REVIEW: 8 day Alaskan Cruise RT from Vancouver on HAL Noordam May 12-20, 2018

I didn't see many Alaksan cruise reviews so I decided to do one.

A little about my trip:

• 8 day on Holland America Noordam RT from Vancouver May 12-20, 2018
  
• 1st time on HAL
  
• 1st Alaskan Cruise
  
• 1st time in Vancouver but not first time to Canada
  

May 9th

Flight from Charlotte to Vancouver with a layover in Toronto. Landed in Vancouver and took a taxi to our hotel. Taxi was around $70 (Canadian). We stayed in North Vancouver at the Lonsdale Quay Hotel. The hotel was nice and the rooms were a decent size. Rooms were newly renovated (my parents stayed there 2 years ago and confirmed). Free WiFi but not many other free amentities.

The best thing about this hotel is everything around the hotel. The Lonsdale is directly above a small marketplace with restaurants (kind of like a food court in a mall but better) and shops. Because we were there for a couple days before the cruise, I was able to sample several different places and had: mexican, greek, fish and chips, Boba tea, breakfast (eggs, bacon, toast), and soup plus pastries and breads from 2 different places. There was also chinese, seafood, polish food, pizza, and probably a bunch of other places that I'm forgetting. I didn't have a bad meal the entire time so I highly suggest. There are a lot of other things around the hotel too but we found pretty much everything we needed right at the hotel.

The other good thing about this place is the Water Taxi. So North Vancouver is across the bay from Downtown Vancouver. It was cheaper to stay there but obviously then you are a ways away from downtown. The watertaxi is literally just outside the hotel and it about $4 each way vs $30-50 for a taxi. The watertaxi is super easy and convenient too. They run about every 15 minutes. It takes you quite close to the cruise port but there is a bit of a walk so keep that in mind. We took a taxi to the cruise port due to luggage and mobility issues of some of my party and it was so much easier but definitely more expensive.

My pictures aren't loading currently so I have to figure that out but I promise I have more info and lots of pictures!!!

Nevermind! I fixed it.

I won't be able to finish the review today but will add more as I can.

view of Downtown Vancouver from Lonsdale Quay Hotel

back of Lonsdale Quay Hotel...opposite view from previous picture.

I have a few questions about your layover in Toronto. Did you go through customs in Toronto? Was it hard to find your way in the airport? Were there signs in English?

We are possibly going through this airport for our trip next year.

Thanks for the info.

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While additional reviews are always appreciated, and yours might have just the perfect tidbit of info for another future cruiser so by all means carry on, there were at last count 9,326 member reviews of Alaska cruises so I think you're maybe not looking in the right places on CC for your info...

For example, if you'd searched about the benefits and limitations of staying in North Van before booking, you would have discovered that cab fare from YVR was more than twice the price compared to downtown, been able to find some hotels that were cheaper than the (Lonsdale Quay Hotel plus cab rides) and on the right side of the water, and saved both money and time.

Figuring out how Search works will greatly benefit your future cruise planning.

I have a few questions about your layover in Toronto. Did you go through customs in Toronto? Was it hard to find your way in the airport? Were there signs in English?

We are possibly going through this airport for our trip next year.

Thanks for the info.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Yes there are signs in English.

misssync thanks for the report. I'm looking forward to the rest :) I'm thrilled that you got to Lonsdale Quay (I really like that place), AND rode the Sea Bus (one of my favorite things to do in Vancouver -- I could ride it all day :D ) (y) And thanks for the report on the hotel. I'd been warned away from it by a friend a couple of years ago. I'm glad it has had some upgrading. I often see amazing offers for it; now I'll be more likely to consider it.

I have a few questions about your layover in Toronto. Did you go through customs in Toronto? Was it hard to find your way in the airport? Were there signs in English?

We are possibly going through this airport for our trip next year.

Thanks for the info.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Oh Good Lord! TORONTO!! It was a disaster lol. Yes everything was in English and French so finding your way around shouldn't be a problem especially if you are a veteran traveler. We had a 2 hour layover which ended up being about 10 minutes by the time was was done with everything but we had a few things that probably wouldn't be an issue for everyone else.

