Live and live from Nieuw Amsterdam on her voyage up north to Alaska

[travelnap]

Great reporting Copper.  Enjoy following along with you and your bride.  

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

As usual, I am enjoying your taking us along on your cruise.  Thank you for taking the time to include us.

[Copper10-8]

20 hours ago, jennaja said:

Thank you for your thorough and very enjoyable trip report!

If you have a chance, would you mind asking a crewmember how many passengers will be on the 14 day sailing on May 7th?  We will be also be boarding with 3 ships in port.  I understand there will also be thousands of Vancouver Marathon runners near the port that day.

 

So, in response to your inquiry, Nieuw A is scheduled to take on 1,949 new pax this Sunday in Vancouver on her 14-day Great Alaskan Explorer! In addition, there will be a group of "in-transits" staying onboard, unlike us 🥹 Nice itinerary; enjoy! Be sure to see the B.B. King's All-Stars! They are awesome!

[Copper10-8]

Day 8 – Wednesday 03 MAY 23 – Skagway, AK

 

So, after departing Juneau last evening, we traversed our course from Tuesday morning, but now down, not up, the Gastineau Channel, into Fitz Cove/Stephens Passage and down around the southern tip of Douglas Island, north via Chatham Strait to the southern tip of the Lynn Canal. Lynn Canal was explored by Joseph Whidbey in 1794 and named by George Vancouver for his birthplace, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England. The Lynn Canal is an inlet, not an artificial canal, about 90 miles in length and over 2,000 feet in depth. It is the deepest fjord in North America and one of the deepest and longest in the world.

 

At the northern tip of the Lynn Canal, in a narrow-glaciated valley at the head of the Taiya Inlet, the unique gold rush town of Skagway is an artifact of the Klondike Gold Rush that made it infamous. In 1897, prompted by the cry “Gold in the Yukon!” thousands of prospectors gathered supplies and headed north in search of fame and fortune. Sitting at the terminus of the Inside Passage, Skagway provided a port and resting point for gold-seekers before embarking on the difficult ascent up the Chilkoot and White Passes in search of gold. Not surprisingly, Skagway’s population mushroomed from 2 to 10,000 quickly making it Alaska’s largest metropolis with all the amenities of a real city.

 

Today, Skagway is a first-class borough and formerly a city incorporated in 1900 with a population of 862. However, that same population doubles in the summer tourist season to more than 900,000 visitors. Skagway (originally spelled Skaguay) comes from the Tlingit name for the area, "Skagua" or "Shgagwèi" meaning "a windy place with 'white caps on the water." Most of the downtown district forms part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park, a unit of the national park system dedicated to commemorating and interpreting the frenzied stampede.

 

Our assigned berth this morning was the Broadway Dock, and we would be the only show in town. Skagway actually has four cruise ship docks: the Broadway, the Ore, the Railroad dock forward and the Railroad dock aft. On June 23, 2022, a rockslide, followed by two more on August 3 and August 5, resulted in the closure of the Railroad Dock (both berths) to cruise ships, a big hit to the local community. The third slide caused considerable damage to shipping containers placed along the length of the dock and used to block/protect pedestrians/cruise ship passengers from falling rocks.

 

The city and borough have been hard at work repairing the Railroad Dock, as well as securing the area below any potential new rockslides. A series of nets and barriers have been set up on the slope to slow down and catch any falling rock. Some cruise ships assigned to the two berths of the Railroad Dock are considering “hot berth” arrangements. This would mean one large ship docks for a shorter time period, 5-6 hours, but stays in readiness for a faster departure. In the early afternoon, that ship would depart, while another large ship takes its place, well outside the rockslide risk area. Looking at the 2023 Skagway cruise ship schedule, HAL ships will only be using the Broadway Dock (like we did today) and the Ore Dock, so not the Railroad dock.

