boohoyal

Great review!

 

We're planning to do a multi-gen cruise to Alaska next summer when my kids are 7 and 9, my husband and I will be early/mid-40s, my parents mid-70s, DH's parents late 70s/early 80s, his sister early 50s, and our niece and nephew just graduated from high school. Still trying to figure out what cruise line.

 

I did this trip when my brother and I were 7 and 9, my parents mid-40s, my grandparents mid-to-late 60s, and cousins were 10 and 6. We did Sitmar then (it was bought out by Princess the next year). I'm considering Princess again, or maybe NCL.

There are pros and cons with each cruise line. Looking back, we had a great cruise and I would definitely go on Holland again. The NCL Bliss has a great ship and itinerary but there is something to be said for the simple pleasures on Holland. If you have a big family group with you, you may prefer NOT having all the activities to pull the kids away from the family quality time.

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We didn't have great weather during our trip in mid-June. Just one sunny day. However we saw the most wildlife on the rainiest days! The worst weather was in Skagway and we saw two bears, two lynx and a hare that day.

We took a float plane tour in Ketchikan in mid-June. It was our sunniest day, 70 degrees outside, but it was warmer inside our plane. I took off my layers down to a t-shirt and rolled up my pants. It was a little turbulent so I appreciated being able to take off those layers and sip some cold water. We landed in a mountain lake and our pilot gave us the time to take our shoes off to wade in the water. It was beautiful!

We went to Skagway a few weeks ago with my two ages 11 and 13. We did a private van tour with Beyond Skagway on the way up and the train ride down. The kids loved the dog mushers camp at Tagish Lake, the adults did too. The kids were pretty pooped and bored for the train ride home but the adults loved it! If you need to save some $, and you are somewhat adventurous and prepared, you could rent a car and drive to Carcross and back, stopping along the way as needed. You have to bring your map and plans in advance though because there is no cell service. It's not hard though - pretty much one road the whole way.

We just got off the Volendam in Alaska and had a very different experience with the kids club. There were 32 kids on board for our sailing so they combined ages 3-12 into one group. My 11 year old (going on 21 - ha!) refused to hang out with 3 year olds. He wanted to be with his 13 year old sister in the teen room but they wouldn't allow that. We dropped in and checked in a few times during the week for the schedule and there were never any kids in either the kids room or teen room. They ended up cancelling the activities. So, we all played scrabble and monopoly, my daughter read a book, and my son played ping pong and swam in the pool. It worked out for us in the end, but the kids club was a total bust. Other than that, we absolutely loved the Volendam!!!

We are new to cruising and just returned from a Holland ship to Alaska, which was wonderful. I'm looking at going to the Caribbean next, and am thinking about trying Royal. There was no upselling on our Holland ship. They charged for Bingo which cost $30 but the prizes were great (a free cruise for the first bingo and a $1000 for the second!). They sold art and jewelry but they were in separate rooms - not in your face. We had a promo for the one fee restaurant (normally costs $35pp) and the drink package so all that was included. The food in the included Main Dining Room was incredible - filet, lobster, shrimp cocktail, grilled salmon, fresh-caught halibut - all included. We bought sodas for our kids using our drink package, but a couple of times they bought them themselves for $2.50 each. I think our bill at the end was about $10 for those sodas! All that being said, Holland doesn't have the bells & whistles that Royal has. In Alaska, my son saw the huge Royal and Norwegian ships with their waterslides so now the cat is out of the bag and we're looking at those for our next trip. I hate the upselling too though and that discourages me. Thanks for your review!

Trip Report of three generations in Alaska with tweens ages 11 and 13. Cruised on the HAL Volendam. 7night roundtrip from Vancouver to Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and Juneau.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=56357679#post56357679

Thanks so much for all everyone's help with planning!! I wanted to pay it forward with a report of our incredible trip! We were 3 generations with grandparents in their 70s, mom/dad, and tweens (11 and 13). First trip to Alaska.

Volendam: We’re new to cruising (one time on the Disney Dream) and we loved the Volendam! Common areas and bathrooms were renovated in the recent dry dock. The cabins and the whole boat was so spacious and clean, there was always a seat available, always room in the hot tub, and it was easy to get around. Getting on/off the ship couldn’t have been smoother - very few lines or crowds at all.

Food/Service: We were blown away by how good the food was, and we are somewhat foodies. The filet and king crab legs at the Pinnacle were delicious. Loved the Eggs Florentine, the crepes station and swiss-style muesli for breakfast in the Lido buffet. Shrimp cocktail and seared salmon in the MDR. Bacon avocado burger in the MDR for lunch. Basil curry chicken in the Lido buffet lunch. The only thing that was so-so was the soups, desserts, and the cocktails (way too sweet). The Signature Bev Package came as a promo which we loved. The beers and liquors included were great. The wine selection for $9 was a touch on the weak side but it was ok. The service was incredible.

