Snorkeling in Moorea

Posted on June 13, 2025 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Noordam in Moorea

Moorea Snorkel Safari

As we disembarked the tender in Moorea, a guy with a sign for our excursion number (13) stood in an empty boat with rows of seats under a canvas top just across the dock. The top of the island was shrouded with fog and later it rained a bit, but you’re going to get wet snorkeling anyway. Weather like that is great for preventing sunburn, but a bit chilly for wet people sitting in an open boat. Other than the somewhat leaky canvas top the boat was open all the way around.

snorkel boat

They took us for a bit of sight-seeing on the way to the first stop, first going at a good vantage point for ship photos and then past a closed resort on the shore with another resort on a hillside above it that is still in operation. Much of the water is very shallow throughout that lagoon with coral just under the surface so there are marked paths that the small boats follow to keep from running aground.

resorts on the shoreline

The first stop had lots of small sharks and big stingrays near where the boat anchored and small patches of coral teeming with fish beyond. The current was pretty strong there, but the water was quite shallow so standing in or walking through sandy patches between the corals was pretty common whether as a means of getting somewhere or just to look at stuff without drifting away. Of course all those people standing or walking in the sand stirs it up and makes the water murky so swimming out farther than where most people went to where the water was still clear was the best way to see stuff. Most people stayed near the boat.

stingray

They had said we didn’t need fins, but while fighting that strong current I wished I’d put mine on. It took quite awhile to get out as far as they allowed, but there were lots of fish and patches of coral with nobody disturbing the sand so it was worth it. The water was quite clear there. Where all the people were walking around disturbing the sand the water was filled with sand particles swirling around in it. I would have gone farther, but they had a guy on a jet ski patrolling the area who made it clear where the limit was on how far I could get from the boat.

reef shark

It took next to no time at all to drift back to the boat on the swiftly moving current. Swimming against the current definitely would have been easier with fins. I think they didn’t want people to wear them because so many of them stood or walked around instead of swimming and they’d be more likely to accidently step on the corals if they had all that fin sticking out beyond their feet. A lot of them had shoes on though so unless they were watching where they put their feet they could easily step on things without noticing.

snorkel boats at the first stop

Since the water was so shallow everything under it was close-up almost as if we were diving near the bottom, but with no diving required. There were a lot of different fish. All the sharks and rays stayed near where the boats anchor up. There were other boats besides ours all in the same area. Probably the place they are allowed to anchor so they don’t disturb the coral elsewhere since it was mostly all sand in that spot. Things other than sharks and rays stayed out in the coral patches, but the water everywhere was shallow enough to stand in with your head and upper body above the water in any of the sandy patches between corals. I’d rather swim regardless of the depth because that doesn’t disturb the bottom, but most of the other people did not seem to feel that way.

brain coral

After snorkeling awhile in that spot everyone got back on the boat and it moved into a more sheltered cove without the current. Swimming away from the boat was much easier there, taking very little effort at all. There weren’t as many rays or sharks at that location, but plenty of fish once you swim a bit away from the boat. It pulled up nearly to shore there in some pretty rocky sand without much to see, but farther away from the boat there were a lot of patches of coral and I even saw some puffer fish.

puffer fish

I tried to stay where there weren’t any other people because even though you could easily swim everywhere there without disturbing the sand, people still kept walking around and mucking it up. Without the current the other place had to clear the sand away the water at this location got even murkier than at the other spot when they did that. It was totally clear when staying away from people who couldn’t be bothered to swim or float – which is way easier than walking on the sand anyway. Luckily most of them didn’t venture far from the boat and the few who did stayed on the surface. Probably also wanting clear water to snorkel in.

big fish

This was quite different from most places we’ve gone snorkeling. Usually when snorkeling from a boat the water is deeper than people are tall so they have to swim or float rather than walking around mucking up the bottom. It was nice to see things up so close when drifting over top of the corals. There were a few too tall for that where going around rather than over them was necessary, but most were just far enough under the surface to float over without touching them. Corals are fragile and can be sharp.

lots of fish

On the boat they offered juice or water between the two stops and pieces of fresh pineapple after the second one. The second stop was near a beach where other people from the ship had a land-based excursion on that motu. A motu is a small islet on a coral reef. There was a picnic area and small restroom onshore where the other people were. They were at the edge of the water on the beach with a big ray when we first arrived, but went back into the woods shortly after.

corals

Returning to the port there was a very long line to the tender to wait through before returning to the ship. It would have been nice if the excursion boat could have dropped us off at the ship rather than the tender pier, but the only place I’ve ever seen excursion boats allowed to load or unload passengers directly from the ship is in Belize where it’s quite a long distance between where the ship anchors and the port.

black fish

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2025
Posted in Holland America, Noordam, Pacific Ocean & Islands, Ports of Call, Shore Excursions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rockland Estate in Saint Martin

Posted on June 6, 2025 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Enchanted Princess in Saint Martin

Having already tried the zipline at Pelican Peak on our last visit to Saint Martin, we booked the four-event tour at a different place on our visit on Enchanted Princess. The shore excursion listed on Princess’ website called it Rockland Estate. Nowhere on the property did we see that name mentioned, though it is listed on the Rainforest Adventures website as the name of the eco park portion of the former estate where the ziplines are now located. Some of the ship’s excursions there offered less of the features, but we wanted the whole package. Rainforest Adventures is the name on a sign at the entrance and on their website.

sign in the museum

A little museum at the park called it Emilio Wilson Estate. He was the first black man on the island to buy a former plantation where his ancestors had worked as slaves. He lived in the plantation house until it was destroyed in a hurricane, then spent the rest of his life living in a former boiler house from the plantation’s sugar cane production days. The restored plantation house is now the home of the museum. It’s a small museum with a few artifacts and a lot of signs with different historical bits. Busses back to the cruise ship dock come only once per hour for each ship so the museum is a good place to go if you have some extra time when arriving at the bottom of the mountain with a lot of time before the next bus. There is also a bar, restaurant, and gift shop.

lower tram station for the sky explorer

Our excursion started with gathering the group on the dock, then a bus ride to the estate where we were shown where to catch the return bus before getting dropped off. There they had separate lines depending on how many activities people booked.

