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Noordam Northbound to Alaska + Denali Almost Live


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Try this again............

 

A snap shot of Noordam as she heads north through the Inside Passage about 2 hours ago.

 

I recorded about 5 minutes of her off 2 of the web cams (2 were not on yet) and have it saved if any of your fellow passengers want it.

 

Noordam Northward Bound June 5 2017 approximately 6:42am PDT

 

Noordam_1_2017-06-05_0642-48.jpg.576e5c15a11c59819b78fd5d622f8f3b.jpg

Joanie

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.................

 

,,,,,,,,,,Changes that I noticed today: New elevator interiors, glassware in the Lido Market are now plastic, "On Locations" are now "Where & When" with a new format, MDR tables have new table number markers that include the name of the waiters serving each table, Lido Market tables now have the name of the server responsible for each table, stateroom cards are now scanned as part of the Passenger Safety Drill, all electrical adapters/cords in carry-on luggage are confiscated and sent to ship's Security (I will plead my case tomorrow), new folders on your bed during evening turn down (Where & When, Breakfast Card, and promotions), invitations and dining reservations now in very small envelopes, lots of USB ports around the staterooms (bedsides, desk, new literature in staterooms (Room Service menus, DVD list, welcome booklets, etc,), HAL Security is now located before entering the gangway, and new Alaska shopping bag...............

 

More later.

 

Thanks for the wealth of information, and for taking the time to post here! I bolded your sentence above, because I find it interesting. We always bring a power strip and extension cord on every HAL cruise, and we've never had a problem. We bring them onboard via hand luggage or checked luggage, either way, no problem. The power strip we use is an older one that does not have a surge protector. Don't know why they're picking on you. Hope they give you back your adaptors and cords.

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Roger, I am really enjoying traveling along with you. We're doing the Noordam's southbound cruise next year, so it's great to gather information about a ship new to us.

 

I am especially looking forward to your Denali photos as we are headed up there this August (via Alaska Railroad).

 

Hi, Joanie! :D

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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.

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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.

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Great review so far. What is your itinerary? Is it just to Denali, or are you also going into the Yukon?

 

I'm doing the 14-day triple Denali and Yukon at the end of August on the Volendam, so I'm interested in any information I can find on these cruise tours, since there are not a lot of reviews for them.

 

Looking forward to reading the rest of your review! :)

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Great review so far. What is your itinerary? Is it just to Denali, or are you also going into the Yukon?

 

I'm doing the 14-day triple Denali and Yukon at the end of August on the Volendam, so I'm interested in any information I can find on these cruise tours, since there are not a lot of reviews for them.

Looking forward to reading the rest of your review!

 

I am going to Denali for three days and then flying home. There are 14 different Land Itineraries on this ship so I would need more info about yours to ask the Land Tours lady the right questions for you.

 

There was a briefing letter in my stateroom with booking codes that are needed. DO NOT overlook or discard the letter.

 

At today's briefing for the HAL Land Tours (there is a private tour group aboard that is also going to Denali with a different briefing) we learned some passengers are traveling by bus and some by domed-train to/from Denali in assigned seats. Some train seats face backward. Box lunches are provided but there is also a menu for more food if you pay by credit card. Buses and train have bathrooms with buses making stops every 90 minutes for bathroom breaks. Medical equipment can be carried in the luggage compartment of both buses and trains. There is another briefing Friday for luggage issues.

 

Daily itineraries and hotel room keys will be distributed only the night before each arrival and are not available in one package. Luggage is limited to one bag and a small carry-on. There is no access to your luggage until it is delivered to your hotel room each night so meds need to be in your small carry-on. With my Scott E Vest, I can wear more stuff in addition to the camera bag I will carry. As of today, the letter mentioned above is the only literature I have received but will get my first daily itinerary the day before we disembark. If I can convince the Land Tours person, I will try to get some more info for you for your specific itinerary. I will at least share what info is applicable to my itinerary. FWIW I will try to collect as much info as possible and scan as many menus that I can.

 

Denali buses are modified school buses that will be making numerous stop as well as immediate stops for wildlife. Only the first 17 road miles are open this week with more opening next week.

With most of the passengers on board doing 14 different Land Tours, it is difficult to discuss specific details with others without getting very confused. I discovered the latter very quickly this morning at breakfast.

 

I will be posting an in-depth review of my specific itinerary but will be glad to seek answers for other itineraries if you pose the questions on this thread. Answers will be posted as soon as I obtain them. If I discover any relevant web URLs, I will post them here.

 

My fingers are crossed that I will have internet access in Denali.

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Thanks for the wealth of information, and for taking the time to post here! I bolded your sentence above, because I find it interesting. We always bring a power strip and extension cord on every HAL cruise, and we've never had a problem. We bring them onboard via hand luggage or checked luggage, either way, no problem. The power strip we use is an older one that does not have a surge protector. Don't know why they're picking on you. Hope they give you back your adaptors and cords.

 

It is not HAL but rather the Security contractors in Vancouver confiscating. I did see a safety video on board that stated personal multi-connector cords are not permitted with a picture of the type of adapter cord that was confiscated from me. Only "cords" were declared "not allowed" and not the adapters without cords. They took both types from me but only from my carry-on bag.

