HAL cruise from Seward-? about itinerary

[MSMcDuffy]

For the SB HAL cruises from Seward, the first full day on the cruise only itinerary is listed as "At Sea (Gulf of Alaska)"; on the cruisetour itinerary the first full day is listed as "Enjoy a leisurely day cruising the pristine waters of Prince William Sound."

 

Does this mean that it will be a scenic cruise day (close to land) or would the ship just pass thru the waters at a distance? I see on a map that PWS is quite a bit out of the way since the ship goes to Glacier Bay the following day. I would have thought that the ship would be out more in open sea - heading directly SE.

 

If anyone has been on this HAL itinerary, I'd appreciate hearing of your experience.

 

Thanks!

[vbmom87]

For the SB HAL cruises from Seward, the first full day on the cruise only itinerary is listed as "At Sea (Gulf of Alaska)"; on the cruisetour itinerary the first full day is listed as "Enjoy a leisurely day cruising the pristine waters of Prince William Sound."

 

Does this mean that it will be a scenic cruise day (close to land) or would the ship just pass thru the waters at a distance? I see on a map that PWS is quite a bit out of the way since the ship goes to Glacier Bay the following day. I would have thought that the ship would be out more in open sea - heading directly SE.

 

If anyone has been on this HAL itinerary, I'd appreciate hearing of your experience.

 

Thanks!

 

In the past College Fjords used to be on the itinerary for the early morning of that first day at sea. It appears to me that they have eliminated College Fjords from the itinerary. HAL has been watering down some of its itineraries lately which is most disappointing.

[Budget Queen]

The cruises used to sail coastal when they ported in Valdez, which I miss.

 

If this itinerary does not state College Fjords, then you aren't going there, nor will be detouring to Prince William Sound, I strongly suspect. Many times the sailing can be open ocean, across the gulf. Trouble is, you won't know until you experience it.

 

I took HAL again last year, with College Fjords on the itinerary, and they did sail more scenic/coastal, than I had experience over several previous cruises.

 

You might want to consdier Princess, which does list College Fjords, Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier. Also has the best opportunity- a PWS boat tour, which beats any sailing by a cruiseship- grossly superior.

 

To really see much more, consider a rental car, and do some touring. Well worth it.

[MSMcDuffy]

Thanks for the replies!

 

We put down a small (refundable) deposit w/HAL recently because the price was so good and Seward superior to Whittier for things to do. However, we are considering switching to Princess because of their itinerary.

 

We're planning on spending 3 nights on land beforehand. (If I had it my way, it would be 1 week but travel companions can't be gone that long and I won't travel alone).

 

One more question, if you don't mind - Without a rental car, can we get from Seward to Whittier without going back to Anchorage? I hear the train doesn't go that route but would there be a bus or shuttle? Taxi too costly?

 

Thanks again!

[Budget Queen]

One more question, if you don't mind - Without a rental car, can we get from Seward to Whittier without going back to Anchorage? I hear the train doesn't go that route but would there be a bus or shuttle? Taxi too costly?

 

Thanks again!

 

Yes there are transit services which go direct Seward/Whittier. http://www.seward.com and I only know of taxi/van private transfers, nothing scheduled. You might want to post a share request on your roll call.

 

 

You may want to think about costs in all directions- meaning time as well. :) My time is valuable- what the money costs are for me, to make the most of it, can be well worth it.