Sky Explorer

Once everyone was briefed on how things worked there and what order to do things in we were free to go to the loading area for the Sky Explorer, a ski-lift style tram that brings people up the mountain. On the way up we passed over a tram stop for the schooner ride, which involves riding an inner tube down a 750-foot track on the mountainside. We were told to do that last as it had rained earlier and the track needed time to dry.

almost to the tram station at the top of the sky explorer

At the top of that tram there was both the entrance to the Canopy, which is the zip line course, and another ski-lift style tram identical to the first one except that it didn’t go nearly as far. That one brought people to the top of the mountain for the Flying Dutchman ride. People not going on the canopy went there, but those on the canopy tour were to do that first.

everything platform – top station of sky explorer, bottom of sentry hill tram, and starting platform for sentry hill zipline canopy tour

The first thing to do was walk up a few stairs to an area where there were helmets hanging on a fence, zip-line harnesses spread out in rows on the ground, and lockers along one wall. The lockers were free to use for any items not allowed on the zipline course, which was anything loose or bulky. A camera on a neck strap or phone in a pocket was allowed, but chest or head mounted cameras were not.

trail to the first zipline platform

Once everyone was harnessed and ready we walked up a trail to the first zipline platform. There were a couple of toilets at the side of the start of the trail in case anyone needed them before or after the zipline, though if anyone wanted to go ahead of time they would need to do that before getting the harness on. Especially if they’re female.

people waiting for a turn at one of the platforms

Everyone could have gotten through the course a lot more quickly and efficiently by having a worker on each platform and just sending people through as they got there, but they did the same thing every zip line course everywhere (or at least all of the ones I’ve ever been on) does and had the workers go with a group of guests where one or two go first at each platform to catch incoming guests on the other side while another stays at the platform to hook everyone up to the lines, then comes across last. Which means everyone in the group has to wait for everyone else at every platform. Rather than the single zipline every other course I’ve ever done has, this one had two side-by-side and would send across two people at the same time so even though there were a lot of people that cut the wait between each zip in half. Since this course had less platforms than most and a steady stream of people passing through them it still would have been more efficient just to have a worker stay on each platform.

view of Princess Juliana Airport

A lot of places along the zip line course had excellent views, going in different directions from different places. One platform had a viewing area extended out to the side where people could see Princess Juliana Airport in the distance, though it was far enough away that even large jets weren’t that easy to see. Then again nothing too far away was easy to see since it was a pretty cloudy day. Princess Juliana Airport is next to Maho Beach where people go to photo the undersides of airplanes flying directly overhead as they come in for a landing.

people on the zipline

The zipline course has four different lines with the series of platforms set up so that the last one ends up back at the beginning of the course. Quite convenient both for picking up anything left in the lockers and for catching the Sentry Hill lift up to the top of the mountain for the ziprider.

people coming in for a landing at the end of a zipline

None of the lines in the canopy course are especially long or steep, but it’s still fun to do them. There wasn’t a huge price difference between booking all the things or just some of them so might as well go for everything if you’re going to be there anyway. That way it doesn’t feel so much like you just got there and you’re done already.

unhitching people from the zipline

About the time we got unharnessed it started to rain. We had already gone out to the tram and were just about to get on so we went ahead and got on anyway. Pretty much everyone else hunkered down under the roofed harnessing area to wait for the rain to stop. When we got about halfway up it started to pour so we were pretty soaked by the time we got to the top. Luckily it was still pretty warm out so even wet on the top of a mountain it’s not really all that cold.

view of the top of the mountain from a zipline platform

Between the exit of the Sentry Hill lift and the entrance to the Flying Dutchman there are a series of viewing platforms and some steep stone stairways. Once you reach the top there is a bar and restrooms as well as the staging area for the Flying Dutchman.

Bar at the top of the Flying Dutchman ZipRider

The Flying Dutchman is the prime attraction for this park. It’s a ZipRider similar to the one at Icy Strait Point in Alaska, except it has only 4 lines instead of 6 and the ride is shorter and steeper. In both rather than wearing a zipline harness there is a chair-like harness permanently attached to the cable that comes the line empty and backwards after the people get out at the bottom. This one came up in pairs. People start out together with one on each of the two paired lines, but they go down individually.

view from the top of the Flying Dutchman

The cable spans about a mile with a drop of over 1000 feet and it takes about 45 seconds to get from the top to the bottom. Near the bottom the lines become more horizontal and less vertical and at the end there are giant springs for stopping like at the end of each zip line.

loading a person into the Flying Dutchman

At the top of the Flying Dutchman the workers have a list and you have to get your name on that list in order to get the ride down. It was closed for the rain when we got there. They let things dry off for about half an hour before opening it up again, during which time the area got quite a lot more crowded since all the other people who had waited out the rain by the canopy ride made their way up to the top. They still would have gotten wet on the way up since the seats were pretty wet, but not so wet as we did. We were ahead of them on the list since we had come up sooner and gotten on the list right away, though still behind people who had already been up there when it got shut down for the rain.

people going down and harness chairs coming back up

There’s wooden rails around each loading area, which you stand on to get into the harness. Then you are sitting in its cushy little chair all strapped in and ready to go down. One pair of people goes down while the other two harnesses come back up for the next pair. Though you leave together you may not arrive at the bottom at the same time. If one person weighs more than the other the heavier one tends to go faster.

going down the Flying Dutchman

The ride is fun, but also over pretty quickly so it’s definitely good to do the canopy course as well so it’s not all over so fast.

going over the platform for the schooner ride on the sky explorer

After completing the Flying Dutchman we were intended to take the Sky Explorer back up and get off at the platform for the Schooner Ride. After the brief but heavy rain the track for it was soaked and since it was a cloudy day there was not enough sun to dry it out. All the workers said that ride can only run when dry so it was shut down for the rest of the day and we did not get to go on it. That was a disappointment since it was the one thing there that was totally unlike anything we have ever done before. It involves riding an innertube down the mountain on a track made especially for that ride.

a bit of the schooner track seen from the sky explorer

We finished the Flying Dutchman about 6 minutes after the hourly bus left so we had lots of time to go to the museum and gift shop before the next bus came. The restaurant and bar were of course another option, but we did not go there.

displays in the museum

Besides our ship there was one from Royal Caribbean docked that day and some of their people were also at that park. Busses for that ship came 15 minutes earlier each hour than ours. We were at the bus stop well before their bus came. When it was about time for the bus to arrive someone from the park came and asked if everyone there was for Royal. All the others were, but there weren’t very many and no more came so she said we could go on that bus too. They all stop in the same place at the port. The only difference is that they need to mark off on their list how many people from each ship have gone back to make sure nobody gets left behind. Some other people from our ship showed up at the bus stop after we got on, but before it left. They did not let any of them onto that bus.

looking down from the sky explorer

Overall it was a fun excursion even if it did rain so we didn’t get to do everything. We were refunded 15% of our excursion price for missing out on the schooner ride. We would rather have done the ride.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2025
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Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam

Posted on June 1, 2025 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Nieuw Amsterdam in Cabo San Lucas

