Today’s adventure was Skagway – the City of the North Wind. And windy it was! It was a semi-cloudy day with some sunshine peeking through the clouds but the wind kicking at about 30-35 miles an hour. My excursion for the day was the White Summit Pass Railroad for an afternoon of sightseeing the majestic beauty of Skagway Bay and the White Summit Pass which is considered the doorway to the Yukon.
The Crow’s Nest is the spot to be when cruising through the Passage. Panoramic windows all around the front of the ship pretty much assure that everyone has a good view and can spot wildlife. Many people had their binoculars ready and were set on spending some serious time looking for whales, birds, and bears along the shorelines. I found a great spot on the port side and made myself comfortable to work and watch the views as well. I even had a cup of fresh hot chocolate to stave off a little of the chill that was in the air.
Day 3 on the Konigsdam started with a lovely room service continental breakfast served with fresh coffee on beautiful Delft china. The Dutch overtones with HAL are one of my favorite elements of this cruise line and it appears in all aspects of the service onboard including something as simple as room service.
"Not having had breakfast, my first stop was to the Lido Market for a quick bite to eat. The options in the Market vary from salads, sandwiches, pizzas, burgers, sushi, ramen, hot dishes, breads, and sweets. The food is always fresh and there are options for everyone in the Market. Also open were the Main Dining room, Coastal Café, and the Dutch Café so that everyone could find lunch after embarkation. And of course, the bars were serving cold beverages all over the ship."
In March 2022, I was able to sail on Holland America Line’s Rotterdam and learned more about their ships and Alaska products. I was singularly impressed and excited about the beauty of the ship, the service, and the in-depth Alaska products HAL offers. They have been sailing Alaska longer than Alaska has been a state! I knew this was the way I wanted to revisit Alaska and experience it in a new way to get a fresh view of our 49th state. A couple of weeks ago, such an opportunity came up and I quickly jumped on it! Today I board HAL’s Konigsdam in Vancouver, BC, to set sail to Alaska via the Inside Passage!
