davidpw97

Did the Mckinley Explorer from Denali to Anchorage back in May. I believe we were told we couldn't get off. We picked up new passengers and left again. I think even if I had been allowed to get off, there didn't seem enough time to go into town or see anything noteworthy before having to get back on the train again.

Looking forward to the rest of your report. I did the same trip at the end of May into June. I went to the Banks Alehouse for Trivia night when I was in Fairbanks. The food was average but the trivia was fun.

We did a combo Whale watching/Mendenhall glacier tour while in Juneau with Juneau Tours that also included a trolley tour of Juneau. They are rated #1 on trip advisor. We still had plenty of time for shopping and the Mt. Roberts Tramway.

How is Seward embarkation? We have a major marine tour until 1230. Will that be ok? Will they be able to store our luggage or can we leave it with the ship prior to excursion? Thanks

Will you be spending the night before in a hotel or arriving in town that day? I did a HAL cruise last month. We spent the night prior to the cruise in a hotel in Seward as part of our land/sea package. We could have left our luggage outside our door and they would have taken it for us if we had an early tour, but we went straight to the ship and carried our luggage on. So if you're in a hotel the night before they might carry your luggage over to the ship for you while you take your tour.

Good Review.

I sailed the week after you on the southbound trip. We had rain and clouds nearly every day, sometimes quite heavy rain.

Thank you so much! If you don't mind my asking what days were your Gala nights?

Monday and Friday I think but I will double check. Didn't do any gala nights.

A heads-up on entertainment for Crews News and any others who may be sailing the Noordam this season:

 

Don't miss Jeremy Oren in the Piano Bar!

 

We were on the Noordam May 21-28 and went to part of his show almost every night. (He plays 8:30 - late). On only the first night (before passengers heard how incredible he was), were we able at find seating at 8:30 pm. You better get there about 30-45 minutes early if you want to sit or wait until 10:30 pm when many of the early arrivals have finally left. While all of his shows were fabulous (only rock and roll--no Broadway or musicals tunes), the best for me was "Beatles and Brits".

 

I think he said he'd be on board for just a couple of months before moving to NYC, so those sailing after July might not see him. He was the best entertainer PERIOD I have ever seen on a cruise ship.

I just got off the Noordam and must 2nd this. He was amazing.

Also regarding the ship being late, there was an announcement made early Saturday morning talking about the various checkpoints we would be passing and there was mention of us being late gettin to them but I don't remember the reason. I believe it was either tide or weather related.

Day 14: Vancouver and final thoughts

We disembarked around 9AM. We didn't put our bags out and were able to get off ahead of when our color was called because we didn't have to wait for bags. Our flight out is 1120PM and I'm currently sitting in the Vancouver airport using their Wi-Fi. We booked a bus tour around Vancouver today. It was a 4 hour tour, hit all the main neighborhoods and sites of Vancouver. Looks like a fun city.

Final thoughts:

This is only my 2nd cruise ever and it had both good and bad. The scenery, Alaska is beautiful. The people; all fellow cruisers and crew members I interacted with were cool and friendly. Jeremy and Marshal, the cruise director and assistant cruise director were amazing and readily available to talk to and did a good job making sure people were having fun. Marshal especially was a great guy and did a superb job. He jumped in the pool for the polar plunge, hosted trivia every night, called the bingo games and DJ'd in Northern Lights every night. The food: the Lido deck had a great selection of food for all meals. I loved the salad bar and pasta bar. I also enjoyed a grilled chicken sandwich from the poolside grill. Meals at Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto were also good but if there's a next time I'll stick to the Lido for food. Nightly Entertainment: Most shows were good, Jeremy Oren in the piano bar was incredible and if HAL removes the piano bars from ships and replaces them with dueling pianos it would be a shame because a guy that talented shouldn't have to share the spotlight with anyone. BB kings club had 3 shows a night and the dance floor was always crowded. Northern lights was dead all week and I felt bad for Marshal having to sit there in the DJ booth all night with no one dancing. Based on this week's experience I can see why they have removed night clubs from most HAL ships. Activities: I found things to do every day but not at all times of day. I did spend a lot of time wandering aimlessly around. Overall I had a great time and loved Alaska and look forward to visiting again but on my own and not part of a tour. I'm happy to answer any questions or share pictures in private e-mails. I have most of my daily when and where's and can answer activity questions too.

