Cruise Planning - Just Getting Started!

[Sashamcg]

I am just getting started on planning an cruise in Alaska for 2020.  I have been reading here and on TA and I am so overwhelmed so I am hoping I can ask some questions here to help narrow down some things to get me started on some real research.  Thanks in advance for the help!

 

My husband and I would be the two cruising.  We are 50 and 53.  Neither of us have been to Alaska before.  We have been on two cruises before, one on Holland American and one on the Oasis of the Seas.  Both cruises were trips I earned through my job so we really didn't have to pay anything but for our excursions.  Both times we had a balcony room.  Both cruises were in the Caribbean.  

 

My husband is very limited on vacation so we are looking to bump the cruise time up against a holiday.  Either Memorial Day or Labor Day.  Looks like Labor Day time would be more rainy?  So leaning towards Memorial Day.  We would also like to go when there are less kids so thinking both of these times would be better as kids are in school?  Since his vacation time is limited we are thinking to do just a 7 day cruise and we may be able to spend a couple of days doing something on land.

 

We live in Indianapolis so the flight options are not the best.

 

We love nature but won't want to do serious hiking.  Would love to know what opinions are for the best route for first timers.  Is it also better to do a round trip or one way?  As far as the ship, we don't want a mega ship but also probably can't afford those smaller ones.  What are opinions on ships that carry 2-3000?  Still too big?  We would also like a ship that would not require us to dress up fancy every night for dinner if that's even an option?  We plan to maximize our times in port and take advantage of whatever is offered there.  So not that concerned with amenities on the ship like entertainment, fancy dining, etc.  Priority for us are great ports with lots of excursion options.  The ship for us is more a way to get to all these great places if that makes sense.

 

Hopefully I have given the experts here some ideas about what we are looking for.  Would love to hear some suggestions now and then I can continue my research with those suggestions.  Thanks in advance for all your help!  

[Crew News]

4 hours ago, Sashamcg said:

I am just getting started on planning an cruise in Alaska for 2020.  I have been reading here and on TA and I am so overwhelmed so I am hoping I can ask some questions here to help narrow down some things to get me started on some real research.  Thanks in advance for the help!

 

My husband and I would be the two cruising.  We are 50 and 53.  Neither of us have been to Alaska before.  We have been on two cruises before, one on Holland American and one on the Oasis of the Seas.  Both cruises were trips I earned through my job so we really didn't have to pay anything but for our excursions.  Both times we had a balcony room.  Both cruises were in the Caribbean.  

 

My husband is very limited on vacation so we are looking to bump the cruise time up against a holiday.  Either Memorial Day or Labor Day.  Looks like Labor Day time would be more rainy?  So leaning towards Memorial Day.  We would also like to go when there are less kids so thinking both of these times would be better as kids are in school?  Since his vacation time is limited we are thinking to do just a 7 day cruise and we may be able to spend a couple of days doing something on land.

 

We live in Indianapolis so the flight options are not the best.

 

We love nature but won't want to do serious hiking.  Would love to know what opinions are for the best route for first timers.  Is it also better to do a round trip or one way?  As far as the ship, we don't want a mega ship but also probably can't afford those smaller ones.  What are opinions on ships that carry 2-3000?  Still too big?  We would also like a ship that would not require us to dress up fancy every night for dinner if that's even an option?  We plan to maximize our times in port and take advantage of whatever is offered there.  So not that concerned with amenities on the ship like entertainment, fancy dining, etc.  Priority for us are great ports with lots of excursion options.  The ship for us is more a way to get to all these great places if that makes sense.

 

Hopefully I have given the experts here some ideas about what we are looking for.  Would love to hear some suggestions now and then I can continue my research with those suggestions.  Thanks in advance for all your help!  

 

Greetings to another Hoosier (Shortridge and Butler). 

 

As a many-time visitor to Alaska, HAL is my cruise line of choice and May my favorite month. Prices are cheaper for both cruises and airfare during that month.  Even during the kids-out-of-school months, Club HAL keeps the kids busy and barely noticeable except at dinner.

 

A round-trip will save on airfare.  HAL dress code is collared shirts and slacks on Gala Nights unless you want to eat the same MDR menu in your room via Room Service.  There will be lots of flannel shirts and jeans in AlaskaHAL 7-day roundtrip cruises stop at the same ports with Sitka or Skagway being the difference as well as the origin port (Vancouver or Seattle).  One-way trips spend a bit more time in ports but require long flights back from Anchorage.