As the fourth ship in Holland America’s line to bear the name, the current rendition of the Nieuw Amsterdam was completed in 2010. Its maiden voyage set sail from Venice on July 5 of that year after being christened by Princess Maxima of the Netherlands on July 4. The ship weighs 86.700 GT with a length of 936 feet (285.3 m), beam (width) of 106 feet (32.3m) and draught (depth of the ship under the water) of 26 feet (7.9). It has 11 passenger decks and a passenger capacity of over 2100 people.

view of the back pool from a deck above

The size of this vessel is important in that it is within the old Panamax dimensions, which means it can fit into the original locks in the Panama Canal. Since we were on a Panama Canal voyage on this ship that directly affected our cruise. We traversed through the old section of the canal that the USA built with completion in 1914 rather than the new larger and more technically advanced locks built by Panama that opened in 2016. We did get slight glimpses of new parts of the canal at both ends, but not a full view.

the first part of our journey on the Nieuw Amsterdam

Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam is a signature class ship, which is the same class as the Eurodam. It’s very similar to the vista class, which includes Holland America’s directional ships – Noordam, Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, and Westerdam. (P&O’s Arcadia is also of the vista ship class as it was originally intended to be a Holland America ship.)

it costs extra to use the retreat

The main difference between the signature and vista class ships is the addition of a half-deck at the front of the ship. The vista class ships have the Crow’s Nest lounge on deck 10 above the spa and fitness center, but the signature class has staterooms on deck 10 in that extra half-deck area and has the Crow’s Nest located in an additional deck 11. The Nieuw Amsterdam also had a small outdoor sanctuary area called the retreat with sheltered cubicles and some open seating that people have to pay extra for on deck 11 and some pay to use cubicles taking up prime space in the pool area on the Lido deck.

Passengers on the deck 5 bow above crew on the deck 4 bow in a lock on the Panama Canal near the end of the canal journey when it wasn’t as crowded. At the first lock the bow was wall to wall people.

With the extra deck of rooms this ship had more people than the vista class, but less public space. Besides the paid cubicles taking up prime real estate on the pool deck, it also had less bow space for people to stand for a view in scenic areas. The big deck 4 bow was a crew area on this ship. Instead of an extra small bow above deck 4, the main big bow was on deck 5, though it didn’t go out quite as far as the deck 4 bow. That only left decks 6 and 7 for additional small bows. They all got pretty crowded when the ship sailed into the Panama canal. It takes a long time to go all the way through so later in the day the crowds thinned in all of the various viewpoints around the ship.

giant pot of plastic flowers

The décor is sleeker and more modern than on some of Holland America’s other ships. It looks nice, but has far less nooks and crannies for hiding ducks. A lot of places where other ships have statues this one had pictures or plaques. It still managed to have some strange statues though. Odd or ugly statues seem to be a requirement on nearly all cruise ships. This one had a couple of silver torsos minus any heads or the rest of the body.

giant silver apple

One deck had a giant silver apple hanging out of a wall. Giant pots of fake white flowers adorned elevator bays in public areas, but the tops were open and hollow. Plants fake or real are a popular duck hiding spot, but in these only the outside areas where the duck wouldn’t fall unretrievably down into the deep hollows of the giant pot worked for hiding ducks.

picture in a cabin hallway

Red was a prominent color in some of the décor. Unlike other Holland America ships we have been on which have different types of pictures from one cabin deck to another, this one had old-time black and white photos in all of the cabin deck hallways. Most of the photos were either old Holland America ships or old photos from New York. Often both.

stairway painting

It had paintings of various renditions of the Nieuw Amsterdam and other ships on one stairway, but the other two were more random in their stairway art rather than keeping with a theme all the way down like some other Holland America ships I’ve sailed on.

atrium centerpiece

Nieuw Amsterdam was the original name for the city now called New York when the area was under Dutch control. It was changed to New York in 1664 when the English took control away from the Dutch. That explains why a lot of the ship’s décor had a New York theme. The atrium centerpiece was a model of New York with buildings going up and underneath of each building an elongated version like a reflection of that building in the water going down. It was lit up with everchanging colors of lights. There were maps on some of the stairways and elevator bays of New York back when it was still Nieuw Amsterdam with the Dutch names for things on the maps.

show in the main theater

The ship’s theater spans the front of the three lower passenger decks with entrances to the main floor on decks one and two and the balcony on deck 3. There are stairways within the theater from the lower floor to the balcony as well as outside of it. Deck 1 is also home to guest services, future cruises, the lowest level of the central atrium, and some staterooms.

casino

Besides the theater, deck two contains the lower level of the dining room, several bars and lounges, the Pinnacle Grill, and the casino. On the Oosterdam a couple months before sailing on the Nieuw Amsterdam, the future cruise guy had warned us that as each ship went into dry dock they were going to get converted from completely non-smoking interiors to smoking casinos with the gallery bar getting taken over by the casino. Nieuw Amsterdam was a non-smoking ship when we booked the cruise, but went into dry dock the month before. Exactly as he had said, the gallery bar had been converted into part of the casino. It did have glass doors added on either end of that section. The official smoking policy for Nieuw Amsterdam was active players only on select nights rather than all of the time so it wasn’t nearly as bad as we thought it would be. In fact most of the time there was nobody smoking in there at all. We did smell it one night from the theater, which is near the casino, but that was it so apparently they rarely had it open for smoking. Coincidently the same future cruise guy was on the Nieuw Amsterdam.

if you forget what day it is the elevator will let you know

There didn’t seem to be consistent air flow throughout the ship, at least in regards to the temperature. They seemed to keep it so that the upper decks would be more comfortable, but the lower decks were very cold. It got colder the farther down in the ship you went and our cabin was on deck 1 so it was very cold. There’s a thermostat in the cabin, but it’s mostly just for show because if the ship’s air is on AC you aren’t going to get heat out of it no matter how far into the red section you put the dial. It’s also the sort that you can’t turn off so there was constant frigid air coming from a ceiling vent.

library

The ship had a new library like the other Holland America ships we have been on recently, but it was just a library like the Oosterdam had without the attached coffee bar like on the Noordam. The only all-day coffee bar was the one up in the Crow’s Nest, which was also a regular bar. The library has different sections for different types of books and is stocked with new books as well as a small book exchange section. Besides the library and theatre other things on deck 3 include the Ocean Bar, upper level of the dining room, some rooms used for meetings or events, the ship’s shops, and the outside promenade which runs all of the way around the ship and is a popular place for people to walk.

in case you get lost the carpet points out the way – and the arrow is green on the starboard side

Decks 4-7 are just cabins, other than the front bow balconies on decks 5-7 that are open when the ship passes through particularly scenic areas – like the Panama Canal on our Nieuw Amsterdam cruise. Deck 8 is also mostly passenger cabins other than the very front which houses the ship’s bridge.

