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Sea42, I am interested in this same cruise for 2019, maybe some one will know. Maybe Holland America would know! Will keep checking in here! We are celebrating our 70th birthdays that year.

We did the VOV in 2016, loved everything about it. Do you have the itinerary for the 2019 cruise? Would love to see that, can't find it on the website! Thanks.

We did this cruise in 2006/2007 over the holidays. It was by far the best cruise we have ever done. We did not feel cheated at all that we did not go ashore. Walking out on the bow on New Year Day early morning was magical. We would do this cruise again if not fir the long flight there. GO, ENJOY.

We are looking at booking a 21 day Caribbean cruise this spring. I have read on other sites that not all Caribbean ports are safe, any truth to this. We would love to get away for 21 days this winter. Thanks.

I thought this cruise was one of the best I/we have had. We just walked the town of Ketchikan and visited a few museums and shops. Tracy Arm was wonderful and there were alot of mamas and baby seals on the ice flows. We still had alot of snowcovered mountain peaks and it was beautiful. In Juneau we did the Photo Safari and Mendenjall glacier tour. I really enjoyed that, saw lots of whales and eagles. IcyStraight Point was my favorite port. It is a short call and a tender port. If you are not on a HAL excursion you must get a tender ticket, do that as soon as you can. We went onshore alittle early and walked around. It was a quaint little setup. Whale watching was good but too many people for us and not enough outside space on the boat we took. Anchorage was nice, we took the free shuttle in town and walked, then went to the zoo and a few museums. Homer was good. Took the shuttle to the spit, then went on a Taste of Homer tour, ok. Loved Kodiak. Took the Fort Ambercrombie Nature Hike. Loved that, beautiful scenery and saw the WWll bunkers and museum. Hubbard Glacier, awesome. We got so close. Sitka was another tender port, get your tender ticket early if you want to go earlier in the day. Our ship tour was cancelled so took a bus to the Fortress of the Bear, great. Eagles were everywhere!! Victoria BC was ok. I did an Orca whale watch, saw orcas but not as close as the humpbacks. Loved this cruise. We did 2 days first in Seattle, wonderful. I think we had unusually great weather which helped. If I can help in any way, let me know.

DH and I were also on this cruise and yes DH got the respiratory bug also, I actually got it when I flew from Chicago to Seattle 2 days earlier. We never coughed on people tho! I wanted to tell KruzPrincess that we both thought this was a wonderful cruise , we could not have asked for better weather and felt the crew was wonderful. We never experienced any problem with plumbing or the AC. We always stay on the bottom deck, midship. We did hear banging noises a few times from the deck below us but it never interfered with our days or nights. The ports of call were wonderful, we enjoyed this cruise immensely. The food was very good but there were a few times in the Lido the food could have been warmer/hotter. We don't use the ships wifi so can't comment on that. I would not hesitate to recommend this cruise. Thanks for listening.

We did a "drive by" aboard a HAL ship in 2006/07 and it was AWESOME. I have been to Alaska 3 times, the 4th next week and it is beautiful but Antarctica is breathtaking. Our ship had 1300 passengers and that was a good size. We did not feel cheated that we only did the drive by, land was very very close. And did I mention the ICEBERGS? EVERYWHERE!!!! Both places are magical...IMO. Enjoy.

Hello, we were on the Maasdam this past October. The Dive-In has excellent burgers, and yes, the taco bar. We had many great selections during the cruise. Burgers are "gourmet", you do go up to order, then they give you a buzzer similar to restuarants to let you know when the food is ready. We ate there alot and really enjoyed it! The taco bar changed somewhat depending what port we were in! Enjoy.

We are so very sorry for your loss. Hold on to all your memories, how good you traveled so often. Our prayers are with you. Hugs.

Hello Janine. We have decided to wait to sign up for this excursion. We would do it thru the cruiseline too. We prefer to do the ship excursions. The cost thru HAL is very expensive, not sure if I can post the price on here. I did email HAL and they answered me right away. This is a 5 mile hike, not much incline but a short steep climb at the end. You start at one point and end at another. They said the hike was 205 minutes. We have signed up for several excursions thru the ship. Have you been to the ROLLCALL on here? There are people chatting about our cruise, some have made tours thru private companies. Will be sure to meet up when we get onboard! Marian

We will be on the May 18th 14 day Alaskan cruise on the Statendam, HAL. We will stop in Homer, Alaska and wonder if anyone has done the Glacier Lake Interpretive Hike. We are both 65 and in good shape. This sounds like a wonderful hike. Thanks for any info. Marian

Greetings. We are booked on the HAL Statendam for the 14 day Alaska cruise leaving Seattle on May 18, 2015. We have done Alaska several times but never this schedule. We are very excited about the smaller ports we will visit. And I am looking forward to cruising up the Cook Inlet to Anchorage. Book this cruise, we have a nice group on the HAL roll call site, we are from all over! I guess we never know what kind of weather we will have in May but who cares...we will be on a cruise! We choose a cabin on lowest deck, midship, its a nice place to be if the seas get rocking! Hope you can join us. Marian

AKStafford, we will be in Kodiak around the 3rd week in May, 2015, we are on HAL Statendam. Are we too early to see bears? Thanks, Marian

We are going on the HAL Statendam next May and we saw an excursion called Volcano Coast Exploration by Ocean Raft. We are both 65, good shape and good health. Has anyone ever done this excursion? It sounds fun and we like to do the "unusual". This excursion would be in Sitka. Thanks for any help. Marian

We booked the 14 day Statendam cruise leaving May, 2015. We really liked all the ports we are going to and sailing up the Cook Inlet! Have always wanted to see smaller ports like Homer and Kodiak. We choose the places we will see rather than the ship. Is does make a difference on how many days you can cruise. Go....enjoy the beauty!

A big Thank you! You are so helpful, we will enjoy our visit!

Hello, I am wondering what the Montreal airport is like. We will fly in from Chicago and would like to know how long for customs and how long will it take to get our luggage. Thanks for any replies.

Thanks so much, I was hoping that was the case!

We will be flying into Montreal for a cruise and are wondering if anyone can give us an estimate of the time it takes to go thru customs? We are coming in on a Saturday from Chicago, IL. Thanks in advance.

I have really enjoyed your postings, DH and I are doing this same cruise next May aboard the Statendam. I am even more excited now! Thank you so much.

Sorry, I see you went in June!

Nce again thank you for this wonderful and informative review. This exact cruise is on our list for 2015! Did you like the May departure date? Love your photos, thank your wife! Marian

Wow, what great suggestions! We have been to Alaska 3xs and we have done the land tour also. We saw bears feeding on salmon on one trip BUT we have yet to see whales! We like the idea of cruising up the Cook Inlet....and the smaller ports. Once again, thanks.

I am enjoying your post very much, I even share them with Dear Hubby! We are seriously considering this cruise for 2015. My question is, do you think the May sailing is best? What should we consider in choosing a date? We are retired so we can go most anytime! Any suggestions are welcome!

Thanks,

Marian

NOW I know we will do this cruise in 2015! I am soooo enjoying your posts, so entertaining! Thank You!