Zaandam May 21-June 4 Alaska Cruise Log

[packercruising]

Looks like you had a beautiful day at Dawes!

 

 

It was nice of the sun to come out while we were there. :) Lots of waterfalls on the way in.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad the sun came out for your Dawes glacier sight seeing.

Happy Birthday to Anna!!

Our hummingbirds are drinking us out of house and home. We have 2 feeders that have to be filled about every 3 days. It was quiet for a couple of days while the parents sat on the nests during the rain storms.

[packercruising]

Glad the sun came out for your Dawes glacier sight seeing.

Happy Birthday to Anna!!

Our hummingbirds are drinking us out of house and home. We have 2 feeders that have to be filled about every 3 days. It was quiet for a couple of days while the parents sat on the nests during the rain storms.

 

HA!:D Fortunately sugar and water are pretty cheap.

 

It is the Gold Finches and pilleated woodpeckers eating us out of house and home. They have to do without for a few weeks. Our friend comes over every few days to fill the Hummy feeder and put clean water in the bird bath. We only have 3 hummingbirds that come around every year.

[packercruising]

May 25 Friday-Gloomy morning in the 40s here in Juneau, the capital of Alaska. Beautifulcity, with lots to do. This is a good thing, since we are here from 8 am to 10pm. One thing it looks like we will not be doing, unless it clears up, is thetram. It takes you to the top of the mountain where you have a really nice viewof the surrounding area. We have done that previously. Another activity that iswell worth the trip, is the Mendenhall Glacier, which is about 14 miles away.We have done that previously, both times we were here. There is also whalewatching and this is a great time of year to see them as they eat as to getready for their trip to Hawaii. We were told, on an earlier excursion that theydo not eat on the way.

 

 

What we do plan on doing today is going to the State OfficeBuilding to see the 77 year old Kimball Pipe Organ. There is a free concert atNoon on Fridays. We are backed into our dock, so we don’t get to be on the townside today. I am hoping to get a shot of a sea plane coming in or going out.The concert was well worth the walk. It did get up to 50, but a fairly constantdrizzle all day. I am experimenting with a new diet plan. I call it “The doublescoop of ice cream in a sugar cone, every day while cruising diet”. If itworks, I could make a fortune. Just a side bar; The wine stewards in the maindining room are very good and the wait staff are very over worked. My sea passdid a vanishing act a couple times today. The bar staff, during Happy Hour tookit to get a couple beers and never came back. A half hour later we go to checkand find out she had gone to dinner. At supper, the wine steward took it andwhen he came back with the receipts, the card was not with them. He had droppedit on the floor on the way back. Early night tonight as we have an excursion inthe morning.

 

 

BTW, temps in the 40s and 50s is just fine with me.

[packercruising]

May 26 Saturday-I would tell you what the weather is like, but if you have been reading the updates, you already know. Add wind to the rain and cold. Still, we found out it is in the 80s and 90s back home and this is preferable. Today we are at Icy Point Straight, Hoonah, AK. This is a new port for us, so we can learn about it together.. It is mostly woods, like we have back home. It is an Island with about 800 permanent residents. There are 3 times the number of brown bears as there are people and they do not get hunted.We are doing a Forest and Nature Tram tour today. Not much nature and even less forest. Most of the tour was along the coastline. We did get to see a whale and several sea lions at a distance. We also saw several eagles, but not because of the tour.

 

At the turn around point, we stopped for about ½ hour and there were several small waterfalls to take pictures of. Our old native tour guide gave us a lot of information. The only privately owned port in North America. It has been open for cruise ships for 14 years, but has only had a place to dock for 3 years. They have the world’s largest zip line, with a 1330 ft. vertical drop. Taller than the Empire State Building and over 1 mile long. Hoonah was started in 1912 when the Hoonah Packing Company built a cannery. The village was completely destroyed in 1944, by fire.

Pretty quick day in port as we sailed at 2:00. About 4 hours out we passed a yet to be identified glacier and there was enough sun to get a picture. Shortly thereafter- rain mixed with snow! The Captain warned us of rough seas and he sure was right. BTW, the ship has 12 elevators, 4 each aft, mid and forward and they seem to be fairly quick.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Catching up on your great reports.

Like you we have been to Juneau many times. Having done all the tours and taking the Blue Bus out to Mendenhall Glacier a couple of times, we now just walk around town and if the weather is clear we do take Mt Roberts tram to the top.

We have been to Icy Straight Point several times -- had to tender as the docks weren't built then. We did the whale watching excursion a couple of times and loved it.

We have 2 families of hummingbirds and last year all 3 families had babies twice while up north. I tried to get pictures when 5 were fighting over the one feeder -- not successful.

They showed some of the new glass panel floors that will be in the restaurant in the Space Needle. The renovation is running months behind.

[packercruising]

Catching up on your great reports.

