disneyochem

Not so much my experience on HAL. Between the casino and the different music venues, I’m out until midnight on a HAL ship. That being said, we prefer the night entertainment more on Princess (activites, music shows)! We like that fact that Princess cruises out of San Francisco—our home port! Nice to just hop on a cruise without flying anywhere! Princess does the best job at accommodating my dietary issues. Just very nice to know that whatever ship I’m on, I’ll have safe and good food! Love the Medallion—the ability to order/receive drinks anywhere onboard. Enjoy not carrying around a cruise card. Fantastic crew and service!

Oops! My bad—we get Burger Queen at Asylum’s. We also go to and eat at Annabelle’s!

Not sure I’ve seen food trucks in Ketchikan—there’s an area where you can buy kettle corn popcorn, hot dogs, etc. We go to the Asylum Bar that serves Burger Queen as well as Annabelle’s. There are food ‘trucks’ in Juneau. You need to walk up Franklin Street to find them. We like Dave’s Deckhand and the ice cream stand. There’s also a popular Filipino food stand near the Marine Park & Plaza. Lots of ship crew go there to get food—very busy but tasty food!

I’ve found that planning a DIY trip to be almost as much fun as the trip itself! 🤣. Looking forward to seeing your plans/adjustments. We do a DIY (in addition to Alaskan cruises) to Alaska every summer. We’ll be in Seward for a couple of days this year between north-bound/south-bound cruises. Just a couple of things jump out to me about your itinerary. How are you getting from Vancouver to Seattle after your cruise? Princess doesn’t offer a transfer from Vancouver to Seattle this year after our southbound trip. We’ve booked the Amtrak train but will need to stay the day in Vancouver. There are independent bus transfers that costs anywhere from $30 pp to $75pp. I wouldn’t take a taxi/Uber from Vancouver. And bus travel is my least (and last) favorite option! What kayaking tour are you doing in Seward? I’ve been on a number but have never spent $900! Maybe do a Kenai Fjord wildlife cruise? At that at time of the year, Major Marine has a great orca quest cruise. They also offer cruise/hotel packages that can save some $$. You could do a wildlife cruise and a Resurrection Bay kayaking trip in one day. My favorite company is Sunny Cove—we used them our first trip and just keep going back to them because we like the owner and services. We travel with a collapsible travel cooler (or pick up a cheap styrofoam one in Anchorage). Our first stop in Anchorage after picking up the rental car is at Fred Meyer. We buy breakfast and lunch items—we only eat out once a day on a DIY trip. Saves money and is also healthier. You do have a bit of driving on this trip. I echo what someone said earlier—allow probably double the time to travel between your planned spots! If you want minimize the driving and spend more time hiking/exploring Alaska, maybe just do Seward or not do Seward and spend more time in Denali? Alaska is huge! I would definitely keep the Matanuska Glacier Trek on your itinerary. That is one of my all time favorite experiences in Alaska! And since you will be seeing Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier and walking on a glacier, you might want to pass on visiting Mendenhall Glacier and spend the time/money elsewhere in Juneau. Enjoy your planning!

This happened to us as well on our first Princess cruise! It was a very nice surprise and we booked a cruise while onboard!

I was on the Koningsdam in November (Thanksgiving week) and the wait wasn't long at all at 7 a.m.! It certainly paid to be the 'early bird' on that cruise! 🙂

Ditto on this company! Great excursion with professional guides.

I tip $2 for my cappuccino delivered to my stateroom at 4:30 am.

Hubby and I usually walk from the ballpark to Market Street after a game—getting Muni is sometimes pretty busy in front of the park! And I don’t like to ride in a packed bus! There are usually a number of people walking as well so it never feels unsafe. Once we’re at Market St, we catch Muni/BART/UBER to where we’re heading. May I make some suggestions on what to eat while at the game? We go often enough (15-20 games a season) that we don’t normally indulge in these offerings but, as we have been to a number of different stadiums around the country, these are unique to Oracle Park: garlic fries, sourdough-crust pizza, clam chowder in a sourdough bowl, Ghirardelli ice cream. Enjoy, and go Giants!

Yowza! I’m also a professor at a public university in California. I was approved just based on providing my work email! Received it on our past cruise in November and when I booked our next cruise online, the Educator OBC was listed on my summary page. Glad to hear your husband was approved!

My first choice is the train. The depot is close enough to walk to port if you'd like. My suggestion is to take a Kenai Fjord tour (6 hrs) with Major Marine. You get done around 5 p.m. so it is right when everyone else is arriving but the tour is fantastic! Or just drop off your luggage and walk back to town for lunch, the Alaska Sea Life Center, etc. Second choice is the Alaska Cruise Transportation (https://alaskacruisetransfer.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIv__b5pDr_QIV9witBh2-AQTUEAAYASAAEgKbkfD_BwE). You can book a direct transfer as well as (depending on the day/cruiseline) an optional tour that goes to the Alaska Wildlife Center, Girdwood, etc.

