Zaandam to Alaska, August 18-25, 2006

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Hello all:

 

Just got back this morning from our first family cruise ever. :) Luckily, we only live a 15-minute drive away from HAL's Terminal 30 facility in Seattle. We're in the post-cruise process of unpacking and re-acclimating to life lived at our usual pace. I still feel like I'm on the ship as I sit here at my computer terminal to write this.

 

I tell you, cruising is exhausting! :p There aren't enough hours in the day to do all the activities that are available! I was disoriented the first few days, until I could figure out how to pace myself and find my way around the ship. My husband is glad he has the weekend ahead so he can catch up on some sleep! It wasn't the night life that did us in, but the early morning excursions in our ports of call! Getting up at 6 am on vacation!Yikes!:eek: We did some great excursions, and I will describe them later.

 

We're all feeling a little weary right now (in a good way), so I'll keep this first posting short. Mostly I want to give credit where credit is due.

 

Zaandam, August 18-25, 2006

 

Captain Werner Timmers

Hotel Manager Cees Tesselaar

Cruise Director Carey Bolton

 

Our cabins: S7022 and S7026, portside and right across from the Neptune Lounge. Lovely!:)

 

Our fine and friendly cabin steward: Deni, who saw to it that we never lacked for anything we needed. A maestro of the towel animal creations. Our youngest daughter ran to give Deni a big hug everytime she saw him.

 

Our Neptune Lounge concierge extraordinaire: Alma Arnejo. She is lovely, gracious, efficient, kind, patient, good-humored, helpful, and very professional.

 

Our table: 106 on the lower floor of the Rotterdam, a rectangular table for six by the window. Good table.:)

 

Our wonderful dining room stewards: Punto and Didith, lively, fun, and very talented at making paper bunnies and mice out of napkins. Also good at toothpick table tricks. Punto will be going home to Indonesia for a month in September so he can be with his wife when their first child, a daughter, is born.

 

Our superb Head Dining Steward: Asep Saepulsah, who personally made sure that my older daughter, who has numerous food sensitivities, was accommodated each dinner in the Rotterdam dining room. This kind gentleman is very professional and capable, and being a father himself, knew exactly how to address and captivate our youngest daughter.

 

The Club HAL staff : Thank you to Triana, the Club HAL director, and to Nicole and Tricia, who worked with the 3-7 age group, the one my daughter attended. Thank you, ladies, for your patience, kindness, cheerfulness, conscientious concern for the children in your care, and indefatigable energy. How do you do it?

 

I'm going to stop here for tonight, and continue this tomorrow morning. I will conclude by saying that Zaandam is a tightly run ship, with a crew that works well together. I have observed this past week that life on a cruise ship is heavily choreographed and organized. It has to be.

 

Any questions, run them by me, and I'll see what I can do!

 

ps Just want to add that I thoroughly enjoyed meeting two CC'ers and their familes from our roll call, Eastonce and Snorkelmom. It made the cruise all the nicer, to be able to spend some time with two such friendly ladies, and to encounter their smiling faces throughout the ship.

[Copper10-8]

Hey Mam; welcome home, thanks for the review and great to hear you had an outstanding time on Zaandam:) ! Didn't even know you guys were on a cruise! Looking forward to hearing some more of you family's adventures in the great white north!

[SeaGypsy1]

Welcome home!

 

Sounds like you had fun. So far so good, well written review, looking for more. Your good.:)

[RuthC]

Welcome home, M-a M! It's hard to get back to real life---but not impossible. You'll see.

Loved reading about the great staff/crew, and am looking forward to reading the rest of your report when you get around to it.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

OK, well maybe I'll write a little more; it helps me to relive the cruise.:)

 

I've got a nice glass of wine here at my elbow to go along with the swinging "motion of the ocean" I'm still experiencing. Makes me feel like I'm at the Piano Bar, listening to Romeo, who, btw, actually finished his contract with this voyage, and is returning to the Phillippines.