main Lido pool

Deck 9 is the Lido deck, which has the buffet, and other free eateries, two pools, ping-pong tables, some hot tubs, a couple bars, the fitness center, and the spa and salon. We found out from one of the spa crew on this ship that the one cold ceramic chair that every ship has in the thermal suite isn’t actually broken like everyone thinks. It’s intentionally kept cold in case someone gets too hot in the heated ones and wants to sit there to cool off. Nobody ever does that so it’s really just a waste of a chair that someone who didn’t get one could have used in times when the thermal suite is crowded.

they’re called heated ceramic chairs, but one of them is cold

Besides the extra half deck of rooms at the front, deck 10 also hosts the kid’s club areas and arcade in the center. These two areas do not have indoor connections on that deck. It does have an outdoor walkway that goes between those areas as well as out near the stern where it ends with a view overlooking the outdoor pool area at the back of deck 9 and stairways between those two decks.

shuffleboard

Along the outside walkways on one of the upper decks there is a shuffleboard court and cornhole game.

view at the front of the Crow’s Nest

Deck 11 has the Crow’s Nest lounge at the front. It’s quite a large space with lots of seating including a row of comfortable loungers facing the front window, groupings of couches and chairs, and lots of tables with chairs. It’s a favorite hangout space for a lot of people. Shore excursions, a game room area (for board games and puzzles), the art room and of course a bar – that has a few small snacks which are often pastries in the morning and cookies later in the day are all found in the Crow’s Nest. The bar there is also the only full-time coffee bar on the ship. There are also a few passenger cabins and the outdoor pay extra retreat located on that deck. The center of deck 11 has the Tamarind bar and restaurant, a sushi bar, and the sports court. The center section is not attached to the front section at all. You have to go to a lower deck to get from one to the other. The sport court at the back is accessed from an outside stairway on deck 10. It was originally a basketball court, but now has pickleball there too. There is a very small outdoor sun deck above the front of deck 11, which is the entirety of deck 12.

painting in art class

Holland America always has art classes on their ships, which I had not participated in before. I was with my sister this time and it was something she wanted to do so we gave it a try and it was a fun way to pass some time. The classes included watercolors, doodling, dam dot challenge, adult coloring, and calligraphy with watercolors being by far the most popular. These generally occur in the art room at the Crow’s Nest. At the start of the cruise there was only room for 20 people in art classes, but they were so popular they rearranged the tables and expanded the capacity to over 40.

promenade deck

There were lots of deck chairs around the ship, but most of them were out in the sun. Other than any areas by the pool that happened to have some shade the only shady ones were on the promenade deck. There were way less chairs on the promenade deck than usual for these ships so they were in high demand. One day when we were walking around the promenade looking for any empty ones some crew came out and set up a few more so we got one of those. All of them were full nearly immediately with people claiming them before they were even done setting them up.  The top decks have lots of deck chairs, but they are all out in the sun.

afternoon tea

This ship seemed to have more people trying to take your money than usual for Holland America. At times one could hardly walk through the shop area or past the art gallery without someone trying to get you to go to a jewelry store drawing or guess the weight or price of some art or buy a massage (the free massage samples are nice other than the part about trying to get you to book one). Overall though it’s quite a nice ship. For the most part the food was pretty good. We had a pleasant and enjoyable cruise.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2025
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Food on Holland America Zaandam

Posted on May 30, 2025 by LBcruiseshipblogger

bread lobster decoration at the breakfast buffet

Holland America Zaandam doesn’t have an extensive variety of eateries like some huge ships have, but there’s plenty to eat and nobody ever need go hungry while sailing on any cruise ship, even a smaller one like the Zaandam.

best dessert of the cruise

Food that is included in the cruise fare can be found in the dining room, the buffet, and in the poolside grill and taco bar. Between them all there is a variety of options available.

flourless chocolate cake in the dining room

There are just two pay-extra eateries on the Zaandam, the Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto. These are the standard premium restaurants on Holland America’s ships.

Pinnacle Grill

The Pinnacle Grill has its own space, which is open during lunch and dinner. Suite guests can have breakfast there, but it’s not open for everyone then. Lunch there is about half the price of dinner. The Pinnacle Grill is Holland America’s upscale steak house, though it offers other options besides steak. If you want to pay for it in the dining room you can try some of the Pinnacle Grill’s meals without actually going there, but if you’re going to pay extra for food on a cruise ship you might as well actually go to the place and get the whole experience rather than just an expensive plate of food in an otherwise free dining room.

appetizer in the dining room

Canaletto is pretty clever in that it’s located in a corner of the buffet and only used as a separate restaurant at dinner. This works out well because the seating is available for people eating at the buffet for breakfast and lunch when a lot of people eat there, but then sectioned off during dinner for their specialty Italian restaurant when less people eat at the buffet so they don’t really need the extra seating. It saves from having a space on the ship dedicated just to a restaurant that is only open during dinner.

Explorations Cafe coffee bar

We did not eat at any of the specialty restaurants on the Zaandam, unless you count the coffee bars of which they have one in the Explorer’s Cafe on deck 5 and another in the Crow’s Nest on deck 9. We did occasionally get specialty coffee for John and dairy free hot chocolate for me in those places.

dining room eggs benedict

We also didn’t try the pool grill, though they do offer both gluten free and non-beef options. We did have lunch at the taco bar next to the pool grill one day, which has a variety of serve yourself toppings and fillings to choose from, and chips, tortillas, or taco shells to put them in or on.

pastries at the buffet

The buffet did not make anything gluten free on site, but they did have some pre-made items available for the asking. Different stations serve different things with breakfast having stations for eggs benedict, omelets, or waffles as well as grab and go pastries, and the main line with things like scrambled eggs and breakfast meats. Fruit, yogurt, parfaits, and hot and cold cereals are also an option at breakfast.

parmesan crusted chicken

Lunchtime in the buffet had a pizza station, sandwiches, various hot dishes that changed from day to day, some sort of distant lands option, a main line with meat and sides, and of course desserts.

appetizer at the Alaska brunch

The dining room had limited options for breakfast or lunch, but they did change the lunch menu daily. One day they had an Alaska brunch, but even there if you wanted anything gluten free it had to be ordered the night before. They did not make anything as simple as gluten free pancakes on the spot without a pre-order.

