Alaska 14 Day round trip Seattle

[davis0056]

Haven't talked with you in a while. This cruise is without a doubt our favorite cruise (out of 16) , even though I was ill for 2/3 of it. What a way to recuperate! We're hoping to do it again in 2013, just waiting for the dates to be published. We had a port side suite and loved sailing up into Cook Inlet and watching the whales along side us. But I don't think there's a 'bad' suite/cabin for this fabulous cruise. Your secret cabin is a prize too.

 

Elaine (and Dave too)

[Assateague Island Princes]

Hi Elaine and Dave! Was just looking at photos from our 2010 cruise and saw you two (smiling widely, of course;)) and was wondering how you've been. Yes, that was an amazing cruise! And I enjoyed it just as much this past August with my niece and her boyfriend (I did miss Gary, but he was home puppy sitting:D and had started a new job - poor him:o). I would LOVE to do this trip again, and hopefully I will in the future. Right now we're planning a land only trip for 2013 - Denali then Homer, which as you know we just fell in love with. Who knows? maybe we'll cross paths again on this fantastic cruise...or in the wilderness of Alaska. Stay well, friends! Miss your faces!

[fleckle]

.... If I had the money I would do the verandah. But doing inside last June' date=' makes me want to go back and I would this year but the Amsterdam is not going up the inside passage. I thik is a big mistake.[/quote']We feel the same way. We would not book the new 14 day itinerary now that they have changed it to travel west of Vancouver Island in both directions.

 

We felt the day spent traveling southbound west of Vancouver Island last year was a completely wasted day as we were very aware of how much scenic cruising we were missing. That was bad enough, but now they will be wasting another day on the northbound route as well.

 

In addition we disliked that they cut Glacier Bay out of the itinerary.

 

We very much enjoy having a verandah on Alaska cruises but find them to be terribly overpriced on the Amsterdam. We were able to get a good price on one only by taking advantage of a closeout price drop.

 

Some people don't mind getting dressed and running out to a public viewing area each time, but to us that is just not the same. We like having our own private viewing area right there all the time, from when we open our eyes to take that first look around outside at a different view every morning until the last look at night. Then there is also always that extra look out at the moonglow on the water and up at the stars whenever we wake up in the middle of the night. And nothing beats the first cup of coffee out on the balcony each day.

 

For 14 days of Alaska cruising, we figure we can get better value by taking a northbound and a southbound cruise. That way we can also fit in a land tour up to Denali, something we can't do on the Amsterdam's itinerary. We would miss Kodiak, but that is a worthwhile tradeoff to us.

 

While we enjoyed our Alaska cruise on the Amsterdam last year, it is not one we would consider taking again unless they change the itinerary back to the one they had in 2010.

[Watson's aunt]

hi Its looks like I may go back this year as HAl is not going to be doing it in 2013. I am so disappoited

[vbmom87]

hi Its looks like I may go back this year as HAl is not going to be doing it in 2013. I am so disappoited

 

 

Don't be too sure yet. Someone posted that they may be posting the itinerary later. Don't give up hope just yet. Of course you can book and cancel before final payment if you find out they open it up for 2013. WHo knows, maybe another line will offer something similar. At one time, Princess did.

[CruiserBruce]

Don't be too sure yet. Someone posted that they may be posting the itinerary later. Don't give up hope just yet. Of course you can book and cancel before final payment if you find out they open it up for 2013. WHo knows, maybe another line will offer something similar. At one time, Princess did.

 

The Amsterdam, Alaska 2013 schedule is up. It has Amsterdam doing 7 day roundtrips out of Vancouver.

[Assateague Island Princes]

I am so saddened to see they aren't going to continue this itinerary after 2012. What a shame! Loved it so much, and believe me, would have considered it again in the future. Unfortunately, won't work for 2012 for me, and we've already begun planning a land only AK trip for 2013, so I'm out of luck. Just thankful that I got to experience it twice - once with the original itinerary including Skagway and Glacier Bay, and once with the revised itinerary including ISP and Tracy Arm.

 

Guess I better start playing the lottery right now if I want to go back again in 2012:o.

[picture]

does anyone know why Holland is not doing the 14 day Alaska Itinerary in 2013?

[vbmom87]

 

Guess I better start playing the lottery right now if I want to go back again in 2012:o.

