Live (well, not so) and Life from a combo land and sea Alaskan tour

[Copper10-8]

Day 3 - 08/05/2023; Denali National Park (con't)

 

Back at the Chalet, we both had a craving for, believe it or not, a sandwich from Subway, since we had seen a Subway Restaurant across the street. Took a little bit of an uphill hike but we made it for a tasty lunch of a six-inch turkey on multi-grain bread which hit the spot, thank you very much!

 

The 3-month old pups, Raven and Chickadee, from the DogGoneIt Kennel in nearby Cantwell, AK were out at the Chalet once again inside their little pen, ready to be held. We love puppies!

 

Our evening excursion was something called Black Diamond wagon adventure and dinner which left by black painted school bus from the Chalet at 6:15 PM. An approx. 15-minute ride took us to their property near the community of Healy where the option was an ATV ride of “follow the leader” (we did that in Puerto Vallarta once which was very cool, but we also got very dirty) so tonite we chose the other option which was to ride along with nine other pax in a pioneer-style covered wagon pulled by two very big draft horses, Rex and Turbo for our wagon. Our “teamster”, the person that “drove” the wagon and guided those two big boys was Sophia and our guide Isabella, who hailed from Oxford, England.

 

We learned that there are lots of European college students here in Alaska for the summer season from countries like Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Poland, etc. There were two other wagons in our group and our destination, after an approx. 50-minute ride, was a rustic pavilion at Dry Creek riverbed where we had a family-style/home-cooked dinner of macaroni salad, potato salad, pasta salad, coleslaw, corn on the cob, vegetarian chili, salmon, chicken, ribs, followed by a desert of a berry cake. After dinner, there was time to meet and pet the big horses, and/or take a pic with them

 

Here's the kicker! On our particular wagon, there were three wagons in total for our group from the Chalet, was a retired police dispatcher from my former department, Chelly, along with her husband Steve, also a former city employee. So, counting my lovely wife, here are four retired employees from the same city in L.A. County, meeting up in Denali, Alaska! What are the chances of that happening? Too funny! Chelly and Steve arrived in Fairbanks on Friday, took the bus ride to Denali, will take the train to Whittier tomorrow with us, and will also embark Nieuw Amsterdam there to take her to Vancouver! Again, what are the chances?

 

Upon our return to the McKinley Chalet around 9:00 PM., we got ready for our big day tomorrow which was the 8–9-hour train ride on the McKinley Explorer domed train to Whittier, Ak. So, tonight, we had to repack our three valises to have them ready to be placed outside our cabin at 0600 hours Sunday morning. They, and all the other Nieuw Amsterdam luggage then be collected and will make their own way south to Whittier in cargo trucks, to be delivered to our staterooms onboard.

 

We will see you tomorrow (Sunday) for a report on that journey!

[Seamus6]

Thanks for this very thorough review!  looking forward to the rest as this (Alaska sea and land) will likely be our next cruise!

[Copper10-8]

Day 4 - 08/06/2023; Enroute Whittier, AK

 

Sunday, once again, started bright and early! We are used to it by now! 0500 hrs. wakeup call for the child bride and 0545 hours for me. First order of business was to get the luggage positioned outside the door for pickup. The only bag tags that now have to be on it are the HAL ship tags with your room # and ship’s name on them. We decided to go sans breakfast and purchase it on the train. So, the buses taking folks to us to the Denali train depot actually arrived early around 0710 hours and started loading up.

 

The front desk area of the McKinley Chalet was zoo-like with lots of people congregating but everyone seemed to be on their best behavior. The little coffee bar in the lobby was humming like those little birds with spinning wings and was doing one heck of a business this morning selling coffee, muffins and scones. We wound up being the last two on the nus for the very short ride to the depot where our train was already patiently waiting.

 

You are pre-assigned your particular car as well as seating assignment. Ours turned out to be the caboose which today was a car with the name of “Kobuk”. "Kobuk" is an Inupiaq Eskimo word meaning "big river." It is sometimes spelled "Kowak" or "Kowuk." The car in front of us was named "Chena" which in the Tanana Athabascan language Ch'eno', literally translates to “river of something (game).” This is a reference to the importance of the land surrounding the water and how beneficial this location is for large game hunting.

 

These cars are all double-deckers with us passengers sitting on top, and the lower level reserved for dining, the restrooms, the kitchen/galley, a small lounge and an aft viewing platform. Our seats were 1C and 1D all the way up front by the bar. For our particular train, there would be six cars and one big locomotive pulling the parade.

