Volendam 8/23 to 8/30 Inside Passage Live

[oakridger]

@gregma60 If it's not too inconvenient, would you be able to ask onboard if it is true that unused HIA shore excursion credits can now be converted to Onboard Credit?   This thread OP was told by a HAL agent that it is possible but that hasn't been the case in the past.  It would be fantastic if it were true, but.........

 

Thank you!!

 

 

~Nancy

[0106]

@gregma60 Thank you for your live thread.  I’m enjoying your comments.  Sorry your “high tea” wasn’t good.  Although it is not the same as it used to be, it is still enjoyable on some of HALs ships.

 

[Haljo1935]

On 8/26/2023 at 8:44 PM, canadianbear said:

I’m married to a fellow who is 6’4” and in the past was satisfied with the afternoon tea and sandwiches etc...

I think it’s a matter of the cruise line trying to avoid waste but if someone asks for more it should be allowed. 

Additional "towers" have been brought to our table, along with additional tea, when we've asked.

[gregma60]

On 8/27/2023 at 12:46 AM, oakridger said:

@gregma60 If it's not too inconvenient, would you be able to ask onboard if it is true that unused HIA shore excursion credits can now be converted to Onboard Credit?   This thread OP was told by a HAL agent that it is possible but that hasn't been the case in the past.  It would be fantastic if it were true, but.........

 

Thank you!!

 

 

~Nancy

So far I haven't been able to get a common answer.  The neptune lounge consierge said more than likely they would.  A lady at the excursion desk said no. 

 

-gregma 

[oakridger]

@gregma60 thank you so much for asking!  I will share your answer with the other thread where it was asked.  Unfortunately, as all too often happens the answers are not consistent.  Dang!  A lot of people would like to know the true policy!

 

I hope you are having a great cruise!

 

~Nancy

[gregma60]

Sorry for the lateness all! Loooong days. 

 

Day five!  Glacier bay. 

 

Pinnacle Grill for breakfast! They made my wife awesome gluten free pancakes and she also had bacon.  She said the pancakes were delicious! I had classic eggs Benedict which was cooked perfectly, and a great fruit plate with cottage cheese (about 3/4 tablespoon 😁) 

 

One story to tell.  It wasn't us, but thought I'd share.  There is another couple who has always been at the opening of the pinnacle grill with us.  Starting the second day, they asked the gentleman maitre d if they could sit at a table on the opposite side where there are no flowers on the table.  Of course they could he replied and whisked them to the table they wanted.  This morning a lady came to replace him shortly after we were seated before this couple arrived.  When they did, the lady gave them a choice of two tables next to us.  They asked to be seated in the same location because of the flowers.  Her reply was that they could remove the flowers from one of the two tables and that would be fine.  They again explained that there were other tables next to these two that had flowers and pointed a short distance away to the other table they had the morning before.  Ignoring them completely, she directed them to a table next to the two that didn't have flowers on it and declared that's would be just fine for them.  I could tell the exasperation in the couples voice ad they relented and just sat where they were directed. I felt so bad for them!  I really wanted to say something, but it really wasn't our place.  I'll talk to them tomorrow if they decide to return. 

 

After breakfast, we went up to our stateroom, got the good camera, bundled up, got the backpack, the secondary camera and headed to the bow.  Boy was it brisk out at 8:30!  We got a great spot on the port bow and got set up.  We were just entering glacier bay and the ranger started talking over the loudspeaker!  Unfortunately pretty much every time he was dispensing information, there was a group right at the bow that needed to loudly share tales of the large amount of alcohol they imbibed the night before, what they didn't remember, it was their 100th day at sea, etc, etc.  Everything except listening and learning.  We only caught a word here and there from the ranger for the next hour before we got to the Marjorie glacier.  That was between diatribes given by the main partier of the group next to us. Didn't matter, I was at that point about 1500 pictures snapped at amazing sites! I'm sure my wife who will have to go through each snap at home picking out the 1 in a hundred that actually had something of interest.  I had the Canon on burst mode and I swear I could hear her cringing every time she heard the shutter clicking at 10 frames per second as I caught a splash in the water that was probably nothing! 

