Alaska Advice Holland America vs. Celebrity

[cindy1957]

My DH and I plan on doing Alaska in June 2011. We have cruised Celebrity and Holland America out of Florida. I need opinions. We prefer Celebrity because of the younger demographic but would really like to see Glacier Bay. Has anyone cruised both lines? Did you really miss seeing Glacier Bay or were other itineraries just as wonderful? :confused:

[BKFlowerMound]

My family sailed on the Celebrity Infinity in August 2008 and the Zaandam in August 2009. At the time, Infinity stopped at Hubbard Glacier and Zaandam stopped at Glacier Bay. While both were spectacular, we preferred Hubbard Glacier to Glacier Bay. The actual glacier is much more spectacular than anything that you will see in Glacier Bay (though others opinions may differ). In addition, we much preferred the Infinity to the Zaandam in ambiance, quality of food, activity level, size of ship, etc. It had a younger demographic. In addition, while we were on the Infinity before Celebrity implemented the new smoking policy, we are nonsmokers and prefer Celebrity's new policy to HAL's policy. That said, Infinity no longer goes to Hubbard Glacier. It now goes to Tracy Arm instead. We have not been there so I can't compare the two.

[AlanAllyn]

I'm doing HAL for the first time this summer, and I like X very much. But doing Alaska with neither Glacier Bay nor Hubbard is like doing Orlando without Disney or Universal.

IMHO.

[PirateShark]

DH and I went to Alaska on another line (Regent) that went to Tracy Arm. While it is beautiful, you will never get close to Sawyer Glacier. If you take a cruise that does Tracy Arm, check to see if there is an excursion where the operator will pick you up at the ship and take you right up to Sawyer Glacier. That's the only option you are going to have.

 

I'll post observations on HAL's Alaskan cruise and Glacier Bay when I get back in September this year...you can then have another opinion! Also, loved my one sailing on the Century this year - a fabulous ship and crew to match.

[warmwinds]

Another bad thing I noticed about X's Alaska 2011 itins is that they stop in Victoria from 6 PM to midnight! I had originally read it as 6 am, and thought "wow, what a nice long stop in a beautiful city"...but now, what can you do JUST at night? I know the gardens are open late, but is there anything else to do? We had wanted to tour some of the historical buildings but I'm sure they close at 5 or 6 pm.

 

(this applies just to the R/T Seattle departures)

[cruie4ever]

I'm doing HAL for the first time this summer, and I like X very much. But doing Alaska with neither Glacier Bay nor Hubbard is like doing Orlando without Disney or Universal.

IMHO.

 

Celebrity Millennium does the north /South routes & goes to Hubbard Glacier . We have saqiled on both the glacier Bay & hubbard glaciers experiences. Both are very inrteresting to see ;but ,Hubbard glacier is spectacular with the thunder & calving one hears & sees

[kelmac]

My DH and I plan on doing Alaska in June 2011. We have cruised Celebrity and Holland America out of Florida. I need opinions. We prefer Celebrity because of the younger demographic but would really like to see Glacier Bay. Has anyone cruised both lines? Did you really miss seeing Glacier Bay or were other itineraries just as wonderful? :confused:

 

cindy,

 

Here is my standard answer to this question:

 

Why not do both!? Take a northbound HAL cruise and catch Glacier Bay and take Celebrity southbound and catch Hubbard Glacier. With this itinerary you won't need expensive "open Jaw" flights and still you will be able to check out the Kenai and Anchorage. We did a 23 day Alaskan adventure for about the same price as an 11 day Cruise/Tour package.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[Tapi]

Why not do both!? Take a northbound HAL cruise and catch Glacier Bay and take Celebrity southbound and catch Hubbard Glacier. With this itinerary you won't need expensive "open Jaw" flights and still you will be able to check out the Kenai and Anchorage. We did a 23 day Alaskan adventure for about the same price as an 11 day Cruise/Tour package.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

 

I know your answer was meant for someone else, but my mouth just frothed reading about your 23 day Alaskan adventure.

 

Unfortunately for us, the answer is simple. We can only take vacation for 7 days at a time... :(

[flatcircle]

We have cruised Alaska twice and always book based on the itinerary. Except for any glacier cruising days, we didn't really spend much time on the boat.