 

Our assigned crew for the Kobuk car was Julia from Alabama, our very energetic guide and an aspiring radio broadcaster at home during the winter, Sam from Ohio, our bartender, and Marco, from Croatia, as well as Genevieve, our restaurant waiters. Seating is comfy on the train, but they don’t recline manually. They appeared to have been pre-positioned at a slight reclining angle but not by much.

 

Each passenger section has side-by-side seating for 88 guests (dining capacity is for 44 seats.) The top portion of the passenger section, except for a center strip with airliner-type lighting and speakers, is “all glass” for exceptional viewing of the exterior scenery. Each car has a covered outdoor viewing platform.

 

There is no overhead luggage compartment because of the glass dome, a nice trade! Your carry-ons/hand luggage has to fit under your seats and, oh yeah, no internet on the train unfortunately! We pulled out of the Denali Depot at 0810 hours to start our trek south.

 

The ride was a comfortable one while seated. Walking felt a bit like too many Wang Wangs due to the back and forth motion of the car, hence the warning by Julia to maintain a “three-point contact” (two feet and one hand) while walking during her safety brief. It didn’t take long to get used to.

A bit after departing Denali Park, we passed though Broad Pass, the highest point on the Alaska Railroad at 2,363 feet. The train makes many stops on the way for various reasons; some are to allow another train going the opposite way on a single track; some are for provisions, others are for crew changeover, etc. Most, if not all, turned out to be for short duration. The first such stop was at Cantwell, AK.

 

Right after the Cantwell stop, we were invited down for brekkie. If you are a party of two, you sit opposite someone you’ve probably never seen before with a table in between you. That was the case with us with a nice couple from Wisconsin. Breakfast was scrambled eggs, potatoes, Rudolf the reindeer sausage and toast. Tasty!

 

So, as already stated, this would be a looong ride so what does one do? Well, you read, listen to music on your iPad, work on your travel blog on your laptop, look at the scenery, take a nap, listen to your very good guide tell you about Alaska, get up to stretch your legs and go downstairs where there is a commercial aircraft-type moving map letting you know where in Alaska the train is, you name it! It was a relatively comfy ride with just enough motion to realize you’re on a moving train and, of course, the scenery is intriguing.

 

To be con't

[Blue Eyes]

Thanks, once again, for taking us along…

[rafinmd]

On 10/1/2023 at 1:25 AM, Copper10-8 said:

Here's the kicker! On our particular wagon, there were three wagons in total for our group from the Chalet, was a retired police dispatcher from my former department, Chelly, along with her husband Steve, also a former city employee. So, counting my lovely wife, here are four retired employees from the same city in L.A. County, meeting up in Denali, Alaska! What are the chances of that happening? Too funny! Chelly and Steve arrived in Fairbanks on Friday, took the bus ride to Denali, will take the train to Whittier tomorrow with us, and will also embark Nieuw Amsterdam there to take her to Vancouver! Again, what are the chances?

Chance is quite something.  Back in 2022 I did a tour with a Canadian company.  We flew to Inuvik way up in the Northwest Territories and drove down the Dempster Highway to Dawson City.  We headed to Diamond Tooth Gerties for the evening show and after the show I spotted some familiar looking sweatshirts ahead of me.  It turned out to be my County Executive and the Chief of a nearby fire station and their wives, both of whom were active in the fire service.  They were finishing the land portion of a land and sea tour and we were all boarding the Zaandam in Skagway to finish out tours in Vancouver.  I saw them several more times on the ship.

 

Same tour for you is a big coincidence but same wagon.  Wow!

 

Roy

Edited October 2, 2023 by rafinmd

[Copper10-8]

18 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Chance is quite something.  Back in 2022 I did a tour with a Canadian company.  We flew to Inuvik way up in the Northwest Territories and drove down the Dempster Highway to Dawson City.  We headed to Diamond Tooth Gerties for the evening show and after the show I spotted some familiar looking sweatshirts ahead of me.  It turned out to be my County Executive and the Chief of a nearby fire station and their wives, both of whom were active in the fire service.  They were finishing the land portion of a land and sea tour and we were all boarding the Zaandam in Skagway to finish out tours in Vancouver.  I saw them several more times on the ship.

 

Same tour for you is a big coincidence but same wagon.  Wow!

 

Roy

 

Funny how that happens, eh? 😉

[seaoma]

We had a chance encounter also. It must be an Alaskan thing.

