Just off the Zaandam. All Concerns Unfounded. Loved it! A Review.

[Crew News]

We go on her in three weeks!!! I am really interested on private tours you did!!! We are not into ship tours!!! We are on deck3 with an outside cabin!!! Love deck 3!!! So easy to walk outside!!! Thanks for the review!!!

 

FWIW here are all of the menus for lunch, dinner, and late snack for both the Lido Market and MDR:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/specifc-cruise-lido-and-mdr-menus/hal-alaska14-day-2018-menus

[scluvsrain]

A/C on Zaandam was not working on your AK cruise, we were on the same cruise and found out that they would be working on the A/C for 4 weeks. Inside and crews cabins were horribly hot and stuffy. People on deck 3 were lucky for the ventilation from the doors.

 

 

 

That would explain why I needed no sweater anywhere on the ship and why our thermostat didn’t work.

 

 

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[0bnxshs]

OP, thanks for the refreshing look at Zaandam.

 

My FIL and I will be on her for 40 nights beginning when she leaves Seattle this September. I expect we'll have to be kicked off in Rio when we get there.

 

Like you, we've found the key to light packing is laundry service. As a former road warrior (my DW still is one), I know how amazing it is how quickly one learns to live from a small selection of all the stuff one has.

 

One thing to maybe point out to others regarding your EU to US plug converter hint is to be absolutely certain whatever you do plug into it can handle 220v. Otherwise, it will run super fast for a few seconds and then let all the smoke out that it operates on, rendering it useless except as a paperweight. :eek:

 

Agree with poster who said you must do South America and Antarctic cruise now that you've seen Alaska.

[teacherman]

THANK YOU for taking the time and effort to do this video. We are also scheduled to be on the Zaandam, inside cabin 3352, for the 22 day January, 2020 cruise of SA and Antarctica. We have never been on this ship and have never been in an inside cabin for that long of a cruise. But I agree that an inside is great for sleeping when you are getting the midnight sun, which I believe we will have on our cruise. You guys should come along with us.

[Hildavid]

Who was your Cruise Director?

[scluvsrain]

Andy. Nice guy. But he was going on vacation and then moving to another ship.

 

 

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[scotch15]

We are on the Zaandam on the 13th. My wife can get sea sick from rough waters was your crossing from Icy Straight Point to Anchorage a bumpy ride?

[elbodans]

We do have a rental in Juneau!! Would be interested in any suggestions!!! Plus where to stop for lunch??? In icy and Homer have wilderness tours!! Kodiak nothing! Rest of the places have been 5 times so will wing it!!!

 

Good call on the rental! I am doing a video on what we did in Juneau, but that won't be done in time for your sailing. So instead, here are my notes from what we did (I take notes so I can write blog posts. I have strange hobbies!)

 

-Off ship at 8am.

-Walked really far to Juneau Car Rental.

-Drove out of town as far as we could go—literally to the end of the road. Put Bridget Point State park in GPS.

-Turned around (NOTE: all stops from here on out are in order in the direction of back into town) and hiked Kowee Creek Trail. No sign; crossed over a bridge with 'Kowee Creek' written on a sign and saw aw parking area. Waved a giant leaf in the air, which we later discovered was Devil’s Club, a medicinal plant (and thankfully not poison anything.) Saw eagles and bear poop. Became afraid of bears.

-Stopped at random pull over. Discovered epic beach. Pull over for epic beach is maybe five minutes from scary bear hike. There's a trail down to the beach. It was gorgeous.

-Purposely stopped at Eagle Beach, which was not nearly as gorgeous as unnamed epic beach. Eagle Beach is clearly marked. Good place to stop for a picnic if you bring food (we did not.)

-Visited Shrine of St. Therese.

-Went to Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. Hiked Nugget Falls Trail.

-Returned car.

-Went to Taku to sample smoked salmon (just past tram to top of mountain; wanted to do tram but we were on a budget.)

-Stopped at bar next door to Taku for beer because husband was tired and thristy.

