oaktreerb

A 6 day cruise in the standard verandah with maximum spending credits will max out at 12 Mariner points total. You would have to book a suite to reach 13 with 6X2 for the suite stateroom plus 1 for spending credits. I need 9 points and have booked a standard verandah for 7 days and I’m hoping the spending credits will be enough. (I’m hoping the Have it All and Club Orange will continue to be credited as spending credits). Spending credits will not exceed days onboard.

I bring a couple of battery operated candles for the bathroom. Just have to remember to turn them off in the morning.

Watch for a Meet the Captain presentation in the showroom. The Captain will give a video presentation of the bridge and other behind the scenes areas of the ship. The Captain will also be interviewed by the CD who will probably have questions submitted by the audience. Some Captains take questions directly from the audience. Sit upfront so your 11 year old will have a good view.

You can arrange a cruise line transfer to the Anchorage airport. The cruise line will let you know the earliest time to schedule flights. Princess and Holland America both cruise in and out of Whittier and transportation to the airport will be by bus or train. You can also schedule your flights through Holland America’s “flight ease” and Princess probably has a similar flight scheduling service.

Holland America and Princess are the best in Alaska and both use the Whittier port in Alaska and both have itineraries that visit Glacier Bay. I have only sailed the Holland America ships. In Glacier Bay the national park rangers will come onboard to narrate the transit and the bow will be open for passengers for closer viewing. Holland America will probably have fewer children but Alaska is a “family” destination for many cruisers and you’ll find 3 generations sharing this adventure. Plan to spend some extra time in Alaska so you can enjoy Seward and the Turnagain Arm area between Seward and Anchorage. Holland America probably has the smaller ships of the two lines. Koningsdam will be HAL’s largest ship in the Alaska market.

Skagway visitor’s bureau has a map of hiking trails that start from the town rated according to difficulty. Yakutania Point is a favorite for families. It begins by the airport and follows along the inlet, no elevation but a wooded area with plants and tree roots to step over. If you continue on the trail it will lead you to Smuggler’s Cove which has amazing views.

The ships can be cold inside so be sure to plan for a sweater or wrap for around the ship. Plan to layer two, three, four layers so choose clothing that is interchangeable. A lot may depend on the cruise line you have chosen and whether you want to dress up for an upscale dining experience. Jeans are fine during the day on all ships. Evening may be smart casual. Look at the standards set by your cruise line. You may have rain so plan to bring a lightweight rain jacket (and maybe pants) for your outer layer on a rainy or cold and windy day. Fleece works well for a jacket and is not as bulky as a sweatshirt. You can always buy a sweatshirt in Alaska. Long sleeves, short sleeves, being an extra pair of walking shoes with soles that can grip the surface on a walking trail or a wet surface. Comfy shoes for around the ship and comfy shoes for evening. You may want gloves and a warm hat for glacier viewing. Don’t overpack, do coordinate your wardrobe. You can wear things several times.

I request CO when I book my cruise. I choose my upgrade cabin, pay the deposit and pay for Club Orange. Either HAL has made a change or your TA got bad information. You can choose your stateroom when you purchase Club Orange, you don’t have to wait for the upgrade.

Stay in the tourist areas and enjoy your cruise!

You can hear the commentary on the outside decks and in the cabins. But….you can’t be outside watching and also hear it in the cabin without leaving your door open, which you should not do. There are at least three rangers who come onboard. On our past cruises they provide educational materials and set up a table in the Crow’s Nest. There’s also the junior ranger program for the kids. There will be a ranger on the bow who will talk with passengers. That person has binoculars and points out interesting features and wildlife.

8187 is a connecting room (you will lose some wall space, probably not a noise issue)and under the Sea View pool and bar area (which may be a noise issue), The good thing is you are near the Lido if that is where you plan to have your meals. There is a website halfacts.com maintained by HAL cruisers which may be helpful in choosing a stateroom.

