Alaska
7 day Cruise on Holland America
July 2013
Day one
A good flight on West Jet from Toronto to Vancouver and we
pick up our luggage at Vancouver Airport. Here we are met by the Holland
America greeter and directed to our shuttle.
Holland America Amsterdam is ready and waiting at the dock
where we begin our 1833 NM (nautical miles) journey. Sun is shining brightly
and the temp is mid 20’s C.
Boarding is quick and easy and we find our stateroom on the
Promenade deck 3. How convenient for us, since we spend a great deal of time
walking on the promenade deck, this will be very handy! We have a lovely view
of Vancouver skyline from the ship and we pass Stanley Park as we leave the
port.
Atrium on board ship
Ship departs on time and we travel out of Vancouver and
through the Seymour Narrows. The Sail-away party is in the Crow’s nest and the
featured drink is the Gold Diggers Punch. Small samplings of Salmon fingers and
Venison herb crusted sausage add to the ambience.
Day two
Up early next morning and after a wonderful buffet breakfast
on the Lido deck, we are back outside for a day at sea. Whale spouts could be
seen in the distance.
The location guide
Benjamin gives a lecture on the trip and the days ashore as well as some of the
wildlife. Most interesting and informative and then back outside to watch the
beautiful scenery as we make our way north.
Weather is a sunny 23C
Tonight’s entertainment is Northern Lights and it is most
enjoyable.
Day three
Juneau, our first port and we arrive at 12:45 p.m. Weather
is sunny and a balmy 25C so we can’t wait to go ashore. We are surprised to learn that Juneau, the
capital of Alaska has no road access and is accessible only by sea or air. We
are also surprised that the population is only 36,000.
Off the ship, we head straight for the cable car, Mount
Roberts Tramway. We travel an 1800 foot
ascent in “Eagle” car to a point about three quarters of the way to the top and
here we leave the cable car for the trails. The visitor center offers some
spectacular views of Juneau below, Douglas Island and Gastineau Channel as well
as the Chilkat mountains. We begin our hike in a sub alpine meadow and head up
the trail toward the summit.
After our hike we relax with a bottle of Alaskan Amber beer
in the Timberline Bar and then attend the Chilkat Theater for a Tlingit
heritage and history docudrama, Seeing Daylight. Most informative and very
entertaining and the price of the theater is included in the cost of the tram
ride. For $30 it is a very good deal !
Satisfied, we head down the mountain to tour Juneau.
I am afraid Juneau was a little disappointing. Souvenir
shops and jewellery stores and not much more,
so we wandered back to the dock and had dinner on the ship. After
dinner, we disembarked and took a nice walk along the water and watched huge
salmon swimming in the water below a bridge.
Day four
Next morning we arrive in Skagway and again the sky is
clear, sunny and the temperature is 25C. After breakfast we disembark to meet
our guide for a Chilkoot Trail hike and raft down the river. Derrick is funny
and well informed and we know we will have a great time. The Chilkoot Trail was
the main route to the riches of the Klondike and today is an invigorating rough
terrain, hike through rainforest, alive with birds, animals, wild flowers and
edible plants. The 40 minute raft ride took us past granite fjord walls, snow-
capped peaks and hanging glaciers. Both the hike and the river rafting are
great fun and we are very pleased that we chose this excursion.
Once back in Skagway, we walked the streets and enjoyed the original wooden boardwalk and historic store fronts.
Back on the ship, tired but happy, we ate dinner and then spent the evening being entertained by comedian, Rod Long.
Bald Eagle nest
Once back in Skagway, we walked the streets and enjoyed the original wooden boardwalk and historic store fronts.
Back on the ship, tired but happy, we ate dinner and then spent the evening being entertained by comedian, Rod Long.
Day five
Cruising Tracy Arm, this was my favorite day! The ship entered the fjord at 8 a.m. and we
sailed past some of the most gorgeous scenery imaginable. Weather was cooler
but the sun shone brightly. Chucks of
ice floated by and the water was a beautiful turquoise, making our view from
our rail side vantage point, spectacular. Holland America has a tradition of
serving Dutch Pea Soup out on the promenade deck and I must say; it was delicious. At 11:11 a.m. we arrived at
the Sawyer Glacier and we were truly impressed by both the size and the
beautiful blue colour of the ice. The crowd oohed and aahed as a chunk of
glacier calved and fell into the sea.
We departed Tracy Arm at 2 p.m, most impressed with all that
we had seen.
The entertainment this evening was Rich Purpura, and he was
very funny-A great ending to a wonderful day.
Day Six
Later in the day we went to the Great Alaskan Lumberjack
Show and it was most entertaining. A real Alaskan treat and highly recommended,
we thoroughly enjoyed it.
Day Seven
At sea, on our return to Vancouver under sunny skies and
temps around 17 C, we spent many hours on the deck watching the scenery. Several whales were spotted as we travelled
through the Discovery Passage. Great
final entertainment show by the singers and dancers of the Amsterdam and we
knew our cruise was coming to an end. As we prepared to retire, more than fifty
Dall’s porpoise swam and cavorted beside the ship giving us a final farewell
from Alaska.
Dock in Vancouver at 7:15 a.m. where we are met by our
shuttle to the airport.
This was our second cruise with Holland America and we are
looking forward to travelling with them again in the future. Food,
accommodation, entertainment and service are all excellent and the ports of
call are well thought out and convenient to the port.
