Help! How to narrow down our choices?

[daggct]

Just too many options...

I would like to book a one week Alaska cruise for myself (50f) and my daughter (20s). The only thing that cannot change is the cruise departure date, June 29 or 30.

the possibilities are the HA Koningsdam, Noordam, or Nieuw Amsterdam, Royal or Sapphire Princess, or Celebrity Solstice. Each one has plusses and minuses. 

 

 

My initial thoughts were northbound (less worries about missing the ship, many more flights to Vancouver, daughter only has one week off from work), leaving Sunday (same reason), but then was worried that HA would skew a little older and may not be as fun on the ship. Princess is probably a better fit, Sapphire being preferable to Royal due to ship size, but then realized that week they tender in Juneau and have a 6:30 am arrival (absolutely will still be sleeping). Solstice is a good fit, but Icy Straight Point instead of Skagway?

 

So what do you think? We can be flexible on some things (like southbound over northbound) but not on others (departure dates, 6:30 am wake up).Every time I think about it I come up with a different decision. Please Help!

[no1racefan1]

Well if the options involve flying in the same day vs. flying in the day before, I'd start there and eliminate anything that involves flying in the same day.

 

I haven't been on HAL but have read that HAL and Princess are pretty comparable.

 

I believe the Northbound or Southbound spend more time in ports than a round-trip--which you didn't mention as an option but in case it is...that's something to consider too. You're going to all that trouble to visit Alaska, might as well spend as much time there as you can.

[daggct]

Flying in Friday night either way. More worried about a flight delay/cancellation flying to Anchorage the day before departure. Round trip is not an option, daughter has to be back at work.

[oaktreerb]

If you only have one week and can’t spend any extra time in Alaska why not take a round trip 7 day cruise from Seattle or Vancouver.   Fly in the day before so you don’t have to worry about missing the ship.  Fly home the day your cruise ends on Saturday or Sunday.   

 

You don’t want to tender in Juneau, especially from a big ship.  You should choose a ship that goes to Glacier Bay National Park.  Most ships go to Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway or Sitka and Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier.

[wolfie11]

9 hours ago, oaktreerb said:

If you only have one week and can’t spend any extra time in Alaska why not take a round trip 7 day cruise from Seattle or Vancouver.   Fly in the day before so you don’t have to worry about missing the ship.  Fly home the day your cruise ends on Saturday or Sunday.   

 

You don’t want to tender in Juneau, especially from a big ship.  You should choose a ship that goes to Glacier Bay National Park.  Most ships go to Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway or Sitka and Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier.

Sorry, but round trips out of Seattle are a terrible choice with way too much time being spent in open waters.  Vancouver is better, but not on a Princess Royal-class ship.  I agree with comments about Glacier Bay being a must-do.  I like Celebrity Solstice and the Sapphire.  HAL is good as well, but I haven’t been on a HAL ship in many years.  For me, the smaller the ship, the better.

[oaktreerb]

3 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

Sorry, but round trips out of Seattle are a terrible choice with way too much time being spent in open waters.  Vancouver is better, but not on a Princess Royal-class ship.  I agree with comments about Glacier Bay being a must-do.  I like Celebrity Solstice and the Sapphire.  HAL is good as well, but I haven’t been on a HAL ship in many years.  For me, the smaller the ship, the better.

Time is limited (7days).  Choices have to be made.  I agree that including Vancouver would be the best choice.  Holland America usually has the best docking locations in Juneau.   A one way cruise would include Vancouver (foreign port) but add to travel time on both ends.  No reason to be “sorry” a lot of people sail out of Seattle, agree not the best choice,  The best choice would be Vancouver with the inside passage route.

[Coral]

On 11/30/2023 at 6:07 AM, wolfie11 said:

Sorry, but round trips out of Seattle are a terrible choice with way too much time being spent in open waters.  Vancouver is better, but not on a Princess Royal-class ship.  I agree with comments about Glacier Bay being a must-do.  I like Celebrity Solstice and the Sapphire.  HAL is good as well, but I haven’t been on a HAL ship in many years.  For me, the smaller the ship, the better.

I agree with this! My RT Seattle cruise had the worst port times, more time in open water, etc... Least favorite cruise.

[edinburgher]

On 11/29/2023 at 8:17 PM, daggct said:

worried that HA would skew a little older and may not be as fun on the ship

Alaska is all about the scenery and wildlife so IMHO the ship itself and especially the itinerary, are much more important than late night entertainment.  A smaller size ship with good viewing areas would be ideal and your itinerary should definitely include Glacier Bay if you think this wIll be a "one off". And you will both probably spend more time on outer decks than you would ordinarily in a cooler climate.  I don't know about Princess, but captains on our  HA ships ships in Alaska authorised  the opening of the bow decks (usually off-limits)  for better passenger viewing opportunities and more viewing space, which is quite important for especially scenic areas when everyone wants best views.

 

Both HAL and Princess do Alaska very well, both usually have more slots for Glacier Bay than other lines, and both usually have the preferred positions for docking in ports, in itself quite important for ease of disembarking and embarking during port calls and to maximise  time shoreside.

 

HA does have entertainment, but most pax will head for bed long before the early hours.  If your daughter wants to party in the onboard club/disco and hit the bars until well after midnight, HA probably won't suit her. OTOH, not every passenger will be there for the entertainment, more for the uniqueness of Alaska and the scenery and wildlife so she may find those venues quieter than she expects.

Edited December 3, 2023 by edinburgher

[lobsternight]

We are frequent Alaska cruisers as it works out well for us, went twice this year and booked again for August next year.  I highly suggest round trip out of Vancouver, less open water, great scenery, and so on. Check the Solstice Intinerary again, our sailing includes both Icy Strait and Skagway.

 

We sailed HAL in April and yes things do seem to shut down a bit early compared to Celebrity. My eldest son(22) loves the variety of night life that Celebrity has to offer, both lines are great.

 

The other thing to consider is how important is your visit to the glacier. As mentioned there are limited slots for each line.  Weather is beyond our control, but even in a drenching downpour you will still have incredible views from the comfort of your ship. For me, I really don't care which one we visit

 

Have a wonderful adventure with you daughter