i have never been on a cruise before, but this Alaska one appealed and I felt it would make a great finale to my Canadian adventure.
Having completed the first 3 of 4 weeks travelling from East to West enjoying all that Canada had to offer my last 8 days were to be something of a departure. On Day 20 of 29 the 5 of us undertaking the cruise add on, myself, Jackie, Jeane, Margaret and Pam, had said goodbye to the 23 heading home. We then spent a relaxing day in preparation for our cruise starting the next day.
Arrangements had been made and we were duly picked up from our hotel at 11:45 and driven to the Cruise Terminal. We offloaded our suitcases at 12:00 and headed for Security. A bit of a queue, but through by 12:15. Unfortunately there was another, larger Ship being readied and due to its size it had to go under the bridge at 3:30 (low tide). This meant the few thousand on that ship had to be processed by US Customs officials first. With only 16 officials this turned out to be a lengthy process. Having sat down to wait our turn at 12:20 we finally got through at 3:30 ! Soon after we were onboard the Nieuw Amsterdam. It was all rather hectic and confusing. We went straight to the buffet as we hadn’t eaten since breakfast. We had barely finished eating when it was time for the compulsory Safety Drill. We rushed to our cabins to quickly unload and then back on deck, if you could work out where you should go (most couldn’t). You were then ticked off the list. If you miss the drill you don’t sail ! We were lined up 8 or 9 deep and were shown how to put our life jackets on. I’m 6’3” and could barely see giving the impression this was just a box ticking exercise for the cruise line just in case. Once completed we were able to sort a few things out in our cabins before heading back out on deck to toast our departure, which occurred at 5:20 in very calm conditions.
The 5 of us agreed to meet up at 6:45 at the ‘Dining Room’ for dinner. With all of us having booked excursions pre cruise it was a case of doing your own thing. Some excursions didn’t return you until late, so flexibility was the order of the day. However, we were able to meet up regularly for dinner and lunches.
Day 1 of the cruise turned out to be quite hectic and it was nice, therefore, to have a more relaxing Day 2 at sea as we headed for Juneau. The ship had a lot to offer entertainment wise. We particularly enjoyed the early evening trivia quizzes and with 4 very astute ladies in the team we were always knocking on the door !
Day 3 was to provide me with one of my 2 favourite experiences of the entire 4 week holiday. Given what I’d already seen and done that took some doing ! Before the ship docked in Juneau I had booked an excursion to explore Tracy Arm Fjord. At 9:00 we transferred at sea to a much smaller vessel and set off in thick fog. Our onboard naturalist came on the mic. to tell us about all the great things we were going to see and at that point we could see barely 50 yards ! About 5 minutes later we escaped the fog and were suddenly in beautiful, sunny conditions. As we progressed a look back revealed the bank of fog hanging like a barrier over the water. Quite spooky really ! Shortly after as we cruised on mill pond like waters ice floes started to appear in all different shapes and sizes. Surrounding us were huge, icy mountains, vast forests and rock faces. We then came across our first wildlife. Perched atop an ice floe was a bald eagle surveying the sea. Soon there were others all probably looking for breakfast. My binoculars picked out one ice floe with 12 eagles on guard !
Great stuff. Soon we were closing on the shore line and discovered a black bear foraging on the edge with a youngster in tow. What would be next ? We continued on stopping at stunning waterfalls and extraordinary glaciers. The awesome scenery never let up during the entire 4.5 hour cruise. We saw glaciers calving. Seals basking on ice floes. The ice floes themselves were incredible shades of blue. With all that was on show outside refreshment ‘time outs’ were short lived affairs.
As we headed back towards sea and on to Juneau we came across a couple of humpback whales. Lots of ‘tail action’ drawing many a gasp from the admiring audience. Our Captain then left at some speed and it soon became apparent as to why. We were heading for a commotion in the water up ahead. On arrival we witnessed a single humpback crashing its fins onto the water clearly enjoying itself. It then submerged and seconds later performed a full breach right in front of us ! What a climax to the show ..
Now behind schedule we set off for Juneau arriving at 3:30. It had been a magical 6.5 hours !
This is a must do if the option is available. This tour sold out pre cruise.
