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Item: Nieuw Amsterdam
Rating: 3.8
Author: bcraftreiss

Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise Review to Alaska - Gulf of Alaska

bcraftreiss

Contributor Level: Second Mate

42 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 9

Helpful Votes: 77

Overall rating:

3.8 out of 5

7 Night Glacier Discovery Northbound (Vancouver To Whittier)

Sail date: May 22, 2022

Ship: Nieuw Amsterdam

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 6105

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Very disappointed in HAL but not in Alaska. Our land portion to Denali was spectacular.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

Never have we experienced such delays in embarkation. A HAL team member boarded the train in Wasilla to expedite embarkation process. They started with the non-priority members and their technology failed. They assured us that we would be the first to embark at Whittier. Instead, we were the last. The lines were long and the workers not knowledgeable, giving conflicting information. We didn't board the ship until 8:15 pm and missed a full day.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Limited selections at times and poor quality at times.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Lincoln Center and BB King was not daily as we had experienced in the past

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Dining staff seemed very inexperienced

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

The best!

Ship tip

Book the suite class

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Cruise Inside Passage, Alaska

4 out of 5

Ketchikan, Alaska

4 out of 5

Juneau, Alaska

4 out of 5

Skagway, Alaska

4 out of 5

Cruise Glacier Bay

4 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

great

6 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

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RetiredRay 2 years ago

Oh, and this appears to be the prior week, southbound, and not the 22nd as noted in his header. I am currently north bound. Everyone has improved a lot.

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RetiredRay 2 years ago

Oh, Lincoln Center and Billboard were not daily because they also did the Main Stage. Not sure about BB King since we did not make an effort to see them.

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RetiredRay 2 years ago

Glad we boarded in Vancouver, it was smooth there, even with having to do US customs. Just a lot of walking before finally getting onboard.

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AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Appreciate your feedback. Glad you liked Alaska!

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javawoody 2 years ago

Thanks

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Other reviews of this sailing

Nice relaxing cruise, good food, great staff

BJ's Travel took our money but was no help at all! Never again!

This was an awesome experience. The food outstanding! The tea time enchanting and erudite. Loved Ken Boyd. Can’t say enough good things about the staff. A must way to see Alaska!