IMHO Glacier Bay is not a place you would want to miss -- it was fantastic each time we were there. On our last trip, we added a few days on our own and explored the Kenai Peninsula, spending a few days in Seward. This is a great little town, so much different from the inside passage ports. For our next Alaskian cruise, we definately will book an itineray that includes Seward.

[Cruise Junky]

I'm really torn on this one. Glacier Bay was spectacular and HAL has by far the best itinerary, but our HAL cruise was awful so they're definitely not a line that I would recommend. Maybe we just hit a bad week.

[jlijny]

We love Celebrity, and just booked the Millenium for 2011 (Northbound). I feel that the food, service, etc is better on Celebrity, and I am looking forward to going to Hubbard Glacier.

[robsmom]

cindy,

 

Here is my standard answer to this question:

 

Why not do both!? Take a northbound HAL cruise and catch Glacier Bay and take Celebrity southbound and catch Hubbard Glacier. With this itinerary you won't need expensive "open Jaw" flights and still you will be able to check out the Kenai and Anchorage. We did a 23 day Alaskan adventure for about the same price as an 11 day Cruise/Tour package.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

 

Hi - not the OP but wanted you to know that you may have just solved my problem. I was thinking b2b might make flight sense but the itineraries on X are the same in both direction. switching cruise lines to get a different itinerary.....could work for me. going to look into this option.

[kelmac]

Hi - not the OP but wanted you to know that you may have just solved my problem. I was thinking b2b might make flight sense but the itineraries on X are the same in both direction. switching cruise lines to get a different itinerary.....could work for me. going to look into this option.

 

Hi Robsmom!

 

We did it back in 2004. Usually the northbound and southbound cruises are a bit less expensive than the R/T cruises. Of course, the amount of time in Seward depends on which two ships you select. We came into Vancouver a day early; boarded our northbound ship for 7 days; rented a car in Seward and spent a week in the area; turned in the rental car and boarded our southbound ship; spent one day post cruise and flew home. We only needed R/T air to Vancouver. Great way to see Alaska!

 

Here is an example for this summer:

 

Leave Vancouver 4 July 2010 on Holland America's Ryndam

(Does Glacier Bay)

Arrive Seward 11 July 2010 (spend five days in the Kenai and Anchorage)

 

Leave Seward 16 July 2010 on Celebrity's Millennium

(Does Hubbard Glacier)

Arrive Vancouver 23 July 2010

 

Some of the ports are the same, but you get a nice collection! Both cruises start in the $799 range as of today.

 

Good Luck and have a great cruise!

Kel:)

[GeorgeL]

I'm doing HAL for the first time this summer, and I like X very much. But doing Alaska with neither Glacier Bay nor Hubbard is like doing Orlando without Disney or Universal.

IMHO.

 

My thoughts exactly.

[GeorgeL]

My DH and I plan on doing Alaska in June 2011. We have cruised Celebrity and Holland America out of Florida. I need opinions. We prefer Celebrity because of the younger demographic but would really like to see Glacier Bay. Has anyone cruised both lines? Did you really miss seeing Glacier Bay or were other itineraries just as wonderful? :confused:

 

Celebrity doesn't go to Glacier Bay now and that's really too bad.

Go with Holland America. I know many people who went on HAL to Alaska and absolutely loved it.

[GeorgeL]

Celebrity doesn't go to Glacier Bay now and that's really too bad.

Go with Holland America. I know many people who went on HAL to Alaska and absolutely loved it.

 

I meant to say that INFINITY doesn't go to Glacier Bay. Millenium still goes to Hubbard Glacier.

[J & G]

I'm really torn on this one. Glacier Bay was spectacular and HAL has by far the best itinerary, but our HAL cruise was awful so they're definitely not a line that I would recommend. Maybe we just hit a bad week.

 

 

Can you elaborate a bit on your HAL cruise? We are going to Alaska on HAL in Sept. strictly because of the itinerary. We will be on Zuiderdam and would love to know what to expect.

[cindy1957]

Thanks everyone. At this point it will be the Zuiderdam June 2011 strictly because of the itinerary. We adored the Solstice last spring and would love to do Celebrity but....

that will have to wait until the cruise after next!

