Alaska with HAL and three families

[WisconsinFan]

Hi everyone, I have been to the Alaska forum and have found some helpful information there. I am wondering if anyone knows when HAL will release the 2011 schedule?

 

Also would like to know why you would choose HAL to Alaska? As you can see by my signature I don't have loyalty to anyone line ;). HAL is on the list because my parents are repeat HAL customers and they go where we want to go, but so do other lines. So sell me :)

 

A little about who will be going- Grandma and Grandpa (the HAL repeats), my family (Mom, Dad, two boys 17 and 12 at time of sailing), my sister and her family (Mom, Dad, one girl 14 at sailing, one boy 12 at sailing). My sister's family has never cruised, but for my family this would be the third.

 

Thanks for any and all information.

[fann1sh]

I can't help on the 2011 schedule question.

 

However, HAL Alaska itineraries sell themselves. ;) HAL has more Glacier Bay National Park admissions than any other line (many lines don't have any permits to visit). Hubbard Glacier is almost as popular, and HAL goes there. IMO, Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glaciers comes a poor third. HAL Volendam and Zuiderdam *do* visit, but only on itineraries that also visit Glacier Bay. I think 2 scenic cruising days in 7 is amazing - better value than an extra port.

 

Even when ships from different lines sailing from the same port have similar itineraries, you'll usually find that HAL has more than one ship on the route, so you can decide whether to start your cruise mid-week or on a weekend. And, that can mean lower "port load" at the places you visit. Don't forget to check how many ships/passengers are with you in each port.

 

In the ports I've visited, HAL and Princess had much better places to dock than other lines. And, yes, it really *did* make a difference.

 

Have you decided yet on the number of days you'll travel, and whether you'll do a round trip from either Seattle or Vancouver, or a one way between Seward and Vancouver? I'd settle that before I started shopping cruise lines.

 

If you have the time and money for 14 days of cruising, I'd do one of 3 things:

 

1. Take a 7+7 north/south from Vancouver. With Alaska weather as unreliable as it is, being able to visit a glacier or port twice in quick succession is a blessing. I did this in August 2009. We were fogged out of Hubbard Glacier northbound, but had a perfect day southbound; etc, etc.

 

2. Take Amsterdam from Seattle on a 14 day return and visit BOTH Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier (the only other line that visits both on the same cruise is 6* $$$$ Regent) along with quaint Sitka, seldom visited Kodiak and Homer, and a visit to Anchorage that actually goes there, instead of Seward or Whittier;

 

3. Take Royal Princess's version of the same trip (but the itinerary isn't as good IMO)

 

If either Grandma or Grandpa have mobility issues, consider: the smaller size of HAL ships may be a blessing in getting around. However, don't believe the people who claim HAL is a "seniors only" line - there will be other 12, 14 and 17 year olds.

[WisconsinFan]

Thanks,

 

You are confirming some of the things I have been hearing elsewhere. Luckily for us my parents are active mid-70's seniors. They currently are on HAL coming back from Hawaii where they hiked Volcanoes National Park among other day trips, however on this sailing my mom said everyone looks like "q-tips" :D (white hair, white tennis shoes) and has said in email there are no kids (duh mom, school is in session!).

 

Are biggest concern I think is with the kids coming along. The cousins will all have each other, but in all the sailings my parents have done with HAL they never have had a reason to check out the kid programing.

 

The boys are all really concerned about having a basketball court to play on and a swimming pool (being from Wisconsin, cool temps won't deter them. They have been wearing shorts to school this past week with temps only in the 50's).

[Assateague Island Princes]

Tell the boys they are in luck - basketball court on the sports deck, and heated pools - one on the Lido deck with a retractable roof for inclement weather.

 

We've sailed to Alaska twice on HAL (Oosterdam) and there were always, always lots of kids involved in (and obviously enjoying!) the Kids Club. Lots of excellent activities to keep 'em occupied on sailing days - craft classes, organized games, events, dances, and the ever-popular scavenger hunt. Sure, there are no rock climbing walls, wave pools or

skating rinks, but trust me, when sailing to Alaska, its just not needed. Nothing like a warm weather cruise where all you see are beaches, blue water, and more of the same. The scenery and wildlife in Alaska is breathtaking, enough to hold the interest of even the most "entertain-yourself-challenged" teenager out there.

