Island Princess v HAL Westerdam itineraries

We are thinking about trip to Alaska in late August/early September 2019. It would be our 1st and probably ONLY trip to Alaska. We also hope to do a 1 week self drive after the cruise.

 

 

We are budget travelers (inside cabin, private tours not ship's, etc...). We enjoy small excursions that are locally owned. We also like authentic cultural experiences not put on for tourists.

 

 

We also like smaller ships, the largest we have ever been on was the RCCL Navigator at 3800 passengers. We want smaller than that for Alaska!

 

We're 60 years old but very active and fit.

 

 

We don't use the casino or spa on cruises. We sometimes go to the shows on ships. Usually we eat at the early seating, possibly go to a show or walk around the ship and then turn in around 10-11 pm. We do enjoy good food and service.

 

We've sailed on the Westerdam once and enjoyed the old world feel to it. We've never been on Princess. Our other cruises have been on Celebrity, RCCL and 1 Carnival (didn't care for it too much).

 

 

 

Initial thoughts are:

 

--cruise from Vancouver to Seward/Whittier

 

--cruise 1st and then self drive after cruise

 

--HAL or Princess ships

 

--late August/early September

 

--wild life and nature are our main focus

 

There are a few itineraries we are looking into. A couple of them are:

 

 

day 1

Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia

---Not Applicable

4:30 PM

day 2

At Sea

---Not Applicable

---Not Applicable

day 3

Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska

12:00 PM

10:00 PM

day 4

Juneau, Alaska

8:00 AM

9:00 PM

day 5

Skagway, Alaska

7:00 AM

8:30 PM

day 6

Cruise Glacier Bay National Park

6:00 AM

3:00 PM

day 7

Cruise College Fjord, Alaska

6:00 PM

8:30 PM

day 8

Whittier (Anchorage), Alaska

12:30 AM

---Not Applicable

 

 

day 1

Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia

---Not Applicable

4:30 PM

day 2

Cruise Inside Passage, Alaska

---Not Applicable

---Not Applicable

day 3

Ketchikan, Alaska

7:00 AM

3:00 PM

day 4

Juneau, Alaska

10:00 AM

10:00 PM

day 5

Skagway, Alaska

7:00 AM

9:00 PM

day 6

Cruise Glacier Bay National Park

7:00 AM

5:00 PM

day 7

At Sea

---Not Applicable

---Not Applicable

day 8

Seward (Anchorage), Alaska

4:30 AM

---Not Applicable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Island Princess cruise is $130/person less than the HAL Westerdam.

 

The Westerdam goes to Ketchikan and the Island Princess does NOT.

 

The Island Princess goes to Icy Strait Point BUT it is from 12 noon-10 pm. Is the Icy Strait timing poor for excursions since it doesn't get into port until 12 noon?

 

I've read that Icy Strait is more authentic than Ketchikan but, again the timing in Icy Strait is concerning to me.

 

I've also read that Glacier Bay is beautiful and many people think it is very desirable for glacier viewing and scenic cruising?

 

What are your thoughts on these ships and itineraries?

 

Any other suggestions or ideas?

I would choose Princess, primarily for the itinerary. They also tend to have better food and entertainment options, from my experience.

 

We loved Icy Strait Point. It is not commercialized and offers nice trails through the woods and a restored cannery right at the port. We also did a whale watching excursion with Glacier Winds and loved it. They use small 6 passenger boats that have a heated cabin and bathroom on board. Book them as soon as you know your date.

 

Another advantage of the Princess itinerary is you have time to do the Tracy Arm excursion with Adventure Bound in Juneau. It’s a long day, but beautiful scenery and the best value of any excursion we did.

 

In Skagway, we did the bus / train combo to Emerald Lake with Chilkoot Tours and loved it. Some prefer to rent a car and drive the same route, but you miss riding the historic train. We had time to walk around town after the tour.

 

Glacier Bay is amazing and College Fjord will give you a chance to see more glaciers as well.

 

 

 

 

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In our 2 Vancouver to Whittier cruises on Princess we have been very impressed with the on-board naturalists (lectures plus 'from the bridge' narration whenever anything is happening) and the local talent (Libby Riddles, Steve Hites) brought on board in many ports.

 

See: https://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/onboard-experience/

Thanks for the thoughts and info, capriccio and JT1962.

 

Is Icy Strait Is the timing of 12 noon to 10 pm poor for excursions?

 

College Fjord cruising is from 6-8:30 pm (it looks like sunset will be around 9:40 pm). Will we be able to see the glaciers/wildlife at that time?

Is Icy Strait Is the timing of 12 noon to 10 pm poor for excursions?

 

 

 

College Fjord cruising is from 6-8:30 pm (it looks like sunset will be around 9:40 pm). Will we be able to see the glaciers/wildlife at that time?

 

 

The port times at Icy Strait shouldn’t be an issue. You will have plenty of time.

 

Assuming it isn’t raining or foggy, you should be able to see fine in College Fjord and twilight is usually a great time for wildlife to be active.

