Noordam Northbound to Alaska + Denali Almost Live

I apologize for taking so long in getting back to you. Here is the itinerary for the Y2C:

 

August 30th - Embark in Vancouver

August 31st - At Sea

September 1st - Tracy Arm/Juneau

September 2nd - Disembark in Skagway for land portion of trip

September 3rd - Skagway

September 4th - Depart Skagway for Whitehorse

September 5th - Depart Whitehorse for Dawson City

September 6th - Dawson City

September 7th - Depart Dawson City for Fairbanks (by air)

September 8th - Depart Fairbanks to Denali

September 9th & 10 - Denali

September 11th - Depart Denali for Anchorage

September 12th - Fly home

 

If possible, could you find out how much time we will have in Fairbanks? I have no idea what time we leave Dawson City to fly there.

 

Again, thank you again for all of your help with not only my questions, but everyone else's as well. :)

I will try to get answers but the Land Tours person was persistent in saying that itineraries would not be released until the evening before departure each day so that passengers could not be confused with a pile of papers.

If you check for excursions at each location, you will know what times you will be in each city if not the total duration.

Time estimates should be possible I think.

 

As posted earlier, my confiscated extension cord was exactly what the ship's video showed as a "not allowed personal extension cord." FWIW I think the video is new because in all my cruises, it is the first time it has been shown on the TV.

Is the video something on the ship? Showing what we can't bring after we're already there is not helpful. Is it somewhere on the HAL website?

I had an extension cord (not a surge suppressor) confiscated on Celebrity and they just told me they can't tell which ones are or not. My usb chargers were okay. Between a CPAP machine, 2 phones, an ipad, a photo storage device and 3 cameras, I need some way to get them charged.

You can call ahead and ask for a power bar and extension cord (at least if you have medical need, anyway.)

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I'm watching the Noordam just now pulling into Juneau Harbor. What a beauty.

I apologize for taking so long in getting back to you. Here is the itinerary for the Y2C:

 

August 30th - Embark in Vancouver

August 31st - At Sea

September 1st - Tracy Arm/Juneau

September 2nd - Disembark in Skagway for land portion of trip

September 3rd - Skagway

September 4th - Depart Skagway for Whitehorse

September 5th - Depart Whitehorse for Dawson City

September 6th - Dawson City

September 7th - Depart Dawson City for Fairbanks (by air)

September 8th - Depart Fairbanks to Denali

September 9th & 10 - Denali

September 11th - Depart Denali for Anchorage

September 12th - Fly home

 

If possible, could you find out how much time we will have in Fairbanks? I have no idea what time we leave Dawson City to fly there.

 

Again, thank you again for all of your help with not only my questions, but everyone else's as well. :)

Have you looked at the information available when you do your boarding documents. We are on the Y1L in a couple of weeks and that information is available on the extended itinerary information in our boarding docs.

Third Question: What about the popcorn at the movies....do they still offer it?

We are watching the Noordam arive in Juneau on the webcam. I'll be interested to know how much time you have in Juneau for shopping. We are also doing Tracy Arm as our excursion this year but hope to have time to go to the glacier silt soap shop on Franklin Street.

Have you looked at the information available when you do your boarding documents. We are on the Y1L in a couple of weeks and that information is available on the extended itinerary information in our boarding docs.

My sail date is still a ways out, so I don't have my boarding docs yet. I'm glad to hear I can find the information there once they've been generated. Thanks for the head's up! :D

The day began with overcast skies and ended in sunshine with warm temperatures.

With docking in Juneau at 10:00 AM, the Lido Market omelet line was "no waiting" at 7:30. Seated again at the large community table, I met some Alaska rookies and was able to give them some CC-learned tips for Juneau.

I called my DW and she asked me to go out on my aft veranda to wave at the Juneau webcam. There should be some way for other passengers to have the same option of a webcam photo for their vacation memories.

My excursion choice was a 7-hour visit to Tracy Arm through HAL with Allen Marine. Learning I would be in a small, 42-passenger boat, meant we could get much closer to the two glaciers through the ice fields thab the larger boats. Enroute, we paused to photograph a large group of sea lions perched on some rocks. We also spotted whales before and after we visited the glaciers at the end of Tracy Arm. The captain of the boat stopped near a piece of blue ice about the size of a small house to capture some interesting photographs. From my estimate, we got within one mile of the Southern Sawyer Glacier due to the numerous pieces of ice. We got quite close to the Sawyer Glacier and observed some minor calving.