 

I hope you will have better luck than I have been having Lynda. ;) I keep dreaming. I have so many trips I want to take and so many places I would love to take my children and grandchildren. I will just keep on trying. I only buy one ticket per drawing. Figure it only takes one ticket. I justify the purchase because in MI the lottery profits go to the schools.

 

does anyone know why Holland is not doing the 14 day Alaska Itinerary in 2013?

 

I haven't heard, but as with most things that are no longer available......they probably weren't making enough profit on the itinerary. If they can't make enough money, then whatever the commodity is, it will no longer be available. :(

[Watson's aunt]

Well maybe if you won enought you could charter the ship go the 14 day cruise. Anyone who wants to join you we would pay

[Assateague Island Princes]

Fantastic idea, Mary!! And you'll be the first to know if I win the big bucks - we'll get you signed up;)! All of us previous 14 day cruisers could go for a last hurrah! Sounds like a plan:D!

[vbmom87]

Well maybe if you won enought you could charter the ship go the 14 day cruise. Anyone who wants to join you we would pay

 

Fantastic idea' date=' Mary!! And you'll be the first to know if I win the big bucks - we'll get you signed up;)! All of us previous 14 day cruisers could go for a last hurrah! Sounds like a plan:D![/quote']

 

Now isn't this a good plan!!!!!

 

I think Princess only ran the 14 day trip for a few years and now Holland America ran it only for three years..it must just not make enough money for them. If it did, you would think they would keep it. Each year HAL made some changes to the itinerary. I figure each change was a cost reduction in some way. I am guessing it is cheaper to anchor at Icy Strait than to dock at Skagway. I also think it must be cheaper to travel through Tracy Arm than having to get the permit for Glacier Bay. This year they dropped sailing to the east of Vancouver Island going NB. They have to pick up pilots to help them travel through there, which must also come at a price. In the end they must have decided it wasn't worth it. The other thing, perhaps from feedback reports they decided it was best to go back to 7 day itineraries. ALthough we don't agree, I met many on our crusie who thought Icy Strait, Kodiak and Homer were a waste. If a lot of people said that on the feedback sheets, perhaps it made them consider dropping it. Of course, I doubt we will ever know the real reasons, but these are some of my thoughts.

[Watson's aunt]

I read some where a while ago that national parks only allows a certain amount a of ships onto Glacier bay

[CruiserBruce]

I read some where a while ago that national parks only allows a certain amount a of ships onto Glacier bay

 

That is correct. There is a limited number of permits.

[wonlife64]

does anyone know why Holland is not doing the 14 day Alaska Itinerary in 2013?

 

We were wondering the same thing. We took this 14 day intinerary last summer and really enjoyed it. 7 days is simply not long enough :). Anyway we were hoping to take this cruise again in a couple of years. Hope HAL brings it back. We liked getting to the ports of Kodiak and Homer as other ships don't seem to go there. Also the stop at Anchorage was nice as well. We assumed that the HAL's bottom line had something to do with it. Is there not enough people that like to go on a 14 day Alaska intinerary? I can't find that any other cruise line does longer then a 7 day trip.

[GeriatricNurse]

[quote name='wonlife64']We were wondering the same thing. [B][U][SIZE=3]We took[/SIZE][/U][/B] [B][U][SIZE=3]this 14 day intinerary last summer and really enjoyed it. 7 days is simply not[/SIZE][/U][/B] [B][U][SIZE=3]long enough[/SIZE][/U][/B] :). Anyway we were hoping to take this cruise again in a couple of years. Hope HAL brings it back. We liked getting to the ports of Kodiak and Homer as other ships don't seem to go there. Also the stop at Anchorage was nice as well. We assumed that the HAL's bottom line had something to do with it. Is there not enough people that like to go on a 14 day Alaska intinerary? I can't find that any other cruise line does longer then a 7 day trip.[/quote]

[B][FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]For myself, I would fly from YYZ to YVR & do a 7-Day NB, followed by a 7-Day SB, (although it would be a duplication of ports)! :(:)[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[snowmc]

We did this cruise last summer and as you can see from my signature, we tend to go to Alaska A LOT...lol! We loved this cruise....would have liked to stop in Skagway, but really enjoyed visiting the smaller ports of Homer and Kodiak. It was nice to have 14-days to relax and enjoy the ship. We always book a verandah...just worth it to us to have the extra space and we love to have immediate access to the outdoors. Love the smell of the ocean! I would highly recommend this cruise to anyone considering it.