Once Marjorie came into sight things changed! We got so close I think one could have hit it with a thrown stone.  Yes we were like a mile away, but it's massiveness made it seem like you could reach out and touch it!  The blue ice was incredible, the large cracks just begged to break away causing large chunks to fall away.  Although we have several glaciers in WA state where we live, they don't come close to equalling the pure beauty! We stayed in place for about an hour, then the captain slowly turned the ship to give the starboard side an hour to gaze into it's alluring beauty. 

At this point we had been on the bow 2 hours, so we decided to head to our stateroom to see what was on the other side of the valley while the starboard side faced Marjorie.  We called room service, and had three of the most delicious pea soups either of us had ever had!! My wife needs the recipe.  She's not a great fan of pea soup, but this she would eat until every last pea had been consumed and they went extinct 😁

We just hungout on our verandah until our friends arrived at 2pm for another "tea time" the concierge setup for us in our stateroom.  I originally was going to say no, but I figured they would go over the top for a private one! Care to guess the outcome? 

First, I had let them know there would four of us.  One gluten free, the other 3 not gluten free.  What they delivered for us 4.

 

4 pots of barely lukewarm water. 

4 Bigelow darjeeling teabags 

1 round stack of finger food which had the following:

1/4 strip smoked salmon sandwich on gluten free bread. 

1/4 strip spicy curry sandwich on gluten free bread

1/4 strip of egg salad on gluten free bread 

6 macaroons

1 small strawberry Panna cotta

3 flourless chocolate bites with caramel spread 

2 prawns 

 

1/2 of it went uneaten. 

 

Not a lot to talk about for the rest of the day other than the daily $5 charm which was the same one as last time.  Dinner was the Gold Gala dinner.  My wife had the grilled asparagus which good, escargo which was very good, pan seared arctic char which was outstanding!! And panna cotta (the gluten free dessert).  I got the shrimp cocktail which was..  well what can you say about that..., the escargot which mine had some sand or grit which took it down a notch, the arctic char which was also amazing and the cheese plate (which wasn't nearly as good as the one at the pinnacle grill, but was ok. 

Not much else to report.  Tomorrow is our last port of Ketchikan.  

 

Forgot to point out a couple of things.  First the weather was absolutely gorgeous! In fact the ranger said the weather was so good we got a very rare site of a mountain (could hear the rest because of the tribulations of a beer course from the group next to us.) 

Second, we were the only cruise ship allowed in Glacier Bay that day! 

 

-gregma 

[gregma60]

Just now, oakridger said:

@gregma60 thank you so much for asking!  I will share your answer with the other thread where it was asked.  Unfortunately, as all too often happens the answers are not consistent.  Dang!  A lot of people would like to know the true policy!

 

I hope you are having a great cruise!

 

~Nancy

I know, it's like a lot of things now a days.  Depends on who you ask, what the time is, what the outside temperature is, and perhaps whether the moon is waxing or waning! 

 

-gregma 

[whogo]

5 hours ago, gregma60 said:

I swear I could hear her cringing every time she heard the shutter clicking at 10 frames per second

Turn off the sound on your digital camera, save your wife's sanity.

 

Great description of Marjorie Glacier. Too bad about the loud crowd.

 

Thanks for a great live thread, gregma60.

[SilvertoGold]

Outstanding post on Glacier Bay Day! That Pinnacle Breakfast was so like the MDR meal in respect to the podium ladies.  HAL seems to be working with a set plan on how to do things and only the higher up staff are empowered/gracious enough to understand pleasing the customer costs nothing and impresses. The more I read the more I think pax have to stand up for themselves in such cases.  Of course this treatment should never happen in the first place.

Edited August 29, 2023 by SilvertoGold

[canadianbear]

The “tea time” delivered sounds very disappointing.  Our last Neptune suite the concierge said she’d have to find out how much to charge us.  Ummm…we’ve had it several times when in a suite so I told her to let us know before I order it.  Well, no charge but it certainly was not like it used to be.  We were disappointed to say the least.  
 

Wonder what the hostess in the Pinnacle had up her butt to deny that couple their request 🤦‍♀️

 

Nice to hear about the glaciers.  I really need to talk hubby into doing Alaska again.  Been many years since we have been there.  Wonderful you had such good weather to enjoy the glaciers. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[gregma60]

3 hours ago, whogo said:

Turn off the sound on your digital camera, save your wife's sanity.

