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Wow! What a difference from our October 8th cruise. On our cruise, the port side entrance was reserved for Club Class dining. We entered on the starboard door. Our dining time was 6:20 pm. Only had a wait on the first night. If you can, I’d still recommend the Capri room. Very convenient.

We ate in the Capri room on our cruise earlier this month on the Enchanted. It was a great location for us. We would go to Crooners for a pre dinner drink and then just walk a short distance to the MDR.

I love the Crow’s Nest on HAL ships. They are located in the front of the ship and are great for wiildlife/glacier viewing. The National Park rangers set up shop in that area during Glacier Bay visits. The area is warm, has comfortable seating and has coffee/drinks available. IMO, Princess does not have a comparable area though the Majestic Princess does have the Hollywood Conservatory. That area, while nice,is not as good as Crow’s Nest. We’ve enjoyed the Spinnaker Lounge on our NCL cruises but that line, again my opinion, doesn’t do Alaska well. Outside viewing areas are dependent on the individual ship as to whether or not there is a full promenade or the front bow is open for glacier viewing. I personally don’t like the open bow viewing —usually pretty windy and crowded. One of the coldest day I’ve ever spend on a ship was on the NCL Pearl viewing the Sawyer Glacier! I use the upper decks for outside glacier viewings—it’s generally easy to go side to side for views and pop into the Crows Nest to warm up. On Princess Royal-class ships, we like to hang out in the Crooners Bar and then step out on the promenade for glacier viewing. And aft areas are great places to be when leaving Glacier Bay—fantastic views, wildlife sightings and low crowds as most people get ‘glacier fatigue’ and head inside.

Not sure of what you are budgeting for your tours but tours that guarantee bear sightings are pricey! We did a bear tour in ISP one summer and we’re very fortunate to see a mama bear and two cubs. Tour guide said our tour was the only one that month to have seen bears….cost was only $140 pp. I can recommend Above and Beyond Alaska for an Admiralty Island bear tour out of Juneau. You pay a lot for the experience (around $900 pp) but the bear viewing on our trip was spectacular! You get taken to a bear sanctuary south of Juneau. https://beyondak.com/. Ditto on Glacier Winds Tour in ISP. Great excursion—have been on three tours with them.

Another recommendation for Glacier Winds in ISP. Great experience---have been on their tours three times.

We live in Northern California but sometimes spend the night in the City before a cruise or after a show/opera. We like to stay in the Financial District--on the weekends, you can sometimes find pretty good deals since most hotels in that area cater to business folks. We then walk along the Embarcadero to the pier or take a quick Uber ride. Under $200 is still a challenge though.... And, I have not been in a major city these past few years that didn't have homelessness and drug usage issues--Seattle, Vancouver, San Diego, Boston, New York, Miami. Outside of the hotel "bubble,' you will see social issues even outside the nicest hotels in SF. Also, I've never stayed in a hotel that didn't enforce a nonsmoking policy. You won't find any restaurants, bars or hotels where guests can smoke in SF. I know people who live in the City will correct me, but I do believe you cannot even stand on a corner and smoke in SF. You smell it when out and about but where don't you?

If you do decide to try HAL, I would suggest you sail on the Koningsdam (or similar ship). We've sailed on NCL, Disney, and Princess before trying HAL. It is quieter but the Koningsdam had great music venues until late at night (Rock and Roll Band!), excellent bars and dining (love the Tamarind) and a pretty up-to-date casino. We cruised on the Zuiderdam and Westerdam afterwards--not really our cup of tea. Disappointed in the activities and ships. We have three more Koningsdam trips booked as well as one on the Niew Statendam because we enjoyed the ship so much.

To each his/her/their own on what is important in a cruise. The smaller ship appeals to me. We have also found that we have to book at least a deluxe balcony on Princess to get a comparable space to what you can get in a large interior cabin on a HAL ship. We didn't book a Vista Suite; with an ocean view, we get a desk and a couch. No balcony but we make do with the Crow's Nest and other venues on board. And with a casino discount, the price is pretty good! We'll probably stay with Princess though. Hubby can be a bit stubborn sometimes and he wants Princess!

