BeeIslandGirl

How far in advance do you know what hotel HAL has booked in Anchorage for our cruise?  We sail in August 2020 ~ Triple Denali first

On 1/7/2020 at 8:01 PM, the col. said:

I have not been to this great site for many years- -I now need your great insight once again--we are about to have our 50 th anniversity--and the boss stated she like our last cruise to be the one to Alaska to include the land portion to Denili (sp) area--many questions--but any help would truly be appreciated---do you go north to south or the other way---our 50th date is early june so should we start in the end of may? do we need to go on a 10/12/14 day adventure ? best ship--so many questions--if anyone could find the time to help we would really appreciate it--back ground we are early 70's--in pretty good health--I an RVN handicapped Vet --but can move just find--thanks in advance for your help and time--

Congratulations!!!  My husband and I are celebrating our 50th Anniversary with an Alaskan Cruise, too!  We are flying into Anchorage (booked by Hal) 3 days before our land/sea triple Denali cruise.  We will rent a car and drive to a hotel that we have rented near the Airport.  We plan to revisit areas that we camped in 50 years ago when we lived in Anchorage ....my husband was in the Air Force stationed in Anchorage when we first got married.  We will drive to Portage, Seward, Kenai, etc.  Eventually, we will end up at the Westmark (I am assuming) and turn in our car.  Then we will enjoy our adventure in Downtown Anchorage before embarking on the train ride to Denali!  We have a Triple Denali land tour booked.  We plan to do the Side by Side excursion in Denali as well as the bus tour into the park.  We LOVED camping in "Mt Mckinley" ~ as it was named in 1970-1973.  We will take the bus to Seward and then get on Ms Westerdam and sail south to Vancouver.  We are planning to rent a car in Skagway to drive to Caribou Crossing. Cheaper that the White Pass excursion and we will be on our own for photography stops!  We will stay in Vancouver for 2 nights ......then rent a car and drive to Seattle for an additional 3 nights before flying home to Florida on a flight booked by Hal.  We are sooooooooooooo excited!!  We are going back to Alaska.....where we began 50 years ago as a married couple!!  Have an amazing adventure/cruise together!!! Congrats again!!

13 hours ago, jimmy2x said:

Good to know. Do you book thru them?

How do I know how much the trip is worth to get the quote?  Do I calculate what Holland America is charging me or the entire trip including car rentals, etc?  We are going to Anchorage 5 days early, and then renting a car in Vancouver and driving to Seattle for another 6 days.  This is my first time and I know I need to purchase travel insurance.  We are USAA members.  THANK YOU for your help!!  I need it......ha

Thank you! Will you be staying in Anchorage before the cruise? Or Vancouver after? 

My husband I are BOOKED for a 50th Anniversary Cruise in 2020. We will be on ms Westerdam for a D2L: 11 day Triple Denali!! We NEED HELP....please!! Is the Denali Land Cruise included as an excursion? or do we have to book it....the one that takes you into the park on a bus ride? Also...what hotel does Holland America use in Anchorage and Vancouver? We want to do additional time pre cruise and post cruise in these cities. Any suggestions?? Do we book it through Holland America or on our own?? THANK YOU in advance for any and all suggestions!!

I know that this is a silly question for all you regular Cruisers, but I am new to cruising. My husband and I will be sailing Ms Veendam next week. We don't drink sodas or very much alcohol. We pretty much survive on water, coffee and iced tea. Is there a beverage plan for that? or is there a cost? We just want to be prepared and ready to sail on our adventure! Are we allowed to bring bottled water on the ship?

My husband and I will be traveling on the New England/Canadian cruise in September. We have US Sprint. What are your suggestions for internet, text messages to our kids in Florida, etc. This is our first cruise!

We will be on the New England/Canadian Holland America cruise traveling to Bar Harbor, Halifax, Sydney, Charlottetown, Quebec City and Montreal. I have Sprint. Thank you for your help and suggestions. Do we just use our phones/tablets when we are in ports? I do believe that the access is free for Sprint. Wi-fi spots? etc. ??

My husband and I will be traveling on the New England?Canadian cruise in September. We have US Sprint. What are your suggestions for internet, text messages to our kids in Florida, etc. This is our first cruise!