[vbmom87]

[quote name='wonlife64']We were wondering the same thing. We took this 14 day intinerary last summer and really enjoyed it. 7 days is simply not long enough :). Anyway we were hoping to take this cruise again in a couple of years. Hope HAL brings it back. We liked getting to the ports of Kodiak and Homer as other ships don't seem to go there. Also the stop at Anchorage was nice as well. We assumed that the HAL's bottom line had something to do with it. Is there not enough people that like to go on a 14 day Alaska intinerary? I can't find that any other cruise line does longer then a 7 day trip.[/quote]

Some of the luxury lines have had 12 day itineraries in the past. Haven't checked recently.

Yes, I am pretty sure it is the bottom line. They probably had to drop prices to fill the ship. Princess ran a 14 day prior to HAL and also dropped it. They used their 670-passenger [I]Tahitian Princess. [/I]You would have thought they could have made it profititable, but apparantly not. I would have loved trying that itinerary on such a small ship. Oh well!!!!

[Boatdrill]

So interesting ro read the opinions on balcony vs ocean view vs inside.
The Op only asked which SIDE of the ship was better !

The HAL 14 day is simply the best itinerary for Alaska.
Highly recommend it.

[Boatdrill]

[quote name='vbmom87'] I figure each change was a cost reduction in some way. I am guessing it is cheaper to anchor at Icy Strait than to dock at Skagway. I also think it must be cheaper to travel through Tracy Arm than having to get the permit for Glacier Bay..... This year they dropped sailing to the east of Vancouver Island going NB. They have to pick up pilots to help them travel through there, which must also come at a price. In the end they must have decided it wasn't worth it. The other thing, perhaps from feedback reports they decided it was best to go back to 7 day itineraries. ALthough we don't agree, I met many on our crusie who thought Icy Strait, Kodiak and Homer were a waste. If a lot of people said that on the feedback sheets, perhaps it made them consider dropping it. Of course, I doubt we will ever know the real reasons, but these are some of my thoughts.[/quote]

Anchoring vs Skagway: ships always prefer to dock than to anchor and tender. When ships have to use their own lifeboats as tenders, it adds more hours to lifeboat engines, and increases maintenance. Also there's the passenger safety issue with tendering (getting on and off).

The pemits for Glacier Bay are expensive, and hard to come by. That said, many passengers have already seen Glacier Bay, and so the ships are looking for
other interesting locales for glacier viewing. It also has to do with coordinating time in and out of these places. Not ALL decisions are based on cost ! Some are simply logistics.

As for going back to 7 day trips, check to see if the Oosterdam will be in Alaska at the same time. The Amsterdam may be replacing her on those runs.

Just MHO, but Icy Strait, Homer, Anchorage and Kodiak are the highlights of that cruise, and the reason many people choose it. I'm amazed that some people would call those ports a waste. Die hard travelers embrace visiting new places - big and small - and know that none of them are a "waste". Not sure what they were expecting, but each of those ports gives you a look of real Alaska, like Ketchikan and Juneau used to.

[Watson's aunt]

Hi

I talked so mush about this cruise and how I wanted to go back. So my Brother is giving it to me again. Yeah a big disappointment is not going up the inside passage. I heard it was because fuel costs. But the rest of the cruise will be as great as last year. I did not take any tours last year because I just wanted to walk around the ports. I plan to take a few this time. I will be going June13-29. I know you all talked about the tours you took last year. I am probably taling a whale watch in Icy stright. I would love a smaller boat because I would not want a lot of people in front of me. So any idea , must do's


Mary

[Watson's aunt]

Opps

I am going June 29-July13.


Mary

[Assateague Island Princes]

Hi Mary! So happy you are able to go back on this wonderful itinerary! For ISP whale watching, I would highly recommend Capt. Dan and Hope of Misty Bay Lodge. We really got so darn lucky last year and saw numerous instances of bubblenet feeding and breaching. It was just spectacular! They have smaller, 6 passenger boat and Capt. Dan was such a pleasure, very knowledgeable and personable. They pick you up in their van in the parking lot right outside the restored cannery where the tenders drop you off. ISP is a beautiful port, would love to spend more time there. Its real Alaska, and not commercial at all, so prepare yourself! Have a terrific trip! And if you have time before or after your whale watch stop in at the Office Bar for some fantastic crab!

[PathfinderEss]

[SIZE=3][COLOR=darkred][B]We're going in August on the Amsterdam and are very much looking forward to it. Thanks for all the information.[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]