey had nothing to do with being solo. The land portion was far too rushed for me, and I would not do that quick of an itinerary again. After debarking the ship, we spent one night in Anchorage, one night in Denali, one night in Fairbanks. I did stay one more night in Fairbanks independently of the cruise tour but I had to change hotels. These single nights in each location meant that each day I had to pack up my suitcase, keep what I needed for the night in my carry on, get the suitcase outside early for the porters, get up early to eat and get on the next bus or train, and then have a 4-8 hour long travel day on the bus or train. There was less than a 24 hours at each destination by the time we got off the bus or train. 
 

I booked the itinerary because of the great deal I got. Even when I was considering the trip I was thinking to myself, one day in Denali is not enough. And it wasn’t! Too rushed after a 7 hour train ride just to get there. So if you’re considering adding Denali to your Alaska cruise, try to go for at least two nights in Denali.