Like you we have been to Juneau many times. Having done all the tours and taking the Blue Bus out to Mendenhall Glacier a couple of times, we now just walk around town and if the weather is clear we do take Mt Roberts tram to the top.

We have been to Icy Straight Point several times -- had to tender as the docks weren't built then. We did the whale watching excursion a couple of times and loved it.

We have 2 families of hummingbirds and last year all 3 families had babies twice while up north. I tried to get pictures when 5 were fighting over the one feeder -- not successful.

They showed some of the new glass panel floors that will be in the restaurant in the Space Needle. The renovation is running months behind.

 

At Juneau, we might have taken the tram up the hill again, but the view would not have been worth it, due to the weather. The free organ concert at the State Office Building, was really neat, so we were real happy with that. There is a lot to do, just walking around.

 

Icy Point Straight must have been really hard to tender to. The dock is nice. It is a short walk and they have carts for those with mobility problems. It is one of the reasons we booked this itinerary.

 

That would be really cool to get pics of the hummy families. At home it is in the 80s and 90s. We have a black Border Collie mix and it sounds like she isn't faring too well in the heat. She will be 11 in a couple months.

 

Do you have a cruise lined up?

[Krazy Kruizers]

The tender ride over to Icy Straight wasn't bad -- we were lucky -- good weather -- no rain.

Sorry to hear your one dog is not doing well. We will be hitting 91 the next couple of days (and maybe more) with very high humidity.

No more cruising for us. I used to be the healthy one. I had to start using a Rollator on the ships in 2012 and needed wheelchair assistance in the airports. It really got to be a hassle since we have no direct flights to any of the cruise ports.

After a not so good cruise in 2016 and horrible flights (planes were changed day before we were to fly) we decided -- no more cruises. Joe's Parkinson's has gotten very bad and now he is in the early stages of dementia. The doctor's discovered that the left side of my heart never fully developed when I was born so I am having heart problems and now a test model for different drugs. Today was a bad day when I had a reaction to the newest medication. Came close going to the hospital.

Are Lynette and you still doing well?

[packercruising]

The tender ride over to Icy Straight wasn't bad -- we were lucky -- good weather -- no rain.

Sorry to hear your one dog is not doing well. We will be hitting 91 the next couple of days (and maybe more) with very high humidity.

No more cruising for us. I used to be the healthy one. I had to start using a Rollator on the ships in 2012 and needed wheelchair assistance in the airports. It really got to be a hassle since we have no direct flights to any of the cruise ports.

After a not so good cruise in 2016 and horrible flights (planes were changed day before we were to fly) we decided -- no more cruises. Joe's Parkinson's has gotten very bad and now he is in the early stages of dementia. The doctor's discovered that the left side of my heart never fully developed when I was born so I am having heart problems and now a test model for different drugs. Today was a bad day when I had a reaction to the newest medication. Came close going to the hospital.

Are Lynette and you still doing well?

 

I am really sorry to hear that. I remember several years ago you were going to give up cruising because of Joe's health. You have been in my prayers every day since.

 

We are doing pretty well, thank you. We have had some health issues, but not like others and it is to be expected.

[packercruising]

May 27 Sunday- At Sea Day today. Temps in the 40s, now there’s a surprise. The sea is fairly calm and the clouds show signs of breaking up. On our way to Anchorage, which will be the midway point in our cruise. Pretty day today. Even have some sun. I got an answer to the glacier question from yesterday. It is Bering Glacier, the longest glacier in Alaska at over 100 miles. Hubbard Glacier, which we will be cruising to, is 77 miles long. Gala Night tonight, the 2nd of 3 formal events. We ended up being seated with one of the couple’s from Tuesday night. We have seen them several times since then. Very nice couple.

 

Okay, here goes myone and only RANT(hopefully). We have been on 23 cruises. Not a lot, by many standards, but enough to know what to expect from the wait staff. We like Anytime Dining. It has a lot of advantages. We almost always are able to make reservations and sit in a desired area, and the service has almost always been very good or better.The service in the MDR, for this cruise has been far short of what we have come to expect. It is like we are treated as second class citizens compared to assigned seating. We have had 3 different wait staffs in the MDR and all have been the same. I mentioned earlier that staffing might be a problem, and this could be, but they don’t even do basic things like clear the crumbs off the table cloth or fill your water glass without being asked. And the service is much slower even than the leisurely pace you expect. The band went around playing to the assigned seating guests, but never came to our dining room. In contrast to this, the wine stewards have been terrific! If we had the same one throughout, he would be getting an additional tip. We like tipping extra and it is rare that the wait staff and a bartender or two do not get an extra tip. Not yet on this cruise.

 

 

 

It has been a very good cruise so far, so don’t let the rant get to you. It turned out to be a beautiful day today and we are getting lovely views of the snowcapped mountains. We have one excursion tomorrow, The Big Swig! Limited to 12 people and they still have 5 spots available.