 

One thing to consider is that the weather tends to be more unpredictable and rainy once you get into September. If you are not locked into the dates, and still want to get better rates, take a look at May. The weather tends to be drier and there is still plenty of snow on the mountains.

 

Another issue with early or late season cruises is that it is not the peak season for wildlife viewing. I have been in both late May and early September and still seen bears, whales and other wildlife, but mid-June to mid-August seems to be the prime time for wildlife, especially bears.

 

Also check the schedule for Denali, if you plan on visiting during your land tour. The full road doesn’t open until around June 8 and closes in mid-September.

 

 

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Thanks, JT1962.

 

We aren't locked into dates but, do need to go as late in the summer as we can. We could possibly move it back to mid August so that it would both parts of the trip would be done by the end of August.

 

I wish we could go in May but, it's just not probable :(

Be aware that Princess altered the stern of Island Princess in order to add 200 more guests with no increase in public room space of which I am aware.

 

I found Icy Point to be a "much more interesting port" than I expected when I sailed on the Amsterdam in July. Staying there until 10:00 P. M., I can't imagine what one might be able to do ashore other than have dinner at a restaurant near the pier.

 

It's been years since I have visited College Fjord, but I still remember not being impressed as compared to Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier.

 

It's a difficult decision. I am having a difficult time planning my 2018 Alaska journey. So many choices, so little time and money!

Be aware that Princess altered the stern of Island Princess in order to add 200 more guests with no increase in public room space of which I am aware.

 

Have you been on the Island Princess since the refurbishment and adding the extra cabins? Does it seem like a crowded ship now with the additional cabins?

 

 

Anyone else have any comments on this?

rkacruiser,

 

Thanks for the tip on the refurb of the Island Princess. I did some digging and found that it took out some of the public viewing spaces :(

 

I did find that the Coral Princess is a sister ship to the Island minus the addition of the cabins. It left its viewing spaces intact. It also gets good reviews for viewing spots available and useful for Alaska.

 

Thanks to that tip, we've discounted the Island and found the Coral has a similar Northbound itinerary. It does NOT have the Icy Strait port though. The Coral instead subs Ketchikan from 6:30 am--3 pm for Icy Strait. I think that is a fair compromise for much better viewing spaces overall for the entire trip.

 

The Coral has an August 21, 2019 date that would probably work for us.

 

 

 

• 1. Vancouver, British Columbia Depart 4:30pm
  
• 2. At Sea
  
• 3. Ketchikan, Alaska Arrive 6:30am Depart 2:00pm
  
• 4. Juneau, Alaska Arrive 8:00am Depart 9:00pm
  
• 5. Skagway, Alaska Arrive 7:00am Depart 8:30pm
  
• 6. Cruising Glacier Bay, Alaska Arrive 6:00am Depart 3:00pm
  
• 7. College Fjord, United States Arrive 6:00pm Depart 8:30pm
  
• 8. Whittier, Alaska Arrive 12:30am
  

I still also like the HAL Westerdam itinerary that is very similar to the Coral's itinerary.

 

Thanks again for the tip :)

rkacruiser,

 

Thanks for the tip on the refurb of the Island Princess. I did some digging and found that it took out some of the public viewing spaces :(

 

I did find that the Coral Princess is a sister ship to the Island minus the addition of the cabins. It left its viewing spaces intact. It also gets good reviews for viewing spots available and useful for Alaska.

 

Thanks to that tip, we've discounted the Island and found the Coral has a similar Northbound itinerary. It does NOT have the Icy Strait port though. The Coral instead subs Ketchikan from 6:30 am--3 pm for Icy Strait. I think that is a fair compromise for much better viewing spaces overall for the entire trip.

 

The Coral has an August 21, 2019 date that would probably work for us.

 

 

 

 

• 1. Vancouver, British Columbia Depart 4:30pm
  
• 2. At Sea
  
• 3. Ketchikan, Alaska Arrive 6:30am Depart 2:00pm
  
• 4. Juneau, Alaska Arrive 8:00am Depart 9:00pm
  
• 5. Skagway, Alaska Arrive 7:00am Depart 8:30pm
  
• 6. Cruising Glacier Bay, Alaska Arrive 6:00am Depart 3:00pm
  
• 7. College Fjord, United States Arrive 6:00pm Depart 8:30pm
  
• 8. Whittier, Alaska Arrive 12:30am
  

I still also like the HAL Westerdam itinerary that is very similar to the Coral's itinerary.

 

Thanks again for the tip :)

 

We've done that itinerary twice on the Coral Princess and loved the ship and the ports! One thing not to miss on the Coral is the musical production of On the Bayou in the Universe Lounge performed twice in one evening. It was specially written for the Coral (and pre-modified) Island and is by far the best production I've seen on Princess. Watch for the announcement in the daily Patter. Have a great cruise!

Joby, you are welcome. I am planning on booking my Alaska cruise this Summer on Coral Princess.

 

capriccio, I appreciate the information about On the Bayou. I'll look for it.