Celebrity Infinity or HAL Nieuw Amsterdam?

[sheff29]

We are 2 adults in our early 50's, not big cruisers but want to do Alaska next July 2017. We sailed on Celebrity Summit (southern Caribbean) last April so we know we like a smaller M class ship as compared to talk of bigger S class. Have never sailed Holland America. We want round trip from Vancouver with as much Inside Passage as possible to alleviate any seasickness. We really want the Infinity but have heard good things about HAL specific to Alaska. Which ship/itinerary would you choose and why? If we've never cruised Alaska before, would you say that Hubbard Glacier is good, or do you think we need to do Glacier Bay? There us a definite price difference so not sure if HAL worth the money?

 

Infinity - $5153

Cat 2a verandah (one cat upgrade, paying for 2b)

Go Best promo includes premium drink, gratuities, $300 OBC, unlimited wifi.

Vancouver 4:30, Inside Passage, Icy Strait Point 3:30-10:00, Hubbard Glacier 10:30-2:30, Juneau 7:30-6:00, Ketchikan 12:00-8:30, Inside Passage, Vancouver 7:00.

 

Nieuw Amsterdam - $5148

Cat V verandah, no promos, price does not include drinks or gratuities.

Vancouver 4:30, Inside Passage, Tracy Arm 10:00-10:30 then same day Juneau 1:00-10:00, Skagway 7am-9pm, Glacier Bay 7:00-4:00, Ketchikan 10:00-6:00, Inside Passage, Vancouver 7:00.

[CruiserBruce]

You don't need to do Glacier Bay, but it is certainly a special place in Alaska that if possible, you should see.

 

If the perks with the Celebrity booking are important to you, hard to pass on that.

Edited March 20, 2016 by CruiserBruce

[CowPrincess]

We are 2 adults in our early 50's, not big cruisers but want to do Alaska next July 2017. We sailed on Celebrity Summit (southern Caribbean) last April so we know we like a smaller M class ship as compared to talk of bigger S class. Have never sailed Holland America. We want round trip from Vancouver with as much Inside Passage as possible to alleviate any seasickness. We really want the Infinity but have heard good things about HAL specific to Alaska. Which ship/itinerary would you choose and why? If we've never cruised Alaska before, would you say that Hubbard Glacier is good, or do you think we need to do Glacier Bay? There us a definite price difference so not sure if HAL worth the money?

 

Infinity - $5153

Cat 2a verandah (one cat upgrade, paying for 2b)

Go Best promo includes premium drink, gratuities, $300 OBC, unlimited wifi.

Vancouver 4:30, Inside Passage, Icy Strait Point 3:30-10:00, Hubbard Glacier 10:30-2:30, Juneau 7:30-6:00, Ketchikan 12:00-8:30, Inside Passage, Vancouver 7:00.

 

Nieuw Amsterdam - $5148

Cat V verandah, no promos, price does not include drinks or gratuities.

Vancouver 4:30, Inside Passage, Tracy Arm 10:00-10:30 then same day Juneau 1:00-10:00, Skagway 7am-9pm, Glacier Bay 7:00-4:00, Ketchikan 10:00-6:00, Inside Passage, Vancouver 7:00.

 

Thank you so much for including the itineraries :) That really helps.

 

Not a lot of cruises offer Icy Strait Point and Hubbard Glacier so for me, that is intriguing.

 

The Nieuw Amsterdam itin doesn't actually go into Tracy Arm, but offers an excursion (about $200/person) in a small boat into TA. You do a mid ocean transfer from the ship to the boat, then the boat takes you to Juneau after doing Tracy Arm. (Just an FYI)

 

Since there is still lots of daylight in mid-July the port times are decent on both itins.

 

So... personally I think the Infinity itin is more interesting. BUT I really think you should see what is available in each of the various ports, to see if there is an activity or history etc that appeals to you, before you decide. And find info about the glaciers, to see if Hubbard or Glacier Bay appeals more.

 

As CruiserBruce said, if the beverage package on Celebrity is important, that might end up being your deciding factor.

[Devinlad]

I will be on the exact same NA itinerary this May, so I should be able to offer more details on that later. For now, here's a bit of why/how we decided on our itinerary for our upcoming Alaska cruise. It is our first to cruise Alaska and second overall cruise.

 

Firstly, we are taking this trip to celebrate a number of occasions, my girlfriend and I are celebrating our 9th anniversary and her birthday while on the trip as well as my recent completion of my university degree. The NA itinerary allows us to be on board for both dates, which are in the same week, which was a big plus for us. So dates were important to us, which may or may not be the case for you, but thought I'd mention it just in case.

 

Second, like you we also wanted a RT Vancouver Inside Passage.

 

Third, we looked at Glacier Bay as a big plus because its a whole day of scenic glacier view cruising (9 hrs vs. Hubbard's 5 hrs) which really appealed to us. Hubbard is supposedly spectacular as well, being a quickly advancing glacier with plenty of calving activity (so I've read). We are still youngsters and plan to return to Alaska at a later point so we will likely look at an itinerary that includes Hubbard then. CC has an article that provides a good comparison of the two.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1928

 

Fourth, we have heard from friends and family who have cruised to Alaska before that they really enjoyed the White Pass Rail in Skagway. Therefore, a stop in Skagway was a plus for us, which the NA itinerary has, but the Infinity does not.