 

We happened to be staying in the Mt. McKinley Lodge on a independent vacation in 2008. We were sitting around the huge fireplace when a busload of passengers from a Princess cruise arrived. A older gentlemen sat down next to me on the couch. He asked us where we were from and of course, I asked him the same. He said he was from a small town in Tennessee that I wouldn't know. I replied that I would probably know because I was originally from TN and still had family living there.

 

Turns out he and his wife lived in the same town as my grandparents and were extremely good friends. In fact he had just had dinner with them the night before they'd left for their vacation. They had also been friends with them for decades because he wife worked in the local department store and she knew exactly what brand of hosiery my grandmother wore because she sold them to her on a regular basis, back when that was a thing.

 

Small world we live in.

 

 

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by seaoma

[XBGuy]

On 9/28/2023 at 10:55 PM, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

 

DeHavilland Beaver

 

Our first AK cruise was in the early 1990s   It was, of course, amazing.  I especially enjoyed the reports from the onboard naturalist.  I thought that was so cool.  He also spent some time discussing Alaska culture and history.  He mad a point of telling about the importance of the de Havilland Beaver to the history and development of Alaska.  We did not get back to Alaska until 2013, but I was thrilled to see how many Beavers were still in service.  It wasn't until 2019 that I was able to ride in one.  That was so cool.

 

Prior to that trip my coffee shop buddy gave me a hard time, "Let me see if I have this right.  You're going to get into and fly in an aircraft that was designed and engineered around technology from the 1940s."

 

Yup.  That's right.

 

As it turned out. the plane was not as outdated as he said.  It was updated with 21st Century technology.  The pilot had his iPhone mounted in the cockpit with him.

 

😁

 

 

I just found this report, @Copper10-8, and look forward to your continued (live or otherwise) reports.

 

[Copper10-8]

56 minutes ago, XBGuy said:

 

DeHavilland Beaver

 

Our first AK cruise was in the early 1990s   It was, of course, amazing.  I especially enjoyed the reports from the onboard naturalist.  I thought that was so cool.  He also spent some time discussing Alaska culture and history.  He mad a point of telling about the importance of the de Havilland Beaver to the history and development of Alaska.  We did not get back to Alaska until 2013, but I was thrilled to see how many Beavers were still in service.  It wasn't until 2019 that I was able to ride in one.  That was so cool.

 

Prior to that trip my coffee shop buddy gave me a hard time, "Let me see if I have this right.  You're going to get into and fly in an aircraft that was designed and engineered around technology from the 1940s."

 

Yup.  That's right.

 

As it turned out. the plane was not as outdated as he said.  It was updated with 21st Century technology.  The pilot had his iPhone mounted in the cockpit with him.

 

😁

 

 

I just found this report, @Copper10-8, and look forward to your continued (live or otherwise) reports.

 

 

Correct on the make and type of the model hanging from the ceiling in the bar of the Westmark Fairbanks! That is in fact a DeHavilland-Canada DHC-2 Beaver with floats. They are tough old ladies and you still see quite a few of them flying in Alaska, especially in places like Anchorage and Ketchikan. Nowadays, you see quite a bit more of the Beaver's younger sister, the DeHavilland-Canada DHC-3 Otter flying around, most having converted to turbo-prop engines

 

I too, was lucky enough to have flown in one - next to the pilot seat "Don't touch anything and keep your feet off the pedals, Yes sir" 😃 - back in 2011. The Beaver on that flight belonged to Promech Air out of Ketchikan with tail # N64393. Great flight with a landing on a lake and the ability to get out of the aircraft and take in scenic Alaska while standing on the floats. Unforgettable experience!

[Btimmer]

Nice reporting and pics.  We were able to do the Denali in 2022 with a granddaughter and with a grandson in 2023.  In 2022 we rode south on HAL train cars and in 2023 we rode north on Princess train cars even though we we were on HAL trips. We ate one meal at the Subway but enjoyed most of our meals at the Princess Lodge area which we found much more accessible.

[oaktreerb]

2 hours ago, Btimmer said:

Nice reporting and pics.  We were able to do the Denali in 2022 with a granddaughter and with a grandson in 2023.  In 2022 we rode south on HAL train cars and in 2023 we rode north on Princess train cars even though we we were on HAL trips. We ate one meal at the Subway but enjoyed most of our meals at the Princess Lodge area which we found much more accessible.