 

As a side note, on March 19, 2023, the Municipality and Borough of Skagway assumed control of the Ore dock from the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway, which has leased the facility since 1968. Last fall, Skagway voters approved a $65m bond to replace the aging Ore dock with a modern multipurpose dock. It will feature a 550-foot floating pier, already under construction in Washington state and set to be installed after the 2023 cruise season ends, ready for the 2024 season. This will enable the dock to handle ore and cruise ships simultaneously.

 

We had a shorex scheduled today in Skagway called Musher's Camp and S’mores Roasting Experience. Coming off the ship in Skagway, especially this early in the season, exposes you to the Skagway wind tunnel, meaning the walk down or up the dock with the cold air coming from the Lynn Canal blowing you in the face.

 

To their credit, Nieuw Amsterdam put a welcoming committee out on the base of the gangway and in that same icy wind tunnel, consisting of Hotel General Manager Ruben, Front Desk Manager Ruben (not related), Executive Housekeeper Michiel, Hotel Executive Assistant Ivy, Helena Assistant Hotel General Manager, and Cruise & Travel Director Kimberly. Great job ladies and gents!

 

After our little trek down the dock, we met “Boston Jimmie” our guide and driver at the base who directed us to an airport car rental-type van, which would be our ride to the former town of Dyea and the musher’s camp. During the bus ride, we learned a lot about Skagway. For example: This year, Skagway had the highest percentage of high school graduates in Alaska. 100% of the seniors graduated, all five of them. Jimmie told us that “The prom was kinda awkward.”

 

After about 25 minutes/11 miles, we reached the former town of Dyea, once a thriving gold rush town. it is now largely abandoned and is located at the convergence of the Taiya River and Taiya Inlet on the south side of the Chilkoot Pass. The walk inside the musher’s camp took about 10 minutes up a path and across a creek. There were many humorous signs describing this area as a kind of educational camp for the dogs. We were guided to a small, covered area where a vet tech explained the history of dogsledding.

 

After some instruction on how to properly hold them and caress their little paws, it was time to meet the about seven-week-old puppies and their mum, Tina. The same vet tech took five out of the litter of seven pups out of their pen, we each got to hold some of these very cute future star athletes. Holding these little pups is an important part of the socialization process that is essential to their future racing success.

 

Last up was a walk to the fire pits where we were given a wooden stick with pointy end and package of s’mores ingredients (eight marshmallows, a couple of graham crackers and a Hershey chocolate bar) and start roasting s’mores. This experience includes toasting the graham cracker, warming the chocolate, and roasting the perfect marshmallow, then combining it all for a pretty tasty s’more! We learned some more Skagway tidbits from Jimmie on the way back to the ship. Most of our fellow s’mores eaters chose to be dropped off in downtown Skagway while we chose to return to Nieuw A. Overall, an interesting shorex!

 

All Aboard in Skagway was at 7:30 PM and Nieuw A was off the Broadway Dock shortly thereafter. We sailed down that same Lynn Canal, passing the community of Haines on our starboard side. Capt. van Donselaar then executed a hook shank to starboard and rounded Point Couverden, turning into Icy Strait (thus named when the entire Glacier Bay was a glacier with its calving ice drifting via this “icy strait” into the open sea). Our next destination was Glacier Bay National Park and its mighty glaciers

 

To be con't

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jennaja]

46 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

So, in response to your inquiry, Nieuw A is scheduled to take on 1,949 new pax this Sunday in Vancouver on her 14-day Great Alaskan Explorer! In addition, there will be a group of "in-transits" staying onboard, unlike us 🥹 Nice itinerary; enjoy! Be sure to see the B.B. King's All-Stars! They are awesome!

Thank you!  We're really looking forward to it.  Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

[beshears]

I am enjoying your wonderful write-up and especially the pictures on your Nieuw Amsterdam ship.

[ski ww]

Your pictures of the puppies brings back memories of our visit with my grand daughter in 2017, thanks for posting.