Since I have other adapters, I am not in panic mode.

 

FWIW There are four USB ports, one on each side of the bed and two at the desk.

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SO sad to read only 17 miles into Denali on the TWT. That was to be a highlight. It is normally 50 or so I think?

On a good day you can go 89 miles. I was fortunate and was there on a good day. :)

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SO sad to read only 17 miles into Denali on the TWT. That was to be a highlight. It is normally 50 or so I think? Our tour is Thursday. It will be much shorter than I had hoped.

 

The entire park roads don't officially open until Jun 8 even if they are not blocked by snow. You might be just fine.

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Looking forward to seeing the MDR Menus...we'll be sailing on her June 25th!

 

The menus are posted on the free Navigator web page and are very hard to copy/save/print but I have not yet given up. I will be pasting individual screen shots and stitching them back together to reassemble them. Wish I had a bigger monitor than this laptop to get a larger capture.

 

Only the menu of the day is available.

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Second Question: Who is the Noordam Captain and Cruise Director?

 

Captain is Draper. CD is Jeremy.

 

FWIW one of my favorite PG Managers Alper went home last week. New Manager is still getting her feet wet.

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This first sea day started with bright sun and blue skies while closing under thick clouds.

 

Early breakfast on this sea day had no waiting lines at 7:15 AM yet almost every table was occupied with the exception of a large community table. I was joined by three women traveling with a private tour group to Denali. From them, I learned that my itinerary was not like theirs although going to the same place.

 

I noted that the large Belgian waffles were replaced by much smaller ones and new fruit compotes are available.

 

When one of the women mentioned Cruise Critic, I asked if they were members. They were not members but an hour-long conversation added them and they benefited from my Alaska experience knowledge base. They now know which side of the White Pass train to ride, the truth about Tracy's Crab Shack's king crab legs, souvenirs at Tongass Trading Co., dog sledding, Alaska Fudge Company, etc. They kept asking if was a travel agent but I assured them that most of what I know came from CC.

 

The kitchen tour started with a line forming at the bathrooms as each tour member stood in line to wash their hands with soap an water. With our hands freshly cleaned, we were led to the Deck 2 dining room where we all completed a Health Certificate. Unlike other tours, the groups were quite large which meant we in the back could hear nothing. There were no demonstrations of baking prowess, explanation of the plating photo guides, or promotion of the PG (everyone was offered a small crostini with a tapenade. Other ships' tours included presentations by the leader of each kitchen section. I got some good pictures but was otherwise disappointed with the presentation.

 

The America's Test Kitchen salmon cooking demo was very professional which upheld the high standards of the show on PBS. The handouts were excellent and included a page with photographs on how to filet salmon.

 

At the 1:00 PM Denali briefing, I learned that most of the ship was headed for subsequent land tours 14 of which were going to Denali. With so many variations, few specifics were given but all were assured that itineraries would be distributed on a daily basis and not in one collective package. There is another Denali luggage briefing on Friday.

 

When I purchased my Future Cruise Deposits form the FCD team, I asked about the new ship. The FCD folks were on the first few months of the Konigsdam and assured me that the lessons learned will make the Nieuw Statendam a better entry-level ship. OBC is doubled if you book a cruise while on board.

 

Tonight was Gala Night but also the night for my promo PG dinner. Being a 5:30 PM diner, I am usually one of the very few in the PG. Instead, the PG was packed as most of the free PG dinners were booked at that time tonight. Prepared Caesar salads were delivered, already dressed, to the table rather than prepared table side because they were so busy (so I was told when I asked). My king crab legs were excellent and cracked n a manner that made removal of the meat very easy. Dinner took nearly two hours even though I was a single diner.

 

With only a lone movie each day at 4:00 PM in the Queen's Lounge and the BB King group occupying all of the other evening hours, I am suffering movie popcorn withdrawal.

 

The new Navigator webpage is amazing for providing information and menus, but it is very difficult to copy the information for saving.

 

For the smokers, the aft Lido smoking area is nearly empty from my previous cruises observations.

 

Somebody told me that there were nearly 100 kids on board but I can remember seeing only 10 so far. Club HAL must be doing a great job providing fun for all of them.

 

Tomorrow is Ketchikan and a flightseeing crab feast for me. More tomorrow.

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So glad I found your thread Roger, thanks so much for taking us along. I'm looking at the triple Denali for next year so will be taking notes! Have a grand time!

Hi Joanie! Thanks for the beautiful screen shots you grabbed and posted. It's been 10 years since we went to Alaska last and it's beauty really beckons! Trusting you are enjoying vicariously, as we all are. Hugs, m--

 

PS On our last HAL cruise, Amsterdam, we had off-the-shelf Caesar salads in the PG, poor form I thought. And the place was actually empty because it was an overnight port in Bora Bora ( a very low density night on the ship, and the MDR menu was near worthless). And they couldn't prepare our salads tableside, oh well things change.

