How is HAL's 14 day Alaska cruise?

[kacurl]

Hi everybody so dh and I are booked on the kdam in Jan and had planned on booking Veendam to Bermuda in May while on board. We have been there 4 times and love it. Well after reading this thread you all got me so excited we are thinking to book this May 22!!!. My question is we have never booked while onboard before want to know advantages and were we to see a better deal later with another agent could we switch it over? Also if we wait to book in Jan do you think that will be too late? Thanks in advance for your help!!!! Cathy

 

 

 

 

in Jan

[nw gardener]

We booked our 14 day while onboard the previous summer on the Westerdam and found the biggest advantage was picking out the best cabin for us - as far as perks, it will be whatever HAL is offering at the time [it was lower deposit and some OBC]. We then went home and transferred it over to our TA [big box] and got a lot more OBC on top of that while keeping what we did get while booking onboard. We would not have had the cabin choices available to us if we went through our TA as it seems HAL doesn't open up all their cabins to TA's it seems. As far as waiting until Jan to book, you might want to go online and do some researching or check with your TA to figure out how that sailing is selling if cabin choice is not a huge factor for you, and you never know what the price will do between now and then as well. Good luck and you will love the itinerary!

[JudithLynne]

Doing this in August 2017. Is there a better side of the ship to have your cabin on?

 

 

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We did this cruise this summer and loved it. It was our 13th Alaska cruise and our 39th cruise overall. We are booked on the same cruise again for next summer in July. We were in an OV cabin Starboard side. Next year we will be in a Vista Suite thanks to the change in HAL's smoking policy. We felt that the port side was the preferred side and we will be on that side next year.

[rafinmd]

Have any of y'all done a cruise tour that could compare it to the 14nt r/t Seattle cruise? I'm considering the Triple Denali cruisetour option that has 1nt Fairbanks, 3nts Denali and 1 nt Anchorage with a Southbound cruise vs a 14 nt r/t Seattle for summer 2018

 

I'm the contrary voice here and think you have the right idea. I've been to Alaska 8 times and only once on a cruise that didn't leave me some nights ashore (Crystal Symphony Japan to Vancouver). Even after 7 cruises with time on land again I would hesitate to do a cruise that just made day visits.

 

My ideal is actually a cruise tour sailing to Skagway, overland to Anchorage, and back to Vancouver by ship. Some day.

 

Roy