Dutch Tea

The dining room served tea each afternoon. They called it Dutch Tea, but it seemed like a basic afternoon tea with little towers of little tea sandwiches, scones, and pastries. Each table had a little tower on it that people there could take things from. Each item was different. They would bring something gluten-free on request at the tea without pre-ordering, but it didn’t have all the things like the normal one in the photo above has.

shrimp taco

Mostly we had breakfast and lunch in the buffet and dinner in the dining room, which is pretty typical for a lot of cruise ship passengers. We did have lunch in the dining room one day. I ordered a salad which came with some sort of balsamic vinegar dressing. I don’t know what was in it, but one bite of that dressing set me into a coughing fit with my throat feeling like it was closing up and I couldn’t hardly breathe. Guzzling a bunch of water eventually cleared things up, but needless to say I did not eat any more of that. During the rest of the cruise with any other salads that came with a little square pot of brown dressing I avoided the dressing even if it didn’t look exactly like that first one. I haven’t eaten any brown salad dressing on a Holland America ship since.

pork dinner

Other than the scary salad dressing the food was good. There were a variety of choices every night. A lot of the options involved seafood which is not my favorite thing, but most of the other people at the table generally ordered it. There was always some sort of poultry or pork and you can pick the main from one dish and have it with the sides from a different one if you ask, which was nice because what comes with their everyday roasted chicken is not as good as things that come with meals that are only offered once.

lamb chops

When we first got on the ship the itinerary in the app was not showing any formal nights, but they ended up having one formal night and one orange night. Orange is not a color I generally wear, but I did have one shirt that had a bit of orange in a dragonfly printed on it and John had one that had orange in some ducks so that was what we wore. Some people went all-out orange, but most were more subtle. They did not serve lobster at the formal night, though it was on the pay-extra for stuff from the Pinnacle Grill menu every night.

porpoise (internet photo)

Our most memorable dinner was the last night of the cruise. Our table was by the window, but we were on the inside end of it with two people between each of us and the window. It was somewhat of dinner and a show with orcas appearing outside the window early on in the meal, followed a bit later by humpback whales, and finally by a pod of porpoises. The couple on the seats next to the window had their phones out filming the various creatures. The lady in the middle on my side of the table was quite large and popped out of her seat looming directly over the poor lady by the window and just about completely blocking my view any time there was anything worth seeing so I didn’t see the orcas at all and just one spout from the humpbacks. The porpoises were right outside our window playing in the ship’s wake repeatedly popping up completely out of the water in sets of 3 so they were fun to watch even through just a small spec of window space not blocked by other people. They were pretty small so it was easy to see the entire animals, even the whole group at once. Unfortunately we couldn’t take any photos since other people had all the window space. Figures a night we weren’t seated next to a window would be the only night there was any marine animal action to see.

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Cisternerne

Posted on May 26, 2025 by LBcruiseshipblogger

columns in the water

When looking up things to do before our visit to Copenhagen on the way to our Viking river cruise out of Budapest, I came across a place called Cisternerne. It’s an art exhibition inside of an old cistern. It wasn’t the art I was interested in though, it was the fact that it was supposed to have stalactites like a cave – and I like caves.

pathway through the arches

The Cisterns were once used as a reservoir for Copenhagen’s drinking water. They could hold over 4 million gallons of water. The cisterns were built in just 3 years starting in 1856. By 1933 they were no longer in use and eventually drained in 1981. In 1996, the former underground water reservoir was turned into an exhibition space. It is now a part of Frederiksberg Museums, used as a venue for art exhibitions and other events where the uniqueness of the location is a major attraction.

phone light through archways

Located under Søndermarken Park, the Cisterns is the only dripstone cave in Denmark. The natural formation of stalactites and stalagmites commonly happens in abandoned concrete structures, as they have formed within the cisterns. These types of geological formations are quite fragile, so visitors are not supposed to touch them. Online information said the formations here are particularly diverse and breathtaking for this type of feature and are expected to enhance the viewer’s experience when viewing the art exhibited there. All of the exhibits pictured on various websites at that time included visual artworks – and light inside the cisterns. Now there are more dark ones so they must have decided they like doing dark exhibits there.

columns in the water

This all sounded quite good when investigating the place online. Much of the info about Cisternerne online showed walkways through the cistern with the art displayed on the walls as the major attraction. That is the main focus of the place, but it did say that you could see the stalactites too, which was what we went there to see.

geese in the park

We took a taxi from our hotel, as it was not in the same area of the city where we were staying. The taxi dropped us off in front of the zoo and the driver pointed to a park across the street saying that was our destination. We walked down a snowy trail in the park not really knowing what we were looking for. There was a flock of geese that looked much like Canadian geese in a field. After a bit we came across a couple glass sort of pyramids in the middle of a field, the first structures we had seen. One of them had a sign out front saying Cisternerne and a sign on the door saying it didn’t open until 11am.

entrance to Cisternerne

The entrance is through that glass pyramid in middle of the park. Exhibits there change periodically. The guy selling the tickets said something about the exhibit at that time being some sort of American artist, but we told him we were there to see the cave formations rather than the art and didn’t pay attention to who he said it was. He replied that the stalactites were not highlighted in this exhibit, which was one of sound rather than sight. He said it would be dark inside and the music loud, but we might still be able to see some stalactites after our eyes got used to the dark. That was quite disappointing to hear, but we had come quite a way from our hotel to see the cave so we went in anyway.

pathway in the dark

We went in when it first opened and though there was a group of school kids waiting to get in when we got there, they must have had some sort of lecture or something before they were actually allowed inside because we wandered around for awhile with nobody else inside before any of them showed up.

entry and exit path

Once we got down the stairs and through the door it was very dark and the ticket guy was not kidding about the loud music. It was very loud. In this particular exhibit the music was the only art. There were no pictures or paintings of any kind and also no light at all except the pathways you walk on, which were lighted so people could follow the path through the cistern. There is water everywhere that the pathways are not so it is important to stay on the path. Since it was so dark that the water only looked like dark space you couldn’t even tell it was water. Of course anyone straying off the path would know instantly that it was indeed water. The main pathway between the two stairways was lighted on both sides while the rest were just lighted down the middle.

pathway

The pathways were made of metal and hovered just above the water. They wound through the cistern with lots of corners and parallel pathways. In between there were columns and sometimes stone arches.

what the phone sees when the naked eye sees nothing but darkness

Most of this was not visible in the dark, but phone cameras are pretty good about picking up things the eye can’t actually see. There were no railings or anything on the sides of the pathways so following the light to stay on the path was the key to staying dry.

near the ceiling of the outer edge of the cistern

The sides of the cavern have arches with walls that looked to slant down into the water beyond the arch, though it was hard to tell in the dark. In this particular exhibit there was not much to see other than the lighted pathways. Features like columns and arches could only barely be seen in the dark, but the phone photos definitely show it much better than what could actually be seen. I guess the purpose of this exhibit was just to wander around and listen to the music which would have been disappointing even if we hadn’t been there intending to see cave formations since as well as being way to loud it barely even sounded like music. Add a few ghostly projections floating around and it would have been suitable for Halloween. Especially considering pretty much all that we could actually see was the lights on the pathways, not much of the other things that the phone pictures show.

stone arch

Cisternerne didn’t show up on any of the tourist maps we found in Copenhagen, but the zoo directly across the street did. It is a bit of a walk through the park to find the two small glass pyramidal shapes above ground, one of which is the main entrance. The other was closed while we were there and inside of that one the stairway leading down to the cisterns was blocked off.  The two are in sight of each other though so it’s a short walk from the closed one to the open one. It’s possible that the one that was closed when we were there may be used as an exit during busier times or for different exhibitions. It would make sense to use that side as an exit so people wouldn’t be going both directions on the entry stairs, though I have no idea if they actually do that. If you come by taxi the people at the zoo can supply numbers to call for a return taxi when you are ready to leave. They even let us wait inside out of the cold for it to arrive. Busses go by there too. The closest train station is called Valby located 1.3 kilometers away.

