Reds4life

Thank you so much! We just, ironically, took Quantum to Alaska in July and we almost took Zuiderdam then. They were about the same price and we chose Quantum for the kids because we were worried about not being able to be outside as much as we usually are in Alaska. A couple questions: - Is the New York Pizza on the buffet or at the Dive In restaurant? - What do guests do for entertainment in the evenings if there is not a show? - I would be interested to see if the Zuiderdam will feature any of the following on your Alaska trip that I have seen in past daily planners: A comedian, cooking demonstration, BBC in Concert, and any live singing in the main theater (Cantare?). The last several reviews on CC have mentioned complaints about some of the normal features missing. Since this will be a short cruise, it is not a big concern but we do feel like that they should make a bit of an effort to provide something.

Interesting perspectives. I don't mean to make my kids seem odd. They are very athletic and enjoy water sports, but also very well rounded and intellectual. Honestly, they don't like ANY kids clubs because the activities, counselors, and other kids usually seem immature and annoying. Again, too much flirty, loud, obnoxious efforts to be "cool" which comes across to them as fake and forced. We may take a chance on HAL. They appreciate good food, enjoy a swimming pool, and tend to be easy to please. I saw that they have cooking demonstrations. Any info on those? (Kids like those too lol) Also, any info on the BBC Earth or One Step Dance?

Disney is about 4X more expensive for this particular window. Can't do that one lol.

Wow. Thanks so much for the information! I really didn't expect that much, but it is certainly appreciated. The pricing for the cruise on Zuiderdam for 5 nights is about the same as RCI and Carnival for 4. So, we are definitely considering for the value and because it looks like a different experience. What do you guys mean when you say "enrichment"? I noticed some of the Alaska itineraries had what looked like informative sessions on wildlife, nature, etc. Again, my kids are a little different than most and would probably rather go hiking at a National Park than go to "meet and greet" with kids they don't know and all join each others social media. I feel like they may be cool with attending some of these sessions or the BBC Earth shows. My youngest also like theater and might like some One Step Dance productions. The production shows is one of her favorite aspects about MSC. Do they have any comedy shows? And, do they have Harry Potter specific trivia? And, lastly, the itinerary says Amber Cove arrive on Day 3 at 9am and leave Day 4 at 2AM. Is this a 17 hour timeframe from 9am on Day 3 to truly 2am on Day 4 and then Day 4 becomes a sea day? Or do they stay for the rest of Day 3 and all of Day 4 as well? Thanks again for your responses 🙂

Hello HAL cruisers, We are considering an after Christmas cruise on Holland America. This would be our first time on the line and the ship we are looking at is the Zuiderdam. Our family is myself and my wife, in our 40s, two teens 18 and 17 and our 12 year old daughter. My mother that is 82 would also be with us. We have cruised with Royal Carribean and MSC previously and enjoyed parts of both cruise lines. So far, in my research, it appears that HAL has very good food offerings and lots of musical programming. We are curious about a few other aspects. Namely, daily and evening activities. - We typically enjoy an evening show of some type. I did not really see this offered in some of few "Where and When" documents posted online. Is there something I am missing? - Our kids are very different in their dining tastes. Will there be options at the buffet or kids menus with basic American fast food as a last resort? (Ex. chicken fingers, burgers, fries, pizza etc.) We all love MSC pizza especially. - What are the free drink choices? We don't drink alcohol so we don't get a drink package usually. - Our kids do not usually do the kids clubs. They enjoy water activities and so nerdy things like science demonstrations, geographical or historical museums, and some arts and crafts type stuff. Not so much arcade games or meeting other kids. They do enjoy movies, but it looks like HAL tends to show older films (e.g. It's A Wonderful Life) that even my wife and I would avoid. Any suggestions for them? Thanks in advance for any help in deciding. We like to experience other styles of cruising but we are a bit concerned that HAL is more geared towards a more mature demographic and we want to make an informed choice weighing the pros and cons.

On our cruise next week, the show Sequins and Feathers is listed several times. It is the main and only evening show at least on one night. On some of the posted Cruise Compasses it says "Mature Audiences". How inappropriate is the show? We have daughters 11 and 17 and are used to attending a show each evening during a cruise. We are a little disappointed with Royal with this

Thanks for sharing! We are on the sailing after you. Looking forward to it and your review👍

My trick so far with customer service is to choose the option 5 to book and then option 1 for booking a luxury suite. They pick right up miraculously. Then I discuss my existing booking.

So what would be the best strategy to not have to wait with MTD? My mom is 81 and prefers to eat before 8 and does not like to wait or walk around at the buffet if not necessary

What is My Time Dining? Does that cost extra? Our Victoria port time is definitely a negative feature of this cruise. We also definitely again do not want to eat off the ship if possible and never want to wait in line. Otherwise, we want a guaranteed time to be seated. I think we only had 5:15 and 8 given as options, so we chose 5:15. Ideally we wouldn't be back too late on Juneau, maybe 7:15 or so. Icy Strait Point probably be ok at 5:15 even but prefer a little later. Victoria I guess 8pm? That port time is so awful that we almost didn't book the cruise.

That sounds great if they will accommodate. We enjoy our food in the main dining room and never care to do specialty restaurants or eat in port unless we have to.

We are on Quantum to Alaska June 27. We have 3 ports that have times that are right in the middle of the dinner seating times in the MDR. Does RC offer any flexibility on the times? Can we still eat either earlier or later on these days?

We are on this itinerary for June 27. Just wondering about MDR times given the itinerary for the ports being in the evening for most of the stops. Do they allow you to come earlier or later if you have just the regular dining scheduled?

Thanks to all. Looks like layers is the key. Probably about like our fall in Ohio. My wife loves that season so I think she will enjoy it a lot. Myself I prefer 80 degrees or warmer and then shorts all the time. I liked the jogger idea. I don't like getting cold so probably no shorts and short sleeves for me.

We will, but my wife likes to plan ahead (i.e. buy outfits and pack) and I am always feeling chilly and don't want to be uncomfortable. I am thinking I might need a decently warm jacket instead of just a sweatshirt if it is 50s.

We are going on a cruise on Quantum on June 27. I have checked the average temperatures for Alaska in June and July and it looks like an average high of 60-65 degrees. Is it colder out on the water during the cruise? Colder during certain portions? I have seen videos of people using the Flowrider during Alaskan cruises. Is that heated? Should we pack any shorts or just long pants?

Are van taxis more expensive? I wasn't clear on the flat rate definition. Some of the websites were vague and I was hoping for clarification. Thanks for the information!

How much would it be for a taxi from Pier 91 to SeaTac? Is it per person or total? We will have 5 and I am not sure about fitting everyone in a standard taxi. I absolutely have no problem driving a rental car as well but it appears that you almost either walk 1.5 to 2 miles to a rental car office or end up taking a taxi or Uber anyway

5 people total. Sorry I did not include that

Looking for suggestions on the cheapest way to get from Pier 91 to Sea-Tac. Not interested in buses or much walking since my 81 yr old mother will be with us. TIA