 

I agree with fannish, don't buy into the average age of cruisers on HAL being "dead and beyond" - SOOOOOO not true! Alaska is so darn port intensive, even as active mid-40's at the time, we were only able to stay up long enough in the evening to grab dinner in the Lido, then have a drink at the SeaView Bar or on our balcony, before falling into THE most comfortable beds on the high seas. All in anticipation of an early morning the next day so we could do it all over again!

 

In fact, we love Alaska and HAL so darn much that we're on the May 31st sailing of Amsterdam's new 14 day itinerary as outlined above. Third times the charm, I'm told;). Will keep going back to that magnificent place - again and again - and always on HAL until we do our own self-planned land tour in 2012!

[catl331]

HAL is great for Alaska. The cruises there are port intensive and these cruises draw families in the summer. You will not have time on your cruise for extra recreation on the ship. You will be tired from the ports. Remember to bring rain gear as the Alaskan coast is considered a wet zone. I loved the peace and quiet of Glacier Bay.

[Krazy Kruizers]

You all will have a wonderful time on HAL for Alaska.

[schoolinmy3]

We have only cruised once, and that was with HAL, so perhaps I don't have much to compare with (OK, I don't have anything to compare with :D), but we did enjoy our cruise to Alaska so much that we are returning to sail again in May. My husband and I are 46 and 42, we sailed to Alaska when I was 40 and he was 44. We were celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary. Alaska is absolutely breathtaking so that in itself is going to be something even the kids will appreciate. Our favorite excursion was the one out of Ketchikan that was from the Deadliest Catch television show. My husband got a really cool photo of an American eagle swooping down towards us to snag a fish out of the water. We were impressed with the service on HAL. One of the stewards in the Lido always knew our name and would search us out to see if we needed anything, or just to greet us. I thought that was pretty impressive as we weren't even eating in the main dining room. It also seemed that they were always cleaning. Everytime we were walking the corridors I saw the crew wiping down the handrails at the stairs for instance. The flowers on the ship (we were on the Westerdam) were beautiful also. The Culinary Arts program on the Westerdam was really cool. The classes were conducted by two of the ship's chefs and our group was divided into preparing one of three dishes and then we were given the recipes afterward as well as a nice canvas apron. They have both a children's culinary class and an adult class. On our upcoming cruise to the Mediterranean in May we are taking our children (ages 19, 17 and 10).( My oldest will be finished with his college semester, the 17 year old graduated in January from high school and our daughter is homeschooled.) They are all three going to sign up for these classes. The 19 and 17 year old will take the adult class which is $29 and the child's version is free but is also divided up by age. Again, I don't have any other ship's to compare to, but at this point I am convinced that HAL fits our personality. There are things to do, including children and teen programs, but if you just want to find a quiet spot and relax or read you can do that too. I am not worried about how many kids will be on the cruise because we enjoy doing things together (playing games, reading, etc) and don't want or need tons of external stimulation. :rolleyes: There will be so much to see at each port that it will be nice to just relax while on board.

diane

[fann1sh]

WisconsinFan, you've had lots of feedback from others while I've been away from this board, but another thing to think about when considering tween/teen friendly: July and August cruises on ALL lines will have the most, as school is out. In May and after Labo(u)r Day, fewer kids everywhere. June varies - depends on school systems.

 

There were tons of teens/tweens on my ship in August '09, and families doing group activities, like golf putting on lower promenade deck. Moving balls, moving ship = it was a howl of a lot of fun.

 

Don't let anyone convince you your youngest members of your families will be unhappy on HAL. Ain't so.

[FINTUCKYFARMS]

My family has also traveled with both teens and smaller kids on the Amsterdam and Oosterdam. They had a blast and there was plenty for them to do. Our youngest liked to watch for wheels (whales) from the Lido deck and eat ice cream.

[WisconsinFan]

Thanks for all the info. HAL has their info out for June 2011 (faster than Princess- which is still part of the same family) and we are already starting to make plans for next June on the Oosterdam. Just wish the prices hadn't gone up so much...any suggestions on that one ;) Actually our TA is working hard for us so things should be good. We had hoped for balcony cabins, but thinking now of ocean view (which is all we have ever had on any of our cruises anyhow) for the grown ups and insides for the teens.

[tnkrbell13]

I did not read all the responses so I may be repeating...

 

The reason I ended up loving our Alaskan cruise was that we were on a smaller HAL boat and we were able to get closer to the glacier for viewing.

It was my favorite part of the cruise and I didn't realize how much closer we were until we got home and compared pictures with a friend who had been on Princess the year before.