Alaska and Shipboard Nightlife

[pugmadkate]

We are planning our very first cruise ever and have decided on Alaska in June 2018. It will be a three-generation family trip, the youngest of whom are in their mid-20s. We've got it narrowed down to HAL or Princess. I'm leaning towards HAL because of the smaller ship/less people but I'm a bit concerned about things I've read that HAL skews towards an older crowd.

 

Our 20-somethings are not rowdy but they might enjoy a drink and dancing in the evening. Is that available on HAL Alaskan cruises? Does HAL really skew older? Any help is much appreciated!

[Old As Dirt Mom]

We are planning our very first cruise ever and have decided on Alaska in June 2018. It will be a three-generation family trip, the youngest of whom are in their mid-20s. We've got it narrowed down to HAL or Princess. I'm leaning towards HAL because of the smaller ship/less people but I'm a bit concerned about things I've read that HAL skews towards an older crowd.

 

Our 20-somethings are not rowdy but they might enjoy a drink and dancing in the evening. Is that available on HAL Alaskan cruises? Does HAL really skew older? Any help is much appreciated!

 

What ship? That makes a difference. Alaska sailings, as they offer shorter itineraries and depart in the summer, attract a multi-generational clientele, and you'll find families of all ages on board.

[pugmadkate]

The ms Eurodam.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

The ms Eurodam.

 

You're in luck:D. There are already several cruise reviews of Eurodam to Alaska this year. Here are a few, including the pros and the cons:

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2499113

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2497409

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2496761

[pugmadkate]

Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. I was disappointed to read this, "Fun activities during the day, and a variety of entertainment in the evening is gone...evening entertainment is early and reduced. You can't even find a bar with music and dancing before the late dinner seating easily. Even the evening 'fun & games' activities are held during dinner time if held at all."

[OlsSalt]

Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. I was disappointed to read this, "Fun activities during the day, and a variety of entertainment in the evening is gone...evening entertainment is early and reduced. You can't even find a bar with music and dancing before the late dinner seating easily. Even the evening 'fun & games' activities are held during dinner time if held at all."

 

You probably will not be happy on a HAL ship for that one week of Alaska cruising. There are other cruise lines that also go there. See if you can find something that works better for you upfront.

[styles27]

I was quite surprised with the number of young families on Eurodam last week. My first estimate was that there were maybe 50 children but as the week went on and we spent more time by the pool in the late afternoons, we saw a lot of young families with children...my DH thought maybe 100 children total.

 

The seniors definitely were not the majority on our sailing.

 

We saw many people in our age range 40-50, as well as young couples in their 20's and 30's. Our take is that Alaska tends to draw the younger demographic especially on the 7 day cruises.

 

Nightlife consists of the casino every night except Monday & Friday when you're in port. They did open at 10:30 once we left Juneau.

The BB King All Star Band playes 2 to 3 sets 6 nights and 1 night they're off.

The "dueling" pianos (they're really not dueling pianos if you've ever been to a real dueling piano show you'll know what I mean) they play 6 of the 7 nights.

After the BB King band plays their last set the DJ plays dance music in that room every night.

The Lincoln Center Stage had some show times in the evening but also some in the afternoon.

There was entertainment on the mainstage every night.

2 of the nights it was the HAL singers and dancers doing a show.

A comedian 1 night, a juggler 1 night, an illusionist/magician 1 night, and an interesting movie about Alaska in which the string quartet and band played the music on stage live while the film played on the big screen.

The last evening while in Victoria they played La La Land in the main showroom. That wrapped up the 7 nights of entertainment.

 

My kids are 27 and 29 and my honest opinion is if we were traveling as a family they would be fine on HAL because we would be spending time together. If they were going with their friends I'm not sure they would choose HAL only because they would be looking for more options as far as entertainment at night that you would get on a larger ship/another line.

 

It really depends on the individuals you're traveling with and what their expectations are.

 

This cruise is very port intensive. We were up very early every day so we were ok ending our evening by 11 or earlier each night. It's a lot different than going on a Caribbean cruise...a lot better in my opinion.

