BeardieMom55

Here we go. Will wave as we go by.

We'll surely be looking for you. Any particular outfit, colors, to look for?

Probably black crop pants and tee shirt with my handsome DH with gray goatee. If it is as blustery as today we shouldn't be too hard to see up there. Not too many crazy souls up there I imagine.

Where will you be tomorrow on the Eurodam so we can look for you and wave?

Aft sports deck I think. Our suite is midship starboard.

We are sitting on the benches on the bridge over by the ruby princess. I don't know if you will see us but Bon Voyage!!

Sorry Westy horns. Darn autocorrect.

We are sitting on the bridge by the Hilton and it is very windy here. Waiting to hear the famous West horns. Leave tomorrow on Eurodam.

Got our cabin tonight for 11/23 Eurodam. Yea!! Got a little upgrade (SY to SS) too. Only a little over a week to go! Good luck to everyone still waiting.

We have done the photo safari twice and really enjoyed it. The boat is small with widows that fold up and away for photography. In addition you are down at water level so your camera angle is great. Fewer people on the boat means less "jockeying for a good place". We followed a pod of orcas on one trip and had a humpback surface very close to the boat on another. You could smell the "krill breath" when he spouted. Have only been in the Tracey arm on the "big" ship. Got some amazing trips on the photo safari and lots of good advice from the professional photographer.

Waiting for 11/23 Eurodam. Good luck to us all!!

We love Alaska!! Fell in love with Alaska on our first trip. We cruised aboard the Wilderness Discoverer (80 passengers) with Glacier Bay Cruise lines (no longer in business though the Discoverer still cruises Alaska). The cruise was focused on scenery and wildlife. Woke up one morning to a Brown bear swimming toward the ship. Turned around and swam back to shore after checking us out. Amazing trip!! Added a 3 day trip to Kantishna after the cruise.

We then drove a truck with camper shell up the Alcan and spent a couple of weeks camping and exploring. Drove to Coldfoot and Mc Carthy in our wanderings.

Returned the next year with a truck bed camper and two dogs in tow. Drove the Alcan and returned home via the Castller ? highway. Made the sidetrip to Hyder, Alaska. Took a month to make the trip and still could have spent more time.

Have cruised three other times - 7 day roundtrip from Seattle, 14 day round trip from Seattle and 7 day northbound from Vancouver. (On mid sized ships) Rented a car on the last trip and did a DIY trip to Denali, Seward and Talkeetna.

Have also done two trips in the winter for the Aurora - even went to mushing school which was one of those OMG bucket list moments ( Am I really doing this!!). Stayed in Bettles for the Aurora.

Hard to say which I liked best. Since I do 99% of the driving, the cruise is sometimes more relaxing but having a car or camper gives you all kinds of freedom to explore. There is so much to see and do in Alaska and I don't mind the cold (you can always put on more clothes). I think we will be going back to Alaska for as long as we can.

We are planning to return next year for a 14 day cruise.

Well said Littlelulu01. We have dressed up on formal nights on some cruises commemorating special occasions like renewing our vows on our 25th anniversary. However, neither of us is a big fan of dressing up that formally. I would rather use the suitcase space for my hiking boots and rain gear for Alaska or an extra bathing suit and cover-up for warmer climates. We usually have to fly somewhere to cruise so try to minimize the number of suitcases we have lug and/or pay to check. We have generally had dinner in the lido on formal nights though room service is looking better and better given some of the posts here. We really enjoy walking the deck especially in the evenings and do so on formal nights in our casual attire. (Can't imagine trying to walk our usual 2 miles in heels!!) I think that your original question was related to walking around the ship in you casual attire and alternate venues for dining

. Feel free to walk the deck and enjoy your cruise. We love HAL for its great service and food, smaller ships and unique itineraries. We leave the formal nights for those that chose HAL for that reason.

Hope your mom's ankle heals quickly. We have been to Alaska at different times of the year (including winter for the Northern Lights). I second what has already been said. Be prepared for cool weather and rain (especially Ketchikan) and you will have a wonderful time. In our experience, regardless of how warm it has been in other ports, our glacier days have always been cool (think wind coming off a giant ice cube), so have a jacket and gloves so that you can really enjoy the scenery. We took the last cruise in September a few years back and had a day of rougher than normal seas. I wouldn't let that stop you from enjoying Alaska though - just be prepared for the possibility of cooler weather. Have a wonderful cruise!:)

Sorry, but don't think you can't compare Alaska & the Caribbean.. There is also a big difference between age 16 & 19...This is a young adult who enjoys dancing & comedy & is cruising with her Mother who we have to assume she's with every day.. Doubt if there are many shore excursions such as whale watching, rafting etc. which would interest this young lady.. They may have zip lining in a few ports but the Caribbean is mostly beaches & shopping.. But if she likes to shop & very few sea days, that might be different..

