I've Been Reading About Alaska.......

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Robin your Glacier picture looks like approaching Majorie Glacier at Glacier Bay National Park :)

[erewhon]

sail7seas,

 

Congratulations on booking the Alaska cruise.

Hope you and your DH will thoroughly enjoy the experience.

 

If you do visit the Pike Place Market in Seattle, there are masses of beautiful flowers for sale. A very colourful display.

[cruisinjudy]

We are taking Oosterdam in May this year with the family. The ease of getting to Seattle is paramount for us as the two youngest are three years old, one of them will be four before the cruise. Anyway we can drive easily to the port. Sometimes convenience is the most important aspect. I'm sure Judy and her husband will have a wonderful time and will get great views of Alaska even if it isn't the "best" cruise.

[JDinWA]

I've done mostly Alaskan cruises because I don't like to fly, and that's where ships from here go. :) Anyway, on the last one I kept track of the weather because people often worry about that aspect, especially for the end of the season cruises. Here's the day-by-day for our Sep 2010 cruise:

 

9/6, Mon, Seattle: overcast, drizzly, 63

9/7, Tue, at sea: foggy morning; afternoon sun, 71 on verandah

9/8, Wed, Ketchikan: morning clouds, afternoon sun, 75 on verandah

9/9, Thu, Sitka: overcast, noon drizzle, 65

9/10, Fri, Skagway: morning sun, afternoon clouds, misty, 60

9/11, Sat, Glacier Bay: sun, partly cloudy, 54

9/12, Sun, at sea: morning marine layer clouds, afternoon sun

9/13, Mon, Anchorage: sunny, 74

9/14, Tue, Homer: fog, 59

9/15, Wed, Kodiak: sunny, 60

9/16, Thu, Hubbard: fog till 10 am then sun, 50

9/17, Fri, Juneau: sun, high clouds, 60; more overcast mid-afternoon

9/18, Sat, at sea: mostly cloudy with sunbreaks; dinnertime fog

9/19, Sun, sea/Victoria: overcast, misty; sunbreaks in Victoria

9/20, Mon, Seattle: rain, wind, clouds, sunbreaks

[AZWTRLVR]

Sail,

We are booked for this itinerary on the "O" May 13. It will be our third time in the last two years. You will love it.

 

Lisa mentioned it earlier in this thread... HAL has a pre-cruise promotion for those booked in a suite that are going round trip from Seattle. The hotel is either the Fairmont Olympic or the Sheraton. It will include transfers airport/hotel/pier. If this interests you, keep at it with HAL about it's availability. I was given three different answers by three different people. One said it wsn't available, one said the promo wouldn't be available until the end of January, the third said it wasn't available then called me ten minutes later and said it had been available since December and that he had booked us in the last available slot?? Whatever, we were able to talk to the right person at the right time.

[sail7seas]

AZWTLVR, I'm glad you got the slot for the hotel.

 

DH booked our hotel so we're all set for that.

He is now reading excursions and deciding which he wants to do. :)

 

[the2ofus]

I'm so pleased for you both that you decided to give Alaska a try.

 

It took some convincing on my part before my family agreed to leave warm sunny Ohio for Alaska last July. We did a cruisetour starting in Fairbanks. By the time we got to Denali National Park they were in love with Alaska and just wanted to stay there. The train trip to Seward and the cruise and port stops were icing on the cake.

 

So glad that your DH now has the pleasure of anticipation and planning for his dream trip.

 

I was in Seattle years ago and there was a downtown mall that had some great boutiques with high quality art by local craftsmen. Don't know if it is still there.

[scraplady]

We are booked on the Alaska tour/cruise, flying into Anchorage from Charlotte. It will be a l-o-n-g day, about 13 hours of flying time. So I understand your problem with long flights. As this will probably be our only cruise to Alaska (we're in our 70's) and is our 1st cruise, we wanted to see the inside passage. We are booked on the Zuiderdam out of Seward. I'm more excited than DH, but he will love the wildlife and the scenery.

So from one Judy to another, hope you enjoy your cruise. I'm sure I will, just because it will be a new experience.

[vbmom87]

Just saw this thread today. Haven't been on the boards as much of late. As I read through the pages and then got to your booking post, I have to say I was disappointed you did not choose the Volendam out of Vancouver. To me that is the jackpot round trip cruise with both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm. However, your cruise does include Sitka which is a really lovely port and not visited by a lot of other cruise lines. I hope you find your cruise to be an enjoyable week exploring Alaska. It is good that you and your DH are willing to split up and experience what is most important to each of you. Have a wonderful cruise.

 

What month did you book your cruise?

[janmcn]

DO the Vancouver to AK trip (or reverse.)