 

Things we enjoyed about the cruise:

 

My mom really enjoyed being away from my father for a few days.:D They've been married almost 50 years, and she loved not having to worry about what he wanted to do, and whether or not was he comfortable. She just had a lovely, lovely time. We hung out together in the Thermal Suite over at the Greenhouse Spa, and felt really decadent.:)

 

My husband liked being able to pop across the hall to the Neptune Lounge, which is a wireless hot spot, and check his email. He and my oldest daughter participated in several of the onboard games/competitions organized by the cruise activities staff. They won more than 50 "dam dollars" that they could use to redeem for HAL "stuff" at the end of the cruise. The two of them really had fun creating their floating masterpiece for the shipbuilding competition. They had to build a craft that would float successfully in one of the hot tubs on the Lido while carrying a cargo of 12 coke cans.

 

My husband, oldest daughter, and I participated in the Culinary Class conducted by Marcus Jenni, the Executive Chef onboard Zaandam. That was fun! There were twelve in the class, and we split into four groups of three each. One group prepared "lemon fresh herb coolers", another group made "shrimp, jicama, and mango salad", a third did "ginger-sesame chicken with bok choy and mushrooms". and the final group concocted the dessert, "Pistachio pavlovas with oranges and blood orange sorbet." Then we got to enjoy our combined efforts. The culinary center is located in the Wajang theater, and as we were feasting, a steady stream of passengers was coming in to view that afternoon's movie, which was scheduled to start right after the cooking class. We were displayed like actors on a stage in front view of all of them. They seemed to enjoy watching us eat.:o

 

We all loved sitting in the Explorer's Lounge in the evening, listening to Elegance Strings, a chamber trio comprised of three talented young ladies from the Ukraine. We would sit at a nearby table and play cards while listening to the lovely classical music, or watching our graceful hostess Jean create magic of her own as she prepared lovely glasses of flaming Spanish coffee.

 

Tomorrow, I'll talk about Alaska and our excursions. We were fortunate enough to be able to go dog-sledding on Mendenhall glacier. It was the first time in two weeks that the weather had cooperated enough to enable this excursion to take place. Apparently, the glacier was fogged in for two weeks! We also did an independent excursion in Sitka, by boat, which my daughters would have enjoyed more if they hadn't felt rather seasick part of the time. We did see a tremendous amount of wildlife, however. Our final expedition was a trek to watch a couple of black bear hunt for salmon at Traitor's Cove near Ketchikan.

 

Even though I could just go on and on, I'd better stop before I bore everybody to death. :o

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Wow, sounds like you had a wonderful time, I am so glad:) Alaska is really a beautiful place to cruise, before we ever cruised there I was sure I would hate it till we tried it. I cannot wait till next year when we return.

Sounds like the Zaandam was great as well, which is good because she will be our home for 10 days over Thanksgiving:D

Thanks again for reporting in, I know how hard it is when you first get home. Also that feeling that you are still on the ship you may feel for a few days. The only cure is to go on frequent cruises we now no longer get that sensation when we return home.

[Tinknock50]

Sounds like you had a great cruise.....and no you aren't boring me!

 

Glad there is a great string group in the Explorers. That is one of the special things I enjoy on a cruise.

 

I have a feeling on your next cruise you will be doing more relaxation.:)

[RuthC]

Boring me to death? Don't talk foolish! I'm lovin' it. :D I want to hear everything you have to say about Alaska and about the Zaandam.

[Ferry Watcher]

Welcome Back M-a M,

 

I would love to hear your thoughts about the Zaandam Children's program. Also, any thoughts that your teenage daughter might have about her experiences. Did she do the teen program? Are there any 'must do' family type excursions that you recommend?

 

I am thinking about booking a cruise next summer on the Zaandam with DH and kids (7, 16) and your thoughts will be helpful.