[Copper10-8]

Day 8 - Wednesday 03 May 23 - Skagway (con't)

 

Some pics of the rockslide off the railroad dock as it occurred last August (#1), the damage caused (#2), and as it looks today (#3). There working on installing additional bollards for the RR Dock so that they can move ships berthing there further away from the rockslide area. Norwegian Bliss was scheduled to use the railroad dock during her first visit of the 2023 Alaska season last month. Unknown if that occurred.

 

Tonight, we chose to go watch the first performance of the Step One Dance Company pre-dinner at 7:00 PM. This particular group had just boarded Nieuw A last Sunday in Vancouver. Their show, “Humanity”, combines dance and technology and the company puts a lot of energy and passion into it!. We have seen this show numerous times now and we like it. It is however, time for some new shows for this dance company since they (the shows) have to be at least five years old. They were performing them pre-Covid. It would be a good move on HAL’s part to bring back the former cast with the four vocalists and six dancers.

 

After the show, we had a 8:15 PM dinner reservation at the Pinnacle Grill. Pablo, our PG steward from the Dominican Republic, has been replaced by Violet from Zimbabwe. We both chose the Heart of Romaine Caesar Salad: parmesan, garlic croutons, no anchovies, for the appetizer; the 8 ounce Filet Mignon with mashed potatoes for the main; and ice cream for desert.

 

There was an Orange Party inside the B.B. King’s Blues Club at 9:30 PM however, by the time we arrived post-dinner, it had been concluded and its place taken by the B.B. King’s All-Star Band, once again playing to a full house and a packed dance floor.

 

Tomorrow (Thursday) is our visit to Glacier Bay National Park. The weather forecast in the bay calls for a very nice day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

5 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

Day 8 - Wednesday 03 May 23 - Skagway (con't)

 

Some pics of the rockslide off the railroad dock as it occurred last August (#1), the damage caused (#2), and as it looks today (#3). There working on installing additional bollards for the RR Dock so that they can move ships berthing there further away from the rockslide area. Norwegian Bliss was scheduled to use the railroad dock during her first visit of the 2023 Alaska season last month. Unknown if that occurred.

 

Tonight, we chose to go watch the first performance of the Step One Dance Company pre-dinner at 7:00 PM. This particular group had just boarded Nieuw A last Sunday in Vancouver. Their show, “Humanity”, combines dance and technology and the company puts a lot of energy and passion into it!. We have seen this show numerous times now and we like it. It is however, time for some new shows for this dance company since they (the shows) have to be at least five years old. They were performing them pre-Covid. It would be a good move on HAL’s part to bring back the former cast with the four vocalists and six dancers.

 

After the show, we had a 8:15 PM dinner reservation at the Pinnacle Grill. Pablo, our PG steward from the Dominican Republic, has been replaced by Violet from Zimbabwe. We both chose the Heart of Romaine Caesar Salad: parmesan, garlic croutons, no anchovies, for the appetizer; the 8 ounce Filet Mignon with mashed potatoes for the main; and ice cream for desert.

 

There was an Orange Party inside the B.B. King’s Blues Club at 9:30 PM however, by the time we arrived post-dinner, it had been concluded and its place taken by the B.B. King’s All-Star Band, once again playing to a full house and a packed dance floor.

 

Tomorrow (Thursday) is our visit to Glacier Bay National Park. The weather forecast in the bay calls for a very nice day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I totally agree about Step One, and have been begging HAL to bring back the cast shows in my surveys for years.  I'm glad I'm not the only voice "crying in the wilderness".

[POA1]

Loving your reports. Michelle was seriously excited about your sled dog excursion, particularly the puppy part.

 

Is the Orange party a feature on every HAL cruise?

[oakridger]

7 minutes ago, POA1 said:

Is the Orange party a feature on every HAL cruise?

 

I'm not John, but yes, the Orange Party has been offered on every cruise I've been on since at least 2019.

 

~Nancy

[Copper10-8]

8 minutes ago, POA1 said:

Loving your reports. Michelle was seriously excited about your sled dog excursion, particularly the puppy part.