Sometimes HAL and Princess working together in Alaska is a good thing but I was disappointed with our HAL cruise tour in 2022.  We had previously traveled in the HAL rail cars and busses (many times over the years) and in 2022 we were transported in the Princess rail cars and busses on our HAL cruise tour.  The Holland America rail cars and busses are much nicer than the Princess transportation.  The seats are more luxurious.  Otherwise the experience was the same.  It was probably our last cruise tour unless HAL finds something new to see and do in the Yukon territories.

 

i read your reports of traveling with your grandchildren.  What a wonderful way to create lasting memories!

[Btimmer]

1 minute ago, oaktreerb said:

Sometimes HAL and Princess working together in Alaska is a good thing but I was disappointed with our HAL cruise tour in 2022.  We had previously traveled in the HAL rail cars and busses (many times over the years) and in 2022 we were transported in the Princess rail cars and busses on our HAL cruise tour.  The Holland America rail cars and busses are much nicer than the Princess transportation.  The seats are more luxurious.  Otherwise the experience was the same.  It was probably our last cruise tour unless HAL finds something new to see and do in the Yukon territories.

 

i read your reports of traveling with your grandchildren.  What a wonderful way to create lasting memories!

We were quite pleased with our Princess travel accommodations.  We really like the Princess Lodge dining options over the McKinley Lodge.  

options.

 

Thanks for following along on our grandchildrens' adventures.  Those were truly special and probably not repeatable.

[Copper10-8]

Day 4 - 08/06/2023; Enroute Whittier, AK (con't)

 

A bit before reaching our stop at Talkeetna, the train slowed as we crossed the 918-foot Hurricane Gulch trestle, towering 296 feet above the creek below. This was followed some 45 minutes after by another stop at “The Wolf’s Sighting” near Willow, AK, the site of a 2019 wildfire, still very evident. Here, we met a northbound McKinley Explorer which also stopped. Apparently, this is a routine thing for the trains which gives the conductors of both trains an opportunity to swap out supplies before each continues on their way.

 

We subsequently met our conductor, David, who came by to chat with his passengers and would be leaving us at our upcoming stop at Wasilla because he was above his federally regulated time limit by that time. Both David and our train’s two engineers would be swapping out in Wasilla sometime after. No, we didn’t see the former Governor and we also couldn’t see Russia from Wasilla, but we tried! 🙃

 

Lunch for us was around 2:45 and we were seated by ourselves at a booth and resulted in both of us selected a bowl of Reindeer Chili; hearty Alaska-style chili of reindeer meat , diced tomatoes, and a secret blend of spices simmered in an Alaskan Amber Ale base. Topped with cheddar cheese and chives. Very tasty! For dessert, Maria had an Alaska ice cream bar, while I had a chocolate brownie Sunday. Each car has their own galley where meals are prepared by hard working crew.

 

To be con't

 

 

Edited October 3, 2023 by Copper10-8

[Btimmer]

Julia was our guide this summer as well.

 

[Copper10-8]

2 hours ago, Btimmer said:

Julia was our guide this summer as well.

 

 

Nice, outgoing young lady and very good at her job!

[0bnxshs]

I've always wanted to do this trip and your report only makes me sure I want to go... thanks for all the work John, very nice report!

[Copper10-8]

1 hour ago, 0bnxshs said:

I've always wanted to do this trip and your report only makes me sure I want to go... thanks for all the work John, very nice report!

 

It's a nice one Rich, highly recommended for a bit of a different look at Alaska! You just have to get used to early morning wakeups in order to put your valises outside your door 😛

[Copper10-8]

Day 4 - 08/06/2023; Enroute Whittier, AK (con't)

 

Around 4:00 PM, we pulled into the Anchorage Rail Deport after having passed Elmendorf Air Force Base. It would be another short stop before continuing our way for two hours or so, passing Cook Inlet and travelling adjacent Turnagain Arm and the Seward Highway. As stated, we had a new conductor who had joined us in Wasilla and his name was Vern, a funny guy! He paid our car a visit and played his harmonica to “North to Alaska” by Johnny Horton.

 

Also in Wasilla, two to three HAL agents had boarded who would be checking all of us in via their handheld computers. All they needed to accomplish that were your passports and boarding pass. If they didn’t have your most recent photo on file, they would take a new one on the spot. Just like on land, their computer would spit out a paper boarding pass with your name, your ship’s name, sail date, cabin #, etc. on it. It would save us a lot of time inside the Whittier terminal! You get your actual /ship's I.D./room keys from a sealed envelope in the mail slot outside your cabin once on the ship.