I think it’s worth the investment to get a good pair of waterproof walking shoes. I have a pair of Merrell walking shoes as well as a pair of Hoka hiking boots (don’t always take my hiking boots on a cruise). I wear the shoes on the airplane to save packing space. Nothing worse than wet feet on a hike or excursion! You can also waterproof your current shoes with a spray. I did that to my kids’ shoes on our first Alaskan cruise. It was cheaper to buy a $7 spray than to buy new shoes that they would grow out of in six months! The spray actually worked really well—kept their feet dry on a kayak/hiking excursion in rainy Ketchikan!,

In your cruise personalizer on the Princess website—sign in and then click on My Account. All of your upcoming cruises will be listed. Click on the Manage My Cruise button to access each voyage. You can also find upcoming cruises on the medallion app.

Yes, as long as they have it in stock on the ship. I had ordered the silver bracelet and then decided I wanted the gold one. There wasn’t one at the desk but was able to do it the next day after they had gone down to the storage area.

It’s nice to take the bus back (or to) from the train ride. Depending on the tour you book, there are opportunities to stop for photo ops (waterfalls, Welcome to Alaska, Welcome to the Yukon), visit scenic lakes (EmeraldLake, etc), go to Carcross (lunch, sled dogs, museum, ice cream…), cycle back ro Skagway or hike to a glacier (Laughton Glacier). We’ve been on the train a number of times but only one-way trips. Too many other things to see and do!

You can always wear quick-drying clothes. I like Columbia but Amazon has some good inexpensive clothing as well. I dress in layers in Alaska but only wear merino wool as my first layer so the clothes that get wet are usually made of quick drying material. In fact, I don’t even pack jeans anymore on an Alaskan trip. Buy water proof shoes or water proof with a spray to make sure your socks and shoes stay dry. I’ve found that wet shoes are the hardest to dry on a cruise. All Princess ships as noted above do have self-serve laundries. Almost all of the ships I’ve been on also have cloth lines in the bathroom where you can hang wet clothes. I also don’t like to travel with damp clothing which is why I always carry wet bags for damp socks, swimsuits, etc. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093XMHDZ7/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=3b483ac410576a1220d0e33ffc7e9329&content-id=amzn1.sym.7dd77237-72be-4809-b5b5-d553eab7ad9d%3Aamzn1.sym.7dd77237-72be-4809-b5b5-d553eab7ad9d&hsa_cr_id=7541547300701&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=231b39bd-95bb-47f3-904c-d3634a0d7d57&pd_rd_w=7ulwJ&pd_rd_wg=Fk7Aj&qid=1678643588&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_0_title&sr=1-1-9e67e56a-6f64-441f-a281-df67fc737124

Thank you for saying this!

Hubby and I always travel with separate credit cards. When applying for the shareholders OBC, I request that the money is placed in my name and not hubby’s. He absolutely hates to deal with OBC and prefers that I handle any and all on board charges.

We’re on the Ruby out of SF for a 10-day Alaska cruise in May. I had purchased two New Ground Coffee cards when booking last year. My cruise personalizer still shows it’s purchased. I loved this option—I always got a triple shot cappuccino per ‘card punch.’ Plan B is now to carry freeze-dried coffee and lattes that just need boiling water (or my French coffee press?) along with hubby’s 12 pack of Coke Zero! Nice that SF is our home port and we don’t have to worry about luggage!

We use the Gray Line baggage storage at Canada Place: https://www.portvancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WCS-Bagdrop.pdf. I like that I can pay/reserve ahead of time. Also, check with your hotel . Some will allow you to leave your luggage. We’ve done that as well with Pacific Rim, the Fairmont Waterfront.

Booked a free ocean view cabin, free drinks while playing in the casino and $250 free play on the Koningsdam for August 2023. When I called to book, was originally assigned a guaranteed OV cabin. Next day, I purchased Orange Club for the cruise and was able to get the meta upgrade and select my cabin. I also received a casino discount on the OC purchase which was nice—was charged $260 for the cruise. I had received the email offer in January. Got an email last week reminding me time was running out on my offers.

Thanks for the review! We’ll be on the Majestic in June with this package and I was wondering about the premium desserts. Glad to hear that the gelato is an option. I’ve been known to order that on cruises…😁

As you said, everyone needs to run the numbers to see what it costs on different lines. I have a 28-day Alaskan HAL cruise for June 2024 that visits every port that the Viking cruise does (and more!). We're paying $11,000 for two people in an ocean view cabin (early booking and casino discounted fare). With that fare I get: premium drink package, free Wifi, and crew gratuities; three shore excursion credits; three specialty dining meals; fitness center; all port taxes and fees; and $1200 OBC (plus a $800 gift card from my big box travel agency). I will have to pay for an unlimited laundry package ($196) and access to the thermal suite. I took a look at the free shore excursion at the ports for the Viking cruise (maybe because I've been to Alaska so many times) but not impressed. The included excursion at Icy Strait Point is "Exploring ISP on your own." The main advantage to me would be the small ship size; the HAL ship has a capacity of about 2000. There are deals out there. I think one just needs to look outside of one's favorite lines and see what's available. We do like Viking and have a Great Lakes cruise booked on them next summer. I just feel that there are better options for our style of cruising in Alaska.