 

There is so much to see in Alaska, you just have to choose and there is a high probability that you will return to see more of what you missed.

[luvteaching]

Another vote for HAL and I'd recommend out of Seattle. You go to Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan. Sitka is a lot less "touristy" than the other two and we love it! We've sailed on both HAL and Princess out of Seattle. The Princess ships are about 3000 passenger and the HAL ones were anywhere from 1500 - 2100. I find the ones about 1800 passenger (Westerdam, Oosterdam, etc.) to be the right fit for us. The Princess ones at 3000 are on the big size but they do go to Skagway instead of Sitka and, if you want to ride the White Pass Yukon Railroad that's the way to go.We prefer Sitka to Skagway but every few years DH hankers to ride the train so we head out on Princess. 

Karen

[JBSteelerfan]

While you will save money on airfare doing a round trip cruise, I think you get to see more and spend more time in different places doing a one way cruise.  We liked doing the southbound itinerary, having the longer flight ahead of time and spending some extra time in Anchorage, and then a shorter time to get back home.  Either way is do able, as Alaska is a must see for everyone IMHO!

[disneyochem]

We cruise every year (for the past 5 years and planned for the next two!) on or around Memorial Day.  It is a great time to head to Alaska.  Weather is generally good, fares still on the lower end and not a lot of children on board.  That being said, you are on the transition to summer season so some excursions, port activities, transportations, etc. are still in winter mode and have limited hours/availability.  You also miss the salmon run.  But we still see lots of wildlife and snow!

 

Have fun planning!

[Anita Latte]

Alaska can be very overwhelming. I think it's because the opportunity cost of Alaska is very high. Multiple choices in every point have appeal...deciding on one leaves most with some sort of anxiety regarding whether or not they made the best choice. Also...the weather concern is high depending on the excursions you choose. Excursions that include flight are known to be canceled due to weather and visibility. And the weather itself can really put a damper on your day, depending on what you are doing and how well equipped you are in gear and mentality to deal with it.

 

Your questions are all good questions...and they have been debated on this board for as long as I have been reading the Alaska board...which actually isn't that long, as I went to Alaska for the first time last summer. Your questions are polarizing...round trip versus one way. Northbound versus Southbound. Seattle versus Vancouver. This cruise line, that cruise line. Opinions differ as to what is "best" so much that the conclusion is really...yay for such choices! Yay that everyone can figure out what is "best" for themselves.

 

I would begin your research by reading trip reports that are around the time frame that you are considering. That could help you with your May versus September debate. Both times are called the "shoulder season" I believe. Pros and Cons for both. Simply reading others' experiences may shed some light on whether or not one appeals more than the other.

 

Consider what you want to see. Depending on your cruise line, a roundtrip itinerary will likely include Tracy Arm, which may or may be where the ship can sail depending on conditions. There are two arms each with a glacier in that area...one seems to be more assessable than the other...so some sailing end up diverted to the other. Some cruise lines, I believe HAL is one, has a small boat excursion that will go deeper into the arm to get much closer to the action.

 

Some roundtrips go up into Glacier Bay. I saw some on Princess.

 

Most one ways will go to either Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier. Very few itineraries go to both, but I have heard of them. 

 

Many people start there...Glacier Bay versus Hubbard? It's like you pick what the highlight for your cruise sight seeing day is and go from there...looking at itineraries that include that place you really want to see. Then fingers crossed, you hope and pray for cooperative weather so you can actually see what you are hoping to see.

 

That's the crap shoot with Alaska. Roll the dice and see what you get that day. ANY day can be wonderful...ANY day can be weather prone. 

 

Seattle versus Vancouver...that may be the next decision to add to the itinerary thoughts. Many prefer Vancouver because cruises from there sail through the inside passage. This is generally thought to be more scenic than the more out at sea first sea day on a Seattle cruise. Also, Vancouver counts as the foreign port what is somehow required for sailings? Most Seattle sailings include Victoria, BC as a port...and depending on your itinerary, this can be a very frustrating port to visit because some cruises don't arrive until dinner time and leave very late at night. With daylight and business hours being what it is...it can turn into the Nassau of the north (those are my thoughts)...where many people just stay on the ship and don't bother going into port at all.