Activities: The HAL clientele definitely swings older, which we knew going in. We picked this ship for the itinerary/Inside Passage. Not a problem though because we met a little 40’s crowd and hung out with them at the blackjack tables after dinner. Loved meeting people from all over the world as just a third or so were from the US. Loved the casino, bingo, team trivia, America’s Test Kitchen, the gym, Lido bar/hot tubs, and watching the bald eagles from the Crows Nest with our pre-dinner cocktail!

Kids: On our sailing in mid-June, there were only 30 kids under 17yo on board besides our two. The Kids Club was a total bust because HAL combined 3 to 12 yr olds into one group (?!?) which meant my 11yo wasn’t having any part of it. When no one participated after the first few days, they cancelled the events. My 13yo was fine - she was reading Twilight which completely absorbed her for 500 pages. :) My 11yo met a few other boys and they rotated from ping pong to the pool to basketball to X-box (I reminded them constantly not to disturb other passengers, and I hope they didn’t!). In summary, if your kids need structured activities, waterslides, and other bells & whistles to be happy, HAL is not the cruise line for you. For our family, we were happy with the old-school activities like ping pong, scrabble, and just cuddling under blankets watching the scenery float by. On the last day, my son was bored and complaining and we got a few stern looks from other passengers. Then the NICEST older gentleman came over and talked to my son for 15 minutes and totally snapped him out of it (thank you to the nice man from Alberta celebrating his 60th wedding anniversary!!)

Favorite Excursions: 1st- float plane in Ketchikan to Misty Fjords with Randy at Mountain Air (we landed in a remote lake and did a polar bear plunge in the icy water!), 2nd - Glacier Bay cruising day (the Margerie Glacier calving was incredible!), and 3rd - private van tour with Beyond Skagway (including a stop at the sled dog camp and the train back down the mountain). The only one that was so-so was the HAL Tracy Arm Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer with Marine Allen (gorgeous scenery but 6 hours was a little too long to be cooped up on a small boat for our active crew).

Also, we did 3 days DIY beforehand: Downtown Seattle (the usual stuff plus Ballard Locks w/salmon viewing window and the REI store which were both fun), daytrip to Mt. Rainier with Evergreen Escapes (highly recommend!!!), train to Vancouver, bike ride through Stanley Park (the best city biking ever! be sure to catch the interior forest trails as well as the perimeter path if you have a hybrid bike rental). Highly recommend the Hyatt at Olive 8 in Seattle - great location, fabulous gym and indoor pool.

Packing tips: Bring an insulated cup for coffee to take off the boat with you. A small bag to hold your phone and card while on the ship. Tights and cardigan for gala evenings on the ship because it’s cool. Bring a warm hat for the summit at Skagway. Definitely a packable rain jacket. The weather fluctuates like crazy from 40 to 80 degrees. Laundry with HAL is cheap and easy so plan to take advantage of it. Don't bring long underwear (not that cold) or a swim coverup (bathrobes included).

In summary, this was a fabulous family trip for three generations. The cruise was easy and there was something for everyone. Alaska is a national treasure and I’m so glad we were able to experience it. Thanks for all your help! Feel free to reach out with questions.

This is all very helpful - thank you!!! My 13 yo is too big to stay with us and my 9yo is too much of a wiggle worm so we probably won't have them sleep in our bed. Given that, we may keep the main bed as twins so that we can walk through there better. Both of my kids will want to climb up in the bed vs using the ladder. I have an idea of how it will work now so thank you!

Hello,

Our family of four is staying on the Volendam in an Oceanview EE room. How does this work? It seems that one bed pulls out from the wall and one will stay on a pull-out sofa? Anyone have pictures? We have the main bed configured as a queen but I'm wondering if two twins would give a little extra needed space in the middle.

We leave next week, and my kids, 11 and 13, have grown SO MUCH since I booked this cruise. I'm starting to stress about how we're going to fit!

Thanks so much for all your help, folks!

Hello,

Does anyone know of Aberlour or Macallan Scotch Whiskey is available to purchase by the bottle for your stateroom on the Volendam? I found a 2017 list online and they were not included then. My father-in-law is traveling with us and he likes his scotch! Thanks!

Hi there,

We are planning a float plane trip for our day in Ketchikan. My husband wants to actually "plant his feet" on a glacier at some point during the cruise and I'm wondering if we can do this with our float plane trip. We're looking at the Island Wings' Misty Fjord / Glacier Combo Tour. Does anyone know if you actually get out on a glacier during this trip? It's a good bit more expensive - $385pp vs $295...

