cruisingrob21

On 6/5/2024 at 7:40 PM, rj59 said:

I just sailed the route for this cruise on Zaandam...

I appreciate the honest review of the voyage, we may rethink ours as well.  I did appreciate that HAL attempted to schedule it so that much of the voyage in the inside passage areas would be during day time, especially the seymour narrows portion, but as you put it, weather can adjust that and by october, daylight is running short.

Part of the allure for us was that it stops in PR, and nanaimo, and starts and ends in Seattle.  It's nice to have alternative routing from Seattle instead of the pretty standard 7 day milkruns to alaska.

When I was there in May, they took my luggage and processed me checking in at 10ish.  There was a line down in security already.  I assume that if you are dropped off down below, they will take your luggage there as well - but that wasn't my experience so I can only comment on what I experienced.  I just had a small roller bag (5 nt alaska cruise).

8 hours ago, mattR said:

What do you mean by north side of the pier?  I am hoping to drop off my bags at 9:30am on Jul 13th. 

When you approach canada place, stay to the left and either enter the convention center and ask for directions or follow the exterior stairs on the left (north) side to the exhibition halls where check-in is.  I hope they have a better system for luggage drop because everyone was lugging suitcases up the stairs or waiting for an elevator.  See the image below and follow the green arrow.

Canada Place has changed its boarding procedure from before COVID (and maybe in 2022) - previously one used to go through security, then customs, then check in.  Now its reversed, do the check in/luggage drop on level 2, accessed from the north side of the pier.  My experience in may was I had to do 2 loops in that procedure, once to check in, and a second time to do the luggage drop.  It was the first 3 ship day of the season so maybe some kinks were being worked out.

Anyways, after checking in and dropping luggage, then you head down to security and customs.  I did check in at 10am, did a ship tour for travel agents on the Ruby, then had lunch nearby, and returned around 2 to go through customs, security, and a very quick boarding of the Noordam.  Once I got through the customs and security lines, I didn't stop walking until scanning my card while boarding.

Step 1: check your embarkation day and see how many other ships are in town: https://www.portvancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-Cruise-Schedule-as-of-May-15-2024.pdf

Step 2: If the Sapphire is the only ship or accompanied by a HAL or Disney ship or an exotic brand, arrive when its convenient.  If there are larger RCCL/X/NCL ships, go to step 3

Step 3: Arrive around 2 or 230 at Canada Place.  Or, drop off bags on the upper level on the north side of the pier around 10am (don't go down into the garage part), enjoy a few leisurely hours in Downtown Vancouver, Stanley Park, or take the Seabus to North Vancouver.  That picture above is what it usually looks like on a day with 3 ships or 2 large ships - you're better off enjoying your time around Vancouver than sitting in the cruise terminal waiting to be called.

I do wonder if CCL is trying to upsize their ship sizes to replace some others.  I suppose by doing this they could move the luminosa and splendor back to North American market to increase tonnage?  Although it might be kind of a wash since the splendor is slightly larger than the ex Golden/Star, but the Luminosa is a bit smaller.  I could also see Carnival cleaving off some of the older spirit class ships to HAL or maybe even Princess for more exotic itineraries.  The HAL vista class ships and Carnival Spirit class ships both share similar design scopes - and the Coral and Island are in that lot also being panamax.

I had some fun with photoshop...

The NA is a great ship - I prefer most non-royal class ships personally, but I really think Holland got the Vista class perfected with the Signature class (NA and Eurodam) which are slightly larger versions of the Vista class ships.  The Koningsdam is a great ship - sorry to see her go, but I think she will be back for Alaska?  Unlike the Royal class ships, the newest HAL ships can fit through the new locks in the panama canal.

Also, the current sale ends on 5/31, the next sale may have some better deals.

On 5/15/2024 at 3:48 PM, ChinaShrek said:

Did you like Prince Rupert? What did you do there?

I did - but I sail solo on these shorter voyages and typically go for a long jog/hike and end at a brewery.  It allows me to see a lot of the town, but not very far out obviously.  We had great weather there and I found the Rushbrook trail along the waterfront as well as a trail in McClymont Park.  Both trails were great, lots to see and I usually try to take my runs through neighborhoods and scenic points.  I did stop by the Sunken gardens which was small but scenic and in full bloom.  Some of the neighborhoods I ran through were about what I expected for a town that probably is less of an economic powerhouse than it was 40-50 years ago.

