Which ship would u pick

[Crew News]

Here is a link to my photo review of the Koningsdam:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/photo-reviews/ms-konigsdam-on-board

 

Here is a link to my photo review of the Nieuw Amsterdam:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/photo-reviews/ms-nieuw-statendam-images

[southernshug]

2 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

 

The biggest difference, in terms of the AK experience, between the ships is Konigsdam will have significantly restricted views from the Promenade vs. the Nieuw Amsterdam (due to the placement of the lifeboats).  Having done 2 AK cruises on 2 different HAL ships, I found on the Glacier days I spent most of my time either on the bow, the forward facing decks (accessible from the passenger hallways), on the upper deck midship by the magrodome (open deck above Lido Pool), or by the aft pool.  I used the promenade deck only minimally on both sailings so would not let that be my sole deciding factor.  Others will disagree with me.

 

Have you checked the AK port schedules to see how many ships are planned to be in port with you each day?   That can be a bigger factor than the slight size difference between Konigsdam and Nieuw Amsterdam

I would've never though to check to see how many ships were in port. How do I do that?

[AtlantaCruiser72]

19 minutes ago, southernshug said:

I would've never though to check to see how many ships were in port. How do I do that?

 

This is the one I used for my 2019 cruise and it was accurate: https://claalaska.com/?page_id=1250 I think it is the offical website of the port agents that handle all the ships in Alaska

 

Note - the schedule may not be updated for some of the ship swaps that have occurred IE - Princess has replaced Star with Grand and Regal with Majestic.  The # of ships in port is the important factor as well as the general size of the vessels.

Edited September 11, 2020 by AtlantaCruiser72

[southernshug]

6 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

 

This is the one I used for my 2019 cruise and it was accurate: https://claalaska.com/?page_id=1250 I think it is the offical website of the port agents that handle all the ships in Alaska

Awesome. Thank you for ur help! 🙂

[southernshug]

Y'all have been wonderful with the information. Another question......I was thinking of getting an aft cabin on deck 7 on Koningsdam or a signature suite on deck 6 on Nieuw Amsterdam. I think I'm leaning towards Koningsdam.  Is it worth it to get an aft facing cabin? And are they really noisy?

[DaveOKC]

4 minutes ago, southernshug said:

Y'all have been wonderful with the information. Another question......I was thinking of getting an aft cabin on deck 7 on Koningsdam or a signature suite on deck 6 on Nieuw Amsterdam. I think I'm leaning towards Koningsdam.  Is it worth it to get an aft facing cabin? And are they really noisy?

Not sure I understand your options, but let me give it a try.  If you are considering an aft facing cabin on deck 7 on the Konginsdam (K), you either must take a Neptune (SB) or a Vista Suite (AS).  I ASSUME you are looking at the AS. 

 

On the Nieuw Amsterdam (NA) the deck 6 Signatures can be SS, SY or SZ.  Of these, I personally like the SY angled out cabins 6108 or 6113, as you can see forward plus they are a bit larger.

 

Between the two options, I would go for the NA Signature, as it is about 75% larger than the AS suite (Vista) you would get on the K.  Of course, you will not have the nice aft view (I have never found them to be noisy), but the difference in cabin size more than makes up for it IMO.  PLUS, being in a Signature, you have a good chance of being offered an upsell to a Neptune for a reasonable price.

 

In answering this, I assumed that the cabin prices were about the same for your two options......

[southernshug]

5 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Not sure I understand your options, but let me give it a try.  If you are considering an aft facing cabin on deck 7 on the Konginsdam (K), you either must take a Neptune (SB) or a Vista Suite (AS).  I ASSUME you are looking at the AS. 

 

On the Nieuw Amsterdam (NA) the deck 6 Signatures can be SS, SY or SZ.  Of these, I personally like the SY angled out cabins 6108 or 6113, as you can see forward plus they are a bit larger.

 

Between the two options, I would go for the NA Signature, as it is about 75% larger than the AS suite (Vista) you would get on the K.  Of course, you will not have the nice aft view (I have never found them to be noisy), but the difference in cabin size more than makes up for it IMO.  PLUS, being in a Signature, you have a good chance of being offered an upsell to a Neptune for a reasonable price.

 

In answering this, I assumed that the cabin prices were about the same for your two options......

Surprisingly the SS was cheaper but that trip was also earlier in May, by about 2 weeks. And yes, I did mean a vista suite. Sorry about that.....still learning 😉

[DaveOKC]

6 minutes ago, southernshug said:

Surprisingly the SS was cheaper but that trip was also earlier in May, by about 2 weeks. And yes, I did mean a vista suite. Sorry about that.....still learning 😉

No problem....

 

The Signature and Neptunes on the K are more expensive than the same categories on the NA, even though they are smaller IMO.  Reason is simple - there are far fewer Signature and Neptunes on the K than on the NA (so, supply and demand at work).  That is one reason I like sailing in the NA over the K.

 

Another point - my friend (who normally books Signatures) booked a Vista on the K and she was VERY disappointed in the small size and layout.

Edited September 11, 2020 by DaveOKC

[southernshug]

8 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

No problem....

 

The Signature and Neptunes on the K are more expensive than the same categories on the NA, even though they are smaller IMO.  Reason is simple - there are far fewer Signature and Neptunes on the K than on the NA (so, supply and demand at work).  That is one reason I like sailing in the NA over the K.

