HAL Alaskan Cruise on Westerdam - 6/18-25/06

[Lightpackers]

We just returned from this cruise on which we took our granddaughter. It was a great experience. The transfer from the Seattle airport to the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, the hotel itself (beautiful, great service - we were given a junior suite because of our being 3 in the party) and the transfer the next day to the ship were seamless and handled professionally. Even the bus drivers were fun to listen to.

 

At the embarkation site, all the processing took less than l5 minutes since we had registered on-line and filled out a few additional pieces of paper beforehand. The ship itself is outstanding (2 years old - state of the art, and well-maintained).

 

Great cabin, great food, terrific entertainment, great service, etc. Our cabin on the upper verandah deck was comfortable for the 3 of us; our verandah came in very handy when we visited the Hubbard glacier - and our starboard side view could not have been better. We were 300 yards from the glacier.

 

The crew with one exception, were congenial, smiling, greeting, helpful, whenever and wherever we went. The exception in this case was our cabin steward who while pleasant enough had to be constantly reminded that certain items needed replacing.

 

As to our criticisms, which were relatively minor, some our bags were initially delivered promptly, but hours went past before the balance was delivered. The dining room seating did prove to be an initial irritant. We had requested and was confirmed with a table for 4 for the 3 of us. As it turned out, we were seated with another part of 3, but the table arrangement itself was a table for 4 and another for 2 (almost pushed together). This made for awkward conversation for all concerned. When contacted, the maitre d' initally felt he could do nothing, but later while dining he gave us a more appropriate table vacated by people opting for a later seating. This proved to be more than satisfactory from the wait staff and even the wine steward. We enjoyed ourselves tremendously.

 

We recommend the ship and its cruise itinerary, ideal for first time cruisers, including those traveling with children.

[May4]

I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise. I remember the Westerdam fondly. She is a beautiful ship. I'll bet your granddaughter will have warm memories of the trip for years to come:)

[Starkvegas]

Am curious about the June weather in Alaska and the sea conditions. We're first-time HAL/Alaska cruisers on the W-dam July 9 and are looking foward to a break from the Mississippi heat. Any "don't miss" recommendations?:cool:

[Lightpackers]

There is a strong possibility of rain, which didn't hamper our activities. Sea conditions were posted a couple of days as "rough", but it didn't seem to bother us (one of us is subject to seasickness and had no problem).

 

Don't miss the whale-watching in Juneau - it's the best port to see it. If you have not booked it do it as soon as can on the ship.

 

Not in the same category as don't miss excursions, but don't miss the shows on the ship. We ordinarily don't go in for them, but we saw all of them and they were terrific - the performers for the musical shows are great and energetic young people, and the shows are too.

 

Do yourself a favor and dress for yourselves. There has been more been written about clothing, formal versus informal and casual. We did how we thought we wanted to look - enjoy.

[Starkvegas]

I'm sure we'll receive plenty of info on this on board, but what time do you have to be back on board after your day in Juneau? I'm trying to get as many on-shore attractions scheduled as possible, and don't want to miss the 8 p.m. departure. Same with arrivals. How long after the 7 a.m. arrival in Juneau can you get off the ship? I'm trying to book an interesting-sounding zip-lining tour and the whale watching, and their hours don't mesh together.

[grannynurse]

Seeing that you're going from an American port to an American port with no stops in between it shouldn't take long to clear the ship. Once the ship is cleared they will announce it and you can get off. If the ship arrives at 7am on time you may be able to get off by 7:45 or so.

The take up the gangway 30 minutes before sailing, however they will wait for late returning pax who are on HAL-arranged tours. If you're on your own, you should be onboard by 7:10 the latest for an 8pm sailing.

GN

[llachance]

My husband and I were on the same cruise and had a marvelous vacation. The weather ranged from about 50 and drizzly in Sitka to 60 and overcast in Juneau and Ketchikan. Since we were doing a progressive marathon on the cruise the weather was perfect. Hubbard Glacier was amazing. Our verandah was perfect and protected enough that it wasn't cold at all. We had the 8:15 seating for dinner and rotated within our group so didn't get to really know the wait staff but all were helpful! As with the original poster the only glitch we had was with our cabin steward (10:30 pm and he still hadn't serviced the cabin for the evening) but with a little nudge there was never a problem and towel animals every single night. Only saw the first nights show because of our early morning schedule. It was ok, nothing to write home about but entertaining. My husband did a zip line tour in Juneau and had a ball...while doing our marathon we saw hump back whales (Douglas Island), the totem pole park (Sitka) and saw a wonderful local hiking area (Ward Lake) in Ketchikan. We were so pleased with the cruise that we are looking forward to booking another one on HAL in the future.

[Starkvegas]

Can you provide any other details about the zip line tour? I researched it on the internet and was intrigued enough to book our party of seven during our visit to Juneau.

[llachance]

The zip line runs through the ski area on Douglas Island. They met us with their van in front of the tram way. It is about a 20 minute drive to the site. Since it is a brand new operation all the equipment is brand new and the folks that are running the show do a great job. You have a short walk to the first drop - after a fairly intensive safety briefing. The day we went was drizzly so they provided rain jackets to wear. While on the line they took numerous pictures that could be bought at the end. We bought a couple but at the moment I don't know where the disc is that they are on! Anyhow there were 8 lines to zip across! We left the ship at about 2:00 and were back to the ship by about 5:30. I ended up putting on all the gear, then not doing it! I am afraid of heights and since I had done a half marathon that morning I was tired enough to let my head get the best of me! My husband loved it though! They said the highest you were was about 80 feet above the ground. They put the lines in during the winter when the snow was high enough that they didn't have to damage any of the surroundings! I think you will have a wonderful time.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome home - glad you enjoyed your Alaskan Westerdam cruise.

[Ammarg]

We were on Rotterdam deck (7), port side. It was rainy in Juneau & Sitka, bright and sunny in Ketchikan.

 

We did the float plane to Taku lodge and were blown away with the view of the glaciers from the air! At the lodge we had folksy salmon dinner -delicious- and saw mama bear and cub scamper across the lawn to eat the sand from the BBQ pit. For the enjoyment it was underpriced!

In Sitka we did the highlights tour. I wish I had stayed at the Natural Historic park and talked to the ranger more. His heritage was Tlingit and he was facinating. And there were bald eagles everywhere!

In Ketchikan we did the Deluxe Misty Fjords float plane trip. Again the view from the air is spectacular! we landed on Big Goat lake and got out to stand on the pontoons. It was a rare sunny day and we could see wonderfully well. The pilot said that they get to choose which lake to land in, so it won't always be the same.

 

We saw the production shows and thought they were quite nice. The theatre is amazing and the singers and dancers are very good.

 

This was the last week for the captain as he left for vacation until September. So there is a new man on board.

 

We had late seating for dinner and the dining room was 3/4 full. we had 4 people at our table for 6. We also had Chris -the naturalist- sit with us for the formal evenings. He is a kick. I think his contract is up this next week.

 

Our cabin steward was just fine. Always greeted us, and had things ready when we needed them.

 

Pinacle grill was a mixed experience. Very elegant but service was very slow - my DH wanted to call it paced. I think we were neglected. Food was good though. Get the triple creme brule! wow!

 

room service was quick, but they never did pick up tray. Our steward always did that for us.

 

 

Disembarkation was a breeze in Seattle because we took the express option. That meant we had to juggle all our own luggage without help. Then we exited the ship at 7:15 am, breezed through customs and were ready to be picked up at 7:30 am!:D

 

I could have stayed for a few more weeks of this.:D