From Glaciers to Palm Trees - Spend 71 days with Bill & Mary Ann on the Zuiderdam - 9-7-22 to 11-17-22

[StLouisCruisers]

1 hour ago, ottahand7 said:

Thank you for your wonderful review of everything happening on your extended cruise.  We are looking forward to hear what happens with COVID testing when you begin your South Pacific leg of your cruise.  We are sailing on the Volendam December 27 and are doing a 7 day holiday cruise before carrying on our 74 day Grand SA.   Will they test you onboard for the extended cruise a few days before taking on new passengers and departing San Diego.  It will be a pain for us to have to get off and do a proctored test in FL or make it to Walgreen's for our test.    Many thanks! 

 

I've heard this place mentioned on CC for quite a while now.  Located on SE 17th in FLL near the port and the prices and short wait times are great. 

 

https://labdoctor.org/covid-pcr-testing/

[WCB]

Greetings!

 General Hotel Director, Henk, said that the port of Aitutaki, Cook Islands will be switched to another day, not a Sunday, on the Tales of the South Pacific. 

Breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill is available for Pinnacle, Neptune, and President's Club guests every day.  No reservations required.

We have not been informed yet when we will be Covid tested before the South Pacific cruise.  More than likely, it will be on the ship....we hope.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Greetings!

 General Hotel Director, Henk, said that the port of Aitutaki, Cook Islands will be switched to another day, not a Sunday, on the Tales of the South Pacific. 

Breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill is available for Pinnacle, Neptune, and President's Club guests every day.  No reservations required.

We have not been informed yet when we will be Covid tested before the South Pacific cruise.  More than likely, it will be on the ship....we hope.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Happily@Sea]

The rain arrived at Juneau - just before the ship did, unless you brought it with you from further south. Bummer!

[The Other Tom]

5 hours ago, WCB said:

He shared more info on his friends that left for other cruise lines.  Many of them had no choice.

So they were booted by HAL?  

Edited September 23, 2022 by The Other Tom

[Florida_gal_50]

3 hours ago, The Other Tom said:

So they were booted by HAL?  

I imagine they found other employment.

[The Other Tom]

11 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I imagine they found other employment.

Yes, the original post states that "He shared more info on his friends that left for other cruise lines.  Many of them had no choice."

The puzzling part is why they had no choice.

[Florida_gal_50]

39 minutes ago, The Other Tom said:

Yes, the original post states that "He shared more info on his friends that left for other cruise lines.  Many of them had no choice."

The puzzling part is why they had no choice.

They had no choice because they have to earn a living.  I don’t think there is anything suspect about it. I think people take things too literally.  Hopefully the op will address this to put your mind to rest.

Edited September 24, 2022 by Florida_gal_50

[WCB]

Report #18    Juneau, Alaska    Friday September 23, 2022   1pm-9:30pm  Rain With 48 Degree Temperature  Part #1 Of 4........Text Only Pictures In Parts 2,3 &4

 

Through most of the evening, the seas were rather choppy.  This was the first time on this trip that we noticed some pronounced movement.  By the time we woke up, it was windy, raining, and downright cold at 48 degrees, not to mention the wind factor.  We have gone from summer to fall in a big hurry.   Despite the choppy seas, we still kept watch for sea life.  The only thing we saw were some birds flying by the ship at double speed.   Although our original itinerary showed a tour drop-off in Tracy Arm, it must have been cancelled once again.  We never heard the reason why.  Todays weather might have been a factor.

 

By 11:30am, the ship entered the Gastineau Channel, and by noon, we were docked at Franklin Dock.  In the Alaska Steam Ship Dock, the Quantum of the Seas was already tied up.  And the Seabourn Odyssey was at the Cruise Ship Terminal.  The Disney ship was not here today.  By now, most of the cruise ships in this part of the world have begun their re-positioning  to warmer climates.  Just like the Zuiderdam will do next Wednesday. 

 

Since this was our third visit here, we can add a few new facts.  Rain falls here 230 days a year measuring to 55 to 92 inches. The Spring months are the driest.  The wettest months are September and October.  There are more trails than roads….like 250 miles of trails.  Fish farms are prohibited in Alaska.  And a fun fact is how many times can your state fit into the state of Alaska?  If you are from Texas, it would fit 2 times.  California would fit 4 times, while Rhode Island would fit 425 times.  Yes, Alaska is that big.

