Best Cruise Line for 7 day Seattle r/t?

[1stxalaskacruiser]

Hi

 

First time to Alaska and 1st time cruiser here. Planning a trip June or July 2013 and looking like we are going for 7 day r/t from Seattle. Traveling with 4 adults (ages 40-65) and a 9 year old. Looking at Norwegian Pearl, Star Princess or HAL Westerdam.

 

Appreciate any and all feedback on the cruise - is it a good one? Which ship to choose - which is best for kids? Which are unmissable shore excursions? Where is best location on the ship for cabin?

 

Thanks for your help - appreciate it!

[bonvoyagie]

I like NCL and will be traveling on the Pearl in a few weeks - I will write a review when I get back. I don't think you can go wrong with either of the ships/lines. AK is more about the land and scenery than the ship.

[MSMcDuffy]

Welcome to Cruise Critic! I would think any of the ships would be great as I hear there are similar amounts of kids between the various mainstream cruise lines and school is out. I'd look at all the itineraries first and see which ones offer the longest times in port, and as a million;) people on these boards will tell you, try not to miss Glacier Bay as it is thee highlight of an Alaskan cruise.

 

Only if the itineraries are very similar would I then look at the ship. I don't know the itineraries of the ships you mention but most include Juneau & Ketchikan but the wildcard might be Skagway or Sitka. Read up on them and look at pictures and see what your group would prefer.

 

Best wishes! You have chosen an awesome location for a first cruise:)

[bonvoyagie]

It looks like the Star Princess alternates between Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm every other sailing - I think I would make sure you do the Glacier Bay trip.

 

Is your child 9 now or will be 9 for the cruise?

What kind of cabins were you looking at - I would reccommend ajoining balcony rooms as I presume that the four adults are parents and grandparents of the child. The two ajoining rooms would give everyone some much needed space and stll let the child spend time either place.

 

When I took my kids crusing they were well beyond the kids club so I don't have anything to add - except take a close look at the age brackets the cruise line uses - esp for the teen and tween ages and make sure that your child mixes well with all the ages in that bracket.

 

AK is all about scenic crusing - sea days are really SEE days from Seattle the see portion really begins on day 2 and since you are traveling in fjords there is land on both sides of the ship. As for the best sides while in port you would really have to look at each city and docking situation - as each is different and may actually change with sail dates and port conditions. I remember several year ago in Skagway we docked in the AM with the bow pointed towards town - during the day they flipped the ship around so the bow was pointing away from town - it made for a fast getaway :D.

 

As for the ports each one has its own speciality -

 

Skagway is all about the Kondike Gold Rush of 98 and the history around it. The railroad, the gold dredge, the access to the interior of the Yukon coupled with probably the longest port day on the cruise (usually 9-12hrs).

 

Juneau is the state capitol and is the home to Mendenhall Glacier and some of the best whale watching on the inside passage.

 

Ketchikan is known for its native culture and totem poles. It is also the jumping off point for the Misty Fjords Rainforest.

 

You can learn more about these port cities here: http://cruiseportinsider.com/index.html

 

There are pleanty of excursions to fit most interests and budgets. I suggest that you all read over the excursions independently, mark the ones that interest you the most, then meet as a family group and compare lists - where all of you match - by all means book that excursion. If you all don't match - don't worry and don't be afraid to split up and do different things - you will have more to talk about at dinner. Also remember that you don't have to use the tours from the cruiseline - there are lots of independent operators in AK that offer small group tours and will easily work around the cruise ship schedules. You can also rent cars in Juneau and Skagway and tour on your own - it is hard to get lost when there are so few roads :D

 

Are you all first time crusiers?? if so then I suggest that you visit the HAL, Princess and NCL discussion boards here at CC to find out why you should cruise with them - also read the reviews - both member and professional alike. We chose NCL for our first cruise 10yrs ago and have never looked anywhere else - BTW it was also to AK and was our 25th wedding anniversary. We like the Freestyle concept - which is best compared to eating at a land based resort - or going out to dinner at home. There is no set time or place for you to eat at - you choose which dining room you want to go to and what time you want to go there and like with all cruise lines there is always the buffet ;). Princess has a limited number of anytime dining seats available and I understand they go fast. I am not sure if HAL has any alternative dining options or not.

