Crew News

Laundry service has slowed and there is now a shortage of hangers to return clothing.

A search of the onboard menus showed no brownies in the dining venues. Your brownie question prompted me to not only pose the question but take a large bite of a subject brownie when I discovered it in the Explorations Cafe glass-domed tray. The top 1/3d of the 1-inch square brownie was creamy icing with a whole walnut on top and provided an instant chocolate and sugar surge. At that moment, all was right in the world. At opening, The Explorations Cafe has croissants available. At 10:00 AM, and later at 2:00 PM, brownies, muffins, and biscotti are provided. At 6:00 PM, various chocolates are provided. When time permits, I will now start the "brownie" line at 10:00 AM at the Explorations Cafe for a daily chocolate "fix."

Day 11 Endicott Arm The day began with a chilly rain and ended in beautiful sunshine. Breakfast in the Lido Market found the windows tables occupied by either those reading books or those looking for whales. The buffet lines were long when I arrived two hours after opening time. Again, I found a nice window table beside the indoor pool to eat my meusli (shortest buffet line). Within a few minutes, all of the windows tables were occupied with whale and glacier watchers. Unlike the brave passengers on the bow, I periodically stepped out on my aft balcony for pictures of Dawes Glacier without a rain jacket. In fog and rain, the glacier was still impressive. I was surprised with the frequent announcements by the Captain to include announcing harbor seals off the forward bow. He must be reading this thread as I posted earlier his lack of passenger announcements. Lunch found many of the same passengers still filling the same Lido Market tables as they searched for wildlife or just read a favorite book. I joined the long line at the Sweet Spot to obtain my cookie sample. After enduring several guest's lengthy ice cream flavor indecision, I surrendered and opted for a bowl of chowder. Surprisingly, I found a spot at one of the partially occupied community tables for a quick lunch before rejoining the line at the Sweet Spot. The peanut butter cookie was chewy, easily broken, and had lots of peanut pieces. Similarly, so did the oatmeal raisin cookie with both cookies earning a "B+" rating. The chocolate chip cookies was more crunchy than chewy and had a good amount of chips to earn a "B" grade. When I arrive at my MDR dinner table, I found it occupied by two "anytime" diners who had been escorted by Deck 2 personnel without checking. I was told by the Fixed Dining Host that a similar table would be found for me in another section. As has been my policy for many years, I noted the elapsed time for my meal. A new record was set!!! 48 minutes for a complete dinner service surpassed the previous 49-minute record set last year on the same ship. Kudos will be posted on "let us know" and I will try to get my table switched permanently. FWIW the ship closed all water service due to a leaking pipe (announced by the Captain) for about an hour during mealtime. It will be interesting to hear stories of, "What were you doing when the water stopped?" There are still a few questions for me to investigate. Tomorrow is Wrangell and I have no plans ashore.

Confirmed at tonight's MDR dinner.

There are still a few more days to pose questions and get answers to help in your planning.

MDR menus will also be the same: Alaska 14-Day MDR Menus

I was aboard this same ship last October and posed your question. There were no designated CO tables, rather the CO guests could choose from those tables that were not reserved. Only 50% of the MDR Deck 2 can be reserved so lots of options. I will ask again to see if this has changed.

There is a new optional luggage program in Vancouver, "Direct to Bus Program," that eliminates picking up luggage in the terminal for those booked on a HAL airport shuttle to either Seattle or Vancouver airports. It will be on special airport transfer buses that depart before 8:00 AM. Other airport shuttles will depart at 8:30 and 9:30 AM for those that want to roll their own luggage to the airport shuttle buses and hand their Canada Immigration to a waiting hand while exiting the baggage terminal. I am weighing the pros and cons. Pros: Canada Immigration forms are pre-submiited with program form. Don't see your luggage until you get off the shuttle bus. Don't have to roll your luggage to the bus Cons: Cannot add items used the night before Embarkation Day Cannot see your luggage loaded into the shuttle bus. Ship departure with line with "self-disembarking" passengers. At least 30 minutes less sleep. Earlier breakfast. Cannot turn in luggage outside of four hours before flight. Longer wait in airport terminal. Unproven system. Lost luggage in a foreign country issues.

3:30 PM in both Ocean and Billboard Onboard 50% off.

Signature-class NY Pizza is a much smaller facility next to the Seaview Bar by the outdoor pool. The menu is limited to pizza and salad. Being so close to the Lido Market Buffet makes it easy to bring some of your own ingredients for custom pizzas. In my case, Feta cheese and spinach makes a great pizza. Breakfast is quite a secret and never a line on the Pinnacle-class ships. Here is the latest menu (Note that only pizza and salads are available on Signature): New York Deli & Pizza - 2024

