Cruise Conundrum
Friday the 13th does not exist for me. It’s the day we cross the dateline, we move directly from the 12th to the 14th. To compensate we will have two October 12ths on the way back. A lost day at … Continue reading Cruise Conundrum
Tag: Holland America Line
FOMO and ROMO
When I first started cruising, I suffered from FOMO, Fear of Missing Out. There was so much to do, I didn’t know where to start, but I wanted to get my money’s worth. Now I’ve relaxed a bit, I’m choosier … Continue reading FOMO and ROMO
Unalaska Photo Gallery
I started this blog to share photographs. When working in international media development I wrote weekly letters to family and friends. I asked then not to share them because I made observations that may, if publicized, compromise my work. But … Continue reading Unalaska Photo Gallery
Fresh Blueberries
A Coast Guard Cutter pulled rank and Westerdam had stand offshore and tender passengers into Dutch Harbor, the port for Unalaska. We disembarked at the Carl E. Moses small boat harbor. “Small” is a relative term in Alaska. The harbor … Continue reading Fresh Blueberries
Covering the Hubbard Glacier.
In 1986 the Hubbard Glacier was a circus and Raven Radio covered it. In May pressure from the Valorie Glacier, that feeds the Hubbard Glacier, Alaska’s biggest tidewater glacier, pushed the glacier forward. The glacier pushed the glacial till of … Continue reading Covering the Hubbard Glacier.
The Hubbard Glacier Speaks for Itself. (Become Ocean.)
The glacier is singing, at least if you like modern music. Alaska composer John Luther Adams won the Pulitzer Prize for Music with his symphonic composition “Become Ocean” about glaciers becoming part of the sea. It has been performed by … Continue reading The Hubbard Glacier Speaks for Itself. (Become Ocean.)
Eagle Intake
September 6, 2024 Some of our cruise mates balked at the $25 admission to the American Bald Eagle Foundation Natural History Museum and Raptor Center in Haines. The Sitka Raptor Center, which is larger and has more birds, is only … Continue reading Eagle Intake
Our Hailing Port
September 5, 2024. We know most people in Sitka, in the winter. But in the summer a whole new crop of newbies arrive in town. I don’t know as many of them. As we walk from Westerdam to the Sitka … Continue reading Our Hailing Port
Dark Passage
Wednesday, Sept 4, Calling today “Scenic Cruising the Inside Passage” was a bit of an oversell by Holland America. But time and tide… We left Vancouver after 3 PM to get to Seymour Narrows by half past midnight. I was … Continue reading Dark Passage
A Four Hour Coffee
Canada Place Cruise Terminal in Vancouver must be run by PHD Candidate Graduate Assistants conducting psychological tests. We are the rats in the maze. You go from one end to the other and back again, and on the return is … Continue reading A Four Hour Coffee
Georgia in Victoria
When I saw that there was a place in Victoria called “Abkhazi Gardens” I had to learn more. Abkhazia is a region of the Republic of Georgia that was invaded and is occupied by the Russians. I advised a radio … Continue reading Georgia in Victoria
And We’re Off!
Sept 1, 2024 I woke up this morning with a fever. I suspect it was a reaction to having gotten two shots yesterday, flu and COVID. So it was a slow start. The Norwegian line berths its ships right in … Continue reading And We’re Off!
Westerdam 2024 Legendary Japan.
View Post We are off again on a 53 day cruise from Seattle to Seattle via Alaska, Japan and Hawaii. The map, below, is updated from the one I first posted. 240830 How We Almost Outsmarted Ourselves. 240831 The Colonial … Continue reading Westerdam 2024 Legendary Japan.
How We Almost Outsmarted Ourselves.
It’s common wisdom to arrive at your cruise port a day or two early. Our Japan cruise starts Sept 1, so we had planned to arrive Aug. 31 but after some fog in Southeast Alaska and what looked like a … Continue reading How We Almost Outsmarted Ourselves.
Coda, I think this really is my final post on this cruise.
In an early blog post on this cruise, I wrote about how many of our boarding cruise mates thought of this as a “long cruise,” 22 days. We thought of it as a short cruise, 22 days. At the end … Continue reading Coda, I think this really is my final post on this cruise.
The Art of the Upsell
On the ship you can’t help but hear people talking about the changes in cruising since the pandemic, cost cutting and upsells, to make lines more profitable, or perhaps to help them pay off the debts they encountered while not … Continue reading The Art of the Upsell
Is it the “Monsterdam?”
In 2015 we were on the Circle South America cruise on Prinsendam, a Holland America ship that carried around 800 passengers. HAL presented a slide show about its new ship, Koningsdam, carrying 2650 passengers, coming next year. Koningsdam would carry … Continue reading Is it the “Monsterdam?”
… and it always ends with the Milk Run.
Normally I can’t wait to get off in port, but by the time we hit Victoria, at 1 Friday afternoon I decided I needed a nap more than a visit to Victoria (it’s in the neighborhood and we’ve been there … Continue reading … and it always ends with the Milk Run.
Deck 3
240424 The Promenade Deck One of the things that Holland America cruisers like abut the line is that all of their ships have a Promenade Deck, Deck 3, that wraps around the ship. You can walk outside. On Koningsdam three … Continue reading Deck 3
A Course Diversion
I was sleeping when I heard the dings and an announcement asking the medical team to report to a stateroom on Deck 6. A couple of hours later the captain came on the PA system and apologized for the early … Continue reading A Course Diversion
Leaving Hawaii With Memories and a New Captain.
The text and the pictures on this post are a complete disconnect. The pictures are from all of our stops in Hawaii. I had no other way to put them into the context of past blog posts, so here they … Continue reading Leaving Hawaii With Memories and a New Captain.
Hilo’s Lili’uokani Japanese Gardens.
Near the port of Hilo, where the ship docks, there are some formal Japanese Gardens. Their streams and ponds replenished twice daily by the tides that flow over the black lava rock beach. Queen Lili’uokani built the gardens in 1917 … Continue reading Hilo’s Lili’uokani Japanese Gardens.
Hawai’i Calling (Waikiki)
The lecturers on the ship spoke about how the mainland became interested, perhaps even obsessed with Hawaii. They mention Elvis and the movie “Blue Hawaii” where Elvis wore Aloha shirts and a Lei while playing a Ukulele. Of course there … Continue reading Hawai’i Calling (Waikiki)
Do You Take American Dollars?
As an Alaskan I have been asked that question by visitors from cruise ships more times than I can remember. I tried hard not to eye roll, and at one point carried novelty 22-dollar bills printed by an Alaska character … Continue reading Do You Take American Dollars?