kstmbjm Posted October 13, 2009 #1 Share Posted October 13, 2009 I almost always choose my cruise by which ship I want to be on. I am helping my parents and their friends plan an HAL cruise to Alaska. Can anyone help wth: 1) which HAL ships go to Alaska 2) what's the diff between regular Alaska cruise and "inside passage" cruise? Generally, for me, the newer the ship the better. So out of the HAL ships that go to Alaska, does anyone know the order of their lengths of service? Anything else you think I need to know to make a decision? THANK YOU so much in advance for your help. These boards are wonderful. Kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowPrincess Posted October 13, 2009 #2 Share Posted October 13, 2009 A cruise to Alaska is WAY more about the trip than the ship. Seriously. Most cruisers to Alaska advise that you consider the itineraries, ports, length of time in ports, activities in ports, one-way or return, THEN find the ship that does the TRIP you want. The Alaska forum here on CC has a wealth of information. Planning a cruise to Alaska, to maximize the experience, is a lot more work than most other cruises :) Have your parents/friends discussed any "must do" or "must see" activities for Alaska? That may influence which itinerary they choose, which may affect which ships are available for them to pick from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IRL_Joanie Posted October 13, 2009 #3 Share Posted October 13, 2009 I almost always choose my cruise by which ship I want to be on. I am helping my parents and their friends plan an HAL cruise to Alaska. Can anyone help wth: 1) which HAL ships go to Alaska 2) what's the diff between regular Alaska cruise and "inside passage" cruise? Generally, for me, the newer the ship the better. So out of the HAL ships that go to Alaska, does anyone know the order of their lengths of service? Anything else you think I need to know to make a decision? THANK YOU so much in advance for your help. These boards are wonderful. Kelly 1.) Which ships go to Alaska in 2011, you need to go to the HAL Pages to discover what ships, when and where they cruise in and to Alaska. It may depend upon when you wish them to go and the different ports of call. and where they would leave from http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/Main.action 2.) The difference between Inside Passage. Attachment shows both the Inside passage (closest to shoreline) and Outside Passage (furthest from Shoreline. 3.) HAL ships when built/acquired: http://abqreunion2008.com/HAL-FLEET_9-9-2009.jpg Hope this helps Joanie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowPrincess Posted October 13, 2009 #4 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Regarding "Inside Passage" -- both the route that goes on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and the one that goes between the island and the mainland are called "Inside Passage" because eventually (on the one that goes west of the island) you head towards the mainland and do some of the Inside Passage. I don't think IRL_Joanie's attachment shows that difference clearly. Usually it is ships that leave from Seattle that go up the west side of Vancouver Island, while usually ships that leave from Vancouver go between the island and the mainland. The trips leaving from Vancouver are considered much more scenic, and (usually) have calmer seas for the first sea day. HAL ships are drydocked regularly for maintenance, improvements, so IMHO "age" isn't a big consideration on them. You will not find amenities such as skating rinks and rock walls on HAL ships, regardless of when they were built. Again, an Alaska cruise is far more about Alaska -- it is port-intensive, with many onshore activities available. Most of what we do onboard is nap, eat, walk the Promenade deck and nap some more, saving our energy for kayaking, hiking, etc. If you have not cruised to Alaska yourself, I again suggest you check out the Alaska board here, and possibly get Alaska by Cruiseship from the library and (if you can find a good one) enlist a travel agent who has been to Alaska. My fear is that your personal prejudices will influence your parents and their friends to have a less than optimal Alaska experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mpowered Posted October 13, 2009 #5 Share Posted October 13, 2009 I have to say that most of what we did onboard was watch Alaska go by! The cruising was an important part of the experience for us, and we enjoyed the at-sea days as much as we did the in-port days. With so much fantastic scenery going by, we didn't want to miss anything. Joan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthC Posted October 13, 2009 #6 Share Posted October 13, 2009 I'm a real "Ship is the destination" gal. However, when it comes to Alaska, the ports are the destination for me. It's much more important to decide what it is they want to see and do, how many other ships/passengers are sharing those ports with them, day of the week it's best to begin/end the cruise. All that said, I do prefer the Vancouver routing over Seattle, as it's much more scenic on the east side of Vancouver Island. Another thought, though, is the 14-day itinerary out of Seattle next year. It's a great itinerary, with ports not usually visited. It also has both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. I think that itinerary offsets the Seattle departure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted October 13, 2009 #7 Share Posted October 13, 2009 You really have to check out the schedules and decide which ports are important to you -- which glacier you want -- there is a difference -- Glacier Bay, Hubbard, Tracy Arm, etc. For us the itinerary is very important in Alaska. You need to decide what you like to do -- whale watch, glaciers by helicopter, etc. Many of HAL's brochures show itineraries that look as though they will be done by staying to the "Inside Passage" -- don't by those maps -- do the research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pipedreams62 Posted October 13, 2009 #8 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Why has HAL cut out Sitka on It's Vancouver/Seward routes? This is a real bummer IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted October 13, 2009 #9 Share Posted October 13, 2009 2010 Ships in Alaska: Amsterdam (built 2000): May 3, May 10 -- 7 day round trip cruises out of Seattle May 17, May 31, June 14, June 28, July 12, July 26, Aug 9, Aug 23, Sept 6 -- 14 day round trip cruises out of Seattle Zuiderdam (built 2002): 7 day round trip cruises out of Vancouver from May 8 to Sept 18 Oosterdam (built 2003): 7 day round trip cruises out of Seattle from May 9 - Sept 19 Ryndam (built 1994): 7 day North bound cruises from Vancouver to Seward - May 9, May 23, June 6, june 20, July 4, july 18, Aug 1, Aug 15, Aug 29 Ryndam: 7 day South bound cruises from Seward to vancouver - May 16, may 30, June 13, June 27, july 11, july 25, Aug 8, Aug 22, Sept 5 Volendam (built 1999): 7 day round trip cruises out of Vancouver - May 12 - Sept 15 Zaandam (built 2000): 7 day round trip cruises out of Seattle - May 14 - Sept 24 Rotterdam (built 1997): 7 day round trip cruises out of Seattle - may 15 - Sept 11 Statendam (built 1993): 7 day cruises North bound from Vancouver to Seward - May 16, may 30, June 13, 27, July 11, July 25, Aug 8, Aug 22, Sept 5 Statendam: 7 day cruises South bound from Seward to Vancouver - May 23, June 6, June 20, July 4, July 18, Aug 1, Aug, 15, Aug 29, Sept 12 At the end of the season there are a couple of ships that do 7 day cruises in preparation of repositioning to their fall cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted October 13, 2009 #10 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Why has HAL cut out Sitka on It's Vancouver/Seward routes? This is a real bummer IMO Good question!! We always enjoyed visiting Sitka when we did the back-to-back cruises -- Vancouver to Seward and then back -- and we got to go there twice. That is a bummer!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kstmbjm Posted October 14, 2009 Author #11 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Thanks for all your help. I'm heading to the Ports of Call boards now for suggestions on ports that you must not miss. Please follow there with any suggestions :) Kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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