Schedule Updates

A question that we all wonder is "when will _________ update their schedule?"

Well the answer is not always the same but typically they are released at similar times.  So far this year we've seen the following:

• Princess - updated Americas fall 2020 to spring 2021 in May of 2019
• Princess - updated Alaska 2021 anticipated in August of 2019
• Holland America - Fall 2020 to Spring 2021 itinerary released in late July of 2019

Know of other update timelines?  Please mention in the comments!

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.

Preparing for the Next Trip - to Alaska on the ms Amsterdam

We are about 2 weeks out from our next trip.  This one will be with a large group and, upon my recommendation, our group decided to go with a somewhat unique, yet mainstream option in Alaska.  While some of the more botique cruise lines are a bit out of the price range of most, especially in Alaska, if you look hard enough, you can find some unique trips on Princess and Holland America.  As a botique part time travel advisor who has acheived the designation of platinum travel advisor through the Holland America Academy and an Alaska Specialist, I had been watching this itinerary for a while.  While the ports are the standard ones that many HAL and Princess ships visit, the ship experience will be somewhat unique on the co-flagship ms Amsterdam.

For those unaware, this ship often has some of the highest rated crew, generous accommodations (even if there are few balconies), a passenger-space ratio of over 45, and ample deck space for observing the best part of theshow in Alaska, the scenery.  We will be joining a large group heading to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria but not before a side visit to Portland and Seattle (where we used to live)

Presently, we've got some more kid friendly activities planned in each of the ports along with some hikes, although my wife will be doing a dog sled adventure in Skagway and  I think we are all doing a duck tour in Ketchikan.  As in the past, I'll be taking lots of photos of the ship and as I build my list of "photo locations" please feel free to reach out to me with your request for photos of certain areas of the ship; I'll do my best to provide at least regular text updates along the way and photo updates if I can find wifi.

Very Delayed Eurodam Trip Review

It's been nearly 6 months since our voyage on the Eurodam but I finally was able to get the video together and it's almost 20 mins long!  Maybe too long.  Anyways, I've added it to this post as well as a link to some of our very useful travel gadgets we used onboard.

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Briefly, here's our top and bottom 3 of our trip:
Bottom 3:

1. Couldn't get food at a restaurant at all hours - yes there is room service, but it requires waiting.
2. At NY Pizza, all you could get was a full pizza and you had to wait - it would be great if they had slices ready at all times.
3. Music with lyrics, at all times, in all lounges.  I feel like they could have kept it off or just light classical like HAL used to have

Top 3:

1. Very tastefully decorated ship - perhaps one of the best in the fleet.
2. Food was very good.
3. Gallery bar - we loved it!!  Great concept with games and sports on TV.

Have you sailed on the Eurodam, what are your thoughts about her?  I'm glad she'll be on the west coast for the foreseeable future.

Here's our video of our trip.

Finding Cruise Ships on Google Maps - Alaska

Sometimes it's useful to find ships on Google Maps satellite views to see how the upper decks look, or where ships usually dock in a certain port.  Here's a list with links to ships docked or in transit on Alaskan Itineraries in the current version of Google Maps satellite view.

Skagway - Norwegian Sun - 2015


Glacier Bay (Tarr Inlet) - Unidentified Vista Class ship, before some upgrades - 2014


Glacier Bay (John Hopkins Inlet) - Volendam or Zaandam - 2015


Sitka - Regent Seven Seas (unidentified) - 2019


Juneau - Silver Seas ship (unidentified), Celebrity Infinity class, Island Princess, Voyager of the Seas class - 2016


Ketchikan - Silver Seas ship (unidentified), Disney Wonder, Oceania R class (enroute) - 2018


Vancouver - Disney Wonder and Norwegian Pearl/Jewell - 2018


Seattle - Voyager Class ship - 2018

Eurodam Coastal Trip Review - Activities and Food

Activities on board adhered the typical HAL guiding principles of daytime enrichment and informal entertainment followed by nighttime performance and music entertainment with the occasional educational skew.  Unlike several other cruise lines, you won't find an army of cruise director foot soldiers; I only ever really heard from the main Cruise Director once per day.

Specifically, the big headliners during the day time were enrichment talks branded as part of the EXC program which were informative and generally enjoyable to go to, although not greatly attended.  That could have been more of a reflection on the itinerary than anything else.  I'm not a huge fan of the Microsoft courses as they seem to be relatively basic and a bit of a sales gimmick to get folks to see how much the new version of Windows can do.  I didn't get much out of the one I attended on photo editing as I'm already fairly well versed with Microsoft products.  For some it's probably great.  I wish they would have some "advanced" courses maybe in programming or advanced photo and video editing.  The partnership between HAL and Microsoft seems to be getting a bit long in the tooth and I'm not sure either partner sees the program as a benefit anymore.

America's Test Kitchen cooking demos were refreshing and informative  They serve as less of a cooking class and more of a cooking optimization course with the focus on really perfecting staple cooking techniques and helping aspiring home chefs find shortcuts and hacks to save time and money in the kitchen.  I highly recommend these courses.  Additionally, the on-demand TV system in cabins have several seasons of the America's Test Kitchen show in a DVR format that can be watched at anytime.

The big 3 evening entertainment aspects were comprised of orchestrated chamber performances in the Lincoln Center Stage venue, rock and roll and blues in either the Billboard Onboard area or the Queen's Lounge/America's Test Kitchen venue, and showcases or entertainers in the Mainstage lounge.  Everything was quite good, although I really liked the live music and dueling pianos (they looked like twins!), and the whole setup adjacent to the Casino really activated the space.

Eggs Benedict - a HAL classic

East meets west late night snack?

A delicious breakfast

Food is so subjective but the buffet food was always good, lines weren't bad, however there seemed to be limited variety with an asian/exotic station, a carving station, a desert station, and a salad bar pretty much every day for lunch and dinner.  The DiveIn burger bar was efficient and good.  I didn't try the NY slice pizza bar since you received a whole pizza and had to wait - I suppose other lines have spoiled me with the instant slice always hot and ready.

Drinks seemed to be a bit expensive however there were buy one, get one for $2 specials.  On the last day I could have sworn I heard a waiter advertising "buy 3 beers, get 3 free" which seemed to be too good to be true.

Norwegian Pearl in San Diego

A parting view of the Eurodam in San Diego

One more post to go with top and bottom 5 thoughts on the voyage.  I'll also be working to get a video up soon.