I booked the flights on Expedia. We started on American and then changed to WestJet in Toronto. That was problem #1. Because we flew in from Charlotte, we had to go through Customs...had to collect luggage and then put in on a different conveyor belt before continuing. The actual customs part was easy. They have little automated kiosks and then you talk to a person quickly and that was it.

Problem #2 was that we had a wheelchair that we checked. I called the airlines ahead of time to ask what would be easiest because my dad can walk some but needs his wheelchair for long distances. They assured me that checking would be easiest and it was free and he could just use the airport wheelchairs. We could then pick it up at our final destination and not have to worry about it in the airport.

Problem #3 - wheelchair is considered "oversized luggage" and had to be taken to a different location upstairs. I was sent to 4...yes you read that right, FOUR different oversized luggage places who each told me I was in the wrong place. Finally the fourth one, after telling me I was in the wrong place and I almost strangled her (not really but I did ask to speak to a manager). They agreed to take it and put it where it needed to go. We expected it to not arrive when we did...but it was there when we landed.

overall, If you don't have oversized luggage, it's still a hassle but that's the whole "international" part of the trip. We had to do the customs thing on the way home back through Toronto again but didn't have to touch the wheelchair so it wasn't so bad.

While additional reviews are always appreciated, and yours might have just the perfect tidbit of info for another future cruiser so by all means carry on, there were at last count 9,326 member reviews of Alaska cruises so I think you're maybe not looking in the right places on CC for your info...

 

For example, if you'd searched about the benefits and limitations of staying in North Van before booking, you would have discovered that cab fare from YVR was more than twice the price compared to downtown, been able to find some hotels that were cheaper than the (Lonsdale Quay Hotel plus cab rides) and on the right side of the water, and saved both money and time.

 

Figuring out how Search works will greatly benefit your future cruise planning.

Thanks for the info. I did search quite a lot but didn't see anything for this specific cruise line with this specific itinerary. I did get some great info about the ports and even Vancouver on there.

May 10 - Vancouver

We decided to tour Vancouver today. We took the SeaBus over to Vancouver and then walked (maybe 10 minutes) to Canada Place. Coincidently this is also where the cruise port is! Because of some mobility issues of members of my group, we decided on the Hop on/Hop off bus tour. We did both the city and the park rides which was about $54 each. I believe just one of them was $39 so we figured both was a good deal. They aren't really handicap accessible but if you can walk up a couple steps, it will work. There also wasn't really much room for a wheelchair/stroller, etc. It was basically jammed in a seat.

The busses that we were on were half closed and half open, meaning only half a roof. It was a really nice day when we went (65ish and partly cloudy) but on the back when driving it could be a little on the cool side. Not unpleasant but I was glad I had my sweatshirt.

We went on the park route first and went to Stanley Park. It was a gorgeous park and I'm sure we could have spent all day there but we had a lot we wanted to see.

We made a stop at the totems in the park as well. It was a fairly small area but really interesting and great views of the harbor and the bridge. There is also a small giftshop with some drinks and snacks and also public restrooms here too. I'm guessing not all of the stops have that.

for any tv/movie fans...Vancouver is a common filming destination. This bridge was in a bunch of scenes in Deadpool 2 :D

So I apparently lost some pictures here but we made several more stops around the park. We didn't get off at all of them (again because of mobility issues) but we made a break for lunch in ChinaTown. There were a lot of restaurants and shops there. We stopped at one that was slightly sketchy once we got inside but the food was decent and no one got sick so we'll call that a win.

After the tour we headed back to the hotel and ate in the lower half of Londsale Quay.

May 11 - Vancouver

Today we decided to go to the Vancouver Aquarium.

They had a Sea Lion show, a Dolphin show, and a lot of interactive pieces. It was really cute. Kind of small but not too small. Tickets were about $40 I believe and it was handicapped accessible everywhere.

The aquarium had a cafe for a full meal or just a snack. Seating was pretty limited though so just keep that in mind. There was also a good sized gift shop. Typical gift shop but had decent prices on some things and a really cute assortment of stuff especially for kids. They called a taxi for us but there is also a courtesy phone at the exit of the gift shop for you to call one on your own. I felt that was a nice addition especially for those of us that didn't have cell phone service in Canada.

I had more pictures but for some reason they are not in the file so I'll try to find them and add more later.

