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Seward – College Fjord – Glacier
Bay – Haines – Juneau – Ketchikan – Sea - Vancouver: July 31 – August 7,
2011
I recently returned from a site
inspection cruise for an upcoming charter on Holland America’s Zaandam. I have
had much experience on this particular ship, having chartered her for clients 4
times now, so it was very familiar to be back aboard. The ship itself hasn’t
changed much since the major Signature of Excellence enhancements in the spring
of 2005. At 1440 guests based on double occupancy, the Zaandam feels like a
small ship these days. The ship was certainly up to par and I will definitely
highlight the onboard experience. What I came back with was a passion for Alaska
and this itinerary as a great choice for our incentive clients.
 Walking
on board in Seward was a refreshing experience as I am primarily used to crowded
ports with several ships in. In Seward there was one building and one ship –
nice! The port itself is about a 3 hour drive from Anchorage. There are bus and
train options also but we chose to drive which was fine. The ride is very scenic
and there are many stop points along the route if you choose. Having arrived
late in the afternoon, we didn’t have to wait long for sail away and shortly
after lifeboat drill we were off. It was still quite cool outside as the sun was
hidden by the thick clouds. We dined in Canaletto that evening, which the
Italian specialty restaurant on Zaandam. No surcharge but reservations are
required. They also accept walk-ups based on availability and that’s how we were
accommodated. Food was consistent with other Canaletto experiences and very
good. Once we finished dinner, we took a short walk outside to experience a
fairly bright sky at 11:00pm.
Retired to the stateroom - a
category D ocean view. It was fairly spacious at about 200 sq. feet with a
sitting area and table. Other standard features include flat screen TV, DVD
player, safe, and ship to shore telephones. I finally unpacked and called it a
night.
The following day
started very early as we entered College Fjord around 7AM. The scenic cruising
was very nice although it was raining. Deck 3 promenade was busy as the covered
walk around was the best choice for viewing several glaciers and wildlife. There
were impressive visuals for the better part of the day. The glacier ice that had
broken off filled the waters. After afternoon meetings in regards to the
charter, we decided to make reservations for the Pinnacle Grill for dinner this
night. The Pinnacle Grill is featured on all Holland America ships and is a
reservations required intimate restaurant with a $25 per person surcharge. The
meal was fantastic from the lobster bisque, filet mignon to the decadent
chocolate lava cake. The Pinnacle Grill is all about the experience and the
upgraded wine list, Bvlgari china, and attentive service made for an elegant
evening. Groups can be accommodated and HAL will even allow a total buyout for
incentive groups during a cruise. After dinner, we took in some live music in
the Crow’s Nest – a panoramic lounge atop the vessel with floor to ceiling
windows that just about cover 360 degrees. It was another great opportunity to
gaze out at the lit up sky well into the evening.
The following morning we entered
Glacier Bay. The ship opens up the bow for prime viewing space and the
naturalists were broadcast over the ship’s PA pointing out several wildlife
sighting as well as in depth discussions and facts of the fantastic glaciers.
The highlight of the day came in the afternoon as we approached the Margerie
Glacier. Located at the deep end of the
Glacier Bay, Margerie Glacier extends over a width of about 1 mile (1.6 km) and
extends upstream for a length of 21 miles (34 km) till its source on the
southern slopes of the hill of Mount Root, at the Alaska-Canada border. Margerie
Glacier, categorized as a typical example of tide-water glacier (tidewater
glacier is defined as a glacier which generates sufficient snow to flow out from
the mountains to the sea.), has a total height of 350 feet out of which 250 feet
raises above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. We were
lucky to experience the sound of “white thunder” which is what the natives call
the crack and roar sound that occurs when ice breaks off the glacier (calves)
into the sea.
On day three the
ship docked at the intimate town of Haines,
Alaska. We were the only ship in port in Haines at the single slip dock. From
here you can take the high speed ferry to Skagway. Many guests from Skagway also
took advantage of coming to Haines this way as well. I walked into town and at
the advice of a local, booked a float trip down the Chilkat River for later that
afternoon. This excursion started off with about a 35 minute ride near the
Canadian border along which our bus paused for an extraordinary brown bear
sighting. At mile 10 on the Haines Highway, we witnessed a juvenile brown bear
that had hit the mother lode – a shallow inlet filled with spawning salmon. For
the better part of 10 minutes we watched as he selectively ate his fill until
finally deciding to retreat into the trees with a salmon in tow. We arrived
shortly after to our launch site and bundled up and into our rafts for and hour
and a half float down the Chilkat River through the bald eagle reserve. This was
an outstanding experience with 20 + bald eagle sightings not to mention the
majestic scenery of the mountains from the river. Our guide tipped us off to the
Commander’s Room Restaurant at Hotel Halsingland just up the hill from the where
the ship was docked. We took the advice and enjoyed a fantastic dinner. The
halibut and salmon are brought in from the fishing boats almost daily. Both the
Chilkat preserve and the Commander’s Restaurant are fantastic choices for
incentive groups while in Haines.
 On
to Juneau where we were met with fairly steady rains and dense cloud cover. We
did venture out into town but Juneau was much the big city, especially compared
to Haines. The shopping is plentiful here as well and many duty free options
that are generally seen in the Caribbean have popped up along the streets of the
state capital. There are several excursions to nearby Mendenhall Glacier
available from bus/walking to helicopter tours that actually land on glacier
ice. Weather being what it was, we decided to forego those options but spent our
time in the shops and local museums and art galleries which was very nice. We
were in port with 3 other ships so the town was busy. Back on board the vessel
we took in the show – a musical comedian. Entertainment overall was fair on the
ship with the highlights being nightly music by the acoustic solo guitarist
“David” in the piano bar and the best of the shows in the main lounge (Mondriaan
Lounge) was the illusionist.
We arrived in Ketchikan
to an unusually warm and clear, sunny day. Ketchikan is a frontier town and the
Creek Street district opposite the marina is full of local craft shops,
restaurants and Dolly’s – the town’s oldest brothel which is now a museum.
Plenty of shopping here as in Juneau and several excursions available. This is
whale watching territory and a three hour tour proved to score for a few in our
party as the blue whale sightings were up close and personal.
Our final day was a
day at sea that was warm and sunny and many guests were out on the pool deck aft
and the lido pool was busy all trip as it is covered by the retractable
magrodome. The full service spa was quite busy this day as well as were the
onboard shops.
We arrived in
Vancouver the following morning, completing this trip. I had not personally
experienced a complete Alaska cruise prior to this. My opinion of this cruise as
an incentive trip option is definitely changed having firsthand experience. I
recommend the Southbound (or Northbound) itineraries as they get into and spend
more time in Glacier Bay etc. than those that are roundtrip Vancouver or
Seattle. Haines, Alaska was the highlight of this trip for me and I suggest
seeking a cruise that includes it as a port. As far as the ship, the Zaandam
delivers an incentive quality experience. Holland America Line for the most part
offers a consistent product whether on an S Class (1250 passenger) ship or the
newly built Signature Class (2100 passenger) ships. Excellent service, quality
food and comfortable accommodations are what set HAL apart.
Submitted by Leon Banossian |
