Alaska Cruise - Help me? (cross-posted)

[star117]

Hi everyone -

 

I'm first wanting to tell you all "THANKS" for your helpful info on the boards! I've read pretty much all of it, and I am possibly more confused than before! LOL I'm so frustrated because I'm 'planning' this trip for our family group, and of course everyone has slightly different interests. We've narrowed down our options, but I do have a few questions if anyone could help us out??

 

First the details:

We want a 7 day NB from Vancouver the 1st week of August '08. Choice of HAL or Princess (Diamond/Sapphire or Coral/Island).

1- MIL/FIL - 60's, never cruised, think they need a balcony room, will want time to be 'alone', are afraid of big ships/feeling crowded

2 - BIL - 40's single - never cruised but was in Navy, concerned he will be bored on sea days if on a smaller ship, said something about hoping to meet a barmaid! LOL

3 - My family of 4 - we're early 40's, kids are 13 and 9 - we have all cruised and the kids were on a Disney cruise last year (no rock walls or wave pools!) - 13 yo will not want to be in a kids club group all week, but will need to have activities that he can do and keep busy with on sea days

4 - SIL family of 3 - never cruised, 15 yo will hang with my 13 yo, possibly her 18 yo daughter will also go (but she is the odd out being too old for kids clubs, too young for adult activities onboard) - plus she's not even sure if she wants to go, but we have to wait until she decides because our travel date will depend on whether or not she goes...meanwhile the cabins fill up!!

 

Questions:

1-After going to the TA yesterday, he has basically pushed HAL, then scared us off of HAL - we're afraid it will be too stuffy for our tastes, not enough adult entertainment, not enough kids activities, he made it seem that the teens would be unwelcome (he really bordered on rude here), heard that the ship shuts down at 9 - I mean, we want to be on a nice ship, but we also want everyone to be comfortable and entertained, too - comments???

I do like that the rooms are bigger on HAL, but don't know if that is enough to justify the atmosphere difference (if indeed there is a substantial one). I will note though that I did contact HAL today and there are NO balcony cabins left for the dates we can go on this route. Yes, I told my family 3 months ago that we need to book this asap...maybe the balconies were already gone at that point, too??

2-If we go with Princess, what will the difference be between the Diamond and Coral? Will the kid's programs/activites be the same? What about onboard activities for the rest of us?

3-How important is a balcony for space issues? I am concerned that in order to get seating area/couch in the cabin I have to go all the way up to a mini-suite!! That just doesn't seem right somehow! LOL MIL thinks this is important, DH does not.

4-For those of you that have cruised possible both sizes of ships, did you feel crowded on the larger ones? Again, I'm not concerned, but I would like to reassure my In-laws.

5-What is available for viewing for me if I don't have a balcony? Which decks are open/accessible/maybe 'secret' areas? Are the Princess public decks glassed in? I'm not sure why I cannot find that info in the brochures?

6-Is midship necessary for motion sickness prone in Alaska? I'm thinking not so much??

 

Bottom line, I supposed we're leaning toward the larger Princess ship because it will probably have the most options for everyone (unless you have info that tells me that the smaller Princess ship has just as many options/is just as nice).

 

Pricing - I know noone can tell me who they use, but I find this frustrating. I called Princess, and she said Use X, Y, or Z in your town because they can probably give you a better price than me. Great! I will! So, that is why I went to TA that scared us about HAL. He says NOONE can give me a better price than him, but guess what?? Yep, he just gave me brochure pricing! and misquoted the single and third/fourth rates on top of that!!! I call another TA here, and she also gave me brochure price without any explanation when I told her that Princess said she should be able to give me a better rate. Am I missing something here??

 

and Finally, for now :) - anyone that has flown from the east coast (DC and/or Norfolk area) - what is a 'good' airfare? I'm seeing about $640 or so (for July of next year) for the openjaw IAD-YVR (direct flight united), ANC-IAD (overnight united).

