BamaFan
June 21st, 2004, 12:05 PM
This is my first post on Cruise Critics but given the fact that I gained so much valuable information and helpful hints leading up to my Alaskan Cruise I wanted to try to repay by sharing my experience on the Veendam this past week (6/13 thru 6/20) NorthBound Inside Passage.
This trip was the celebration of my 30th Wedding Anniversary with my wonderful husband and had been planned and eagarly anticipated for 6 months. We were blessed with bright blue skies, sunshine and temperatures 60+ all 7 days. Incredible!!!
But on with the review and I will try to make it as easy to read as possible:
1. Overall Experience: Outstanding
Alaska via a row boat would have been a fabulous experience but cruising certainly is the best way to see this magnificent land. A must see for everyone at least once in a lifetime.
2. Vancouver and Embarkation: Excellent
Smooth, uneventful process. Just as had I learned from CC's...have Immigration Form and ID ready.
Luggage was properly taken care of and delivered to our stateroom before dinner.
3. Ports of Call and Excursions: Outstanding (All HAL Excursions)
Each stop and excursion provided unique aspects to Alaska, its history and sites.
Ketchikan: We(group of 5)went Salmon Fishing in Knudson Cove. We caught 3 (22+lb) King Salmon. These are being processed and shipped home to us this week. I actually caught one of the Salmon and the whole trip was absolutely a blast. Would highly recommend.
Juneau: We took the "Best of Juneau" trip. We were not disappointed. A 2-3 hour catarmaran trip brought us humpbacks, sea lions, eagles, and even Orca. This was followed by a delicious Salmon Bake. Would highly recommend.
Skagway: We did the "Best of Skagway". This 5 hour adventure took us via train into the mountains for an upclose look at the White Pass Summit and the history of the Klondike Gold Rush.
This was followed by visit to Liarsville, gold panning and visit to the Red Onion Saloon. Would highly recommend.
Glacier Bay National Park: No words available to describe these majestic sites. Certainly must be a glimpse of heaven.
4. Veendam Review: Excellent
Stateroom; We had a B Verandah minisuite and were not disappointed with any aspect of the stateroom service or amenities which included, highest quality linens, bathrobes, lighted makeup mirror and quite sufficient closet, drawers and storage space. Our room steward (Suhedi) was fabulous. Always available and attentive to detail. The balcony was well worth the extra cost for the constant access to the magnificent scenery.
Dining; Food Quality and Service;
Pinnacle Grill; Outstanding food and service. We ate in the Pinnacle twice but wish we had eaten their at least 4 times. Well worth the $20/person extra.
Lido; food/good service/excellent
Rotterdam Dining Room; food/fair at best service/good
**The food quality in the Main Dining Room was our only disappointment of our HAL cruise experience. The taste of many of the entrees was mediocre at best. Just did not measure up to the other food and services offered.
Room Service; food/good service/excellent
Lounges; cocktails/good service/excellent
Entertainment: We did not attend any of the shows. Casino was adequate and dealers were fun and personable.
Cleanliness: All areas of ship spotless. Much attention being paid to the control of Norwalk virus with automatic hand sanitizers at many locations throughout ship.
5. Seward and Disembarkation: Excellent
Process was very organized and timely. Baggage appropriately transferred at all points. We took the Alaska Railroad from Seward to Anchorage. This was another highlight of the trip. Gave us another perspective of the beautiful Alaskan interior. Saw bear, moose and sheep en route. Would highly recommend.
6. Other Topics of Frequent Board Discussion:
Veendam Engine Problem; no problems from a passengers perspective. Right on time at each port of call. All other ship systems working appropriately.
Cellular Phone Service; was able to get Cingular phone service without any difficulty at each port of call and even out in the bays during shore excursions.
Internet Cafe; available 24 hours/day. Special packages available. Reasonably priced.
Dress Code; 2 formal, 1 informal, 4 casual. Dress code seemed to be followed by everyone that I saw. Some gentlemen had on tux and some dark suits. Ladies wore a variety of lovely dresses and pantsuits. Everyone looked wonderful and RELAXED!!!!
Auto Tipping; No problem for those I spoke with. Everyone seemed to understand process which was explained at the Disembarkation talk. I did ask Front Desk staff about giving additional gratuity to our room steward. Her response was that if the $10/person remained on our final statement that any additional monies given to a particular person could be kept by that individual and not pooled.
Age of Passengers; Having just turned 50 myself, I realize more and more age is just a state of mind. There was a nice variety of ages this past week and I never felt that any particular age group was dominating the scene. We did notice a lot of Southern drawls which made us feel right at home.
