Holland America cruise line

Janet and I recently completed a seven-day Holland America cruise on the Volendam – from Montreal to Boston. We were accompanied by our long-time friends Jeff and Susan Nopper. (External photo attribution at end of the post #1 – 2.)

Our travel history included two prior HA cruises – the first from Anchorage, Alaska to Vancouver, BC in 2014. It included a side trip to Denali National Park before the cruise started and the journey by ship was wonderful way to see Glacier Bay; whales and wildlife; and the Alaska coastline that would be a challenge on another mode of transport.

In 2018, we took a second cruise – this one with the Noppers to the Panama Canal from Fort Lauderdale, Florida – not a full transit – through the canal from east to west – but just through the locks. After a cruise around Lake Gatun we went back through the canal to the Atlantic Ocean and explored the Caribbean.

A massive cargo ship going through the canal

I’ll give more info in a future post, but on the first two cruises, both of our ships accommodated 2,700 passengers and 1,000 crew members. The vessel for the recent trip up the St. Lawrence Seaway and around Nova Scotia was about half that size – 1,432 passengers and 647 crew.

Although we enjoyed the first two cruises, we definitely preferred the smaller ship which still had great amenities – pool, great gym and workout facility, pickleball court, casino, theater and, of course, multiple bars and restaurants.

And I’ll have to state that my wife, Janet, is not the biggest fan of cruises – partly because of a tendency for motion sickness. She gave me this cruise for my birthday although it was much better than she expected and she did not get seasick.

Janet was prepared with patches and medication but did not have to use them – the biggest swells were about three feet around Halifax.

This was a good thing because our cruise package provided fifteen “free” drinks each day. Her pharmacist told her to avoid mixing pills or patches with alcohol….

I might add that if you plan a trip, take Susan Nopper with you. Janet is an excellent planner, but Susan is the epitome of a well-prepared and informed journeyer. She always knew when, where, how what, and why……

I bemoaned the fact that I did not have my college bota bag with me given the drink quota, but there was no way we could consume that much booze. Coffee drinks also counted and one day I had to work off a caffeine high by walking the deck several miles after having four espressos.

And I have to admit that I supplemented my typical martini or microbrew with some new cocktails including a “Smokey Boulevardier.”

It was indeed smokey and one of the ship’s officers jokingly came over to the bartender and asked if he needed to alert the ship about an on-board fire as smoke was wafting over the bar as he prepared my cocktail.

The ingredients in the Boulevardier – credited to Harry McElhone, the founder, and proprietor of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris – include:

1 1/2 ounces bourbon whiskey
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 ounce Apéritif
Orange twist, for garnish

But I have to admit, my favorite drink on the ship was their beautiful Bloody Mary. I also coaxed Jeff Nopper into having his first martini – gin, up with olives.

The food was also superb with multiple eateries – formal and informal available at all times of the day. For example, take a look at the late night menu available at the Lido Cafe below.

It reminded me of my Navy destroyer when we had “Midrats from 8:00 PM to midnight:

“Midrats has been a Naval tradition dating back to 1902, when the Navy decide to make changes to Sailors’ diet by introducing a new meal to the fleet. President Theodore Roosevelt signed the 1902 Navy Ration Act that included a section for additional rations specifically for Sailors who worked the night shift.

Nowadays, Sailors can choose from breakfast items such as eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, and French toast; or dinner items like pork chops, ribs, mashed potatoes,
green beans, steak, and grilled chicken.”

The difference between the Navy and the HA cruise, was after the midnight snack, I didn’t have a watch on the bridge of the ship from midnight to 3:00 AM.

Not to get totally preoccupied with food, but the selection was amazing and and the quality very good from appetizers to desserts as you can see from the selection of cupcakes one evening and decorated cakes the next.

Fortunately, we were disciplined in our walks around the 1/3 of a mile deck just a step away from our stateroom. Surprisingly, we didn’t gain any weight.

Montreal – The City of Mary

We had a night and a morning in Montreal before the ship departed and it is a wonderful city in which one could spend days if not weeks touring this metropolis of 1.8 million people.

Since our time was limited, we took a 90-minute bus tour to see Mount Royal, the underground and the historic buildings:

“Some of the city’s earliest still-standing buildings date back to the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Although most are clustered around the Old Montreal area, such as the Sulpician Seminary adjacent to Notre Dame Basilica that dates back to 1687.” Wikipedia

Of course, even though we were limited to one evening in the city, we set out to find a watering hole or two to quench our thirsts – possibly to build up to the routine on the ship. I will fill you in on the next post, but have to leave you with this one unforgettable memory of Montreal.

We were walking in the late afternoon in the downtown area and came across a middle-aged guy with a baby carriage in which a live rabbit was contentedly riding. He offered to let the rabbit get out and run around.

Of course, I wanted to make a comment that this was not the kind of hops I was seeking for my the Beerchaser blog, but the others told me to hold my tongue and he rolled his cargo away when the light changed.

Not the kind of hops Thebeerchaser was seeking….

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1 – #2. Holland America Website (Cruises Search Award-Winning Cruises – Find Deals & Packages (hollandamerica.com).

Mt. McKinley – the tallest peak in North America

Alaska is not the only place in the United States where one can still find pristine wilderness, but the magnitude of the expansive unspoiled forest, glacial fiords, diverse wildlife AND good bars make it a worthy trip – one which Thebeerchaser and his spouse experienced for eleven days in late June.

Boarding the Statendam in Seward

Robert Louis Stevenson said, “Old and young, we are all on our last cruise,” and since we had never been on a cruise, we decided to take the Holland-America Inside Passage cruise on the Statendam – a wonderful decision.

We flew into Anchorage and had a day in this picturesque city, before a day train trip to Denali National Park for two days.