 

Most of the big cruise lines will visit Ketchikan and Juneau. Skagway. Icy Strait Point and Sitka are less common but generally rank high in people's thoughts because they are the least touristy ports. For that reason, they also rank very low for some people. Really, you have to start to form a thought of what visiting Alaska means to YOU. What is it that would be that quintessential thing that would say to you, I went to ALASKA. I saw...this and that...I went here and there. THOSE are the very important questions.

 

When you answer those inner questions...then there is less second guessing, because you satisfy yourself...not trying to satisfy some external ideal of what is "best" in Alaska.

 

FWIW, I wrote a way too long, way too detailed trip report that included all my planning. The link is in the 2018 report sticky.

 

Happy Planning! Know this...Pretty much everywhere in Alaska feels like a photograph waiting to be captured. It's stunning. It's really awe inspiring. Whatever you fancy has the potential to be awesome.

[Sashamcg]

Thank you all SO much for all the replies.  I have my work cut out for me!  LOL  Anita I did stumble across your trip report yesterday and read through it.  Lots of great info!  I'll continue my planning and let you know when other questions come up!

 

[masterdrago]

7 hours ago, Anita Latte said:

<snip>

FWIW, I wrote a way too long, way too detailed trip report that included all my planning. The link is in the 2018 report sticky.

 

Happy Planning! Know this...Pretty much everywhere in Alaska feels like a photograph waiting to be captured. It's stunning. It's really awe inspiring. Whatever you fancy has the potential to be awesome.

Anita, I read through your trip report and found it everything a first time cruiser to Alaska can ask for. Very refreshing with a great point of view. Many, I feel, will get much from reading it.

[Crew News]

Another point to consider is the amount of daylight available in each port with May having much more than September.

[stefcourt1]

First timer also we are 70 and taking our daughter in 30’s.  We need a 3 in a room cabin and not sure what ship we would all fit in.  Looking for a deal late May or early June this year.   

[masterdrago]

10 hours ago, stefcourt1 said:

First timer also we are 70 and taking our daughter in 30’s.  We need a 3 in a room cabin and not sure what ship we would all fit in.  Looking for a deal late May or early June this year.   

Our sailing on Radiance of the Seas on May 24th out of Seward still has interior, ocean view, and balcony rooms available. Can take 3 at from $582-$836/person.

[cabland]

My parents, siblings and our spouses (9 of us in total) did Alaska last Summer (first cruise for some of us - including me and my wife).  I (the oldest "child"...I'm in my early 50s) was on the hook to plan the whole thing.  I did the requisite 4971 hours of research - much of it here on CC!   Before it was all said and done I had written a cruise "brochure" for my family...which I have attached (note: it is the culmination of the 400 decisions that occurred along the way).

 

You will first need to decide if you want to do a round-trip from say Seattle to Seattle or Vancouver to Vancouver v. a "one way" trip going "North" (i.e. Seattle/Vancouver to Anchorage) or "South" (i.e. Anchorage to Seattle/Vancouver).  The latter open the door to do a land trip before or after in Alaska "proper" to Denali.

 

As others have said, Alaska is mostly about, well... ALASKA!  You may never get back here again (although don't be surprised if you decide this is only your "first" trip to Alaska after you finish the cruise).  This comes down to itinerary - aka ports and excursions.

 

In our case, we ended up doing a 7 night round-trip on Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam out of Vancouver.  Here's why:

 

1.  Duration for "Us" - I mentioned above that our passengers included my parents.  My dad is 90.  I was concerned a longer trip might be a bit taxing on him.  In retrospect, we might have been able to pull off a longer tour, BUT the cost goes up and making sure everyone had that much time off was also a challenge.  The fact that my parents and a couple of my siblings lives in Anchorage for three years when I was a child made losing the land portion a bit more tolerable (note: we did see Denali in the late 70s, but I am likely the only child old enough to remember it).

 

2.  The sailing route - I REALLY liked the fact that sailing out of Vancouver meant we would be doing more true "inside" inside passage than sailing from Seattle.  From Vancouver, you go between Vancouver Island and the mainland.  When you travel from Seattle, you go AROUND Vancouver Island (i.e. exposed to open Ocean).  Beyond being more scenic, my own penchant for motion-sickness also made the "sheltered" route more desirable.  I also like Vancouver (although Seattle is fun too).  I recommend spending a day in Victoria before or after the cruise.

