Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam or Noordam and Northbound or Southbound on Glacier Discovery Trip

[Margggy]

My husband and I are planning a trip Canada and Alaska for August/September next year. We wish to do the Glacier Discovery Trip with Holland America but am unsure whether to do it Northbound or Southbound. The only difference seems to be that the southbound trip goes to the Hubbard Glacier whereas the northbound one goes to College Fjord. I would really like to hear what people think is the best.

 

Holland America have 2 ships that are doing this route next year - the Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam. Again any thoughts on which one is better would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

[Haljo1935]

5 hours ago, Margggy said:

My husband and I are planning a trip Canada and Alaska for August/September next year. We wish to do the Glacier Discovery Trip with Holland America but am unsure whether to do it Northbound or Southbound. The only difference seems to be that the southbound trip goes to the Hubbard Glacier whereas the northbound one goes to College Fjord. I would really like to hear what people think is the best.

 

Holland America have 2 ships that are doing this route next year - the Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam. Again any thoughts on which one is better would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

IMO, they're both great. I personally avoid boarding in Vancouver, so if one of them does that, I would choose the other.

We like both NA and Noordam; probably a bit more partial to Noordam just because our first couple HAL cruises were on her and we have great memories. 

How late into Sept are you looking at? Something going north later in the season could have the potential for more rain.

Safe travels - enjoy your cruise!

Edited October 9, 2023 by Haljo1935
Additional comment

[RuthC]

Southbound, absolutely. Hubbard Glacier has it all over College Fjord. You get a much more impressive glacier, much more active, and lots of great scenery with the ride up to the glacier, than College Fjord can provide. 

As to which ship, the two ships are two different classes, with the Nieuw Amsterdam larger, but the increased size comes in one additional deck. Otherwise, the two ships are pretty much the same, in terms of layout and amenities. The Nieuw Amsterdam does have the Tamarind Restaurant, which the Noordam does not, however. If you are interested in Pan-Asian food, that could be a consideration. 

In any case, as you get further into September, the weather deteriorates rapidly most years. I highly recommend that if you must go in August/September, then go as early as possible in the timeframe available to you. 

[euro cruiser]

I just got off the Noordam after my first cruise on this ship and I would avoid it, it's not up to HAL standards in my opinion.

[maggiev]

We are sailing on Nieuw Amsterdam Aug 25, 2024.  We choose this ship because of BB Kings & Tamarind.  Going northbound to end in Fairbanks hoping for a better Northern Lights view

[zgscl]

6 hours ago, maggiev said:

We are sailing on Nieuw Amsterdam Aug 25, 2024.  We choose this ship because of BB Kings & Tamarind.  Going northbound to end in Fairbanks hoping for a better Northern Lights view

I agree with this 100%. The Signature class ships are great. BB Kings is fantastic, as is Tamarind. 

 

 

[RD64]

Both ships are great - but I would give the nod to the NA for Tamarind.

[CruiseMGM]

Tamarind is great, but I'd also like to say that the Southbound itinerary usually traverses the Canadian Inside Passage during the daylight hours on your last day, while the Northbound mostly traverses it at night on embarkation day. The Canadian Inside Passage is beautiful.........except on the times when it's kinda fogged in, and even that has an ethereal beauty to it! So you take your chances, I suppose. Good luck on your decision!

[CruiseMGM]

3 minutes ago, CruiseMGM said:

Tamarind is great, but I'd also like to say that the Southbound itinerary usually traverses the Canadian Inside Passage during the daylight hours on your last day, while the Northbound mostly traverses it at night on embarkation day. The Canadian Inside Passage is beautiful.........except on the times when it's kinda fogged in, and even that has an ethereal beauty to it! So you take your chances, I suppose. Good luck on your decision!

PS assuming you're going out of (northbound) or in to (southbound) Vancouver! If you're going into or leaving from Seattle, they usually go outside of Vancouver Island and you skip the Canadian Inside Passage altogether.

[RD64]

24 minutes ago, CruiseMGM said:

Tamarind is great, but I'd also like to say that the Southbound itinerary usually traverses the Canadian Inside Passage during the daylight hours on your last day, while the Northbound mostly traverses it at night on embarkation day. The Canadian Inside Passage is beautiful.........except on the times when it's kinda fogged in, and even that has an ethereal beauty to it! So you take your chances, I suppose. Good luck on your decision!

Yes this past August I did the 14 day round trip from Vancouver. Northbound it was fogged in - but as you said ethereal beauty. Southbound it was all sunshine and lollipops - and the Inside Passage was incredible.

