Oosterdam Alaska 11 Day Land and Sea Review

My family of 9 just returned from Holland America's 11 day land and sea journey. Our group was aged 18 to 82 years. It was my parents fifth trip to Alaska, but the first for the rest of us. It was also my first experience with Holland America. We loved Alaska and had a wonderful trip.

We all flew to Fairbanks where we stayed at the Westmark. The next morning we took a "deluxe motor coach" to Denali. Due to road construction, the 120 mile trip took 4 hours. Our overnight was at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge. We all loved Denali. I will describe our tours in a section of this review devoted to the "ports."

The next morning, we boarded the McKinley Explorer for the 8 hour trip to Anchorage. The train was gorgeous! We had individual seats with lots of leg room. The cars were almost all glass for maximum viewing. There was limited seating in the dining area and service was not fast, so plan ahead if you want to eat lunch there. The food was okay, but not anything outstanding. Each car had a rail guide and a bartender. They were both pleasant and informative. We bought the "Gulcher" bottomless soda bottle. It was a bargain at $12 because we could use it the next day. Some of our family spent much of the trip on the outside platform. Everyone really enjoyed the day.

We spent the night at the Hilton in Anchorage. We were very pleased with the hotel. We had a nice dinner at Humpy's Alehouse. It was only a short walk from the hotel. We were in Anchorage on a Sunday morning, so the weekend market was open. It was a fun place to shop and eat. We took the train to Seward around noon. Although the cars were not as opulent as the McKinley Explorer, we loved the experience. The train had bench seating around tables. Each grouping seated 4 people in both front and back facing seats. There was lots of glass for viewing, but the seats were not as comfortable as the other train. Our rail guide, bartender and server were the same person, so he was very busy. The star of the show was the scenery. WOW! It was a stunning 5 hour trip.

We boarded the Oosterdam in Seward. Embarkation was easy. Because we had a large group and could not agree on a dining time, we decided to try Anytime Dining. We made 48 hour advance reservations each day and were able to eat at our chosen times. The service in the dining room was uneven. Some nights were outstanding and other nights were poor. We had the Explore 4 promotion and ate in The Pinnacle Grill on the last night. The food was excellent but the service was very slow. Some people have reported that they were able to change their assigned reservation, but that was not our experience. However, I am not complaining. We had a wonderful dinner at no extra cost.

I thought the ship was lovely. I have sailed on some of the mega ships, but I like the intimate feel of the Oosterdam better. We spent a lot of time in the fitness center, hot tubs, and library area. The fresh water pool and hot tubs have a glass canopy that opens on sunny days. The entertainment was fine. We really liked the magician and comedian, but found the singers and dancers to be only okay. I was disappointed in the gift shop. I usually find the prices to be lower or comparable to the ports, but that was not the case. We enjoyed using the Signature Beverage cards that came with the Explore 4 promotion. It was fun to try different drinks that we would not usually order. An added plus was the ability to get bottled water to take into port.

Disembarkation was a problem for us. If you were flying from Vancouver or Seattle directly to a U.S. city and had cruise transfers, HAL would send your luggage to the airport at no charge. You had to complete a form in advance to reserve the service. We had designated luggage tags and a specified meeting location. Although my daughter completed the form and received the correct luggage tags, her name did not appear on the list to disembark. She was not alone in this predicament. She was finally able to leave the ship an hour after the rest of the group disembarked. We arrived at the Vancouver airport at 10:00. We had a time cushion, but a family on the bus with us had an 11:05 flight. Security and U.S. Customs took at least an hour to complete. After we had been in line for a while, an official started gathering people who were on the 11:05 and 11:10 flights. I hope they made it.

This is what we did in each "port:"

Denali: My husband, daughter and I took the free shuttle bus from the hotel to the park Visitor's Center. We had just enough time to hike to the suspension bridge before our River Rafting Paddle Run excursion. The rafting trip was a blast. Be aware that the dry suits provided contain latex. My daughter and I are latex allergic and had to wear vinyl gloves during the trip to protect our wrists. We were fine but I was a little nervous because we left our EpiPens in the hotel room. My father and other daughter enjoyed the Jet Boat excursion. My sister and her sons went on the Tundra Wilderness Tour. Although it was a very long tour, they had a great time. Their guide was excellent and they saw lots of wildlife.