 

The ship was cleared before 1pm, but we decided to wait until the majority of the tours left.  They all meet onshore, and the guests are no longer “stickered”.  That is really better than the old way where you met in the Queens Lounge, and had to sit and wait to be called.  So we left by 1:45pm, and found the line was quite short.  There would have been no line if it were not for the new crew coming onboard with their luggage and backpacks.  Later on, we heard that some of this crew came from another HAL ship, such as the Eurodam we saw yesterday.

 

Bundled up with our rain gear and heavy coats, we had to wear our masks getting off the ship, as well as carry a copy of our Covid vaccination cards.  We did not have to show them to anyone, but just in case we were asked, we had them.  The streets in town were a little crowded, so we kept our masks on.  An added bonus was that they kept our noses warm.  On the way, we studied the spruces and hemlocks for possible sightings of eagles.  Some were there, but tucked deep into the branches to keep somewhat dry.  It was still raining steadily, so the only active birds we saw were the gulls.

 

Walking past the icons in downtown, we headed for the Hangar on the Wharf for lunch.  This cooler weather really spurred our appetites, and we were once again hoping that the restaurant would not be crowded.  We were in luck, because most of the cruise passengers were still on tours.  No problem getting a nice booth at the window.  Ordering the usual burger, extra fries, and Alaskan Amber beers, we watched as the Quantum slowly left their mooring.  She is one big ship, but not their largest we hear.  Saving a tad bit of room for dessert, we ordered a slice of their excellent mud pie.  Sure was good.  On the way out, we passed the floatplane building for Taku Lodge.  There was a sign in the window saying sorry your tours were cancelled….you will get you money refunded.  Obviously, the weather grounded all flights.

 

This was our last chance to buy some goodies at the Alaskan Fudge Company.  Peanut brittle and walnut/chocolate fudge should last us a week.  There is another one of these shops in Skagway, but last week they were closed, probably for the season.  For the first time, we took notice that there were no huge sales happening in the souvenir stores.  Usually you see signs saying everything has to go.  The only places we saw that sign were shops that had permanently closed and left town for good it looked like.  We got back to the ship by 4:30pm.

 

We kept warm and dry in our room until it was time for dinner, still keeping watch for more eagles.  There was the pair in the evergreen tree across from the ship, and eventually one flew out, leaving the mate in the tree.  At least we got to see them again.  Dinner was in the dining room, which was not totally full.  Both of us ordered the rice/cheese ball rolled in a crispy crust for appetizers, along with Caesar salads, no anchovies please.  Mains were one chili rellenos and a braised beef short rib dinner, which was only warm, not hot.  The poblano chili was hot, since it was just fried, but the beef was just warm.  Guess we need to ask our waiter every night to make it hot as can be.  We really do not complain, but if you don’t let them know, they cannot fix it.  Desserts were a new version of apple crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and one pineapple frozen yogurt. 

 

During dinner, around 9pm, the Seabourn Odyssey pulled away from the berth, and sailed out of the channel.  Passing very slowly by us, it was a pretty sight to see it all lit up in the dark.  All aboard here was 9:30pm, and we shortly after that.

 

Tomorrow we will be in Skagway early, so that means an early breakfast.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

[WCB]

Greetings all!

 

Regarding our comment that the crew members had no choice but to seek other employment, was the fact they were not getting called back to work as they had hoped.  They had no choice but to seek new jobs elsewhere.  Hope this clears up the confusion.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[The Other Tom]

7 hours ago, WCB said:

Greetings all!

 

Regarding our comment that the crew members had no choice but to seek other employment, was the fact they were not getting called back to work as they had hoped.  They had no choice but to seek new jobs elsewhere.  Hope this clears up the confusion.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

Thanks for the info.

[Traveling Dot]

Marianne,

I have been following your blog for years now but this time I did not get an email for your blog.  Is there a reason that I haven't gotten it this time?  I got one for your spring cruises in the Caribbean but not for this one.

[felma531]

Bill and Mary Ann,

We've always visited Alaska in September. Having fewer ships makes for less crowds which we like. A bonus is finding lots of bargains among souvenirs. Sounds as if the shops are holding on to merchandise. I'm sure they still feel losses from being closed for 2 seasons. Enjoyed the pictures of the parade of ships. That Bliss is huge! Have no desire to sail on megaships. Y'all stay warm this week!