I have celiac. I would say HAL does a good job with a gf diet. I think Princess is much better in accommodating a gf diet but we do like cruising on HAL so I make it work. I also carry my own food on board—gf instant oatmeal, granola, crackers and cookies. One area in particular that is really bad on HAL is desserts. They do not bake their gf items but buy the pre package stuff. So you’ll get cookies, bagels, muffins, bread etc. but it is not freshly baked like on a Princess ship. Dessert is generally limited to puddings, jello, ice cream and crème brûlées. Training of staff is pretty good—but do be vigilant! I had to stop a staff member once who tried to use the same utensils in getting my food. They will change gloves etc upon request. You’ll find the service to be excellent. Gluten free in the buffet—there will be one section that has the gf items (prepackaged bread, muffins, waffle, etc), a dedicated toaster/prep area and gf desserts. You’ll also find dairy alternatives there as well. If your food needs warming, they’ll take it to a microwave in the back (I was told that it was gf dedicated ). I haven’t found any gf cereal/oats/granola on any cruise so I carry gf granola for Greek yogurt. Plenty of fresh fruit available and eggs/omelet will be made in a separate pan. I always speak with the staff wearing the white hats on the first day to make sure I know how to navigate the buffet. After that, I’ve found that they keep an eye out for me and help me. The Dive In has gf hamburger and hot dog buns. They will grill your meat separately to avoid cross contamination. Unfortunately the French fries are not gf! The NY Deli has gf pizza and salads. I’m told they can make a sandwich on gf bread but have not tried that yet. The dining room is similar to Princess—you will get the MDR menu ahead of time to make your selection. Again, I think Princess is better with this—you get assigned a person who ensures you get safe food. My experience on HAL is that you have to be more proactive in asking for the menu and making sure you get the food. Princess stocks gf pasta, HAL doesn’t. But kudos to HAL, they went and bought some for me (and I’m sure there were others) on a port stop so I could have gf pasta! That was a nice touch and indicative of the outstanding HAL service. But in general they do not have gf pasta. Specialty dining—you can get great gf meals at the Koningsdam’s specialty restaurants (but not desserts!). The gf options are listed on the menu and they will try to accommodate you if you want something else. My favorite is the Thai beef salad at Tamarind—I like to ask for a dinner portion! Just yummy! The red curry dish is great as well. Ask about drink mixes —many are not gf. The bar staff will let you read the ingredients on the box. I’ve moved away from those drinks that use mixes since the blenders are not dedicated gf. I always ask for Tito’s or Absolute vodka in my drinks (certified gf brands)—most bars carry them. I do ask that they use a clean shaker when making my Cosmo or lemon drop. Overall I think you’ll find some great food options on the Koningsdam. Just be proactive in getting the food and recognizing that you will have a different dining experience than others. Hubby and I joke about our first cruise after I had been diagnosed as a celiac (many moons ago). When I asked the wait staff for a gf option at lunch, he thought about it and then said “For you ma’am, fruit!” Enjoy your cruise—it will be wonderful! We love the Koningsdam.

We cruise both lines (7 Princess cruises this year, 4 on HAL) and are happy with both cruise lines. For us, there are pluses and minuses on both lines. What we like on Princess: MDR, International Cafe, Alfredo’s/Gigi’s Pizza, more varied evening entertainment (shows, games, etc), MUTS, day activities, the Medallion app (Yes, we love being able to order a drink and have it delivered to us anywhere on the ship), Princess Plus package includes crew gratuities. What we like on Holland America: the Dive In, the Crows Nest, the Music Walk, cabins with sofas, Tamarind and the Pinnacle Grill. Misses on Princess: the lack of back/front viewing areas (no Crows Nest! Some ships do have a Skywalkers Lounge which is great), having to upgrade room type in order to get a sofa/seating in cabin. Misses on HAL: no Medallion (hate carrying the cruise card), lack of daytime activities, no production shows (how many times can one see the Origin Story?), no MUTS, MDR, poor choices for my dietary issues. Most Princess ships do have a quiet pool where one can relax without blaring music—aft and Lotus Spa/Retreat pools. Outside of Royal class, the ships do have full promenades. I do have to say there was one thing that happened on our November 2022 Koningsdam cruise that made us never want to cruise HAL in the fall again. We enjoy watching NFL games and other sporting events. HAL did not show any games (no NFL, no World Cup) during the Thanksgiving week—not in a public venue or in our rooms! Fortunately the WiFi was good enough to stream the games! By contrast, Princess always shows major sporting events on the big screen and in staterooms.