 

We will fly into Van a day early, and we will have to transfer from Seward to Anc the last day of the cruise...probably having most of the day in Anc (but I think there is a 3:30 on Delta but is a reaalllly long flight/layover).

 

Hope this wasn't too much info, but I wanted to try and give you as much as possible for your recommendations!

I will cross post on HAL and Princess boards, too.

Thanks so much in advance for your help!!

Diana

[RuthC]

You didn't say which HAL ship you're looking at; it could make a difference if you are looking at an S- or R-class, or a Vista.

The S- class is the smallest, and has the same cabin sizes as the R-class. The public rooms/outside decks are essentially the same, too.

The Vista is a larger ship, but the cabins are smaller than comparable cabins on the S & R's. However, they also have additional balcony categories.

"Stuffy" can also be called "sophisticated". There's beautiful artwork, fresh flowers, even cloth towels in the public restrooms! Only you can determine what kind of atmosphere you want on a ship; no one can do that for you. HAL offers a traditional style of cruise. It does not shut down at 9:00, though! The lounges will be playing music for dancing until midnight; on the Vista's the disco tends to go even later. Do remember, though, in Alaska the itinerary is more important than night-life. You get tired, and want to get ready for the next day.

Which brings up the question is a balcony necessary. I think not---I always book an inside. However, I also believe that Alaska should be experienced from an outside deck where you can appreciate the vastness more. HAL ships have plenty of that.

Balcony cabins tend to be reserved for those doing a cruise/tour; it's possible that even though there aren't any available now some will open up later on.

I hope I've added some information to add to your thought process. I'm sure others will be along to add even more.

In any case, good luck in your decision-making. And have a great time in The Great Land. Alaska is a spectacular destination.

[Duet]

Diana,

Hi...we are a family of 4 and have taken two Alaska Round trips from Vancouver and Seattle in the past two years. Here are some thoughts:

 

First of all, it sounds like you should ditch that TA. If nothing else, I don't think you are happy with him.

Second, There are plenty of things to do on sea days, you should not worry about that.

Third, the kids should have a good time. There are movies and the Loft is really pretty good. My kids, 14 and 16, have really enjoyed the time they spent with the "teen" program. Encourage yours to try it.

We enjoy HAL because it is not "Spring Break at sea". There are older folks, but there are younger ones too. It's just not a "singles" scene, although, there are many singles who regularly go and have a great time!

I can't help you on the balcony, suite question. We always just get a standard outside cabin, and we never feel cramped. But, that is more of a personal issue; do what you feel like you need.

The ship does shut down earlier than some lines. We often go to the late show in the lounge and by 11:30, most people are in their cabins; although there are a few still in the disco and piano bar. By midnight or so, most everyone is gone.

Hope this helps a little,

Mary

[Westie1]

I haved cruised on Princess , Royal C and now HAL. Loved HAL

We had almost the same age groups you have. We had booked our trip at quite a savings thru that big store you by huge packages of groceries and stuff from, not sure if I can say the store name. Ends with an o.

Now as far as balconies, yes yes yes, We used ours constantly, nothing like viewing a glacier for 2 hours with your family on your own deck and the whales oh my..... We sailed on the Noordam and the verandah partitions can be opened up to make one large deck between the rooms.. The kids and parents liked that access between rooms on the verandah and the fact the verandah added such nice space that is livable. My parents got a room on the opposite side of the hall, just a bit away from the three rooms we had.The kids had a blast. We had a blast. They have movies in the theater that were quite current. A Tween , Teen and younger kids groups. We had 4 to a cabin on floor 5 two rooms from the front bow. loved it....I could go on and on.....

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done several northbound Alaskan cruises (as well as southbound) and they are great. Love HAL.

Air is not cheap -- you are looking at a good price as air will keep going up.

Whether you go by bus or train from Seward to Anchorage using HAL, they will take care of everything to get you directly to the airport -- don't plan on a flight earlier than 3 PM.