Thanks in advance for your help!

We had the same situation and decided on Volendam mainly because it’s Wed to Wed and there are fewer boats in the ports for the Juneau and Skagway days. Also we were able to fly in/out using points midweek. We weren’t booking a balcony so that was a moot point. I hear the NA has a specialty restaurant called Tamarind that people like. Good luck!

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I think you made a good decision. I picked HAL, same ship for many of the reasons you did. I did a lot of research. Unless the kids are literally running around, they should be fine. Kids are kids. We are on the Aug 15th sailing!!!!

Great! Well I'll be sure to do a trip report after my sailing in June so keep an eye out for tips! :)

I would not base any AK decisions on anything happening on the ship. You are doing AK for what you see off the ship, the ports that you stop at and the times in port. What happens on the ship would be the dead last determining factor to me.

 

DON

I agree with this sentiment! Ultimately itinerary was the most important thing so we let that be our deciding factor... HAL!

Hi there,

Thanks in advance for your help!

We are traveling on HAL on a RT cruise to Alaska in June on an itinerary that includes GB. Our kids are as active as any other 11 and 12 year olds and may get tired of too much "scenic cruising".

Our trip offers the Tracy Arm drop-off in the morning on the Juneau day and we're considering that excursion because it seems unique and gets great reviews. It's called the Tracy Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer. Questions: Does that excursion seem like a long time on the boat (it's 6 hours)? Do you get off the boat onto land to explore at all? Is it mostly riding around looking at glaciers? Is it similar to the day in GB?

For reference, in Skagway (the following day) we are renting a car and hope to "free form" it a bit without an official tour. Hope to hit the Caribou Crossing dog sled camp and Emerald Lake. They'll get to run around a bit on this day.

Sorry for delay. To answer your question jaitip, we settled on HAL Volendam for a few reasons: 1 - it travels in/out Vancouver which we preferred, 2 - it travels Wed - Wed and we were using Delta Skymiles points for flights and they were cheaper mid-week, 3 - we don't like crowds and preferred this smaller boat, 4 - it travels the Inside Passage which sounds like better scenery, and 5- it spends a long time in port each day so that means more time off the boat.

We do have kids with us though and I realize this may not be the best boat for kids. I'm worried they are going to be running around getting scolded by the older passengers all the time but we are making sure we have active excursions to give them that outlet.... more time off the boat helps with that.

Good luck!

Hi there Mapleleaves or others,

My husband and father-in-law would have time to go fishing in Vancouver before we depart. How is the salmon fishing in Vancouver compared to Alaska? There are so many OTHER fun things to do in Alaska, it would be nice to have another day for other excursions. Thoughts or experience on this? Thank you!

Great info kenicott. My source of info is not the TA so much, instead I'm looking at the itinerary maps on the cruise website and whether it says Inside Passage on the itinerary list. It does appear that HAL leaves the port in Vancouver and stays east of Vancouver Island. Glad to hear that's where I want to me!

Thanks everyone for your input! I just booked with HAL. We'll do Princess next time. :)

This is so helpful - thank you for posting!

I'm sorry to bother everyone again but I just can't make a decision on this cruise! Can someone please help?

Holland wins on itinerary and price - RT from Vancouver visits both Glacier Bay and Inside Passage, and it spends longer in Ketchikan, which would be great for our fishing excursion there, and it's about $1500 cheaper (with Explore4, since we have 3rd and 4th guests). Princess is not as great on itinerary - their RT from Seattle spends a short time in the Inside Passage, and leaves Ketchikan early at 1:30.

Also, I found some activities lists and the Princess activities looked like a much better fit because we are an active family that likes to spend time TOGETHER vs sending the kids off to kids club (Princess: family scavenger hunt and photography workshop vs HAL: Digital Workshop on how to use mail, a class on good back posture and a kids-only scavenger hunt)

We've never been on a cruise before - what is more important? Someone please help me make a decision before Explore4 runs out tomorrow! :) Thank you a million times!

Thank you so much! This is exactly what I was looking for. You guys are the best.

Hello,

We have a group of 3 generations, including two kids ages 11 and 13, headed to Alaska this summer, either on the Volendam, N. Amsterdam, or Ruby Princess. I have heard that Princess offers more activities, and I've seen a Princess Patters that looked full of fun stuff. What activities are on the Volendam on a typical sea day? Anyone have an example "Patters" for HAL?

Thanks in advance!

I got a travel agent to help with this. Thanks so much everyone!