On Day 4 we arrived at Skagway. Another busy day for me with 2 excursions booked, the first at 8:30. This was the White Pass & Yukon Route train ride. A spectacular ride up the mountain side which followed the route taken by the Klondike gold prospectors in the 19th century. Awesome views and hard to fathom how the prospectors managed it ! I had spoilt myself (again) and opted for the luxury carriage. Only 14 seats all of which were very comfy, swivel, leather chairs. Free drinks and food served by our entertaining host who regaled us with the history and its more (in)famous stories .. There was also a sizeable outside area at the back with great views and photo opps. A 3 hour round trip and we were back at Port side.
A break for lunch and then my afternoon excursion.
This turned out to be my other top experience. A helicopter ride to a glacier and dog sledding.
At the heli pad we were all weighed. It turned out they couldn’t make the numbers work and one person needed to wait for the next group. I volunteered out of the 3 single people in the group and my reward was a ‘guaranteed’ up front seat. Half an hour later we were kitted up with safety belts and ice shoes. The flight lasted a spectacularly scenic 9 mins before landing at the dog camp. We were split into groups of 4 and introduced to our ‘musher’. A young guy just starting to race his dogs and build his team. The ultimate goal being the famous Iditarod race across Alaska covering 1000 miles in 8-10 days. The camp housed (kenneled’ ?) 240 dogs. Those looking after them were based at the camp from May to August. No summer for them ! The ride was split into 4 sections with each person getting a go in each position including brakeman holding on at the back. For leg 1 I was up front. The 14 dogs we’re gradually hitched up and their excitement was palpable. My favourite was just in front of me to the left. He was itching to get started. Lunging and straining at the leash. At last we were off and travelled some distance before changing positions for leg 2. At halfway we stopped for 5 mins to allow the dogs a breather. We were then introduced to each of them individually. You could sense their different characters, but they were all happy for a friendly stroke. Having survived my stint as brakeman we were back in camp and were then introduced to the puppies. I got to hold Henry, who had clearly been eating well ! It was then back to the helicopters for the quick flight back ship side. A truly wonderful experience.
Day 5 was spent on board with a visit to Glacier Bay. The scenery was similar to Tracy Arm, but there was little wildlife around. We did see 3 impressive Glaciers close up, one of which ‘calved’ dramatically in front of us. It was a very hot and sunny day though.
Our last Port of call was on Day 6 at Ketchikan, locally known as the rain capital of Alaska. Our excursion bus driver showed us some sights and told us their highest temperature is 68c. As we drove a sign was showing 86c ! The locals couldn’t believe the weather they were experiencing and until 3 days before our arrival they had been ‘enjoying’ weeks of persistent rain ! This typified our luck with the weather throughout the entire trip.
My final excursion here was a seaplane flight over the wilderness with a lake landing. Take off and landing on water was a different experience. Once again the scenery was stunning. An enjoyable trip, but I’m not sure I’d do another seaplane flight. Viewing for me was not great. I was unlucky enough to get the seat with the least amount of room and at 6’3” was wedged in. This restricted viewing appreciably. If you are tall you might want to give it some thought if the opportunity arises.
It was a cruising at sea Day 7 and an easy day was had. An area known to entice Orcas disappointed in that regard, but you can’t win ‘em all.
Our disembarkation time for the morning was 8:15. Suitcases had to be put out by 11:30.
Day 8 of the cruise and Day 28 of my holiday and we arrived back in sunny Vancouver early. Time for breakfast before a speedy disembarkation. A tour of the north of Vancouver had been arranged for us as our flight home wasn’t until 8:10. Whilst enjoyable we would all have preferred to have just got on the plane and returned home. We were all ready. All went smoothly once at the airport and a good flight home saw us land in the early afternoon.
My overall impressions of the Cruise were as follows ...
It was very enjoyable with an abundance of exciting excursions to be had, but it was very expensive. Holland America clearly aren’t keen on single travellers as they literally charged double the price for cabins.
On board prices for drinks and tips are very high.
The ship itself was very modern. It was also very quiet, although my cabin was at the very front.
Onboard entertainment was good.
Food was plentiful and wide ranging. It was also of a very good standard.
Staff were very friendly, courteous and professional.
An enjoyable experience, but I’m not sure cruising is really for me. A bit too manic and chaotic at times.
But then there’s always Antarctica !
