A new Cruiser with More questions

[krittykat]

Trying to find out as much I can from those who really know and have experienced it.
Doing the Alaska cruise on the Oosterdam, 7/2/05 - round trip from Seattle. Ports of call - Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka and Victoria. Cruising by Hubbard Glacier. Hoping to see calving glaciers and lots of wildlife.
What should one stay away from? Any secrets about the ship from the ones who know that would make this even more fun?
Any examples of menus from the main dining room and the Pinnalce Grill?
Anyone stay in the VB cabins? There are three of us (two adults and a 13 yr old). Anyone know what the odds are to be upgraded?
Have so many questions, so little space to write.

Any feedback is apprecaited.:D :p

[doone]

Welcome to the HAL boards. Alaska is such a beautiful cruise, you certainly will have a great time.

As far as being upgraded from a VB, I believe your chances are slim to none, the verandahs are always just about the first to be sold out, but you never know.

In Victoria, I have visited Buschart Gardens, they are spectacular and think you will really, really enjoy that excursion.

Pinnacle Grill, they specialize in steaks, but have seafood as well. I ate here once on the Rotterdam and thought the food was spectacular, but I still enjoyed the dining room dinners as well.

Hope this helps, and enjoy your cruise.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

krittykat, we did this same cruise on the Oosterdam in May 2004. We were in a BA catagory which would be very similair to the VA if not the same. As far as having 3 in this cabin especially with a 13 year old I think it will make for close quarters. I agree with doone I definitely would not count on a upgrade. Alaska cruises sell out quickly and the cabin catagory you are looking at and the ones above it are in high demand.
I don't have any copies of menues but I can tell you that we had lots of fresh fish daily especially salmon, which I had daily and even for every meal including breakfest. As far as Hubbard Glacier we saw calving in May and I know you will in July you just have to keep watching:)
If you want to see pictures of our Oosterdam Alaska cruise you can take a look here. I also have pictures of the cabin catagory you are interested in.
http://community.webshots.com/user/laffnvegas1

If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

[RDWills]

As mentioned Hubbard Glacier will be your best chance to see calving glaciers. They are not just fun to see but to listen to. They sound like cannons going off as they break apart.

As for wildlife you will see lots from right on board, it will just be a matter of if you are out looking at the right times. Eagles should be plentiful along the shore line, you may encounter whales but as I said who knows if you be out looking when you do. If you want a near guarantee of seeing wildlife take the shore excursions form Juneau, Sitka or Anchorage. Either the ships tours or if you are more independently inclined you can book one yourself.

-Robin

[Budget Queen]

For clarification- You won't see a lot of wildlife from on board. Any significant sightings will require tours and this is not the land animal area. If you invest considerable time, marine wildlife can be seen, but also you are doing a lot of open ocean sailing which cuts down on the sightings. Best for whale watching humpbacks- 100% sightings is out of Juneau. Orca Enterprises is my top pick. For orcas go out of Victoria. I also agree- not likely to be upgraded or if you are it will be the same type cabin just on a higher deck. Don't expect more room. :) If you have a balcony- and you want max. glacier viewing action- get out on a front deck for full views. Forget side viewing- you are out of sight at times.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I have to disagree a little bit here. We saw lots of wild life from our balcony.Many of the days we saw the Bold Eagles which is not unusual but we also saw a lot of whales. Capt. Mercer would even announce when he was seeing whales and to which side of the ship and what kind of whales. Several (unfortuately I missed it) saw both bears and Moose along the shore line from the ship. I also saw the Seal giving birth on an Iceberg that is in my pictures. Yes, we took the Whale Watch out of Juneau and the Whale Watch and Otter Excursion out of Sitka and saw lots and lots more wild life. For Alaska I personally would not venture with another tour that was not part of the ship. There has been far too many mishaps of boats breaking down, busses not making it back that if you did not get back on time you would miss the ship. If you are with a ship's tour they will wait for you. The two Whale Watches we took were operated by the same company and were extremely professional, informative and you got a lot of bang for the buck. I would highly recommend.

