Pictures from the AOT Alaskan Adventure

Only in Alaska

Fabulous Alaska

Cruising on the Inside Passage

Sunset on the Inside Passage

Pictures from the AOT Alaska Adventure

AOT Travelers in Haines, AK - Ryndam in background

Cruise ships visiting Juneau

Ryndam at the dock in SUNNY downtown Juneau

Ketchikan

SUNSHINE in normally rainy Ketchikan

Cruising on the College Fjord

The calm waters of beautiful Glacier Bay

Mt. Fairweather, over 15,000' high

Margerie Glacier

Margerie Glacier "calving"

The AOT Alaskan Travelers

Ketchikan and the Inside Passage

Ketchikan is in a Pacific Rainforest where they measure thir annual rainfall in feet, not inches. It rains over 300 days a year there, BUT we had a perfectly sunny, warm day in which to enjoy Ketchikan. We waited for the Noordam to vacate our dock, then we tied up at 1:42 PM. Some of our travelers went salmon fishing, and some explored the town and the surrounding attractions. It was, all in all, a great albeit unique experience!
Saturday was a day of resting, playing on the ship, and packing. We had a salmon bake for lunch around the pools and a special Master Chef’s Dinner, complete with entertainment and typically outstanding food.
We wll complete this blog next week with pictures from the trip.
A GREAT TIME WAS HAD BY ALL!

College Fjord & Clacier Bay

WOW! Are we having the good fortune of terrific weather! College Fjord was beautiful - the tidewater glaciers gracefully snaking down to the water, and the green hills and snowcapped mountains rising into a bright blue sky. Tuesday we cruised into Glacier Bay, with Mt. Fairweather acting as a sentinel for us. It is rare that 15,000+ feet high Mt. Fairweather is visible, but the mountain rose above the other peaks in the Fairweather Range in all its glory for us to see and admire. Marjorie Glacier was very active, and she had one major calving just after we arrived. Several of our travelers got spectacular pictures and footage of this event, said by the NPS rangers to be among the best they had seen this summer! Calving is when huge chunks of ice break off the glacier and fall into the ocean, making a very large wave and creating icebergs.

After a nice smooth overnight sail, we docked early Wednesday morning in Haines, an infrequently visited Alaskan port city on the Lynn Canal, and the AOT travelers spread out to a variety of adventures. Some went to Skagway (14 miles away by boat, and 350 miles by road!) and took tours from there. The most popular was a ride on the White Pass and Yukon Road narrow gauge train up through the White Pass, retracing the steps of the golddiggers of late 19th century fame.


Thursday we cruised into Juneau, the land-locked capital of Alaska. Our day included a plethora of events for our trvelers, not the least of which was a spectacular helicopter ride the the face of Mendanhall Glacier, just a few miles from Juneau. Others elected to ride on a float plane, take a bus tour of Juneau area, go fishing, or just shopping in the myriad of stores in town, just off the ship.

The food on this cruise is absolutely wonderful, and the service so far has been unparalleled!
Holland America can be proud of the award-winning Ryndam!

I will close with the time-honored cliche - HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME - WISH YOU WERE HERE.

On board the Ryndam

Today is Monday, August 13, and all our travelers have arrived at the port of Seward from Anchorage and Denali and have embarked the ship. This was a day of beautiful scenery complimented by outstanding weather. We cruised in the College Fjord where 7 galciers reach the surface of the water.
Tonight was formal night at the Rotterdam dining room, and everyone cleaned up quite well.
We will be cruising in Glacier Bay tomorrow.
There are a lot of digital camera fans in our group, so we will have lots of pictures when we get back to Baltimore.

This is a picture from the Holland America website of our ship. We will be boarding tomorrow in Seward, Alaska, cruising to College Glacier, Glacier Bay, Haines, Juneau, and Ketchikan before arriving in Vancouver, BC on August 19.

25 Adventurers Explore and Cruise in Alaska

Alaska-bound adventurers from the Baltimore area left the East Coast in three sections; some visiting Denali National Park via rail, and others flying to Anchorage and travelling directly to the Holland America ship, RYNDAM, for the 7-day cruise down the inside passage to Vancouver.

The following description of the RYNDAM is taken from the Holland America website:
ms Ryndam

With a Dutch worldwide exploration theme, the decor of the ms Ryndam features art and artifacts from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Guests aboard this spacious ship encounter elegance at every turn - from a string quartet serenade in the splendid Rotterdam Dining Room to the two-deck Vermeer Show Lounge. At the heart of the ms Ryndam a three-story atrium features a monumental fountain created by sculptor Gilbert Lebigre in Pietrasanta, Italy. And with a gracious and unobtrusive crew, the superior service that is signature Holland America Line is never far away.

Like her sister ships, the ms Ryndam is designed to provide more space for fewer guests than other ships in her class (149 of her staterooms feature private verandahs). The ms Ryndam completed all Signature of Excellence enhancements to public rooms and staterooms in Spring 2005.

Ship's Registry The Netherlands
Passenger capacity 1,260
Crew members 602
Gross tonnage 55,819 grt.
Length 720 feet
Beam 101 feet
Maximum speed 22 knots



Stay tuned for future posts.

Joyce and Marty Staub of Baywood in Long Neck, DE are escorting an Alaska cruise August 12-19, 2007 for Accent on Travel, a travel agency in Towson, MD. We will update the blog throughout the trip. Please check back periodically for pictures and stories about the cruise.