[Daisyloo]

I look forward to hearing what you think of "The Big Swig", as we have it booked on our July cruise.

Thanks for your updates.

[sdschwrt]

It is my understanding that transportation is provided from the dock into Anchorage. Could you please comment on the type of transport used, if there are long lines and what type of accommodation is provided for wheelchair users

[packercruising]

It is my understanding that transportation is provided from the dock into Anchorage. Could you please comment on the type of transport used, if there are long lines and what type of accommodation is provided for wheelchair users

 

They are city bus size and they have a lot of them, so there is little waiting. Nobody uses wheelchairs on the ship because there is not a lot of room to maneuver. There are a lot of people in the motorized chairs. Unless you have very limited mobility it works fine. There are several people to help you on the bus and the chair is stored in cargo. The people I saw, in this situation, did not seem to have a problem.

[oaktreerb]

May 27 Sunday- At Sea Day today. Temps in the 40s, now

Okay, here goes myone and only RANT(hopefully). We have been on 23 cruises. Not a lot, by many standards, but enough to know what to expect from the wait staff. We like Anytime Dining. It has a lot of advantages. We almost always are able to make reservations and sit in a desired area, and the service has almost always been very good or better.The service in the MDR, for this cruise has been far short of what we have come to expect. It is like we are treated as second class citizens compared to assigned seating. We have had 3 different wait staffs in the MDR and all have been the same. I mentioned earlier that staffing might be a problem, and this could be, but they don’t even do basic things like clear the crumbs off the table cloth or fill your water glass without being asked. And the service is much slower even than the leisurely pace you expect. The band went around playing to the assigned seating guests, but never came to our dining room. In contrast to this, the wine stewards have been terrific! If we had the same one throughout, he would be getting an additional tip. We like tipping extra and it is rare that the wait staff and a bartender or two do not get an extra tip. Not yet on this cruise.

 

******enjoying your reports*****

What happened when you tried making reservations? Did you ask for a particular table at a specified time, like table #108 at 6:00 or 5:30 or 8:00? or a table by the window or a table in a particular servers area? There is a chart on the Halfacts site with table numbers and the tables in the dining room should have numbers on them.

 

I understand your concerns....you can also talk to the dining room manager. I find anytime dining very frustrating. On our last cruise we would walk in and give them the number of a table we liked. We always got it. We eat early. We enjoyed having the same servers every evening. I have never been successful at making reservations.

 

I'll be dealing with anytime dining next week so let me know if and how you resolve this issue. You are half way through the cruise...7 days to go. Enjoy.

[packercruising]

May 27 Sunday- At Sea Day today. Temps in the 40s, now

Okay, here goes myone and only RANT(hopefully). We have been on 23 cruises. Not a lot, by many standards, but enough to know what to expect from the wait staff. We like Anytime Dining. It has a lot of advantages. We almost always are able to make reservations and sit in a desired area, and the service has almost always been very good or better.The service in the MDR, for this cruise has been far short of what we have come to expect. It is like we are treated as second class citizens compared to assigned seating. We have had 3 different wait staffs in the MDR and all have been the same. I mentioned earlier that staffing might be a problem, and this could be, but they don’t even do basic things like clear the crumbs off the table cloth or fill your water glass without being asked. And the service is much slower even than the leisurely pace you expect. The band went around playing to the assigned seating guests, but never came to our dining room. In contrast to this, the wine stewards have been terrific! If we had the same one throughout, he would be getting an additional tip. We like tipping extra and it is rare that the wait staff and a bartender or two do not get an extra tip. Not yet on this cruise.

 

******enjoying your reports*****

What happened when you tried making reservations? Did you ask for a particular table at a specified time, like table #108 at 6:00 or 5:30 or 8:00? or a table by the window or a table in a particular servers area? There is a chart on the Halfacts site with table numbers and the tables in the dining room should have numbers on them.

 

I understand your concerns....you can also talk to the dining room manager. I find anytime dining very frustrating. On our last cruise we would walk in and give them the number of a table we liked. We always got it. We eat early. We enjoyed having the same servers every evening. I have never been successful at making reservations.

 

I'll be dealing with anytime dining next week so let me know if and how you resolve this issue. You are half way through the cruise...7 days to go. Enjoy.

 

Trying to make reservations was a joke. They allow over 2 hours per setting so they are always full. They have only a few tables for two, as opposed to assigned seating which has many. We had no problem being seated. It was the service once seated.

 

We have never had a problem with anytime before.

[packercruising]

I look forward to hearing what you think of "The Big Swig", as we have it booked on our July cruise.

Thanks for your updates.

 

This is not a tour for casual beer drinkers. If you like craft beers, this is a terrific tour. No need to be bashful about asking for more and they already give you plenty at each stop.