 

Roger, Please explain what your a/c adapters were, I'm confused. Why would you need adapters on the ship or in an Alaskan hotel? I always bring an 8' extension cord with multiple plugs (mostly for the fan to reach my side of the bed), not a power strip, no surge suppression. Should I take 2 now and pack one in checked, one in carry on? And cross my fingers.... Departing PE/FLL in October. Thx. m--

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I am going to Denali for three days and then flying home. There are 14 different Land Itineraries on this ship so I would need more info about yours to ask the Land Tours lady the right questions for you.

 

There was a briefing letter in my stateroom with booking codes that are needed. DO NOT overlook or discard the letter.

 

At today's briefing for the HAL Land Tours (there is a private tour group aboard that is also going to Denali with a different briefing) we learned some passengers are traveling by bus and some by domed-train to/from Denali in assigned seats. Some train seats face backward. Box lunches are provided but there is also a menu for more food if you pay by credit card. Buses and train have bathrooms with buses making stops every 90 minutes for bathroom breaks. Medical equipment can be carried in the luggage compartment of both buses and trains. There is another briefing Friday for luggage issues.

 

Daily itineraries and hotel room keys will be distributed only the night before each arrival and are not available in one package. Luggage is limited to one bag and a small carry-on. There is no access to your luggage until it is delivered to your hotel room each night so meds need to be in your small carry-on. With my Scott E Vest, I can wear more stuff in addition to the camera bag I will carry. As of today, the letter mentioned above is the only literature I have received but will get my first daily itinerary the day before we disembark. If I can convince the Land Tours person, I will try to get some more info for you for your specific itinerary. I will at least share what info is applicable to my itinerary. FWIW I will try to collect as much info as possible and scan as many menus that I can.

 

Denali buses are modified school buses that will be making numerous stop as well as immediate stops for wildlife. Only the first 17 road miles are open this week with more opening next week.

With most of the passengers on board doing 14 different Land Tours, it is difficult to discuss specific details with others without getting very confused. I discovered the latter very quickly this morning at breakfast.

 

I will be posting an in-depth review of my specific itinerary but will be glad to seek answers for other itineraries if you pose the questions on this thread. Answers will be posted as soon as I obtain them. If I discover any relevant web URLs, I will post them here.

 

My fingers are crossed that I will have internet access in Denali.

 

Crew News, thank you so much for being willing to do this. The trip my sister and I are taking is the Y2C: 14-day Yukon & Triple Denali with the cruise portion first. From reading a lot of other posts that I could find, I've found out quite a bit of information, but things like departure and arrival times to various locations I'm having to guess at.

 

If you get an opportunity, can you find out if there is a laundry service available at Denali or Dawson City? I know there is self-service laundry, but I wondered if there was a laundry service and (if possible) how much it would be.

 

What about any spa services (massages, etc) in Denali? We'll be there 3 days.

 

I'm looking forward to any recommendations you have for restaurants in Denali. I read on another thread that Prospectors Pizzeria is supposed to be really good for pizza.

 

Again, thank you for taking time out of your vacation for answering our questions. :)

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FWIW There are four USB ports, one on each side of the bed and two at the desk.

 

Does anyone know if this is the same on the Volendam?

 

Also, did they confiscate your cords in your checked luggage? Were you able to get any of it back? My concern would be not having it when we get to the land portion of the trip. Also, my sister travels with a CPAP machine. If the outlet plug for the machine is too far from the bed, we'll need some kind of extension cord to plug it in. Needless to say, CPAPs don't run on USB ports. ;p

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Somebody told me that there were nearly 100 kids on board but I can remember seeing only 10 so far. Club HAL must be doing a great job providing fun for all of them.

 

 

This surprises me so early in the season. My son's school lets out on June 16th, so I would have assumed that they are still in school... Hopefully there will be a decent number of kids on our 14 Night AK cruise on Amsterdam in July. (not sure with 14-nights...)

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........<Snip>........Also, my sister travels with a CPAP machine. If the outlet plug for the machine is too far from the bed, we'll need some kind of extension cord to plug it in. Needless to say, CPAPs don't run on USB ports. ;p

 

If you need an extension cord for a medical device, you can get one from the Room Steward, Front Desk or the Concierge in the Neptune Lounge (if you are in a suite.) All you need to do is ask one of them for it. Make sure to ask for it ASAP after boarding.

 

........<Snip>.........Hi Joanie! Thanks for the beautiful screen shots you grabbed and posted. It's been 10 years since we went to Alaska last and it's beauty really beckons! Trusting you are enjoying vicariously, as we all are. Hugs, ]........<Snip>.........

Yeah, kinda enjoying it vicariously:( Jealous as heck of him being on the ship in my favorite place in the world, Alaska........... Oh well...........

If you really want to enjoy the beauty you can go to Explore.org's Orca Cams which are located on and around Hanson Island at the Northern end of the Inside Passage. The cams are spaced out in several locations from Cracroft Point (Port McNeill, Alert Bay) to Parsons Island (Port Hardy.)

The Explore Cams are at http://explore.org/live-cams/player/orcalab-base

Joanie

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