Alaska Cruise - Day 6 and 7 (and 8) - At Sea, Victoria, and Disembarkation in Seattle

After enjoying stunning scenery while sailing out of the Taiya and Chilkoot Inlets during and after dinner, we sped up to continue our journey south to Victoria.  The entertainment on this cruise has been good.  There was a performance by the ship dancers one night, a comedian the next, and a duet that sang Beetles sons.  The last night involved the comedian and duet singers in a variety hour.

Since we had kids in ClubHAL I'll take a moment to review that.  Given that this voyage was a "1-off" 7 night cruise for a ship that typically sails 14 night or longer cruises, there were A LOT of kids, over 100 in the 3-12 age range, which is significant when you consider that with all berths full, the ship holds just under 1700 passengers.  It was apparent that the staff was short staffed initially, but they picked up another counselor in Ketchikan and the whole program was run very efficiently.  Our kids both loved it and I never saw the ClubHAL staff appearing frazzled.  The highlight of the kids program was on the last morning before Victoria; Cruise Director Bruce and the ClubHAL staff put on "ClubHAL Bingo" in the Mainstage.  Waiters walked around handing out cookies and strawberry milk and the kids had a blast.  We played 3 rounds and everyone took home a prize at the very end.  This was a terrific idea and I told the Cruise Director what a great concept this was.  It was nice to see him so into it, himself!

Our last 2 days were spent enjoying the many parts of the Amsterdam and observing how well taken care of.  We did eat at Pinnacle Grill for lunch and that was worth every penny, HIGHLY recommended.

We didn't get off in Victoria as we have been there multiple times, but word to the wise, sailing into the Strait of Juan de Fuca is very scenic and we had partly cloudy skies and mid 60's temperatures for it - perfect!  I enjoyed much of the last day with a bottle of wine and a collection of Jack London's short stories on the aft decks.  For those wondering, the Amsterdam has aft viewing areas on deck 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 and it's possible to connect between all of them using a variety of aft staircases.  The deck 2 viewing area was down the hall from our cabin and was nice in port, but very loud when we were sailing since the openings in the hull faced down and collected the sound of the wake.  The deck 3 viewing area was probably the largest and had the teak, padded loungers.  The viewing areas on decks 6 and 7 were very private with deck 7 being smaller but providing more shade.  Note that the loungers on decks 2, 6, and 7 are the standard brown poolside loungers and are not padded.

While our cabin was in the aft of the ship, I was somewhat worried about thruster vibration entering and leaving port.  Never heard it.  Since the Amsterdam was one of the first ships with Azipod propulsion (where the propellers are on pods below the hull that rotate rather than fixed propellers with rudders) she is exceptionally maneuverable and has no need for aft thrusters.

On our final morning, we enjoyed breakfast in the dining room at 7 and utilized the Port Valet system which basically collected our bags the night before, printed boarding passes, and chauffeured our bags to Denver on the baggage carousel.  This free service which (airline baggage fees may apply, our credit card gives us 2 free bags on United so we didn't pay anything) made our walk from the gangway to curbside take less than 7 minutes, including the "customs check" which was a glance at our passports.  Prompt service by Already There car service and we were at the airport by 8:45.  We had to check car seats, but if we had not, we could have gone straight to security.  We made our flight at 11:10am with PLENTY of time to spare.  I wouldn't cut it this close if we were flying out on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday due to the larger RCL and NCL ships, but the timing worked great for us this day.

That's it for my detailed blog review.  There will be a few more posts I will add with more pictures and a video, but for now, thanks for following along!

ms Amsterdam model in the Crows' Nest.  We invented a fun game on board, it was see how many "old HAL" logos we could find.  I think we got to 25 or so if you don't count the carved logos in the loungers on deck 3.

Deck 6 aft area.

Deck 7 aft area.

Our "perch" in the Lido.  Best seat in the whole restaurant.

The lovely wrap around promenade on Lower Promenade deck.

Deck 9, aft.

Washington state.

Port Angeles, WA.

A relaxing way to spend an afternoon.

Sunset in beautiful Victoria - love this city.

IT'S LIKE THEY VACUUM THE FABRIC ON THE CEILING ABOVE THE STAIRS! 

The "last photo" from our cruise.

Alaska Cruise - Day 5 - Skagway

In Skagway, several of our group did an independent shore excursion with the Husky Sled rides. Holland America offers the same tour in Juneau, but we had other plans in Juneau so we found a vendor that provided a similar tour to the one in Juneau, but was an hour longer and for the same price. i didn't go on the tour but heard it was well received.

