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www.maxpages.com/alaska50 The return trip from Seward to Vancouver aboard Holland America's Veendam followed a very enjoyable week-long northbound voyage aboard the Coral Princess and a superb eight-day road trip that covered most of the paved roads in Alaska and ranged as far north as Fairbanks and almost to the Arctic Circle and the land of the midnight sun. The Veendam has had good reviews and the southbound return date figured nicely into the desired schedule. I had cruised aboard the Veendam five years ago and remembered it as a very pleasant ship and there was no reason to suspect it would not continue to be a thoroughly enjoyable vessel. In this I was a bit mistaken. The Captain had a letter waiting for all embarking passengers that apologized for some unstated mechanical problems encountered on the previous northbound cruise. We were informed that a bearing on one of the engine shafts was defective which caused an overheating situation that required a reduction in overall speed. Note: Some passengers on the earlier voyage said they thought the ship had struck a log and that the propeller was bent. In any event, it was shortly made clear that the mechanical problem would preclude visiting College Fiord and Prince William Sound altogether. This caused some consternation inasmuch as missing this area meant, among other things, that one might as well have taken a seven day round trip cruise out of Vancouver since the remaining stops could have been visited without starting from Seward. 24 May. A day at sea was substituted for the scheduled visit to Prince William Sound and the speed of the ship was apparently adjusted to the least vibration possible. At times in the dining room, which was located in the afterend of the ship, the vibration was considerable as an optimal speed was searched for that was acceptable to both the ship handlers and passengers. As it was, the reduced speeds did not permit keeping the scheduled itinerary and adjustments in port times expected in both Juneau and Ketchikan were predicted. These arrangements didn't exactly endear the passengers to the ship's staff and some complained that the vibration in their cabins throughout the night made sleep difficult. The unexpected day at sea did mean that the initial exploration of the ship could proceed at a more leisurely pace and one did not have to be running to the rail during the day to see all those interesting glaciers, islands and wildlife. Suffice to say that the ship was found quite adequate in the amenities and entertainment categories while the quality and presentation of the food is such a personal subject that all I care to say is that I enjoyed it and perhaps that is enough said for that topic. 25 May. Glacier Bay is not only a national park and preserve but has been designated a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and a World Heritage Site in view of its unique glacial landscape and the universal importance of its ecosystem. Glacier Bay National Park has over eleven tidewater glaciers, where the glaciers come all the way down to the sea, eight of which are inside the bay. Some of the glaciers inside the bay are retreating and some in the northwest area are advancing. The linear extent of the glaciers, of course, depends on the amount of snowfall compared to the amount of snowmelt so it should not be surprising that some local areas get more snow than others. On the whole, the climate has been warming for a long time and it remains only as to how much warmer it will get before the inevitable cooling and ice age returns. These cycles of warming and cooling have been going on as far back as we can determine and undoubtedly the pattern will continue. The park's natural history has been well studied and it remains a living laboratory for post-glacial plant succession. The visit to the renowned bay was pleasant and informative. Park naturalists visited the ship and patiently explained the geographic setting of the area and its wildlife (photo) aspects. Of particular interest, a Tlingit resident of Hoonah, some twenty miles to the southeast, was introduced as an interpreter and he delivered a charming account of the historical and current culture of his people sprinkled with tlingit words and phrases. I would think he also boarded ships at the new cruise port terminal at Hoonah which is now called Icy Strait Point. 26 May. Sitka 0800/1800. Sitka must certainly be one of the most picturesque towns (aerial view) in Alaska. With Mt. Edgecumbe some 20 miles to the west across Sitka Sound and the port's location along a convoluted coast, Sitka's harbor is a cruise passenger's delight. In town, St. Michael's Church and a number of other attractions (Map) are easily accessed on foot; however, to get a better appreciation of the area, one has to get a conveyance and explore. I joined a van tour, Sitka Wildlife Tours, to see the outlying areas and it turned out to be fascinating. The owner and operator, Bruce Conine, was intimate with Sitka's natural and cultural life and was so enthusiastic in his delivery that it was a pleasure just to hear him talk about such things as his favorite otter and how the local chocolate factory came to be and how the fish are locally caught and how the local people look at things. He did everything but invite us home for tea. Sitka's immediate vicinity is strikingly populated by bald eagles, the nearby waters have a variety of wildlife and the surrounding mountains create a vacation-like quality to the area (Sitka Web Cam). 27 May. Juneau 0800/1800. Having visited Juneau two weeks earlier, I was not compelled to revisit the Mendenhall Glacier nor most of the sights in the city. It was a lazy day in town but I did spend some time in the State Museum which was a very fine visit. On display for the summer were two fine exhibits concerning artwork of indigenous cultures by eskimo artists. 28 May. Ketchikan 1200/1800. Because of the slower speeds that the ship must now make, the visit in Ketchikan had to be moved up by two hours to facilitate getting back to Vancouver on time. Again, having visited the port two weeks earlier, the need to rush around to see everything was reduced considerably and this permitted a leisurely walking tour and some extra time aboard the ship to swim and enjoy the onboard life. 29 May. Inside Passage at sea. It was nice to have a day at sea after three port visits in a row and an entire day to rest up in anticipation of debarking the ship in Vancouver. There is so much to do on a modern cruise ship that a good part of the vacation is participation in the various activities whatever the choice. 30 May. Vancouver debarkation 1000. The Veendam was a bit late in arriving at Canada Place and it did require some phoning from the vessel to friends in Vancouver who were to meet the ship but that turned out to be essentially no factor. It became quickly apparent that the Veendam was going to embark new passengers in Vancouver and continue with their return voyage to Alaska and not stop to have their mechanical problem fixed. I felt sorry for the new passengers as I would guess that Holland America never informed them of the problem as was was true in the case with my fellow passengers inbound from Seward. Incidentally, I asked one of the HAL representatives at the terminal why the ship came in late and was told that they "missed the tides" as if there were any tide problem in Vancouver. I guess the traveler is always going to be subject to misinformation and more misinformation. Index of Travel Articles by the author. Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved. |
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