Zaandam May 26 Review

[mjmagee]

OK, I’ve put this off long enough. Got a terrible cold on returning from the trip and just now feel alive. Great trip. First cruise to Alaska. Amazing. So different from Caribbean cruising, mainly because you spend a lot of time just staring out the window at the beautiful scenery.
Flew into Seattle the day before. Spent the night at Holiday Inn Seatac - $75. Join their Priority Club and get a free buffet breakfast. Clean, close to airport, nice, large indoor pool. I would stay there again. Friday AM they called the Seattle Shuttle Express for us. $10/person to the port. Got there around noon. Having a computer glitch that necessitated registering our credit card the next day but otherwise boarding was smooth.
Rainy and cool in Seattle. Sail away at 4:30 and lifeboat drill at 4:45 meant that you could not get the best shots of Space Needle as we sailed by. Hoped to see some orcas as we sailed north from Seattle but the rainy, cold weather kept us off the verandah. We were in cabin 6226, at the rear on the port side. Good sized room. Nice deep verandah that held a lounge chair, straight back chair and a small table. Biggest bathroom I think I have ever had on a cruise ship with a whirlpool tub and plenty of shelf space and lots of mirrors.
Rainy and cool in Juneau too. Did the ships excursion “Whale watching and Mendenhall Glacier”. Allen Marine took us out on there very comfortable catamarans. I was very happy with this excursion. The cat was large, comfortable. Had seating with tables which was great to put all our gear on and comfortable to lean on. They provided very nice binoculars and a running commentary. Saw lots of humpbacks, a few seals, etc. Pretty cold, windy and alternately drizzly up on deck but got some decent shots anyway. They served coffee and hot chocolate and smoked salmon on crackers. Bus then took us to Mendenhall Glacier which is beautiful. Bus driver gave a running commentary. Had a little time to shop when we got back.
To be continued.

[mjmagee]

The day in Glacier Bay dawned blue sky and sunny! How amazing it was. It was cold and crisp but so beautiful. The blue of the glaciers really stood out. We saw lots of seals and one humpback was spotted as we were leaving the bay. It was pretty cool till we parked at Margerie Glacier but then when the ship was still it was warm enough that I saw one fellow swimming in the seaview pool.
In Sitka we walked to the cathedral, saw the Russian dancers and walked to the National Historic Park to see the totem poles. Nice town to shop in and the view over the bay to Mt. Edgecombe is quite beautiful.
In Ketchikan we did the HAL excursion, wildlife boat ride to the Misty Fjords and a return by float plane. This was our big splurge and it was worth it. Also quite drizzly in Ketchikan but we saw lots of bald eagles, seals, a mink, and most unexpectedly, a wolf off in the distance. Even the crew was excited about that as they said it was a rare event. This trip was via a Goldbelt catamaran, similar to Allen Marine’s. They put out a spread of fruit, muffins, bagels and cream cheese. The float plane ride was great. So smooth I kept wondering when we would take off and when I looked down we were 20ft. off the ground!
We had main seating lower at table 169, a round table for 8 to the left of center as you enter the dinning room. Prima and Myzan were our very pleasant and accommodating wait staff and Dodie was our wine steward. Food was consistently good. Favorites were the salmon, rack of lamb and the surf and turf on the last formal night was actually very good. Intended to but never got around to ordering one of the nightly baked Alaskas. Desserts were all good but never saw butter pecan ice cream the entire cruise (DH’s fave).
To be continued.

[Tinknock50]

I like it so far....anxious to hear more.:)

[mjmagee]

I never know if I can just put a whole long review on here so I type it in word and copy it in parts. I would be glad to know if I can just write the whole thing here.

Ate in the Pinnacle Grill on what turned out to be the night of the Master Chef Dinner. I heard we didn’t really miss anything but I was not impressed with the Pinnacle Grill either. Food was just good. Service was slow, which I guess they mean to be relaxed. That was OK. Just didn’t feel like it was anything special. Side dishes were just ok. DH had the cedar planked scampi, which he enjoyed. I had the ribeye and wished I had gotten the filet which looked much better. Had a nice Washington State wine that was very good. Had the triple crème brulee for dessert and it was good but really too much.
Food in the Lido restaurant was good at breakfast and lunch. Salmon bake on deck was also very good. Had room service breakfast just for coffee, juice and fruit. The one day we really needed them for an early wake up call, I had ordered it for 6AM and it never came. Canapés in the lounges before dinner where very tasty, though we did not always know for sure what we were eating.
Service everywhere on the ship was excellent. Our room steward, Lukman, was efficient and inconspicuous. He did surprise us with our first towel animals after many years of cruising! We had a series of dogs, cobras, monkey, a lobster, etc. Bar service was efficient. As for entertainment, the ship’s singers and dancers were excellent. Very good voices, much energy. We enjoyed all their shows. Most of the cast will change as of this week though. The magician was pretty bad I thought. The magic was not interesting and he was not very funny. We did not see the Beatle impersonators but I heard they put on a good show. We loved the Exploration Café. So glad to see a decent library on a cruise ship for once. Very comfortable and many people used it as there place to hang out and look out the windows. Oh, I know this is a small thing but the elevators on this ship were the fastest, smoothest elevators I have been on in a long time.
The Mariner reception was held on the last sea day at 11:45 in the morning. They did serve canapés, wine, champagne and bloody marys. We were thrilled to receive our first two HAL tiles as this was our second HAL cruise.
On returning to Seattle we went to the Best Western Pioneer Square, which I believe is currently the closest hotel to the port. It is a restored hotel in a historic district at the south end of downtown Seattle. Our flight did not leave till the next day so we dropped our luggage and got on the Grey Line, hop on-hop off double decker bus and saw Seattle. We stopped at the Space Needle and Pike’s Place Market and went to the pier to eat clam chowder and fish and chips. The weather was alternately drizzly and sunny. We ended by taking the Seattle Underground Tour which I highly recommend if you are a history buff. Flew home the next day and caught a brief foggy glimpse of Mt. Rainier as we drove into the airport. That’s it. I would be glad to answer any questions that I can.

