Most of the pages in my diary read from first to last.

Although this is a diary from Canada, sometimes I travel away to other places and like to write my diary as I go. You may be interested in my recent
CRUISE TO ALASKA ON HOLLAND AMERICA'S WESTERDAM.
First, a word about the costs:-
It was a luxury cruise. Some advertisements for Holland America had read "from $999".
The eventual cost was as follows:-
$650.00. deposit,
plus $570.00.to Canada 3000 for the flight from Ontario,
plus $119.00. for travel insurance,
plus $2,002.00.for balance after deposit.
That's $3,341.00.
Then there's $12.00. health insurance,
plus $88.00. for rides to and from airport,
plus the cost of tours- about $220.00.
Plus $100.00. tips to stewards on board .. Although Holland America doesn't suggest tips, they still expect them. The tips and tours etc. would be in U.S.$, so you must add on 40% for exchange.
When you add up all the extras, it's considerably more than $999.!

Saturday 3rd July 1999

I thought about driving to the Airport myself and leaving the car at Park-And-Fly. However, I had spoken to numerous people about this and they all told me to go with the Redtop Airport Service. I was glad I did that, as my flight home was very late at night and I was exhausted. Unfortunately the flight going was also two hours late. As I had arrived three hours early - that meant sitting around for five hours. Fortunately there were 300 of us booked with Bob’s Tours, so the Westerdam waited for us at the other end.

Waiting at the Airport. I did ask him to press the backlight button!

We arrived in a hurry and they rushed us straight onto the ship. I really appreciated this, as on other cruises to the Caribbean they had reached the ship on time only to be kept waiting a couple of hours in considerable heat and discomfort.

I was really hungry and dinner was immediately available. Vancouver time is three hours BEHIND Ontario, so their 5:45 pm was our 8:45 pm .. and I'm not accustomed to eating after 6 at night. I was really glad that I had booked the first dining. The second would have meant eating dinner at about midnight Ontario time. I don't think it's worth messing with one's circadian rhythm to overcome the jet lag just for one week. I have found it takes about two days per hour adjustment. This would mean one would only be adjusted when it would be time to return.

Travelling to the U.K. or Europe I find totally disorienting. The U.K. is five hours AHEAD of Ontario. This means one may arrive at 9 in the morning, but by Ontario time this is actually 4 am. Then, one may be expected to socialize or watch T.V. until 12 midnight, which is 7 pm Ontario time .. then again, the family may get up at 7 am U.K. time which is 2 am Ontario time. The result for me personally is confusion, migraine, eye problems, nausea. After sitting folded tightly in a cramped space, breathing stuffy air for approximately nine hours, also waiting for several hours at the airport .. Don't even think about consuming wine or other alcohol on such a flight .. Don't hire a car and expect to drive safely on the "other" side of the road either.

Such delicious meals, on the Westerdam, so beautifully prepared. I certainly have no hesitation in recommending Holland America as this was a typical example of their service. After dinner I went to my cabin, to be greeted in the hallway by the steward who knew my name and could speak English. This was very comforting. There was also a bowl of fresh fruit and ice on the cabin table.

The Holland America’s Westerdam is a beautiful ship. It is 1/10 mile long. It takes 1494 passengers and approx. 500 crew. It is 53872 tons. The workers are all Indonesian, the shopkeepers are British, the cabin stewards Philippino, the commanding crew are Dutch. You can imagine the size of the kitchens - they take up the greater part of one deck. It has a desalination plant to make its own water from sea-water. The state-rooms are all 20% larger than other ships.

Every night there is a "Las-Vegas" quality live stage show in the vast theatre. There is a movie in the cinema. There are dance bands in the ballrooms. There are rooms for gambling or quiet reading.

My room was outer, in the bow. I was very pleasantly surprised by the size and how quiet it was. It had a television. On one channel the camera was looking out over the bow. We were close to land all the time, so they received NBC and CNN. Also, there were informational channels all about Alaska and the tours we could take. There were no actual non-smoking rooms, but they’re all thoroughly cleaned. The air-intake for my cabin appeared to be coming from the smoking area though. Also, when we were at sea of course people became sea-sick and there was an awful stink of vomit coming right in my face for a while! Isn’t there always something! I don’t know why sea-sick people will go on cruises. Nothing really works for them. No doubt it's the sales staff who convince them that "everything has changed and it's all different nowadays". Thereafter the unfortunate sea-sick cruisers stay in their cabins, wearing bands, patches, taking pills and vowing never again to let themselves be talked into a cruise.