 

Thanks,

Ferry Watcher (Mary)

[TudorSue]

M-a-m,

DH and I are taking our first-ever cruise on Sept 8th Zaandam sailing so I am eager to learn practical tips about clothing (especially outerwear), the ship, and shore excursions. We're booked for the 7:45 PM dinner seating. Since we're coming from the east coast. I'm hoping the 3-hour time zone difference will be an asset with early morning rising! We'll be in Seattle two nights prior.

 

We have booked Capt Larry whalewatching in Juneau and Island Wings flightseeing in Ketchikan. I haven't made any other shore arrangements so far.

 

I am looking forward to your next installment, and would love to hear suggestions and any things that - in your opinion- you would not bother with. BTW, is the wireless internet free or is there a charge? Any tips about disembarking for shore excursions, especially if you're doing a private tour? Thanks.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome home.

 

Great review.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

I'm glad I'm not boring you, so I will just continue on......

 

I'm attaching a link to the photos we took on our cruise. They are a little bit mixed up, but basically, here was our itinerary:

 

Juneau, where we went up to Mendenhall Glacier via helicopter, and did the dog-sledding excursion.

 

Glacier Bay, where we had our wettest and foggiest weather

 

Sitka, where we spent several hours with Captain Davey Lubin of the Esther G Sea Taxi viewing wildlife

 

Ketchikan, where we took a floatplane to Traitor's Cove to see black bear

 

Victoria, where we didn't get off the boat because much as we love Victoria, we've been there before. We had our best weather of the cruise in Victoria.

 

http://nwsheppards.shutterfly.com

 

Everyone's favorite excursion by far, was the dog-sled trip on Mendenhall Glacier outside of Juneau. As far as our girls are concerned, it was the absolute highlight of the trip.:)

[Tinknock50]

M-a-m,

DH and I are taking our first-ever cruise on Sept 8th Zaandam sailing so I am eager to learn practical tips about clothing (especially outerwear), the ship, and shore excursions. We're booked for the 7:45 PM dinner seating. Since we're coming from the east coast. I'm hoping the 3-hour time zone difference will be an asset with early morning rising! We'll be in Seattle two nights prior.

 

We have booked Capt Larry whalewatching in Juneau and Island Wings flightseeing in Ketchikan. I haven't made any other shore arrangements so far.

 

I am looking forward to your next installment, and would love to hear suggestions and any things that - in your opinion- you would not bother with. BTW, is the wireless internet free or is there a charge? Any tips about disembarking for shore excursions, especially if you're doing a private tour? Thanks.

 

Hi Tudorsue,

 

See you in a couple of weeks when we board the Zaandam!:)

 

If I recall generally ship tours are taken ashore first. Then everyone else can go ashore. If your tour time is close to the early tender times I would explain to whoever is in charge and they will help you get on an early one.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Thanks for the kind comments and interest. I will try to answer your questions.

 

My teen daughter did not do the Club HAL teen program. She is 17, and preferred to do activities with us (her sister, parents, and grandmother.) Believe it or not! My youngest daughter did some of the Club HAL programs, but also spent more time with us. We had three days of shore excursions, so that was one reason our 7-year-old didn't spend as much time in Club HAL. When she was there, she had a good time. I was impressed by the caliber of the young women working there. They are all from Canada or the U.S.

 

There were 140 youngsters on our cruise, and there were 5 Club HAL counsellors on staff. Not all the children onboard participated in Club HAL. The program is very organized, well-structured, and there is a diversity of activities. The children who did use Club HAL a lot were obviously having a good time.

 

There was never a crowd in the Club HAL area, which is not very large. If all the kids onboard had participated in Club HAL, it would have been quite crowded in there. But many children were travelling in family groups, and tended to stay with their families. There were a lot of children who used the Lido swimming pool. Many of the teen boys used the sports courts to play volleyball or basketball, although it could get quite windy up there. I did notice a couple of bored teen boys hanging out together once or twice in the evening, but all the youngsters we encountered were well-behaved and polite, and I am unaware of any issues.

 

My teenaged daughter is going to post her impressions of the cruise from her perspective. So look for her entry later on in this thread.