 

3.  The Itinerary and Glaciers A-Go-Go - I knew I wanted to see glaciers (we live in Texas so,m um, yeah...no glaciers) and this itinerary offered MULTIPLE opportunities.  Some ships, as an example, do Glacier Bay OR Tracy Arm/Endicott.  This particular ship had an "excursion" where while "traveling to Juneau" they basically stop, and let you unload onto a smaller boat (about 150 people) that takes you into Tracy Arm Fjord to see Sawyer Glacier.  The cruise ship heads to Juneau and the smaller boat meets up with it in Juneau after the excursion.  You also have an opportunity to see Mendenhall glacier once in Juneau (by car or helicopter...we did the latter)...so that's TWO glacier opportunities on the first day.  The next day is Skagway and offers a second glacier opportunity (by helicopter) or by boat excursion.  Although we did not take a helicopter out to see a glacier in Skagway, we liked having the option since weather could have easily canceled our helicopter opportunity the day before in Juneau (and, in fact, it was drizzling that day in Juneau).  Finally, the cruise ship itself ALSO cruises into Glacier Bay.  All of these glacier experiences are pretty different from each other and having this many opportunities was great.

 

3.  The Boat - Our desire for certain ports and round trip pushed us to either Princess or HAL.  More specifically, it came down to the Ruby Princess out of Seattle or the Nieuw Amsterdam out of Vancouver.  Both had pros and cons.  Seattle is MUCH cheaper to fly into than Vancouver, but my desire to have BOTH Tracy Arm AND Glacier Bay really pushed me to choose the Nieuw Amsterdam.  Beyond that however, we gravitated to the Nieuw Amsterdam as a smaller ship (2k passengers vs 3k) with purportedly better food and larger cabins.  It also helped that the NA had just come out of a dry dock refurbishment 6 months earlier.

 

Enjoy, regardless!

Alaskan Cruise - v7 - de-identified.docx

[stefcourt1]

This post helped us so much. Thanks for taking the time

 

 

[Sashamcg]

Cabland THANK YOU for the file!  I have saved it off and started reading.  What a wealth of info!  I appreciate you sharing this!  I definitely have my work cut out for me in all the planning.

[fer]

Cabland, I LOVED your file! I am an obsessive planner and your “family cruise brochure” is right up my alley. I got a kick out of your glacier pros... “you’re on a friggin glacier” 

[cabland]

Glad to hear the "brochure" helped!  Most of it was rooted here in info found on Cruise Critic of course.  One of the challenging items was coordinating all of the Excursions - especially across members of the group with different abilities, budgets, etc.  I fully admit that I "pushed" my own agenda a bit (heck, I was planning it all!), but much of that was based on reading so many reviews here on CC.  On the surface, lots of excursion sound similar, but I started to get the impression that some things were just going to be better than others.  If I had to pick one somewhat surprising disappointment, it was the train ride in Skagway.  We just did the short up to the Summit and back half day journey, but compared to Tracy Arm, and the helicopter ride to the glacier it just didn't cut the mustard.  Another couple in our church community group had done Alaska the month before (longer, one way, land tour, etc.) and said the same of the train ride.  I do wonder how the longer ride (perhaps to the lake and combined with some kayaking) would have been.

 

Happy to answer any specific questions (although I won't be much help on the one way cruises or Denali tours...note: we called it Mt. Mckinley back when I saw it as a child...:))

[Jimbo]

Alaska is expensive, what is your total budget? Just remember most excursions will be anywhere from 3 to 4 times more expensive in Alaska then the ones you took in the Caribbean.

 

Balcony Cabin early May........figure about $3000 for 2

Airfare RT $600 or higher for  each

 

So before you step foot on the ship your approaching $4500.00

Edited February 27, 2019 by Jimbo

[Sashamcg]

Thanks for that Jimbo.  I know this will be an expensive trip.  We went to Paris last year and I expect this trip to cost more than we spent there.  I figured the excursions would cost more but it may be a once in a lifetime thing so we will go for it!  We probably won't drink on the ship so we will save there.  It's nice to have but not necessary.  And we will have our food included so we'll save there too.  If we spent up to $10k that would be OK.

[Sashamcg]

Cabland, did you have to dress up for dinners on HA?  I really don't want to have to bring formal clothing on the trip if we don't have to.  We are pretty casual and my job is casual so the thought of having to buy dressier clothing just for the cruise doesn't appeal to me.  Like you I am leaning towards a smaller ship with less people.

