Review: To Denali and Back, July 22 - Aug. 12, 2018

We recently took a trip that combined a D2C Triple Denali cruise and land tour on Westerdam with a few extra days in Anchorage before we boarded a return cruise on Noordam. I kept photos, files and notes as we went, and I will post a photo review of our trip. This was our first Alaska trip that included a land portion, and we were able to get a lot of info from CC about that, thanks. I hope to be able to add to the information for those who are looking to take a Denali tour.

I will also include daily When and Where files, and dinner menus as I was able to capture them. I will post reviews of the shore excursions we took, as well as photos of a few areas of the ships, although I won’t do a comprehensive photo tour of them.

Our itinerary was:

22 July – Embark Westerdam in Vancouver

23 July – Scenic cruising Inside Passage

24 July – Ketchikan

25 July – Juneau

26 July – Skagway

27 July – Glacier Bay

28 July – At sea

29 July – Arrive Seward, bus to Denali

30 July – Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour

31 July – Denali free day

1 Aug – McKinley Explore train to Anchorage

2-4 Aug – Extra days at Anchorage Westmark Hotel

5 Aug – Bus to Seward, board Noordam

6 Aug – At sea

7 Aug – Glacier Bay

8 Aug – Haines

9 Aug – Juneau

10 Aug – Ketchikan

11 Aug – Scenic cruising Inside Passage

12 Aug – Debark Noordam in Vancouver, HAL bus to Seattle (SeaTac airport)

We could have just taken the D2C with one night in Anchorage and flown out on Aug. 2, but we thought we would like to spend a few days in Anchorage and then take another ship back to Vancouver. Since we live in the Seattle area, we would not have to fly at all that way, and we liked having two shots at good weather for Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage.

More later,

Dave

Pre-cruise

We took the Amtrak Cascades train from Seattle on the morning of July 19, arriving in Vancouver around noon. Our passports were checked before we were allowed to board the train in Seattle, and at Vancouver, we collected our luggage on the platform and walked through a separate entrance to be screened by Canadian border/customs and give them our entry card. It was a quick and efficient process, and a few minutes later we were in a taxi to our hotel. We stayed at the Delta Suites hotel on Hastings Ave., near the Waterfront Station and only a few blocks from Canada Place, and within easy distance of shops and restaurants.

We spent a couple of days enjoying Vancouver, and luckily had very nice weather for our jaunts to Stanley Park and the Aquarium. We walked along the seawall and I got some photos, including one of Nieuw Amsterdam at Canada Place:

More later,

Dave

July 22, embarkation day

We had gotten a notice from HAL requesting us if possible to come before, I think, noon or after two, to relieve the crush with everyone being pre-cleared by U.S. authorities for Alaska. So, we caught a cab for the short ride to Canada Place and arrived before 11. Here is a photo of Westerdam at Canada Place:

The check-in was involved, but not too long, and we were soon aboard Westerdam.

We had sailed on Westerdam in October of last year, and while there were no major changes, we did notice some changed décor in the stateroom and here and there around the ship. We had a verandah stateroom on the starboard side, near the aft elevators. Here are some photos of the cabin:

More later,

Dave

July 22 (Cont.)

Here are some photos of the bathroom:

More later,

Dave

July 22 (Cont.)

We were given a copy of the When and Where as we boarded. Here are the first four pages:

More later,

Dave

July 22 (Cont.)

Here are the other two pages of the When and Where:

We got our bags fairly quickly and were able to get unpacked and check out the ship for a while before the mandatory boat drill at 4 p.m. Afterwards, we had drinks in the Ocean Bar and then went to our early fixed dining in the upper MDR. We had been assigned a four-top on the window which was just for the two of us.

I copied the daily menus from the Navigator page, and found that sometimes there were a few minor changes between what was posted and what we actually were given in the MDR, but on the whole the menus I copied were correct. The files were usually one long .jpg file that I have split into two parts and cut off most of the fine print about undercooked foods and such. Here are the files for tonight’s dinner menu:

More later,

Dave

July 23, Scenic Cruising Inside Passage

We had heard the fog horn sounding overnight, and were therefore not surprised to look outside in the morning and see a thick fog. The fog persisted almost all day and we were unable to catch more than the occasional ghostly glimpse of land. Finally, in late afternoon, the fog lifted (or we ran out of it) and I was able to get a couple of photos of the scenery:

Since I don’t have many photos from outside today, I will post some photos of the ship. Here are some of the Ocean Bar:

More later,

Dave

July 23 (Cont.)