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Viking Longship Cabins on Viking Skirnir

Posted on May 23, 2025 by LBcruiseshipblogger

wraparound balcony on the Explorer Suite

Viking Skirnir is one of many of Viking’s longships sailing Europe’s rivers. Sister ships to the Skirnir have identical deck plans. There are no inside cabins on a longship, but the below water level cabins just have long narrow windows near the ceiling since the rest of the cabin is underwater. Tall people can see out of the window from the floor, but shorter people will need to stand on the bed or a chair in order to see out. There is a wide ledge by the window that is useful for storing things, but also eliminates floorspace from the cabin.

balcony from balcony cabin

All cabins have a closet with hanging space and shelves. There’s a few drawers too and room to store suitcases under the bed. The shower has a small clothesline. Sending laundry out for the crew to wash is expensive. You can wash a small amount of clothing in the little sink. The line doesn’t hold much, but there is a bit of structure in the shower that can be used to either hang things on or tie a clothesline to. Most of it is on one side, but there’s a bit on the other side to tie the other end of a line.

standard bathroom

Some walls in the cabin are magnetic enough to hold up magnetic hooks.  The wall under the window in the below water level cabins comes in useful for that. Cabins on higher decks have glass on the outer wall which is great for a view, but leaves them only the outer wall of the bathroom for any magnetic needs.

outlets on one side of the bed in a standard cabin

There are 4 sets of outlets with one American and one European style outlet above each nightstand and at either end of the long desktop that runs from the closet to the end wall. One of the European ones has the charger for the audio receivers for the shore excursions plugged into it. The ones by the bed have switches above them for controlling the room lights from the bed. A bottle of water and an ice bucket are provided. There is an ice machine in the hallway for anyone who wants to get some. Cabins are cleaned twice daily. Beds can be split into two as on ocean ships.

standard cabin – below water level except for the window

Standard Cabins

We stayed in a standard cabin, which are found on deck 1. Only the little slit window is above the waterline and the rest of the room is below it. These are considerably less expensive than cabins on higher decks. On a wintertime cruise the room was very cold when we first got there, and it seemed to take days to get the heat to go up a degree or two. It gradually got slightly warmer, but was pretty cold in there for the whole trip as the actual temperature never reached where the thermostat was set. Public areas in the rest of the ship weren’t exactly warm either, but not as cold as our room. Whether it was because they keep the ship cold or because of the cold water on one wall of the room I can’t say. The warmest place was the bathroom because it had a heated floor. The cabin had very small nightstands on either side of the bed and a stool under the desk. For anyone who can afford it, I’d recommend booking one of the above water cabins. Besides the chill in the standard cabins, you hear the ship’s engines. The movement of the ship through the water is also loud sometimes. Even when it is docked you can often hear sounds from other ships passing by. You also definitely know when the ship goes through locks, even if it is pitch dark in the room in the dead of night because of the noises passing through the water. These cabins are listed as 150 square feet, but that is more likely square footage of the ceiling area rather than the floor since the ceiling extends out to the window, but the wide ledge under it shrinks the floorspace by about a foot and a half across that side of the room.

French balcony cabin

French Balcony Cabins

Deck 2 has French balcony cabins down one side of the ship. There are also a few on deck 3. These cabins have sliding glass doors that open for fresh air or window free viewing, but they do not have an actual balcony outside of those doors. Other than being above the water and having a view, the interior is similar to that of the below water level cabins. Views from deck 2 are just above water level. Though the square footage of 135 square feet makes these sound smaller than the standard cabin, they really aren’t since the shelf under the window takes up quite a lot of what would otherwise be floorspace there.

balcony cabin

Balcony Cabins

Balcony cabins are found on decks 2 and 3. These rooms have an actual small balcony outside of the sliding doors with chairs and a small table. These rooms are a bit bigger than the below water and French Balcony cabins at 205 square feet. They have space enough for a bigger nightstand and a chair besides the stool underneath the desk.

Veranda suite living room

Veranda Suites

Veranda suites are more spacious than regular cabins at 275 square feet. One side is set up as a bedroom and the other as a sitting area or living room.

bedroom of veranda suite

The bedroom has a French balcony and the living room has a couch, chairs, and table as well as a full veranda with sitting area. The suites have a larger bathroom than the other staterooms.

explorer’s suite living room

Explorer Suites

There are just 2 explorer suites at the back of deck 3. These are significantly larger than the Veranda suites at 445 square feet and have wraparound balconies from the back to one side of the ship. They also have a French balcony in the bedroom and a dressing area between the bedroom and bathroom.

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Puerto Montt, Chile Cruise Port

Posted on May 16, 2025 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Puerto Montt sign by the tender dock

Puerto Montt is a city in southern Chile. It’s the capitol of the Los Lagos region and serves as a gateway to the Lake District, the Andes Mountains, and the Chilean part of Patagonia. It has a population of over 280,000.  On a clear day you can see several nearby volcanos from in or close to the city. Some of them are still active.

volcano peeking through the clouds

Puerto Montt got its name from the president of Chile at the time it was first settled, whose last name was Montt. Like other neighboring towns, settlers were invited in from Europe and many came in from Germany. Old Bavarian German type architecture can still be seen in some of the buildings in this area of Chile.

view of Puerto Montt from the ship

Money in Chile is the Chilean peso, abbreviated as CLP. USD $1 is equal to CLP $942.69   so things priced in pesos look a whole lot more expensive than they actually are. That’s down from the $979 it was at the time of the cruise just a few months ago though as American dollars are currently losing value compared to other currencies of the world.

painted building at the port

The climate in Puerto Montt is oceanic with mild winters and cool summers. It rains frequently, especially in autumn and winter – which are opposite when those seasons occur in the northern hemisphere since Chile is in the southern hemisphere. It is warmest from December to March. Average temperatures vary seasonally from 39°F to 68°F and rarely dip below 29°F or rise above 75°F. Annual rainfall is about 67 inches per year and it rains at least slightly about 222 days of the year.

tender at the dock in Puerto Montt

The port is a small tender port. Tender ports are where the ship anchors offshore and brings people to the dock in small boats called tenders.

inside the port building

There is a small shopping area with booths of locals selling a variety of things in the port building. It also had a little tourist information stand. Upon return to the ship scanning of people’s belongings is done at the port rather than on the ship, or at least it was on our visit.

ship and tender

Buildings in the part of the city nearest to the port tended to look old and often unkempt and there was some graffiti. In areas a bit farther away things looked much nicer in many places. There is not much to do in the immediate area near the port so it’s a good idea to book something in advance.

seals on the bulbous bow

There were seals swimming around the ship when we first arrived. By the time the tenders came back from shore there was a pile of them resting on the ship’s bulbous bow.