 

Also why did you decide on round trip instead of one way?

[Crew News]

Not Cabland but Alaska is very informal.  Dress code for Gala Nights is collared shirts and slacks for men. Polo shirts are fine but distressed jeans are not.  On board, there will be lots of flannel shirts and jeans. 

 

I am a firm believer in the HAL laundry service so I pack only for three days and have laundry done every day.  In more than 200 loads, I have yet to have any damage or it not be returned within 24 hours (usually same day service).  7-day Alaska cost is $49/day if bought as a package or $20 for a single bag.  Keep in mind that you do not need to dress to impress 1800 fellow passengers who you will never see again.  Packing light will save luggage fees and you will have clean clothes when you arrive back home.

 

Internet charges will be $69, $99, $139 for social media only, surfing, or streaming respectfully if you buy the weekly package.

 

One way trips on HAL will dock in Seward around 5:00 AM and the bus to the airport leaves at 10:30 AM with arrival in Anchorage airport around 2:30 PM.  This means flights will be leaving later afternoon/early evening meaning very few choices and a very, very long day..  Round trip saves that airfare and delay but you sacrifice a few hours in each port.

 

Here is a link to my photo review of the Nieuw Amsterdam:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/photo-reviews/ms-nieuw-amsterdam-on-board-images

 

Enjoy your cruise planning.

Edited February 27, 2019 by Crew News

[dfilpus]

43 minutes ago, Crew News said:

 

I am a firm believer in the HAL laundry service so I pack only for three days and have laundry done every day.  In more than 200 loads, I have yet to have any damage or it not be returned within 24 hours (usually same day service).  7-day Alaska cost is $49/day if bought as a package or $20 for a single bag. 

To clarify, for a 7-day cruise,  the unlimited laundry package is $49 for the cruise. The wording implies that it is $49 per day.

[Sashamcg]

Thank you Crew News for your site as well with all the great photos!  I will be studying those as well.  And the advice on the laundry is good.  Will probably do that.  You mentioned what the men wear on the gala nights but what about the women? 

 

I've been looking at some of the HAL itineraries for 2020 primarily the ones that are RT from Vancouver or the one ways that are Seward to Vancouver.  It looks like they both pretty much go to the same places except the one way also includes Seward.  Are you saying though the one way trips spend more time at each place?  It that worth it to possibly spend more money to fly to two different places?  

 

The two RT ones that so far coordinate with our dates are on the Volendam or the Koningsdam.  But the Volendam has the Tracy Arm Inlet where the other does not for some reason.  Have you been on either ship?  Thoughts?

 

Just so much to consider.  Trying to take a piece at a time.  I appreciate all the help!

[Crew News]

5 hours ago, Sashamcg said:

Thank you Crew News for your site as well with all the great photos!  I will be studying those as well.  And the advice on the laundry is good.  Will probably do that.  You mentioned what the men wear on the gala nights but what about the women? 

 

I've been looking at some of the HAL itineraries for 2020 primarily the ones that are RT from Vancouver or the one ways that are Seward to Vancouver.  It looks like they both pretty much go to the same places except the one way also includes Seward.  Are you saying though the one way trips spend more time at each place?  It that worth it to possibly spend more money to fly to two different places?  

 

The two RT ones that so far coordinate with our dates are on the Volendam or the Koningsdam.  But the Volendam has the Tracy Arm Inlet where the other does not for some reason.  Have you been on either ship?  Thoughts?

 

Just so much to consider.  Trying to take a piece at a time.  I appreciate all the help!

 

On my last Alaska cruise last year women wore slacks/dresses and ofter a sparkly shawl (available for $10 in the ship Store).  I counted three long gowns but they were worn by ladies accompanying the 7 tuxedoes spotted.  Gala Nights for ladies could be classified as business casual.

 

Trips that end in Seward require a 4-hour bus ride to Anchorage and the bus does not leave Seward until 10:30 AM which means only flights out after 4:00 PM.  This means arriving home around midnight or the next day.  Many leaving the ship in Seward are continuiang on to Denali for three days.  Flights from Anchorage will add at least $300 p/p to your trip expenses to get home.  If you just fly to Seattle and spend the night at a hotel ($150) and continue the next morning on Southwest Airlines you can add meals to your budget.  Have not checked the departure times for the bus from Anchorage airport to Seward for the 4-hour trip.

