DnA2010

We did two Alaska cruises on the Volendam and really enjoyed them. Nice ship and I like the size of her.

 

One thing - sailing on a Wed is great, as at most ports there will be few (if any) other ships in port while you are there (same for sail and disembarkation days in Vancouver).

That's great news, thanks!

DnA --

 

There! I'm glad some people with pertinent information found this thread and shared their knowledge!

 

You may not find a roll call -- you can start one, but no one may join. I don't know why AK cruises are often sparse on RC participation; no one ever joined mine last year (and I even listed all the Land-n-Sea numbers that were going to join or leave part way, still nada). Well, with eight of us we were our own group and you will have some numbers yourself! Sounds like your teen will be fine anyway.

I took your advice and started one :) will see if anyone jumped on board in the next few weeks.

We are very excited, it will be a great time away together.

Hi All,

I can't seem to figure out if HAL requires a passport for an infant who will be 11 months at the time of sailing. The cruise is round trip Vancouver and we are Canadian citizens.

Thank you!

HI, We took 3 grandkids on Volendam to Alaska out of Vancouver. They loved it. They especially loved swimming every day! The kids were 11, 13 and 15, or so. The younger two (girl and boy) spent more time with the kids activities than the oldest (girl) who stuck with us mostly. And they loved the food too. They spent more time than some kids might watching for wildlife and did see some whales which thrilled them.

 

In Skagway they enjoyed the National Parks Service exhibit on the Gold Rush very much, more than I'd have expected, and they talked about it for days and still remember it. It's a free exhibit near the end of the pier as you walk into town.

 

In Ketchikan they wanted to see the birds of prey and the totem poles, both of which you can walk to and do on your own, nominal entrance fees.

 

You might want to consider car rentals as a more economical way to see places in and around Skagway and Ketchikan. You can drive a lot of the route that the White Pass and Yukon Railroad takes you - road on one side of the canyon, rail on the other side. Driving, you can stop and get out when desired. There are also mini-bus type tours available at the pier and in town but with a large group you might be better to book ahead.

 

Check out the roll call for your cruise, you might discover other teens who are booked. Happy planning, m--

Thank you so much for your reply! This is just what I wanted to hear! The 13 year old loves swimming and will be happy to hear the pool is open and that there were kids enjoying the programming

I looked for a roll call but I didn't seem to find one- I will take another look :)

Disney is a good cruise line for both food and young people activities. Do they go to Alaska?

 

All mainline cruise lines will serve "banquet level food" as their included main dining room food service. They are preparing thousands and thousands of meals a day in a limited galley space, with pre-packaged supplies on hand. And for their 24 hour army of crews behind the scenes as well. It is amazing the food comes out as good and as varied as it does on HAL ships, for the price. In fact it is so good, we rarely bother with the specialty extra cost dining options.

Disney goes to Alaska, but is much much more expensive unfortunately and also doesn't go to Glacier Bay which I was told was a must see. I just did a quick price check and Disney would be around 8K more for the same dates next year for our 3 cabins.

We've been quite happy with the MDR food that we've had on cruises so far, glad to hear that HAL will be good also.

Thanks so much for your thoughts

We were on te Volendam last april/may, a crossing from Yokohama to Vancouver with a stop on Kodiak, cruising Glacier Bay and a stop in Ketchikan.

HAL does have a kids club, on our cruise there weren't much children but those who were onboard are being kept busy in the Loft, as the kids club is called. I saw them on several occasions together in the ship, apparently on some kind of treasure hunt.

Activities during the day vary from America's Test Kitchen, to lectures, trivia, bingo, movies, table tennis tournament etc.

Always something for everyone.

In Glacier Bay, park rangers joined the ship and they set up shop in the Crow's nest. They also provided commentary on the outside decks. Very interesting.

In general, the Volendam is in very good condition. It was our first time on her after several times on the Rotterdam, Ryndam en Zuiderdam we very much enjoyed the Volendam.

Thank you for your reply!

Just thought I'd update- we are booked onto Holland's 7 day return Vancouver on August 16th :)

Hey hi! Eight in my family did this cruise last year (June 2016) and it was fantastic. I can't speak to your questions for the 13yo (our youngest was 55!), but there is relatively little time to fill. Of 7 days, you are in ports for 3 and scenic cruising for 3! (The other "day" is composed of the afternoon you get on and get oriented, and the morning you are getting off.)

 

The food is usually good and if you ever get anything you don't like, you just ask for something else! No one will make you feel bad! We ate at the up-charge (but reasonable) Canaletto on the evening of the Glacier Bay day -- not your usual Italian! very tasty!

 

I assume there were young people on board and if they didn't want to look for eagles and sealions and whales, on the scenic days, they were probably in the teen-lounge... where I didn't see them of course!

 

Well, I hope you get more specific answers, I just didn't want your post to go without any replies at all, esp. asking about one of our favorite itineraries! (P.S. do the whale-watching excursion in Juneau -- I know it seems odd to get off a ship and get on a boat, but they take you where the ship can't go and whales are guaranteed! Ride the train in Skagway, I recommend the train up/bus down, to see different scenery, but you might also be interested in the ShoreX that combines RR and sled-dog camp.)

Thank you so much for asking the time to write your detailed reply :)

Hi All,

Thank you for taking the time to read my thread-

My mom would like to take my sister and her family (hubby, 10 month old) and my family (hubby, 10 month old, 13 year old) on an Alaskan cruise-

With having the babies, we are wanting round trip out of Vancouver as we can drive to the port, and have read that Glacier bay is excellent for glacier viewing and not to be missed.