You have to be outside to hear the cracking of the glacier. The ship will turn so everyone has a chance to view. The bow of the ship will be open and a ranger will be on the bow to answer questions and offer commentary. After several visits to Glacier Bay I have learned to appreciate my veranda as a private viewing space.

We also took the Park Connection from Anchorage to Denali. No commentary along the way. I realize this is an entirely different situation as it is a daily point A to B type service.

We were probably on one of your buses. We always found the Holland America drivers to be personable and knowledgeable. The bus was always comfortable and clean and we loved the commentary along the way. From my viewpoint HAL hires good people. I have traveled on a lot of the bus trips and have always been impressed by the “people skills” of those bus drivers on the longer itineraries in Alaska and the Yukon. The stories were fun and for the most part the facts were accurate. I had no idea how grueling your schedule was. Thanks for taking good care of us!

@JES4845If you are concerned about service in the dining room you should choose fixed dining. You will not have to wait for a table and you will have the same waiters throughout the cruise. Stateroom stewards generally provide excellent service. We try to make their job easier by putting the service request hanger on the door when we go to breakfast and dinner. They are servicing more rooms post Covid.

Mt. Roberts in Juneau. You can hike up or take a hike after going up on the Tram. Icy Strait you can walk down the road to Hoonah. Ketchikan has the married man’s trail up to Cape Fox Lodge. These are short and easily accessed from the port. In Alaska you have to be cautious of bear activity if you go too far away from town. Go online for each location’s visitor’s bureau to see if there is a document showing hiking trails. Skagway has lots of documented and rated hiking trails but that doesn’t seem to be on your itinerary. Icy Strait and Juneau are known for whale watching.

I think it is offered by the town of Sitka. Go online and search for the Sitka Visitor’s bureau. There will be an online map and other visitor information.

Check out Holland America Glacier Bay itineraries with a 10 day land and sea cruise tour with train that includes 2 nights in Denali.. The cruisetours are pretty consistent from year to year. What is offered in 2023 should be offered in 2024.

There should be a bus to the Raptor Center at the site (Convention Center) where the ship’s complimentary bus drops you off in Sitka. It was around $10pp. It does a loop that drops you off at the Fortress of the Bears, picks you up and takes you to the Raptor Center, and back to the starting point. It runs all day. The Fortress of the Bears is the farthest point in the loop, and the bus is best way to see the bears. You can also walk around the harbor to a sea life touch tank exhibit and on to the totem park which will lead you to the Raptor Center. The totem park is a nice walk. I highly recommend the Fortress of the Bears.

The bus will have a lunch stop and bathroom stops appx every 2 hours. It’s a nice bus but the train is nicer. The train doesn’t have to stop for meals or “pottty breaks”. The bus is faster than the train between Denali and Fairbanks and it only makes one comfort stop.

You would take a bus to Anchorage after the Phillips cruise. The cruise is on a catamaran but the bus or train offers transportation to Anchorage. Some of the HAL cruises go to College Fjord as part of the itinerary.

Hubbard Glacier is a huge tidewater glacier and much more impressive than Mendenhall. If you can take a small boat excursion off the ship you will get much closer. If you have time in Seward you could do the 6 hour Kenai Fjords tour which will come close to a smaller tide water glacier. In Seward is also Exit Glacier. Both Mendenhall and Exit Glacier are shrinking and not terribly impressive,

I can’t imagine this to be a problem on an Alaska cruise. It could be an issue on a land tour. We always take a rain jacket and rain pants that roll up into a small bag for easy carrying and packing. This outer layer of clothing will also act as a cold weather wind break on excursions.

I have had Club Orange on Koningsdam on 3 separate cruises and the hostess has always been gracious and works very hard to make sure everyone feels welcome and valued. Your service will be outstanding. The only way to get the same level of service in the dining room would be to have fixed dining. If you have fixed dining in the dining room you will never have to wait to be seated, as you probably know.

Neptune and Pinnacle Suites are included plus people who purchase CO. If you eat late, there should be no problem.