Crew News

Me too!!

I have not but I did meet someone who saw one a few days ago. I have seen whales on my excursions to areas where whales like to feed during the summer.

How are the chocolate chip cookies in the Lido Market and Grand Dutch Cafe?

Day 07 Valdez The weather continued to be cold and rainy with a touch of fog when I opened my curtains but I had hope to get better photos than I had captured last year on this same cruise.. My cold weather layers were ready to be donned as soon as breakfast was concluded but as I reached to unlock my stateroom door, I noticed a piece of paper on my floor. The paper explained that due to rough seas, all shore excursions were canceled. My commitment to getting a better photo of Columbia Glacier was doused by the sea gods.. A day with no plans meant that I could catch up with scanning menus, interviewing crew members, and photographing the drydock changes to the Nieuw Amsterdam. In addition to those ship improvements mentioned above, some hallway carpeting was replaced. The day also offered another opportunity to evaluate the cookie situation and I remained disappointed in their lack of chew and great difficulty to break. Dinner at the Canaletto Restaurant had only three occupied tables as many guests opted for the Lido Market Seafood Boil Special. With so few customers, my meal was completed quickly and I was able to acquire the remaining menus for scanning. With seas becoming more bumpy, I retired early. Next is a day at sea enroute to Juneau.

My table map source failed to live up to their promise so I will try another source tomorrow. Persistence usually succeeds.

I made arrangements last night to have maps (Decks 2 & 3) printed for me for pickup at dinner tonight. I should have them posted in about four hours. FWIW I learned that the tables on Deck 2 were completely renumbered sequentially instead of odd numbers on one side and even on the other. I well see in another hour at dinner.

Since CC swallowed my report from Kodiak, I will repost: Day 06 Kodiak The port of Kodiak continued the cruises history of cold temps and rain, After breakfast, my cookie test of the four types found all with little chew, hard to break, and in need of a beverage medium for dipping to be edible. I have come to the conclusion, that the good cookies on the first day were baked by someone who departed the ship in Vancouver. My noon wildlife excursion experienced the lack of school buses to take 12 of us to the pier. I was inspired that I was able to maneuver past two rows of seats to wedge myself in the back of the substituted 12-passenger van. Passengers were divided into two groups of six at the harbor pier for the two small excursion boats. With rough seas, the excursion was restricted to the large harbor area but very successful in photographing stellar sea lions and birds. It was a chance to perfect my cameras bird tracking feature and also experience the foul scent of nearby sea lions . Although hot beverages were available, our group preferred only the provided snacks. The pilot was a life-long resident of Kodiak and a wealth of information. The warmth of the Nieuw Amsterdam was very welcome after being in a cold rain for several hours. My hot shower while in port avoided the need for a bumpy one while sailing in the pending rough waters. My Tamarind Dinner began by walking uphill as the ship began to list under the force of high winds. The warm shrimp chips were a nice start. My first soup course necessitated a knife being placed under the edge of my bowl to keep the broth level in the bowl. The curry chicken bowl required another knife to keep the contents from spilling into my lap. As my dinner continued, the level of ship listing progressed. My downhill departure from the Tamarind Restaurant was speedy and required grabbing the podium to redirect my body towards the elevators. When I returned to my stateroom, all of the drawers were open and efforts fight gravity to keep them closed were futile. Remembering the words of the Captain that the seas would be difficult until a ship turn around 4:00 AM, I decided to retire early. I made a mental note to not trip over the open drawer at the end of my bed if I got up in the middle of the night. Next stop Valdez.

After asking many bartenders, I have not yet confirmed that beverages containing glacier ice are available.

Pool depth is 1.73 meters.

There is an air show (aircraft exhibition) a short distance from here in Valdez that will occupy most of the city's assets to support it. The show is also a fly-in for interested campers who want to pitch a tent near their planes.

Overcast skies and rain have been the conditions since leaving Vancouver. All shore excursions have been cancelled for Valdez due to weather.

The arrival time on your HAL itinerary is the time when you can leave the ship. Tours will wait a reasonable time for late guests. Bring a small cup for a drink from the water flowing on the glacier surface. Boots, trekking poles, and crampons are provided.

I will inquire.

Day 05 Anchorage The weather in Anchorage was raining and with no booked excursions for me so I opted to remain aboard and update menus, interview crew members, and take photographs of the ship. The cookies situation has deteriorated with their hardness nearing that of the Koningsdam cookies last week. To be fair, I tried all the different cookies and had to wait for the Late Snack to find the chocolate chip cookies. It is self evident that the recipe has not changed but the baking time has. I strongly recommend a dipping beverage to make the cookies chewable. Dinner at 5:00 PM in the MDR was completed in one hour which is my personal standard for a solo, table for two. It took ten minutes for my order to be taken in a nearly full dining room but food delivery was swift. It was a great finish. My record service remains 43 minutes on the Eurodam last February. On the beverage menu side, there are no changes to the basic menus but new inserts for Alaska have been added to some menus. I have posted many so far with a few more to check. There are Alaska canned beers available and I will post a list as soon as I review my photos. The new Morimoto Restaurant is very modern and brightly lighted in contrast to the Tamarind just a few feet away. The dinner menu on the Nieuw Amsterdam is more extensive than the pop-up versions on all of the other HAL ships. Both menus have been posted to compare. The Morimoto Beverages are the same on all HAL ships. The Tamarind Bar on the Nieuw Amsterdam does not include appetizers. Next stop Kodiak.

Biggest changes that I have noticed include the new Morimoto (replaced half of Tamarind), new hand washing sinks in Lido Market, lift chairs for indoor pool/hot tubs, and updated library. I will ask if other big changes.