 

I just got off the Konigsdam in December and liked the ship.  Here is a link to my photo review:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/photo-reviews/ms-konigsdam-on-board

 

Hope this helps.  More later or the Volendam as I have only been on her sister ship.

[cabland]

On 2/27/2019 at 8:15 AM, Sashamcg said:

Cabland, did you have to dress up for dinners on HA?  I really don't want to have to bring formal clothing on the trip if we don't have to.  We are pretty casual and my job is casual so the thought of having to buy dressier clothing just for the cruise doesn't appeal to me.  Like you I am leaning towards a smaller ship with less people.

 

Also why did you decide on round trip instead of one way?

 

I think you got some pretty good answers on the dress.  Business casual is a good way to describe it.  Heck we came back from our helicopter excursion in jeans and grabbed dinner in the main dining room (somewhat late) w/o objection or feeling out of place.  Actually, now that I think of it, we were in nice jeans on all but the 2 gala nights (and did business casual on the gala nights).  Never felt out of place.

 

While on the subject of dining on HAL, a few items:

 

1. Food Quality - The food was generally pretty good in the main dining room (MDR).  The Lido deck was "fine", but I often found myself doing the "Dive-In" burger place at lunch as their burgers are pretty good.

 

2. Don't be afraid to get something else - So we have all heard how you can get fat on a cruise, etc., but I found the real benefit here wasn't "quantity" but "selection".  We would sometimes find we had picked something (in the MDR particularly) that we didn't care for (sometimes we just didn't care for it, and others it just wasn't that great).  In those cases, don't suffer through it - just ask for something else.  Indeed, the waiters are more appreciative of you doing this as soon as you order so they don't have to make a second run through the line at the kitchen.

 

As to the round trip, I think I touched on that a bit in one of my earlier posts, but in general I think one of the big benefits of the "one way" trips is they offer the opportunity to add a "land portion" (i.e. see Denali).  That meant a longer trip over all and since we were traveling with my parents, siblings and their spouses (9 in total) we weren't sure a.) everyone could get that much time off, b.) my 90 year old Dad could go that long, and c.) everyone could afford it.  It did help somewhat that we (my parents, me and 2 of my 3 siblings) lived in Anchorage for 3 years in the late 70s and we had taken a trip to Denali back then (of course I was likely the only child really old enough to remember it).  In short, if the trip to Denali is important to you, then that will be a key decider for you.

 

I mentioned that my brochure was the "end result" of a bunch of decisions.  I just dug up one of the very first e-mails I wrote to my family on all this. It is excerpted below and includes a few of the early decisions (note: we had a couple of school teachers in the group and were limited to late June or July):

 

E-mail to my family (note: I am "Chris"):

Read the stuff below and let me know the following:

 

1. Your availability - What dates are you available between June 20^th and July 30^th (we already know those are the only dates that work for xxx)?
2. Your route preference - Which of the cruise route recommendations below (see item 6) you would prefer (or if you disagree with my assessment your options)?

 

Once we pick a date and route, I can quickly zero in on a specific cruise and we can book.  FLIGHTS will and are filling up fast!

 

The details:

 

