Never sailed HAL before and seeking advice on Alaska land/cruise tour

[SusiejaneUK]

Hello CC, 

We are mainly Celebrity devotees but want to do our first trip to Alaska and HAL have been recommended.  We are looking at a 14 day land/cruise of which only 4 days in on the cruise (the ship is Zaandam) in June. 

My DH is looking at an OV cabin as it is only 4 days on the cruise and I have also seen recommendations that you should get a balcony on an Alaskan cruise.  With this in mind,  I wondered if you could give us some advice on the following:

 

• Even though it is only 4 days, would you recommend a Balcony cabin for our first trip to Alaska
• If you book an OV or even an Inside cabin, are the accommodations on the land tour part of the trip, correspondingly less attractive ?
• I understand the Zaandam is the oldest ship in the fleet - could any recent cruisers on board her recommend or not choosing this ship ?
  
  Thank you in advance for any help/insight  
•  

Edited May 11 by SusiejaneUK

[terrydtx]

We are sailing on the Volendam in August (Zaandam sister ship) in a Vista Suite to get a balcony. Both ships do not have standard Verandah cabins. If you have two beds together the window will be blocked by the bed, see my picture below.

 

[Cruise Suzy]

1 hour ago, SusiejaneUK said:

If you book an OV or even an Inside cabin, are the accommodations on the land tour part of the trip, correspondingly less attractive ?

 

The land portion is not dependent on the type of stateroom you book.

[terrydtx]

7 minutes ago, Cruise Suzy said:

 

The land portion is not dependent on the type of stateroom you book.

That is true, in 2019 we had a Signature suite on the Noordam and we got a crappy run down hotel in Anchorage that smelled of cigarette smoke and was filthy. We complained to the hotel and HAL and they refused to move us to a better hotel or room, they said all hotels and rooms were sold out.

[Alberta Quilter]

I disagree that one needs to have a balcony on an Alaskan cruise.  You should be outside on open decks enjoying the expansive views to fully appreciate Alaska, not just one side of it.  Save your money, since on the Zaandam a balcony means booking a suite, and use the savings for shore excursions.

[SeaMatesNYC]

3 hours ago, SusiejaneUK said:

If you book an OV or even an Inside cabin, are the accommodations on the land tour part of the trip, correspondingly less attractive ?

If your land includes Denali (and perhaps at other stops) you will be offered a room upgrade option. I assume it is offered to all cruise cabin categories. 

[crystalspin]

3 hours ago, SusiejaneUK said:

My DH is looking at an OV cabin as it is only 4 days on the cruise and I have also seen recommendations that you should get a balcony on an Alaskan cruise.  With this in mind,  I wondered if you could give us some advice on the following:

The OVs on the Lower Promenade Deck 3 in Category D (mid-ship between the Attrium and middle elevator or so) have updated bathrooms with glass showers instead of tub-and-shower with curtains. You are only steps from the biggest balcony on the ship! the actual promenade. I think I would choose a port location as I do not know what they are using the Wajang Theatre, overhead on the starboard side, for these days! 

[oaktreerb]

@SusiejaneUK If you only have 4 days on the ship you are probably on one of the Yukon itineraries with land first?  You may have an overnight in Skagway before boarding the ship.  The Yukon itineraries are wonderful.  With only four days on the ship you could save a lot of money with an ocean view cabin.   The ship is smaller than most HAL ships and you will be out and about.  There are plenty of viewing areas inside and out.  You want to be able to peek out the window when you wake up in the morning.  

Edited May 11 by oaktreerb

[oaktreerb]

2 hours ago, SeaMatesNYC said:

If your land includes Denali (and perhaps at other stops) you will be offered a room upgrade option. I assume it is offered to all cruise cabin categories. 

There is an option for upgraded accommodations in a newer building at Denali.  That is the only upgraded accommodations on the tour and you pay extra for it.  This is Alaska and the hotels are not fancy.  They are clean and centrally located and if you don’t like the room you can ask for a change but most likely they are fully booked.  Rooms are assigned at random.

Edited May 11 by oaktreerb

[PROCRUISE]

3 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

I disagree that one needs to have a balcony on an Alaskan cruise.  You should be outside on open decks enjoying the expansive views to fully appreciate Alaska, not just one side of it.  Save your money, since on the Zaandam a balcony means booking a suite, and use the savings for shore excursions.

I agree. With only 4 days on the ship, purchase a window cabin and spend time on outside decks to enjoy the beauty. Use the money saved to purchase ship or private excursion(s) which are expensive on Alaska cruises. I hope on your land tour you get to experience The McKinley Explorer, HAL's train, and the BEST in Alaska,

[0bsessed]

We did an 18 day land and sea last year on the Nieuw Amsterdam with a balcony.   While we spent a little time on our balcony, most of the time was spent on the bow or outside decks where we could see both sides.  As others have said, save your money excursions on the cruise or on the land portion.  You will have a wonderful cruise, HAL does it right, especially in Alaska.