 

Is the Orange party a feature on every HAL cruise?

 

 

We didn't actually do the sled dog part where they pull a wheeled-sleigh this time, although we have done that in the past in Skagway. Yes, on the Orange Party on all the dam ships. Some have been a dud, others more lively

[POA1]

7 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

We didn't actually do the sled dog part where they pull a wheeled-sleigh this time, although we have done that in the past in Skagway. Yes, on the Orange Party on all the dam ships. Some have been a dud, others more lively

Thanks. As the owner of exactly zero orange items of clothing, this gives me months to plan... Either an outfit or a hiding place. Unclear as to which is best at this point.

[Copper10-8]

On 5/5/2023 at 7:53 PM, jennaja said:

Thank you!  We're really looking forward to it.  Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

 

Oh, and about 45 "in-transits", like we were last Sunday, are staying on for your voyage

[Copper10-8]

31 minutes ago, POA1 said:

Thanks. As the owner of exactly zero orange items of clothing, this gives me months to plan... Either an outfit or a hiding place. Unclear as to which is best at this point.

 

 

You won't look out of place with no orange on, believe me! Although some folks go all out! If you feel left out, you can always go exit stage left to your cabin, and come back to the partee wearing youir life jacket! Dude, what a concept! 🤣

[Copper10-8]

Day 9 – Thursday 04 MAY 23 - Scenic cruising Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

 

From Icy Strait, it was a straight, no pun intended, shot on a north-westerly course, passing Pleasant Island on our starboard side, to Point Gustavus where, off Bartlett Cove, we had a 0600 hrs. appointment to pick up three National Park Service Rangers, a native (Tlingit) interpreter, and a wild life expert.

 

The National Park regulations allow for two large cruise ships in the Bay and they are required to have park rangers on board. They are on board both for the education of the guests, as well for ensuring that the ships keep to the rules of the road and do not go sightseeing where it is not allowed. Today, we would be the only cruise ship in the park so, good for us on this simply beautiful day!

 

We had our customary breakfast in the Pinnacle at 0900 hours and that was followed at 0950 hours by a most special event for yours truly. You see, May 4th in the country where I was born and raised, the Netherlands, is “Dodenherdenking” or Remembrance of the Dead! It commemorates all civilians and members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since the beginning of the Second World War.

 

This turned out to be a very nice, albeit solemn, event led by Cruise & Travel Director Kimberly and Hotel GM Ruben. They both read passages about “Dodenherdenking”, Kimberly in English, and Ruben in Dutch, for the mostly Dutch speaking invitees of passengers and officers. The passages included the writings (in her diary) of Anne Frank, the German-born Jewish girl who kept a diary in which she documented life in hiding under German persecution. She is a celebrated diarist who described everyday life from her family hiding place in an Amsterdam attic. This was followed by two minutes of silence to remember and pay homage to the dead. The ceremony was concluded with the singing of the Dutch National Anthem, “het Wilhelmus”.

 

I have not attended a “Dodenherdenking” since I left the Netherlands at age 18. The same goes of the singing of the Dutch National Anthem. I remember very well as a young kid accompanying my dad to either the National War Memorial on the Dam Square in Amsterdam, or to a smaller monument on the Overtoom in Amsterdam-West, closer to where we lived. This was a very moving experience for me, especially since my dad had been a member of the resistance versus the Germans during the five-year occupation of the Netherlands. I want to thank Kimberly and Ruben plus the staff of the Nieuw Amsterdam very much for organizing and putting on this ceremony! It was very well received, not just by me but, by the looks of it, by many, if not all, in the audience! One I will not soon forget!