 

At one point, the train tracks left the Seward Highway behind because, unlike 2010, we were not going to the port of Seward, our destination today was Whittier, AK and its port, so we began to follow the Portage Glacier Highway/Road. The town of Whittier, AK can only be reached via road by going underneath a tunnel, more specifically, the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, often called the Whittier Tunnel after the town itself.

 

This is a dual-use ("bimodal") highway and railroad tunnel that passes under Maynard Mountain, part of the Chugach Mountain Range. At a length of 13,300 feet, or 2.51 miles, it is the longest highway tunnel and longest combined rail and highway tunnel in North America. The tunnel originated as a rail-only tunnel excavated in 1941–42 during World War II and was upgraded to bimodal use between September 1998 and mid-summer 2000.

 

The tunnel can accommodate either eastbound traffic, westbound traffic, or the Alaska Railroad but only one at any given time. Tunnel traffic is regulated by overhead lights as to how many cars and at which time, can enter at one time. Prior to traversing that tunnel, there is a shorter 0.9 mile tunnel for trains only, called the Portage Lake Tunnel. Upon exiting the second and longer one, the aforementioned Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, our ship, Nieuw Amsterdam, came into view, although it was by now gray, dreary and raining. The entire rail trip from Denali to Whittier had taken nine hours and twenty-six minutes, our second longest rail trip ever. We said our goodbyes to the incredibly efficient and professional crew of the Kobuk rail car and entered the Whittier cruise terminal building for the second part of our vacation. Did I say yet it was raining? Remember; adapt, improvise and overcome! 

 

 

 

[XBGuy]

16 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

This is a dual-use ("bimodal") highway and railroad tunnel that passes under Maynard Mountain, part of the Chugach Mountain Range. At a length of 13,300 feet, or 2.51 miles, it is the longest highway tunnel and longest combined rail and highway tunnel in North America. The tunnel originated as a rail-only tunnel excavated in 1941–42 during World War II and was upgraded to bimodal use between September 1998 and mid-summer 2000.

 

 

 

Our first AK cruise was in the early 1990s--prior to that tunnel upgrade.  We flew to Anchorage and were bussed to Whittier.  To get through the tunnel the bus drove onto a railroad flatcar, and we road in the bus as the bus road on the flatcar.  It was pretty cool.

 

Some years later I would make occasional trips to Anchorage on business.  The local rep, Larry was just the coolest guy.  On multiple occasions as we drove along Turnagain Arm he would point out sheep on the adjacent mountainside.  On one trip he mentioned that there would often be beluga whales just offshore.  At that moment I spotted a big patch of white out in the water.  The first (and last) time I'd ever seen beluga whales.

[Taters]

I'm so glad you enjoyed your trip to Fairbanks and Denali.  A little bit of Alaska trivia...  That Subway restaurant you got sandwiches from in Denali, that area is called Glitter Gulch by us locals.  When driving the Parks there is nothing for miles and miles, then BOOM!  Glitter Gulch is just there with many garish buildings and huge signs, and with 2 stoplights!  We tend to get out of there as fast as we can to continue our drive. 😆

[Copper10-8]

5 hours ago, Taters said:

I'm so glad you enjoyed your trip to Fairbanks and Denali.  A little bit of Alaska trivia...  That Subway restaurant you got sandwiches from in Denali, that area is called Glitter Gulch by us locals.  When driving the Parks there is nothing for miles and miles, then BOOM!  Glitter Gulch is just there with many garish buildings and huge signs, and with 2 stoplights!  We tend to get out of there as fast as we can to continue our drive. 😆

 

Thanks a bunch for the trivia! We liked your Glitter Gulch! 😉

[Copper10-8]

Day 4 - 08/06/2023; Enroute Whittier, AK (con't)

 

Whittier cruise port is located at Passage Canal's entrance in Prince William Sound. The port is approx. 60 miles southeast from Anchorage. Once inside the Whittier terminal building, which is a very short walk from where the train stops, we followed the line for security like a slinky. We were told along the way to remove everything from our pockets, belts, plastic bottles, big watches, and be prepared to remove jackets to go through airport-like screening (metal detector for humans and X-ray machine for carry-ons).

