Semi live review Y1L Holland America’s Alaska Land and Sea CruiseTour, June 1 – June 19, 2022

[Bruinboy]

We did this many moons ago. Loved it. Have a great time and thanks for taking the time to allow us to "travel" with you.

[Copper10-8]

5 hours ago, Alphen said:

Vancouver Fairmont Airport Hotel

 

.........................................

So far everything is pretty well organized, only thing I must say is that HAL keeps sending flight changes (in our case our booking has 5 flights listed) and you have to figure out yourself what the changes are. This morning we received another one and after checking all flight times, searching for a change, at turned out to be a change of flight number. This could be done more efficient I guess, but so far, that is all.

 

Tomorrow is our first flight over to Whitehorse, where we will be met by our tour host and we will receive further instructions. Our group seems to be a group of 35, so we will see who we will be meeting tomorrow.

 

 

 

Last minute change of aircraft for your flight to Whitehorse tomorrow courtesy of 407 LRP Sqn from CFB Comox, BC (Vancouver Island); pretty sure you are familiar with this one and have no probs taking over from one of the operators in the back 😉 Enjoy your flight and the Yukon!

 

 

[Alphen]

10 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Last minute change of aircraft for your flight to Whitehorse tomorrow courtesy of 407 LRP Sqn from CFB Comox, BC (Vancouver Island); pretty sure you are familiar with this one and have no probs taking over from one of the operators in the back 😉 Enjoy your flight and the Yukon!

 

 

Thanks John, this would be a blast! 

 

I understand that Whitehorse is a locations that is used by Buffallo air, they are flying either original Lockheed Electra's or converted P3, as I remember having seen sometimes on Discoverry. Maybe I will hear the distinct sound of roaring Allison engines!

[Alphen]

Vancouver Airport

Food options for either dinner or breakfast the following morning, were not included, but could be either in the hotel or in several options on the airport.

 

We have chosen for the breakfast plan in our land portion, but that will start tomorrow in Whitehorse. For lunch and dinner, we saw enough options with either included on some occasions, or during an excursion. For the rest we will look in the area.

 

On the airport there are options like Starbucks, Wendy’s, Subway, Tim Hortons, A&W and Pajo’s. In the morning, we chose for a croissant at Hortons and some coffee and tea in the room, so we were ready to go. We checked at reception, but we could just dump our keycard and go ahead for check in.

 

Vancouver weather today is a bit cloudy, but forecast for upcoming Whitehorse today and Dawson next look promising, with temperatures in the lower twenties (Celsius, luckily the Canadians are on the same page as us from over the pond 😊).

 

Depending on internet options, the story will continue as much as possible, although our first priority is not the internet, but exploring the Yukon and following Alaska.

[canadianbear]

@Alphen  just wondering how the lineups were at the airport for check in and security at YVR?  We’ve heard  long wait times. 
 

 

[Alphen]

5 minutes ago, canadianbear said:

@Alphen  just wondering how the lineups were at the airport for check in and security at YVR?  We’ve heard  long wait times. 
 

 

We are currently in our room, check in is about 3 hours away, but we will make sure we are in time to encounter these lines.

[canadianbear]

7 minutes ago, Alphen said:

We are currently in our room, check in is about 3 hours away, but we will make sure we are in time to encounter these lines.

Although CATSA says 5-10 minute waits, those are not accurate as it doesn’t include check in with air lines luggage etc. Would appreciate if you get a chance later to let me know your experience.  Thank you. 

[Copper10-8]

17 minutes ago, Alphen said:

Thanks John, this would be a blast! 

 

I understand that Whitehorse is a locations that is used by Buffallo air, they are flying either original Lockheed Electra's or converted P3, as I remember having seen sometimes on Discoverry. Maybe I will hear the distinct sound of roaring Allison engines!

 

Just watched an old episode with "Buffalo Joe" and his team this week. They do have one Orion (plus four active Electras) still with a U.S. registration; N922AU, used for aerial firefighting. Hope you see some of them! Have a great time in Canada's Northwest Territories and the Yukon

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

4 minutes ago, canadianbear said:

Although CATSA says 5-10 minute waits, those are not accurate as it doesn’t include check in with air lines luggage etc. Would appreciate if you get a chance later to let me know your experience.  Thank you. 

 

Yeah, that line after check-in at the counter was not pretty last time we flew out of YVR. Hope it has improved somewhat

 

 

[canadianbear]

@Copper10-8
From what I gather it hasn’t improved but depends on time of day.  Toronto is just as bad as well.  

