PHOTO REVIEW! Just off the Koningsdam to Alaska.

[ski ww]

Thanks for posting, the pictures bring back memories of our Alaska cruise.

[Bostonjetset]

4 hours ago, ski ww said:

Thanks for posting, the pictures bring back memories of our Alaska cruise.

Thanks for reading. I’m glad you enjoy the review. 

[Banditswife]

Thank you for sharing.

[kluv2cruz]

Can you explain how the slot tournament works? I’ve done the cruise critic ones where we all put an amount into a pot and all get a few pulls and we’ve always lost more than we’ve put in but they’re super fun. Was this a ship tournament? How did it not cost anything? 

[Bostonjetset]

4 hours ago, kluv2cruz said:

Can you explain how the slot tournament works? I’ve done the cruise critic ones where we all put an amount into a pot and all get a few pulls and we’ve always lost more than we’ve put in but they’re super fun. Was this a ship tournament? How did it not cost anything? 

This was a slot tournament through the casino that certain passengers were invited to through the casino hosts. I assume it is based on my mother’s gambling patterns on past trips. She got invited but I did not. She also got the cruise through a casino offer and I tagged along as my dad doesn’t love to travel. We did pay extra for an ocean view and then balcony as originally the offer was only for an inside and she dislikes inside cabins. The casino hosts also sent some macrons to our stateroom one day. She is not really a high roller or anything but I guess she spends enough to be invited for stuff.

[Princess Fi]

Enjoying so far and appreciate the time taking to offer your review and photos. Have sailed for over 10 years on Celebrity and we did Alaska last September for the first time on our first Princess cruise. Today just booked Konsingdsm to Alaska for May 2024.  Find important to experience more cruise lines now!

[CNSJ]

Thank you for the posts, we did Alaska last year and you photos make me want to head North again!

[Haljo1935]

The blue skies are absolutely gorgeous!! Looks like the weather is cooperating. Of course, AK is beautiful no matter the weather, but stunningly blue skies doesn't hurt.

The Dutch Pea Soup in Crow's Nest when visiting Glacier Bay is nice.

Thanks for posting and letting us tag along. 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Haljo1935
Typo

[Bostonjetset]

32 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

The blue skies are absolutely gorgeous!! Looks like the weather is cooperating. Of course, AK is beautiful no matter the weather, but stunningly blue skies doesn't hurt.

The Dutch Pea Soup in Crow's Nest when visiting Glacier Bay is nice.

Thanks for posting and letting us tag along. 

Yes I LOVE the Dutch pea soup!  We got it out on the bow during Glacier Bay day as well 🙂 

[Bostonjetset]

Day 6: Glacier Bay National Park [8/30/2023, 11.44pm]

 

Glacier Bay is always a highlight of an Alaskan cruise and today was no different.  There was no calving of any glaciers unfortunately but it was still beautiful as ever.  There was a medical emergency on the way out of Glacier Bay so we had to anchor off the ranger station so the passenger could be tendered ashore for her med flight.  Whilst we were anchored we spotted some whales and sea otters though.

 

Tonight's show was Step One's "Humanity" which I've now seen 4 times.  It's the best of any of HAL's current shows though, IMO.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bostonjetset]

Day 7: Ketchikan, Alaska [8/31/2023, 11.16pm]

 

Ketchikan was beautiful today considering it's usually one of t60she rainiest cities int he Alaska.  It was sunny and in the 60s which was perfect walking weather for our hike in the temperate rainforest.  The excursion also included a visit to the Alaska Raptor Center which was nice even though they only had three birds; an owl, a bald eagle, and a hawk.  Their main facility in Sitka that DH and I visited back in 2016 was much larger.  During the rainforest walk we DID see a mother black bear with her three cubs just strolling along!!  That was really special to see bears in the wild. Overall the excursion was good but a bit overpriced at $125pp.  It would have been worth it for around $80-$90pp though.  After the 3.5 hour tour we grabbed cod "burgers" at New York Cafe in downtown Ketchikan [delicious!] and then walked Creek Street and explored the shops.  This is one of my favorite Alaska ports, especially when it's a nice day out.

 

Tonight for dinner we ate at Rudi's Sel de Mer as I had pre-booked as a 70th birthday gift for mom.  The food and presentation was wonderful but they didn't have the foie gras which is what I was most looking forward to.  I did get the caviar though which is always delicious and a steal for the $50 upcharge.  However, after this voyage the supplement is supposed to increase to $80. 😞. The Dover sole, deboned table-side was truly fantastic as were the crepes Suzette for dessert.  A great meal overall!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bostonjetset]

Day 7 continued: Rudi's Sel de Mer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[oakridger]

You were so lucky to see the bear and her three cubs!  Your pictures are very nice.  I'm loving reading about your trip and the pictures.  

 

How did your Mom enjoy the cruise in the larger Pinnacle ship?

 

~Nancy

Edited September 7, 2023 by oakridger

[Banditswife]

10 minutes ago, Bostonjetset said:

Day 7: Ketchikan, Alaska [8/31/2023, 11.16pm]

 

Funny: we have a Springbok jigsaw puzzle with almost this exact picture.

[Bostonjetset]

32 minutes ago, oakridger said:

You were so lucky to see the bear and her three cubs!  Your pictures are very nice.  I'm loving reading about your trip and the pictures.  

 

How did your Mom enjoy the cruise in the larger Pinnacle ship?

 

~Nancy

Thanks for reading. Yes she enjoyed it. 🙂

[Bostonjetset]

25 minutes ago, Banditswife said:

Funny: we have a Springbok jigsaw puzzle with almost this exact picture.

That would be a fun puzzle to work on!

[Banditswife]

9 hours ago, Bostonjetset said:

That would be a fun puzzle to work on!