If you aren't a walker/jogger/hiker and prefer a more guided experience, consider booking a tour.

Regardless of what you choose to do, the scenery around PR is beautiful - especially sailing out of the harbor and the by a variety of small islands.

Got back from the Noordam a few weeks back doing a 5 day sampler that stopped in ketchikan and Prince Rupert.  Ketchikan has 2 breweries in town (maybe more??), a cidery and distillery.  PR has only one brewery that I could find but it's a long the water and pretty good selection of beer.

I had been booked on the coastal repositioning voyage before this one, that was supposed to make a port call in Victoria on 5/10.  Maybe a year ago they cancelled that call citing "port congestion".  Based on the schedule in Victoria that day, they could have easily had the sapphire depart around 5pm for Vancouver and make the berth space for either the Bliss or Eurodam arriving around 7pm.  Maybe it was just a coincidence.  

24 minutes ago, Paula_MacFan said:

We are on the same cruise and really hope this gets fixed soon!

Radiance of the seas had a propulsion issue a few weeks back, it was fixed within one cruise.  But the crown princess had propulsion systems all summer of 2022 and it wasn't fixed until after Alaska sailings.

So until more is known about the issue, it's hard to give an answer based on other ships.

11 minutes ago, lstone19 said:

 

Not to minimize what JJ is saying, today's Inside Passage cruises are nowhere close to what they were years ago. Our first Alaska cruise was in 1993 on the first Sky Princess (originally Sitmar's Fairsky) and after exiting Seymour Narrows (which would have been in the middle of the night northbound most cruises as transit time is tide dependent) stayed inside past Bella Bella and Klemtu east of Princess Royal Island and then through the Grenville Channel which ends near Port Rupert (that first sea day was absolutely fascinating). Today's Inside Passage route has the ships in the Hecate Strait between the mainland and Haida Gwaii when heading to Ketchikan first and completely outside when Juneau is the first port. The main thing of today's normal cruise route the current cruise is losing is the Inside Passage between Ketchikan and Juneau (which is well worth seeing).

HAL has their "great bear rainforest" cruise running once in 2025 and 2026 which will trace many of the more narrow passages you are mentioning

Regardless of what's going on today, she's going to need to be moved sometime today/tonight.  Tomorrow is a 3 ship turn-around day in Vancouver.

If she is bunkering fuel she must be preparing to head to either Esquimalt Graving Drydock (Victoria) or Vigor in Portland, OR.  Either way, it could be at least a week or two there if its a full drydock.  Or a wetdock with technical staff coming aboard.  Without knowing the issue, its hard to tell how much work will be needed.

1 hour ago, Firstladies said:

I am new to cruising!  My email for the Noordam April 30 shows 11:30 for deck 6. But I am confused about the difference between cruise check in, boarding and going through security/customs. Do I show up at Canada Place at 11:30 for security?  Or do I go earlier to get through security and customs, so that I can check in at 11:30? Advice will be appreciated!

In the past, it was (for the most part) well signed.  Generally at canada place you will go to the lower level to drop luggage and go through security, then up to be processed for check in.  Do not fret - there are always lots of folks that can help direct you.  There will always be people who show up as early as they can to get on board - even if their boarding time is at 1pm - for a variety of reasons.  Generally, the earlier you show up, the longer you may have to wait after check in to actually board, even if your time is 11:30 (but you should have priority over folks with 1pm boarding times).  If it works for you, consider showing up later as the lines may die down.

I'm on the same voyage on deck 5 and have a 1:30 boarding time, which is the same time as the notice says we should all be at the terminal.  So to answer your question, if you want to follow the directions you were sent, show up at 11:30.

Both ships are great for very different reasons.  

If you want newer with lots of entertainment venues and are okay with more people - the Kdam is a good choice.

While the Z-dam is older, and shows its age in some spots, its still very well taken care of.  She definitely is representative of a different era of cruising - one with wide promenade decks, lots of outdoor viewing, and a large yacht feel.  