I have a few questions about your layover in Toronto. Did you go through customs in Toronto? Was it hard to find your way in the airport? Were there signs in English?

We are possibly going through this airport for our trip next year.

Thanks for the info.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

There is only one providence in Canada that speaks French. (Quebec)

Most of us Canadians do not speak French.

Just a little history lesson for ya'll! ;p

There is only one providence in Canada that speaks French. (Quebec)

 

 

 

Most of us Canadians do not speak French.

 

 

 

Just a little history lesson for ya'll! ;p

Thank you so much for the history lesson! I really do appreciate it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Oh Good Lord! TORONTO!! It was a disaster lol. Yes everything was in English and French so finding your way around shouldn't be a problem especially if you are a veteran traveler. We had a 2 hour layover which ended up being about 10 minutes by the time was was done with everything but we had a few things that probably wouldn't be an issue for everyone else.

 

 

 

I booked the flights on Expedia. We started on American and then changed to WestJet in Toronto. That was problem #1. Because we flew in from Charlotte, we had to go through Customs...had to collect luggage and then put in on a different conveyor belt before continuing. The actual customs part was easy. They have little automated kiosks and then you talk to a person quickly and that was it.

 

Problem #2 was that we had a wheelchair that we checked. I called the airlines ahead of time to ask what would be easiest because my dad can walk some but needs his wheelchair for long distances. They assured me that checking would be easiest and it was free and he could just use the airport wheelchairs. We could then pick it up at our final destination and not have to worry about it in the airport.

 

Problem #3 - wheelchair is considered "oversized luggage" and had to be taken to a different location upstairs. I was sent to 4...yes you read that right, FOUR different oversized luggage places who each told me I was in the wrong place. Finally the fourth one, after telling me I was in the wrong place and I almost strangled her (not really but I did ask to speak to a manager). They agreed to take it and put it where it needed to go. We expected it to not arrive when we did...but it was there when we landed.

 

 

 

overall, If you don't have oversized luggage, it's still a hassle but that's the whole "international" part of the trip. We had to do the customs thing on the way home back through Toronto again but didn't have to touch the wheelchair so it wasn't so bad.

Thank you for the information. No we won’t have a wheel chair and probably only 2 pieces of luggage between us and our son/ DIL. ( we will have back packs to carry on ) <——- I am afraid of losing luggage.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Oh Good Lord! TORONTO!! It was a disaster lol. Yes everything was in English and French so finding your way around shouldn't be a problem especially if you are a veteran traveler. We had a 2 hour layover which ended up being about 10 minutes by the time was was done with everything but we had a few things that probably wouldn't be an issue for everyone else.

 

I booked the flights on Expedia. We started on American and then changed to WestJet in Toronto. That was problem #1. Because we flew in from Charlotte, we had to go through Customs...had to collect luggage and then put in on a different conveyor belt before continuing. The actual customs part was easy. They have little automated kiosks and then you talk to a person quickly and that was it.

Problem #2 was that we had a wheelchair that we checked. I called the airlines ahead of time to ask what would be easiest because my dad can walk some but needs his wheelchair for long distances. They assured me that checking would be easiest and it was free and he could just use the airport wheelchairs. We could then pick it up at our final destination and not have to worry about it in the airport.

Problem #3 - wheelchair is considered "oversized luggage" and had to be taken to a different location upstairs. I was sent to 4...yes you read that right, FOUR different oversized luggage places who each told me I was in the wrong place. Finally the fourth one, after telling me I was in the wrong place and I almost strangled her (not really but I did ask to speak to a manager). They agreed to take it and put it where it needed to go. We expected it to not arrive when we did...but it was there when we landed.

 

overall, If you don't have oversized luggage, it's still a hassle but that's the whole "international" part of the trip. We had to do the customs thing on the way home back through Toronto again but didn't have to touch the wheelchair so it wasn't so bad.

We went through Calgary and had a almost identical experience, but ours was like we came in on American at the farthest gate in D terminal and the customs area then to get to WestJet in terminal A our gate was the farthest gate at the end of the building. We too had an over weight bag that then had to be taken to terminal A to be put on the 'bad bag' conveyor. My fitbit said we did almost 10,000 steps. For a fit younger person no problem, a person with very bad back that is scheduled for surgery in September pure agony felt every step. I was in agony and white as a sheet by the time I got there. We too had 2 hours that ended up like 10 minutes. Only to find out our WestJet plane had halfway working AC all the way to Vancouver.