 

Nieuw Amsterdam proceeded northbound into the Bay, passing Strawberry Island, Willoughby Island, Francis Island and Drake Island and the schedule had us passing Queen Inlet by 0645 hrs. Next up was Johns Hopkins Inlet and our first look this season at Johns Hopkins Glacier at 0845 hrs. The glacier fills the end of the fjord, stretching about 1-mile wide, and reaching 250 feet high above the waterline. The ice front extends under sea level, to a depth of approximately 200 feet, where an underwater moraine protects the deepest extent of the glacial ice like armor against the warm ocean water. Formed from numerous tributary glaciers, the length of Johns Hopkins glacier is about 12 miles from the source in the Fairweather Mountain peaks. After spending some time at Johns Hopkins, we made our way to Tarr Inlet and Margerie Glacier, arriving there around 1000 hrs.

 

The way it works under park rules and regulations, the S/E Alaska pilot (remember, still onboard since Kake, before Juneau, and until Ketchikan) brings the ship close-in to the glacier and, once in position and stopped, the ship’s captain then takes over to conduct his “balcony maneuver;” basically a full swing ensuring that both port and starboard balconies get the same amount of time facing the glacier.

 

After spending about 40 minutes in front of Margerie, Nieuw A backtracked her course back into Glacier Bay and to Bartlett Cove where the rangers, wildlife expert, and Alaskan native were picked up by the new and very nice looking National Parks boat and taken back to Park HQ. They all waved goodbye to Nieuw A’s pax from the aft deck of their boat on the way back to Bartlett Cove. One awesome day today at Glacier Bay National Park under the best weather conditions possible, especially in the very early part of the 2023 Alaska season!

 

Capt. Jeroen then set a course for Ketchikan via Icy Strait, Chatham Strait, Sumner Strait, Clarence Strait and Tongass Narrows.

 

To be con't

 

 

 

 

 

Johns Hopkins Glacier

 

 

 

 

 

 

Translation Dutch to English: We are pleased to invite you for the May remembrance to honor those who gave their life for our freedom

 

 

 

2014 "Dodenherdenking" on the Dam Square in Amsterdam with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima (the godmother of Nieuw Amsterdam) laying the first wreath

 

 

Anne Frank

 

 

 

Margerie Glacier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 7, 2023 by Copper10-8

[oakridger]

Nice post John and I learned something new about the Dutch observation of May 4th.

 

Also, what perfect pictures of Glacier Bay!  I've never been there this early in the season and to see all the beautiful snow all the way down to the shore is very pretty.

 

~Nancy

[SusieKIslandGirl]

What a beautiful day to view the glaciers. Thanks for the photos!

[lobsternight]

Thank you for such a fine report.  We joined you in Vancouver and really enjoyed the cruise.  We rented a jeep in Juneau, wet but still a great time.  Did the train and Yukon bus tour out of skagway, fantastic adventure.  Can believe the wonderful weather at Glacier Bay.

 

Well I thought embarkation was a joke, we were 2 hours, I usually count on 1 for Canada Place. As a local I am going to make some comments to the Port Authority.  None of the issues were HAL related.  Well today only got worse.  It took an extra hour for them to clear the ship, then with the Vancouver Marathon taking place, the taxis were not prepared to route around it. We live a 15 minute cab ride from the dock.  We were ready to disembark at 7am, arrived home at 11am, which included 1.5 hour wait for a cab.  Not acceptable at all, im sure people with flights must have been really stressed.

[middlehaitch]

@Copper10-8 I have been following your thread from the beginning and directed my SO to it as I thought he would enjoy the technical aspect as well as your photos.

Unfortunately the photos for the first few pages (up to Victoria) are now showing a broken image logo and banks of multi photos after Victoria are mixed available and unavailable. I, when initially following could see all images, now I can't.

We have tried PC and Mac plus  safari, chrome, edge etc to no avail.

 

Any idea what is happening and are we alone in this? 

 

(Individual photos posted by others on this thread are showing on all pages.)

 

Cheers, h 

[Copper10-8]

4 hours ago, lobsternight said:

Thank you for such a fine report.  We joined you in Vancouver and really enjoyed the cruise.  We rented a jeep in Juneau, wet but still a great time.  Did the train and Yukon bus tour out of skagway, fantastic adventure.  Can believe the wonderful weather at Glacier Bay.

