Alaska. HAL Nieuw Amsterdam vs. Celebrity Infinity. Which to do?

Hi everyone! We are looking at booking one of these two cruises in September of 2016.

HAL is $220 per passenger more. It's a newer ship with "stops" in Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm Fjord.

Celebrity has stops at Hubbard Glacier and Icy Strait Point (interesting excursions).

We have my wife and I (early 50's), our parents, and 22 year old son.

Which to do? I posted this in the HAL forum since it's a bit pricier.

Our last two cruises were on Oceania and we loved them but we wanted a lower price this time, and we weren't crazy about their Alaska itineraries.

We have been on both these ships and the Infinity is definitely older. I think your decision ought to be made on itinerary. I am not yet familiar with where these ships depart in 2016.- Vancouver or Seattle. If Vancouver, you have the opportunity to sail the inside passage which is lovely. Have been to all the stops you mention and I think Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm are more scenic.

Have you been to Alaska before? if so, you may choose to visit places you have not been before.

Love the N Amsterdam (NYC theme). Everyone should go to Glacier Bay. But if there are excursions on Celebrity you must have; then go on Celeb. The warm summer and forest fires Alaska has been having makes me think one must get there soon.

If weather is bad (rain or fog) excursions get canceled. We almost missed Hubbard as the whole wk was foggy and raining except when we got to the glacier...still wasn't great for good pics though. Most lines go to Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan. Only time we saw animals was on a cruise that included a land tour but the deep Denali part was canceled due to SNOW!

Hi everyone! We are looking at booking one of these two cruises in September of 2016.

 

HAL is $220 per passenger more. It's a newer ship with "stops" in Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm Fjord.

 

Celebrity has stops at Hubbard Glacier and Icy Strait Point (interesting excursions).

 

We have my wife and I (early 50's), our parents, and 22 year old son.

 

Which to do? I posted this in the HAL forum since it's a bit pricier.

 

Our last two cruises were on Oceania and we loved them but we wanted a lower price this time, and we weren't crazy about their Alaska itineraries.

We are your age.....doing the Alaska Sept on NA....we didn't even even consider anything else. Did Alaska with HAL several years ago and still dream about it, hence the return trip!

Thank you everyone! Both cruises are out of Vancouver, round trip. My wife chose this cruise for her 50th birthday and she really wants to see whales. At icy Strait Point there are smaller boat excursions that virtually guarantee whale sightings. We have never been to Alaska and for all I know, the other dock ports may offer the same thing!

I'm kind of the travel/ship snob but my wife is mostly interested in the best itinerary!

Thank you everyone! Both cruises are out of Vancouver, round trip. My wife chose this cruise for her 50th birthday and she really wants to see whales. At icy Strait Point there are smaller boat excursions that virtually guarantee whale sightings. We have never been to Alaska and for all I know, the other dock ports may offer the same thing!

 

I'm kind of the travel/ship snob but my wife is mostly interested in the best itinerary!

I can't speak from personal experience but another poster on here told me that the BEST whale excursion they took was in Vancouver. (It was with Wild Whales). I have it marked because I figure if I can see them in Vancouver I will free me up for something else in Alaska. He raved about it and I never even realized it was an option.

Hubbard Glacier is much more spectacular than Glacier Bay, so the ship with that is the one I would pick. Icy Strait is an interesting, "real" Alaska port, in that it is not overwhelmed by tourists, and full of Caribbean jewelry shops. It is an interesting stop, and yes, there are whale-watching tours out of there.

Much as I like Tracy Arm, one does not sail there for the glaciers at the end; the ride is for the scenery, and just happens to have glaciers. You can go there on another Alaska cruise. Or take an excursion out of Juneau (if the timing is right and you just have to see it).

Whatever you choose, you cannot go wrong.

We have sailed on both Celebrity and HAL in Alaska but not on those particular ships. We did have the same itineraries that you have mentioned. You can do whale watching excursions in both Juneau and at Icy Straight Point. Both places have vendors who will guarantee 100% sightings of humpback whales and sometimes you will see Orcas. I believe that Vancouver is more known for Orcas.

Your ship will not take you to a glacier at Tracy Arm. You can check on the shore excursion listing for that location and you may find an excursion from the ship that takes you for a close look at the glacier at that location. I have not done that excursion because it was not offered when I went. Many people praise that excursion very highly.

Our preference was HAL over Celebrity. Many people really like Hoonah but we were not impressed. If we go back there we will definately do an excursion. We also prefer Glacier Bay over Hubbard Glacier. The scenery that you pass through going through Glacier Bay is absolutely gorgeous. There are several glaciers in Glacier Bay with the largest being Marjorie Glacier. Hubbard glacier is larger than Marjorie but both are huge. When you go to Hubbard you do not have the beauty of glacier bay or the other glaciers and sometimes due to weather you may not get close to Hubbard.

Either way I think you will enjoy it. If your preference is to see whales there is something to be said for scheduling whale watching both in Juneau and Icy Straight just in case bad weather causes cancellation of one of the excursions.

I highly recommend the Nieuw Amsterdam. She is a fine ship and a bit smaller than the Infinity.

I'll suggest you not depend on one port for whale sightings. I did a round trip last year, to Seward on Radiance of the Seas and returning on the Statendam. My brother and his SO were with me on the Radiance and took a whale watch tour at Icy Strait. All they saw was a quick flash of fluke. That's shouldn't be worth giving up glacier bay

Whatever you do keep your eyes open; whale sightings are possible most anywhere in Alaska.

Roy

Make your choice based on itinerary. Also, don't hesitate to pose the same question on the Celebrity board to acquire another perspective.