I just booked a cruise last night and got $500 OBC. It surprised me but got some from the current promo as well as Mariner Early Booking. Nice surprise! We'll also get shareholder's OBC!

I'm booked on both the Princess cruise and the 14 Mexican Riviera cruise on HAL. Both have minimal refundable deposits. Hubby really likes the newer ships (just got off the Enchanted and he loved it!). The HAL ship is small (1500 max) and older but we get a lot more for the money-- 4 more cruising days, $525 OBC (promotional, loyalty, shareholders), 2 excursion credits per person AND the ship being out to sea during the eclipse! Either way, we'll be on a solar eclipse cruise!

Thanks for the heads up! Just booked the Thanksgiving 2023 Koningsdam cruise this morning. (We're on her this Thanksgiving!)

Highly recommend DIY tour—of course, that’s all we’ve done but it is easy to plan a trip. If you know the dates already, book a rental NOW. You can always cancel later if need be.

Just got the upgrade email for our Panama Canal cruise on the Island Princess on January 5, 2023. Currently in a mini suite. Happy with what we have so won’t bid.

Sailing on Friday, January 20? I’m sailing on the Discovery Princess on Saturday, January 21 and am staying at the Crowne Plaza. Have stayed there a number of times—yes, not ‘great’, but a clean, comfortable place for a night before. The walk to port is easy, safe and clean—you walk along a boardwalk for most of the time. We’re also from Northern California and sometimes drive to port. The CP has a stay, park, and cruise package that’s reasonable. Their parking is covered and in a garage. The rate for our stay in April 2023 is $288 for one night stay and 7 nights parking.

Just got off the Enchanted. Hairdryer in the top drawer, not on the wall. I didn’t use it since I pack my own portable brush dryer.

I sailed on both of these ships to Alaska this past summer—both out of Vancouver. Of your two choices, I would pick the Koningsdam. As mentioned above, the sailing from Vancouver is more scenic than Seattle. The Koningsdam has three major advantages, IMO, for an Alaskan sailing—it has a covered pool, a promenade and the Crow’s Nest. The Crow’s Nest is a forward-facing lounge on an upper deck that is fabulous for glacier and wildlife viewing; the Royal does not unless you pay extra for the Sanctuary (but it is not indoors). The covered pool is nice on an Alaskan cruise—you can still hang out and swim cold weather. We certainly enjoyed our cruise on the Royal but we love the Koningsdam. Have been on it three times and have two more booked! Both cruise lines do Alaska well—enrichment programs, lectures, etc. We enjoy the music venues a bit more on the Koningsdam— the music walk is fun in the evening.

We went on this tour today. Yes, Paul conducts a great, informative tour. It was great experiencing Halifax in a small group. Cost is less than what you can get on Princess! Lunch is not included but you do get to stop at a nice little seafood place in Dartmouth. Reasonably priced and GF options! All in all, a great day!

Currently on the Enchanted. Yes, MUTS every night except when there is a NFL game. Tonight the Chicago Bears -Washington game is on at 9 pm. It’s chilly outside but the games are also televised in your stateroom. Movies have also been show in the Vista Lounge and Princess Theater this week. Nothing new—Ford and Ferrari, Marry Me, Panama, Mamma Mia, the Eternals—to name a few. Blankets are available as is freshly popped popcorn (after 6:30 pm).

