Holland America Alaska Cruise withe the Gaithers' newbie here!

[wendya2J]

hi, I'm writing this for my mom. She is a first time cruiser and is so afraid of seasickness! How formal do you dress during the day? Is it freezing cold outside? What tips do you have for this newbie cruiser, and how do they work all the Gaithers entertainment...is it just one concert a night? How formal do people dress on formal night?

 

Help!! Corrie

[Luvsnorkeling]

On formal nights in AK, we found most folks were more business casual. Ladies in dresses or slacks with nice tops and men in suits with tie or sport coats with open neck collared shirts. On other nights, it was very casual.

 

 

As far as the timing of concerts, we've never traveled on a cruise like that. Most of the ports in AK have very early arrival times (at least for us), so we were usually in bed pretty early.

 

 

The temperature just depends...tell her to check weather.com for the ports before she starts packing. We went in late May and had chilly but nice days--not overly cold. A medium weight jacket worked well with sweatshirts or flannel shirts underneath.Tell her to plan outfits with layers that she can either add to or remove as needed. Gloves and a hat are also important. Most of our days were sunny with just a little rain on a day or two.

 

 

She can take bonine or ginger tablets to keep her stomach settled if she's prone to carsickness or air sickness normally. But remind her that cruise ships have stabilizers so it is not at all like being on a small boat. Much of the time when she's inside she'll hardly know she's on the water.

 

 

Our Alaska cruise is in my top 2 cruises (Hawaii being the other one) that we've ever taken at around 18 cruises and counting. She will LOVE Alaska! The scenery and wildlife are amazing!

[GradUT]

We have taken a lot of cruises, and just returned from our Alaska cruise on the Noordam. In answer to your questions on behalf of your mom:

 

1. It's extremely unlikely that your mom will get seasick. I suffer greatly from seasickness on small boats, but due to the stabilizers on cruise ships, I have never been seasick on a cruise. I do bring ginger tablets with me just in case, but I've never had to use them.

 

2. The dress code for dinner is set out on the HAL website, but basically there a two codes, one for Gala Night (it's not Formal Night anymore) and one for all the other nights. On a 7-day Alaska cruise, there will be 2 Gala Nights. The dress code for women on Gala Night is a dress or nice slacks and blouse. I did not see anyone in long formal dresses on the Noordam. For the other nights, the code is "Smart Casual", which means anything except shorts.

 

3. For the evening entertainment in the Noordam, there was some sort of performance each night in the main theatre, the Vista Lounge. There were a couple of production shows (singing and dancing), a comic, a vocalist and a magician. There was also a duet (violin and piano) called Adagio, who performed classical music each evening in another of the lounges. But IMO, the best shows were in the Piano Bar and the BB King Lounge.

 

4. We cruised at the end of May and the temperatures in the Alaskan ports hovered between 40 and 50 degrees. On land, I was comfortable in a long-sleeved cotton shirt with a fleece-lined waterproof jacket. However, when the ship was at sea, it was very cold on deck. We could not use our balcony on sea days because it was too cold and we bundled up when we went to walk around the Promenade deck.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

hi, I'm writing this for my mom. She is a first time cruiser and is so afraid of seasickness! How formal do you dress during the day? Is it freezing cold outside? What tips do you have for this newbie cruiser, and how do they work all the Gaithers entertainment...is it just one concert a night? How formal do people dress on formal night?

 

Help!! Corrie

 

Hi Corrie - I think your mom is on this cruise, The Gaither Homecoming Alaska Cruise, put together by Inspiration Cruises and Tours. If I am correct, the cruise is on Holland America's ship Oosterdam, sailing August 6-13, 2017. Here is a link to the Gaither Homecoming page on the Inspirations website, which has a lot of details about the cruise, as well as FAQs under "Get Answers" and travel tips under "Be Prepared". You will find both categories on the right hand side of the page. You will also find a list of special entertainers that are unique to your cruise under " Guests", located at the top of the page. Hopefully, you and your mom can find some answers there, although you may already be familiar with the website.