Margaret and Monty

[LewiLewi]

Hi Bill and Mary Ann,

  Two more questions before we board next week:

Is there a bank of separate quarantine rooms and if so where are they located?

Are people dressing up for dinner; jackets and ties for men, or just casual slacks and shirts?

Thank you.

[WCB]

Report #19  Skagway, Alaska   Saturday, September 24, 2022   7am-8:30pm   Mostly Cloudy With Rain And Wind 48 Degrees   Part #1 Of 5..Text Only.....Pictures In Parts 2,3,4 &5

 

Back in the late 1800’s, the local Tlingit tribes called Skaqua (Skagway) a windy place with white caps on water.  Eventually, it was officially called the Home of the North Wind, which sure was a fitting description of today.  By the time we woke up, the ship was already docked.  And shortly after us, came the Norwegian Jewel, sailing in during the dark of the early morning.  Sure was a pretty sight.  A fairly big vessel, that will put a lot of folks in town today, most of whom will go on the train to the Yukon. 

 

After a leisurely breakfast, we stopped at the front desk and asked why the Canaletto charges from last Tuesday had not been dropped.  We did see one credit, but it did not match the Canaletto charge.  Promising to follow up again, we also asked about yesterday’s internet.  One of the fellows came over and said the internet had been shut down off and on all day.  No wonder our emails would not get sent. 

 

Last night one of us had a problem with the temperature of the water in the shower.  Thank goodness, I followed the directions to test the water before jumping in the shower.  The spray went from cool to warm to hot…so hot that it was scalding.  Turning the knob did not help, as it only got worse.  So we reported to the gal at the front desk, and she promised to send a plumber.  And they did shortly after we got back to the room.  Turned out to be a faulty mixer valve, which was fixed.  Since we boarded almost three weeks ago, the tub drain did not work well.  The plumber fixed that too. 

 

Evi from Housekeeping showed up about the same time this work was being done.  She was there to check the speakers in the room, which we did not know we had.  Yes, we did find the small one in the headboard, although we have never heard a peep from it.  Then she showed us the speaker in the bathroom, which was hidden under the sink counter.  We all had a good laugh over finding these.  Later on, there was a general crew drill, and guess what?  These speakers actually worked.  Glad we asked about them.

 

After the Zuiderdam finished their drill, one was held on the Jewel.  We watched from the veranda as the crew filed outside in the very cold wind.  Their drill took an hour or so.

 

Bundling up, we left the ship around 11am, feeling like Pillsbury dough boys.  The rain had stopped and the sun was actually trying to peek out.  It was 50 degrees with strong winds that cut right through you.  This time there was no line, as most of the tours had already gone off earlier.  We spotted a harbor seal trying to get up the fish ladder, but did not have the camera handy.  Bet he could smell the fish, although we saw none at all.

 

We walked Pullen Creek again, and read about the salmon that come here.  The King salmon arrive in late May, while the pinks run in August.  The silvers come in September, but guess we missed them this year.  We followed the Dewey Lake Trail sign that led to a bridge across the creek, then the beginning of the trail system.  We have done this hike years ago, but one of us felt it may be difficult with the new knee.  Especially with the ground being recently soaked with rain. 

 

Our destination was a hike to the Gold Rush Cemetery and Lower Reid Falls.  We guess it was 1 ½ miles walking up State Street to the Moore Bridge.  Then there was a sign pointing to the Gold Rush Cemetery, another ½ mile up the gravel road.  For most of the walk, we felt really isolated from civilization.  Little did we realize there would be tour vans, two trolleys, and a bus coming up this road.  Once we arrived to the cemetery, we realized we had been here on a tour many years ago.  Located on a wooded hillside, this original cemetery is famous for its residents from the Gold Rush days.  One notorious character was Jeff “Soapy” Smith, who masqueraded as an upstanding citizen, while he and his gang robbed people of their gold.  Frank Reid was an upstanding citizen, who confronted Soapy Smith.  There was a gun fight, and both men lost their lives…..one instantly, and Reid, several agonizing days later.   Other graves were of locals who helped build the city, as well as their families, and those who died from epidemics.  Some were young children, as was common in those days.  Lots of graves were marked unknown. 

 

Continuing on from the graveyard, is the trail to Lower Reid Falls.  The hike from the gravesites is about 100 yards to the falls, but they failed to mention it is rather steep and slippery after a rainfall.  One of us had to really take time to climb there, but would not leave without seeing the falls, which were really scenic.  Going downhill was even slower for one of us.  The cemetery is maintained by the Municipality of Skagway, and also has convenient restrooms at the base.  Benches too.  By the time we left, the vans and buses had arrived, and it was time to go. 

