Bostonjetset

Thanks for sharing this. I’ve been considering the Mendenhall/salmon tour for our upcoming August trip so glad to hear you loved it. Last time I was in Juneau, I took the blue bus independently to Mendenhall and I think it was only like $20 or so. When I checked recently it seems it’s now $45 so it makes sense to just book the Holland America excursion that included that and the salmon bake (instead of just the bake with doing Mendenhall on our own). I was also concerned the salmon bake would be kinda kitchsy and overpriced but everyone seems to love it.

I agree for a family of 4 or 5 it would work out to far less money per person. For just the two of us though, it's comparable in price to an organized bus excursion where someone else does the driving for you, provides lunch, and narrates/"guides" the experience. I think we would probably get more out of it if someone is explaining stuff to us as we see it rather than one of us [likely me lol] driving for hours rather than relaxing and enjoying the scenery. As such, I think a car rental is out for us.

The catch is you have to pay taxes and port fees. It’s still a huge savings from paying the published fare along with taxes and port fees. For someone okay with an inside stateroom it’s really a good deal. I wonder how much money one has to donate to the casino to get these offers though. My mom gets them. I never do haha.

I just checked Avis and it’s $300 to rent a car the day we are there. That’s a bit crazy. 😱

I didn’t check rental cars but I guess that’s a possibility too. We fly into Vancouver so would have passports with us anyway.

Thanks everyone. I checked out Chilkoot and their bus tour is a great price. However, the train is only $20 less than booking through the cruise ship and is one way on a bus. I believe the train tour through Holland America is train in both directions. I’m still just as confused. Is the train worth $100 more than the bus or is the scenery just as good on the bus (or if renting a car)?

Heading to Alaska this August on Koningsdam with my mom. It’s her first time in Alaska and whilst I’ve been once before with my husband, our previous cruise had Sitka instead of Skagway. As such I want to take the chance to visit the Yukon Territory. I love the idea of the train but it’s $240pp. Doable price for us but is it really worth $80 more each than a bus excursion? I’ve read scenery on both is amazing and we’d stop in Carcross YT on both. Has anyone done both and have a preference? Going to YT is priority along with great scenery. There is a cheaper train option that goes to White Pass summit without going to YT but not interested in that one.

I wish I had the chance to sail Prinsendam but alas it wasn’t meant to be 😞. And I also enjoy the ocean liner feel. QM2 is one of my favorite ships. My comment was mostly geared towards Zuiderdam which I found to be rather ugly inside. So much red and dark heavy decor. My husband said it felt like the 1970s haha. That said, we had a great cruise to the Baltics on her and ports are the primary reason for cruising for us.

Totally agree. I just turned 40 last month and whilst I’ve been an HAL fan since my first trip with them in my early 30s, I feel like they really nailed it with the newest ships. Rotterdam is a stunning ship that kept many elements of tradition (including nods to the Dutch roots like Dutch Cafe) whilst updating decor from the dark and heavy feeling of their older ships.

We'll be on Rotterdam in April too [Scotland Adventure] so may overlap with you. Really hoping that LCS is still there for our trip; it was a highlight for me last time I sailed Rotterdam. LCS truly sets HAL apart; most lines don't do live classical music as well with the exception of perhaps Cunard which has much more limited itineraries. I admit I kind of liked the dueling pianos last time I was on Rotterdam though. I never cared for them on other cruises but I did enjoy them on that particular ship. Maybe it was just the fact I was thrilled to be cruising again after two years of craziness in the world or maybe that duo were particularly enjoyable but I'm happy for it to stay as an option HAHA.

I don't remember the name unfortunately. However, we're sailing on her again in April so if you don't find out by the time I sail I can check for you then 🙂

I haven’t sailed to Norway yet so won’t comment on the itinerary other than it looks great. We sailed Rotterdam this past January and loved her. She’s a beautiful ship inside and out. We’ll be on her again in April to Scotland and didn’t hesitate for a second booking her again. The decor is clean, modern, and elegant. Dutch Cafe is wonderful for snacks (free) and good coffee (up charge). Lincoln Center Stage is great especially if you like classical chamber music. The size of the ship is perfect as well. Whilst bigger than older HAL ships, less than 3,000 people (double occ) is fairly small by current standards. Big enough to have various options of activities but not huge and swarming with people. There will likely be a lot less children than on RCCL as well.

I can't compare on a transatlantic as I've only ever done those trips on Queen Mary 2 [fabulous btw in case that could be a possibility for you] but I would likely chose the Rotterdam over the Princess ships in a general lineup. She's a beautiful ship and a great size. We loved the Regal Princess when we sailed her [she's quite beautiful as well] but Rotterdam wowed us more. The promenade deck is much better on Rotterdam; the balconies are bigger [they were unusually small on Regal]; Lincoln Center Stage is wonderful if you like classical chamber music; Royal Dutch Cafe was delicious; etc etc etc. I will say Princess wins with the food hours though; International Cafe being 24/7 and their buffet has better ours then HAL in general but those don't matter as much when there are little to no ports to interfere with dining times.