After my last cruise this spring on the Nieuw Amsterdam we said we would not travel again on HAL due to the attitude of some crew members we experienced. My mother convinced us to try them again as she likes HAL. We left Vancouver on Sept.11 and the embarkation process was flawless and very quick. Our room was ready and was in good condition. We had dinner in the Rotterdam dining room and our waiters were Hindi and Edi who were fantastic. Even though we had open seating we were able to reserve the same table each day and got to know them well over the week. They were the best pair of waiters we have had on HAL and they made for an enjoyable trip. The next day was cruising the inside passage and just after noon we sailed into a large fog bank for most of the day which was eerie but soothing.

Next day arrived in Juneau and walked around town, did some geocaching then back on board.

Next day was Skagway and I went out by myself to do my geocaching then came back on board to get my wife and mother and took a trolley ride around town which was interesting. Next day was spent mostly in Glacier Bay National Park which was great. On the 16th we arrived in Ketchikan and again did geocaching and tourist shopping. Read more