As a first-time visitor to Alaska, I’m happy to say that it was love at first sight. I had seen pictures of Alaska that showed its natural, rugged beauty. Nothing had prepared me for how unspoilt it really is though. My husband and I began our Alaska adventure on May 27th travelling on Holland America’s ” MS Noordam.”
The Noordam (seen above) is an older member of Holland America’s fleet and was launched in 2006. Its age didn’t daunt me, however, as I knew Holland America to have a good reputation for their cruises. Comparing the price with other cruises for this time of year, they had attractive deals. It was a very fine ship and the friendly, attentive staff, made the journey pleasant and memorable.
For this cruise, we took a verandah room. At all times, when we were in the room, we were able to see what was happening outside. Our little verandah had chairs and a small table. Fresh fruit was provided for us in our room at all times. On our first day at sea, I attended a flower arranging demonstration and the flowers you see in the glass are left-overs from that workshop. Crew members gave that demo. There are beautiful flower arrangements all over the ship.
We had breakfast delivered to our room every morning so that we didn’t have to rush to the dining-room or the Lido buffet on the 9th floor. We found this more relaxing for us. We chose what we wanted from a menu every night and chose the time we wanted it delivered. Back home, we miss having room service for breakfast.
A trip to Alaska is about natural beauty and unspoilt land. There are mountains, glaciers, trees, wildlife, and the sea, at every turn one makes. In Captain Henk Draper’s welcome, he stated: “Our goal is to help you experience new lands, ways of life and cultures, making your journey more engaging, vivid and meaningful.” Our journey encompassed all those things and it was especially meaningful to learn about the Tlingits (Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest).
We flew to Anchorage, Alaska via Vancouver. On arrival in Anchorage, we took a bus to Seward for the cruise ship. The journey was around 3 hours and our driver was also our tour guide. He gave us invaluable information along the way. We saw spectacular scenery and learned that the highway from Anchorage to Seward is designated a National Forest Scenic Byway.
Even from the bus, I couldn’t resist taking pictures. There was one stop along the way. We traveled along the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet, and the base of the Chugach Mountains. We saw everything from mud flats to saltwater bays, glaciers, and alpine valleys. We even saw moose. Many people were fishing too for small fish which our guide told us were like smelts. Salmon fishing happens later on in the season.
On arrival in Seward, everything went quickly and smoothly for our embarkation on the MS Noordam. We were delighted with our little cabin and with all the information they had left there for us. We went up for the Mandatory Passenger Emergency Muster Drill which was about to take place. After that, we headed to the Lido Deck to eat as we were very hungry. We liked all that we saw and knew that it would take us time to get to know the ship and find our way around easily. We didn’t attend any shipboard activities that night but instead headed straight for bed, tired from a full day of travel.
There is an Art Gallery on the ship and the art work changes throughout the cruise. Art auctions are held there. It’s a nice place to visit. Daily events include Digital Workshops, Spa Events, Bridge & other games, movies, musical events, Afternoon Tea, various talks on Alaska, wine tasting, and even an AmericanTest Kitchen. We went for the preparing salmon two ways presentation. It was fun. There is something for everyone on a cruise ship. Afternoon tea was a very fine affair. Of course, there are your regular everyday places like the gym, spa, library, games room, pool, hot tubs, photo studio, stores, restaurants, bars, and even a casino. Mass is held every day.
There is fine dining that is included in the price of the cruise but there are also restaurants where you pay for your meal. Many tours are offered by the ship for various interesting off-ship excursions. You book and pay for those separately. Days spent in a port of call are very busy as there’s so much to do and see in the various locations.
On the last night at dinner, the chefs came out for a round of applause from the guests. A few of them can be seen standing on the stairs in this image.
This is Yanjar who seated us at dinner every night and who we liked very much. The staff on the ship are mainly Indonesians. There were some Filipinos and other Asians as well.
The food was great and the desserts were extraordinary.
Here are a few more sceneries from Alaska to bring this post to a close. I hope to share other Alaska moments later on.
