A reader’s experience vacationing on a cruise

Michael Ragland
Published: May 30, 2008

On a Holland America cruise line traveling up a section of Alaska, I didn’t know what to expect beforehand. Overall, it was a majority geriatric (“retired”) cruise with only a minority of young people including infants and children. This was just one particular cruise with others with likely more partying young people. Jewellery was constantly advertised on a few of the ship’s (Stadendam) shops, on television in my room and at jewellery shops at the ports we stopped: Junea, Skagway and Ketchican.

The smell of sewage pervaded certain areas aboard the ship other than the toilet.

The dining was excellent and was free on the Lido Deck; alcohol obviously cost a lot — $5.50 for a beer and certain glasses of wine even more; some bottles of wine were only served in a bottle and cost over $100. None of this should surprise the reader. Besides, the cruise by itself costs thousands per person. My mother was in need of a wheelchair; it would have helped but that would have cost $120 for the full seven days. There was a photo shop which temporarily wasn’t open when it was advertised.

While dining in the Rottendam, photographers came in and took pictures and I sarcastically remarked they would cost $125 dollars. His response was I wasn’t worth that much. But sure enough, in full view of everybody, our photographs and everybody else’s they took in the restaurant and “studio lighted umbrella,” were on display at the photoshop on Deck 5. They cost $15.

The shore excursions were many and varied but also the most expensive, costing hundreds of dollars. I enjoyed the whale-watching excursion and the Blue Line Pass train ride up a mountain, which was gold mined in the late 1890’s.

My most enjoyable moments were taking beautiful scenic digital photographs off my Verandah Deck, dining and buying a few relatively cheap items from gift stores.

Performers and singers were free. There was a culinary arts shop and center. Overall, however, there was a little too much consumerism on the cruise; especially the hawking of jewellery. Going through
Canadian customs was an hour wait; docking the cruise ship took even longer. Going home was flying from Vancouver to Seattle and then from Seattle to Washington, D.C., National Airport. That took five and a half hours. Glad I got some momentos and some scenic pictures, but most of all glad I’m home.

MICHAEL RAGLAND

Triangle