 

Great description of Marjorie Glacier. Too bad about the loud crowd.

 

Thanks for a great live thread, gregma60.

That's a great idea! Unfortunately, with my 90d, that's only possible shooting in live view with the mirror locked up.  I still prefer using the viewfinder.  My wife also just said she prefers having quick cringes rather than putting in the SD cards to find 15000 pics all at once! Lol

 

-gregma

[gregma60]

3 hours ago, SilvertoGold said:

Outstanding post on Glacier Bay Day! That Pinnacle Breakfast was so like the MDR meal in respect to the podium ladies.  HAL seems to be working with a set plan on how to do things and only the higher up staff are empowered/gracious enough to understand pleasing the customer costs nothing and impresses. The more I read the more I think pax have to stand up for themselves in such cases.  Of course this treatment should never happen in the first place.

I've seen that all over and it seems to be a growing trend.  Unfortunately, I think now you only get two groups of people.  Those who go over the top with yelling and threats and those who choose to just take what they get.  I've always been to respectfully say something and if they still refuse I'll write a letter later and never return.  There are restaurants to this day I won't step foot in because of events that happened even a decade or more.  And I'm much more vocal to my friends about avoiding the place.  

When and if they eventually close, they will blame the economy or some such when it was more than likely poor service. I'll never get over the fact that two places can be close together, one flourishes, the other goes out of business.  They will have lots of excuses, but those who tried the failing business knows it was because of rude staff, poor quality food, or a combination where the one that flourishes has stellar service and/or great quality! 

 

-gregma 

[gregma60]

3 hours ago, canadianbear said:

The “tea time” delivered sounds very disappointing.  Our last Neptune suite the concierge said she’d have to find out how much to charge us.  Ummm…we’ve had it several times when in a suite so I told her to let us know before I order it.  Well, no charge but it certainly was not like it used to be.  We were disappointed to say the least.  
 

Wonder what the hostess in the Pinnacle had up her butt to deny that couple their request 🤦‍♀️

 

Nice to hear about the glaciers.  I really need to talk hubby into doing Alaska again.  Been many years since we have been there.  Wonderful you had such good weather to enjoy the glaciers. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

I agree, you need to head back to Alaska! Tell hubby we said so. 😁

 

-gregma 

[canadianbear]

41 minutes ago, gregma60 said:

I agree, you need to head back to Alaska! Tell hubby we said so. 😁

 

-gregma 

I’m tempted if he doesn’t want to go I’ll go with a friend (but I’ve cruised with 2 friends before who both snored horribly).   

[*Miss G*]

11 hours ago, gregma60 said:

We called room service, and had three of the most delicious pea soups either of us had ever had!! My wife needs the recipe.  She's not a great fan of pea soup, but this she would eat until every last pea had been consumed and they went extinct 😁

 

My sister went to the cooking demonstration in October on the Oosterdam and the chef handed out his recipe for Dutch Pea Soup.  I had chosen to attend the Captain’s chat so I couldn’t ask what Chef’s definition of “pulled pork” was, so your mileage may vary. 

 

Caveat:  I have not made this because I prefer my own version of ham and pea soup.

 

 

 

(ROUGH) CONVERSION TABLE:

 

1 KG = 2 1/4 pounds

1 Liter = 4 1/4 cups

300 grams = 1 1/4 cups

[cbr663]

11 hours ago, gregma60 said:

 

...What they delivered for us 4.

 

4 pots of barely lukewarm water. 

4 Bigelow darjeeling teabags 

1 round stack of finger food which had the following:

1/4 strip smoked salmon sandwich on gluten free bread. 

1/4 strip spicy curry sandwich on gluten free bread

1/4 strip of egg salad on gluten free bread 

6 macaroons

1 small strawberry Panna cotta

3 flourless chocolate bites with caramel spread 

2 prawns 

 

...

During our Alaskan cruise on the Koningsdam in May we debated whether we would order Afternoon Tea or hot appetizers in our suite.  We chose the hot appetizers and it appears we made the right choice.

[canadianbear]

26 minutes ago, cbr663 said:

During our Alaskan cruise on the Koningsdam in May we debated whether we would order Afternoon Tea or hot appetizers in our suite.  We chose the hot appetizers and it appears we made the right choice.