As we turned to depart Sawyer Glacier, we paused to photograph two ice flows occupied by a seal and pup. Another whale sighting was photographed shortly thereafter.

The free box lunch on the return leg of the excursion included a turkey sandwich, penne pasta salad, chips, and an incredibly delicious white chocolate chip with dried cranberry cookie. The local tour guides provided lots of information as well as donut holes, coffee, hot chocolate, and tea snacks.

To ensure my DW's sweet tooth is sated, I had the Juneau Alaska Fudge Company ship five pounds of dark chocolate fudge to her.

After leaving my camera backpack and outer clothing in my stateroom, I went to the aft Lido deck for the traditional Juneau salmon bake, Seeing only normal operations and no smoking charcoal, I queried the Oceanview Bar folks and was told that health rules limited cruise ship cooking to only designated/certified kitchens. I confirmed this cooking outside change with the Lido Manager. My phyllo dough stuffed with salmon with a visit to the salad bar was not even close in flavor to the traditional grilled salmon, cole slaw, and apple pie dessert I have experienced for the past nine years in Alaska.

With all passengers already on board, the Noordam left ten minutes early at 9:50 PM.

Although turned in before 9:00 AM, my laundry did not meet the announced "same-day service" promised by my Room Steward.

Tomorrow is Skagway and a visit to Bennett Lake via bus/train in 75-degree partly cloudy skies.

Stay tuned.

Third Question: What about the popcorn at the movies....do they still offer it?

 

We are watching the Noordam arive in Juneau on the webcam. I'll be interested to know how much time you have in Juneau for shopping. We are also doing Tracy Arm as our excursion this year but hope to have time to go to the glacier silt soap shop on Franklin Street.

No popcorn for the Noordam because they do not have a movie theater, per my friend at the Front Desk.

We arrived back at the dock in Juneau from my Tracy Arm excursion at 5:45 PM and I walked past Glacier Smoothie at 5:55 PM,

Oh Boy. 3 weeks till I get my fudge:) Hopefully it will not be melted from the heat getting here... No problem me darlin, weight restrictions and 5 lbs of fudge means shipping it home. Just so happy that you remembered the greatest fudge in the world:)

Here are a couple of snap shots of Noordam in both Ketchikan and Juneau. I'll try to grab a couple of shots of you in Skagway today.

Ketchikan:

Juneau:

Joanie

Glad you enjoyed your trip to Tracy Arm.

That wonderful fudge never lasts long for us.

First question: Why was the Noordam late coming into Vancouver today? Did it have to do with the tides?

 

We'll be on this ship in a few weeks and will be embarking in Anchorage and flying out of Vancouver so I hope this is an unusual situation!

I posed this question and the Front Desk left a message on my stateroom phone stating that the delayed arrival in Vancouver was an internal matter and considered confidential which means that I will not be receiving an answer to your question.

The day in Skagway began with overcast skies and blossomed into sunshine with temperatures in the 80's.

With passengers going ashore at 7:00 AM, Lido Market tables were easy to find for breakfast before my 10:00 AM Lake Bennett bus/train excursion. The Lido Market opened at 5:30 AM for breakfast for the early port day.

The excursion buses were parked near the gangway which saved a long walk to the end of the pier. There were 47 tour passengers and each bus held 42 which allowed a lot of open seats on both buses. The buses drove to Carcross to meet the train. On the road, we had two stops for photographs as well as a few miles of road construction that should be factored for those planning to rent cars for the drive to Emerald Lake.

Arriving at Carcross and a brief tour of the small town, there was 20 minutes to shop and visit the public restroom before boarding the train. Our bus of 23 passengers had two dining cars (table between the benches) with my train car having only 11 passengers.

After being warned to not move to another car and seeing only two other cameras in my car, I knew that I could occupy my favorite spot on the platform between cars train ride. Our seats were good all the way back to Skagway.

Lunch was served shortly after leaving Carcross and included a cold chicken sandwich, ships, cheese slices, sausage bites, and a good blonde brownie. The view from the train platform between the cars was amazing and hopefully my photographs will also be. We stopped at the Bennett station for a stroll through the historic trail site used by the gold rush stampeders. During the stop, I learned that the Conductor had relatives also living in New Mexico. The train crew asked me to take photographs of them with their cell phone since my Olympus camera meant I knew what I was doing.

