First Time HAL Cruiser: Coming Soon, Live Review of Alaska Cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam May 28- June 4 2023

[grapau27]

16 hours ago, Denise T said:

Our last sea day through the inside passage. 

Fun on the ship was the plan. 

Breakfast was in the main dining room. I cannot say enough about the quality of the food. Delicious. Service continues to be awesome. 

We walked the promenade and then watched the presentation about life on a cruise ship. Very interesting. After the presentation they had many members of the crew on stage. What hard working people. 

We then had some drinks in the pinnacle bar and then lunch at New York Pizza. I loved the pizza there. 

After lunch we walked some more and then played in the casino. Now luck there. We then played Bingo. I won a total of $1375.00! We had a blast. 

We then played in the casino, had more drinks and went to dinner in the MDR. I ate so much fish on this ship because I can't cook fish well. 

After dinner, it was time to pack. BOO! My family got together, and we had champagne in our cabin to celebrate the last day of the cruise. Before that we completed the customs forms and luggage tags with bags out. 

On our balcony we see a Celebrity ship and a Royal Carribean, all heading to Vancouver. I think we will actually see a sunset tonight for the first time in a while. 

Oh, and I found two cruise ducks!

Tomorrow Vanvcouver. We will spend the day and fly out on Monday. 

 

 

Wow congratulations on your huge bingo win.

It has been a joy following along.

Many thanks Denise for your efforts.

Graham.

[SunandShade]

Thank you for sharing your trip.  It was a delight to read and follow along.  And, I am thrilled that you won at bingo. Your positivity was rewarded.

[Nola26]

On 6/2/2023 at 9:30 PM, Haljo1935 said:

May is typically cooler and rainier, so as you get further into the season it does warm up some.

As DeniseT said, AK weather is unpredictable so layers are recommended. 

And it is a temp rain forest...

I can agree that May can be cooler than the summer months, but it is actually the driest month in Alaska:

 

Weather in May

May is usually the driest month across the state and Southeast Alaska experiences its lowest average monthly precipitation.

[Haljo1935]

3 hours ago, Nola26 said:

I can agree that May can be cooler than the summer months, but it is actually the driest month in Alaska:

 

Weather in May

May is usually the driest month across the state and Southeast Alaska experiences its lowest average monthly precipitation.

It may technically be the driest; however, other than 2018 when we had no rain, May has been wetter for us than Sept. With 31 days, there's plenty of opportunity for rain 🙃

[Cruisercl]

Hey @Denise T, nice review. I enjoyed following along.

If you are not home yet, safe travels home. 😊

[Denise T]

After a long day traveling on Monday (first flight 6 am and did not get to Pennsylvania until almost 11:00 pm), I have finally arrived in the state of Pennsylvania. We spent the night in a hotel after getting off the flight because it was so late, and we were exhausted. 

Sunday, we disembarked in Vancouver. I read a lot about the chaos at this port and maybe it is with the embarkation process, but the longest line we were in was for the taxis. Three ships had just disembarked so this makes sense. They had it organized though, and the line moved pretty quickly. We didn't get to see a lot of Vancouver which I wish we had. It is such a pretty city. I think at this point we were all so tired. 

I am going to get some pictures up today and then share my overall thoughts.

I really enjoyed this cruise and Holland America. I like the smaller ships and I did put down a deposit for a future cruise. 

Thank you all for following along. 

[MochiYuzu]

2 hours ago, Denise T said:

After a long day traveling on Monday (first flight 6 am and did not get to Pennsylvania until almost 11:00 pm), I have finally arrived in the state of Pennsylvania. We spent the night in a hotel after getting off the flight because it was so late, and we were exhausted. 

Sunday, we disembarked in Vancouver. I read a lot about the chaos at this port and maybe it is with the embarkation process, but the longest line we were in was for the taxis. Three ships had just disembarked so this makes sense. They had it organized though, and the line moved pretty quickly. We didn't get to see a lot of Vancouver which I wish we had. It is such a pretty city. I think at this point we were all so tired. 

I am going to get some pictures up today and then share my overall thoughts.

I really enjoyed this cruise and Holland America. I like the smaller ships and I did put down a deposit for a future cruise. 

Thank you all for following along. 