 

There is so much to see and absorb and if you're lucky enough to have a room on the port side of the ship you will have breathtaking views of the beautiful mountains while cruising from Juneau to Victoria.

[Swice]

We sailed Princess last year on the first week of June and my teenagers were only among a handful... it was a very old crowd. However, we were told there would be more than 100 on the next week and even more the following week (as more schools get out).

 

The point I'm trying to make is every cruise line skews "older" when school is in session.

 

We chose Princess for our Alaskan cruise because my wife and I had cruised Alaska on HAL before and we wanted to try a few different ports. I'll add, my 14 year old is a HAL snob, and complained that we took him on Princess the whole time. (We are booked on HAL in Europe this summer.)

 

We were active in Alaska and were getting up early almost every day for excursions... so none of us wanted to stay up late.

[Sequim88]

The point I'm trying to make is every cruise line skews "older" when school is in session.

 

Contributing factor is retiree empty nesters are more flexible about cruising outside the school year - some on purpose - so the average age would be post-retirement. Typically late 60's and older.

 

Alaska IS the entertainment on this type of cruise. The show is outside the windows.

[bnickle]

Absolutely read the linked reports Old As Dirt Mom provided...they are chock full of interesting, if subjective information.

 

We're doing this cruise in three weeks, and bringing along our three adult children (20, 22, and our oldest who turns 25 on the cruise). Our oldest lives across the country from us now, so this is a trip to reconnect as well as see some amazing sights. I'm bringing the games SuperFight, Taboo, and Cards Against Humanity for us to play, as that's what we do when we all get together. Toss in an Explore Four package for four of us and Cards Against Humanity will take on a whole new dimension. Also, all three of them are hoping that Rogue One is still playing because, seeing it together three times is apparently not enough. They have talked about maybe doing a trivia get together one night, and my oldest especially wants to hear some music at the Lincoln Center Stage. Kinda cool thing about cruising; you can make it be the trip you want it to be. It's Choose Your Own Adventure traveling!

[POA1]

Try to get to Lincoln Center Stage about 15 minutes early. You'll want to sit in the part of the room with the performers. (This will make perfect sense when you see the space.) Drinks can be had from the Pinnacle Bar next door. Lincoln Center tends to get busier as the week goes on and people find out about it.

[bnickle]

Try to get to Lincoln Center Stage about 15 minutes early. You'll want to sit in the part of the room with the performers. (This will make perfect sense when you see the space.) Drinks can be had from the Pinnacle Bar next door. Lincoln Center tends to get busier as the week goes on and people find out about it.

 

 

Great advice! Thank you...this is the info we need!

[POA1]

Great advice! Thank you...this is the info we need!

While I'm spouting wisdom... The same advice applies to the BB King shows. Get there early if you can. There are some semicircular booths/banquette seats inside, along the top row of the room. The ones to either side of the middle aisle seem to have the best sound balance. They're also convenient to the bar and the servers will spot you pretty quickly.

[pugmadkate]

Thank you, all!

[Beach4me]

Maybe I'm not the norm, but on my previous Alaska cruises (while I was in my 20's and 40's), I was ready to hit the sack by 9:30 every night.

 

It's a lot of work to take in that much beauty in a week! :)

[styles27]

Absolutely read the linked reports Old As Dirt Mom provided...they are chock full of interesting, if subjective information.

 

We're doing this cruise in three weeks, and bringing along our three adult children (20, 22, and our oldest who turns 25 on the cruise). Our oldest lives across the country from us now, so this is a trip to reconnect as well as see some amazing sights. I'm bringing the games SuperFight, Taboo, and Cards Against Humanity for us to play, as that's what we do when we all get together. Toss in an Explore Four package for four of us and Cards Against Humanity will take on a whole new dimension. Also, all three of them are hoping that Rogue One is still playing because, seeing it together three times is apparently not enough. They have talked about maybe doing a trivia get together one night, and my oldest especially wants to hear some music at the Lincoln Center Stage. Kinda cool thing about cruising; you can make it be the trip you want it to be. It's Choose Your Own Adventure traveling!

 

Sounds like fun! Eurodam also has a lot of different board games available up in the Crow's nest. They're over near the books and puzzle table.