I think the decision is made

[woodmill100]

We're going to book HAL for our Alaskan cruise as soon as the 2008 dates are released. I think I read (can't remember cos I have read so much) that the ships cruising Alaska in 2008 are Oosterdam and Westerdam. Can anyone confirm this? We want to book early to get the best possible cabin which will hopefully be a suite if we can manage, if not a balcony for sure.

 

Questions which I have tried to find answers for but can't!

 

a. do the rooms have a fridge?

 

b. on formal night will my husband be ok in his formal kilt - it doesn't include a tie?

 

c. Has anyone sailed either of these 2 ships and would be prepared to give me some cabin recommendations?

 

I think that is all. Thank goodness for this site!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Yes the Oosterdam and Westerdam will be doing Alaska in 2008.

 

Refrigerators in cabins that you mentioned.

 

Kilt -- have seen quite a few of them on formal nights on various ships and cruise lines.

 

We have not sailed either of those 2 ships to Alaska, but have stayed in SA 7054 and SA 7053 -- loved both suites. Also handy to the Neptune Lounge.

[jtl513]

It's hard to go wrong with any verandah cabin or suite on a Vista ship, but I would avoid the VH and VF on deck 4, because they have steel-wall railings and some are above the show lounge which will tend to be noisy up to 11:30p on on many nights.

[Atomica]

If you can swing it, look into getting a balcony cabin - even a balcony guarantee. True, you have to get bundled up to go out on it most of the time, but we found it really paid for itself when we were at Glacier Bay- it was nice to be able to sit on our own private little oasis and watch the ship come into the bay, rather than jostle for spots on the forward decks.

 

We had a Category VC last year and were very happy with it.

[Mary Ellen]

Hi -

 

According to HAL's site the ships in Alaska for 2008 are: Amsterdam, Oosterdam, Ryndam, Statendam, Veendam, Volendam, Westerdam and the Zaandam.

 

I am NOT a fan of the Vistas (Oosterdam and Westerdam on the above list) and we strongly prefer Vancouver to Seattle for the round trip cruises.

 

We have had verandas on 2 of our 5 Alaskan cruises (due to family issues), but would not book one for Alaska again (and didn't on our most recent one there). I know a LOT of people swear by them for Alaska, but we RARELY used ours. The scenery is ALL around the ship and frankly we felt very limited on only seeing what happened to be on 'our' side when on our verandahs. Our S and B cabins were VERY nice, but I would book one for other reasons than the verandah for Alaska.

 

Good luck - it is a great cruise.

[PathfinderEss]

We're going to book HAL for our Alaskan cruise as soon as the 2008 dates are released. I think I read (can't remember cos I have read so much) that the ships cruising Alaska in 2008 are Oosterdam and Westerdam. Can anyone confirm this? We want to book early to get the best possible cabin which will hopefully be a suite if we can manage, if not a balcony for sure.

 

Questions which I have tried to find answers for but can't!

 

a. do the rooms have a fridge?

 

b. on formal night will my husband be ok in his formal kilt - it doesn't include a tie?

 

c. Has anyone sailed either of these 2 ships and would be prepared to give me some cabin recommendations?

 

I think that is all. Thank goodness for this site!

I have cruised on both ships and yes they do have a fridge. Your husband will look just great in his kilt. Seen lots of them on various cruises and ships. You know as far as cabin recommendations go, I guess it would depend on how much you want to spend and how much room you want. It is a safe bet to take cabins with balconies. Preferable A's and B's as they have more room. If you want to really go in style take a Deluxe Suite, there are a lot of nice perks, including the Neptune lounge, that go along with suite life. If either of you have motion sickness problems you will want to stick to the middle on the ship, less motion, in saying that though normally the Alaska sailing are very smooth, especially the inside passage. If you want a lot of balcony with a little less room go for the deluxe suits on the back of the ship.

[woodmill100]

Thank you for this very helpful information. A suite would be lovely but we'll need to wait and see what happens when the cruise dates are released. We will probably be doing a round trip from Vancouver.