In Vancouver our gate was the farthest from the check in for American counter.

After two Canadian Airports I believe they have a thing about people movers and ped ways. Also kind of found it funny that right after customs in Vancouver you see a sign that says "Welcome to the United States" then walk right into a mall. But the funnest thing is the stores will not take US dollars only Canadian.

And one for CIAP users, this I did not know either in Canada they make you take the machine completely out and put in a separate bin to go through the xray at security.

Thank you for the information. No we won’t have a wheel chair and probably only 2 pieces of luggage between us and our son/ DIL. ( we will have back packs to carry on ) <——- I am afraid of losing luggage.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

We had no issues with that. The customs part took awhile but I don't think it would have been so bad if it hadn't been for the wheelchair fiasco. Good luck!!

We went through Calgary and had a almost identical experience, but ours was like we came in on American at the farthest gate in D terminal and the customs area then to get to WestJet in terminal A our gate was the farthest gate at the end of the building. We too had an over weight bag that then had to be taken to terminal A to be put on the 'bad bag' conveyor. My fitbit said we did almost 10,000 steps. For a fit younger person no problem, a person with very bad back that is scheduled for surgery in September pure agony felt every step. I was in agony and white as a sheet by the time I got there. We too had 2 hours that ended up like 10 minutes. Only to find out our WestJet plane had halfway working AC all the way to Vancouver.

 

In Vancouver our gate was the farthest from the check in for American counter.

 

After two Canadian Airports I believe they have a thing about people movers and ped ways. Also kind of found it funny that right after customs in Vancouver you see a sign that says "Welcome to the United States" then walk right into a mall. But the funnest thing is the stores will not take US dollars only Canadian.

 

And one for CIAP users, this I did not know either in Canada they make you take the machine completely out and put in a separate bin to go through the xray at security.

Your trip actually sounds worse than mine lol. The one positive is that the 2 airports I went to in Canada (can't speak for all of them) both had free luggage carts whereas in the US it's like $5 to use for a very short time.

Few more pictures from the Vancouver Aquarium

Sorry for the long delay but I'm back!

May 12 - Embarkation day

We had a nice breakfast downstairs at our hotel and then had the front desk call us a cab. We had to have a wheelchair assessible cab so we knew we'd have to wait a bit but since we had plenty of time, we weren't worried...we probably should have been. Because the Lonsdale Quay is on the opposite side, it takes awhile to get to Canada Place (the port). Our problem was getting a cab to actually show up. The front desk called FOUR TIMES and finally one arrived. We have no idea what happened but they kept saying "it's on the way". Even the front desk staff were getting annoyed with the cab company. Eventually, over 1.5 hours later, the taxi showed up and we were on the way. We had planned on getting to the port early to avoid lines but obviously weren't successful in that endeavor. Getting across the bridge wasn't an issue for us but my aunt and uncle who left before us because their cab actually showed, said they were in standstill traffic on the bridge for awhile. So plan ahead if you are going to be crossing! There was a lot of traffic but it moved fairly steadily. To get into the port, you have to drive underground into a parking structure even in the taxi. It would be rather confusing if you are driving because there were 3 ships in port that day so PAY ATTENTION!! The taxi dropped us off and, like all cruises, the porters were there ready to pick up your luggage and rushing you the entire time. I don't mind that because I know they have a schedule to keep and they do a great job but sometimes it feels like they just want you out of the way and I'm trying to get organized and make sure I don't forget anything.

So our luggage was taken care of and we were off. We first went up to a large waiting room type place. This was a first for me. Previous cruises, I was either lucky enough to just walk right on the ship or I at least did the security and check in part before waiting on get on the ship. Here, we were waiting to go through security and check in. It wasn't a problem but was definitely different than expected. We waited about 30 minutes but at least there were decent chairs.