For whales, take an excursion with Harv and Marv out of Juneau. You will need to book really early, like now for Sept. 2016. They're that popular.

Although I really like whales, my favorite Alaskan excursions were bear watching trips. One was with Princess to see grizzlies. Another was with Island Wings in Ketchikan to see black bears at Anan Creek but we saw grizzlies there too. You would need to sign up for these very early too. Anan Creek is regulated by permits and has a limited number of people that can visit per day.

I've cruised Alaska on both lines and on similar ships (Celebrity Millennium and HAL Zuiderdam). In this case, since these are both r/t Vancouver cruises, I would pick the Nieuw Amsterdam over Infinity. I love the decor of NA, the staterooms are very comfortable and modern, and the specailty restaurants are excellent.

That said, my whale watching tour in Icy Strait goes down as one of my all time favorite excursions. We booked with Misty Bay and it was excellent!

We did Alaska on the Infinity (out of San Francisco) a few years ago. Afterwards, I wrote a long text comparing it to HAL's Oosterdam which is available my web site.

Bottom line: We liked Infinity, but not as well as HAL.

Please note that most, if not all, cruises visiting Glacier Bay do not actually go up Tracy Arm. The Tracy Arm stop may be classified as a "service call" in which they allow pax to transfer to a smaller catamaran which returns to the ship in Juneau.

Alaskan cruises are all about the destination. I would choose itinerary over ship.

Roz

I am going to be the odd man out here, and make one small comparison of ships. Celebrity Infinity does not have a Promenade deck that totally encircles the ship, whereas HAL does. It is something that we prefer. Once on the Promenade deck you can get anywhere on the ship easily or even just walk leisurely completely around the ship.

On our one Celebrity Constellation cruise we were always being told "you can't get there from here" having to go up a deck or down a deck to continue to our destination.

So ship choice is sometimes very important, not just cost.

I am going to be the odd man out here, and make one small comparison of ships. Celebrity Infinity does not have a Promenade deck that totally encircles the ship, whereas HAL does. It is something that we prefer. Once on the Promenade deck you can get anywhere on the ship easily or even just walk leisurely completely around the ship.

 

On our one Celebrity Constellation cruise we were always being told "you can't get there from here" having to go up a deck or down a deck to continue to our destination.

 

So ship choice is sometimes very important, not just cost.

As you say, "Once on the Promenade deck", but if you aren't there already, it's really no faster or easier than moving around on one of Celebrity's ships.

Hi everyone! We are looking at booking one of these two cruises in September of 2016.

 

HAL is $220 per passenger more. It's a newer ship with "stops" in Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm Fjord.

 

Celebrity has stops at Hubbard Glacier and Icy Strait Point (interesting excursions).

 

We have my wife and I (early 50's), our parents, and 22 year old son.

 

Which to do? I posted this in the HAL forum since it's a bit pricier.

 

Our last two cruises were on Oceania and we loved them but we wanted a lower price this time, and we weren't crazy about their Alaska itineraries.

IMO Glacier bay is THE best glacier stop in Alaska. It's a lottery system to get in and not all lines/ships can do it. I'd take that over any other Alaska itinerary .

My partner and I have been on both HAL and Celebrity and both lines are great. We were on the Celebrity Infinity (just after a dry dock with a major change) and found the ship lovely to cruise on. If you love the wrap around deck of HAL I would recommend the N. Amsterdam however we found the décor and interesting dining options on board the Infinity more to our tastes. The N. Amsterdam has the very nice Crow's Nest and Explorations Lounge which we both really love.

Took Oosterdam to AK a few years ago and it was a great cruise. We went to Glacier Bay and really enjoyed it. Seems like the crown jewel of places to cruise in AK.

Other places sound nice as well, so you will enjoy no matter which one you choose.

I prefer HAL over Celebrity. But Celebrity does have a great cruise/ship experience too.

Glad you are departing from Vancouver. The Inside Passage sounds amazing.

Hi everyone! We are looking at booking one of these two cruises in September of 2016.

 

HAL is $220 per passenger more. It's a newer ship with "stops" in Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm Fjord.

 

Celebrity has stops at Hubbard Glacier and Icy Strait Point (interesting excursions).

 

We have my wife and I (early 50's), our parents, and 22 year old son.

 

Which to do? I posted this in the HAL forum since it's a bit pricier.

 

Our last two cruises were on Oceania and we loved them but we wanted a lower price this time, and we weren't crazy about their Alaska itineraries.

I was on the Nieue Amsterdam out of Venice in May, 2011 when she was less than one year old. Have been on her sister ship Eurodam 4 times since then

I did the Panama Canal in 2013 on Infinity. The mainentance on Infinity was really bad. A/C didn't work in half of the ship, and food was horrible. Sewer smell in our cabin and outside the theater. Since 2011, Infinity has had multiple outbreaks of norovirus. Our Panama cruise was just after one of them. Meals were unchilled iceberg lettuce and dinners like Banquet frozen meals. Decorations were mirrors in the hallways, on the ceilings, and in the cabins.

This past year we were on Brilliance of the Seas (26 days) and Quantum of the Seas crossing for 12 days (May). We chose those cruises based on the itineraries. RCCL is really limiting the selection of food, like same menu every day with shrimp, beef or lamb, chicken served for both lunch and dinner in all restaurants. Kitchens are located at the rear of the ship, so you don't have a great view from your table.

I prefer the food and maintenance on HAL. Their dining rooms are located at the rear of the ship, so there are large windows overlooking the wake. Lots more selection and variety of foods.

We are doing Statendam on Sept 07 for 14 days Alaska cruise. We will NEVER cruise RCCL again.

Kathy