first time

Hi all, my wife and I are cruising for the first time! We are cruising Alaska. Any and all comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated...

some questions we have:

how do meals work?

what should we bring?

what kind of clothes to bring?

what kind of room is best? balcony, oceanview, inside, etc?

what deck is best for the cabin?

any certain part on the ship to stay away from, cabin wise?

We are cruising with Holland.

We are super excited but also a little nervous because we are newbies.......

Hi all, my wife and I are cruising for the first time! We are cruising Alaska. Any and all comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated...

some questions we have:

how do meals work?

what should we bring?

what kind of clothes to bring?

what kind of room is best? balcony, oceanview, inside, etc?

what deck is best for the cabin?

any certain part on the ship to stay away from, cabin wise?

We are cruising with Holland.

We are super excited but also a little nervous because we are newbies.......

Welcome to Cruise Critic and HAL.

All meals are free in the Lido Market (buffet) as well as the Main Dining Room. This also includes the Late themed-snack at 10:30 PM. Fixed meal times and table in the Main Dining Room are 5:30 and 8:00 PM OR Anytime dining is whenever you choose to go after 6:00 PM. Non-alcoholic beverages are free. Sodas and alcoholic beverages are extra.

Bring layers of clothing to Alaska as well as waterproof jackets. Backpacks for excursions for your layers as you remove them with temperature increases.

Deck five aft covered balconies are best on Vista Class ships. What ship are you on?

Make sure you join your roll call here on CC.

There are lots of seasoned HAL cruisers that have lots of answers so feel free to use the HAL Forum as well as your roll call in your planning.

Hope this gets you started in your planning.

Bring plenty of memory for your cameras because there is MUCH to take pictures of. Bring more than one camera in case something happens to your main one - cellphone pics...they look best on a phone for the most part... Also, a pair of binoculars is a good idea. I almost didn't bring any because I had to borrow a pair and I'm glad that I did. I didn't take them with me anywhere but left them just inside the door to our cabin balcony - it was great to be able to grab them when I saw something interesting and wanted a better look. I can't imagine a cabin without a balcony but some people aren't particular - it's nice to have your own space to be able to walk out and get some air and watch the scenery without other people hanging around. Good luck! You're going to have a great time.

Hi all, my wife and I are cruising for the first time! We are cruising Alaska. Any and all comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated...

some questions we have:

how do meals work?

what should we bring?

what kind of clothes to bring?

what kind of room is best? balcony, oceanview, inside, etc?

what deck is best for the cabin?

any certain part on the ship to stay away from, cabin wise?

We are cruising with Holland.

We are super excited but also a little nervous because we are newbies.......

All meals in the main dining room and lido are included in your fare. There are other venues that have an additional cost. You may find that you want to be ashore when the meals are served on board. (Just something to think about. I'm not going to rush to be back on the ship for a meal.)

Bring layers - so you can take something off or add something depending on your comfort level. I'm bringing a 3 in 1 coat so that I can have a rain coat or jacket without having to wear both.

hat/gloves/scarf combo - there is a cool breeze while the ship is moving (if you are outside taking photos this is something to think about, if you will be sitting in the Crows nest, then maybe not.) it is also cool/cold near the glaciers.

light backpack - so you have a place to put your jacket/sweater if you are not wearing it.

There are a multitude of posts on cruise critic, pinterest, blogs, etc. with recommendations on what to bring. Some of this is personality based. Do you want to plan for every eventuality - the food is too rich for your tastes to you need pepto-bismol, Aspirin, cough drops, etc. or go with the flow, what are the odds that you will need a band-aide?

Seriously, you can feel the need to bring a ton of stuff only to realize that there isn't a lot of space in which to store it in your cabin.

(I'm travelling with an 8.5 year old on a 14-night cruise to Alaska in July - so I am really thinking about what we will be bringing with us.)

I stay in inside rooms, I prefer the 360 views available on the top decks to the limited view that you have on your own balcony. And I can think of a lot of other ways to spend that money. (Excursions are expensive.) Your budget may be more flexible...

I would stay away from cabins that are under public places - like the pool deck.