I took our youngest and walked into town with another member of our group to go to SE Alaska's greatest playground - I think I can boast that after seeing playgrounds in Juneau and Ketchikan. The Mollie Walsh Park and playground on 6th Ave, just east of Broadway has a whimsical forest theme as well as soft recycled tire bits for a ground cover. This just makes kids bounce up much quicker when they fall, but a lot less tears. There are also very nice restrooms next to the playground.

A few blocks south is the Skagway Brewing Company who's claim to fame is Spruce Tip Blonde. Don't expect a life changing experirence, the beer is good but not leaps and bounds better than most other blondes I have come across. The brewery is in a very large building and has a good sized beer and food menu, game room, and outdoor patio (didn't make it to that). Service is good and overall its a busy place. They know their summertime clientele comes in the form of tourists from outside Skagway. I would have liked to check out Klondike brewing company but never made it over there so I'll save for the next Alaska trip.

After finishing up our beer tasting, we met up with the rest of the group and walked back to the ship. Being the last ship in port that morning, we were the first one out and the view was impressive leaving Skagway especially from the aft decks of the Amsterdam and the dining room. I had forgot just how spectacular the scenery is on this leg of the 7 day RT Seattle Alaska itinerary, and what Skagway may fall short in culture compared to Sitka, it makes up for sheer scenery. In the past, I have hike to Lower and Upper Dewey Lake in Skagway which are spectacular, yet difficult hikes, but with the weather being threataning rain I didn' attempt that today. The sailway more than made up for it however and I'll be sure make it a priority to park my self on the aft decks next time I sail from Skagway.

A few thoughts about the ship.  For being nearly 20 years old, this is a very well taken care of ship and the crew takes a tremndous amount of pride in that fact.

• The tile grout in the bathroom is nearly immaculate
• Public bathrooms are large and kept clean, and are some of the most luxurious I have seen on a mainstream cruise ship.
• They vacuum the ceiling "carpet" - no joke.
• The deck chairs on the lower promenade deck are older wooden ones with metal fixtures - we didn't come across one that wasn't in good working order or had broken slats. I'm sure they get replaced from time to time, but you couldn't tell.
• Finding rust spots bigger than a coin is nearly impossible, and those spots we could find are isolated.

So I've got some pictures below, but I also found a very old Holland America travel video that, while dated, I think accurtely describes just how special the Amsterdam is - and how it was designed for passengers looking for a "more".

Alaska Cruise - Day 4 Juneau

After Tracy Arm this morning, we docked at the third dock in Juneau (fortunately not the AJ dock which is a significant walk into town).  The rest of my family went to the Mt. Roberts tram while I took off with intentions to jog to the trailhead for Mt Roberts and hike to the upper tram station.  The path I have taken before starts at Nelson and 6th Streets, however I don't recommend this trail and neither does the city of Juneau as it's not maintained anymore, overgrown, and badly eroded.  I anticipate that in 2 years or less it will be very challenging to follow. It's also been nearly completely overtaken by Devil's Club in many places and needles and their accompanying rash are not a souvenir you want from Juneau.  The official trailhead is a bit north in the next valley and is a longer walk/run/hike/ ride to the trailhead.

Once the trail I took regained routing with the original trail, a lot of memories came back.  It's steep with lots of roots and few views along the way. Living in Colorado affords me with extra hemoglobin to help at low altitudes and sure enough it was tested.  Make no mistake, this is a strenuous hike. If you choose to hike it, take plenty of water, a buddy, and a clean shirt. It was mild today but I was sweating buckets. It took me about 40 mins to climb from the trailhead to the top which is about 1.5 miles and maybe 1400ft of gain.  The trailhead I took starts around 200' in elevation. At the top, there is a restaurant, bar, gift shops, interpretive center, and of course the tram station. A gift purchase of $10 or more gets you a free ride down, or you'll need to buy a $10 ticket. There are other trails at the top that I hoped to continue hiking, but the weather was iffy and we needed to get back for early seating.

Dinner was sparsely attended which made for attentive service and nice viewing of the Westerdam's departure.  A bit after dinner, I ventured into Juneau to the Devil's Club Brewery to enjoy a sampler. The beer was good to very good and the brewery was hopping.  However, if you plan to go, there is an Alaskan law that states breweries cannot serve more than 36oz and must close at 8pm. I was hurried out a bit but did enjoy the beer.

