This trip is not for the person who wants to see the normal sights of an Alaska cruise. The entertainment options on this ship are not like what would be found on a much larger ship- no water slides, casinos, theatres. This was a learning experience with well-done science lectures, wildlife watching and reveling in scenery. We spent a great deal of time on the ship, either with sea days or when it was not our turn on the zodiacs. The towns we visited were working communities, not tourist towns. We wondered what first time cruisers and/or first time visitors to Alaska thought of the cruise. We had already spent over 7 weeks in Alaska on 3 other trips from Juneau to Prudhoe Bay, so the exposure to new venues was terrific for us.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
The embarkation process was smooth and without issue
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The quality of the food was excellent as was the service. We primarily ate in Lindstrom, once in Aune and several times in Fredheim. The only weakness was the lack of variety in the menu. Lindstom had the same menu in rotation for 2 days running. I have a fish allergy and my choices were limited because of that. Aune has a selection of items which are always available, no matter the daily menu. This option is not available in Lindstrom. Fredheim is billed as having service all day, but the hours are only noon to 8 pm. Several of us were amused by how often beets were featured on the menu.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The science programs were very well done. We used the sauna which has large windows so you can watch the scenery. The infinity pool is quite nice. There were 2 hot tubs, but we did not use them.
Entertainment
The only entertainment available were the lectures and limited movie and television in the stateroom.
Children's Programs
There were no children's programs.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The waiters, bar tenders, our room steward, excursion/science crew were all great.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The small ship was well planned and kept very clean. HX also strives to be environmentally friendly. There were no single use plastic bottles. We were all given a reusable HX branded water bottle which could be filled at water stations. The only time we straws were in milkshakes, and it was stated on the menu that they would be biodegradable or paper. Thank you HX!
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Our stateroom was well planned with a great deal of storage space. We had a desk, television and mini-bar. The first offering of alcohol was included with the cost of the suite. The balcony was nice to have, although weather limited the amount of time we spent on it. The bed was very comfortable. HX offers a Green Option where they make a donation to environmental causes if you select not to have service for the day. We were still asked if we needed anything, but the option cut down on laundry and cleaning supplies. The only issue we had was a recurring thumping noise which sounded like a hard object being dropped in a resonating wooden box. Crew were unable to rectify the noise. We were offered a move to another stateroom, but the deck and location were not what we wanted. We tolerated the noise rather than moving.
Ship tip
Amundsen is a lovely ship. Recreational activities are limited to spa/sauna/pool, cultural and science lectures, wildlife watching and the limited movies available on the cabin television. There are no live shows, casinos, etc.
We have been to Vancouver several times. The city overview was a nice, but limited exposure with limited stops. One shortcoming was the lunch stop in a busy section of Granville Island. We were given a fairly short amount of time to locate a restaurant, order, eat and make our way back to the bus.
We were fortunate to be the only cruise ship in Sitka that day. My cousin had been to Sitka the prior month on a Celebrity ship and said that a Norwegian ship arrived after they did and Sitka was uncomfortably jammed with tourists. Sitka residents are becoming more and more frustrated with the fact that 6000+ tourists can arrive on any one day. We were lucky to be in a group of slightly over 300. We explored on our own, rather than take the free excursion. It was to a raptor center. We'd been to one before and our 8:20 scheduled departure was a bit too early for us. We walked to the National Park Visitor Center and museum with its walk through the woods and later to the Russian Bishops House.
We were scheduled to visit Kodiak and our ship was on the Alaska Port Schedule. We were not told why we did not stop in Kodiak. We did a small boat cruise in a fjord on Kodiak Island.
The scenery was beautiful, but the weather was not. Some passengers did the nature landing. They said was OK. Unga is a deserted community. There were a few old buildings and, apparently, two cows.
As with other communities we visited, Unalaska is a working town. We docked near commercial vessels- not very glamorous. We'd seen the working towns of Alaska before, so we didn't mind seeing the "real" Alaska. There is a great deal of history to learn in Dutch Harbor. We visited the World War II Visitor Center and the Aleutian Island Museum. Both were very well done. Some passengers did not like the fact that there was limited cell phone service and the town was not "special."
This may have been the high point of the cruise. St. Matthew Island was fabulous. We did a nature landing and had time to climb a lush hill and explore the beach. There were so many birds to see, including the rare McKay's bunting.
We arrived early to Nome to avoid a strong storm which was coming in so we had extra time in Nome. The "excursion" in Nome was a self-guided tour. We visited the city park with its tribute to the gold rush. We also went to the city museum. Our disembarkation morning was supposed to be the day for touring. Weather was blustery. We were transported to the Hospitality Center, which serves as Iditarod headquarters during the race. There, we were given a dog sled talk and gold panning demonstration. This kept us all out of the weather.
The actual check-out process was fairly smooth. The crew had to cope with the high winds and high surf. We were transported to the Hospitality Center in yellow school buses. Programs were at the center for us. We then moved to Old Joe's, the community center, for lunch. It was crowded, even though we were divided into three groups (2 departing and 1 remaining for the Northwest passage itinerary). We were then transported to the airport which was crammed with our group. The check-in process at the airport for the charter was lengthy. There was limited seating and restroom facilities.
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