 

Another point - my friend (who normally books Signatures) booked a Vista on the K and she was VERY disappointed in the small size and layout.

Good information to have. Thank you!

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Agree with the above - the Signature Suites on the Nieuw Amsterdam are far superior to the Vista Suites on the Konigsdam.  The Vista Suites are essentially slightly larger standard balcony rooms with the word "suite" slapped on so they can charge more.  The balcony space of the side facing Signature Suite will be SIGNIFICANTLY larger  (both in width and depth) with two padded armchairs and footstools and a dining height table, where the aft facing Vista Suite will be only mariginally deeper than a standard balcony and will have two standard mesh balcony chairs, possibly one footstool, and a low small side table.

 

There is no comparison and if itinerary, price and perks comparable I'd go Signature Suite on the NA all day, every day!!!!!!!!!!

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, southernshug said:

Y'all have been wonderful with the information. Another question......I was thinking of getting an aft cabin on deck 7 on Koningsdam or a signature suite on deck 6 on Nieuw Amsterdam. I think I'm leaning towards Koningsdam.  Is it worth it to get an aft facing cabin? And are they really noisy?

 

As a photographer, I will always book an aft stateroom for Alaska for the following reasons:

• You can see both sides of the ship and not have to move from side to side to get a good photo.
• There is no wind even while the ship is moving which means you can have Room Service dinner on your balcony.
• There is little foot traffic past your stateroom.
• You can enjoy Glacier Bay on your balcony without fighting the crowds at the upper deck railings.   You won't lose your spot at the railing if you have to find a restroom.  Just step inside your stateroom.  No tablets or cameras to block your photo ops. You won't lose your spot at the upper deck railings if you want food.  Just give Room Service a call and eat on your own balcony while you continue to take photos.  Your minibar is a few steps away if you want a cold beverage.  Nobody will kick your tripod if you are on your own balcony.
• Room Service is a short elevator ride up to your room from the kitchen so orders are both quick and hot when received.
• The main dining room is a short elevator ride down to dinner.
• The Lido Market buffet is a short elevator ride up for snacks or pizza on the NA.
• The sound of the ship's wake is very soothing.
• There are no noise sources above or below your stateroom.

There are those who avoid the aft staterooms for a number of reasons and that ensures that I can have my favorite photo locations on any ship.

 

[lazey1]

HAL offers a whale watch small boat experience on a research vessel from Juneau. I did this one a couple of years ago and found it far superior to any other whale watch I have ever been on. The reseacher asked all of us to alert her the second we saw anything then we went much closer to the whales than is normally allowed and she explained the behaviors. We saw several groups of humpbacksm mothers teacfhing their babies, and we saw a pod of about 12 killers whales doing the bubble feeding. I don't know if this type of whale watch is offered from other Alaska ports.

[southernshug]

3 hours ago, lazey1 said:

HAL offers a whale watch small boat experience on a research vessel from Juneau. I did this one a couple of years ago and found it far superior to any other whale watch I have ever been on. The reseacher asked all of us to alert her the second we saw anything then we went much closer to the whales than is normally allowed and she explained the behaviors. We saw several groups of humpbacksm mothers teacfhing their babies, and we saw a pod of about 12 killers whales doing the bubble feeding. I don't know if this type of whale watch is offered from other Alaska ports.

That sounds fantastic. I will definitely look for that one! Thank you

[mamaofami]

We took the helicopter ride through the glaciers and after landing went dog sledding. Of all the excursions I’ve been on, that was my favorite. It was expensive but well worth it.

 

i haven’t been on the Konigsdam, but have cruised New Amsterdam and enjoyed her. I don’t think you can go wrong.

[VintageGeo]

On 9/12/2020 at 1:43 PM, lazey1 said:

HAL offers a whale watch small boat experience on a research vessel from Juneau. I did this one a couple of years ago and found it far superior to any other whale watch I have ever been on.

We did the same excursion out of Juneau last year in June, and if I remember correctly it is listed as a maximum of 20 people. We had maybe 12 - 13 onboard. It happened to be the wettest day we have yet experienced on any of our cruises. The windows on each side of the excursion boat swing down so that basically the entire side of the boat is open. It was raining in one side of the boat and out the other. We spent so much time watching a mother and her calf that we didn't get to do all of the scheduled research, but it was an incredible experience. The rain gave an ethereal atmosphere to the already beautiful surroundings. It was a wet, wonderful day that we would do again in a heartbeat.

 

To the OP, whichever ship you choose, whatever the itinerary, and no matter what the weather might bring, you will love Alaska and the beauty you experience will make you want to go again. Hope you get to enjoy your trip safely and fully.

 

Lori & George

 

[southernshug]

20 hours ago, mamaofami said:

We took the helicopter ride through the glaciers and after landing went dog sledding. Of all the excursions I’ve been on, that was my favorite. It was expensive but well worth it.

 

i haven’t been on the Konigsdam, but have cruised New Amsterdam and enjoyed her. I don’t think you can go wrong.

Did u do this trip thru the ship or some independent group? Been trying to figure out who to book excursions through besides the cruise line. 

[mamaofami]

2 hours ago, southernshug said:

Did u do this trip thru the ship or some independent group? Been trying to figure out who to book excursions through besides the cruise line. 

We did it out of Juneau and it's a while ago so I don't recall if it was a ship or independent tour. There are several companies that do this tour.