	These pictures give a foreshortened view of the cabin. It was actually about fourteen feet long by eight feet wide. It's impossible to photograph properly.
	Waiting for the Captain's Reception Party These photographers really do very well out of the cruises. All the photographers are British on Holland America.

At dinner I shared a table with eight other people. It was good to have people to meet with each evening. At breakfast and lunch I shared tables with whoever had a spare place - and met some really nice people every time. The meals were always gourmet fare. I don’t usually have smoked salmon for breakfast every day! Everything was so nicely served I actually didn’t put on any weight, in spite of the comparative lack of exercise.

There are two swimming pools on the Westerdam, one on the stern sun-deck and the other in the middle of a restaurant area on a top deck. I usually swim at least every day, but the cool temperature, the threat of flu and being surrounded by restaurant tables did not appeal to me on this cruise.

There is a large fully-equipped exercise room. Children are not permitted to play with the machines, so they are all in good working order. I usually exercise at least every other day .. but found some excuse for not doing that either!

If the cruise you are taking is longer than a week, the Westerdam has several well equipped personal laundry rooms. This facility is not available on all cruise ships, so I particularly noticed. The weather in Alaska is quite cool. It averaged about 68 - and some days was down to 57. Here in Ontario in July we have a humidex reading of 104. Going out in the morning reminds me of days in the Caribbean. Thank goodness for my air-conditioning and the lovely facilities at my gym.

Before I went, I had noticed on TV a warning that there was a killer flu virus on all the ships cruising Vancouver to Alaska. This is particularly bad among people who take the land tours. Anyone retired was told to check with their doctor before they went. I did that and was advised to go and have a good time! However, the news is true. People were coming down with the infection all the time. One man who passed me on the deck said he had never been so ill in all his life .. and he looked it. Every person who sat next to me on the way home seemed to have a respiratory infection. This news is still current for summer 1999 - so be warned and take care.

The ship departed immediately for Juneau. It passed under the Lion’s Gate Bridge, which is an amazing sight. Unfortunately I was too tired to get pictures and had not yet found my way around the labyrinth of cabins, restaurants and shops. The ship has such a lot of decks.

Sunday 4th July 1999

This day was spent at sea and I walked around most of the decks to find everything I needed to know. At some time the entire ship had been cut down the middle and an extra 80 feet had been added. It was so very much like the first ship on which I had cruised, I wondered if it was the same .. but much renovated and improved, it looked almost new. Its’ first cruise was in 1990.

Monday 5th July 1999

Juneau, where I took the Juneau City and Mendenhall Glacier Tour 2½ hours and $34.00. I enjoyed the Gastineau Salmon Hatchery Tour, which was included. It was interesting to see a harbour seal in the middle of the hatchery bins .. with a happy seal smile on his whiskery face!

	Juneau. Set in the side of the mountain. The only way to reach these little towns is by air or sea. The small port where we docked was a major highway for all kinds of small amphibious aircraft, yachts and cruise ships. I was surprised that our huge cruise ship could get along the fjords.
	Cruise Ships in the fjord at Juneau, taken from deck of the Westerdam.
	Cute Sea Otter
	Mendenhall Glacier, taken from the Information Centre.

Tuesday 6th July 1999

Skagway. This was the White Pass Scenic Rail and Coach Tour. On the way back they took us to Liarstown, where they showed us how to pan for gold. I found enough flakes of gold to put on the tip of my little finger .. which he said was a miracle, as no gold had ever been found in that area! That’s why it was called Liarstown - after the newspapermen who stopped there and made up stories which lured so many to their deaths in Dead Horse Gulch and Tormented Valley. Approx. 5 hours $129..

The tour guide on the train told us about the Klondike Gold Rush. How the people were so willing to go through tremendous hardship to chase their dreams. Since each person was required by the Northwest Mounted Police to have a ton of supplies (sufficient for one year) before they could enter Canada, it took a great deal of time and effort to make the many journeys up the pass. Each trip they carried 60 Lbs. It is estimated more than 30,000 animals died of starvation and exhaustion in the Dead Horse Gulch. The men were so desperate they would use any kind of animal that would carry a pack. The few who made the journey through the pass must have thought they'd already died when they reached Tormented Valley.. A terrible, bleak, flat plain, with temperatures of -50º and winds up to 100 mph. They usually travelled in winter, when they could walk over the frozen marshes and lakes. In summer the terrain becomes so boggy and the flies so unbearable. I didn't know that Alaska used to be owned by Russia. They put it up for sale and it was bought by the USA through the efforts of a senator, who was a laughing stock thereafter. However, it became an excellent purchase for all the resources which were found later. I wondered why some of the names were Russian. I bought a Matrushka doll. I'd always wanted one and thought I'd have to go to Russia to buy one. I bought it at the Liars' Town Camp for about $12. Later noticed them in Ketchikan for over $100.00!