3. Cruise Months – Alaskan cruises basically run from May through September.  May and September are the “edge” season where prices are lower, but temperatures are also often lower (as in there can be snow “lower”).  June is a bit dryer than July or August.
   1. Chris’ Recommendation – July or August.
4. Cruise Lines – There are any number of cruise lines serving Alaska.  Princess and Holland America appear to have been there longer and have the biggest presence in the market.  Both offer the “big” and “really big” ships.  Holland America’s ships can be a bit smaller and cater to a bit older crowd.  One advantage Princess and Holland offer involves “docking”.  These two lines may get preferential treatment when it comes to actually getting a dock vs. having to take shuttle boats from the ship to the dock.  Other lines include the usual suspects: Celebrity, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, etc. There are more “luxury” oriented cruise lines too like SilverSea and Oceania, but those are very pricey.
   1. Chris’ Recommendation – Still working on this, but likely Princess.  I am researching which actual SHIPS and ITINERARIES are likely best.
5. Cruise Duration – There are 7, 10, and 14 day cruises.
   1. Chris’ Recommendation – 7 days.  The longer cruises are mostly from further South or go to additional places that aren’t worth it)
6. Cruise Routes – (See maps below so you have a visual of what I am talking about here).  One thing that may surprise you is that “Alaskan” cruises generally only touch on the lower coastal area that is right next to British Columbia (and up to Anchorage).  In some ways, it looks like a “Canadian” cruise in that regard.  Anyway, there are basically two paths and you have to answer the “Denali” question:
   1. Inside Passage – The inside passage is a “round trip” cruise that typically starts and ends in either Seattle, WA or Vancouver, BC.  Since it is a round trip, you don’t cover as much ground as a the “Gulf” cruise.  It is, however, a super scenic route and is much less likely to encounter rough seas as most of the trip is in between little islands and the shore…the islands effectively block the sea.  There are two derivatives of this cruise as follows (both involve glaciers):
      1. Glacier Bay – Glacier Bay is, as the name sounds, a bay and park.  There are multiple glaciers although not all are “close”.  It is big, so cruise ships can “get in there”. 
      2. Tracy Arm Fjord – This is, as the name indicates, a Fjord (i.e. a narrow passage).  It is supposedly very cool, but can be blocked with ice and in some cases the cruise ships (especially the BIGGER ships) cannot make it and you “miss” the glacier…folks report that is a bummer.
   2. Gulf of Alaska – This is a “one way” cruise that can either start North at Seward/Anchorage and go South to Seattle or Vancouver or start in the South at Seattle or Vancouver and head North to Anchorage Seward.  You will obviously fly to/from different cities.  You typically get to see Hubbard glacier (which is huge) on this route too.  You may encounter rougher seas in the gulf since you will be in open water for a longer period of time.  Having said all that, the Gulf of Alaska also opens the door to “Denali”...
      1. The Denali Question – If you take the Gulf of Alaska cruise then the question is “Do you go to Denali National park before or after the cruise…or at all?”.  Denali is either a 5 hour drive or an 8 hour train ride from Anchorage.  It is HUGE (as in 6 million acres).  Dallas is not like Texas.  It is full-on wilderness everywhere (and 2.5 times the size of Texas…when you overlay the U.S. with Alaska it covers almost athird of the U.S. as a pint of comparison).
   3. Chris’ Recommendation
      1. Preface - This is a tough one and will likely come down to “time”.  If you add Denali, which would be seriously cool, then the Gulf of Alaska cruise is really the only option, BUT it adds at least 2 days to the time AND you have to remember that a 7-day cruise and 2 day Denali adventure really has some flight/lodging time on either or both ends and may look more like 10 days (maybe 11).  I’m not sure everyone can afford that kind of time.  Oh, and that is with your flying into or out of Fairbanks (unless you drive back to Anchorage).  I would have a hard time doing the Gulf cruise and NOT doing Denali.
      2. Recommendation – Two options: Gulf of Alaska cruise PLUS Denali if folks can afford the time (seems unlikely) OR keep it simpler and do the Inside passage cruise with Glacier Bay (note: I see a couple options with both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm Fjord).

 

 

[cabland]

On 2/28/2019 at 7:28 AM, Sashamcg said:

Thank you Crew News for your site as well with all the great photos!  I will be studying those as well.  And the advice on the laundry is good.  Will probably do that.  You mentioned what the men wear on the gala nights but what about the women? 

 

I've been looking at some of the HAL itineraries for 2020 primarily the ones that are RT from Vancouver or the one ways that are Seward to Vancouver.  It looks like they both pretty much go to the same places except the one way also includes Seward.  Are you saying though the one way trips spend more time at each place?  It that worth it to possibly spend more money to fly to two different places?  

 

The two RT ones that so far coordinate with our dates are on the Volendam or the Koningsdam.  But the Volendam has the Tracy Arm Inlet where the other does not for some reason.  Have you been on either ship?  Thoughts?

 

Just so much to consider.  Trying to take a piece at a time.  I appreciate all the help!

 

While I am a fan of Tracy Arm (when paired with Glacier Bay), I also like the idea of a nice boat.  The Volendam and Koningsdam are sort of at opposite ends of the Holland America spectrum in terms of size and age.  More specifically:

 

Koningsdam - Launched in 2016, 13 decks, 2650 passengers

Volendam - Launched in 1999 (note: last refurb in 2017), 10 decks, 1432 passengers

 

I'd have to see the specific routes to really nail down the preference here.