Haines/Skagway: We had to take the ferry from Haines to Skagway which was an expensive and annoying experience. It cost $70 per person round trip. On the way to Skagway, we were "entertained" by a worker singing pirate songs into a microphone. The girls in our group were met in Skagway by Becky from Beyond Skagway Tours. We had a wonderful trip that included petting Husky puppies and seeing beautiful scenery. I highly recommend this company. The men in the group went on the HAL White Pass Railroad excursion.They loved the trip.

Juneau: My husband and one daughter went on an amazing hike on Mendenhall Glacier. They hiked 3.5 miles before reaching the ice. Once there, they donned mountaineering equipment and descended into an ice cave. After spending about an hour hiking on the ice, they hiked the 3.5 miles back to the trailhead. They consider this tour to be one of the highlights of all of our family vacation experiences. The trip was booked through Above and Beyond Alaska. The rest of the family went on HAL whale watching tours. We chose the cruise excursions because I had read that the larger boats are more likely to go out in marginal weather and because I get sea sick on smaller vessels. Between the two excursions, we saw a variety of wildlife including humpback whales, orcas, eagles and sea lions. We all had a great time.

Ketchikan: My family went on the Ketchikan Kayaking tour through Southeast Sea Kayaks. The 2.5 hour tour included kayaking under the bow of the Oosterdam. We enjoyed the excursion and never felt unsafe, but the high winds and current made it a challenging outing. The agency was very professional and did a good job. My sister and her sons went to the Lumberjack Show and had a great time.

Overall, we had an amazing trip to Alaska. Please feel free to ask any questions.

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Glad you all enjoyed a wonderful an Alaska land tour and cruise.

Thanks for doing a review about your trip to Alaska. Glad you enjoyed the Oosterdam, it is one of our favorites. Sorry about your disembarking problems, good that you gave yourself some extra time before flying out of Vancouver. Cruise passengers should never make their flights before noon, just incase of problems like that.

Thanks for the report!

Please feel free to ask any questions.

What were the names of the comedian and magician? Who was playing in the Piano Bar?

Thanks.

Thank you for sharing your cruise and shore excursions with us. For me, also, Oosterdam is the perfect size.

 

 

Disembarkation was a problem for us. If you were flying from Vancouver or Seattle directly to a U.S. city and had cruise transfers, HAL would send your luggage to the airport at no charge. You had to complete a form in advance to reserve the service. We had designated luggage tags and a specified meeting location. Although my daughter completed the form and received the correct luggage tags, her name did not appear on the list to disembark. She was not alone in this predicament. She was finally able to leave the ship an hour after the rest of the group disembarked. We arrived at the Vancouver airport at 10:00. We had a time cushion, but a family on the bus with us had an 11:05 flight. Security and U.S. Customs took at least an hour to complete. After we had been in line for a while, an official started gathering people who were on the 11:05 and 11:10 flights. I hope they made it.

 

 

 

Overall, we had an amazing trip to Alaska. Please feel free to ask any questions.

Thanks for posting your review. We were on this cruise too, but on a different pre-cruise land tour.

We must have been on the same bus to the airport. We had luggage tags yellow 3 with a 11:30 am flight. When I went up to check in, they couldn't find our names on the list either. Later, they found it and so we went to get on the bus. I don't understand why the bus driver thought we wanted a tour of Vancouver before he took us to the airport. HAL knew everyone's flight times; I don't understand why the ones with the earliest flights weren't put in the first group and on the first bus. The most frustrating part at the airport for me was the long line to drop off checked bags. Anyways, we made our flight.

We traveled from Anchorage (well, actually Alyeska) to Seward by motor coach. Glad for those taking the train that we embarked Oosterdam on Sunday and not on Monday.

What were the names of the comedian and magician? Who was playing in the Piano Bar?

Thanks.

Magician - James Cielen

Comedian - Mike Robinson

Piano Bar - Larry - never saw a last name posted. We didn't go but talked with several other passengers who did and they said he was very good.

Thank you, KroozFoolz.

Thank you for taking time to write your review.

Thanks for your review.

Terrific review and thank you for taking the time to write it and to share it with everyone.

Keith

Thank you all for your kind comments. Kroozfoolz, I am glad you made your flight! James Cielen did another show on the last sea day. It was in the Queen's Lounge, a much smaller venue from the main showroom. In other words, arrive early if you want a seat!

Thanks for your review!

Hi aqua, thank you for your nice review. We will be on the same southbound Oosterdam cruise in 2 weeks. Could you tell me which days had the formal nights?

Thank you!

Could you tell me which days had the formal nights?

 

Thank you!

Monday (the first sea day) and Friday (Ketchikan). The second one does present a dilemma if you have early seating for dinner, as we were still in port during that time (and that was lobster night!).