I have celiac so I need to have a gluten free diet. Princess does a great job handling any type of dietary issue. On the first day of a cruise, I always go to the dining room where I have reservations and ask to speak to the director of restaurant (not sure of the new title?). He/she/they go over the process of ordering gf food in the dining room. Then, at dinner, you will receive the next day's menu so you can preorder your meal. Princess prefers that you do that to minimize your wait time for dinner--if you don't preorder, they will still make almost anything gf. When you're on one of the Royal class ships, the buffet will have signs throughout indicating what food is gf. I've found that on the smaller ships, that does not happen. I meet with the chef at the buffet to get a walk through on what I can eat. Very accommodating. On most ships, you can have cooked to order omelets, pancakes, waffles, toast and muffins. The International Cafe has gf options. The staff working there are generally pretty aware of different dietary issues and can help you get safe food. In the morning, I get gf muffin and egg bites. You can get gf pizza at Alfredo's/Gigi/s as well as Slice. The poolside grill does not have gf buns available; I generally bring my own so I can get a burger. But, they will give you a burger on their gluten free bread. When ordering room service, you can customize your order to make it gluten free. I also call to make sure they got the message that my food needs to be gf. With drinks, I stay away from the drink mixes. The beverage manager cannot guarantee that they are gf. I also request Absolut or Tito vodkas--both are certified gf and included in the beverage package. I'm currently on the Enchanted and have had wonderful service and food. Last night I had the goat cheese souffle--outstanding! We love to cruise Princess because they can accommodate me!

We’ve stayed at both the BW Plus Bayside and the Springhill Suites. We prefer SH because it is literally right across the street from the pier (next door to the Wyndham) but will very happily stay at the BW if the SH is sold out or is too pricey! It is very easy to walk with your suitcases—wide, level sidewalks. The BW is also a pretty easy walk—further away but it is also straightforward. It’s downhill to the port but you do have to cross over a number of railroad tracks. I usually have to lift up my suitcase to get over the rails. We like to walk to Little Italy for dinner—it’s about a ten minute walk from the BW. Great restaurants. Both hotels have breakfast with the stay—the Springhill has a much better meal! The last time we were at the BW Bayside (April 2022), our breakfast came in a brown paper bag.

Princess has not discontinued the practice of bringing on US Forest Rangers. Each time we went into Glacier Bay (3x this summer), rangers came on board with exhibits and did narrations and nature talks. Kids were still able to become Junior Rangers—was fun to see. Rangers also come on board during our HAL Zuiderdam cruise as well this summer.

Might I suggest that you do an independent land tour and then board a southbound cruise in either Whittier or Seward? DIYing is pretty easy to do. Whether you DIY or go on a cruise tour, you travel the same roads/routes. I just prefer to do it at my own pace--it's nice to stop for a quick hike or wildlife sighting. With just two days, I would prioritize what is it you want to do in Alaska. Wildlife? Glaciers? Fishing? Hiking? Scenery? Trains? Alaska is HUGE and the distances between places is vast! You will not be able to see it all in two days. If a friend/family member asked me to plan a three day trip to Alaska for them prior to a cruise, I would suggest spending time on the Kenai Peninsula. Take the train to Seward, go on a Kenai fjords wildlife/glacier tour, visit Exit Glacier, kayak in Renaissance Bay, and visit a sled dog kennel before boarding a cruise. I've cruised on NCL, HAL, Disney and Princess in Alaska--I would recommend either Princess or Holland America for an Alaskan cruise. The enrichment programs onboard are outstanding--naturalists, puppies on board, special food and drink, enrichment lectures to name a few. I've cruised on NCL, HAL, Disney and Princess in Alaska. Take a southbound cruise on a ship that's small enough to cruise the inside passage to Vancouver. The scenery is spectacular!

Thanks for the info, especially about the ferry. Bought our train tickets 11months ago. Cheapest option at the time. And I get rewards points! Boarding our flight to Philadelphia today!

Perfect. Thanks.

Hello. We will be arriving in NYC via Amtrak (Keystone) at 11 am on Saturday, October 8. We’d like to take the ferry to the Brooklyn cruise port. We’re in no hurry to rush to the ship so taking the ferry sounds fun. We tend to travel lightly—one carry one suitcase and backpack each. After reading advice on these boards, here is our plan: Arrive in NYC, taxi to the East 34th Street Pier, board the Southview Ferry to Wall Street Pier, transfer to the South Brooklyn route and get off at Red Hook. Just a couple of questions: is taking a taxi the best way to get to the 34th St pier? If it’s a nice day, I wouldn’t mind walking after being in a train for a couple of hours! If the weather is bad or our train is running late and we need to go the the cruise port quickly, which is the better option: taxi or Uber? Approximate cost? Thanks! It’s been a few years since I’ve cruised from NYC. This cruise is our first from Red Hook.