After a short stop in Fraser, the train continued on to Skagway with our 11 passengers having the entire train car to ourselves. Since I spent all of my time outside, I didn't feel the steaming heat inside the train car. My fellow passengers wished the windows could be opened. I agreed to share some of my photos with those who missed some of the best photo opportunities. The train arrived at the train depot at exactly 5:45 PM which left me only 15 minutes to make my Canaletto dinner reservations.

The Canaletto dinner was delicious and a bargain with my Mariner discount. I do miss the veal picatta. The ending pistachio gelato is highly recommended. The Canaletto Manager gave me the latest menu and wine list for scanning.

Again, laundry was not returned the same day as submitted. Since a new laundry bag is delivered with the returned laundry, I must search for my Room Steward to obtain a new bag for submission before of the laundry before 9:00 AM. The first occurrence I attributed to chance but for the second day, it appears to be a pattern here on the Noordam.

Of note: I can confirm that sour cream is available at the Omelet Station for breakfast. I will meet with the Land Tours person tomorrow when she has evening office hours to get answers to questions on this thread.

The Noordam left at 8:30 PM which is much earlier than my previous 10:00 PM departures in May.

The Where and When for tomorrow in Glacier Bay states sunny skies with mid-60's temperatures. It will be the second Gala Night.

More tomorrow.

Thank you for your comprehensive review. I'm enjoying your reports.

I posed this question and the Front Desk left a message on my stateroom phone stating that the delayed arrival in Vancouver was an internal matter and considered confidential which means that I will not be receiving an answer to your question.

I had to chuckle at the front desk's creative way of saying "none of your business". They do have a way with words, don't they? :D My personal favourite with them is the term "technical difficulty".

The train arrived at the train depot at exactly 5:45 PM which left me only 15 minutes to make my Canaletto dinner reservations.

Sure doesn't leave much time for a shower and a change of clothes :rolleyes:

Thanks for trying to get to the bottom of the late arrival to Vancouver. We'll have to hope that our cruise doesn't have the same issue!

Popcorn in the theatre is a special thing for those in the know. Maybe if we work on it we can bring it back. I realize the theatre on the Eurodam is worthy of popcorn but we all enjoy popcorn wherever on the ship we watch the movies (or not).

I'm so glad you took the Lake Bennett excursion. We have been to Lake Bennett twice when HAL was offering it as part of the Yukon journey from Whitehorse to Skagway. At that time we were served a traditional lunch (stew) at long tables in the roadhouse which I believe may be a museum now. I was wondering how the box lunch was served on the train. It sounds like you were in a "dining car" with the tables.

Our time in Juneau is shorter than yours since we are sailing south so we'll have to get right over to Glacier Smoothie shop as soon as we get back from Tracy Arm. We arrive at 8 a.m. and leave at 6 p.m. which probably means all aboard at 5:30!

We will be staying at the Captain Cook for the first time although we have walked through the ground floor as tourists. I've been wanting to stay there but it previously seemed to be available only to Princess. It looks very nice.

Great Live reports.

I think in all the years we sailed on HAL that only a couple of times we got laundry back on the same day.

We had it picked up at 8 AM when our cabin was made it and it was returned while we were at dinner the following day.

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I'm so glad you took the Lake Bennett excursion. We have been to Lake Bennett twice when HAL was offering it as part of the Yukon journey from Whitehorse to Skagway. At that time we were served a traditional lunch (stew) at long tables in the roadhouse which I believe may be a museum now. I was wondering how the box lunch was served on the train. It sounds like you were in a "dining car" with the tables.

 

We will be staying at the Captain Cook for the first time although we have walked through the ground floor as tourists. I've been wanting to stay there but it previously seemed to be available only to Princess. It looks very nice.

Lunch was served in plastic containers in the dining cars. I had a table and two seats all to myself with only 11 folks in the car. Since I staying at the Captain Cook Hotel, too and will provide review of my stay as well as answering any questions posed about it.

