MS Ryndam - ALASKA

M.S.Ryndam Cruise ship of the Holland America Line. 1200 berths, 550 crew, 55,000 tons

7 day cruise out of Vancouver to Alaska, May 15 -22, 2009.

Well here we are on day three of the cruise on board this floating holiday camp. Since Friday evening we are been ploughing North at 18 knots. Passed under Vancouver’s Lions Gate bridge in reasonable weather but ever since the ‘clag’ descended. Cloud and light rain with visibility of only a few hundred metres, temperatures of 6 degrees (sea temperature 9 degrees). We steamed in between lots of islands but saw little, just some flashing lights at night.

  

However Sunday the cloud lifted and although the snow covered mountains are still in cloud we can see the shore and the tree covered lower slopes. In an hour we will tie up at Juneau the state capital of Alaska (not Anchorage, this knowledge could win you a trivial pursuits question). We even took a photo outside of Sarah Palin’s Governors residence. Juneau cannot be reached by road - sea or air only.

On board we have everything in the food line at hand including several casual buffets and also fine restaurant dinning all with a huge variety of fare. After all these temptations we have decided not to use the lifts and since we are on deck 4 with most of the action on deck 8, or drinks in the crows nest on deck 12 there are lots of stairs to climb. There is also the promenade deck , four times round for a mile walk. We have been to one of the two formal dinners and I think we looked pretty elegant (Joanna) and smart (David). Afterwards a late night drinking and dancing in the Crows Nest lounge which, by day, has a great view ahead.

   

Yesterday at Juneau we took a bus to the Mendenhall glacier (you have to pronounce glacier the American way – ‘glaysher’ around here if you want to be understood). Although we thought we were old hands at viewing glaciers the setting with the ice tumbling into a lake was impressive and we made a long walk near the lake and ------- saw a bear grazing on some fresh grass shoots, it was a black bear, but not black, in fact it’s a cinnamon coloured black bear. We have been told that there lots of them about (yeah right, as we waited on Vancouver Island for ages with no show) but one yesterday and two today from the train has made up for it. The time to really see lots is when the salmon are running in the fall apparently.

Now on day three we are about 1000 miles from Vancouver at latitude 59 North, in fact today we made it to the 60 th parallel on a mountain train ride up from our second port of call Skagway. Today the sun came out for a brilliant day although with a strong wind. The latitude means very long daylight starting before 4 am, our cabin has a window so we know but are not tempted to get up! Apart from the train ride on a line, built to take gold miners over the Rockies to the gold rich Yukon, there is not much to the place except as a main street with all building in the appropriate 1900 style and filled with souvenirs for the crowds off the cruise ships. And cruise ships there are, with 5 ships in the docks and over 5,000 passengers crowding the souvenir shops.

 

 

On board it’s a cashless society with a card linked to our credit card - but beware, no tipping but US$11 per person per day charged to the card, all items have a 15% tax added even my favourite Alaska amber beer at US$4.75. We have avoided the casino and most of the shops plus organising our own trips on shore rather than booking them on board. However we do seem to make it up with drinks in piano bar, discovery bar,ocean bar, crows nest, and with meals.

The highlight of the cruise was the ship passing up the long and very narrow Tracy Inlet in bright sunlight with towering rock walls very close on either side and a couple of glaciers at the head. Such an impressive fiord and no mean task to navigate the ship up round and out even with it’s bow thrusters and twin variable pitch propellers.  Sat out and sunbathed on deck to see it all.

Third port of call was Ketchikan once a large salmon canning centre, but still important for fishing, access only by boat or seaplane.  Again lots of cruise ships in small place but behind and above the town streams and woods with Spring leaves in the sunshine. Bald eagles soaring above the trees, impressive in flight their hair do is not so great closer up.

And so as our cruise is coming to an end we have been impressed by the wild west cost of British Columbia and Alaska with so many islands and inlets with deep waters close inshore, fir trees from waters edge to the snow line, seen bears, bald eagles, racoons, whales  and tumbling streams with trees sporting their spring leaves. Isolated communities serviced by ship or sea plane only.  For us also an introduction to life on a cruise ship, so easy to settle into with everything found for you. 

Vancouver

We have been 2 days in Canada but feel like we have been away for a month. We arrived here on Sunday 10th May , 6 hours before we left Auckland! Our big thrill was that we were upgraded for the first time ever. And very nice it was too!! However we are not converted, we only like it if we are not paying.
Vancouver has not been easy. I arrived after several days of illness but on the mend, and David developed a raging temperature soon after arriving. The weather was terrible, rain, hail, wind ( a bit like Auckland when we left), so after a long walk around town the day we arrived we succumbed and got on one of the hop on hop off trolley buses and made our way around. David really struggled and we were a bit worried that he might be detained and put in quarantine with swine flu, however we saw a lot of the city through the driving rain. Most impressed with Stanley Park with the fresh flowers and green of spring, just miss the fresh spring in Auckland but have booked bikes to see more at the end of the week. We really loved the Granville island market (very warm and dry – plus lots of impressive local produce.)
Spent the evening in a local bar watching the Canucks – the Vancouver ice hockey team being beaten by the Chicago team. It was a close game so all very tense with impressive outbursts of joy at a local goal, but quiet at the end as the local supporters all slunk home.
Up early the next day to pick up our hire car and set off for Victoria on Vancouver Island. We are impressed here by the car lights always on during the day – should do it in NZ . We made our way, expertly navigated by Joanna, to the ferry about an hour south of the city then off on a spectacular ferry passage meandering through a myriad of islands to reach the big one. On a whim we decided to turn off and take the coast route in to town and what a brilliant choice that was. It was amazing, part pretty coast and part incredibly flash housing estates. We saw deer roaming free on the side of the road and in peoples’ gardens, apparently quite normal. We were like typical gob smacked tourists. David just loves the open front gardens.
Now settled in Victoria on the 16th floor of our boutique hotel (as requested – the boutique bit that is) have walked have few more hundred kilometres and looking forward to exploring the island tomorrow.
Now back in Vancouver. Didn't see as much of the island as intended. The weather was awful yesterday and the coastal route a bit diappointing. Had clam chowder for lunch at a charming little village with buildings on stilts and floating marina style, but otherwise all a bit average,as the kids would say. Much better day today in the mountains around Port Alberni with sunshine, lakes, pristine streams, just like the Canada we have always imagined. Saw eagles,deer,snakes and Joanna spent all day trying to spot a bear, which the locals assure us are very common up there. Up early for our bike ride tomorrow then onto the cruise.