First Time Alaska- Which ship for our scenario?

[Dancing Shoes]

NCL docks at Ward Cove in Ketchikan.  Takes about 20 plus minutes to town. I would skip NCL for this.

[dlca1]

Quick Update: I booked on Majestic yesterday!  

 

I really appreciate all the seasoned experts sharing their advice about going with smaller ships for Alaska.  I'm convinced this is the best way to see Alaska if nature/scenery is top priority. Your comments led me to seriously reconsider the Sapphire. Carefully read a bunch of recent reviews/reports/videos. For my taste, Sapphire looked too dated. I also looked very briefly into HAL.  The ships/food look great.   There also seems to be a consistent theme that folks with direct experience on both Princess and HAL typically prefer HAL.

 

Ultimately, I decided that for my scenario,  it is more important for me to stay in a newer/modern ship and accept the drawbacks.   When we go on vacations, I know I'm much happier/more relaxed when I stay in newer/clean/modern/well-maintained resort.  I also picked Princess over Hal because it seems like the better fit for a casual multi-generational trip with tweens. Will definitely consider HAL for a future adults only cruise.

 

I was actually leaning towards the Discovery (nice and new), but had to rule it out because there were no connecting obstructed balcony rooms left. I was able to get a block of 6 continuous obstructed balcony rooms (E229-E307) on the Majestic.  This block includes two sets of connecting rooms. Rooms are all Starboard side (for Northbound itinerary). I think/hope they avoid the entertainment areas above/below.   We like to peek out on the balcony but typically don't spend much time on the balcony (hotels or cruises). I'm sure that will increase a bit for Alaska.  The grandparents typically got themselves inside rooms. Having any balcony should be a nice perk.  With the interconnected balconies, I'm hoping we can walk around and navigate any balcony obstructions.

The Princess $1 deposit is a pretty compelling way to get customers to pull the trigger.   With all the input on this thread, I feel pretty good about the choice. However, the tiny deposit allows us freedom to change our mind.

 

The Majestic had some nice bonus features too. The grandparents might enjoy the bi-lingual signage. I think the group will also enjoy having the option of the Asian Noodle Bar as well as Congee Bar. This may be the grandparents  last trip to Alaska. Think they will have plenty to enjoy (sites, grandkids, sites).   I suspect this will be my family's first of many trips to Alaska.  

Thanks to all the commenters on this post. Was incredibly helpful to get everybody's expert insights. 

@Wishing on a star  -- thank you for going above and beyond and sharing all that balcony information. None of the larger balconies were available.  Like you said, those go fast.  I was grateful just to be able to find 6 contiguous obstructed balconies. 

 

Edited October 6, 2022 by dlca1

[JeffT237]

28 minutes ago, dlca1 said:

Quick Update: I booked on Majestic yesterday!  

Have a wonderful cruise, I know organizing a multigenerational cruise can be stressful, you want everything to be perfect.  I'm doing the same right now for a Hawaii trip for my Dad's 80th birthday.  In the end the memories with the family and the experience will be what everyone remembers and enjoys over what ship and what route.  They all have their pros and cons anyways.  I must say this has been a great thread, lots of good input. Enjoy your cruise!

Edited October 6, 2022 by JeffT237

[Wishing on a star]

Great!  You found all six cabins together.  A great ship.  And a great Northbound itinerary.

ENJOY!

The time at Juneau, from 8:00am to 9:00pm is remarkable!!!  Plenty of time for any excursions and site seeing you want to do.  This time might even allow you to do the Adventure Bound boat tour into Tracy Arm Fjord, if any in your group are interested.  (I would def.love that)

 

PS:  Everyone take binoculars!!!  Even if the ship isn't super close, when you put those up to your face is like being immersed in an incredible National Geographic type presentation.

 

If those six adjoining cabins are more important than upgrades to better cabins, and if it is still possible to request that they are marked NO UPGRADE, then make sure they are marked, and keep checking your cabins. especially as it gets closer to final payment and departure.  They are implementing the new Bidding For Upgrade system, but I think we are hearing about random gratuitous upgrades from the lower cabin categories.

 

Edited October 6, 2022 by Wishing on a star

[harryfat1]

On 10/3/2022 at 8:00 PM, dlca1 said:

Hello CruiseCritic Experts

 

Am hoping to get some ship/trip advice based on our priorities below.

We are planning a multi-generational trip to Alaska for late July 2023.  This would be our first trip to Alaska.  My dad  (late 70's) doesn't travel much and has always wanted to visit Alaska.  We aren't big cruisers. Did Disney /Caribbean and everybody enjoyed that.

 

5 Cabins total. We will probably be paying for everybody as a thank you to our parents and siblings.

 

Cabin 1 (4 people): Two adults, 10, 11 year old

Cabin 2 (2 People): Grandparents 70ish and 80ish

Cabin 3 (1 person) Grandparent 70ish

Cabin 4 (1 person) Sister late 40's

Cabin 5 (2 people). Brother late 40's + 9 year old

 

 

I've done a ton of reading on Cruise Critic and enjoy the various trip reports.   Am hoping for some advice based on what is important to us.

 

What we care about:

- Want everybody to have a wonderful/stress-free/relaxing memorable trip. 

- I strongly prefer newer/modern amenities and decor. 

- Good food.

- Casual/comfortable (don't want to have to dress up) (I ended up ruling out Holland because of this)

- Frugal/Want good value for $$ spent (I love costco).