 

Good luck - I would not sit on the fence too long - esp if you want ajoining cabins as they do sell out quickly - plus most cruise lines offer early booking fares and extra onboard credits for booking at least nine months in advance.

[capriccio]

;). Princess has a limited number of anytime dining seats available and I understand they go fast.

 

 

Just to correct one small error in the great info that Bonvoyagie provided - it is traditional dining that usually fills up first (and quickly) on Princess. Anytime dining is the default.

[epixx]

We have two teens, and I'd pick the Westerdam because I much prefer Sitka over Skagway. You should first determine whether you want to go to Sitka or Skagway by looking at the port activities in both areas. I also prefer the Westerdam because we book a quad cabin, and the quads we've had on HAL have been much more comfortable than those on Princess or NCL.

[vbmom87]

Hi

 

First time to Alaska and 1st time cruiser here. Planning a trip June or July 2013 and looking like we are going for 7 day r/t from Seattle. Traveling with 4 adults (ages 40-65) and a 9 year old. Looking at Norwegian Pearl, Star Princess or HAL Westerdam.

 

Appreciate any and all feedback on the cruise - is it a good one? Which ship to choose - which is best for kids? Which are unmissable shore excursions? Where is best location on the ship for cabin?

 

Thanks for your help - appreciate it!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic. You are very wise to ask questions before you actually book. So many come on this forum after they have booked. They often find out that they did not book the most ideal cruise for their interests.

 

Just a few comments in case you are not aware: Seattle sailings are less scenic your first and last days. You will be out in the open ocean and at risk for rougher seas. If you think this might be your only trip to Alaska, you might want to see if you can swing a Vancouver round trip. If you can do Vancouver the HAL itinerary is excellent with Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm. If scenery is what your group is looking for, you would not be disappointed.

 

If you are set on Seattle, you have been given excellent advice by the previous posters. Check what ports/glaciers the itineraries are going to and then check time in ports. The more time the better. IF you have a glacier priority, choose an itinerary with Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier. (My favorite is Glacier Bay, but both are great. Glacier Bay is a National Park and Preserve. It is about a 9 hour sailing day. Hubbard is one MASSIVE glacier, so it is quite impresssive. It is about a 4 hour experience.) Although Tracy Arm is a beautiful scenic cruising day, and definitely worth experiencing, cruise ships often cannot make it all the way to the glaciers at the end of the fjord. Often you will just see it from a distance, or not see the glacier at all. So, if seeing glaciers is a priority, an itinerary with just Tracy Arm as your scenic sailing would not be the best choice. Budget Queen, the expert on this forum says that only 25% of the sailings into Tracy Arm get to the glaciers. She always recommends the add-on Tracy Arm excursion, if it is offered by your cruise line. It will add about $200 pp to your cruise.

 

As far as cabin location goes, the lower you are and the more in the middle you are, the less motion you will feel on rough days. Some posters here say a balcony is mandatory, others say an inside is just fine. Being first time cruisers you may be confused. I have always sailed in Ocean Views. They work for us. I know I would like a balcony very much, but it is not in our budget. We prefer to spend our money on pricey excursions rather than pricey cabins. If money were no object, yes I would book the balcony and the pricey excursions. You will have to look at your priorities and budget and make the decision that will work best for you.

 

As far as kids programs, I have not used any, but I have payed close attention to posts about them. I hope to one day bring my grandchildren to Alaska, so I pay attention to what is written. I have to say I would not hesititate to take my grandchildren on any cruiseline, including HAL. I have read of many reports on HAL which say they were very pleased with the kids'club because there are less children on HAL and the children get more personal attention. As others have already told you, I would pick the cruise by itinerary. The 9 year old will likely do fine with the kids program on any cruise ship.

 

You mention this will be your first cruise. PLEASE consider flying in a day or two early. It is very sad to read about the cruisers who had flight delays and missed their cruise. Some learned the hard way that trip insurance did not even help them out. Trip insurance often has the fine print that reads you have to miss your tour by "x" number of hours. It could be as low as 3 or as many as 8. So, if you missed the cruise by an hour or two, you are out of luck. Best to just fly out early and be able to relax. Summer often has big storms that wreck havoc with the airlines. Mechanical problems seem to cause lots of delays. Yes, most people who fly into their cruise ports on the day of the cruise do make it on time. However, not everyone does and a well-planned and expensive cruise can suddenly become a nightmare and a loss of money.