Day 13: At Sea

Woke up for breakfast and then 10am jackpot bingo. After bingo I checked out the sales in the shops. I spent part of the afternoon packing and then more bingo at 4. Went to the Martini Tasting again tonight. Then dinner in the mdr. This was the only night we ate in the dining room. Service was slow, and I didn't see anything appetizing on the menu so I left my party and ate on Lido deck instead. 7pm trivia as usual, then wandered around a bit. Tonight there was 1 show at 930 instead of 8 and 10. It was a combo of the singer and comedian from earlier in the week. Great show. After the show it was piano bar til closing.

Day 12: Ketchikan

I didn't have anything booked ahead of time today but it turned out to be an awesome day. We arrived nearly 2 hours early and yet again the weather was awful. It was cold and quite rainy. I got off the ship around 1045 and went to one of the tour booths on the pier. I booked a nature/city tour that included a ticket to Dolly's house for 60$, which was much less than what it sells for on board. We saw a lot of Eagles and went to an area around a Salmon hatchery that's known for bear sightings, but no bears. We drove around town, went to one of the Totem parks and ended at Dollys house. I skipped that and went back to the pier to find something else to do. I talked to a guy about booking a float plane ride to the fjords. Most float plane trips were cancelled today due to weather. But he said his was still on so myself and a couple others were taken by bus to the marina. We waited for about 15 minutes and the flight was called off due to high winds and they brought us back to the cruise dock. I hopped on the bus to downtown, shopped a little. Found a guy at another flight plane booth and told him what happened, he said if the weather cleared we could try again. My mother met up with me at the tour booth and we again went to the plane office/marina. This time the weather had cleared enough to take off but because it was later in the day the trip would be shorter so we could be back to the ship in time. It was an amazing experience and considering most float plane rides were cancelled today, I consider us quite lucky. Then it was back to the ship for dinner. After dinner it was more trivia, casino, piano bar.

Tell me more about the martini tasting![emoji2]

 

 

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There was a tasting Every night at 6pm at the Atrium bar. I went 4 of the nights I was on board and it was great fun. 4$ for 4 samplings. I was on a drink package and had a 50$ drink credit too. I'd recommend it.

We will be sailing on the Noordam the week of July 9th. My husband loves to play poker and all HAL will tell me is that they have it in the casino. Does anyone know what time tournaments kick off? I believe they will only be open on our sea days if you could confirm this as well I'd appreciate it!

I just got off the Noordam and have most of my when&where's. There was a 3 card poker tournament at 830pm on Glacier Bay day. No tournament on Haines or Juneau day but there were Texas holdem cash games starting at 930 in Haines and 9 in Juneau. On Ketchikan day at 830 there was a Let it ride poker high hand competition. On the final sea day there were Texas holdem tournaments at 11 and 1 and cash games starting at 9.

Day 11: Juneau

We booked a whale watch/glacier/city tour today thru Viator on Juneau tours. They were great. The whale watch was fun and our captains Jordan and Jacob were fantastic. We saw plenty of whales and a few sea lions. Mendenhall Glacier was quite a sight but by this point I am glaciered out. Tour bus brought us back to the pier for the trolley tour. I skipped it and went up the tramway. The view up there is incredible and even though the day started out cloudy it was clear at the top of the mountain. I did the 1 mile trail loop and came back down. Did a little shopping and got back on board around 4pm. I wish we had more time in Juneau. There was a whale right outside the ship between the ship and the pier and it stayed for a while. I could also see whales in the Harbor as we sailed away. We had dinner tonight in Canaletto and it was amazing. The show tonight was a comedian, I skipped it but heard he was funny. Played more trivia tonight in both Northern lights and the piano bar.

Day 10: Haines

We didn't sign up for any excursions today. I personally didn't see anything that seemed of interest. I'm not quite sure why we spend so much time in Haines, a tiny town with very little to do, and so much less time in both Juneau and Ketchikan where there seems to be more going on. In my opinion 630AM to 830PM is too much time here. However we did get off the ship and wander around down. I shopped, went to the library for the Wi-Fi, the distillery, raptor museum and was back on board by 1pm. Took a nap and relaxed for a while. Lido for dinner, trivia, casino, piano bar then bed. Show tonight was a BBC nature show backed by musicians. I watched a few minutes and it looked decent but I know if I had stayed for the whole thing it probably would have put me to sleep.