[rajkr74]

The security line at YVR on May 11th after my 10 day Covid quarantine was not bad for my 10:50am flight to Seattle.  I left early from the hotel to see if I could get an earlier flight at 8:05am but the staff at the Alaska check-in counter pointed to the hugh long security line behind the counter down the hall and said there would be no way I'd get thru that line and make the 8:05 flight...so back across the lobby I went to sit and wait for check-in for the 10:50am flight.  It  depends on the time of the day. 

 

Jeroen, wish you the best on your cruise and hope everything goes well.  Keep the pictures coming as we enjoy watching and reading about your trip. 

Rick & Joyce

 

[Alphen]

Vancouver Airport cont.

Just went through check in and security, security around nine AM was about 15 minutes, but be advised, this is domestic, Canada!

 

 

looks like everything going smoothly so far, at check in they only checked our vaccinations, nothing else.

 

Edited June 2, 2022 by Alphen

[Alphen]

Hmm, that looks familiar……🤔

 

 

[Alphen]

We are on our way;

[canadianbear]

So glad it went well for you at YVR!  Gives us hope as we will be flying in the near future, thank you for the update.  

[Copper10-8]

2 hours ago, Alphen said:

Hmm, that looks familiar……🤔

 

 

 

Hey, the Canadians can't be copying a seriously tasty Dutch delicacy...........wazzup with that? 😉 

 

[canadianbear]

23 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Hey, the Canadians can't be copying a seriously tasty Dutch delicacy...........wazzup with that? 😉 

 

There’s a lot of Dutch in Canada!  (my grandparents were Dutch) 

[Copper10-8]

10 minutes ago, canadianbear said:

There’s a lot of Dutch in Canada!  (my grandparents were Dutch) 

 

Believe me, I know! 🙂 Especially after the end of WWII, lots and lots of Dutch sought a new life in Canada and left the old country. Holland America Line was a huge part of that sea journey to Halifax and Montreal

[Alphen]

And welcome to Whitehorse it is!

 

[canadianbear]

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Believe me, I know! 🙂 Especially after the end of WWII, lots and lots of Dutch sought a new life in Canada and left the old country. Holland America Line was a huge part of that sea journey to Halifax and Montreal

Yes, my Grandpa was one of them!  I’ve always wanted to go to Holland but unfortunately have never made it and doubt I will.  

[cccole]

Can't wait for the photos and review of Whitehorse.  Thank you for taking us along!!!!  Cherie

[Alphen]

Vancouver to Whitehorse

 

An uneventful flight took us to Whitehorse in just around two hours.

During the flight there were complimentary drinks (nonalcoholic), a sandwich and a warm chocolate chip cookie. The flight was a regular flight, so we were not the only passengers and it looked almost full. Not too bad at all and we were soon in the arrival hall of the small airfield of Whitehorse. In the hall we were greeted by our host Will and we soon got our luggage tagged and given to the crew that took care of it, delivering it to outside our hotel room.

 

A short ride got us to the Sternwheeler Hotel and Conference center (not HAL owned, like the Westmark’s), but our rooms were not ready, so we could easily go into town, while rooms and luggage were sorted out.

Edited June 3, 2022 by Alphen

[Alphen]

SS Klondike II, Whitehorse

Whitehorse is a nice little town, just opening up for tourist season recently, so not everything maybe perfect. We took a stroll to the waterfront and then slowly made our way over the Millennium Trail to the SS Klondike II, the last great paddle wheel, grounded as a museum. Sadly, it is currently being renovated, so only open for 3 tours a day, of which the last one we just missed. The paddle wheel itself is now covered for renovation, so we could only walk around the outside. They did show a sort film about the history of the steamer just next to the site, but we did not see this one.

 

 

Also I can mention that the Millennium Trail is a nice walk, with several nice views over the river and also some nice photo opportunities.

 

Edited June 3, 2022 by Alphen

[Alphen]

Whitehorse town

After visiting the Klondike we slowly made our way through town.

 

 

In the meantime, we sadly got another cancellation of a tour, this time one during our land portion in Denali, we are bracing ourselves for more. HAL always calls it “cancelled for operational reasons”, but this could be anything. Labor shortages could be a main factor in all of this sadly.

 

 

Edited June 3, 2022 by Alphen

[Alphen]

The Sternwheeler Hotel and Conference Center.

After this short tour, we made a stop at the hotel, to see if our room was ready, which it was.

 

We could also see in the lobby, how the SS Klondike looks, with its paddle wheel!

 

Edited June 3, 2022 by Alphen