 

One last look at the rushing river on the Moore Bridge, we headed back to town. The north wind blowing here could knock you over.  It was time for lunch, so we went back to the Skagway Brewing Company.  This time we ordered chicken tenders with 2 dips, BBQ and ranch.  The Red Star beers sure went down easy, as did the dessert of a shared slice of cheesecake. By the way, this is the only restaurant where we were charged 2.8% for using a credit card.  There were a few more stops we wanted to make such as Ace Hardware to look for a small outdoor thermometer for the veranda, the Popcorn Factory for caramel corn, and the Alaskan Quilt shop for a spool of gray thread.  Next to the quilt shop was the Klondike Doughboy Shop, where we watched a fellow frying the round yeast dough in hot oil.  It puffed up as he rolled it around to brown. We have never seen this treat before (seven dollars for one), but the vendors said it is served everywhere, but called something different.  Bet it is good coated with cinnamon sugar.  Too bad we were too full from lunch, or we may have shared one.

 

One last stop was at Gold Rush Gifts to buy a Lazy One sleep T to add to the collection.  They were the only shop that had a specific design I liked, and their prices were the best.  Even received a free Alaska tote bag and another nice map of the area.  Two trains had arrived by now from their trips, so we headed back to beat the crowds.  Could not believe it was after 4pm already. 

 

Back on the ship, we did a little more reading of the brochures and came across some more interesting facts.  Alaska has the biggest mountain in the North America Continent, which is Mt. McKinley or Denali at 20,320 feet in elevation.  The Yukon River is almost 2000 miles long, the 3^rd longest in North America.  Alaska has more coastline than all of the states combined.  At 9.2 on the Richter scale, Alaska has the strongest earthquakes.  Finally, there are more active volcanoes in Alaska than the rest of inhabited world. 

 

We spent the remainder of the afternoon warming up in our room.  The NCL Jewel left the dock by 5pm.  Dinnertime arrived by 8pm, and we headed for the Pinnacle Grill.  Cocktails were first, then wedge salads with extra bread that resembles tiny loaves of French bread.  They are the best.  One of us had the halibut, and the other, lamb chops…. All delicious.  Sharing a Baked Alaska, we ended the meal by 9:30pm, while watching the Zuiderdam backing up out of the harbor.

 

We wonder what the weather will be like tomorrow while sailing into Glacier Bay?  Captain Friso mentioned that he was going to try to outrun an approaching storm.  First time we heard of that.  Goodbye to Skagway, one of the most interesting cities in this part of Alaska, in our humble opinion.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[Clay Clayton]

Thanks for all your posts-it’s gotten us excited about our departure next week.  We will be following in your path starting next Saturday on Koningsdam.  Like you we are also heading to palm trees after Alaska. Unfortunately ours is only one b2b, after the last Alaska run, we stay aboard to sail roundtrip to Hawaii. Trying to figure out what to call my “almost” live thread since you already claimed “Glaciers to Palm Trees.”  Maybe “King Crab to Poi?”😂

[WCB]

Margaret & Monty,

Have one more port to check out the sales!  Will let you all know what we find.

 

We do not know where the bank of rooms are for the Covid folks on this ship.  But we can say we saw more guests dressed nicely (suits, ties, a few tuxes) for "gala" night on this cruise, and we expect more for the longer cruise.

 

Really like "King Crab to Poi" - great sense of humor there.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

For those who would like to follow our other blog, here is the link:

 

"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann.

[Clay Clayton]

8 minutes ago, WCB said:

 

 

Really like "King Crab to Poi" - great sense of humor there.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

For those who would like to follow our other blog, here is the link:

 

"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann.

Glad to know you approve!

[WCB]

Report #20    Sunday September 25, 2022    Glacier Bay National Park 7am-4pm   Cloudy And Cool 56 Degrees   Part#1 Of 3.......Text Only...Pictures In Parts 2& 3

 

Oh no…..when we woke up while sailing into Glacier Bay National Park at 6:45am, all we saw was fog, clouds, and a light drizzle.  Gone were the blue skies we experienced on our last two visits.  The rangers, a heritage guide, and a geographic rep boarded the ship from the Park Headquarters near Bartlett Cove.   They would be our guides until 4pm.  The bow was opened for viewing at 7am, and there were a handful of folks all decked out in their raingear.   We are so happy to be able to view this excursion for the third time in as many weeks, especially from our veranda.  It has kept us feeling close to nature, as opposed to positioning for a spot at the railing on the bow. 