 

If you look at our photo album, which I posted above, you will get some idea of weather conditions and what we wore. I would definitely recommend rain jackets, sweat shirts, possibly a turtleneck or two, and clothing which doesn't get wet quickly. The pool cover over the Lido deck was closed virtually our entire trip, and it gets pretty warm in there. So swimsuits and shorts are the most comfortable attire there. Nobody ever used the aft pool as far as I could tell; it was just too windy. We did encounter a fair amount of wind, so I always wore a jacket while out on deck.

 

As far as disembarking for shore excursions, in Juneau, Ketchikan, and Victoria the Zaandam pulled right up to the pier. Makes disembarkation pretty simple. We just got off when we wanted to.

 

We tendered in Sitka. If you can get be ready to board the first tenders around 7 am in Sitka, you will not have any problem. Later on, I think it can get busy. We had an independent excursion in Sitka, and were on the first tender out, no delays. We were suite passengers however, so that might have made a difference, I don't know. Nobody was checking for tender tickets, however. I guess the security staff figured that if anyone wanted to get off the boat that early, they were welcome to do so!

 

The wireless internet connection is not free. There are packages for sale. My husband bought the 100 minute package for a total of $43.95.

 

I hope that I have answered your questions satisfactorily?

 

Karin

[TudorSue]

Tinknock50-

Hi Sean. Can't believe the time is almost here! My goal is to be packed by Labor Day.

 

M-a-m-

Thanks for your helpful answers and photos. I have to check our raingear wardrobe. Here in the NY metro area we have winter ski-type jackets, but not dedicated rain gear--other than city-style raincoats. I don't think my trenchcoat is quite the ticket ;).

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Hi there!

 

This is Middle Aged Mom's Young and Beautiful Daughter here... the 17 year old, not the 7 year old.

 

Sooo, I've been asked to give MY opinion of the cruise, always a dangerous thing (asking my opinion, that is, not cruising.) First, I would like to point out that my mother glossed over the whole whale-watching boat ride admirably. I wasn't just a little queasy; I was horribly sea sick. Terribly sea sick. I was leaning-over-the-side-of-the-boat-wishing-I-was-dead sea sick. I do NOT recommend whale-watching for anyone who is prone to sea sickness. It was the definite low point of the trip.

 

The best experience, for everyone, I think, not just me, was the dog sledding. I love dogs, that probably had something to do with it, but even those impartial to the canine breed would have fun flying over the bumps (quite literally, in fact - I flew off the back of the sled on the first bump before I learned to hang on properly.) A warning for those with sensitive noses: several hundred dogs do produce a most remarkable, and not always pleasant, odor. However, as soon as the sled pulled away from the dog camp, the scent disappeared.

 

Very briefly, the best things of the ship: the amazinging accommodations the wait staff made for my food allergies, the on board shows (take a look at the pics on the slideshow above - isn't Harry Whyte ( '60s music singer) cute?!) the Neptune lounge across the hall from our room, playing shuffleboard (although I was really terrible,) and building a floating masterpiece with my dad ( arguing over the palcement of the mast was a great bonding experience.):)

 

Also briefly, the worst things on the Zaandam: sharing a room with my sister and my grandmother, our shower which was always FREEZING cold (my parents say THEIRS was fine...) the lack of participation in ship programs (eg., ours was the only boat in the ship contest, a let down after all the work we put into it,) and the scarcity of people my age -there were swarms of kids under 10, a number of pre-teens and young teens, and a dearth of older ones. Also, I don't enjoy being on boats for an extended period of time; a few hours is enough for me. So although a cruise ship is big, it is still a ship which bobs in the water ( my stomach lurches,) and I would have been happier on land in a hotel. But that is just a personal thing.

 

So that is my opinion of the cruise, and I will be happy to expand on it for anyone who wants to know my teen-age mind!

