DJ PDX

Is anyone aware if you could upgrade the drink package included with "have it all"? I have a trip booked with HIA and was wondering if I could pay the difference to upgrade the drinks package portion.

Hi Everyone. I am planning way too far ahead for our upcoming cruise, but Im getting excited already.

We will be driving to Vancouver the day before embarkation and staying in a hotel. Since this is our first time visiting Vancouver we want to make a day out of it and stay in a part of the city with lots to do. I know we can always drive from the hotel and park near the cruise port, but I was wondering if there are any hotels in the downtown area or near the port that offer weekly parking for cruise passengers. Anyone aware of any hotels that offer this type of parking accommodation?

12 hours ago, Crew News said:

just my opinion as a many time visitor to Alaska on different itineraries, all with Holland America, I sail in aft-facing staterooms so that I can step out on my balcony and see the scenery on both sides of the ship.  I can do this in my pajamas and not have to get dressed to go to the public areas to see what's on the other side of the ship.  While I am in my stateroom, I never wonder what I am missing on the other side of the ship.

 

If the Captain announces that whales are spotted on one side or the other, there is no need to rush from one side of the ship to the other along with other passengers aboard.  I just step out on my balcony with my camera and take a photograph. 

 

In Glacier Bay, the ship does a 360-degree rotation with passengers moving from side to side, often in the rain, to try to take photographs with their fellow passenger trying to raise their cameras higher than those cameras in front of them.  OTH from my fully, or partially-covered aft-facing balcony, no rain on my head or camera, and no heads blocking my photographic opportunities.

 

From my aft-facing balcony:

 

 

 

Those pictures are amazing!!

Thank you for your input, I will definitely check out aft facing cabins.

Have you found that the movement in the aft cabins is heightened on these itineraries?

My partner is nervous about seasickness so I gotta look out for him haha.

Thank you all for your suggestions and experiences!

Thanks for your input!

No I haven't seen too much discussion about it, but I am also pretty new to these boards as well.

Just trying to cover all of our bases because this is our first and potentially only cruise we will take so I want to make sure I consider everything.

Hi all! I am looking into a roundtrip from Vancouver on Koninsgdam for next year.

Every recommendation I have seen always say that the views from the starboard side are the best for an Alaska cruise. I understand why this might be the case for a one way northbound cruise, but does it matter as much on a roundtrip cruise?

I will attach a photo of our route.

Should I specifically look for starboard side verandas? Or will I get the same views from either side?

Anyone have experience on this type of itinerary?

7 hours ago, disneyochem said:

I sailed on both of these ships to Alaska this past summer—both out of Vancouver.

 

Of your two choices, I would pick the Koningsdam.  As mentioned above, the sailing from Vancouver is more scenic than Seattle.  The Koningsdam has three major advantages, IMO, for an Alaskan sailing—it has a covered pool, a promenade and the Crow’s Nest.  The Crow’s Nest is a forward-facing lounge on an upper deck that is fabulous for glacier and wildlife viewing; the Royal does not unless you pay extra for the Sanctuary (but it is not indoors).  The covered pool is nice on an Alaskan cruise—you can still hang out and swim cold weather.

 

We certainly enjoyed our cruise on the Royal but we love the Koningsdam.  Have been on it three times and have two more booked!   Both cruise lines do Alaska well—enrichment programs, lectures, etc. We enjoy the music venues a bit more on the Koningsdam— the music walk is fun in the evening.

Thank you so much! This is exactly the kind of response I was hoping for!

Yeah I originally had an indoor pool as a priority but took it off the priority list to open my options a bit, but now I realize just how nice having a warmer place to swim would be.

Good to know about the sanctuary on Princess, and the lack of promenade.

3 hours ago, Coral said:

Consider doing a one way from Vancouver to Whittier and spending a week on land in Alaska. Or vice versa.

 

Though - between the 2 ships - I would go with HAL. 

That would be Ideal!! Unfortunately I can't take enough time off for that, so Ill have to save the land portion for next time :)

Wow you guys! Thank you so much! I really appreciate the input!

May be a silly question, but based on these itineraries is the HAL itinerary less likely to have rough seas? Obviously rough or smooth seas can happen anywhere at any time, but am I correct in assuming the inside passage is a little bit more protected?

Also, are there theatre shows on koningsdam lately? 

Hi there Everyone! Im excited to finally start posting on these boards. I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions, and experiences!

My partner and I have never been on a cruise before, but I have been dying to get on a ship for years now. My partner is a little skeptical of the whole thing (seen a certain movie about a cruise disaster a few too many times), but he has agreed that he would like us to do a cruise to Alaska together. I have 2 weeks off in June next year so I figured that was as good a time as any to finally book out Alaskan cruise!

I have done hours and hours of research into what would work best for us, and I found a few options that would work well for us. We are a mid 30's couple who likes a lively atmosphere, but we don't party all that much. We like good food, good entertainment and a lot of pretty things to look at. I knew from the start that I wasn't interested in Royal Caribbean or Norwegian, which Im sure are amazing cruise lines, but I wasn't interested in any of the ships/itineraries that they have in Alaska at the moment. SO I narrowed my choices down to Celebrity, Holland America, and Princess.

There are two that I have narrowed it down to, and I literally cannot decide. Both have pros and cons and both sound wonderful. Maybe you guys can help me decide because my knowledge and experiences are limited.

Option 1: Princess

Royal Princess Roundtrip from Seattle     Veranda Cabin

This was my initial choice. We would choose the "princess Plus" option. This one was my first choice because it leaves from Seattle (which is only 3 hours away from us) and it visits Glacier Bay (which I really want to be included in our itinerary). Royal Princess looks like a gorgeous ship with lots of things to do and see.

Pros:

Ive heard wonderful things about princess

Seattle is a very easy port for us to get to

An additional port stop (unsure if Victoria is all that exciting or not)

More theatre entertainment (at least based on reviews)

Great Shore excursion options on website

A little cheaper

Cons:

Larger ship (not a deal breaker, but I always pictured a smaller ship for Alaska)

More time in open ocean (partner is afraid of getting seasick, unsure if this would be a problem with proper precautions)

Less port time in some ports

Option 2: Holland America

Koningsdam Roundtrip from Vancouver.     Veranda Cabin 

I was surprised I got so excited about this option, as I have two acquaintances who said they did not enjoy Holland America (one was my grandma who sailed on HAL over 20 years ago, and the other was a client who usually travels megaships on Royal Caribbean with her family of 5), But I loved the Itinerary for this cruise and I thought the port times and the amount of time in the inside passage were fantastic. Koningsdam also seems like a very nice ship. We would choose the "Have it All" option.

Pros:

More time in inside passage (more to look at, less open water)

Smaller Ship

Longer port times (at least in Ketchikan)

Ive heard slightly better things about HAL service and food compared to princess (let me know if this is accurate)

Holland America seems to be more "designed for Alaska"

Lots of Live music (which I love)

Cons:

Vancouver is a little further drive for us (Seattle is 3 hours from home, Vancouver is 5 hours. Not a deal breaker though)

One less port stop (no Victoria)

Seems to have less theatre entertainment (at least based on recent reviews, correct me if incorrect)

Im Pretty sure that we would greatly enjoy either cruise, but seeing as this is my first cruise I want to make sure we do it right. If you guys have any opinions or experiences on either of these ships or itineraries (or even both) let me know which you think is the better option.

Thank you!! looking forward to hearing what you all have to say!