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Moorea Cruise Port

Posted on May 9, 2025 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Noordam in Moorea

Bahia d’ Opunoha or Opunohu Bay is where cruise ships often anchor when visiting Moorea in the Society Islands of French Polynesia. Passengers tender to a pier near the small remote town of Papetoai. There isn’t much near the pier so a tour or taxi is required to leave the area. Some ships may still Anchor near Cooks Bay and tender to a dock there. That used to be the main port, but now most ships go to Opunohu Bay, which is where Holland America Noordam went on our cruise across the Pacific Ocean. There is not much public transportation on the island.

inside the U of the tender pier

The tenders dock on one long side of the outside of a U-shaped pier. Excursion boats dock inside of the U part. The outside of the short end and the other long side are up against land. At our visit next to the tender dock there were 2 areas with local crafts for sale, a restroom, and locals near where people exit the tender offering last-minute water-based tours. More locals farther back near the taxi stand offered land-based last-minute tours.

last minute water tours at the pier

The internet said there may be rentals of scooters and bicycles near the tender dock as well as shuttles to beaches or a pearl factory. I did not see any of those things, but since I went straight from the tender to a snorkel boat on the other side of the dock when we got there, and then from the snorkel boat into a very long line for the tender when we got back I barely looked around the port area so there could have easily been things there that I did not see.

craft booth at the pier

There are ferries between Moorea and Tahiti, but there is not a ferry dock near the Opunohu Bay cruise port on Moorea. (There are ferries near the cruise dock in Papeete, Tahiti). Moorea is a volcanic island just under 52 square miles in the Windward Islands group. The highest point of the island is Mont Tohive’a at 3960 ft (1207m). Money is the pacific franc, which is tied into the euro with the exchange rate always set at 1 euro per 119.33 F. American dollars (but not coins) are generally accepted, but not necessarily at a favorable exchange rate. Most places will take credit cards.

map of Moorea

The island is the remains of half a volcano with 8 peaks and two symmetrical translucent bays, Cook’s (Paopao) and Opunohu. The name means yellow lizard in Tahitian. From overhead the island appears roughly as the shape of a heart and is one of the top honeymoon destinations near Tahiti. Popular activities in the lagoons include snorkeling, diving, feeding rays, and jet skiing. Whale watching tours and swimming with dolphins in a natural reserve at the island’s dolphin center are popular activities. Other activities include helmet diving, sky diving, hiking, or a visit to Tikiparq zipline and obstacle course or the island’s Tiki Village for a traditional feast and Polynesian dance show. Many of those activities were not offered through the ship or at the port so people would have to book them through outside sources and make sure they had transportation to get there and back. When booking through outside sources it’s necessary to insure you have enough time to meet your transport, get to the destination, do the activity, and return to the ship within the time the ship is in port. Outside bookings often want people to take the first tender to shore, but that first tender doesn’t have room for everyone and people on ship’s excursions may have priority on the tender over those who don’t.

land tours at the tender pier

There’s not much to see or do at the port itself so if you want to see anything besides the few craft booths there booking something is the way to go whether that is through the ship, through an outside source, or with the locals offering last minute tours at the port.

excursion boats in Moorea

Cruise ship excursions offered at this port from our ship were a Motu beach picnic with ray feeding, a photography expedition tour of the island, dolphin watching, a catamaran sail and snorkel, a bus tour around the island with a stop at a panoramic lookout, a 4-wheel drive tour to the interior of the island, and a snorkel safari.

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Posted in Holland America, Noordam, Pacific Ocean & Islands, Ports of Call | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Saint Martin Cruise Port

Posted on May 2, 2025 by LBcruiseshipblogger

ships in Saint Martin

Saint Martin is a 34-square mile island that is half French and half Dutch. The story is that a Frenchman and a Dutchman started out from the same spot walking the perimeter of the island in opposite directions with the dividing line drawn across the island from the point where they started to the place where they met. Whether the Frenchman just walked faster, had easier terrain to cross, or as in one version of the story I heard replaced the Dutchman’s water with rum, the French ended up with the largest part of the island. The Dutch however have both the cruise ship port and the airport. They also have casinos. The French side has some topless beaches and even one where clothing is optional.

small jet at Maho Beach

The island’s most famous beach is Maho Beach on the Dutch side near the airport. It’s famous for lowflying planes over the beach heading for the runway just across the street. People flock there to get photos of the underside of airplanes flying barely overhead. The first time we went there it was a big beach with a small bar. The second time was after a storm and most of the beach was gone, though the locals said it would come back. The small bar had expanded into not only a much bigger bar, but an entire shopping center with a pool.

parasailers at Orient Beach

If you want a beach with more options of things to do, Orient Beach on the French side has things like parasailing, jet skis, windsurfing, banana boats, and more. The north end of that beach is clothing optional, but it’s a big beach and on most of it people are clothed. There’s a little bar right on the beach and options of beach toys for rent and parasail boats. Also a bunch of little resorts and hotels by the beach along Orient Bay. The beach there stretches along the bay for 2 miles so there’s a lot of beach.

sign at the port

Currency on the French side is the euro, and on the Dutch side – officially called Sint Maarten – it’s the Netherlands Antillean guilder. Like other Caribbean islands vendors near the cruise port are happy to take US dollars. The average temperature is 80°F. The lowest is generally 68°F and the highest 89°F. The windier end is by Orient Beach on the French side, making sports like windsurfing and kitesurfing popular there. Average annual rainfall on the island is somewhere between 41-46 inches, with a lot more websites pegging it closer to 41 than 46. English is the dominant language on the island.

shops at the port

Ships dock at the cruise port in Phillipsburg on the Dutch side. The port itself is home to most of the standard shops found in cruise ship ports and some other shops as well. There’s a pretty large shopping area and also food and drinks available. There is not a beach at the port, but there’s a pretty nice one right across the bay in Phillipsburg.

bar at the port

Water taxis are available at the port to take people across the bay into town where besides the nice white sand beach, there are shops, bars, restaurants, and a casino. There’s also a land taxi stand at the port where people can get island tours or taxi rides to other areas of the island, with Maho Beach being the most popular individual destination from there. For people who would rather walk than spend a few bucks for the water taxi, Phillipsburg is within walking distance of the cruise port. It’s about a mile to the center of town.

top of the zipline at Pelican Peak

Also within walking distance of the port, Pelican Peak is one of several ziplines on the island. You can also get there through an excursion from the ship, which will provide transportation from the port. The base to the zipline is at the bottom of a mountain. The zipline runs all the way down from the top.