Tomorrow is Skagway and will be a bit of a lower key day (thankfully).  I took a video this evening detailing how to access the forward decks on the Amsterdam which I'll upload to YouTube after returning home.

Alaska Cruise - Day 3 and 4, Ketchikan (cont'd) Tracy Arm, and Juneau

Yesterday afternoon in Ketchikan, I went for a jog/hike on the Rainbird trail and then back through town (by a Safeway which is 3/4th of a mile from the ship), with a stop in the Bawden Street Brewery.  Being from Colorado and a home brewer, I have to say their beer was fair at best but the spot is nice. At 345, the captain released the lines, hit reverse, spun us very quickly and we were on our way to Tracy Arm and Juneau. As we left, we discovered the Amsterdam's informal bridge observation area which I'll provide a video on how to get there later.

This morning we woke to mostly cloudy skies as we entered Tracy Arm but the lighting was perfect for some very ethereal photos of the fjord.  I'll let the pictures so the talking. We made it pretty far in but not quite to the glacier view spot because a Princess ship was further in and needed room to turn around.  

We've just docked in Juneau and will be heading out for a hike up Mt Roberts and a free more brewery visits.

More Amsterdam/Alaska Tips

• The women's restroom on deck 5 aft, starboard side is quite impressive.  I've not been in it, however, the reactions by women walking in are entertaining and range from "holy s…" to "that's the nicest bathroom I've seen in a while"
• Regardless of which glacier or fjord you see, they are all one-way routes meaning you get just as good of a view when leaving.  Avoid the crowds and wind and watch from the aft outer decks as you sail out.
• Some of the best views on the Amsterdam are from the Lido "bump out" edges which are booth tables that seat 8.

Alaska Cruise day 1, 2 and 3 - Seattle and Ketchikan

Days 1, 2 and 3 - Seattle embarkation, day At Sea, and Ketchikan

After driving to Seattle around 11 to drop off my spouse and kids at the cruise terminal, I made my way back towards Seattle Center to return our rental car at Avis.  This is the closest rental retail location to the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal where HAL, Princess, RCL, X and many smaller lines start their voyages. If you are renting from this location after a cruise, advance reservations are recommended.

Utilizing Metro Transit in Seattle is pretty easy and this day I used "D-line RapidRide" service from a stop at 3rd and Vine (a few stops from the Avis location).  RapidRide is Seattle's version of fast and frequent bus service and the front half of the buses have lots of room for luggage.

The closest stop to the port is the Galer St. Stop.  Once there, cross Elliot Way and use a ramp structure to get over the railroad tracks and on the port access road.  Once there, there are crosswalk markings guiding passengers all the way to the cruise terminal entrance. Total distance is about 0.8 miles.  There is an alternative bus route that gets you even closer but comes less frequently and requires navigating some stairs which isn't ideal with luggage.

The year 2000 built Ms Amsterdam is a co-flagship in Holland America's fleet and features detailed style and a sense roominess not found on other Holland America Line ships.  Compared to the larger ships of HAL and Princess, it's refreshing to only have to climb 7 decks of the ship from top to bottom. Walking from end to end takes less than 2 minutes at a leisurely pace, and all the venues feel a comfortable size, with the Dining Room being probably the largest by interior volume.

Decks 4, 5 and 8 hold the majority of the public venues and offer a nice balance between larger spaces regularly programmed into the daily schedule, and more informal and introspective corners.  The ship layout is thoughtfully laid out and throughout deck 5, offer parallel paths from forward to rear elevator lobbies, something which is very rare on ships these days. Passenger volumes rarely overwhelm any of the venues on the ship and entrance and egress are low stress affairs.  As mentioned previously, all venues are right sized and this is perhaps best experienced in the Lido cafe which does not evoke the feeling of an aircraft hangar, like on so many other ships, where one strains to see the far end. The Explorations Lounge and Cafe is an excellent venue that serves the role of coffee shop, library, and game area and has been one of our favorite places to visit.

Passenger cabins are generally larger than other HAL cabins and almost all feature an extra sitting area with a couch.  This is not the case on many of the lower category HAL cabins on later ships, and non existant on Princess cabins below deluxe balcony.

Today in Ketchikan under sunny skies, we took a trip on a duck tour of the town an harbor and I'll be going for a run and brewery "inspection" later this afternoon.  Bye for now. More photos to come later.

Some tips:

• Playing cards are available at the casino for $1 a deck.  These are used but high quality cards and are a nice notion back to when Cruise lines gave cards for free.
• Self service laundry is $2 (quarters only) and is a bargain that includes soap and dryer use