 

Going to breakfast right when the doors opened, guaranteed us seats at the window.  All we had to do was ask.  On the other hand, another elderly couple came in, the man with a one dollar bill in his hand so everyone could see it, as he marched through the restaurant, were also seated at a window table set for two.  He slipped it to the staff member and that was that.  In all of the time we have been cruising with HAL, and other cruise lines as well, we have never seen a man give a tip in this manner.  Maybe he just wanted to be noticed . We don’t want to open a can of worms here, but this did not sit well with us, not that it is any of our business. If you want to tip don’t let the whole world see you do it.  We have sailed on other luxury cruise lines that forbid any tipping, or the crew member could be fired on the spot. With that said we do tip appropriately, but the whole ship doesn’t need to know it.  Anyway, the view was not that exciting this morning with the low fog and clouds.  We saw no wildlife at all.

 

We wanted to be back in the room for Gloomy Knob at 9am, which loosely translates to Land of the Mountain Goats.  Captain Friso sailed fairly close to the shores, so we could all see the five mountain goats up on the ridges.  And we mean, waaaay up there.  You really needed a good pair of binoculars to spot them.  The guide did spot two bears on the shore, probably due to the fact it was low tide.  The Zuiderdam did not slow down, so by the time the sightings were announced we were well past the spot.  In our minds, we imagined we saw them, but in reality, we were probably looking at large black rocks.

 

We have to mention that in order to listen to the commentary, we had to turn on the Bow Camera station on the TV.  The volume only went halfway.  So while one of us was out on the veranda (with no speakers), the other stayed inside and relayed the info being given.  Every other ship we have sailed had outdoor speakers, but this ship has none on the verandas.  Kept one of us warmer, moving back and forth, since it was darned cold at 54 degrees.  No wind, however, which was a good thing.  No sun either.

 

In the meantime, our floor was having issues with the toilets…like no water in them.   Bad timing for sure.  While that was being addressed, another fellow came to change the filter matter in the overhead vent.  This is one thing we usually request while on a longer cruise, as we never know when it was changed last.  Then the laundry arrived.  The bathroom water was still running warm while turned to the cold side, so that was also in the process of being remedied.  By the afternoon, all seemed to be back to normal.

 

Passing both Reid and Lamplugh Glaciers, we headed towards Johns Hopkins Inlet.  We could see another cruise ship following us, which turned out to be the Norwegian Sun again.  They turned right into the Tarr Inlet, heading for Margerie Glacier.  Lucky them.  Passing Jaw Point, the glacier appeared in front of the ship.   This time, we saw fewer harbor seals on the ice chunks, and far less Kittiwakes.  Same as the last two times, the ship was turned ½ hour for viewing on both sides.  For all of us in the aft section, we had viewing 100% of the time.  Do you recall the old saying that a watched pot never boils?  Well you can apply that to watching a glacier calve.  Unlike our first visit here, there was hardly any calving or ice falling.  Right before we left the inlet, there were two very small cracking sounds, with a bit of calving.  We just know that after our hour was up, it would calve like crazy.  The Norwegian Sun was set to enter next, so maybe they had better luck today.

 

Sticking to plan, the Captain sailed steadily south rather quickly.  We kept our eyes peeled for any wildlife sightings, but only saw a few otters.  By the time we tore ourselves away from photo downloading, we had passed South Marble Island, where the Stellar sea lions reside.   Without the warmth of the sun, we doubt many were laying on the rocks anyway. 

 

By 4pm, the group left the ship, and their work was done.  It began to rain as the fog obscured any views we may have had for seeing otters or whales for that matter.  At the same time, Captain Friso came on the speakers to say we were heading out to sea, and the waters would become rough.  He added that a storm was moving in our direction, and he wanted to get the ship down south quickly, then cut back into the Inside Passage, where it is more protected.  Batten down the hatches, as the old saying goes.  And true to his warnings, we began to rock and roll by dinnertime. 