[moveup]

(1) Why are you convinced you need to do a one-way cruise? Anchorage isn't much to look at (I know because I worked there one summer). The transfer from the ship to Anchorage is tedious. It is a wasted day and you then have to fly home overnight so you are jet lagged AND exhausted when you arrive. If you go roundtrip from Seattle or Vancouver your airfare will be much cheaper. The Noordam was Seattle roundtrip but apparently Noordam is not doing Alaska next year. 300 days before our cruise, when the airlines open up their reservations, we booked $278 roundtrip on Alaska Airlines from BWI-SEA with a connection somewhere. Then due to a schedule change that didn't suit us we got Alaska Airlines to switch us to their nonstop DCA-SEA. If you go roundtrip Vancouver you still can use Seattle as your airport. There are numerous ways to get from Seattle to Vancouver, the nicest being the Amtrak Cascades train which is a gorgeous ride. HAL may provide transportation from Seattle to Vancouver. You could also spend a day or two in Seattle before or after the cruise. If so check out the Inn at Harbor Steps, which is reasonably priced by Seattle standards, large rooms, located right near the waterfront, and includes a full cooked breakfast each morning and tea/wine/hors doeurves each afternoon. With a roundtrip cruise you may have one less port but you can also get a day of sailing in Glacier Bay which to me was more interesting than Skagway (which was the alternative if we took a northbound or southbound cruise).

(2) We had a category F large outside cabin. It had big windows (you couldn't open them of course), and a couch and cocktail table. I think it was just under 200 square feet. So no, you don't need a balcony or verandah. There is plenty of deck space for sightseeing on the Noordam (Vista class). The best spot we found was on the 9th deck, all the way forward, in front of the exercise room/spa. The only problem there is that you can't hear the announcements on deck 9 (in Glacier Bay in particular, you want to hear the Park Service ranger who comes on board to explain what you are seeing). I'm sure every HAL ship in Alaska has plenty of deck space. The glaciers are big. You don't have to be right at the railing to see them.

(3) Vista class is a big ship -- about 2000 passengers. We NEVER felt crowded. The design is a lot of cozy spaces/places, twists and turns in the hallways on the decks with the public rooms, etc. You could always find a quiet nook for a conversation. Our favorite spot was the Explorations Cafe (cross between a Starbucks, a Barnes & Noble, your public library, your club, and an internet cafe). I think they have those on all the ships. The only place we felt at all crowded was at peak meal times at the Lido buffet. But you can always go to the dining room and avoid the buffet. (We only went to the Lido when we were in a hurry due to a shore excursion.)

(4) There were very few teenagers on board and they did seem bored. A couple of the girls sat in the hallways constantly with their cell phones, apparently whining to their friends back home about how bored they were. Note that cell phones do work on board thanks to SeaMobile but I bet neither they nor their parents knew the roaming charge was $5 per minute, which will show up on their cell phone bills that they will be getting this month. The boys seemed less bored because they could eat pizza and ice cream around the clock.

(5) Yes, midship, lower deck, inside cabin is the smoothest in the case of rough seas. We were far forward, outside, and had no problem because we got a week of near-perfect weather. The inside passage of Alaska is smoother than the ocean, but so much depends on the weather and how sensitive you are to motion sickness.

(6) I used an online travel agency that specializes in cruises and is a sponsor of cruisecritic.com. I'm not allowed to mention their name on this board. The agent I dealt with was fantastic in every way and this particular company GUARANTEES the lowest price up to the date you make the final payment. In my case a competing company advertised a lower rate, and the agency I had booked with promptly matched that rate and also gave us a $50 cabin credit for incidentals (and when we checked in we found that the travel agency had also bought us a bottle of "champagne" and a certificate for a photo from the ship's photographer). We promptly booked another cruise through the same online agency. I do wish I could mention their name and in particular the name of "our" agent there. . .

(7) I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. It's a shame all the planning has fallen to one person (you) and that you will apparently be held personally responsible for the dissatisfaction of anyone in your group. It also sounds like you are the "caretaker child" . . .