In Alaska, I personally really enjoyed when we sailed on the ms Amsterdam, which is a very near sister to the Zaandam.  We were fortunate and got a random 7 day voyage in mid summer when she was mainly only doing 14 day Alaska voyages.  We all had a great time - there are so many more places to see the scenery and just embrace the environment that Alaska offers.  If that sort of a trip entices you, then the Z-dam is your ship.  I recall we only had 1 line the entire time we were on board, that was to get off the ship in Juneau as we had just docked.  It cleared in less than 5 minutes.

I still remember sitting on the aft decks of the Amsterdam with a bottle of wine reading some Jack London stories as we sailed through the Lynn canal. I still keep this phot as the background on my phone because its calming for me - wide open promenades with plenty of loungers and beautiful scenery.  You will have plenty of spots like this on both ships, but more of then on the Z-dam, and fewer people also.

1 minute ago, oakridger said:

 

It is if you can wrangle your luggage and don't have bad knees!!  Easy for some, not easy for others!  😉

Good point - you need to be more limber with your luggage to use Skytrain given the escalators and slightly further walking distance.

sky train - probably as fast or faster than a car, less expensive, and leaves from only a block away from canada to place to across the drive at the Airport.  It runs very frequently so you are never late for a train, just early for the next.  VERY EASY.

Since the station near the cruise terminal is the start of the line, you will basically have your pick of seats.  Just move towards either end of a car with your luggage.

I'm appreciative of this thread - after doing some research, we changed a voyage due to a group listed on our cruise and one of the group's guest speakers who has a controversial public reputation.  I have no idea how big the group is but given the speaker's reputation, I worry it would be big enough to restrict use of some of the larger venues on board (such as the crows nest).

5 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Yes, Victoria has a vibrant brewery scene. I'm not sure which breweries are on the tour, but there are many to choose from. We also have 3 different beer festivals, you can check the Victoria Beer Society for more details. Beer is a thing here.

I've walked between several in town breweries - all have their own style and tasting rooms (need to check hours as some are only open certain days or times).  I don't think there is need to do a tour if you've got a grasp on searching for breweries on a smart phone.

5 minutes ago, peajay said:

I am about to book a January 2025 South America and Antarctica cruise on Oosterdam.  Not many cabins still available, and since the southern waters around Cape Horn can be rough I am thinking of going for a lower deck. Does anyone have experience of balcony cabins on deck 4 forward section? They are above the theatre so I am concerned about noise levels. They also seem to be the only balcony cabins that have steel and not glass balustrades, so I am wondering how much that spoils the view.

We had rough weather on the Eurodam 2 summers ago in Alaska.  We were the 2nd cabin from the front on deck 5 and felt every wave.  Only a few cabins back would have been much better.

We also sailed the cape horn route on the old Star Princess (2002) back in 2012.  We had "Lake Drake" which still was a bit choppy but not bad.  The captain mentioned it could be much worse.  We were in a cabin on the 11th deck near the aft elevators and hardly noticed it.  We actually had worse weather in the straight of magellan and were told by the captain to sleep in and avoid the worst of the swells.

If you are concerned about it and medications work well for you, take them proactively and enjoy your cruise.  If medications don't work well, consider something further back.

You will get more responses in the West Coast departures forum

8 hours ago, Euby said:

@cruisingrob21  Thanks for the info and the offer.  I won't be on the ship until 2026, so I imagine that it may look different then.  Although, it may benefit other cruisers if you did post updated pics.

You're welcome and that's a good tip.  I think she goes to drydock later this year and the tumor is that it will be extensive - it's also showing as longer than typical for a vista class ship.  At a minimum, it seems like the northern lights night club will be turned into the gallery bar as has happened on the other vistas and signature vessels.  Perhaps more?

I almost booked one of these cabins on the Noordam.  I can only speculate that while you'll get more light, it will be windier.  Not as windy as forward facing cabin due to the lifeboats nearby, but not as wind free as a "normal" verandah cabin.  Not sure how else to characterize it.

It used to be a smoking/cigar lounge.  Now its just a closed off room thats presumably quiet most of the time.  It may be hosted for occasional functions or meetings  I imagine it may get repurposed during the next drydock to increase the crows nest area.

Some photos:

https://halfacts.com/vista-class/noordam-observation-deck/

I'm heading out on the Noordam later this month if you want more photos.