 

Lastly, our first cruise was on the Eurodam last January and we really enjoyed that. The food and service was outstanding for us and we enjoyed the atmosphere very much (we're more the wine and dine type, not the rowdy, late night party type). Being on the sister ship, the NA, we are very much looking forward to some of the excellent cuisine and service we experienced last time in the MDR and the Pinnacle grill. Celebrity surely has some fine chefs of their own, but we haven't tried them yet and our steaks at the Pinnacle (we had the filet) were exceptionally good (probably in our top 5).

 

All in all, and totally aware of my own bias, there was a lot of pluses for the NA itinerary for us, with the dates being the biggest factor, but also having some past experience to go off with HAL as well. That being said, you would be getting some pretty appealing perks on the infinity, so there's a trade-off that we didn't have to face.

 

Either way, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip no matter what you decide and I hope if nothing else, that article by CC helps (even if I assisted in no other way than helping you find that). Happy cruising.

[snowmc]

Both ships are nice and both sailings have good options. This summer will be my 10th Alaska cruise. I prefer Hubbard Glacier to any other glacier call in Alaska. Larger and more active. I would choose the Celebrity sailing....price is similar and you get WAY more benefits. AND....you go to Hubbard. Personally, I don't like Glacier Bay....been there several times and have never been to excited about it.

[jawhoffman]

Glacier Bay is spectacular! Having said that, I chose not to sail on HAL this summer because they are the only line that still allows smoking on balconies.

[Wishing on a star]

I would with a cruise line that does Glacier Bay. No question. I also considered Celebrity and other ships. But have read the old adage here, many times... Seek an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay... choose accordingly.

 

The Nieuw Amsterdam is very nice large ship.

The itineraries can be really great.

But, there have been ongoing reports of vibration (harmonics???) on this ship that are noticeable and I feel like I might find enough to annoy/bother me. We are also non-smokers.

 

We chose to book on the Coral Princess.

We will be on the itinerary that cruises Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. (hoping that we will actually be able to get close enough to see/experience it!)

Small boat cruise from Whittier, pre-boarding, will cruise Surprise Glacier and College Fjord.

 

Cabins on Princess are def. smaller. I think one would have to book a mini-suite on Princess to have the space and the small bathtub.

 

Princess is known for being one of, if not the, best at doing Alaska.

Check out their North to Alaska program.

Onboard naturalist and events.. Narration by the naturalist, and National Park Service at Glacier Bay.

 

Cruising and the onboard experience are really a personal preference.

I looked at a lot of reviews, comments, photos, videos, etc.

Edited March 21, 2016 by Wishing on a star

[TheCalicoCat]

We are 2 adults in our early 50's, not big cruisers but want to do Alaska next July 2017. We sailed on Celebrity Summit (southern Caribbean) last April so we know we like a smaller M class ship as compared to talk of bigger S class. Have never sailed Holland America. We want round trip from Vancouver with as much Inside Passage as possible to alleviate any seasickness. We really want the Infinity but have heard good things about HAL specific to Alaska. Which ship/itinerary would you choose and why? If we've never cruised Alaska before, would you say that Hubbard Glacier is good, or do you think we need to do Glacier Bay? There us a definite price difference so not sure if HAL worth the money?

 

Infinity - $5153

Cat 2a verandah (one cat upgrade, paying for 2b)

Go Best promo includes premium drink, gratuities, $300 OBC, unlimited wifi.

Vancouver 4:30, Inside Passage, Icy Strait Point 3:30-10:00, Hubbard Glacier 10:30-2:30, Juneau 7:30-6:00, Ketchikan 12:00-8:30, Inside Passage, Vancouver 7:00.

 

Nieuw Amsterdam - $5148

Cat V verandah, no promos, price does not include drinks or gratuities.

Vancouver 4:30, Inside Passage, Tracy Arm 10:00-10:30 then same day Juneau 1:00-10:00, Skagway 7am-9pm, Glacier Bay 7:00-4:00, Ketchikan 10:00-6:00, Inside Passage, Vancouver 7:00.

 

Glacier Bay is a World Heritage Site for a reason. If for no other reason, I will always recommend/select a cruise to AK that includes sailing Glacier Bay & avoid others when there is a choice.

[sheff29]

I really appreciate all of the replies, a lot of which were informative and enjoyable to read, thank you for sharing. I've done quite a bit of research on the different cruise lines, deck plans, the ports, the glaciers, etc. I'm pretty certain we'll go with the Celebrity Infinity this time, the itinerary is great, the inside passage ports are perfect, and the price with perks seems a good deal. I can see us returning again in future years as there appears to be so much to do and see! Thanks again for the insight. I'm sure I'll be asking questions on excursions next. :)

[CowPrincess]

Thanks for letting us know :) Often, we never find out what was decided :)

[TheCalicoCat]

Thanks for letting us know :) Often, we never find out what was decided :)

 

I agree, thanks for letting us know.

 

Come back & tell us how it went.