 

-Dinner at Tracy’s Crab Shack for overpriced crab leg.

-Back on the ship by 9ish; sail away at 11.

 

 

As for your question about where to stop for lunch: I've got nothing. I have food issues--I get sick when I eat, so I need to schedule food around times when I will be somewhere with a restroom for at least two hours after. The plan was to grab something at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor's Center and then hang out and watch the movie and THEN do a hike. Well, we arrived at the visitor's center at 2pm, having not eaten since 6am. And there's NO FOOD ANYWHERE. Like not even a vending machine. The reason we were given was 'wildlife'. So we actually LEFT the visitor's center, drove five miles back down Glacier Loop Road, had lunch at a McDonalds (it was the closest options), sat there for an hour, and then went BACK to the visitor's center. That was the one glitch in our day.

[elbodans]

A/C on Zaandam was not working on your AK cruise, we were on the same cruise and found out that they would be working on the A/C for 4 weeks. Inside and crews cabins were horribly hot and stuffy. People on deck 3 were lucky for the ventilation from the doors.

 

Really?!? Huh. I didn't think it was THAT hot or stuffy. Interesting. I had no idea.

 

Is that why crew were hanging out in large groups in public spaces when not working? I also wondered about that.

 

How did you fare?

[elbodans]

OP, thanks for the refreshing look at Zaandam.

 

My FIL and I will be on her for 40 nights beginning when she leaves Seattle this September. I expect we'll have to be kicked off in Rio when we get there.

 

Like you, we've found the key to light packing is laundry service. As a former road warrior (my DW still is one), I know how amazing it is how quickly one learns to live from a small selection of all the stuff one has.

 

One thing to maybe point out to others regarding your EU to US plug converter hint is to be absolutely certain whatever you do plug into it can handle 220v. Otherwise, it will run super fast for a few seconds and then let all the smoke out that it operates on, rendering it useless except as a paperweight. :eek:

 

Agree with poster who said you must do South America and Antarctic cruise now that you've seen Alaska.

 

But when they kick you off, you'll be in Rio. ;-)

 

And huh. I didn't know that about adapters. I have not had a problem with one in all of our travels. But then I mostly use them to charge my phone and straighten my hair (the latter was useless on a cruise, by the way. In case you could not tell by how a mess my hair was in that video!)

 

Enjoy your sailing!!!

[elbodans]

THANK YOU for taking the time and effort to do this video. We are also scheduled to be on the Zaandam, inside cabin 3352, for the 22 day January, 2020 cruise of SA and Antarctica. We have never been on this ship and have never been in an inside cabin for that long of a cruise. But I agree that an inside is great for sleeping when you are getting the midnight sun, which I believe we will have on our cruise. You guys should come along with us.

 

You are very welcome! I wish you a wonderful sailing!

 

And MAN, I wish I could come along! That sounds amazing! Sadly, while I might be able to make it work (MAYBE) my husband can't sail outside of summer break until he retires. In....17 years. :-/

 

I'll probably go without him before that point! ;p

[elbodans]

We are on the Zaandam on the 13th. My wife can get sea sick from rough waters was your crossing from Icy Straight Point to Anchorage a bumpy ride?

 

It was not bumpy for us, no, but then seas are always changeable so I can't promise you a smooth ride. Honestly, I stopped taking Bonine on day maybe four and was fine the entire time. The only time I had even a twinge of an issue was on a sea day up in the crow's nest. But that far up and forward is always bouncy.

 

The bumpiest ride we had was in the tiny whale watching boat we took in Icy Straight Point (the boat was about the size of a volkswagen bus and there were really choppy seas.) But to me that was fun. However, I do NOT recommend that for your wife.

[Ichiban Nekko]

I watched your video yesterday. It was absolutely terrific! Thank you (and your hubby too!) for doing this! We absolutely love doing Alaska cruises (five times, so far).