[Tinknock50]

Enjoyed the review!....Thanks.

You can post a review on here all at once, but word might be better because if you want to take time to compose it, you can post it at your convenience.

[Mulvicruiser]

Great review:D. We were on the 05/26 cruise and I think we could have written an identical review. I have been busy writing down my memories about our first cruise , and I hope to match up all the information to my 2 gigs of pics I took. I am saving your review because it is a shared experience. This was my family's first cruise and both adults and children enjoyed it immensely. We are all still having “cruising” dreams at night and my kids want to know when our next cruise is. Nice tidbit about the elevators. My little tidbit would be the variety salmon at every meal. Even the Lido had perfectly cooked salmon steaks at lunch. I will always remember the great service we received. Agus, whom I did not get a picture of:(, was a terrific cabin steward. Russ, one of our waiters, had lost family in the recent earthquakes in Indonesia. He always had a smile on his face after the quake but he did seem a little shaken. Thanks again for the review.

[trvlcarib]

What time were you off the ship on Friday Morning?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great review - thanks for posting.

[mjmagee]

We were not in a hurry as we were going downtown and not to the airport. I would say by 9:30. And our color tags were called before that. We had put on our disembarkation forms that we had independent arrangements. Marilyn

[mimi6]

Thanks for the review of your cruise. We are sailing on the Zaandam Friday the 16th - can't wait. Did you take any excursions at the ports? Any and all information will be great.

[mjmagee]

Took the Whale Watching and Mendenhall Glacier out of Juneau and Misty Fjords boat with Float Plane return out of Ketchikan(not the exact names). Both were very good. Did not book an excursion in Sitka because the stuff we wanted to see in town is all within walking distance (Russian church, Russian dancers and Nat'l Historic Park). Wanted to also go to the Raptor Center in Sitka but did not make it. A couple at our table did the 4 glacier helicopter and dog mushing trip out of Juneau and said it was great. We wanted to do that but it was not in the budget this trip. Marilyn

[Himself]

I have Never sailed on the Zaandam but was glad to get your fine report.

Best Wishes and thanks for sharing your experiences on this ship

[lardan]

mjmagee:

Do you remember which nights were the formal nights?? I have already booked the Pinnacle for the night of the time in Glacier Bay and the last night of the cruise (I know last night won't be formal night).

[mjmagee]

Formal nights are the second night, which is the day at sea before you get to Juneau, and the day you are at Ketchikan, which you leave at 1PM. I have the menus from both nights if you are interested in what was served. Marilyn

[Lefty Bob]

On Sitka, I thought the dancers were great with the surprise at the end.
LB

[lardan]

Formal nights are the second night, which is the day at sea before you get to Juneau, and the day you are at Ketchikan, which you leave at 1PM. I have the menus from both nights if you are interested in what was served. Marilyn


Sure mjmagee, I'd love to see the menu. Thanks.

[mjmagee]

Well I don't have scanning capability but I can tell you the entrees for the Captain's Gala Dinner were:Tagliatelle with Asparagus and Fresh Mozzarella, Steamed Alaskan King Crab Legs, Honey Birch Glazed Country Ham, Oven Roasted Rack of Lamb, Oriental Style Rotisserire Duck, Fillet of Beef Wellington and Piccata of Vegetables. I had the rack and it was very good. Meatier than the rack they served in the Pinnacle, I thought. Served at the Farewell Dinner were: Linguini with baby Rock Shrimp and Scallops, Surf and Turf, Braised Osso Bucco, Baked Flounder Filled with Salmon Mousse, Roasted Pheasant with Cranberry Compote, Curried Vegetable Cutlet. Surf and Turf was very good. Fillets were cut thin but were tender and tasty and the lobster was cooked properly and served with drawn butter for dipping. Oh, I forgot the salmon. First formal night the salmon choices were Grilled with Endive and Caramelized Orange Zest and Black and White Sesame Crusted. The last formal night the choices were Grilled with Ginger-Cilantro Pesto and Pan Fried with Stir Fried Vegetables. Enjoy! Marilyn