	White Pass train. This is now a tourist train
	Picture taken from the window as the train front disappears into the mountain.
	The giant snow plough of the White Pass Railway.
	A picturesque carriage. I wish inexperienced tour guides wouldn't pull the poor horses mouths up with the bits. Reminds me of the story of Black Beauty. As a very experienced horse person I just feel like giving them lessons!

Wednesday 7th July 1999

This day was spent at sea.
We cruised scenic Glacier Bay.

A view in Glacier Bay.

Thursday 8th July 1999

Ketchikan.

	Downtown Ketchikan. Looks a little crooked as I had to put two pictures together.
	A model polar bear n' me.

Overnight the clocks had been set back another hour as we entered another time-zone.

Ketchikan receives a tremendous annual rainfall, but they are always short of water because the area is solid rock. It is set on an island. The airport is on another island. All arrivals and departures are heavily dependent on the weather and tides. In winter the population dwindles to approximately four hundred people. Because the only way to reach Ketchikan is by air or sea, most of the population have licences to fly. As with Juneau and Skagway, the waters nearby were used by many amphibious craft.

Longhouse and Totem at Ketchikan.

I took the Totem Bight State Park and Ketchikan City Tour. This was $32. And 2 ½ hrs. The totems were set with their faces out to sea. They were used as identification for passing canoes, as the families living in the area appeared to have travelled by canoe as we use cars. Some of the totems had hats on top and very much resembled the statues on the Easter Islands. The hats had rings around them which identified the number of potlatch meetings the people of that group had held. This was a measure of their riches and generosity .. since at a potlatch they gave away just about everything. If their guests accepted, then they were expected to reciprocate. Bit like a pyramid scheme !

The tour guides told us some of the interesting stories which were passed down by the elders. The people did not have a written language and their history had to be remembered. This reminded me of the story of Roots and how the history of his family developed and was remembered.

A totem face. Friday 9th July 1999

Spent at sea. I stayed on the top decks most of the day on deck or in the beautiful salons, watching for whales and just enjoying the view. It was also a continual treat to admire the perfect professional decor of the ship, the art works and magnificent displays of fresh flowers.

The last night was particularly beautiful as we passed through fjords and straits, the sunset was glorious and the perfume of the trees so sweet.

	View from the upper deck at night.
	View from my cabin porthole. At 11:30 p.m. We only had about four hours of semi-darkness.

Saturday 10th July 1999

There were many small boats as we approached Vancouver. The young people seemed to enjoy riding the wake waves of the Westerdam, yelling "Ya hoo" as they shot our rapids. Looked a bit dangerous to me and I wondered if they were doing this accidentally or on porpoise. My friend thought they were all "three sheets in the wind"! She was ticked off about losing her walking stick in the restaurant and I was also because I lost my reading glasses. Neither of these things were handed in and I thought that was a bit strange.

The lesson I learned on this trip was: never book city tours at either end of a cruise or flight. Although the itinerary suggested we would have ample time to tour Vancouver at either end of the Cruise, in actual fact there was no time at all. I had booked a Vancouver tour at the end of the Cruise, as I didn’t want to spend a day waiting at the airport. I had just boarded the ‘bus when a guide ran up the steps and said : "Anyone meeting a flight at 3:15p.m. must get off as this tour will cause you to miss your check-in time". Of course, that meant me, so now I am hoping to get a refund. (It is now mid September and I have not received any reply to several attempts to contact them. Apparently they do not give refunds under any circumstances, so be warned).

Sunday 11th July 1999

The dogs had been very happy at the farm. The older was sitting on the front lawns with the family when I went to collect them. Tilda said the younger enjoyed daily walks and playing with the puppies. I don’t know about my cat. The place where she was seemed extremely clean and air-conditioned, but it’s not natural for her to be so confined for a week.

I was sorry to hear my sister’s cruise ship sprang a leak. (She was supposed to be cruising in Norway). According to my contract (if hers is the same) the cruise line should reimburse her for at least a part of the cruise. It sounds as though she had quite a bad time. As I said to you, I’d never take another cruise on a small ship .. it’s impossible to get away from the engine noise and the service is not so good.

Return to other months of Diary from Canada at http://www.sentex.net~oficserv/Canlet.html

Visit a site for many photographs of North American Birds and animals.

Rhona Raskin Home Page at http://www.rhona.com.