 

Around 2pm, we ordered a room service lunch, where the Cobb or Caesar salads are nicely done.  Sandwiches were good as were the chocolate chip cookies.  We also received the last of the Canadian Customs forms to fill out for our final visit there on Wednesday.   With a quick trip down to the front desk, we learned that our incorrect charges had been credited back to the account yesterday.  Checking this on the room TV, we had discovered that it was not updated there.

 

Friends back at home asked us why did we book back-to-back cruises in Alaska with the same ports.  By doing this, we have to admit that it has been most rewarding.  What we may have missed on the first two stops, we made up for it on the third time around.  We learned much more about the life of Alaskans in each and every port, as we like to visit with the locals.  The best place for this interaction had to be while in Skagway.  A much smaller town, the locals are the most friendly we have encountered.

 

We made our way to dinner in the dining room, dressed in “dressy” clothing.  Or maybe a bit beyond that, but we were not alone.  Many of the fellows had worn suits and the ladies looked festive with some glitter.  We had visits from the Maitre’d, Fransicus as well as his assistant Johnny.  We are in the process of choosing a table for the world cruise, and we finally found a suitable table for seven of us.  We learned that there are no “head waiters” anymore, but we do have hosts that have assumed that job now.  Currently, there are two hosts downstairs, and one upstairs.  And they are on the run when they have 1000 guests in the dining room like tonight.

 

Anyway, we ordered the same courses tonight starting with shrimp cocktails, Caesar salads, and chicken cordon blue.   Could have been hotter, but it was acceptable, and a nice change since we have not ordered many chicken entrees on this cruise.  One chocolate souffle and a dish of frozen raspberry yogurt finished the meal.  We were done by 9pm.

 

Tomorrow we will arrive to Ketchikan at 11am, so breakfast starts at 8pm.  Works for us…..

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

 

[albingirl]

Love your blog....always entertaining.  Keeping my mind off Florida at the moment.  As far as the elderly gent with the one dollar bill for a tip, really who knows what he's thinking.  I once saw a lady eat a whole bread basket at dinner and ask for another.  And she was thin! I try hard to not think about what others are doing, but sometimes it's close to impossible. Enjoy your wonderful cruise!

[julia]

Hi to both:

 

Well, last year at this time, we were sailing with you on the Nieuw Amsterdam, and I recall getting nice and close to Margerie...  did you not visit it at all on your three trips? 

 

And... good news from Canada this morning...  ArriveCan will be optional, and proof of vaxxes and testing expire on the 30th!  We leave for YVR on Sat, Oct 1st and are quite relieved.  

[LewiLewi]

Hi Bill and Mary Ann,

  Another question or two as we are starting to pack. How many electrical outlets are there in a Verandah cabin? Will an extension cord with multiple outlets work in this cabin, or will we blow a fuse?

As far as you know, are Covid tests still required to board this ship on Mon. Oct. 3? I have heard that they were discontinued as of Sept. 30 (rumor only).

Again, thanks.

[Clay Clayton]

2 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

Hi Bill and Mary Ann,

  Another question or two as we are starting to pack. How many electrical outlets are there in a Verandah cabin? Will an extension cord with multiple outlets work in this cabin, or will we blow a fuse?

As far as you know, are Covid tests still required to board this ship on Mon. Oct. 3? I have heard that they were discontinued as of Sept. 30 (rumor only).

Again, thanks.

For our Oct 1, 2022 boarding in Vancouver, testing is no longer required for vaccinated guests.  You can verify what is required for your cruise by going to this site and inputting your information:

https://book2.hollandamerica.com/protocols/

 

[LewiLewi]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

For our Oct 1, 2022 boarding in Vancouver, testing is no longer required for vaccinated guests.  You can verify what is required for your cruise by going to this site and inputting your information:

https://book2.hollandamerica.com/protocols/

 

Thank you. I entered the required information, and unfortunately, we still need to be tested prior to boarding. This makes no sense at all; no testing if boarding in Vancouver on Oct. 1, but testing required if boarding in San Diego on Oct. 3.

[dchip]

1 hour ago, LewiLewi said:

Thank you. I entered the required information, and unfortunately, we still need to be tested prior to boarding. This makes no sense at all; no testing if boarding in Vancouver on Oct. 1, but testing required if boarding in San Diego on Oct. 3.

They are boarding on September 28 in Vancouver. The ship will be in SF on October 1.  Testing will still be required I would think. It certainly wouldn’t be right to have 600 people board without testing and make the rest of us test. 
Denise