Alaska

[solomon]

Wife and I have decided to cruise to Alaska on HAL this summer. Our first time with HAL and would like some opinions on which ship, which itinerary etc...

Thanks.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done round trip out of Vancouver, northbound and southbound. All have been great cruises.

 

You have to decide what ports are important to you according to what you like to do, i.e., flight seeing, whale watching, just touring on your own, etc.

 

Have sailed on the Ryndam and Statendam only for Alaska. But would not hesitate to sail on another dam ship if it had an itinerary that we like.

[fsdj1097]

A good suggestion for someone just starting out would be to visit the Alaska thread on Ports of Call here on CC.

 

This will be our 3rd trip to Alaska this next season. We have chosen R/T sailing from Vancouver and Seattle because of the higher prices for airfare when you book the one-way sailings.

 

The sailings from Vancouver are usually more of the true "Inside Passage" sailing. This means you are usually within sight of land (sometimes on both sides of the ship). If scenic cruising is important to you, this might be a better option, as the sailings from Seattle typically sail to the west of Vancouver island and has more open ocean sailing.

 

If glacier viewing is of high priority to you, choose the sailings that have multiple glacier days...again the Vancouver sailings may visit both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm (for the twin Sawyer Glaciers). Seattle sailings typically visit Hubbbard Glacier.

 

If you are a train buff, the sailings that visit Skagway offer tours on the White Pass & Yukon Railway. Whale watching can be accomplished in Juneau and/or Icy Strait Point.

 

If fishing is on your list, Ketchikan or Sitka are top stops for salmon and halibut.

 

I think when choosing Alaska, as the previous poster mentioned, first pick what you want to see/do and then pick the itenerary that gives you the best opportunities for seeing/doing.

 

Alaska is about getting off the ship, away from the towns (unless shopping is important), and seeing the wonders of nature and experiencing some of amazing wildlife. Be prepared though, as the tours in Alaska are pricey. Also, because many of the tours can take as much as half of your port times(or more). You will have to choose what's high on your list for this trip and then plan to return again to do what's next.

 

Have a great time planning your cruise.

 

Sam

[Tinknock50]

Sam,

Excellent post...very well said.:)

 

Solomon,

I have cruised to Alaska many times.....if you have some specific questions, maybe I can help.:)

[Atomica]

Sam pretty much has it covered - I'll just add a few things:

 

Once you've decided on an itinerary, go online and google the towns you'll be visiting - in most instances, going to the city's homepage will provide you with a link where you can order a brochure from them, complete with maps, etc.

 

One thing I do is go to Cruisecal.com and plug my sailing dates in, and see how many other ships are scheduled in port on that day. That gives me an idea of just how busy it's going to be! If you're not into it, get away from the main drag of each town - all that's there are jewlery and trinket shops, very few of which are actually run by people from Alaska. Go and seek out the places actually run by locals, and chat with them - chances are the'll be able to give you some good suggestions on things to see.

 

As stated above, the excurisions are very expensive - but plan for it, and take whatever appeals to you. You don't have to do any excursions in Alaska to have a good time, though.

[cruisequeen10]

Zuiderdam - Vancouver return. I did this trip this July and it was wonderful. First I live in Vancouver and only a few blocks from the pier. Was able to walk there. I picked up my mother along the way, as she lives even closer. Then when the cruise was over, just walked home. The staff on the Zuiderdam were very friendly and sometimes would bend over backwards for you. The ship was gorgeous and the weather great (sunny everyday, except for Ketchikan where it just poured). Didn't even need the heavy coats (especially in Glacier Bay - just wore a sweater).

[solomon]

Excellent advice from all of you. Thanks.

Since this will be our first cruise to Alaska, I'm sure any itinerary we choose will be great. Having said that, I think our priority will be placed on which ship to choose and as you know, there are several to choose from. Does any of the Alaska ships just stand out above the rest for you seasoned HAL cruisers?

Thanks.....Greg

[MercedMike]

We are pretty much in love with the Vista Class ships -- Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, Noordam. Any of them would be great for Alaska!

 

Check out

Zuiderdam to Alaska

for review and pics.

 

That said, our next Alaska cruise will be on Volendam -- not for the ship but for the itinerary.

 

Whichever you pick -- Have a GREAT cruise!

[RuthC]

I agree that picking itinerary first is the way to go. After that there should be a choice of ships.

If I had to choose I would pick S-class, R-class, Vista-class in that order. The reason (other than because I really, really prefer them in that order) is the smaller the ship the closer you will be to the action. Alaska may be the one cruise where I consider the ports to be more important than the ship---I'm one of those "the ship is the destination" types.

In Alaska you want to be able to see the scenery, and to get off/on the ship easily; you don't want to be competing with any more people than need be.

[wandb]

We loved the Ryndam on our Alaska cruise/tour. She is beautiful, and her Captain, staff and crew were wonderful. Great service, great food, great everything!! Taking the cruise/tour allowed us to see so much more of Alaska (like Denali!), that we thought it was just the BEST way to go. If you do this, take the land tour first, then when you board ship, you unpack once and relax for the next week!!

 

Whatever you decide, have fun! It will be a trip you'll never forget.