This is the last year that Holland America is doing the 14 day trip. Indeed, most cruise lines only do 7 day Alaska cruises, either round trip Seattle, round trip Vancouver, or one way to or from Seward or Whittier. It seems the 14 day cruise is not as lucrative as the 7 day cruises.
We are traditionalists when it comes to cruises. We like the fixed seating, early (5:45 pm). We like to dress up for formal nights. Most cruise lines have become fairly lenient about formal night dressing and some have done away with formal nights altogether, but we still enjoy them. There will be 4 formal nights on this cruise. One of the formal nights will be Otto's birthday - what better way to celebrate.
Ship facts:
Registered in the Netherlands
Number of passengers - 1380
Number of crew - 647
Gross tonnage - 62,735 grt
Length - 780 feet
Beam - 106 feet
Maximum speed - 22.5 knots
Built in 2000 in Italy
Refurbished in 2010
She is what is known as a Panamax ship - she can fit through the Panama Canal, and does every year when she leaves Fort Lauderdale for her 115 day world cruise. A ship can't be longer than 965 feet nor wider than 106 feet to use the Canal. The new canal, currently being built, will allow larger ships to travel through it.
The Amsterdam is a relatively small ship since she is under 2000 passengers. Compare her to the Oasis of the Seas or the Allure of the Seas (Royal Caribbean ships) each of which carry 5400 passengers and another 2100 crew members. Indeed, they can carry up to 6000 passengers if the rooms are booked 3 and 4 to a room. We like the smaller ships.
The best thing about Holland America - they let you bring all the wine you want on board. And not just at embarkation but also in each port. If you drink it in your stateroom, no charge. If you bring it to the dining room there is an $18 corkage charge. You can also pre-order alcohol to your stateroom. The prices are reasonable if you compare it to Canadian prices. Holland America you rock!!!
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