Hi all, my wife and I are cruising for the first time! We are cruising Alaska. Any and all comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated...

some questions we have:

 

how do meals work? As mentioned earlier all meals are free except the specialty restaurants. Anything onshore will be at your expense.

 

what should we bring? Extra memory and an extra battery for your camera, charging cords for batteries and cell phones, multi outlet extension cord to charge everything, Binoculars, motion sickness patches if you need them. Suntan lotion. Backpack.

 

what kind of clothes to bring? Depends on which month you are sailing. You might need shorts and a polo. But the weather can be unpredictable. Before you leave check online what the forecast looks like that will help, but isn't a guarantee. So as was mentioned you want to dress in layers. Hat, Gloves and a scarf just in case. Better to have them and not need them. Maybe good hiking boots or good tennis shoes (waterproof if possible) A waterproof or water repellant jacket. It can get rainy in July and August.

 

what kind of room is best? balcony, oceanview, inside, etc? We like balconies. Yes, you see more on deck and you will spend time on the upper decks. But the balcony is nice to just step out and relax early morning or in the evening. There will be a lot of daylight during your trip. If you want to save money and spend it on excursions there is nothing wrong with an inside cabin. Just make sure you bring a night light.

 

what deck is best for the cabin? Personal choice as far as location; mid-ship, forward or aft. I might suggest since this is your first time cruising that Dolphin, Caribe or Baja might be your best choice. More mid-ship and less rocking and rolling.

 

any certain part on the ship to stay away from, cabin wise? Getting a cabin under public places. Go to the Holland websites and pull up the ship you are on. You can look at the different decks and get an idea where some of the cabins are located.

 

We are cruising with Holland.

 

We are super excited but also a little nervous because we are newbies.......

Which month? As mentioned join your Roll Call and meet some of the folks that will be on the same ship as you. Go to Roll Call, Holland and click on you ship. Then look for the date you are sailing.

Check with your cell phone provider and see what they may have for Canada roaming or calls. It is possible that you could ping off a Canadian tower and you could be hit up with extra charges. Also let your credit card companies know you are cruising and especially which card will be used onboard. I have seen people the last day scrambling to pay their balance and the credit card company has a hold on the card. Even though you are still in the United States, making a purchase in Alaska might flag your credit card.

There have been some great answers from other cruisers.

Good luck and have fun.

how do meals work?

Well covered above but also there are other places to grab food (depending on ship) such as a burger or pizza other than the Lido Market. Also on HAL there is a tradition of Dutch Split-Pea Soup on deck which is excellent. Not every day and might be on a glacier day (Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier) so watch for it in the daily newsletter/planner it is excellent.

what should we bring?

Also covered but don't forget a warm hat (like stocking cap) and gloves. It can be chilly near glaciers. Also - some sort of bathroom organizer that hangs on the door for toiletries, medications, grooming items, etc... Cruise ship bathrooms are only a little bigger than a phone booth (if you remember those) unless you are in a suite so there is no place to put things. We have one that zips along all the edges into a cube but unfolds to about four feet tall to hang from the hook on the door with lots of plastic pouches for things. Well worth the investment.

what kind of clothes to bring?

Ditto on layers and waterproof shell. At night there will be a couple Gala Nights where you may dress up if you wish or do "smart casual" as in non-jeans and collared shirts for men. We like to dress up for these to make the evening a little more special. Frequently held on sea day or cruising evenings(no port stop days).

what kind of room is best? balcony, oceanview, inside, etc?

Whatever your budget allows - balcony on smaller ship will be a lot more than balcony on a larger ship that has more of them. Balconies to Alaska get underutilized due to frequent wet/cold and views are much better from top deck or Crow's Nest lounge. Insides are darker (very dark) in long summer daylight hours but it is nice to be able to see out.

what deck is best for the cabin?

Check ship deck plans carefully and note what is above and below particular cabins. For Alaska midships stability is not as big a factor so forward or aft are OK. On some ships lifeboats can block view downward from balconies or obstruct Oceanview cabins. Again, check the deck plans for all decks around a cabin.

any certain part on the ship to stay away from, cabin wise?

Elevator banks can be noisy but you also don't want to be a mile away from them either.

We are cruising with Holland.

(y)

We are super excited but also a little nervous because we are newbies.......

We all are once. Welcome to cruising and CC