We may do that in November on the Eurodam and invite the other couple coming with us but not in a suite.  We did that several years ago with them & it was enjoyable.  Thanks for the idea. 

[gregma60]

2 hours ago, canadianbear said:

I’m tempted if he doesn’t want to go I’ll go with a friend (but I’ve cruised with 2 friends before who both snored horribly).   

Been there, done that! In fact quite recently.  It makes for a uncomfortable time for sure! 

 

-gregma 

[gregma60]

2 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

My sister went to the cooking demonstration in October on the Oosterdam and the chef handed out his recipe for Dutch Pea Soup.  I had chosen to attend the Captain’s chat so I couldn’t ask what Chef’s definition of “pulled pork” was, so your mileage may vary. 

 

Caveat:  I have not made this because I prefer my own version of ham and pea soup.

 

 

 

(ROUGH) CONVERSION TABLE:

 

1 KG = 2 1/4 pounds

1 Liter = 4 1/4 cups

300 grams = 1 1/4 cups

My wife thanks you so much!  She just gave me a "Woohoo!!!" 

 

-gregma 

[gregma60]

2 hours ago, cbr663 said:

During our Alaskan cruise on the Koningsdam in May we debated whether we would order Afternoon Tea or hot appetizers in our suite.  We chose the hot appetizers and it appears we made the right choice.

That sounds so much better!  Wish I would have thought of that! 

 

-gregma 

[gregma60]

Day 6 - Ketchikan

 

Well, this is our last port day, our last day of running the jewelry gauntlet! We booked a cruise and seafood banquet which was due to leave 15 minutes after we docked at 11am.  No worries though! So far we had been on the dock 15 minutes to half an hour early.  The day started as always with a wonderful breakfast in the pinnacle grill.  My wife had her gluten free eggs benedict with stewed prunes on the side, and this morning I had the usual fruit plate with a ham and cheese grill but instead of salsa and sour cream, I had hollandaise sauce.  YUMMMMM! Wish I discovered that the first day.  The poached eggs, the bell peppers, ham, taters.  It was a delicious combo. 

The up to our room to get the backpacks and camera ready and watch the ship dock. Bow lines and port bow spring lines were easily managed.  The stern line proved to be more elusive.  They finally got the lead line launched and actually on the dock on the fourth try.  I could tell the captain was not too thrilled, poor guy. 

We headed down to deck two to wait for debarkation, only to be met by a lady who was very gruff at insisting everyone clear the deck and wait in public areas until the announcement was made.  Yikes! The guys on each other ports of calls were very understanding and pleasant. About 10 minutes later a very nice gentleman came to get us and we breezed right off the ship and to our awaiting motor coach.  Unfortunately, there were two very late comers so we were half an hour behind. It's ok though, they just adjusted everything from the on. 

We got to the dock to board our catamaran and did some nature spotting before arriving at the resort.  Then took a half hour leisurely walk though the old growth forest leaning about the fauna. Of course for us, it was our back yard, so nothing new.  Still beautiful! Then back to the lodge where we were put at large tables with 6 to 8 people at each and a HUGE pots of food was dumped in the middle.  Oh my!  Everything was delicious, the dungeness crab, shrimp, muscles, clams, andouille sausage, red potatoes, corn on the cob, garlic cloves, pearl onions.  We were the only table to eat everything by far! Talking about being stuffed with yumminess!  After a quick boat ride back, then a pleasant motorcoach ride back to the ship, it was time to brace jewelry alley and spend some time on creek street. 

We only had two hours before all aboard.  We were the only ship left in port as both princess ships had departed earlier in the day.  Creek street wasn't too far away, so off we went.  As we approached, you could tell it was in the middle of spawning season.  Those of you who have spent time next to streams with spawning salmon know the smell of dead and decaying fish.  We got to the upper bridge and looked down at dozens and dozens of dead fish on the floor of the creek and others queuing up to make it further upstream.  There were hundreds of salmon! Some battered and bruised still going up, some barely moving being carried downstream, some fresh and eager to get upstream.  And amongst all of this was a seal.  Having a wonderful time doing some chasing and then relaxing while posing for pictures. 