You are given a number when you walk into that room and then wait until they call your number. Once they call your number, you go to the check in process and security. We were able to skip through a little easier due to the wheelchair but others weren't so lucky and had to wait quite awhile. This was the slow part of the process. Lots of line waiting. BUT we made it through and eventually got on board

Once on board we headed right to the buffet! :cool:

One of my favorite parts about cruising is the food as you will see later in my review. I have pictures of every meal from the dining room and the menus so stay tuned. I didn't take any pictures of the buffet food, however, but it was all really good. I especially enjoyed the salad bar at the buffet. They had someone making the salad for you which I typically don't like but they all did a good job so I won't complain. There were tons of choices for toppings and salad dressings, though they were out of the Asian sesame on a couple occasions but I survived without it. My only negative is they are pretty heavy handed with the dressing. I learned that the first time and then told them "very light" the rest of the time and was fine so keep that in mind I guess if you don't like a ton of dressing on your salad.

After the late lunch, we sat and watched the sail away for a bit. I also went out onto the back deck to watch for awhile...VERY WINDY! But it was pretty cool to see the city fade away.

view from the ship before sailing away

the other Holland America Ship in port that day

DINNER!!!

Today's menu was just one page for some reason so I tried to get a couple pictures...

sunchoke soup - very good flavor but was basically just a cream soup. there wasn't really much in it but it tasted good

apple, pear, and cucumber salad - *not mine - I was told it was very good. Sort of plain but had a nice flavor

one example of the bread basket...it changed daily. No complaints here!

surf and turf - delicious! the steak was done perfectly and there wasn't much fat on it and the vegetables were nice. I wish they had done a potato of some sort instead of the mashed polenta because I like potatoes but the polenta was really good and had a nice flavor.

tortellini - VERY good. Surprisingly good. I got this on a whim just because I wanted to try it but it was DELICIOUS! Possibly one of my favorite dinners the whole cruise. Really good flavor to the sauce and the garlic bread was also delicious.

flourless chocolate cake - very good! nice and sweet but not too sweet. The fruit was a nice touch as well. solid dessert if you like chocolate.

tiramisu - *not mine - very good. sweet with a hint of espresso. He said he wished it had had more espresso flavor but he enjoyed it anyways

almond orange cake - nice and light. The little drops of fruit around were sort of pointless because they were so small but the cake was soft and moist and had a nice light flavor.

passionfruit cheesecake - ordered out of curiosity. the black dots on top aren't actual seeds...just decoration fyi. nice fruity flavor and was sweet but not overly so. good cheesecake too. I was surprised I liked it as much as I did.

May 13 - Sea Day - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

I slept in a little today but the rest of my group got up and went to breakfast early. I rolled up to the buffet right before it closed so my options were somewhat limited but that was my own fault. If you are looking for foot between 10:30 and 11:30am, you are out of luck but if you plan ahead, you'll be fine.

We sat up on deck 10 on the observation deck because it's a great view at the front of the ship. I also sat on deck 9 in the back for awhile for a different view. They have all the deck chairs out and have nice thick blankets you can curl up under if you are so inclined. I thought that was a nice touch. After a few minutes, I definitely needed the blanket so I was glad it was there. It wasn't freezing out but it was chilly especially with the wind.

Lunch was in the buffet again. They don't do lunch in the main dining room. I don't know if that's an HAL thing or Alaska thing or what but it was slightly surprising. Not a problem necessarily, just surprising because every other cruise I've ever been on had a least a short time in the MDR for lunch.

They showed a movie every day in the vista lounge and today's movie was Disney Nature's Bears. It's a cute little documentary type film and fun for all ages.

After a nap, it was dinner time.

menu for Mother's Day - it was pretty small and the choices were slightly odd.

lime poaches butterfly shrimp - good flavor but nothing too exciting. Not a huge fan of aioli but my family all liked it.

Sorry for the long delay but I'm back!

 

Yay! We'll be on the Noordam later this month, so looking forward to the rest of your review! :)

yellowfin sole fillet - very tasty but nothing too special about it. I did enjoy it though.

beef tenderloin - not mine - he said it was delicious. very tender and juicy. The only complaint was the size. tiny little piece of meat and not much with it.

ricotta stuff shells - AMAZING!!! I wasn't expecting them to be as good as they were. I really enjoyed it. great flavor and the little garlic toast was really good as well.