Welcome Home! I am excited to read your post cruise review and it was nice to hear the disembarkation process wasn't as chaotic as we've all read about. I need to make my decision today and was curious if you had to do over again would you choose the balcony for Alaska or would the oceanview room have been okay? With all of the rain did you actually use it? Thanks again for all of your posts 🙂

[Haljo1935]

4 hours ago, MochiYuzu said:

Welcome Home! I am excited to read your post cruise review and it was nice to hear the disembarkation process wasn't as chaotic as we've all read about. I need to make my decision today and was curious if you had to do over again would you choose the balcony for Alaska or would the oceanview room have been okay? With all of the rain did you actually use it? Thanks again for all of your posts 🙂

Disembarkation in Vancouver is not the issue - the struggles are at embarkation. 😓

Will certainly let @Denise T answer for herself, but we find we really use the balcony a lot - rain, cold, and all. We have had some great wildlife sightings from our balcony.

[MochiYuzu]

@Haljo1935 Thank you

[Denise T]

9 hours ago, MochiYuzu said:

Welcome Home! I am excited to read your post cruise review and it was nice to hear the disembarkation process wasn't as chaotic as we've all read about. I need to make my decision today and was curious if you had to do over again would you choose the balcony for Alaska or would the oceanview room have been okay? With all of the rain did you actually use it? Thanks again for all of your posts 🙂

I would always get a balcony especially for scenic cruising. I travel with my sister who is claustrophobic. We were on the balcony every day. I saw whales from my balcony. We were able to watch the scenery and come in when it's cold. My brother and sister-in-law had an inside room. With the walk around promenade, you can be out and see the views. Our balcony was covered so we were out in the rain. 

[A&D Cruising]

On 6/6/2023 at 2:23 PM, Haljo1935 said:

Disembarkation in Vancouver is not the issue - the struggles are at embarkation. 😓

Will certainly let @Denise T answer for herself, but we find we really use the balcony a lot - rain, cold, and all. We have had some great wildlife sightings from our balcony.

@Denise TWe will be disembarking the Nieuw Amsterdam on Sunday, July 2. Our flight home does not depart until midnight. We are hoping to use our prepaid transfer to the airport to drop off/check luggage as early as possible and then have arrangements to be picked up from the airport for a Vancouver City tour. What kind of time frame do you think we are looking at for such a plan? At what point do we go through Canadian customs since we are arriving in Canada for the first time when we dock in Vancouver?  Has anyone else done anything like this? Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

[Denise T]

26 minutes ago, A&D Cruising said:

@Denise TWe will be disembarking the Nieuw Amsterdam on Sunday, July 2. Our flight home does not depart until midnight. We are hoping to use our prepaid transfer to the airport to drop off/check luggage as early as possible and then have arrangements to be picked up from the airport for a Vancouver City tour. What kind of time frame do you think we are looking at for such a plan? At what point do we go through Canadian customs since we are arriving in Canada for the first time when we dock in Vancouver?  Has anyone else done anything like this? Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

I think a lot depends on how many cruise ships are disembarking with yours. There was a total of 3 ships when I disembarked. If you are using a prepaid transfer, you will get information as to when you will be disembarking. My sister and I took a cab while my brother and sister-in-law took the transfer. We were staying at the same hotel post cruise. Despite waiting in a long line for the cab, we got to the hotel first before my brother and sister-in-law. Once you get off the ship, you retrieve your bag then go through customs. Prior to disembarking, you will be getting a customs form to complete. Bring that and your passport to go through customs. We breezed through. They took our forms and didn't even check the passports. There are signs numbered 1, 2, and 3 when you disembarked and there are staff that will guide you. 

 

I think your plan is doable. I had late disembarkation at 9:15 and the ship pretty much kept to that time. I think we got to our hotel about 11. 

[A&D Cruising]

37 minutes ago, A&D Cruising said:

@Denise TWe will be disembarking the Nieuw Amsterdam on Sunday, July 2. Our flight home does not depart until midnight. We are hoping to use our prepaid transfer to the airport to drop off/check luggage as early as possible and then have arrangements to be picked up from the airport for a Vancouver City tour. What kind of time frame do you think we are looking at for such a plan? At what point do we go through Canadian customs since we are arriving in Canada for the first time when we dock in Vancouver?  Has anyone else done anything like this? Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

@Denise T

 

11 minutes ago, Denise T said:

I think a lot depends on how many cruise ships are disembarking with yours. There was a total of 3 ships when I disembarked. If you are using a prepaid transfer, you will get information as to when you will be disembarking. My sister and I took a cab while my brother and sister-in-law took the transfer. We were staying at the same hotel post cruise. Despite waiting in a long line for the cab, we got to the hotel first before my brother and sister-in-law. Once you get off the ship, you retrieve your bag then go through customs. Prior to disembarking, you will be getting a customs form to complete. Bring that and your passport to go through customs. We breezed through. They took our forms and didn't even check the passports. There are signs numbered 1, 2, and 3 when you disembarked and there are staff that will guide you. 

