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The 14-Day Alaskan Adventurer Cruise, August 22-September 6, 2010, Holland America Amsterdam

Text by Snookums, Pictures by Filbert

Part One

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August 22 (Sunday, Day 1, Flying to Seattle, Washington) -

Mount Rainier from the air

Matt was our chauffeur at 7:30 AM and we enjoyed a leisurely Midwest Airlines check-in process. Our flight even took off a few minutes early and we were fine with that. Mom, Dad and Judy enjoyed the extra legroom that they were given when the gate agent upgraded them to Midwest’s SuperStretch seating for free (at a savings of $35 per person!) and Filbert and Snookums liked the exit rows they were given. Midwest’s chocolate chip cookies were as gooey and melty as always and the ~4-hour flight was uneventful. We piled into a large van taxi and got to the Comfort Suites Downtown/Seattle Center with no problems. Filbert and Judy had to do all of the heavy lifting since Snookums is still recovering from her July 12 right elbow surgery. We were too early for check-in and had to wait for our rooms for about an hour, but that was okay. When our rooms were ready, we quickly got settled in and then Filbert, Snookums and Judy went exploring.

More after the jump . . . We walked a few blocks to a row of five Asian restaurants (Vietnamese, two Thai restaurants, Chinese, vegetarian Asian) but none were wheelchair accessible since they were all in old houses. However, one block from the hotel was a great grocery store with lots of ready to eat options. Snookums chose the Sunday special of roast turkey and two sides for $5.99 and Judy followed suit for herself, Mom and Dad. Filbert opted for the grilled salmon salad and a veggie tray. Then it was back to the hotel for a 2:30 dinner. Mom thought it was the best turkey she had ever had and she wasn’t even that hungry but she ate it all. By 5:00 PM, Mom and Dad were showered and in their pajamas and done for the day! The trip is good so far. (Present tense/past tense?-- problem throughout, please fix.) We plan on taking a shuttle to the ship at 11 AM on Monday. Hopefully embarkation will be as easy and stress-free as today’s travel was.

August 23 (Monday, Day 2, Boarding ms Amsterdam) -

Everyone slept really well and we were all counting down the hours until our 11 AM shuttle ride to the ship. Judy made another trip to the grocery store and bought Snookums some Nyquil and Puff’s Plus. Yep, Snookums has a cold!

Seattle

The five of us piled into the shuttle with our 13+ pieces of luggage, wheelchair, walker, etc. and pulled up to the port around 11:30. The porters took care of the luggage and we were quickly processed since Mom, Dad and Judy paid the big bucks for a Deluxe Verandah Suite. Filbert and Snookums piggybacked in line after them and bypassed the normal processing line with the other peons. Lunch for returning cruisers was being served starting at noon so we dropped off our carry-ons in Neptune Lounge before heading for lunch. Neptune Lounge is the exclusive lounge for the 42 suites on the Verandah Deck. Mom, Dad and Judy have access to it and it has various foods out from 7 AM until 8:30 PM along with fancy coffees and teas. It’s a nice quiet place. Snookums talked to the concierge and told her that Filbert and she had stayed in a Deluxe Verandah Suite (due to a free upgrade!) on the 65-day Asia Australia Grand Voyage. Snookums also gave her a small monetary tip so that she might look the other way if we came in to eat and enjoy the Neptune Lounge. Since Mom, Dad and Judy are passengers with real Neptune privileges, that should do the trick! We went to the dining room and enjoyed a relaxing lunch with a magnificent view of Mt. Rainier. Then it was back to Neptune Lounge to get our carry-on luggage and go to our cabins.

Mt. Rainier and Seattle docks

Snookums and Filbert unpacked their luggage and stored everything in their tiny cabin 6179 (284-square feet with verandah) and still had empty drawers and shelves. (For comparison, Mom, Dad and Judy are in suite 7058 which is 556-square feet with verandah.) The lifeboat drill happened at 4 PM so we all went outside to our lifeboat stations. For once we were told to NOT wear or bring the lifejackets. We later found out that someone had tripped on one on a prior cruise. Holland America’s lawyers had decided it would be better to let a dead person that didn’t know how to use the life jacket drown when a ship sank sue the cruise line rather than having a live person that tripped and fell sue the cruise line. We liked not having to deal with the life jackets.