I went & looked at our puzzle stash & realized we must have given that one away.  But your photo looked so familiar.

[Bostonjetset]

1. Day 8: Sea Day [9/1/2023, 3.08pm]

 

It's mid-day but I thought I'd write an entry now as it's a lazy sea day.  I wanted to capture my thoughts on the service this week.  Unfortunately it's been mostly mediocre.  Nothing has been horrible or anything but there has definitely been a negative change, especially in the dining venues, from pre-Covid.  The Lido buffet has been a madhouse with long waits, particularly for drink refills.  We HAVE been able to find seats at least.  There is sugar on each table but never Sweet N Low [or other similar substitutes] and it take ages for someone to bring it.  The cream debacle is almost laughable!  They always bring milk even when asking for cream, both in the Lido and the MDR.  The Lido coffee stations have a pot of 2% milk and a pot of what's labeled as half & half but definitely is not.  It MAY be whole milk but it surely isn't cream or half & half.  In the MDR, breakfasts easily take an hour and a half with multiple items having been forgot along the way.  No breadbasket at breakfast; juice and coffee are slow and rarely refilled.  Dinner has taken over 2 hours on some nights though one night was only an hour and 15 min.  This is the department with the most noticeable cutbacks.  

 

Room-service breakfast on the other hand has been WONDERFUL!  All three days we ordered it, it arrived right on time, correct, and hot.  They are still getting this right!  Also, the cabin stewards and bartenders have all been wonderful, courteous, and friendly.  It's mostly just the waitstaff that seems to be struggling.  

 

 

[QuattroRomeo]

Coffee cream is notoriously difficult to get on ships. In dining rooms and room service, we now order heavy cream, and always get it. They seem to know what that is. You can always thin it down, but you can't fatten the other stuff up! 

[Bostonjetset]

1 hour ago, QuattroRomeo said:

Coffee cream is notoriously difficult to get on ships. In dining rooms and room service, we now order heavy cream, and always get it. They seem to know what that is. You can always thin it down, but you can't fatten the other stuff up! 

Thanks for the tip!! I’ll try that next time. 

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, QuattroRomeo said:

Coffee cream is notoriously difficult to get on ships. In dining rooms and room service, we now order heavy cream, and always get it. They seem to know what that is. You can always thin it down, but you can't fatten the other stuff up! 

We've decided to bring along the little creamer "pods" and just carry a couple to breakfast each day. Hopefully they don't get confiscated and help us get the coffee down, lol.

[Bostonjetset]

1 hour ago, Haljo1935 said:

We've decided to bring along the little creamer "pods" and just carry a couple to breakfast each day. Hopefully they don't get confiscated and help us get the coffee down, lol.

Another good tip.  Though it honestly should NOT be this difficult.  Cream [or half & half] is a standard thing for coffee; I don't understand why the ship makes it so difficult.  Maybe it's more expensive than milk so they try to cut costs?  It DOES keep longer though so one would think it would balance out. 

[Bostonjetset]

1. Day 9 & Recap: [9/3/2023, 12.00pm] *Yes I skipped 9/2 due to travel lol*

 

Now that I'm home and have rested for a few hours I can reflect on yesterday and the trip as a whole.

Disembarking the ship was MUCH smoother than embarkation; after breakfast we took our bags and basically walked right off and through customs.  Not a line to be seen!  There is an easy luggage storage service at the port that we took advantage of since our flight was at 8.20pm that evening.  At $10/bag it was reasonable.

 

We then headed to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park and spent a couple hours.  What a great place!  It was really cool to walk up high between the trees on the systems of bridges and platforms.  It's a great place to spend half a day.

 

After Capilano we headed back downtown for dimsum at Victoria's Chinese Restaurant.  The food was really good though it seemed more expensive than dimsum in Boston.  The airport was surprisingly breezy without many lines either so that was a nice surprise.  Now for some takeaways from the trip!

 

THE GOOD:

Vancouver is a wonderful city to cruise from and is worth some time pre- and post-cruise.  The Inside Passage itinerary is great as there is more scenery to view and the waters are calmer than when leaving from Seattle.  Port times were good and the Koningsdam is a beautiful ship and well kept.  Room service breakfast was surprisingly excellent!  For was always on time and arrived hot.  The cabin stewards were efficient and friendly as per the usual HAL standard.  Stateroom #5126 has a fabulous balcony and is sold a a standard verandah [V category].  **Side Note: The actual interiors of the balcony staterooms are on the small side but comfortable.  There was some debate about Vista Suites not being much bigger but having now sailed in both on a Pinnacle-class ship I can say with certainty that they are noticeably bigger!  30 or so square feet actually makes a huge difference on a ship.**

 

THE BAD:

The service in the dining room just wasn't good.  The waiters were friendly as usual but they are clearly understaffed.  Breakfast was the worst, taking 2 hours one day and with items missing on several days.  Dinners were really slow as well with water glasses often empty and coffee forgotten with dessert one night.  The lines at the Lido buffet were long because they serve everything; they should return to self service if they can't staff to keep up!

 

THE AVERAGE:

The food overall was good with a few things [the croissants at breakfast] being great.  Boarding in Vancouver was chaotic but HAL isn't to blame for that.  Drinks were well made and reasonably priced.  Lincoln Center is missed though Step One is still good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[canadianbear]

@Bostonjetset I’m so glad you got to enjoy some of the highlights in Vancouver and area.  I was born & raised in Vancouver & still live in the city fairly close to the cruise port.  So much to see and do here so I’m glad you had some time.

 

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise!  I enjoyed reading and seeing your photos.  Such great memories you’ve made with your Mom and so special she could celebrate with you on a cruise. 

[highscar]

For my coffee I always take Coffee Mate in a zip lock bag.