We stayed and watched for about an hour, then went back to town for some ice cream and hang out at the dock while our wives got the free stuff. 

About an hour after that we were up the gangplank past security, and into the room to drop everything off before getting to our dinner table about 25 minutes late. 

Dinner was great as always.  My wife had prosciutto and an olive caponada.  She loved the prosciutto, but didn't eat the caponada, way too sweet.  It tasted like sweet pickle relish. Her main course was petite beef tender which was perfectly cooked medium rare.  Desert was a baked Alaska and as a bonus for not having flourless chocolate cake, the chef prepared a special gluten free chocolate souffle! Yummie!  I had French onion soup which I loved, salmon which was awesome as always, pear strudel which was ok. 

The it was right to the theater to watch the comedy magic show.  This was an hour of awesome magic! Being in the front row, we both were a part of many of the magic parts.  Some of the best entertainment of all!! We were both exhausted, so right to bed. 

 

-gregma 

[whogo]

5 hours ago, gregma60 said:

Unfortunately, there were two very late comers so we were half an hour behind. It's ok though, they just adjusted everything from the on

I will consider taking coach tours when they start leaving latecomers behind.

[gregma60]

Last day! Will post a follow up later tonight or tomorrow about our thoughts overall. 

 

Last day was a sea day, so not a lot going on.  In fact the only real thing we did was attend the watercolor painting class for my wife which she loved, and the magic classes which I attended which was phenomenal! Otherwise it was spent on our verandah, a bit in the crows nest when seats finally became available, and music trivia.  We won last time with a perfect score, but were two point off the mark this time. We also watched the last dance show which was mediocre.  Just not polished. 

 

I'm one for being out watching the outside world, the beautiful ocean as it mesmerizes you, wondering of the vastness of it all, being curious where that distant ship is headed, hoping to catch a glimpse of a whale or a mermaid.  Being stuck inside seems to me to be such a waste! They say cruising is all about the ports, for me it's all about the wondrous glory outside of the ship!  For others it's about being entertained 20 hours a day inside.  Luckily you can have it either way! 

 

We are now back in Vancouver, have 10 hours before our train leaves, so planning on visiting the science center and people watch. 

 

-gregma 

 

[MisterMatthew]

On 8/25/2023 at 8:18 PM, gregma60 said:

Good morning all! Day two is over.  Overall kind of a hit and miss for the day.  It was a sea day, so I thought it would be relaxing.  Not so much.  There is something to do every minute of the day until 9pm.  Whew. 

 

Breakfast started out in the pinnacle grill at 8am.  Since my wife is gluten intolerant, she ordered an eggs Benedict with a slice of tomato instead of the English muffin.  Normally when she orders this they just cut a slice of raw tomatoe.  Here they lightly grilled the tomatoe giving it a much better flavor! She loved it.  Myself, I ordered the "dungeness" eggs Benedict.  Being from WA state, I of course thought it would be covered in crab.  I was sooooo disappointed! Luckily I looked close and realized it was just what they called one with no meat and only asparagus... Lol! 

 

After breakfast, all of us headed for the shops and browsed until lunch. 

 

Next we lined up for lunch in the mdr at 11:30am.  Boy did the line get long! By noon it was way past the elevators.  Maybe 100 odd people? This was when there was a rather disappointing thing happened.  We were the second group to be escorted to a table.  The gal took off like a shot and was halfway across the mdr before she realized with my cane I couldn't sprint to keep up.  We did manage to get close enough for me to request the same table we had for our second lunch the day before, the waiters were awesome! She turned around laughed at me, said "no", then turned back and rushed us to a table at the very back.  I wasn't too pleased at being laughed at or being dismissed like that, but we did enjoy our lunch and left.  While my wife was looking at the shops, I brought up the navigator app and sent a comment about the experience with the name and time. I really expected nothing, but at least I let them know. 

 

After lunch, my wife headed right to her painting class which she had sooooo much fun and friends of ours and I went to the crows nest to hang out until tea.  So very relaxing, not many people, just enjoyed the water and watching three cruise ships passing us on the way back.  