[Cruizer Bill]

Zaandam is leaving Anchorage right now.....

[packercruising]

May 28 Monday- We have broken a pattern. The sun is out and temps are in the 50s. Our plan is to go into town this morning to do a little shopping and then do the Big Swig excursion this afternoon. The area is secured, so the only way off the pier is the free shuttle. The Port of Alaska began as a container port in 1961 and was called the Port Of Anchorage. It was the only deep water port in South Central Alaska to survive the Good Friday 1964 earthquake. The magnitude 9.2 earthquake killed 139 people as far away as Oregon and California. The port was renamed Port Of Alaska in October, 2017. Everything comes in to Anchorage through this port. If something happened that they could not use the port, there would be enough supplies for only 2 weeks.

 

Best day, weather wise, so far. Short sleeve shirt weather.We got off the ship on deck 2. This is a secured container port so we had to take the free shuttle into town. Not a problem. They had a lot of city size buses available and it is only a 10 minute drive. We had the same driver, Duane, both ways. He is a native Alaskan and kept us entertained. We were curious how the ship would handle the sea depth. Anchorage is in the Cook Inlet, which has Turn-again Arm. The sea depth rise and lowers 30 ft during the day. We got off the ship on deck 2 and got back on, on deck 3 when we returned.

 

The Big Swig was quite a tour. We toured 3 breweries, The King Street Brewery, Land Of The Midnight Sun Brewery and Resolution. At King Street, we got a lengthy explanation of the different hops and barleys they use and why. They also explained why certain regions use certain grains. It is because of the mineral content of the water in those regions. Of course, while he is talking, we get to be drinking. Midnight Sun is the 2nd largest craft brewer in the state and Resolution one of the smallest. If you appreciate beer, especially IPAs, you should appreciate this tour. It is a privately owned company. Just one guy and a part time employee.

 

When we got back to the ship, we went to see comedian Mark Pitta. Very funny and clean. Best day of the cruise so far!

[RedHeadTexan]

This is not a tour for casual beer drinkers. If you like craft beers, this is a terrific tour. No need to be bashful about asking for more and they already give you plenty at each stop.

Thank you! A bunch of us from our July 2nd roll call are into craft beers and are doing this tour together. Is the meeting spot at the pier or in town at the shuttle drop off?

 

Lisa

[Cruizer Bill]

Thanks for bring us along with you,

[packercruising]

Thank you! A bunch of us from our July 2nd roll call are into craft beers and are doing this tour together. Is the meeting spot at the pier or in town at the shuttle drop off?

 

Lisa

 

Yes, at the pier. If you like IPAs, they got them.

[packercruising]

Thanks for bring us along with you,

 

You are welcome. If we are only going to have one really nice day on the cruise, Anchorage is a great place to have it.

[packercruising]

May 29 Tuesday-Mostly cloudy, windy and in the 40s today. We are in Homer and will be doing the Best Of The Bay boat tour. Homer is on the shore of Kachemak Bay on the southwest side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its distinguishing feature is the Homer Spit, a narrow 4.5 mi long gravel bar that extends into the bay, on which is located the Homer Harbor. Much of the coastline as well as the Homer Spit sank dramatically during the Good Friday earthquake in March 1964.

 

The tide level in Homer is on Cooks Inlet, so once again, we will get off the ship either on deck 3 or 2, depending on the depth at that time. There is a free shuttle to take us to the other side of the Spit, where all of the shopping is, but to actually go into Homer costs $15.

The Best Of The Bay tour is rated more difficult because it is a pretty long walk to the boat and a fairly steep ramp to get to the dock. What we saw was lots of sea otters and puffins close up We also saw several Eagles and even mountain goats. There were also birds that looked a lot like penguins, but were able to fly. Very nice tour. The weather made a turn for the worse as we got back, so the afternoon tour probably won’t have it so comfortable.

 

We did try the musical this evening. It was titled Roadhouse, so we were hoping it would be music from the movie. It wasn’t. We weren’t the only ones that walked out early.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just catching up on your reports after having spent 2 days in the hospital.

Wonderful!!

The last time we were in Anchorage the buses stored my walker in the cargo bin underneath -- along with wheelchairs and small, collaspable scooters.

We gave up the main dining room many years ago. We had fixed dining and found the service way too slow for our liking plus at that time HAL's food had gone downhill -- drastically.

[AncientWanderer]

We gave up the main dining room many years ago. We had fixed dining and found the service way too slow for our liking plus at that time HAL's food had gone downhill -- drastically.

 

We experienced the drastic cutback days, too, and we think things are good again. We really enjoyed our MDR dinners on the Zaandam. Things will never be like the old glory days of cruising, but we ate some very delicious things this month on Zaandam. And we like how they are being creative with the newer, lighter, healthier style of eating. It was all good news to us in the MDR. We booked another HAL cruise.