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Have camera will blog, Maasdam 14 day Alaska

TheSecondSister

By TheSecondSister,
in Holland America Line

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TheSecondSister

TheSecondSister

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For those who might be interested, the Two Cruising Sisters are on board again, this time on the Maasdam headed for Alaska.

 

If you want to follow along, the link is: https://twocruisingsisters.wordpress.com/

 

I won't be too active on this thread, occasionally checking in when we're in port and I can use my cell phone (the internet plan is nearly as glacial as the outside). But I will be blogging every night, sometimes late at night if we can't tear ourselves away from the piano bar. :)

 

Hoping you enjoy our adventures almost as much as we are! Look for us to be waving at the Juneau webcam if I can make it out to the bow (I tore my meniscus recently and am hobbling around) but my camera as always is in my hand!

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JimAOk1945

JimAOk1945

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We were on this itinerary Aug 1-15 and had a wonderful time. It was our first HAL cruise and we are very impressed. The Maasdam is a beautiful ship and the crew is outstanding.

 

My wife is still going through the pictures she took and sorting them out for her website. She says Alaska is a photographers dream.

 

I will be following along and looking for future updates.

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TheSecondSister

TheSecondSister

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Glorious sunny day in Ketchikan. Lots of pictures will be on the blog later tonight as I'm having way too much fun to sit in the cabin at the laptop. The Maadam is fine shape, and I like the Lido Marketplace layout. The entertainment has been very good and I love the fact that the Explorations Cafe is not amywhere near the Crows Nest. Plumbing and A/C all work. And the staff is excellent, even by the already high HAL standards.

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Tinknock50

Tinknock50

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Really enjoying your blog! I hope you will take many pictures of the docking in Sitka. Also if you see a bus from there with a handicap chair lift bus, let me know.

 

Would also like to know of any independents going to Fortress of the Bears. The ones with HAL are linked up with the Otter cruise which my handicapped friend cannot board. Or do you have a Fortress of the Bears tour available on your cruise?

 

Sorry for all the questions...lol.

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esimon

esimon

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We will be boarding the Maasdam on Sept 26 for 66 days going to Australia and New Zealand so looking forward to your observations on the ship.

 

Who is the Cruise Director and how do you like him/her?

 

Would love to have your opinion after 66 days - Truly I keep getting mixed messages about her condition ---

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TheSecondSister

TheSecondSister

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Really enjoying your blog! I hope you will take many pictures of the docking in Sitka. Also if you see a bus from there with a handicap chair lift bus, let me know.

 

Would also like to know of any independents going to Fortress of the Bears. The ones with HAL are linked up with the Otter cruise which my handicapped friend cannot board. Or do you have a Fortress of the Bears tour available on your cruise?

 

Sorry for all the questions...lol.

 

No problem! We won't be in Sitka until Sept 9, but I'll do my best to answer your questions!

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TheSecondSister

TheSecondSister

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We will be boarding the Maasdam on Sept 26 for 66 days going to Australia and New Zealand so looking forward to your observations on the ship.

 

Who is the Cruise Director and how do you like him/her?

 

The cruise director is Carlos Mendoza, but I have no idea how long he'll be aboard. I find him to be knowlegeable and outgoing, but not quite my cup of tea. A bit too over the top, though I am in the minority. :-)

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iflyrc5

iflyrc5

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The cruise director is Carlos Mendoza, but I have no idea how long he'll be aboard. I find him to be knowlegeable and outgoing, but not quite my cup of tea. A bit too over the top, though I am in the minority. :-)

 

Thanks.

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Tinknock50

Tinknock50

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The cruise director is Carlos Mendoza, but I have no idea how long he'll be aboard. I find him to be knowlegeable and outgoing, but not quite my cup of tea. A bit too over the top, though I am in the minority. :-)

 

You sound a lot like me. The one thing that makes my skin crawl is the CD that insists you cheer louder about having a good time. But as you said, I am also in the minority and most people love that.:cool:

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Florida_gal_50

Florida_gal_50

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The cruise director is Carlos Mendoza, but I have no idea how long he'll be aboard. I find him to be knowlegeable and outgoing, but not quite my cup of tea. A bit too over the top, though I am in the minority. :-)

 

I rarely remember the name of the cruise directors because it's not important to my cruise. He's not my cup of tea either.

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oaktreerb

oaktreerb

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The cruise director is Carlos Mendoza, but I have no idea how long he'll be aboard. I find him to be knowlegeable and outgoing, but not quite my cup of tea. A bit too over the top, though I am in the minority. :-)

 

We were on the August 1st sailing. Carlos joined the ship on August 1st. He was very visible but not an entertainer like some CD's are. He is an experienced CD and seems to have sailed with most members of the crew before.

 

We had an issue with people saving rows of seats at the early show and also not respecting the need to reserve the disabled seats for those who needed them. He was very tactful about resolving the issue.

 

We enjoyed Linda's cooking shows. She is quite the character and these shows brought in other members of the staff so that we were able to learn more about their lives. I always enjoy the "banter" during the free cooking shows but these were the best I have experienced.

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