New to Hal

[livingskies78]

Our first cruise was on RCCL Oasis of Seas. We are planning on going to Alaska May 2014 this will be our 10th Anniversary cruise and we will be taking our 3 kids (11DD,6DS,4DS) and MIL on her first cruise.

 

We live in Victoria, BC and looking at the Volendam which departs out of Vancouver.

 

When do May 2014 fares come out, and how do we go about booking. We will be paying for both cabin. The plan is we will be in a cabin with our two sons, and our daughter with share a cabin with my MIL so we don't have to pay for a single occupancy.

 

We are not picky on cabins, but would like to be midship. I don't know if it is worth it to have an ocean view or just an interior room. We would like connecting, but they all seem to be balcony cabins.

 

Any suggestions on Cabins, they are all varying on sizes.

 

thanks

[SwissMyst]

Welcome to HAL and you picked one of the favorite smaller HAL ships for your first adventure. We love those ourselves.

 

Something to consider when visiting Alaska as you well know living in Victoria BC, that towards the middle of the year since it never gets dark enough to sleep without all your curtains closed in this Land of the Midnight Sun, so I understand booking inside cabins can be a premium and that some of the better bargains end up being the outside cabins with their larger windows and balconies.

 

So if the price is right, right now for the Inside cabins, you might well on this itinerary be making a good choice. Hope you have a wonderful cruise and good thing about the Volendam is it has a midweek departure so you avoid a lot of the week-end departure/arrival large ship crowds when getting on and off the ship.

 

The Inside Passage is known for its smooth sailing, though not always so cabin location towards the center may not matter. There is a stretch coming out from Glacier Bay I believe which can typically get a little rough for a few hours but nothing like the reports from those who leave from Seattle to head north. Lucky you to be so close to your departure port.

 

Bon voyage.

[CruiserBruce]

May Alaska fares won't be out until around Feb or Mar of 2013.

 

You book the same way you probably booked your Oasis cruise. Thru either the cruise line, an online Travel Agent (TA) or a local TA, which is, IMHO, the best way.

[Krazy Kruizers]

You will love Alaska -- cruising in May -- be prepared to wear more layers as it can get colder the futher up north you go.

It will be quite a while before HAL gets the 2014 schedules out.

[livingskies78]

Thanks for all of the tips, yes it will be great be so close to port. What is the trick to pick the best cabin, or better which are the ones to avoid.

 

Does the children's fares ever come out for Alaska

[SwissMyst]

Thanks for all of the tips, yes it will be great be so close to port. What is the trick to pick the best cabin, or better which are the ones to avoid.

 

Does the children's fares ever come out for Alaska

 

We have never intentionally picked a cabin and have been happy with what has been assigned in the past, though there are some considerations if you do want a specific cabin or type of cabin to consider:

 

---fore, aft, center for various preferences

 

---is it above, below or beside any activity center; hours of activity center

 

---how many flights of stairs to various activity decks if you don't want to wait for the elevators

 

---location near elevators/stairwells for fewer steps - noise does not seem to be a consideration if cabin is located near elevator due to layout of cabin design buffering

 

---does it have connecting doors between cabins or solid walls

 

---............... others can offer their own tips and cabin preferences. Good question.