Sorry, didn't mean to give the impression that I was equating the two. I just meant that there are plenty of active excursions that she might enjoy. In the Caribbean, there is snorkeling, dolphin encounters, ziplining, atv trips, etc. I assumed that at 19 she might be away at college and this trip was planned between quarters or semesters so she might just enjoy spending some time with her mom. Sorry for the confusion.

I can't directly speak to the OP's original question but just wanted to add our experience. We took our 16 year old granddaughter with us on a HAL Alaska cruise a couple of years ago. She had a ball and so did we. There were a few kids on board but she chose to spend time with us (rather than Club HAL). We tried to choose shore excursions and activities that she would also enjoy. (Whale watching, tomcart, hikes and rafting). We played a hilarious game of ping pong on a very rocky day. The point of all this - in our granddaughter's case it was more important to her to spend time with us and for us we treasure that time we got to spend with her. (I will get off my soapbox now)

I think you will be fine. During the time that you are not in the inside passage you would most likely not be able to see land from either side of the ship. However, once in the inside passage there will be beautiful scenery on both sides of the ship. Enjoy your cruise and Alaska!!

A couple of years ago we were on an Alaska cruise over the 4th. They had a huge cookout around the Lido pool with steaks, hamburgers, chicken, hot dogs, apple pie, potato salad, etc. They decorate with red, white and blue and the chefs and wait staff work blue jeans, and cowboy hats.

Dear Sail, Thanks so much for the wonderful post. As my CJ says "Any day this side of the grass is a good day" and I will add especially if you are fortunate enough to be spending it cruising. After nearly losing him 12 years ago we are enjoying any chance we have to spend time together whether it is sitting by a campfire or on a cruise ship deck. We feel so blessed to get the second chance to enjoy life. Only a few years left to work for me and hopefully we can cruise more!!:)

Hi there. We have travelled on both ships, most recently the Statendam about two years ago. Both are wonderful ships and from what I have read here on Cruise Critic in good shape. I do like the smaller ships. We have a room on the Promenade deck close to the door outside for easy access for lounging and sightseeing. We will be sailing on the Statendam 14 day Alaska next summer. Since this is your first time in Alaska, you might consider the spending some time in Anchorage before the trip. There is so much to see a short car ride from Anchorage - Denali to the North and the Kenai Peninsula to the south. Don't know if you have the extra time to spend a few days exploring more but it is worth considering. Whichever you choose, have a wonderful trip.

You probably won't be able to see the shore on the way north to the inside passage and again on the return but most of the time in the inside passage land is visible. Unfortunately that means your first day at sea you won't be able to see land so not sure that helps much. Maybe some of the Club Hal activities could work as a distraction. Once in the inside passage, there is so much to see!! Good Luck and enjoy your trip.

They offer low impact aerobics, pilates, yoga and tai chi. There is a small fee for pilates and maybe some of the others. I have also seen them do water aerobics. Of course you can always walk laps on the Promenade deck. Enjoy.

We sailed on her last June for a 14 day around the UK and Ireland and had no respiratory problems at all. So perhaps the mold issue has been resolved. We booked an ocean view and kept inquiring about an upsell to balcony. After turning down several offers (too expensive), we were offered an upsell at a very reasonable rate for the cruise just a few days before sailing which we did take. We were very glad we took the upsell and really enjoyed the balcony. For us persistence paid off. Good luck and enjoy the Prinsindam.

Glad to see I am not the only one chomping at the bit to book our excursions for our Thanksgiving cruise on the Eurodam. We booked a seaplane flight/tour to Dry Tortugas out of Key West on our own since HAL didn't offer that one. I may go the private route on the other ports if they don't post excursions soon. I want to finish my planning too.

I agree with PathfinderEss, Alaska is great for teens. We took our then 16 year old granddaughter with us on a 7 day cruise to Alaska a couple of years ago. She still talks about the trip to this day. I will never forget the grin on her face as she drove the tomcar trying to splash her Pappy with mud or the day we spent hiking and rafting in Skagway. She did not take advantage of the many invitations to the teen activities but was busy most of the time. We loaned her a camera and she had a ball documenting the whole trip.

We have booked an EE cabin at the front of the ship on the Lower Promenade on the Statendam for the 14 day Alaska July 2015 - our choice. We had a similar cabin on the Amsterdam and loved the fact that it was just a few steps to get outside( Almost like having a verandah and an excellent compromise for us as we wanted to do some of the more expensive shore excursions). Of course on the front you may get more motion especially on the trip from the inside passage up to Anchorage, etc. Luckily this hasn't been a problem for us.

Love the Prinsindam! We did a 14 day out of London, around England, Ireland and Scotland ending in Amsterdam last June/July. She is a beautiful ship. We really like the smaller ships (fewer passengers). We originally booked a large Ocean View Room but were able to upgrade/upsell to a verandah a few days before we left for a very reasonable fee. We really enjoyed the verandah. Found the entertainment on board about the same as other HAL ships. Can't think of anything that we missed on the smaller ship. We have found that you can get some great deals on upgrades/upsells at the last minute so we book the least expensive cabin that we will be happy with and keep checking for good deals. I would definitely recommend this ship!