 

ps from mom: I guess we either cancel our Christmas family cruise or use sea-sickness meds next time. Our older daughter was the most affected by the movement of the ship. The rest of us did not experience sea sickness to this extent.

[Preacher's Kid]

I was very impressed with your review. You maintained an interesting sense of humor as well as writing an excellent review. I could just picture you hanging over the side of the boat - a lovely shade of green.;) You must be quite a good student. I'm taking my teenage son to Alaska next May as a reward for graduating from high school (it was difficult for him to stay in school - he's not much of a sit-still kid). His 19th birthday is the day we arrive in Victoria - I'm planning on taking him on a pub tour. I believe the drinking age is 19 there. Will someone please correct me if I'm wrong?

 

Daniel is kind of an extreme kid - he likes downhill mountain biking, paintball tournaments and drumming in an alternative rock band. He's avidly looking for a shorex that will let him ride his mountain bike down a glacier! He's always wanted to go to Alaska, so this will be our first cruise there. We're looking forward to it.

 

Happy sailing,

Karenlynne

[Tinknock50]

Enjoyed the "teen" review! Thanks for posting it.:)

[Tinknock50]

Karin,

Thanks for the info on early tender to Sitka. My last cruise was on Princess, and they had a similar arrangement.

[Copper10-8]

Good stuff Karin and Karin's daughter! Thanks for the review!

[BM64]

Great stuff!! Keep it coming- I usually don't get sea sick but I think sailing out of Seattle can be rough, last year on the Diamond the first day was choppy and myself and daughter were a little queasy. I wouldn't cancel the Christams cruise.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

I'm not a very organized writer; I often have so much I want to say that words just spill out of me in a haphazard fashion. But I do want to stress that this cruise was a momentous experience for me, and probably for my family as well, but in different ways. We are very, very fortunate to be able take a vacation like this.

 

My mother really appreciated having a luxurious getaway with her grandchildren. All the unique and unusual Alaska experiences thrilled her. She kept saying how wonderful it was to be able to have the opportunity to see and do things she never thought she would be able to before she dies. My older daughter says that "Oma" had the hugest grin on her face when it was her turn to be "musher" on the back of the dog-sled. In Sitka, on our boat tour with Cap'n Davey Lubin, my mom sat out on the bow almost the entire trip, and it was really bouncing out there! Cap'n Davey thought my mom was just the greatest grandma.:)

 

Bits and pieces:

 

Our documents said we would have 2 formal nights, 1 informal night, and 4 casual nights. So we packed accordingly. In actuality, however, we never had an informal night, only 5 casual nights plus the 2 formal nights. I mention this in order to assist folks with their packing. A good number of people did indeed wear jeans to the dining room on casual nights. Again, I mention this only to facilitate your cruising preparations. Some people stayed in their formal attire throughout the evening, and some did not. Nobody was ostracized or turned away because of what they did or didn't wear. Regardless of attire, everyone looked neat and tidy. Nobody looked sloppy.

 

The Daily Program is full of excellent information. Everything you need to know about the cruise is in that program, whether it be the daily activities, Alaska history and geology, navigational information, ship information, it's all there. In addition, there is a special program put out for each port of call. We were inundated with information! We are sorry that we didn't have the chance to do probably even half the things we would have liked to!

 

Any problems or glitches that come up can be taken care of. The ship's crew is there to help you. Just ask! We had a few minor snafus that were quickly and expeditiously corrected.

 

The cruising experience on a large, mainstream cruise line is probably best suited to adults. Children can be accommodated and entertained onboard, but it is a concerted effort. Adults just naturally take to the cruising life. But children and teens have a different focus, and it is hard to cater to them in a cruise ship environment. I think Holland America has done an admirable job with its Club HAL program.