I apologize for taking so long in getting back to you. Here is the itinerary for the Y2C:

 

August 30th - Embark in Vancouver

August 31st - At Sea

September 1st - Tracy Arm/Juneau

September 2nd - Disembark in Skagway for land portion of trip

September 3rd - Skagway

September 4th - Depart Skagway for Whitehorse

September 5th - Depart Whitehorse for Dawson City

September 6th - Dawson City

September 7th - Depart Dawson City for Fairbanks (by air)

September 8th - Depart Fairbanks to Denali

September 9th & 10 - Denali

September 11th - Depart Denali for Anchorage

September 12th - Fly home

 

If possible, could you find out how much time we will have in Fairbanks? I have no idea what time we leave Dawson City to fly there.

 

Again, thank you again for all of your help with not only my questions, but everyone else's as well. :)

After speaking to Kelly, HAL's Land Journeys rep, I learned that she is very hesitant to provide any answers for the future. What I did obtain from her was the flight from Dawson to Fairbanks leaves mid morning and leaves you most of the afternoon free in Fairbanks.

Kelly repeated again at today's briefing that passengers will learn detail of their journey the day before departure.

I have copious notes from the Land-portion briefing that covers all 14 itineraries and will post on this thread.

Glacier Bay Day started with heavy overcast skies and no rain. It ended the same. Unlike the predicted 66 degrees, the temperatures made it to barely 50 degrees.

The Noordam made the typical stop at Marjorie Glacier and performed a complete circle so that all could view the glacier. I saw only a minor calving. The ship passed slowly by Lampoq Glacier on the way to Hopkins Glacier. As a result of some heavier than normal calving at the Hopkins Glacier, many of the ice flows were occupied by harbor seals and their pups which caused the ship to stop and slowly reverse its course. The ship passed slowly by Lampoq Glacier and then proceeded to leave Glacier Bay. Eagles, mountain goats, and harbor seals were spotted while in Glacier Bay.

Disembarkation envelopes were distributed in the afternoon which caused me to visit the Front Desk for more luggage tags for my "Meet Me in Anchorage" bags since only one bag can go with me to Denali.

I spent the afternoon scanning bar menus: Deck 9 Pool, Sports Bar, Crows Nest, and Ocean Bar. There is now more than one bar menu I was told by the Bar staff.

The Final Denali briefing started at 4:00 PM with the Vista Lounge filled with hundreds of passengers leaving on the 14 Denali itineraries. Returning to my stateroom, I did a trial fit of my pajamas into my Scott E Vest since they won't fit in my carry-on camera case. Since some will be departing at 6:00 AM, both the Lido Market and Explorations Café will be open at 4:30 AM for breakfast. I will put my copious briefing notes in another post.

Tonight was Gala Night. My observation was two tuxedos, more than half suits, one-third jackets only, and the remainder in just collared shirts. A very strange corn smoothie was served in a small glass and most diners, after a tiny sip, pushed away. My normal two lobster tails seemed larger than what I have remembered in the past and were quite tasty. The strawberry "no sugar added" tartlet was just "OK."

Tomorrow is the Mariner's Reception/Award Ceremony followed by the Mariner's Brunch and then my sorting luggage into the appropriate "Meet Me in Anchorage" or "Join Me Tonight" bags. Of course a trip to the Casino is part of the last cruise day where I can try to lose my remaining OBC credit balance.

More tomorrow.

Regarding the Lake Bennett train excursion that you took ---has that replaced the Yukon and White Pass train excursion from Skagway or are both being offered? We are returning to Alaska next spring and our excursions aren't posted yet. I was thinking of taking the White Pass trip again but if there is something different that would be nice.

After speaking to Kelly, HAL's Land Journeys rep, I learned that she is very hesitant to provide any answers for the future. What I did obtain from her was the flight from Dawson to Fairbanks leaves mid morning and leaves you most of the afternoon free in Fairbanks.

 

Kelly repeated again at today's briefing that passengers will learn detail of their journey the day before departure.

 

I have copious notes from the Land-portion briefing that covers all 14 itineraries and will post on this thread.

Thanks, CN. That gives me an important piece of the puzzle to help with my planning.

Can't believe that your week on the ship is nearly over.

Time flies too quickly when you are enjoying yourself.

Great reporting.

Sounds like there meetings all week long about the land portions?? That seems so odd and wasteful of cruise vacation time. We are on the land first and the only briefing we got was in our itenirary to be at X hotel on X date to start your journey. Haven't gotten any more than that along the way.