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

[missync]

[missync]

Chocolate Mousse - DELICIOUS!!  very chocolately and not too sweet. 

Raspberry tart - also amazing!  the raspberries were a little tart and a little sweet and the crust was kinda crunchy

Strawberry crisp - personal favorite!  had a good sweetness too it but not overly so.  the crisp part of it is excellent

chocolate profiteroles - nice little pastries.  had no idea what this was when it was ordered.  very similar to cream puffs.  

[missync]

May 17 - Icy Strait Point (Hoonah...kind of)

 

I'll be honest.  I did my research about all the other ports but didn't realize that this was an actual port.  I thought it was something you sailed through like the Inside Passage.  Well I was wrong 🙂  

One BIGGGG thing to note at this port is the bridge getting from the port to the "city".  It's very long and very steep.  They have a golf cart for the elderly and people with mobility issues and it has a basket to load wheelchairs and such and honestly...THANK GOD!!  I'm not sure that I could have pushed my dad in his wheelchair up that incline and actually would be more worried about the down slope.  I would probably still be there working on it lol.  sadly I didn't take any pictures of the ramp.  It would be a difficult walk for anyone FYI.

There are some options for excursions and stuff there.  There's a huge zipline which looked like a lot of fun but had a huge line and I didn't feel like waiting.  There are many nature trails you can hike/walk through as well.  And, you can take a bus(or walk) into Hoonah because the port isn't actually Hoonah but we didn't do that either.  We just looked around in the little shops and then got back on the ship.  The shops were really neat and most was very homemade which I loved.  They also had some restaurants which looked delicious but I didn't try any of them.  

 

So the first pictures are the water/land around the port and then a few from the port itself.  I also got a picture of the top of the zipline.  and I tried to get a picture of a huge bald eagle in the trees but it's a little fuzzy...oh well 

[missync]

[missync]

and now my favorite part...DINNER!

Spring rolls - very good.  nice flavor and the dipping sauce was amazing.  very small portion though 

andouille soup - very good.  wish there had been more "stuff" in it but most of the soups have been primarily broth so it was expected.  had a great flavor though

 

[missync]

Wiener schnitzel - not mine - said it was very good but there wasn't much too it.  the "potatoes" was little 2 little pieces and same with the asparagus. 

lasagna - excellent!  i really enjoyed their italian dishes on this cruise.  their sauce is really good and the whole dish had a great flavor

[missync]

Gianduiotto - delicious!  honestly had no idea what it was (the chocolate log in picture) but tried it anyways.  not too sweet but really good. 

Mille Feuille - it was ok.  again...no idea what it was (cracker looking thing).  nice light pastry but some cream in it.  not much to it and not a ton of flavor but I didn't dislike it. 

Baked Alaska - good!  I really enjoyed it.  mostly because I was in Alaska eating baked Alaska.  Nice flavor but nothing too exciting really. 

Mango Blueberry Crisp - great!  Loved this one.  I'm a big crisp fan to begin with and this one had a good flavor.  not too sweet and a little tart.

Alaska Fudge Sundae - not mine - my dad loved it.  He's a big fan of ice cream and sundaes to begin with though.  

[missync]

May 18 - Ketchikan

 

We rented a car here through First City Car Rental for the day to just cruise around on our own.  They pick you right up at the dock and you leave the car in the same place when you leave so it was super convenient.  I highly recommend them just for ease of use and the price was decent too ($90/day).

First place we went was Saxman Village for the totems.  It was really neat area but quite small.  I was expecting a bigger place but it was still really amazing to see.  

The second place was Totem Bight.  This required a little more walking but was still amazing.  The main trail down was not easy to navigate with a wheelchair so anyone with mobility issues may have a hard time there.  But we managed to get the wheelchair down there without any major problems...other than being out of breath.  

There is also a small museum attached to the gift shop.  It was really interesting to see.  Very small so unique and worth a quick look at the very least.  

After that, We drove around the town and into the more touristy area for lunch.  Parking is somewhat limited especially if you have people with mobility issues but we found something pretty close by and decided to eat at the Alaska Fish House.  Sort of limited seating but there is a separate room in the back with additional seating.  They have fishing tours and then they cook your catch for you right there.  It looked amazing but we just ordered off the menu.  Most of my family got the fried bering sea cod.  It came with fries and cole slaw and was around $12.  I got the special which was 1 piece of each: cod, salmon, and halibut with fries and cole slaw at $15.  All of it was AMAZING!!!  I would gladly go back there again.  They have a lot of other options and some things I would love to try but we stuck with the basics and were very happy.  

Right next door is a little mall of sorts with souvenirs and little trinkets to take home.  There are a lot of other restaurants in the area and shops galore.  A short drive from that restaurant is "the sign".  The famous Ketchikan sign.  We had to get a picture of that as well.  

 

Edited January 30, 2019 by missync

[missync]

Saxman Village 

[missync]

Totem Bight

 

[missync]

[missync]

Sadly I do not have the pictures from dinner tonight or the last day of the cruise.  I am pretty sure I took them but somehow they are missing.  Sad day for everyone I'm sure lol.

[missync]

May 19 - The Inside Passage *Sea Day

 

May 20 - Debarkation

Went relatively smoothly.  I liked that HAL allows you to stay in your room for a little longer.  We basically walked off the ship into the baggage claim area and onto a taxi so it was pretty nice and easy.  We stayed that night in a hotel closer to the airport because with time changes, wheelchairs, and long flights, we didn't want to rush to get to the airport and then be flying all night.  So we stayed in a Holiday Inn Express(in Richmond) that was less than 10 minutes to the airport and was a decent price.  They had a breakfast and free shuttle to the airport as well so huge bonus there!  It was next door to a Costco and a few restaurants which was nice since we didn't have a car.  

 

May 21 - Flight back to Charlotte

No issues with Toronto this time...Thank god! 

 

[missync]

So my overall thoughts about this cruise and Alaska.  Obviously this is just my own opinion and you are free to feel however you want but here it is...

 

• HAL seems to be more geared towards the older population.  I enjoyed it but I think I might have preferred a different cruise line
• I didn't dislike HAL but probably wouldn't sail with them again.  The rest of my group felt the same and had sailed with other companies including to Alaska.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't though!!!  
• HAL's menu is odd.  Food was delicious and I definitely didn't go hungry but the selections were weird. 
• Alaska was AMAZING!  Totally different than any other cruise I've ever been on.  I think I prefer the Caribbean but I would absolutely go back to Alaska and hopefully will someday. 
• Alaska is more about scenery than anything.  and WOW!  It's incredible.  but younger kids/teens might not appreciate it as much.  
• Excursions are WAY more expensive than other ports.  I kind of felt like we needed to do something in each port whereas in the Caribbean, you can just go to a beach and that's the entertainment for a day.  I rarely do excursions in the Caribbean...
• Alaska is definitely doable for the mobility impaired but you need to plan ahead and choose excursions/entertainment wisely.  Cruise Critic is a HUGE help!!!

 

Well I hope you enjoyed my review and pictures!  

[Sue's Mom]

Thank you so much for posting this.  I found your review very interesting, enjoyable and useful since we are on the Westerdam at the end of May.