We spent a few minutes catching up with our friends Gary and Charlotte. They were our tablemates on our 65-day Asia Australia Grand Voyage and decided to join us on this Alaska cruise and be our tablemates, too.

Gary and Charlotte

Our dinner was in Pinnacle Grill. This is Holland America’s $20 per person restaurant but we get to go free on the first night (and it has to be the first night) since we booked the cruise using a certain credit card. Dad ordered the lamb kebob and it was flamed tableside. Mom had lamb chops, Filbert the filet mignon and Judy and Snookums the stuffed chicken breast. Everyone really enjoyed dinner and the service was really good since not many other guests were dining in Pinnacle Grill on the first night. Filbert and Snookums went to bed after dinner but Mom, Dad and Judy went to the 9:30 show. Since this is embarkation day there is only one show. The normal show times are 7:00 for the people that eat dinner at 8:00 and 9:00 for the people that eat at 5:45 (us).

August 24 (Tuesday, Day 3, Cruising the Inside Passage) -

Judy attended every exercise class today and was the only one in yoga. She also went to the card making class and when she saw that kits that were probably worth at least $5 were being passed out that contained 3-D stickers and fancy paper and stuff, she told Snookums to run down and get one. On the way down Snookums saw Gary and made him come, too, so Judy ended up with two extra card making kits.

Scenery. People on the ship who'd been on Alaska cruises before told us that it would get a lot better. They were right.

Filbert and Snookums ate lunch in Lido (the buffet) and sat with Charlotte. Both Filbert and Snookums really enjoyed the beef and broccoli and remembered how good HAL’s Asian station is at the buffet. There is always once dish that is actually quite spicy and very tasty. Gary joined our group later on. Holland America isn’t allowing the guests to serve themselves at the buffets or drink stations for the first three days of the cruise for health reasons. This slows things down a bit, but since we’re cruising no one should be in a hurry. However, we’re all looking forward to being able to serve ourselves. Holland America also got rid of the trays in Lido so you have to fill your plate and take it to your table and then go back to get the rest of your meal. They did this since they didn’t think the trays were sanitary. We think they did this to cut costs – people might eat less and/or the dishwashers no longer have to wash trays. In any event, we can deal with not having trays to carry our plates, cups and glasses to our seat but we would rather have them than not.

We also found out that Holland America stopped its “Dam Dollars” program. This was where they would have several events throughout the day and if you participated you would get a “Dam Dollar” that could be turned in at the end of the cruise for a prize. HAL still does the events (like golf in the atrium or a scavenger hunt) but the incentive for Snookums to show up and participate is gone now that she can’t “work” towards getting a free t-shirt. This means more time for Snookums for uninterrupted naps…. They do have “Grand Dollars” on the Grand Voyages so maybe Snookums and Filbert will need to sign up for another 50+ day HAL cruise.

Snookums took a nap after lunch while Filbert sat on the balcony and watched the waves (or lack thereof – it has been very, very smooth). He saw three orca whales, dall’s porpoises and whales that were spy-hopping.

First orca sighting. These got better, too.

Mom delivered an envelope to our mailslot outside our cabin. Inside was a poem that she wrote to Filbert. Snookums never knew that Mom was a poet, but she is! Here’s the poem:

Here’s to Filbert –
A really great guy!
We all really love him;
I’ll tell you why.

He’s just the best
Out of all the rest.
Never a pest –
Can be a great guest!

He will push,
He can store.
He’s a true stevedore.

A really true Saint
He just simply ain’t –
Has one BIG flaw.
Follows Republican Law!!

(Mom-in-law apparently missed the memo that I'm actually a libertarian (or a "classical liberal," if you will), and only vote Republican because they scare me just slightly less than the Democrats do. Your mileage and politics may vary. -- Filbert)

Tonight was formal night and Gary and Charlotte graced us with their presence since they hadn’t met Mom, Dad or Judy yet. As a rule, Gary and Charlotte don’t attend formal night dinners since they don’t like to dress up. Gary, though, had purchased a new shirt at Costco (his favorite store) and looked dapper in his suit and tie and Charlotte looked dashing in her black outfit that still had the cleaning tag on it from our Asia Australia Grand Voyage in 2008! Everyone had a great time at dinner.

Next: Ketchikan!