Hubbard Glacier is gorgeous…

We love AK cruises so much we've done 4…always different.

Don't go from Seattle…waste too much time in open seas.

Go in May/June when the mountains will still have snow, so will be lovely.

Stay over in Seward and take the Kenai Fjords tour which is lovely…then fly home from Anchorage (rent a car in Seward.)

Photos of what you'll see?

Check out our mcneillsonthemove site, travel section, AK cruise…just a sample.

[sail7seas]

DO the Vancouver to AK trip (or reverse.)

Hubbard Glacier is gorgeous…

We love AK cruises so much we've done 4…always different.

Don't go from Seattle…waste too much time in open seas.

Go in May/June when the mountains will still have snow, so will be lovely.

Stay over in Seward and take the Kenai Fjords tour which is lovely…then fly home from Anchorage (rent a car in Seward.)

Photos of what you'll see?

Check out our mcneillsonthemove site, travel section, AK cruise…just a sample.

 

 

Thank you for your advice, however, we have booked and already paid for the cruise that works best for us..... meets our needs and wishes.

 

I am sure there are 'better' ones but this is the one we have booked and paid for and no sense telling us we should have done something else when we are preparing to head out on this one. Seems such a negative approach for someone who is already so hesitant.... that's what this whole thread has been about.

 

I know people mean well but HAL offers the itinerary we booked for a reason...... the reason being it works better for some of us.

 

There is always something 'better' out there but this is the best for us. :o

I hope we enjoy this one as we are putting a lot of effort, time and money into it and it is taking a great deal of determination on my part to go and try to enjoy as much as I can despite the long flight and other conditions that are contrary to my normal preferences. My stomach goes thump to read we shouldn't be doing this but rather something else instead. This is the cruise we have booked and now I need to settle myself down to looking forward to it.

 

[sparky-elpaso]

Thank you for your advice, however, we have booked and already paid for the cruise that works best for us..... meets our needs and wishes.

 

I am sure there are 'better' ones but this is the one we have booked and paid for and no sense telling us we should have done something else when we are preparing to head out on this one. Seems such a negative approach for someone who is already so hesitant.... that's what this whole thread has been about.

 

I know people mean well but HAL offers the itinerary we booked for a reason...... the reason being it works better for some of us.

 

There is always something 'better' out there but this is the best for us. :o

I hope we enjoy this one as we are putting a lot of effort, time and money into it and it is taking a great deal of determination on my part to go and try to enjoy as much as I can despite the long flight and other conditions that are contrary to my normal preferences. My stomach goes thump to read we shouldn't be doing this but rather something else instead. This is the cruise we have booked and now I need to settle myself down to looking forward to it.

 

 

Ignore the naysayers. What part of "this is the itinerary we're going on" don't they understand? ANY part of Alaska you see will blow you away. Incredible scenery.

[sail7seas]

Ignore the naysayers. What part of "this is the itinerary we're going on" don't they understand? ANY part of Alaska you see will blow you away. Incredible scenery.

 

 

Thank you, Sparky.

 

I needed to read this. :)

My stomach was all a knot from hearing we should not be doing the cruise we've booked.

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

We all choose Alaskan itineraries for various reasons.

As for those cruises that begin in Anchorage and end in Seward and vice versa -- we did that one time many years ago when we were both healthy. There is no way that either of us could that any more. All that extra flying is just way too much. And the travel time between Anchorage and Seward (and vice versa) is a long ride.

[CowPrincess]

Sail, refer to post #87 in this thread (by me :) )

 

Leaving from Seattle you will miss a day of scenic cruising between Vcr Island and the mainland. You will get great scenery approaching and IN Sitka, and Juneau. I think Tracy Arm is fabulous, BUT we were there on a day with full sun and 70F temps in late Sept, so we got nearly to the glaciers. In June, there may be a lot of ice, which might reduce how far into the fjord you can actually get.

 

Any trip is a trade-off -- you give up something to get something else. For you, leaving from Seattle is very important. So you miss a bit of other stuff. If you left from Vcr, you would have to give up leaving from Seattle, y'know? Only you can decide which is most important, and it sounds like you have. Oosterdam. Leaving from Seattle. It'll be fine.

 

EDITED TO ADD: Get off your balcony, and view from other areas of the ship. On a balcony you see only part of what is available. In Alaska you will be doing yourself a huge disservice to remain on your own balcony. Or at least insist that your DH get out and about to see the majesty of the area.

 

I've highlighted in red the part I especially want you to re-read ;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sail

Since others have expressed their opinions - here is mine.

If I had only a couple of choices for 7 day cruises out of Seattle -- I would choose the Westerdam as she does Glacier Bay (very beautiful and scenic).