Day 10 Skagway My day began with broken clouds and other ships in port. Unlike my last docking next to the cliffs, the Nieuw Amsterdam was docked away from the rock slide area. My excursion bus driver recounted that the government has two individuals camped atop the cliffs to operate the laser measurement devices that monitor any potential future rock slides. Supposedly, there are more than 100 Skagway residents on the waiting list for the $60K jobs. As usual, Room Service arrived 25 minutes before the "around" time of my requested delivery. This must be a downside of an aft stateroom as those farther from the stern receive their breakfast on time, I arrived 15 minutes early for my train into the Yukon excursion and learned my tardiness earned a seat in the back of the bus next to the bathroom. The long bus ride to Emerald Lake made a roadside stop to photograph mountain goats and purchase snacks from a local vendor.. Continuing along he road, mountain goats were more plentiful than normally seen this early in the season. The barbecue lunch at the Wildlife Center (formerly Cairncross) was the same as my last visit. The museum offered large stuffed animals that will be interesting subjects for Photoshop AI creations. A short stop in Caribou Crossing preceded a train ride back to Skagway. Broken clouds with a bit of fog occurred deep into the Yukon. My daily cookie evaluation was limited to peanut butter and chocolate chip versions. For both, a bit of crunch had grown to reduce the chew which resulted in a "B" grade. It must be noted that my fellow passengers seem to begin forming a line for ice cream cones at the Sweet Spot whenever I wish to select just a few cookies for evaluation. Last year, HAL cookies were self-service items. Dinner was at the Tamarind that was 80% filled. Interestingly, I saw no guests in the Morimoto Restaurant. Tomorrow is a visit to Endicott Arm, pea soup, and a MDR Alaskan Brunch.

There was a naturalist onboard in Glacier Bay the last week of April and there have been several talks this cruise that I did not attend. Here is a link to the daily programs that I am posting each day: Alaska 14-Day Daily Programs Alaska 7-Day Daily Programs

Day 09 Juneau The day began and ended in a steady rain. My water resistant camera/lens, Gore Tex hiking shoes, and USB hand warmer, performed flawlessly. Room Service called me 80 minutes before the time set on my alarm to advise me that Raisin Bran was not available. Still in sleep mode, I opted for Cheerios which I detest. Again, my order arrived 25 minutes before the time I had requested. At least the pastries were good. My small-group whale watching excursion found shelter ashore as we waited for the arrival of our shuttle bus. The ramp down to the excursion boat was really steep. 18 passengers were with me on a small boat with hinged windows that were opened when whales were spotted. When asked to identify our hometowns, I was shocked to hear the couple behind me also announced that they from Albuquerque. Snack bars and water were provided. Many whale encounters happened but only a few fluke photo opportunities. Of note, was the new bathroom facilities at Auke Bay for both pre- and post-boat ride use. As the returning excursion boat neared the Nieuw Amsterdam, I noticed the line for Tracy's Crab Shack had no end in sight. With five ships in port, the streets were very crowded. Return to the ship included a local facial recognition scan and I was thanked by name for my participation. My brain paused for a moment before I remembered that I had just been in Juneau the first week in May. for another scan Dinner was at the less than half-filled Canaletto. I have noticed that the unneeded Canaletto servers have been helping in other dining venues. For the second day in a row, the cookies earned a B+ rating. Could someone aboard be reading this thread? Tid Bits: The Captain is the least informative in my many cruises experience. There are around 30 whale watching tours a day in Juneau with five ships in port. Five ships in port create a real crowd but some happy jewelry store operators, Onboard TV reception often freezes. Internet speed in my aft stateroom is 47.85 Mbps and 8,68 Mbps. There is a new luggage direct program from the ship to the airport. I will get more details and post. Next stop Skagway. Similar Juneau fog:

Day 08 At Sea For the first time on this cruise, the sun appeared but while the ship was at sea. All are looking forward to an excursion with the sun warming us. The sea was much calmer for a change and passengers emerged from their rooms to experience the Nieuw Amsterdam. At least they all found their way to the Lido Market Buffet for breakfast. As a solo, it remained difficult to find a table in the Lido Market and so my breakfast meals continued to be consumed beside the indoor pool. I attended a Mariner recognition ceremony for silver and platinum awardees. No peanuts were served. My daily cookie evaluation took place after waiting in the long line at the Sweet Spot. As I took special care to give a fair evaluation for each of the four types (oatmeal raisin, macadam nut, peanut, and chocolate chip), I was thrilled to give them each a B+ grade. All had a decent chew, reasonable breaking effort, and were not hard. Now, if the ship could just keep the same baker each day, I would be happy. Dressy Night was a visit to the MDR for dinner and I did not see a single tuxedo during the evening. My dinner service ,from the time I entered until I departed ,was a mere 50 minutes. A truly efficient operation by all involved. My day was spent scanning and uploading menus and daily programs. Here is a link to all of the information that I have collected over the past two cruises, including the 7-Day Alaska MDR dinner menus for the 2024 season: Updated Dining and Beverage Menus Next stop Juneau

As promised: Nieuw Amsterdam MDR Table Maps

Table maps are now in my hands. Will post links this evening;

When I have checked the TV, it has been a bit over 26 knots but the seas have been rolling. Same weather as last year when we had winds above 70 knots rhat listed the ship 13 degrees for four hours, Much calmer this year in the Gulf of Alaska

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.