 

Well I thought embarkation was a joke, we were 2 hours, I usually count on 1 for Canada Place. As a local I am going to make some comments to the Port Authority.  None of the issues were HAL related.  Well today only got worse.  It took an extra hour for them to clear the ship, then with the Vancouver Marathon taking place, the taxis were not prepared to route around it. We live a 15 minute cab ride from the dock.  We were ready to disembark at 7am, arrived home at 11am, which included 1.5 hour wait for a cab.  Not acceptable at all, im sure people with flights must have been really stressed.

 

To be honest, a large part of the delay in disembarking this morning was caused by the two individuals whose names you heard paged, one to report immediately to the front office (I'm thinking to settle their bill) and the other to the Half Moon Room, usually the "sin bin" for pax who have to see U.S. CBP, or in this case more than likely CBSA, because they were on the "come see us"/ booboo list. They no doubt both received notification of these appointments but chose, for reasons only known to them, ignore them, resulting in the delay we all had to endure this morning. I know CBP, and I'm sure the same goes for CBSA, have no patience for individuals like that and will not start the disembark process before those issues have been handled to conclusion

 

For us, once it started, the disembark process (besides the above described delay) went OK. We got off the ship at 0915 hrs. (one hour late) and were on the bus to YVR at 1000 hrs. What has really improved was the once "mile and a half long" lines at YVR after you had checked in at the Airline ticket counter and dropped your now ticketed bags off at the aptly named bag drop off. That line - to see US CBP for pre-clearance - used to "slinky" in front of the ticket counters and to the front of the terminal window, and would slowly drag along. That line this morning had vastly improved which is great! It took us maybe 25-30 min. to go through (contract) security screening, input the facial recognition machine, and then see U.S. CBP agent who, in our case, had a very cool sense of humor. After that, it was clear sailing to the Air Canada lounge! 🙂

[Copper10-8]

3 hours ago, middlehaitch said:

@Copper10-8 I have been following your thread from the beginning and directed my SO to it as I thought he would enjoy the technical aspect as well as your photos.

Unfortunately the photos for the first few pages (up to Victoria) are now showing a broken image logo and banks of multi photos after Victoria are mixed available and unavailable. I, when initially following could see all images, now I can't.

We have tried PC and Mac plus  safari, chrome, edge etc to no avail.

 

Any idea what is happening and are we alone in this? 

 

(Individual photos posted by others on this thread are showing on all pages.)

 

Cheers, h 

 

 

Thanks for the kind words! So, what I do/have been doing for several years now, is write my report and post the accompanying pics on my FB page first. Then copy and past it here. It does, what you are 'splaining after several days, meaning he pics go into a black hole never to bee seen again. The FB pics never disappear! Don't really know how to prevent that but then again I am a lame when it comes to computer stuff! The average 5-year old knows more about computers and posting that I will ever do ☹️ 

[oakridger]

Hi again John.  Is your FB page public and if so, can you tell me your page name?  Thanks!

 

~Nancy

[Copper10-8]

9 minutes ago, oakridger said:

Hi again John.  Is your FB page public and if so, can you tell me your page name?  Thanks!

 

~Nancy

 

Sorry, not public! Give me an email (below my sig)

[middlehaitch]

5 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

Thanks for the kind words! So, what I do/have been doing for several years now, is write my report and post the accompanying pics on my FB page first. Then copy and past it here. It does, what you are 'splaining after several days, meaning he pics go into a black hole never to bee seen again. The FB pics never disappear! Don't really know how to prevent that but then again I am a lame when it comes to computer stuff! The average 5-year old knows more about computers and posting that I will ever do ☹️ 

 

 

Thanks for the explanation John. It is a shame the photos get disabled, but at least he can now settle down and read the thread and not spend ages trying to figure out what is wrong with his computer.

 

Cheers, h.