[2ndsailing]

We're looking into a north or south bound Alaska cruise for July 2011. I tought I read somewhere on these obards that you can't book a balcony on HAL unless you're doing their cruisetour. We are a group of 10 looking into a cruise next summer; some of us want to do a land base tour post cruise; some don't. I like a balcony room. I'm waiting for Princess to come out with their cruises for July 2011.

[Cruise Junky]

We're looking into a north or south bound Alaska cruise for July 2011. I tought I read somewhere on these obards that you can't book a balcony on HAL unless you're doing their cruisetour. We are a group of 10 looking into a cruise next summer; some of us want to do a land base tour post cruise; some don't. I like a balcony room. I'm waiting for Princess to come out with their cruises for July 2011.

 

Definitely not true.

[Cruise Junky]

Can you elaborate a bit on your HAL cruise? We are going to Alaska on HAL in Sept. strictly because of the itinerary. We will be on Zuiderdam and would love to know what to expect.

 

Yes certainly. We had issues with the safe, we had no hot water in the shower/bath for 5 out of 7 days, we were served fake crab in the dining room twice being passed off as Dungeness Crab and Alaska King Crab. We felt a bit restricted by the Buffet's hours and definitely weren't impressed with either the MDR room or the buffet. The Pinnacle Grill was spectacular as was the bar at the front of the ship. There were some aspects that were really good, but overall, we wouldn't go back. We wrote a letter when we returned about all the issues we had and they offered all kinds of VIP treatment and upgrades if we were to book again, but honestly, I think it would take a miracle to get my husband back on HAL. But on the bright side, they can't be as bad as we experienced or they'd have no fans so we must have just hit a really bad week and a really bad cabin.

[J & G]

Yes certainly. We had issues with the safe, we had no hot water in the shower/bath for 5 out of 7 days, we were served fake crab in the dining room twice being passed off as Dungeness Crab and Alaska King Crab. We felt a bit restricted by the Buffet's hours and definitely weren't impressed with either the MDR room or the buffet. The Pinnacle Grill was spectacular as was the bar at the front of the ship. There were some aspects that were really good, but overall, we wouldn't go back. We wrote a letter when we returned about all the issues we had and they offered all kinds of VIP treatment and upgrades if we were to book again, but honestly, I think it would take a miracle to get my husband back on HAL. But on the bright side, they can't be as bad as we experienced or they'd have no fans so we must have just hit a really bad week and a really bad cabin.

 

I am so sorry to hear that you had such an unfortunate experience. The no-hot-water thing would have done me in! And that would not have been pretty! How did you deal with it?

 

And to get fake crab in the epicenter of the crab world must have been the pits! I'd rather have chicken that is the real thing than crab that is fake.....

 

Do you recall the hours for the buffet? We have some rather late shore excursions and I'm pretty sure we will want something to eat when we return to the ship.....I hope the buffet is still open.

 

I'm sorry that your cruise was bad but I hope that is the exception and not the rule for this itinerary.....thanks for the info.....

[Cruise Junky]

I am so sorry to hear that you had such an unfortunate experience. The no-hot-water thing would have done me in! And that would not have been pretty! How did you deal with it?

 

And to get fake crab in the epicenter of the crab world must have been the pits! I'd rather have chicken that is the real thing than crab that is fake.....

 

Do you recall the hours for the buffet? We have some rather late shore excursions and I'm pretty sure we will want something to eat when we return to the ship.....I hope the buffet is still open.

 

I'm sorry that your cruise was bad but I hope that is the exception and not the rule for this itinerary.....thanks for the info.....

 

Yeah, you don't serve a Vancouverite fake crab and hope to get away with it ;)

 

I'll see if I have some of the dailies, I do think they closed after lunch at either 2 or 2:30.

[J & G]

Yeah, you don't serve a Vancouverite fake crab and hope to get away with it ;)

 

I'll see if I have some of the dailies, I do think they closed after lunch at either 2 or 2:30.

 

We will be boarding in Vancouver in Sept. (flying in to Seattle and probably taking the train to Seattle). Looking foward to the train trip and to seeing Vancouver.....

 

I agree you were not a good one to be served fake crab! We are from the Texas Gulf Coast and we have blue crab here....small, but tasty! I will be VERY disappointed if HAL tries the fake crab thing on our cruise!