 

I think your plan is doable. I had late disembarkation at 9:15 and the ship pretty much kept to that time. I think we got to our hotel about 11. 

@Denise TThanks so much for the quick response! I think we will hope to be picked up from the airport between 12 & 1pm. That should give us time to get everything pre-tour done without too much rushing.

So glad you enjoyed your journey and took the time to post your review.

If anyone else viewing these posts  has more suggestions, bring them on. Happy Sailing!

[SunandShade]

48 minutes ago, A&D Cruising said:

@Denise T

 

@Denise TThanks so much for the quick response! I think we will hope to be picked up from the airport between 12 & 1pm. That should give us time to get everything pre-tour done without too much rushing.

So glad you enjoyed your journey and took the time to post your review.

If anyone else viewing these posts  has more suggestions, bring them on. Happy Sailing!

You may want to see how far in advance they will let you check your luggage for your airline. I’ve run into problems if it was more than 3 hours. Not to say it will be a problem, but better to know now if it is. Maybe Vancouver has a baggage storage service.

[SunandShade]

Luggage storage if needed!
 

https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/shop-dine-and-services/services/276

[A&D Cruising]

3 hours ago, SunandShade said:

You may want to see how far in advance they will let you check your luggage for your airline. I’ve run into problems if it was more than 3 hours. Not to say it will be a problem, but better to know now if it is. Maybe Vancouver has a baggage storage service.

@SunandShadeThanks for the tip. I had thought of checking that out. I can reserve luggage storage space online in advance for the day in the Vancouver airport. Also eliminates problems with delayed or changed flights if you have already checked bags.

[Denise T]

First pictures coming in. These are on the plan and my first sight of Alaska. Of course I had to take the picture of the moose at the airport. 

 

[Denise T]

Here are pictures from the cruise train in Anchorage heading toward Whitter. These are the pictures just from my phone. I have to download from the camera. 

Edited June 8, 2023 by Denise T

[A&D Cruising]

Did anyone travel from Denali to Whittier by train to catch the ship? What time did you leave Denali and what time were you able to board.?  How was check in?

Thanks, in advance, for any info.

[Denise T]

Some pictures from Skagway. The pictures will be out of order. Downloading photos from my phone first then will download from camera. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 13, 2023 by Denise T

[2Long2NxtCrz]

So glad to hear you had a great cruise!

 

I'm getting excited for ours now. I do have one question and hope you can answer. We have anytime dining and I'm used to being able to make reservations in advance for my dinner times, but I cannot for the life of me see how to do that. Is that something that's only available once we're on board?

 

I just get a bit stressed if I can't schedule these things in advance (yes, I'm a control freak, 100%).

 

Thanks! I look forward to the rest of your photos!

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

So glad to hear you had a great cruise!

 

I'm getting excited for ours now. I do have one question and hope you can answer. We have anytime dining and I'm used to being able to make reservations in advance for my dinner times, but I cannot for the life of me see how to do that. Is that something that's only available once we're on board?

We did that onboard in the MDR with the Maitre D. Don't know if that's the correct way, but it worked for us.

[Cruise Suzy]

2 hours ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

We have anytime dining and I'm used to being able to make reservations in advance for my dinner times, but I cannot for the life of me see how to do that. Is that something that's only available once we're on board?

 

For a few months last year, it was possible to reserve a MDR time pre-cruise. But that experiment ended before July 2022. It has reverted to doing it at the dining reservation podium on Embarkation Day - near the Pinnacle Grill. Sometimes there is a secondary podium near Canaletto or the spa.

[Denise T]

3 hours ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

So glad to hear you had a great cruise!

 

I'm getting excited for ours now. I do have one question and hope you can answer. We have anytime dining and I'm used to being able to make reservations in advance for my dinner times, but I cannot for the life of me see how to do that. Is that something that's only available once we're on board?

 

I just get a bit stressed if I can't schedule these things in advance (yes, I'm a control freak, 100%).

 

Thanks! I look forward to the rest of your photos!

We scheduled once we were on board. I would do that on embarkation day to get the times that you want.

[2Long2NxtCrz]

13 hours ago, Denise T said:

We scheduled once we were on board. I would do that on embarkation day to get the times that you want.

Thank  you all for the information. It's weird, but it eases my mind to at least know what I'm supposed to do and when.

 

So that's one thing checked off... a million more to go! But, seriously, am I the only person who overly stresses over packing and being terrified I'm forgetting something important?