Day 9: Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay was beautiful and I spent a lot of time on deck today. They did have problems with the audio in the rooms on the TV. People watching from their balconies are supposed to be able to turn to a certain channel on the TV to hear the Park Ranger's commentary but it never worked. Spent the late afternoon napping, then martini tasting again, dinner, and trivia.

The show tonight was Tyler Bryce, singer/musical impressionist. They said he was a new act for this ship and he killed. By far the best show of the week. A very talented guy. Participated in movie music trivia tonight and finally came in first place .

Day 8: At Sea

I signed up for an 830AM cycling class in the gym. 45 minute class for 12$. It was good but my legs have been sore ever since and now I remember why I don't do cycling classes. After class I spent sometime in the hot tub. At noon I participated in the polar bear plunge in the lido outdoor pool. I participated in a slot tournament, bingo, martini tasting and evening trivia. The main show tonight was called Happily Ever After, it was a musical featuring fairytales retold with more modern music. I enjoyed it but wouldn't call it outstanding or Broadway caliber. There have been many conversations recently about a lack of activities but I didn't find that to be the case. I found things to participate in every day and enjoyed all areas of nightly entertainment.

Is that a whale in the harbor?

I'm on board now. There were whales in the Harbor. I was eating dinner at Canaletto as we sailed away and could see It out the window. Earlier it actually surfaced in the space between the ship and the dock and went up and down along side the ships as people were getting back on. I actually went on a whale watch today and have better pictures of the whales from my balcony than from the tour.

In Juneau today. Finally have a good internet connection.

Day 7: Embarkation

Weather in Seward was awful all day. We took the 1115 shuttle to the ship and stayed On board. Embarkation was quick and easy. Luggage arrived within 45 minutes. Beds weren't separated but that was taken care of quickly. We're In a 5th floor Verandah room. Rest of the day was spent exploring the ship. 6PM martini tasting, 7pm trivia, piano bar til closing.

Missed the sail in, again. Looks like a real miserable day there today, they sure are due for some sun shine.

Allan

I'm on board now. It was cool and a bit of drizzle on and off but not bad. I went up the tramway and had a great clear view.

Enjoying your review. Which hotel were you assigned to in Anchorage?

Westmark

I think all of this summer's tours have the Denali Dollars promotion. I know they can be used for dining or the shops....but how are they applied? Is there a paper certificate in the check in envelope? I had assumed it would be like a credit toward room charges, but on another thread there is not room charge there; just pay as you go. Anyone been this year to answer?

Was in Denali last week. We each got a gift certificate for 25$ in our welcome packets at the McKinley Chalet. We had dinner at Canyon steakhouse one night and gave our certificates to our server when he brought the check.

There are excursions that do both whale watching and Mendenhall glacier, so you could do both. I'll be doing that in a few days and will report back.

Day 6: Anchorage to Seward.

Buses didn't leave Anchorage until 1230. That gave us time to check out the Saturday and Sunday morning marketplace. The Marketplace was cool and a great place to pick up locally made products. Best part though was the food. The train conductor recommended the salmon quesadillas and they did not disappoint. I had mine with Salmon and reindeer and it was amazing. Boarded the bus at 1230. It's a beautiful drive from Anchorage to Seward, very scenic. The coach makes 1 stop, makes the trip longer than it should be. Upon arrival in Seward we took the shuttle from the Hotel to the downtown area. We ate dinner, shopped and walked around a little. I saw otters and a seal while walking along the waterfront. Back at the hotel now and about sleep.

Day 5: Travel to Anchorage

We boarded the bus to the train depot around 845. Train left around 915. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole train experience but at nearly 7 hours, it is a long day. I spent a lot of time in the outside area between cars. It was cold and windy but it's the best place to take pictures without anything in the way. There was a small seating area in the car ahead of mine and that car was empty for half the trip so it was a great place to sit and enjoy some peace and quiet. I had great conversations with the conductor and other crew members. I'd recommend that everyone try to make it back to the caboose, it's got a lot of space and is another great photo spot. I would have liked to get off in Talkeetna to look around but that was the only disappointing part of the train ride. Arrived at the hotel around 530. Went to dinner at Humpys and took a trolley tour. I'd highly recommend the trolley tour, it's a great way to see Anchorage when time is limited. Did a little shopping after the trolley and went back to the hotel.

How is the Chalet? Reviews on Tripadvisor are not that good. Oh, can you tell me if there are facilities to do laundry?

I enjoyed the Chalet. Yes there are laundry facilities.