 

We have done the 14-day itinerary twice. When we sailed one year on the Amsterdam in September, we didn't make it into Kodiak & Homer due to a horrific storm and rerouted to Anchorage. The ship was able to make use of a permit for Glacier Bay that Princess was unable to use. What a was a spectacular day!

 

We sailed on the Maasdam in June a few years later. Not only did we make it to Kodiak & Homer this time, the weather was picture-postcard perfect from Seattle departure and throughout the cruise.

 

Like you, we frequently book inside cabins so we can cruise more frequently. Our personal style is that we use our cabin for sleeping & showering. We have had lovely cabins with balconies, etc., but find we just don't use them that much. If it's a sea day and we just want to read or hang out, there are loads of places with spectacular views on board. And we love to take in ATK demos, moves at the Wajang, etc. We would probably contribute more $$ to the casino if it were non-smoking. In Alaskan ports, it's go-go time!

 

BTW, you have inspired us and we have booked 22 days next spring (Transatlantic & Adriatic) on the Koningsdam. I suspect adult beverages may be involved in those sea days.;)

[Cruise a holic]

Cannot believe you only had a carry on! did you spend a lot of time doing laundry and dry cleaning? Do they have formal nights? I couldn’t even put more then a couple of days of clean clothes in carry on! dress shoes, sandals, sneakers, work out clothes?

Sounds like you managed, but it wouldn’t work for me! Glad you enjoyed the ship

[0bnxshs]

But when they kick you off, you'll be in Rio. ;-)

 

And huh. I didn't know that about adapters. I have not had a problem with one in all of our travels. But then I mostly use them to charge my phone and straighten my hair (the latter was useless on a cruise, by the way. In case you could not tell by how a mess my hair was in that video!)

 

Enjoy your sailing!!!

 

And we'll be heading directly for Copa Beach and the Hilton there and staying on points still in my account from my work days!

 

I did notice that you had your USB charging tower plugged in to the EU (there's a 220v label just above it) plug on the video, at least that's what it seemed. Like many electronics, it must have a transformer (the box along your computer power cord is a transformer and accepts 110v-220v input) somewhere along the line or built into it to provide low voltage DC current to those items that can charge from it; it must be labelled someplace on it that its input can be 110v-220v or some such. Same with your hair dryer (you look lovely in the video BTW, didn't see 1 bad hair day). Surge protected extension cords are discouraged because they often will return the surge back to the ship's circuitry which isn't good.

 

Happy travels! :D

[elbodans]

I watched your video yesterday. It was absolutely terrific! Thank you (and your hubby too!) for doing this! We absolutely love doing Alaska cruises (five times, so far).

 

We have done the 14-day itinerary twice. When we sailed one year on the Amsterdam in September, we didn't make it into Kodiak & Homer due to a horrific storm and rerouted to Anchorage. The ship was able to make use of a permit for Glacier Bay that Princess was unable to use. What a was a spectacular day!

 

We sailed on the Maasdam in June a few years later. Not only did we make it to Kodiak & Homer this time, the weather was picture-postcard perfect from Seattle departure and throughout the cruise.

 

Like you, we frequently book inside cabins so we can cruise more frequently. Our personal style is that we use our cabin for sleeping & showering. We have had lovely cabins with balconies, etc., but find we just don't use them that much. If it's a sea day and we just want to read or hang out, there are loads of places with spectacular views on board. And we love to take in ATK demos, moves at the Wajang, etc. We would probably contribute more $$ to the casino if it were non-smoking. In Alaskan ports, it's go-go time!

 

BTW, you have inspired us and we have booked 22 days next spring (Transatlantic & Adriatic) on the Koningsdam. I suspect adult beverages may be involved in those sea days.;)

 

we feel the same way about inside cabins; we just didn't spend a lot of time in there. i would probably feel differently on a different cruise line or even on a different ship perhaps (on a ship like one of the giant NCL ships that feels more like a mall) but for a HAL cruise, i can suffer an inside cabin and let the people who really need balconies have the few that are available.