[Heidi13]

On 10/8/2023 at 12:13 PM, Margggy said:

My husband and I are planning a trip Canada and Alaska for August/September next year. We wish to do the Glacier Discovery Trip with Holland America but am unsure whether to do it Northbound or Southbound. The only difference seems to be that the southbound trip goes to the Hubbard Glacier whereas the northbound one goes to College Fjord. I would really like to hear what people think is the best.

 

Holland America have 2 ships that are doing this route next year - the Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam. Again any thoughts on which one is better would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Having completed 2 entire Alaska seasons and numerous R/T's as a pax, then worked the BC Coast for > 30 years, these are my thoughts.

 

Time of Year

Later in September has greater potential for fog, rain and the first winter storms. On both of my Alaska seasons, we experienced 70 kt storms one week each year. Clear the previous week, but strong winds the next.

 

Therefore, if your schedule is flexible, I would favour late August or early September.

 

Glacier Bay

I expect both N'bd & S'bd visit Glacier Bay. Even with well over a couple dozen visits, I am still one of the first out on deck. Not the most impressive glaciers, but you are almost guaranteed to see at least one of them. I have never failed to access Glacier Bay. The Park Rangers provide exceptional commentary throughout the day.

 

Hubbard Glacier

Huge and definitely impressive, but you aren't guaranteed access to see the glacier, due to the potential for bergy bits. I have missed Hubbard about 2 or 3 times; however, late season the potential is less.

 

College Fjord

Almost a full day of scenic cruising with multiple glaciers. None of the glaciers are as large or impressive as Hubbard, but for me the overall experience in College Fjord is better than Hubbard.

 

Glacier Preference - College Fjord

 

BC Inside Passage

Unfortunately. very few ships sail the entire Inside Passage, heading up and down Hecate Strait. The scenic cruising is from Vancouver to the top end of Vancouver Island. Assuming departure Vancouver about 17:00, the Master will set an ETA for Seymour Narrows, which must be transited within 1 hr of slack water. With sunset being about 20:00, you will see about 1/2 of Georgia Strait in daylight. By next morning, when the sun rises about 06:30, you are already clear of the most scenic areas.

 

On the southbound cruise, depending on the Seymour Tides, you will see a good portion of this scenic cruising during daylight.

 

Preference - southbound

[Margggy]

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions.

 

We have decided to go on the Nieuw Amsterdam and go southbound.

 

We are thinking of booking a verandah cabin. Does anyone have any thoughts on which verandah cabin we should choose?

 

Thanks again for your help.

[crystalspin]

14 hours ago, Margggy said:

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions.

We have decided to go on the Nieuw Amsterdam and go southbound.

We are thinking of booking a verandah cabin. Does anyone have any thoughts on which verandah cabin we should choose?

Thanks again for your help.

Belated welcome to Cruise Critic! You are seeing us at our best, helping newcomers!

 

Ruth, MGM, and Andy all make good points, but I am voting for northbound on Nieuw Amsterdam, although if it fits your schedule better, I have enjoyed Noordam's sister ship Zuiderdam just fine!

 

My reasoning has to do with Alaska, not the glaciers per se. If you visit Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway (in that order) and then Glacier Bay, you are following our first trip to Alaska. Each port is "more" Alaskan (less Diamonds International glitz). Ending in Non-SE-Alaska (our one-way ended in Seward not Whittier, which means I have never experienced College Fjord). 

[sunviking90]

On 10/11/2023 at 7:21 AM, CruiseMGM said:

Tamarind is great, but I'd also like to say that the Southbound itinerary usually traverses the Canadian Inside Passage during the daylight hours on your last day, while the Northbound mostly traverses it at night on embarkation day. The Canadian Inside Passage is beautiful.........except on the times when it's kinda fogged in, and even that has an ethereal beauty to it! So you take your chances, I suppose. Good luck on your decision!

Agree with this completely. This would be my deciding factor.

[teh3505]

16 hours ago, Margggy said:

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions.

 

We have decided to go on the Nieuw Amsterdam and go southbound.

 

We are thinking of booking a verandah cabin. Does anyone have any thoughts on which verandah cabin we should choose?

 

Thanks again for your help.

Yes - book a verandah cabin. It's a must for Alaska.  You can sit with drink of choice and enjoy cruising the glaciers at your leisure.

[Haljo1935]

17 hours ago, Margggy said:

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions....

We are thinking of booking a verandah cabin. Does anyone have any thoughts on which verandah cabin we should choose?

 

Thanks again for your help.