Sky Explorer lift at Rockland Estate

Excursions from Enchanted Princess at Saint Martin: Under Two Flags Island Drive; Best of Saint Martin; Easy Scenic Drive of Dutch & French Saint Martin; Rockland Estates & Sky Explorer; Local Connections Around the Island Tour with Local Artists; Local Connections Chef’s Table Experience with Culinary Expert; Local Connections Toppers Rhum Tasting & Cooking Class  with Master Distiller; Orient Bay Beach Club Experience & Lunch; Orient Bay Beach Club Experience; Sky Explorer, Schooner Ride & Canopy Tour; Sky Explorer, Schooner Ride, Flying Dutchman & Canopy; Rockland Estate, Sky Explorer & Flying Dutchman; Trail & Beach Horseback Ride & Scenic Drive; 4×4 Buggy Safari & Beach; Downtown Phillipsburg by Segway; Rhino Rider Boat Adventure & Happy Bay; Lagoon Cruise, Marigot & Scenic Island Drive, Local Connections America’s Cup 12-Metre Yacht Race with Sailing Experts; Golden Eagle Catamaran Sail, Snorkel & Beach Break; Spirit of Sint Maarten Luxury VIP Snorkel Cruise; Circle Island Scenic Cruise, Snorkel & Beach; Lagoon Kayaking Adventure; Helmet Diving at Sea Trek Underwater Park.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2025
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Skagway Cruise Port

Posted on April 25, 2025 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Zaandam in Skagway

Temperatures in Skagway, Alaska range from wintertime lows in the 20’s Fahrenheit to summertime highs in the 60’s Fahrenheit. It averages about a week’s worth of rain per month with the least rainy months from February to June and the rainiest in September and October. July is generally the warmest month and January the coldest. Annual rainfall averages about 27 inches and snowfall about 54, which must be mostly fluff since the average annual precipitation is only about 31 inches. Currency is of course the American dollar since Alaska is part of the USA.

Grand Princess at the Railroad Dock

Skagway cruise port can hold 4 ships at the same time at its cruise ship docks, the Broadway Dock, Railroad Dock, and Ore Dock. The railroad dock can hold two ships at the same time. There is a ferry dock between the Broadway and Railroad docks, which has ferries going to Haines. Smaller cruise ships sometimes dock at the ferry dock.

train by the dock in front of the Zaandam

In Skagway, the White Pass Railroad is the most popular excursion and some docks have tracks running to that individual dock where a train will park to take just people from that particular ship on excursions up the mountain. Most people opt for the one that goes up to the top of the mountain and back, but there are options that go on into Canada taking the train one direction and a bus the other.

landslide by the railroad dock

There was a visible scar on the hillside next to the railroad dock, where Grand Princess happened to be. Last year that dock was closed due to a landslide blocking it. It’s open now, but you can definitely see where the landslide occurred. The hillside is very steep next to the Railroad Dock.

Zaandam gangway in Skagway

From the docks in Skagway it’s a pretty short walk to town. There’s also a train station there where people who book the train through sources other than cruise ships board the train. Trains from cruise ship excursions will give people the choice of disembarking in town or back at their ship.

train ready to load passengers at the Broadway Dock in Skagway

At some docks the train has tracks going down the pier, but the Broadway dock where Holland America Zaandam docked had a very short distance down the dock from the ship to shore so the train stopped on shore in front of the ship rather than on the pier next to it. That pier did not have tracks.

booth for booking last minute tours

When first stepping off the dock onto shore, there was a parking area with tracks for the train to park on as well as pavement for busses and other land transportation.

the sign offered quite a variety of tours

A little booth had a sign offering quite a variety of last-minute excursions people could book there.

rainy day shelters for waiting for excursions

Next to that sat two shelters so people waiting for excursions have shelter on rainy days or shade on hot ones.

stream walk sign

There was also a sign there about a stream walk that people can take as they walk into town.

Skagway salmon creek by the cruise dock

You might see salmon in the stream if it’s the right time of year.

old steam engine

steam engines like this one once pulled the trains

In town there’s an old steam engine on display. That one and others like it were the first train engines on the railway. It’s mostly diesel engines now, though there is at least one steam engine still running. Next to the old steam engine there’s a giant rotary snowplow that once kept the tracks clear in winter. I think they just shut the train down in the winter since it’s mostly a tourist thing rather than a working railway now and no cruise ships go there in the winter. All the summer help leaves and the tourist shops all shut down in the winter, which is true for all the main Alaska cruise ports since there are no winter cruises to Alaska.

tugboat at the next dock

Stories you’ll hear on pretty much any Skagway excursion include the tale of Soapy Smith, an all-round bad guy and leader of a gang that would rather rob other people of their gold than go mine their own. The tale goes that he got the name by selling cheap soap for a high price, enticing people to buy it by wrapping a bar in a $50 bill – which would have been a lot of money back then. They thought they had a chance to win it, but only members of his gang ever actually got the money. While trying to crash a meeting about how to get rid of him, he ended up in a shootout with Frank Reid. Soapy died instantly from a bullet straight to the heart, whereas Frank took a couple weeks to die slowly, the town hero for getting rid of Soapy for them.

Skagway street car

Things to Do in Skagway

The red onion salon besides being a historic place in its own right has a prostitute museum upstairs. There are a lot of historic buildings in Skagway.  Many of them are shops now. There are also plenty of restaurants and a bakery where you can buy some real Alaska sourdough bread. There’s also a National Parks Visitor’s Center  in town. The Gold Rush Cemetary and Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp are within walking distance of the ship.

Excursions in Skagway include taking a helicopter out to a glacier for dogsledding, a streetcar tour around town, various train excursions, bus tours to the Yukon, river floats, kayaking, wildlife tours, scenic tours, dog musher camps, gold panning, waterfall tours, bike tours, ziplining, various tours to White Pass, and wilderness hikes. You can pre-book excursions through the cruise ship or through various outside sources or book one of the many last-minute tours from the booth at the port.

footbridge in Carcross, Yukon

More Blogs about Skagway

White Pass Railroad 2012

White Pass Railroad 2016

Experience the Yukon and Suspension Bridge

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