 

and i inspired you to book a 22 day sailing!?! that's fantastic! have an amazing time!!!! super jealous!

[elbodans]

Cannot believe you only had a carry on! did you spend a lot of time doing laundry and dry cleaning? Do they have formal nights? I couldn’t even put more then a couple of days of clean clothes in carry on! dress shoes, sandals, sneakers, work out clothes?

Sounds like you managed, but it wouldn’t work for me! Glad you enjoyed the ship

 

ha! i get that a lot. i travel for work so i NEED to pack light or else all is lost. the key is few pairs of shoes--though i did bring more than my usual two pairs for alaska. i had a pair of sandals, a pair of black flats for the dining room (they fold up really small), a pair of duck shoes for walking around the deck and a pair of hiking sneakers. i could have traded the clunky duck shoes for a pair of comfy and smaller moccasins. the rest is all in packing cubes, which is how i do it. packing cubes are magic. and i brought three washable dresses and one pair of nice dark pants for dinners. we paid for the unlimited laundry. it was $100 for the entire cruise for both of us, which is how much two checked bags would have been--and we didn't need to schlep around giant suitcases. also since i travel for a living i just don't HAVE that many clothes. i don't even own a suitcase large enough to need to check.

 

if you wish to be further amused by my light packing obsession, i wrote about it here. skip reading about it and just look at the pics--i labeled them to explain how i pack.

 

i have issues, clearly!

 

http://www.suitcasescholar.com/2016/06/20/light-packing-for-business-and-leisure/

[Vict0riann]

As my mother used to say "Now you've gone and been and done it!" On the strength of your thread we just booked the Zaandam cruise for August 27th! El cheapo inside room!:eek: We have never booked anything so last minute that wasn't for a funeral!!

[scluvsrain]

You’re gonna love it!!

 

 

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[kazu]

You’re gonna love it!!

 

 

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thanks Sherita from us too :)

 

2020 and the first time I have been on her. :eek:

[Vict0riann]

We really enjoyed Zaandam last year in South America - but we had the amazing Captain Chris Turner, who Roy says is now on Volendam - elbodans, do you remember who the Captain was on your cruise?

[Crusin-Suzan]

As my mother used to say "Now you've gone and been and done it!" On the strength of your thread we just booked the Zaandam cruise for August 27th! El cheapo inside room!:eek: We have never booked anything so last minute that wasn't for a funeral!!

Join our roll call!!! And welcome aboard

[Vict0riann]

Join our roll call!!! And welcome aboard

 

 

 

Thank you - it'a done! [emoji16]. And we just made it onto the Bon Voyage thread!

 

 

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[scluvsrain]

ha! i get that a lot. i travel for work so i NEED to pack light or else all is lost. the key is few pairs of shoes--though i did bring more than my usual two pairs for alaska. i had a pair of sandals, a pair of black flats for the dining room (they fold up really small), a pair of duck shoes for walking around the deck and a pair of hiking sneakers. i could have traded the clunky duck shoes for a pair of comfy and smaller moccasins. the rest is all in packing cubes, which is how i do it. packing cubes are magic. and i brought three washable dresses and one pair of nice dark pants for dinners. we paid for the unlimited laundry. it was $100 for the entire cruise for both of us, which is how much two checked bags would have been--and we didn't need to schlep around giant suitcases. also since i travel for a living i just don't HAVE that many clothes. i don't even own a suitcase large enough to need to check.

 

 

 

if you wish to be further amused by my light packing obsession, i wrote about it here. skip reading about it and just look at the pics--i labeled them to explain how i pack.

 

 

 

i have issues, clearly!

 

 

 

http://www.suitcasescholar.com/2016/06/20/light-packing-for-business-and-leisure/

 

 

 

Could you still get by with the carryon if you were taking a 2 month cruise?

 

 

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[ksqueak]

I was on her a year ago and in the cabin next to yours. I love that cabin location (my TA thought I was crazy) and booked that cabin on many cruises.

Thanks for bringing back wonderful memories.