 

We headed back to the mdr for what I heard was the best high tea of all the cruise lines! We had gone to many in Victoria, Canada and Seattle, so were really looking forward to it.  We really sold our friends.  When we got there about 30 minutes the line was already past the elevators and growing!  We waited about 1/2 hour until we finally made it to the front and were seated at a table for 4.  There was one tray of stuff, so we waited a bit and when they came with the tea, I asked if we were going to get our own small tower of stuff. After all there were only two small bites of each type.  No, was the reply.  Only one to a table.  So a table for two got one, a table of four got one and I guess had to figure out who got what as if we split it, there wouldn't be a tiny mouthful of each type.  To be honest it was one of the worst we had.  Finger sandwiches had hardly any spread.  Imagine one sandwich cut into 6 slices.  That's the portion.  And if you got near the edge of the bread which we did there was only a hint of what was supposed to be on it.  What I think was supposed to be a scone was so dry, our friend tried dunking it in his tea and it was still too dry to eat.  So, our allotment of one cup of tea done and about 3/4 of the food and we got up so others can have a shot at it.  When we left, the line was twice as long!  We decided never again for high tea. 

 

After that, I went to the room to take a nap while the others went for a wildlife viewing event.  Not long after, they came back after being smoked out by a couple of smokers.  They did get to see some Orcas spouting though!! 

 

Next was our 5pm MDR dinner with our great waiters! They are so nice and jovial! About halfway through, the dining room supervisor came over and asked to speak to me.  I got up and we went to the side.  He said they got my comment and he was personally going to have a talk with the staff involved and get it straightened out.  I told him that I very much appreciated that and I hope it could be a teaching moment.  He again apologized and I returned to my table.  After dinner, another gentleman came up to me and introduced himself as the maitre de and wanted to apologize for what happened at lunch and assured me thats would never happen again.  Wow, they really do take the comments seriously!!  I was quite pleased! 

 

Next was the captains toast followed immediately by humanity.

 

Captains toast was really funny!!  The humanity show was very nice.  Not over the top, but had two really awesome dancers and four pretty good dancers.  It was well worth the time and I would recommend it completely! 

 

Right back to our cabin to lounge a bit on our balcony when started seeing spouts! There were two medium pods of Orcas alongside the ship, and at least one humpback about 300 yards away.  Got a great view of the tail once. Of course the camera was still packed so no pics.  The pods soon were left behind and we went back inside for a well deserved sleep! 

 

Overall there were several missteps and a couple of challenges, but nothing that would dampen what a great time we were having!!! 

 

Couple of side notes.  Later in the evening we went to the neptune club to enquire about a whale watching tour for the following day, and the lady there said the maitre d was looking for me to apologize for lunch.  I wondered if the entire ship staff knew! 

 

Also, despite what I've heard at least our cabin walls are not metal.  There are metal ribs about every 6 foot, but that's it.  Bathroom door and front door.  That's it.  So, all of our magnets are on the doors! Lol

 

-gregma

I am enjoying this trip report very much + catching up.

 

Just to let you know, two MDR staff members phoned to inform me of the service concern.  And, i was not even on the ship!

 

---Matthew

[gregma60]

3 hours ago, gregma60 said:

Last day! Will post a follow up later tonight or tomorrow about our thoughts overall. 

 

Last day was a sea day, so not a lot going on.  In fact the only real thing we did was attend the watercolor painting class for my wife which she loved, and the magic classes which I attended which was phenomenal! Otherwise it was spent on our verandah, a bit in the crows nest when seats finally became available, and music trivia.  We won last time with a perfect score, but were two point off the mark this time. We also watched the last dance show which was mediocre.  Just not polished. 

 

I'm one for being out watching the outside world, the beautiful ocean as it mesmerizes you, wondering of the vastness of it all, being curious where that distant ship is headed, hoping to catch a glimpse of a whale or a mermaid.  Being stuck inside seems to me to be such a waste! They say cruising is all about the ports, for me it's all about the wondrous glory outside of the ship!  For others it's about being entertained 20 hours a day inside.  Luckily you can have it either way! 

 

We are now back in Vancouver, have 10 hours before our train leaves, so planning on visiting the science center and people watch. 

 

-gregma 

 

Unfortunately, couldn't edit.  Wanted to mention the debarkation process.  Oh my.  They called us at 8am to begin, and we were waiting for our cab by 8:17.  It was amazingly fast! 

 

-gregma