Kroozfoolz, I am glad you made your flight! James Cielen did another show on the last sea day. It was in the Queen's Lounge, a much smaller venue from the main showroom. In other words, arrive early if you want a seat!

Thanks! We needed James up in the Explorations Café that afternoon as there is only ONE printer connected to a computer up there, the internet connection was very poor, and during the two hours I spent there, NO ONE could print their boarding pass for their flights the next day. I at least was able to get checked in for our flight; some couldn't even manage that.

Where is the Sunday market located in Anchorage? What types of food did they have? What else did they sell? How many vendors?

Since you boarded in Seward after 5 pm, what was it like boarding? How long before you had your bags? Any problems with getting a reservation that first night? When was the lifeboat drill? How did they work that around the dinners?

What time did they pick up the passengers for the Tundra Wilderness tour in Denali?

What were the hours for the park Visitor's Center in Denali? Did you go there the first night you arrived?

Where is the Sunday market located in Anchorage? What types of food did they have? What else did they sell? How many vendors?

The market was directly across the street from the Hilton in downtown Anchorage. I would estimate 100 vendors. Food choices ranged from reindeer chili and salmon jerky to traditional sausage and biscuits. There was jewelry, authors and artists selling books and art, ulu knives, dog accessories, T-shirts, etc. There was also an area for children with arts and crafts.

Since you boarded in Seward after 5 pm, what was it like boarding? How long before you had your bags? Any problems with getting a reservation that first night? When was the lifeboat drill? How did they work that around the dinners?

We did not arrive in Seward until at least 5:00 PM. We waited in line at the terminal for probably 20 minutes or so. It was an easy process. Don't forget your printed boarding pass from the web site. The agent told me that it is not needed UNLESS their computers go down. The printed pass is their only record in that situation. We did not try to make dinner reservations the first night because we were so late arriving. Each family group went to dinner on their own. The lift boat drill was shortly after we boarded. The luggage was in our room when we boarded.

What time did they pick up the passengers for the Tundra Wilderness tour in Denali?

There are a range of pick up times that are assigned on the day of the tour. My sister was picked up at 2:20 PM and returned around 11:00 PM.

What were the hours for the park Visitor's Center in Denali? Did you go there the first night you arrived?

Yes, we visited the Visitor's Center that day we arrived. They are open from 8:00 AM until 6:00 PM.

Thanks for your review. I'll be on Oosterdam out of Vancouver in September and can't wait. Sounds like a fabulous family vacation you all had!

My husband thinks there were closer to 75 vendors at the Anchorage market, but that is only an estimate. Here is a link to the web site: http://www.anchoragemarkets.com/Anch%20Market%20and%20Festival/amf2.html

oops! LIFE boat drill not lift boat!

Thank you for the review. We will be on the Oosterdam for the 11 day land/sea too (first cruise for my family). Since you were on it recently, what was the evening attire for dinners, formal and smart casual?

We are having difficulties deciding what to pack. We have been told that the Alaska cruises tend to be more on the casual side and very few dress up for formal nights and that my husband doesn't need a jacket or suit. However, the dress code on the HAL site says you do. We don't mind dressing up but don't want to pack it if we won't need it/wear it.

Thanks for this detailed review. We are booked with friends on the Oosterdam next summer. I did a lot of researching for a cruise tour and selected the 12 day beginning in Fairbanks. This review gives me a great idea of the actual places we will be going and the ship. What was your cabin like, what deck? We are on deck 5 mid ship. I hope I picked a good location. Thanks.

Most men wore a coat and tie on formal night. Although I did not see any tuxedos, I did see several ladies in sequin dresses. There were a few people in jeans, but that seems to happen on every cruise. Most women were in dresses or pants on the smart casual nights. My husband wore nice pants and a polo shirt on those nights.

I agree that packing for this cruise is a challenge. I used Space Bags for the first time in order to conserve luggage space. The concern is going over on weight! The Oosterdam set up a scale at the information desk on the day before we disembarked. I heard there was a line to use it. My husband and I took our luggage to the fitness center restrooms and weighted our suitcases there.

We were in inside cabin 8119. We had the perk of my parent's balcony room right across the hall. We liked the room because it was close to the Lido cafe and the back of the ship. My daughters were in an outside cabin midship on deck 4. They seemed to like the location. The cabin was well organized with lots of storage space. I forgot my travel clock and it drove me crazy because there was not a clock in the room. I left my cell phone on Airplane mode in order to know the time!