Hope this is helpful to someone.
Happy Cruising and God Bless!!!
Sandy
This trip was the celebration of my 30th Wedding Anniversary with my wonderful husband and had been planned and eagarly anticipated for 6 months. We were blessed with bright blue skies, sunshine and temperatures 60+ all 7 days. Incredible!!!
But on with the review and I will try to make it as easy to read as possible:
1. Overall Experience: Outstanding
Alaska via a row boat would have been a fabulous experience but cruising certainly is the best way to see this magnificent land. A must see for everyone at least once in a lifetime.
2. Vancouver and Embarkation: Excellent
Smooth, uneventful process. Just as had I learned from CC's...have Immigration Form and ID ready.
Luggage was properly taken care of and delivered to our stateroom before dinner.
3. Ports of Call and Excursions: Outstanding (All HAL Excursions)
Each stop and excursion provided unique aspects to Alaska, its history and sites.
Ketchikan: We(group of 5)went Salmon Fishing in Knudson Cove. We caught 3 (22+lb) King Salmon. These are being processed and shipped home to us this week. I actually caught one of the Salmon and the whole trip was absolutely a blast. Would highly recommend.
Juneau: We took the "Best of Juneau" trip. We were not disappointed. A 2-3 hour catarmaran trip brought us humpbacks, sea lions, eagles, and even Orca. This was followed by a delicious Salmon Bake. Would highly recommend.
Skagway: We did the "Best of Skagway". This 5 hour adventure took us via train into the mountains for an upclose look at the White Pass Summit and the history of the Klondike Gold Rush.
This was followed by visit to Liarsville, gold panning and visit to the Red Onion Saloon. Would highly recommend.
Glacier Bay National Park: No words available to describe these majestic sites. Certainly must be a glimpse of heaven.
4. Veendam Review: Excellent
Stateroom; We had a B Verandah minisuite and were not disappointed with any aspect of the stateroom service or amenities which included, highest quality linens, bathrobes, lighted makeup mirror and quite sufficient closet, drawers and storage space. Our room steward (Suhedi) was fabulous. Always available and attentive to detail. The balcony was well worth the extra cost for the constant access to the magnificent scenery.
Dining; Food Quality and Service;
Pinnacle Grill; Outstanding food and service. We ate in the Pinnacle twice but wish we had eaten their at least 4 times. Well worth the $20/person extra.
Lido; food/good service/excellent
Rotterdam Dining Room; food/fair at best service/good
**The food quality in the Main Dining Room was our only disappointment of our HAL cruise experience. The taste of many of the entrees was mediocre at best. Just did not measure up to the other food and services offered.
Room Service; food/good service/excellent
Lounges; cocktails/good service/excellent
Entertainment: We did not attend any of the shows. Casino was adequate and dealers were fun and personable.
Cleanliness: All areas of ship spotless. Much attention being paid to the control of Norwalk virus with automatic hand sanitizers at many locations throughout ship.
5. Seward and Disembarkation: Excellent
Process was very organized and timely. Baggage appropriately transferred at all points. We took the Alaska Railroad from Seward to Anchorage. This was another highlight of the trip. Gave us another perspective of the beautiful Alaskan interior. Saw bear, moose and sheep en route. Would highly recommend.
6. Other Topics of Frequent Board Discussion:
Veendam Engine Problem; no problems from a passengers perspective. Right on time at each port of call. All other ship systems working appropriately.
Cellular Phone Service; was able to get Cingular phone service without any difficulty at each port of call and even out in the bays during shore excursions.
Internet Cafe; available 24 hours/day. Special packages available. Reasonably priced.
Dress Code; 2 formal, 1 informal, 4 casual. Dress code seemed to be followed by everyone that I saw. Some gentlemen had on tux and some dark suits. Ladies wore a variety of lovely dresses and pantsuits. Everyone looked wonderful and RELAXED!!!!
Auto Tipping; No problem for those I spoke with. Everyone seemed to understand process which was explained at the Disembarkation talk. I did ask Front Desk staff about giving additional gratuity to our room steward. Her response was that if the $10/person remained on our final statement that any additional monies given to a particular person could be kept by that individual and not pooled.
Age of Passengers; Having just turned 50 myself, I realize more and more age is just a state of mind. There was a nice variety of ages this past week and I never felt that any particular age group was dominating the scene. We did notice a lot of Southern drawls which made us feel right at home.
Hope this is helpful to someone.
Happy Cruising and God Bless!!!
Sandy