We are VERY partial to true aft cabins with wake views. We have had several (as in double digits) experiences of whales joining us for morning coffee or giving us a nice send off as we leave a port. In Glacier Bay, you can enjoy the glaciers without crowds.

If you want a full side-to-side view, a corner Neptune Suite with wrap balcony is the way to go.

[Heidi13]

20 hours ago, Margggy said:

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions.

 

We have decided to go on the Nieuw Amsterdam and go southbound.

 

We are thinking of booking a verandah cabin. Does anyone have any thoughts on which verandah cabin we should choose?

 

Thanks again for your help.

 

In Alaska we mostly book inside cabins for a couple of reasons. If sailing during, or close to the summer solstice, it can be daylight for up to 20 hrs and the other 4 hrs are twilight. Spent too many months on ships in Alaska working shiftwork and trying to sleep during the day or evening. An inside cabin is perfectly dark at night.

 

Alaska scenery is generally on both side, so we are normally up on deck, checking out both sides. Sitting on a balcony, unless it is aft facing, misses 50% of the scenery.

[vicd1969]

On 10/19/2023 at 2:43 AM, Margggy said:

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions.

 

We have decided to go on the Nieuw Amsterdam and go southbound.

 

We are thinking of booking a verandah cabin. Does anyone have any thoughts on which verandah cabin we should choose?

I agree with your decision. If only because the embarkation experience boarding in Whittier is infinitely better than having to go through customs and immigration in Vancouver. My southbound embarkation (albeit pre-covid) took 10 minutes. My northbound took over 1.5 hours, most of which was standing on my feet. Plus, if you do Southbound, you can spend a day earlier to do the local Whittier boat tour of College Fjord, so you can get the full experience of all the 3 major glaciers. 
 

If you wish to book a verandah, inquire on the price difference between the cheapest verandah category and the highest veranda cabin. If it is greater than the cost of Club Orange, book Club Orange and the upgrade will be complementary, saving you some.

[SirTomster]

On 10/10/2023 at 8:38 AM, euro cruiser said:

I just got off the Noordam after my first cruise on this ship and I would avoid it, it's not up to HAL standards in my opinion.

Curious what happened.  I am booked for the Noordam southbound in June 2024.

[euro cruiser]

As I said, simply not up to the standards of the rest of the HAL line, in my experience/opinion.  Many aspects of the ship and the cruise experience were just off, not dramatically, but noticeably.  Plumbing issues that defied repair for several days, rotted out doorframes, food arriving to the table tepid, not hot.  The entertainment (other than the comedian) was not as good as I've seen on the other ships.

 

All in all, we enjoyed ourselves on this cruise but will not choose the Noordam again, there are so many other great options in the line.

[Margggy]

Thank you to everyone for their help. We have now booked the Nieuw Amsterdam Southbound for the beginning of September next year.

 

We are going to spend some time exploring Alaska prior to the cruise. Does anyone know the best way to get to Whittier from Anchorage on the day of the cruise?

[oakridger]

Congratulations on starting your trip planning!!  Which type/location of cabin did you decide on?  I love the Nieuw Amsterdam and hope you do too.   That is great that you are taking time to do some land exploration first, especially coming from so far.  I haven't been to Alaska except on cruises so am hoping to fly there and rent a car for exploring also.

 

Others here will let you know about Anchorage to Whittier soon, I'm sure.

 

~Nancy

Edited November 8, 2023 by oakridger

[Stratheden]

On 10/11/2023 at 1:38 AM, euro cruiser said:

I just got off the Noordam after my first cruise on this ship and I would avoid it, it's not up to HAL standards in my opinion.

I totally agree with you.  We have done 2 cruises on the Noordam and both were disasters.  It broke down in New Zealand and we missed 3 ports.  

[euro cruiser]

Years ago we took Alaska Rail from Anchorage to Whittier:  Glacier Discovery Train | Alaska Railroad

 

There is also a bus option:  Anchorage to Whittier Alaska Park Connection Bus Line (alaskacoach.com)

[Bxc53]

7 hours ago, Margggy said:

Thank you to everyone for their help. We have now booked the Nieuw Amsterdam Southbound for the beginning of September next year.

 

We are going to spend some time exploring Alaska prior to the cruise. Does anyone know the best way to get to Whittier from Anchorage on the day of the cruise?

The train would be my suggestion. The cruise companies generally commission dedicated runs.  It goes from downtown Anchorage to essentially the ship boarding area ( or reverse for a NB itinerary) . Not cheap, but an excursion in itself.