 

I suggest you get a copy of Frommers or Fodors Alaska books. They have cruise versions and full versions. You should be able to get them from your library. You don't need the most current editions. Read about the ports, glaciers and activities in each port. The more you read, the more you will find yourself being drawn to certain ports/glaciers. Then you will be ready to make that important decision of what cruise itinerary to choose. You can also go to the cruiseline's websites and look at what kinds of excursions are offered in each port. EVen though you can book independently if you want, you will learn what can be done in each port.

 

Good luck and feel free to ask more questions.

[vbmom87]

To clarify HAL dining: They also have a freestyle concept if you sign up for "open dining". With "open dining" you can go to the main dining room anytime you want during the dining hours. You can also choose to make a reservation if you want. You can make reservations up to three days prior. We prefer open dining because on those port days, we never wanted to have to hurry back for our dining time. Also, some days you may feel like eating at a different time. We also liked that we could vary the size of table we wanted to sit at. Some days we would ask for a table for two, other times we would ask to be seated with others. This works for both making reservations ahead of time or for just showing up. Naturally, if you don't make a reservation it may be more difficult for them to accomodate your table size request at the last minute, but you can always wait if it is important to you. With open dining, we never had a problem getting a table, even on those days we chose not to make a reservation. We also enjoyed eating at the Canelleto on HAL. This is a free alternate dining room with an Italian menu. Some people report it is best to make a reservation, others found it unnecessary. I think it varies from ship to ship. We liked to dine in the Canelleto on Formal nights as we chose not to bring formal clothing. It was an option that worked out well for us.

[bonvoyagie]

Sorry, but I was repeating information I have heard here on CC from people who could not get the anytime seating and were forced to select a seating time.

[vbmom87]

Sorry, but I was repeating information I have heard here on CC from people who could not get the anytime seating and were forced to select a seating time.

 

No need to apologize. There are plenty of different scenarios and I was simply reporting my experience on HAL. Perhaps the anytime seating concept is becoming more popular on some cruiselines. I know when it was first introduced, it was very difficult to get the fixed dining time. The traditional cruisers booked those spots quickly and open dining was all that was available. No matter what kind of dining you prefer, it is always best to book it as soon as you can. If you don't get what you want, try to be put on a wait list. If you still haven't heard by the time you board, go straight to the dining room when you get on the ship and see if you can make the change.

[1stxalaskacruiser]

Thank you, great advice. We live in Portland so will be sure to drive up to Seattle in plenty of time. Thinking we need to decide between HAL and NCL, will find the books at the library and make a decision.

[Sandi3667]

Thank you, great advice. We live in Portland so will be sure to drive up to Seattle in plenty of time. Thinking we need to decide between HAL and NCL, will find the books at the library and make a decision.

 

If you have the time, check for hotels with stay/park/cruise packages. We had a leisurely drive up to Seattle the day before our cruise, took a hotel shuttle to the port, and left our cars parked at the hotel for the duration of our cruise - all for about $20 over what just parking would have cost if we drove up that day. And, we got to be at the port by 11 AM, and on the ship by noon. Great relaxing way to start a cruise. By leaving a day early, the bridge lift on the Insterstate Bridge on our trip up wasn't even a cause for concern.

 

Have a great cruise - we loved ours.

[bonvoyagie]

I find that Amtrak to be the way to travel between PDX and SEA . Noon train arrives downtown around 4:00PM - a short taxi ride to the hotel followed by a nice evening in downtown - this year we are staying within walking distance of the space needle and Seattle Center. We get a good night sleep - have a late breakfast - grab another quick ride to the pier and board the ship. You can reverse the process on the return trip as the station is about 5 min away from the pier. The cost is 1/2 that of flying and the ride is way more relaxing than the drive.

 

BTW I did try to drive up the day of the cruise when we took the kids - we ran into a huge traffic jam in south Seattle - we had no GPS and only some maps I printed out from mapquest - thanks to my DW we were able to find the right surface street that got us to the pier - and on time too boot.

 

I think that NCL really starting something with its Freestyle concept since most other lines now have some from of anytime seating in the MDR. My first experience with Freestyle was on the Sky in 02 - first cruise and to AK too boot.

[irvington]

Just wanted to echo that Amtrak from Portland to Seattle is great. Much more scenic and relaxing than driving. I go a fair amount on business and really enjoy it. Business class is very spacious and the internet connection is usually good.