 

I talked with Staci Balde, the Explorations Cafe manager on Zaandam, who essentially trained all the Club HAL staff througout Holland America. She mentioned how just a few years ago, Holland America had practically no programs in place for young people, and there were never more than 50-60 teens/children on any HAL cruise, at any time of year. Club HAL now offers eight hours a day of organized youth programs during sea days, plus the after hours care from 10 pm to midnight. In addition, they also offer supervised care in port. There was something going on for the youngsters at Club HAL every single day during our cruise, and we didn't fully take advantage of all they had to offer. According to Staci, because of the Club HAL program, the numbers of families with children on HAL has risen dramatically. We had 140 children on our cruise. Of course, this applies mainly to cruises taken during the school vacation periods.

 

Overall, food was good, with a few weak spots. It can certainly not be classified as "exquisite" or "exceptional", but it is definitely well above average, and obviously a lot of thought has gone into the menu planning. Food presentation was very good. We enjoyed all our meals in the Rotterdam dining room, and we had a great time with our wait staff. We looked forward to our dinner experience each evening, and certainly appreciate all the planning that goes into feeding some 1500 passengers and 800 crew members. We used the Lido buffet hardly at all, due to the proximity of the Neptune Lounge for us, where refreshments were available throughout the day. The new "Chef's Night Dinner" was well received by our fellow passengers, and everyone seemed to have a good time. (Personally, I thought it was not as bad as it might have been.)

 

I'm only a one-time cruiser, and I found myself somewhat overwhelmed by the cruising experience. My husband looks forward to more cruises; he enjoyed himself and was intrigued with the seafaring life. However, on our next cruise I will plan far fewer excursions, and leave more time open for just relaxing. I will also make sure that when my daughter says she is "tired", she is not in reality seasick.

 

Thanks for letting me blab on and on. I haven't written even a quarter of what I'd like to!

[cruisinjudy]

Beautiful pictures!!

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Beautiful pictures!!

 

Thanks, my husband and oldest daughter were in charge of the photo-taking:) They put together the Shutterfly album I posted above.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Woops! I realize I never really described our excursions! But I think the photos may have helped to depict what they were like. Our excursion in Juneau was the Mendenhall Glacier dog-sledding, booked through the ship. This is pretty expensive, but it was a first-class operation all the way. We were lucky that the weather was on our side. We all enjoyed the experience of a lifetime, for us. The immensity of the glacier and the mountains is almost impossible to take in. I felt like I was in a surreal environment. The dog-sledding, as we have mentioned earlier, was easily the highlight of our entire cruise.:)

 

In Sitka, we went with Captain Davey Lubin of the Esther G Sea Taxi. Look here for his website. Unless you are prone to seasickness, I would heartily recommend this independent operator. The trip out to St. Lazaria island was bumpy, as was the whale watching area. That was where our daughter got seasick. On our tour with Cap'n Davey, we encountered numerous sea lions, otters, whales, birds of all kinds, and an extraordinary number of bald eagles. Cap'n Davey is very considerate of the needs and interests of his passengers. Unfortunately, the only way to see whales and unusual birds in the Sitka region is to venture out where the waters are a little rougher. If I had known how my daughter would react, I would probably have chosen a different excursion in Sitka. It really was a beautiful and sensational tour, however, and Cap'n Davey is very professional and quick to respond to inquiries.

 

In Ketchikan, we did the ship's tour entitled "Bear Watch by Floatplane". We had a gorgeous view from our floatplane to Traitor's Cove, where we saw two black bear at the fish ladder there, after a short and pleasant hike. Two park rangers were on hand to answer questions. Our guide was a college student from Wisconsin who was spending his summer working in Alaska.

 

Almost all the pilots, guides, bus drivers, mushers, and office help we encountered on our excursions were actually students or residents from the "lower 48", who had come up to earn some money for the summer while experiencing Alaska. I think I would recommend that you call a local operator directly in Ketchikan to book a floatplane trip or bear watch, rather than go through the ship. Budget Queen over on the Alaska board has lots of good advice, and can recommend some good independent opertors in Ketchikan. Just my two cents.

 

Hopefully, our photos, posted earlier in this thread, convey some of the beauty and magnificent terrain of this exceptional part of the world.