Alaska Cruise on Koningsdam

[goldie099]

Hi everyone! I am looking at a cruise on the Koningsdam July 23 2022. We've never taken a HAL cruise before, but have sailed Princess, Royal, and NCL. We are wondering what the overall feeling is like on board. Is it more of an active passenger group, as the cruise itself has ports that lend themselves to activities? We aren't into the nightclub scene or anything like that. Our travelling party is mom (60F), daughter (32F) and friend (32F). Any thoughts would be much appreciated~

[XLVIII]

We’re on Koningsdam now, our first HAL cruise (Pacific coast to Vancouver). Would describe the clientele as very similar to Princess. Both my wife and I have commented on how this seems like a perfect ship for Alaska - the Lido pool is covered, large and well laid out. The Crows Nest is a great area to go Glacier watch. Love that there’s both a bar and coffee shop there. The full promenade also works very well for those Alaska trips. 

[DrKoob]

Choose Konigsdam. First you sail from Vancouver which is way BETTER than sailing from Seattle. Second, HAL has been in Alaska longer than any other cruise line so they know how to do it right and third, because only a certain number of ships can go to certain glaciers (National Park regulation) and HAL has been doing this for so long, they have Glacier Bay. Nothing like it. 

 

You will love the ship. Excellent food, good people, great music everywhere from classical to pop, from rock to blues. And super port/Alaska talks. 

 

For Alaska, this is your best choice. We have been eight times on a variety of ships but if we go back, we take Konigsdam.

[goldie099]

Thank you all for your replies! Two of us have been to Alaska on Princess, and that itinerary was the exact same as this one (except it was RT Seattle), so we are well aware of Glacier Bay and its amazing qualities and are excited to head back sailing even more of the inside passage! Does anyone know how "formal" Gala Night is in Alaska? On Princess, the formal nights in Alaska were not as formal as they are on, say, a Caribbean cruise, and we are wondering if the same is true on HAL. Koningsdam looks like a lovely ship and we got an exceptional rate on a veranda cabin.

[fsdj1097]

5 minutes ago, goldie099 said:

Thank you all for your replies! Two of us have been to Alaska on Princess, and that itinerary was the exact same as this one (except it was RT Seattle), so we are well aware of Glacier Bay and its amazing qualities and are excited to head back sailing even more of the inside passage! Does anyone know how "formal" Gala Night is in Alaska? On Princess, the formal nights in Alaska were not as formal as they are on, say, a Caribbean cruise, and we are wondering if the same is true on HAL. Koningsdam looks like a lovely ship and we got an exceptional rate on a veranda cabin.

We're currently booked for Koningsdam R/T Vancouver for June 11th.  This will be our 11th trip to Alaska, all on HAL ships.  You will see the full gamut of clothing on a Gala night in the MDR.  From tuxes to just a collared shirt and slacks for men, and from formals to just dressy tops and slacks for women.  And, if you don't want to pack dressy clothes, you can always dine in the Lido and just wear jeans.  As previously noted, HAL does Alaska best!

[Roaming Rover]

Hi, we are on this cruise to Alaska on the 4th June, wondering what trips are best for when we dock in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchican .  Will there be plenty of spaces on the trips as we want to use our on board credit to pay for them ? 

[gelo7]

Following

[goldie099]

3 hours ago, Roaming Rover said:

Hi, we are on this cruise to Alaska on the 4th June, wondering what trips are best for when we dock in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchican .  Will there be plenty of spaces on the trips as we want to use our on board credit to pay for them ? 

I've previously been to Alaska (on a Princess cruise) to these ports, and here's what I did:

Juneau: Bike and Brew Glacier View. Not a super strenuous bike ride, followed by scenic views of Mendenhall (my mom and grandparents did a whale watch tour + Mendenhall glacier tour they said was excellent)

Skagway: We rented a car independently and drove the White Pass road - we made it all the way to Whitehorse, Yukon (the capital) - as Canadians, we thought that was pretty cool as not many of us ever visit the Territories.

Ketchikan: Snorkelling. It was incredible, such a unique experience. My parents and grandparents did some sort of scenic cruise of lighthouses, eagles, and totems, and said it wasn't so wonderful.

[Heartgrove]

Not certain if other cruise lines that visit Glacier Bay allow passengers out on the bow but it certainly was very nice while on the Nieuw Amsterdam in 2016.

[Alberta Quilter]

9 hours ago, Roaming Rover said:

Hi, we are on this cruise to Alaska on the 4th June, wondering what trips are best for when we dock in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchican .  Will there be plenty of spaces on the trips as we want to use our on board credit to pay for them ? 

If there is an excursion that you are really interested in book it now and pay for it now so you won’t be disappointed if it sells out.  But you could wait until three days prior to boarding, call in to the shorex office and book your excursions then (assuming there is still availability). The charges will appear on your onboard account and will be deducted from your OBC.

 

I recommend the Bering Sea Crab tour in Ketchikan, the White Pass railway in Skagway and whale watching in Juneau.

Edited April 7, 2022 by Alberta Quilter