Also on Westerdam is the relatively new Rijksmuseum at Sea, which is on deck 1 where the Atrium Bar used to be. I had visited it on our previous Westerdam cruise and found it to have some reproductions of great paintings, but not much other attraction. I looked a little closer this time and discovered that there are jigsaw puzzles, and that HAL has put out large sheets with outlines of some of the paintings and has provided colored pencils for passengers to use to do some, uh, coloring. I presume you could use to the blank back sides of the sheets for your own creations. I can see how some may enjoy this, but I don’t see how it generates any revenue, which the Atrium Bar used to do at least a little, and generating revenue seems to be the reason for many of the other changes. Oh well, it’s worth a few minutes to visit. Here are some photos:

More later,

Dave

July 23 (Cont.)

Here are the first four pages of today’s When and Where:

More later,

Dave

July 23 (Cont.)

Here are the other two pages of the When and Where:

And the first gala night dinner menu for the MDR:

More later,

Dave

I so enjoy your reviews and photography Dave. Thank you for taking so much time to do this. It is very thoughtful. You do a wonderful job :)

I so enjoy your reviews and photography Dave. Thank you for taking so much time to do this. It is very thoughtful. You do a wonderful job :)

Thank you! I used to do live blogs, but those began taking too much time out of the actual cruises (and happy hours :D) so I started doing reviews afterwards, although sometimes I take a cruise off, like to the Caribbean, which I have blogged often before. But, I do enjoy reporting and passing on info that may be useful to someone.

Dave

July 24, Ketchikan

It was somewhat misty/foggy as we approached Ketchikan, and continued so for a while, although the forecast called for clearing later in the day.

We had booked a morning shore excursion called “Misty Fjords & Wilderness Explorer” and wondered how much we would actually see through the mist. We met our group, walked up the pier and boarded our sightseeing boat. Here are some photos of the boat:

More later,

Dave

July 24 (Cont.)

We went south, back along the track Westerdam had taken to port, and then turned into the Behm Canal. We proceeded quite a way up the Canal until we encountered New Eddystone Rock. The Rock was named by Captain George Vancouver in 1793 (he named a lot of things in this stretch of coast; and, a large island and cities in British Columbia and Washington State bear his name).

About that time, the mist started lifting and visibility became better. Soon, the sun came out and we had wonderful weather for the rest of the trip. We continued up Behm Canal and entered Rudyerd Bay which has some stunning views. Here are some photos:

More later,

Dave

July 24 (Cont.)

Here are some more photos. At one point, we slowed enough for the captain to open the top observation deck and we were able to take our time looking about and taking photos.

This was a great excursion which we enjoyed as it gave us an opportunity to see some of the Alaska scenery.

More later,

Dave

fanatstic as always - thanks again for sharing your experiences:)

July 24 (Cont.)

We returned to Ketchikan, and I was able to get a shot of Westerdam and after going back aboard, a photo of the Ketchikan waterfront area:

More later,

Dave

July 24 (Cont.)

Here are the first four pages of today’s When and Where:

More later,

Dave

July 24 (Cont.)

Here are the other two pages of the When and Where:

And here is the dinner menu for the MDR:

More later,

Dave

July 25, Juneau

The approach to Juneau was clear and sunny, and we docked near the Mount Roberts tramway:

More later,

Dave

July 25 (Cont.)

We booked a shore excursion that took us to Mendenhall Glacier. It was a clear beautiful day, and we enjoyed some great views of the glacier and falls:

We wished we had some more time to spend hiking more of the trails; perhaps on a future visit we’ll take an excursion that has more time at the glacier, or go on our own.

More later,

Dave

July 25 (Cont.)

Here are the first four pages of today’s When and Where:

More later,

Dave

July 25 (Cont.)

Here are the other two pages of the When and Where:

And here is the dinner menu for the MDR:

More later,

Dave

I am enjoying your review.

Really don't care for the new concept that has replaced the Atrium Bar. Having sailed many times on the Westerdam, in the evenings the Atrium Bar was always quite busy.

A couple of times we have taken the Blue Bus out to Mendenhall Glacier and spent as much time there as we wanted.

Great pictures.

As always, I’m enjoying your review. Looking forward to hearing how you liked your land portion.