The bar in the Glacier BrewHouse

Of course, it was important to get a feel for the bars in Anchorage – not that I could deduct the trip, but Thebeerchaser has a reputation to uphold. So for lunch in the city, we stopped at a brewery recommended by the hotel – The Glacier BrewHouse – for a good salad and split a Glacier Brewery Imperial Blonde – it was good and rejuvenated us after the flight. The Brewery produces more than 4,500 barrels per year.

Adventurous spirit was not required to find the next bar – since it was a half block from our hotel, but Darwin’s Theory will go down as one of my favorite bars on this trip and on the three-year Thebeerchaser’s Tour of Portland Bars, Taverns and Pubs. After dinner, while Janet rested, I walked to this wonderful institution – one that had NO draft beer, wine or hard liquor, but free popcorn, a great jukebox and an outstanding environment. Read two Yelp reviews which were spot on!

Survival of the Fittest embodied…..

“When you step inside, you’ll realize that this is no hipster dive bar. No sir! This has been a dive bar since inception and doesn’t appear to have changed. Beer in the bottle, great service, and interesting patrons round out the perfect dive-bar experience.” Yelp – 11/13 by Eric from Nevada City, CA

On a Friday night, the place was jammed and I sat next to a guy named Bill – in his fifties and an oil field worker, in addition to having fished in the Bering Sea and running marijuana from Mexico to the East coast in the ’70’s. “I had an old Lincoln with really big fenders….” I asked him about bars in Anchorage and he said to be careful because in the last few years there had been a few shootings at bars close by.

The “patio” outside Darwin’s

I thought he was exaggerating, but checked out stories on the internet and he was correct. To wit:

At J.J.’s Lounge on Oct. 10, 2011 – two people killed.

Three men shot and injured outside a downtown Anchorage nightclub – the Anchor Pub in June 2013 – three blocks from Darwin’s.

November 11, 2013 – A shooting wounded a woman and left a man in critical condition outside of the Office Lounge, a Midtown Anchorage bar.

One of the reasons, I felt safe in Darwin’s was the bartender – Barbara Jean – who told me that the bar was 30 years old and she had worked there 29 of them. She was friendly and her patrons loved her, but she was tough and would not tolerate rowdiness. She put me on the Darwin’s mailing list and didn’t hesitate when I asked to take her picture with Thebeerchaser logo. (Darwin, the last name of the owner celebrated his 70th birthday that Saturday – and there was going to be a big celebration.)

: Barbara Jean with Thebeerchaser logo

Another review from a Portland guy who visited Darwin’s in November, 2013 is worth quoting from Yelp. Ryan P. said:

“ABSOLUTELY the the best bar I’ve been to in Anchorage! The ladies tending the bar were amazingly nice and welcoming and made me feel right at home. Coming from a local bar town like Portland, it was very nice to have the same type of feel in this place.

From the moment I walked in I felt completely comfortable and welcomed. I LOVE THIS BAR. I’ve heard it can be crowded at times, which is reasonable considering how small the space is, but the service is THE BEST. PLEASE VISIT THIS PLACE! They are amazing!”

I paid $4 for my bottle of PBR and the same amount for a Silver Gulch Brewery’s Silver Gulch’s Northern Light (Bill’s recommendation from a good Anchorage brewery) and paid in cash based on the sign on the bar: “We accept no out-of-town checks and damn few local ones!”

We did not partake at any other Anchorage watering holes, but embarked on a walking tour and took some pictures – it showed a number of interesting options:

Snow Goose Restaurant and Sleeping Lady Brewery – what a great patio on the roof overlooking the bay.

The Pioneer Bar – “As a connoisseur of dive bars this one ranks up there. To start off, despite what opinion you have of PBR, any place that serves 24 oz. cans of PBR has a lot of class. Not to mention all the Alaskan beers on tap and knowledgeable bartenders . (Colin from Anchorage on Yelp 7/2011

In case you need directions to The Pioneer Bar….

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Humpy’s Great Alaskan Ale House – presumably named after the whale and not a patron – looked interesting and had “more beers than all the other bars in Anchorage combined,” on tap. It has a sister pub in Kona, Hawaii and got mixed reviews, in part, based on slow service and mediocre food, but does have live music. It will have to wait for another visit, but had a lively crowd, expansive menu and looked intriguing.

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The Gaslight Lounge – This is one that you might want to avoid based on violence reported above at other bars. Four of the five reviews on CitySearch did not recommend this bar and two mentioned fights

Not recommended…..

“Trashlight Lounge – I worked next door for years and every time I regrettably went in, there was an absence of friendliness. Staff were mostly arguing with drunk customers. It became a joke to look out our back window and watch the fights roll out of the bar every night….it seems to revel in it’s low class reputation among downtown. (ja4vlink – pre 2014)

McGinley’s Pub – While one might be suspicious of a bar that advertises itself as “A touch of Old Ireland in the heart of downtown Anchorage,” they have a great website. We ran out of time and just took a picture of the entrance – which looked a little boring – but they have a bunch of dark beers and ciders on tap, serve corned beef and cabbage , sheppards pie, and bangers and mash in addition to standard pub faire.

Some questioned whether it was really an “Irish experience.”

It got mixed reviews on Trip Advisor, which had them rated 161 of 674 restaurants in Anchorage based on the 67 reviews submitted – 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Glacier Bay Brewery and Darwin’s were definitely hits in Anchorage.

We embarked on the train the next morning for the seven to eight hour trip to Denali National Park through some wonderful scenery. The bald eagles were magnificent and as we saw one dive successfully for a salmon out the window, I reflected on the observation of one Alaskan resident:

“Alaska in the summer, is a great place to be a bird.”