We took a wonderfully relaxing 10 day cruise to Alaska on Holland America’s MS Zuiderdam (pronounced like ‘cider’)

(Actually, this was a repositioning cruise, so it was the regular 7 day Alaska trip, then we returned to the ship in Vancouver, and sailed for 2 more days to get to Los Angeles). We made four stops, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Vancouver. (I’ll tell you all about the cities and excursions in another post) The cruise also had 2 scenic cruising points, one through Tracy Arm, and another in Glacier Bay National Park.

Overall the cruise was really nice. The ship was always neat and clean. Whether we needed help with our shore excursions, or special request at dinner, the crew were all nice, and very helpful.

Here’s some things you need to be prepared for on the cruise:

1) The Cold; I was freezing, average temperature for the trip was about 50 F/10 C degrees . And it rained. A lot. If you go, dress warmly, bring something with a hood to wear in the rain, and an umbrella wouldn’t be a bad idea.

2) Food; I tried not to overeat, but the food was just too good. There was a different salmon option every night. And the always popular midnight dessert buffet.

3) Animals; If you go on the cruise, you’re going to have the opportunity to see a lot of animals. We saw bears on the shore, a sea otter, orcas, whales, dolphins, and porpoises. But you have to keep your eyes open, and be prepared to run to whatever side of the ship they are on.

4) Glaciers & Fjords; simply beautiful. We went into Glacier Bay and got very close to John Hopkins Glacier, Gilman Glacier, and Margerie Glacier pictured here:

just remember what I said about the cold

We all had a great time. We just have way to many stories to tell here. If you see any of us, ask about the drunk killer whale, the bear squirrels, the Coast Guard Rescues (yeah, both of them), the porpoise army, the angry wheelchair lady, Dan (the Man), our kick but performance on the Newlywed Game, our horrible performance in the ships trivia quiz, Crazy Room Number Guy, or Rebbecca ordering 3 dinners. I highly recommend the trip to everyone. Especially with the glaciers melting, you should try and go sooner rather than later. Let us know if you have any questions, and click on any of the pictures to go to the gallery.

See you next time!