My mom, sister and family have never cruised.

My family has cruised on the Disney Fantasy, and RCL Oasis and Freedom.

I'm hoping you can help me with a few questions-

-will there be some kids/teens on the ship for the 13 year old? It is summer vacation after all

-food: we aren't foodies, but do love good food- I've read that the food on Holland can be rather "banquet" like? Is possible to get things with more spice etc?

-will swimming be available in the covered pool?

-can you give me an idea of some of the daytime activities please?

Thanks so much!

Thank you all! Your thoughts have been very helpful!

My mother has decided that she wants to see Alaska- given my husband and I have cruised before, and I do love planning trips, I have been tasked with seeing if this is viable and within a small-ish budget (she doesn't want us to have to put out much as far as dollars)

Our group- my family: husband and I (mid/late 30s), 12 year old, baby who would be 8 months in May

My sister's family- her and husband (late 30s) and their baby who will be 8 months in may

My 66 year old mother

I have established from my starting to research on here that we want to do a return trip which includes Glacier bay- other than that I'm not sure which other ports are of interest- with the babies and all we won't be doing any crazy excursions.

I'm starting to find that summer bookings are quite expensive and quite booked already.

I started considering being a bad parent and letting our 12 year old miss a week of school as considering booking in May as the prices seem a LOT better-

So- will the weather be ok for glacier viewing? Will there still be a few kids on the ships for daughter to have fun with? Any advantages other than price in May? Disadvantages?

A ship is allowed to take a defined number of "souls". A baby is included in the soul count. However, they do not drink, take excursions, play bingo, get massages, etc. which are the big money makers for the cruise lines. This means that they have to make up for the revenue loss by charging them a full price.That said, some lines may charge less for a baby. You need to do some research on your own and find out.DON

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense.

I've always wondered, can babies get seasick? What about toddlers? And then there's the possibility of a Nora virus outbreak. I don't understand taking tiny ones on a cruise.

My baby brain realized that I was mentioning their current age- they will be 11/12 months if we do this cruise.

Is Noro very very common on cruises? I would imagine it's just as dangerous for seniors and many seniors seem to cruise?

Many cruise lines require infants to be at least 6 months on the first day of cruise. RCCL, Princess, Celebrity, NCL, HAL and Carnival all require at least 6 months. Probably more. Maybe change the date of the cruise? Many cruise lines charge the child the same price as any 3rd passenger rate (assuming they are a 3rd passenger). Some luxury lines do have kids sale free. NCL sometimes has done reduced kids pricing. I would suggest getting with a travel agent who specializes in cruises.

Wow baby brain! Our babies are currently 5.5 months so would be 11/12 months by summer

I am trying to potentially plan a cruise to Alaska for my family (hubby, myself, 5 month baby, 12 year old stepdaughter) my sister's family (her and husband and their 5 month baby) and my mom- I am shocked at cost being quoted for the babies? Is this the norm?

Given this, what return cruise would you say is best value cruise?

You will be transferring no matter where you go. Bigger question are you open to the flights? Which you are going to be involved with as well?

Sorry I wasn't clear- from what I have started researching, the cruise port in Alaska is not near the airport Anchorage, so if we did a 1 way cruise, we would need to get to or from the airport to the cruise port which might be a lot of hassle with the babies

Back on this and getting serious now :)

Would we hate trying to do transfers for a 1 way cruise with babies?

Princess also has 2 glacier days. Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay one direction and Glacier Bay and College Fiords the other direction.

 

Glacier Bay is a guarantee. College Fiords, Hubbard glacier and Tracy Arm can be missed. Sometimes for most of the summer. I have always hit College Fiords but have friends who were fogged out. Hubbard and Tracy Arm can be hit or miss, especially in the past few years.

The only thing I'm worried about with 1 way cruises is the airport transfers with 2 babies- is it going to be a major hassle?

Hi All,

We are considering a cruise on Radiance to Alaska and wondering if the pools are open/heated? Daughter loves swimming and so we are looking for ships that have pools that are open.

Thank you for your help!

I find all the glacier sailing areas spectacular for me. I suggest looking at the ENTIRE itinerary- there is never going to be a "perfect" trip. :) figure out the details of what you want to include with your touring and what is going to be your highlight to see. Alaska is full of opportunities with rave reviews on all the cruises.

Seeing glaciers is probably the most important thing- we will be travelling with 2 babies who will be 9-11 months depending on when we travel, so won't be doing much as far as excursions

I am going to say Glacier Bay only because it is pretty much guaranteed. Hubbard is great if you get close, it is not great at 9 miles away. On my first cruise, I only had Hubbard on the itinerary and we were 9 miles away which was like not seeing it.

 

As Doug mentioned, some cruises have both on their itinerary.

Thanks, that's great to know!

I suggest Glacier Bay as you are always going to get pretty close for a decent view. I think Hubbard is more spectacular IF you get close but the distance the cruise ship stops vary greatly.

 

FYI if you do a Princess Southbound trip from Whittier to Vancouver you will visit both

Thanks for the thoughts- does the distance to the glacier depend on the conditions or the ship iteslf?

I will def look into the cruise you mention on Princess!

We’ve been to both Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay. I prefer Glacier Bay myself. We cruise to Alaska every year and alternate between Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm.

Appreciate your reply, thank you!

Hi All,

Investigating for our first Alaska cruise- just wondering which you prefer to go past- Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay?

Thank you so much!

There's always the Disney Wonder round trip from Vancouver. Lots of kids! :D

We would LOVE to sail on Disney but just not in the budget!