[Mary Ellen]

One of our favorite memories from our Alaska cruises was during our last sea day, sailing outside in open water from Sitka back to Vancouver. We were up in the Crow's Nest and for about 15-20 minutes wave after wave of dolphins came up either side of the ship. This was on the Noordam, so we were quite a bit closer to the water in the Crow's nest than you'll be on the Oosterdam. If the same thing were to happen on your cruise, it would be harder to see, but one never knows what wildlife (if any) you'll experience.

[JohnQ]

KrittyKat
I have to agree with Budget Queen and disagree with Vegas regarding seeing wildlife from ship. From our cruises to Alaska on Statendam and with Celebrity Summit, we did see a few whales and sea lions, but being close to the ship is just luck. Take a whalewatch tour with Capt Larry of Orca in Juneau for a 100 % chance of seeing whales close up. You should also see eagles, sea lions, maybe otters. We even spotted three bears on shore way off in distance. You are not likely to see much wildlife from the ship. It would be very lucky and a spot in the distance. Best chance of seeing the big five of Alaska is always denali np which you won't be seeing. There are some bear viewing trips out of Juneau, but I don't know what time of year they start and end, Most of these are black bears rather than browns, right BQ.
If you research the Alaska board on this site, you will find all kinds of info re this subject.
I have posted a few pictures from our Sep trip :
http://community.webshots.com/user/jq4653

[Esme]

We went out of Vancouver on both our Alaska trips and last year, sailing back home to Vancouver, we saw loads of Orcas - have never seen so many. So you do not have to go out of Victoria to see them. They are everywhere.

VA cabins are small. That is what we had booked for 3 of us and were glad we switched to an SS on our recent Westerdam cruise.

The excursions LAFFNVEGAS mentioned are excellent. On our first trip we did the whale watch out of Sitka and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[dakrewser]

I'll disagree with everybody. It's my job. :)

Leaving Vancouver and cruising up the inside passage we spent a couple of days yearning for the sight of an eagle ("Is that one on top of that hill?" said while pushing the binoculars to their most powerful magnification).

By the time we reached Valdez, pax could be heard saying "darned eagles, they're all over the scenery!" They were everywhere!

We spotted bears on the shore while cruising Hubbard Glacier.

There always seemed to be otters, or dolphins (or whales when out in the Pacific).

THe "flying fish" (small fish which leap tremendous distances out of the water) were a treat.

THere's always something happening, right outside your door, on an Alaska cruise.

-dave
"Back To Alaska", Infinity, Sept. '05

[Mrs B]

We will also be on this cruise 7/2. We did the New Year's cruise in a category VC with our 18 year old son. Never again. We booked late and that was all that they had available. The cabin would be fine for 2 but not three unless you have a very young child. Traveling with 2 sons in July - they have an inside and we have a VA at the back of the ship.

[Budget Queen]

We went out of Vancouver on both our Alaska trips and last year, sailing back home to Vancouver, we saw loads of Orcas - have never seen so many. So you do not have to go out of Victoria to see them. They are everywhere.

VA cabins are small. That is what we had booked for 3 of us and were glad we switched to an SS on our recent Westerdam cruise.

The excursions LAFFNVEGAS mentioned are excellent. On our first trip we did the whale watch out of Sitka and thoroughly enjoyed it.


It is wonderful you were so lucky to see the orcas- but just read the many many Alaska cruise reports and you will see it is not a common sighting. I greatly enjoy the zodiac trips out of Victoria and take them every trip I can. Far superior to any cruise ship viewing. I spend all my time out on deck and see a great many varied wildlife. I also invest a considerable amount of time which most people do not. I have cruised Alaska 10 times and wildlife is not all that common. Again just my opinion. :)

[alasgran]

In response to Lisa L. (LAFFNVEGAS) -
I will be on the Ooster this May 14th, sounds like the same time you were cruising last year. Your post is exciting as I am really wanting to see a lot of wildlife. This will be my first cruise and there will be three of us. We have a VA on the front of the ship. Any comments on this? It seems veiwing is really good from the front, but don't know much really. My partner and I are traveling with my 86 year old grandmother who is going blind. She really wants to be able to sit somewhere and see what is passing.