 

http://www.inspirationcruises.com/christian-cruise/gaither-homecoming-alaska-2017

[POA1]

For seasickness, Meclizine is a good option that doesn't cause drowsiness. The brand names are Bonine or Non Drowsy Formula Dramamine. If your mother is taking other medications, she should check with her doctor about interactions. The key is to take the medication before she feels sick. It takes a while to kick in. Other than the first and last days, Alaska is usually pretty smooth sailing. The first and last days aren't really that bad though.

[firegal2539]

I just got off an Alaskan cruise 3 days ago. I have done 6 of them and this was the best weather ever, between 60 and 70 degrees on port days. On my cruise some women still wore long gowns but not many, most were in a sparkly top and dress pants.

 

I always bring layers of clothing. A top/blouse, light weight sweater, a light weight jacket, you can always remove or add as you go. The coldest day was when you sail to the glacier. It was about 40 degrees and and I had all my layers on.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[packercruising]

On formal nights in AK, we found most folks were more business casual. Ladies in dresses or slacks with nice tops and men in suits with tie or sport coats with open neck collared shirts. On other nights, it was very casual.

 

 

As far as the timing of concerts, we've never traveled on a cruise like that. Most of the ports in AK have very early arrival times (at least for us), so we were usually in bed pretty early.

 

 

The temperature just depends...tell her to check weather.com for the ports before she starts packing. We went in late May and had chilly but nice days--not overly cold. A medium weight jacket worked well with sweatshirts or flannel shirts underneath.Tell her to plan outfits with layers that she can either add to or remove as needed. Gloves and a hat are also important. Most of our days were sunny with just a little rain on a day or two.

 

 

She can take bonine or ginger tablets to keep her stomach settled if she's prone to carsickness or air sickness normally. But remind her that cruise ships have stabilizers so it is not at all like being on a small boat. Much of the time when she's inside she'll hardly know she's on the water.

 

 

Our Alaska cruise is in my top 2 cruises (Hawaii being the other one) that we've ever taken at around 18 cruises and counting. She will LOVE Alaska! The scenery and wildlife are amazing!

 

Really good advice here! If Gaithers have the whole ship, which they probably do, there will be no booze on this ship. We checked into a Southern Gospel cruise to Hawaii on NCL and they had events during the day as well as evening. One of reasons we decided against it is that these cruises are port intensive.

[OlsSalt]

Tell you mom to look up "formal cruise wear" (or sparkle tops or sequins) on eBay to get some ideas about what she might like to wear for gala night. We still see plenty of gowns and tuxedos, even when warned ahead of time this is no longer the standard. So if she wants to have fun dressing up, this i the time to do it.

 

And eBay is one way to get something special and not have to pay much for the effort. Simply a sparkly top or jacket over dark pants or skirts can work just fine. If she does not want to go this route, then whatever she enjoys wearing to special occasions at home works fine too. For example of an eBay search - sparkle jacket long sleeve: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=womens+sparkle+tops+long+sleeves&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xwomens+sparkle+jackets+long+sleeves.TRS1&_nkw=womens+sparkle+jackets+long+sleeves&_sacat=0

[wendya2J]

Thanks everyone! I can't find a roll call for this trip...

[RMLincoln]

We use wrist Sea Bands if the seas start getting rough. They have no medication, just a button on the inside of the band that goes over an acupressure point. No drowsiness, no medication interactions, no interactions with wine or liquor. You can buy them at most CVS, Walgreens, WalMart pharmacies, look next to the Dramamine. You have to follow the directions and make sure they are on the correct part of the wrist.

 

It's a must to have a rain jacket, and for extra warmth I use a fleece under it, plus a warm hat that covers my ears and some lightweight gloves and a thin scarf. Shoes that can get a little bit wet and still keep feet dry will help for those days with showers. m--

[packercruising]

Thanks everyone! I can't find a roll call for this trip...

 

If it is an all Gaither cruise, there probably will not be one.