I'm taking HAL Statendam to Alaska in August and I looked on the Holland message board and I didn't see much about this ship (other than last year's fire and virus). Has anyone done this trip or this boat?
Jamie,
We were on the Statendam last June 2nd southbound to Vancouver. It was great. We really enjoyed the ship, the crew, the other passengers, the outstanding service and most of all the scenery. The service especially from our dining room waitors, head waitor and wine steward were exceptional. The food was never disappointing and when I wanted to try two different things, no problem! We were concerned with the age of the ship and whether we would have problems with things not working, but everything was fine. The people who cruised in June may have felt differently! This was our first time on HAL and were trying to decide between Princess and HAL, chose HAL because they were rated a little better and we wanted Glacier Bay and Sitka on our itinerary. We researched for six months, and read a lot on the boards. We would take another HAL cruise anytime they had an exceptional special. The prices I have seen on Alaska this year appear to be lower. We have been on RCCL and had no problems there either, but wanted a smaller ship for Alaska. Now we are trying to figure out how to approach a Caribbean cruise for the first time. Seems more complicated than Alaska. Try to make it to Denali Park for a day or two if you can, wildlife is unbelievable. Good luck. If you want more info, let me know.
Thanks for the info. After the cruise we're flying to the Arctic circle for 2 days because we really wanted to see native culture. But we can't afford to add on Denali, so we decided instead to spend a couple days in Anchorage and see the zoo. Were there really a lot of animals in Denali?
Jamie
We saw a lot of wildlife in Denali. We left Anchorage early morning the last Thursday in May, driving to Denali and driving back to Anc Sat nite after our shuttle tour to Eielison Visitor center. We drove the paved section of the park road Thurs nite and saw nothing except a few birds. We took one of the earliest shuttles on Friday morning to go to Toklat River, about 53 miles, as far as it goes on May 31st. We saw approximately 10 grizzlies, dozens of caribou, one immature bald eage, one wolf, many sheep and goats, and a couple of moose. Most of the sitings were at some distance, visible to the naked eye, better with binoculars. We had one grizzley right next to the road and stopped and watched it eat right next to the bus for at least fifteen minutes, he could care less. We also saw several caribou fairly close, and there were several sheep at our rest stop at the Toklat River. The next day we saw as many or more animals but many were not as close or the driver was less cooperative in stopping. We had 3 grizzilies on the hillside next to the bus but he only stopped for a minute or less. The zoo or wild animal park will be nice if you can't get to the real thing. We only saw one moose and the musk ox(s) at their farm other than our Denali trip. We saw the most eagles in Ketichan down by Island Wings dock. Have a great trip.
The Statendam is awesome! The crew, rooms and food is terrific. My husband and I have done two circle Hawaii cruises on the Statendam and may do Alaska this summer if prices come down. Enjoy!
Thanks for the info. After the cruise we're flying to the Arctic circle for 2 days because we really wanted to see native culture. But we can't afford to add on Denali, so we decided instead to spend a couple days in Anchorage and see the zoo. Were there really a lot of animals in Denali?
Where are you going??? If Barrow- it is well above the Arctic Circle. Denali Park is the cheapest option going for wildlife viewing and I never take a trip without it. My min. distance in is Eielson- $23. If you are on a tour at Barrow part of a package- the "tour" is quite, well, touristy. You would get far more "real Alaska" arranging on your own. I hooked up several days with a bush pilot several years ago that no tour would ever include.
Check out the review section, I did back to back on the Statendam a couple of years ago. She is a great ship for Alaska with lots of open deck space. I almost did that again, but just booked back to back on the Sun Princess in May 2003. I like the entertainment much better on Princess but I really liked sailing on the Statendam.
Statendam
You would get far more "real Alaska" arranging on your own. I hooked up several days with a bush pilot several years ago that no tour would ever include.
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