But I can understand your reasoning for choosing the Oosterdam as you have yet to sail on her.

Have a great Alaskan cruise.

[sail7seas]

Sail

 

Since others have expressed their opinions - here is mine.

 

If I had only a couple of choices for 7 day cruises out of Seattle -- I would choose the Westerdam as she does Glacier Bay (very beautiful and scenic).

 

But I can understand your reasoning for choosing the Oosterdam as you have yet to sail on her.

 

Have a great Alaskan cruise.

 

Did you make note of the fact we have made our choice, booked our cruise and paid for it? We have booked our hotel and that is our plan.

 

I really don't need for anyone to understand our choice.

It afterall is OUR choice to make.

I sincerely doubt we will have the whole ship to ourselves. Others surely have made the same choice. :rolleyes:

 

I am not surprised we do not agree as we rarely do but that is fine. Different strokes and all that.

 

What is really the point is we can book any cruise we want, any ship we want, we chose the ship we want for the cruise we want. Why should I be explaining our choice? :confused: That's riduculous. This cruise is not about me, at all. It is all about DH for those who have not had the patience to read this whole diatribe... this is what he wants to do, therefore, it is what I want to do.

 

Anyone who doesn't understand that, doesn't need to.

 

 

 

 

 

[sail7seas]

Sail

 

Since others have expressed their opinions - here is mine.

 

If I had only a couple of choices for 7 day cruises out of Seattle -- I would choose the Westerdam as she does Glacier Bay (very beautiful and scenic).

 

But I can understand your reasoning for choosing the Oosterdam as you have yet to sail on her.

 

Have a great Alaskan cruise.

 

 

Yes.

We have sailed every HAL ship (most far more than once) except for Oosterdam and Prinsendam.

 

Sailing Oosterdam will be a joy to add to our list of 'having sailed the fleet'. :)

 

[Robin7]

We've done r/t out of Seattle, r/t out of Vancouver, and one-way from Seward to Vancouver (and then took a bus to Seattle to fly home). I thought they were all beautiful trips! I love Alaska!!! (My oldest is heading up yet again to drive bus all summer, but this year for Royal Caribbean, not HAL. I am still deciding if I'm going up to drive back with him like I did last year. It was GORGEOUS, but so very, very looooooooooong to drive! Cruising is MUCH better.)

 

I hope you will love it, too.

 

Robin

[GmaPajama]

... Sailing Oosterdam will be a joy to add to our list of 'having sailed the fleet'. :)

One of the very same reasons we also picked the Oosterdam - and now that our sailing is getting near, I'm amazed at how excited this committed beach lover is. :)

[sail7seas]

One of the very same reasons we also picked the Oosterdam - and now that our sailing is getting near, I'm amazed at how excited this committed beach lover is. :)

 

 

I'm happy for you, Donna. :)

 

[edmusic]

As has been stated, there are many reasons why one chooses the itinerary they do. Here's mine: Last year we cruised on the NA in the Caribbean and became friends with one of the entertainers (I'm also in the performing arts business so we were able to relate and talk shop). We've stayed in touch through e-mail this past year. Well, his contract now has him on the big O and while I would have liked to see Glacier Bay via the Westerdam, I would much rather spend some time with him than see Glacier Bay. That's the trade-off I'm making and to me it is worth it and no one should tell me 'You really should have done this'.

[sail7seas]

As has been stated, there are many reasons why one chooses the itinerary they do. Here's mine: Last year we cruised on the NA in the Caribbean and became friends with one of the entertainers (I'm also in the performing arts business so we were able to relate and talk shop). We've stayed in touch through e-mail this past year. Well, his contract now has him on the big O and while I would have liked to see Glacier Bay via the Westerdam, I would much rather spend some time with him than see Glacier Bay. That's the trade-off I'm making and to me it is worth it and no one should tell me 'You really should have done this'.

 

 

Yes, we have that exact situation as well.

 

We have very good friends on board we are eager to see and sail with again.

 

[GmaPajama]

[/b]

I'm happy for you, Donna. :)

 

 

Thanks, Sail. I'd love to post from onboard to give you a fresh first hand preview, but we're with family on this one and time will be at a premium. I've progressed nicely from "not me" to "can't wait", and I'm sure you will (or already have) as well.

 

And, for the poster who commented about Oosterdam wasting too much time in open seas ... for me, there is no such thing as that. :)

[donaldsc]

I don't mean to make this post sound negative but there is no other way that I can say it. Sounds to me like you will make your husband miserable if he was on an Alaska cruise w you. If he really wants to go, he should leave you home or let you go somewhere that you want to go and go by himself.

 

DON