 

Apparently, HAL through their contract security, is now really cracking down on bringing any plastic bottles containing water, soda, or anything else liquid-wise inside. I had purchased a couple of 20 oz. Coke Zero bottles in Denali which were still unopened. The guard manning the X-Ray machine was on his game, spotted them, and advised his colleague by the security table. She had no sense of humor, and out my two bottles went post haste into a large trashcan. Maria had purchased a 16 oz. aluminum bottle of H2O and, imagine that, got to keep it. Note to self; don’t buy anymore plastic bottles of soda for a cruise!

 

The only thing left to do inside that terminal was the obligatory welcome aboard pics by Nieuw A’s photo staff before boarding the younger sister of HAL’s Eurodam via a shoreside gangway to Deck 3 where ship security scanned us on.

 

Our cabin is on Rotterdam deck, port side mid-ships, caddy corner from the Neptune Lounge where concierges Aiko and Mike (her relief) “reside” and do one heck of a job keeping their guests happy. Also met our lead cabin steward, Kus who will be taking care of our home away from home, along with his assistant, Raja. Our valises successfully made the road trip from Denali and were already waiting for us to unpack them which meant no more living out of a suitcase for a week!

 

First order of business was to stroll to our muster station (Boat 08), where we checked in electronically with our boat captain which was followed by a short and sweet safety brief from a crew member consisting of instructions to watch the onboard “Safety at Sea” video and to listen to the captain’s safety speech over the P/A. This is the current post “Covid-style” muster procedure on HAL which eliminates large groups getting together and standing in very close proximity to one another. Btw, your TV channel is set to that safety brief, and one is unable to change channels until after you watch/listen to the entire brief, good idea!

 

At around 7;25 PM, Nieuw Amsterdam let go of her lines and shoved off her berth with Captain Jeroen Baijens taking his big ship out of the Whittier harbor.

 

It was around 8 PM now, so next up was dinner which we chose to partake in inside the Lido Market, as opposed to our table in the main dining room. As expected on embarkation day, the place was pretty packed but we were able to come up with a table where Maria had the New York strip steak, while I chose the salmon.

 

During the dinner, the dreaded “Medical Response” alert was transmitted over the ship’s P/A system. The location was the BB King’s Lounge on Deck 2 midships and we learned later on that the BB King’s horn player was the one experiencing a medical episode. Consequently, the 8:00, 9:00 and 10:00 PM sets of the band were cancelled for tonight. All the best to that musician!

 

With that unfortunate event, tonight’s entertainment became limited. Inside the Mainstage was “We are Alaska” however, it had already started at 8:00 PM. The only other live entertainment was the Billboard Onboard piano duo which had two shows left at 9:00 and 10:00 PM. We decided to walk over to the Ocean Bar on Deck 3 where music trivia was just finishing up. The guy who ran it, Simon, returned at 9:30 PM and brought Rose with him for a game of “Majority Rules” which we played only to discover that we were lousy at it, oh well. We decided to call it a night around 10:30 PM since it had been a long day.

 

Tomorrow is scenic cruising of Glacier Bay, see ya then!

[slavetoabunny]

I am enjoying your review of this trip!  Hubby and I have the same itinerary planned for next August, except out of Anchorage instead of Fairbanks and on the Noordam.  Your trip looks fabulous and makes me even more excited for our trip.

 

It looks like you are in a Neptune Suite??  We have a Neptune booked on Noordam.

[erewhon]

@Copper10-8  John,we are  pleased to see that Captain Baijens is back with Holland America Line.

We met him when he was the Master of the Volendam in 2013  for the Trans Pacific,Vancouver to Sydney, and again the following year on the Volendam Australian Circumnavigation. We were very impressed with Captain Baijens.  We knew that he had transferred to Seabourn.

 

[Copper10-8]

11 hours ago, erewhon said:

@Copper10-8  John,we are  pleased to see that Captain Baijens is back with Holland America Line.

We met him when he was the Master of the Volendam in 2013  for the Trans Pacific,Vancouver to Sydney, and again the following year on the Volendam Australian Circumnavigation. We were very impressed with Captain Baijens.  We knew that he had transferred to Seabourn.

 

 

Hi Sir; yes, Kaptein Jeroen Baijens is back assigned to the dam ships, Nieuw Amsterdam, as we speak however, there are still several HAL captains serving with Seabourn at the moment: Tim Roberts, Joost Eldering, Sijbe de Boer and Bart Vaartjes come to mind. Take care and be safe in beautiful Kiwi land and please say hi to the Mrs. for me!