- Great Kids club space

- We spend considerable time in the cabin (my wife and I don't have FOMO)

- Enjoy enriching talks, etc

- Well organized + well-managed operation

- Friendly/welcoming service. 

 

Not Important

- Bars

- Alcohol selection

- Party scene

- Pool for alaska cruise

- Things like go-karts, VR Experiences that require extra $$.

- Shops

- the shows are nice bonus, but not critical. 

 

There are some candidate ships that visit Glacier bay during our time frame (mid to late July 2023, 7 day)

 

- Majestic Princess (sounds like ship is in good condition)?

- Norwegian Encore (ship is only a few years old, might be too big for Alaska?)

- Norwegian Jewel (don't know much about this one)

- Royal Princess 

- Sapphire Princess (reviews seem to indicate ship is showing its age)

- Grand Princess (reviews seem to indicate ship is showing its age)

- Adding Discovery Princess on here too. (Big pro: new.  Cons: Doesn't visit Glacier Bay. Goes to Dawes Glacier)

 

1) What ship would cruise-critic experts recommend for our scenario? Is Glacier Bay a must see for those not likely to visit again?

 

- Majestic -- seems like a relatively modern ship that visits Glacier Bay. Enjoyed @harryfat1's detailed review

- Discovery - brand new ship. Doesn't visit Glacier Bay

- Norwegian Encore-- newer ship that visits Glacier Bay. Came highly recommended by my friend

- Any other great ships to consider?

 

2) Since we will have one cabin with 2 adults/2 kids and two solo cabins (with single supplements),  is it permissible to book kids with the solo travelers but sleep all 4 in our cabin?

 

Thanks in advance for any tips.

dlca1

 

First of all, welcome to Cruise Critics as I see you have recently joined.

 

Secondly, thanks for the shout out to my trip report in your post.  Appreciate you reading it.

 

Just an FYI, the reason why you couldn’t find any connecting cabins on Discovery Princess is not because they are sold out 9 months in advance – it’s because they don’t have any connecting cabins on deck 8.

 

Go to the Princess web site and search for deck 8 of Discovery Princess versus Majestic Princess (Check the box for connecting cabins to see the display).

 

https://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=XP

 

You may want to do some research on the ability to open all the balcony dividers for the cabins you selected as I thought I read somewhere the way Princess numbers their cabins, if there’s a break from the 200 series to 300 series, that break area is the fire door and they can’t open the partition between the cabins.

 

If that’s the case, you can only open between 239/241 as one set and then 301/303/305/307 is another set.  I could be wrong in my understanding but you should check.

 

Note the fire door between the 200 and 300 series cabins in the corridor.  That could prevent the ship from opening everything.  But if you can, then you will have double of what we had at 3 cabins opened.

 

 

 

Not sure if you are aware, but Princess also has a promotion on airfare credit of $300/pp for 2023, similar to the one we had for 2022 if you book your airfare through Princess’ EZ Air - which has its share of detractors but $300/pp discount is nothing to sneeze at.  Our airfare to Anchorage/from Vancouver ended up at $104/pp after credits.

 

[dlca1]

HI @harryfat1!

 

Thanks for sharing those points. Totally relevant. I'll investigate.

 

In hindsight, were you and the family happy with Majestic? If you had a chance to redo your Alaska cruise selection would you have picked the same cruise? 

 

In practice, how did opening up the balconies work out? I guess it is still a pretty narrow space. 

 

 

 

[dlca1]

Thanks again @harryfat1 for pointing out possible hiccups with my plan and the Air promotion for 2023. Would much rather know now.  I did some research.

 

 

13 hours ago, harryfat1 said:

You may want to do some research on the ability to open all the balcony dividers for the cabins you selected as I thought I read somewhere the way Princess numbers their cabins, if there’s a break from the 200 series to 300 series, that break area is the fire door and they can’t open the partition between the cabins.

If that’s the case, you can only open between 239/241 as one set and then 301/303/305/307 is another set.  I could be wrong in my understanding but you should check. Note the fire door between the 200 and 300 series cabins in the corridor.  That could prevent the ship from opening everything.  But if you can, then you will have double of what we had at 3 cabins opened.

 

 

I asked my TA to confirm with Princess. Princess said that in my case, there isn't a problem removing balcony dividers between E231 and E301. I'm going to call Princess myself to make sure I get the same message. Just speculating. Perhaps the break between E227  and E229 serves as a balcony fire break in this situation?

 

 

13 hours ago, harryfat1 said:

Not sure if you are aware, but Princess also has a promotion on airfare credit of $300/pp for 2023, similar to the one we had for 2022 if you book your airfare through Princess’ EZ Air - which has its share of detractors but $300/pp discount is nothing to sneeze at.  Our airfare to Anchorage/from Vancouver ended up at $104/pp after credits.

 

 

 

Awesome. I actually was NOT aware of this promotion for 2023! It seems less well advertised. I see the love-boat promotion everywhere.  Even with the info in your post, it was hard to google/find the promotion!

 

My TA said I could switch over to that promotion but it would require me to put down a non-refundable $500 deposit instead of $1.  If plans firm up, I may try to switch over.  This would be a nice savings for 10 flights.

The information that Discovery doesn't have connecting cabins on Deck 8 (where most of the obstructed balconies are) was helpful.  I kept eyeing the shiny new boat (Discovery) and hoping I could find a nice block of obstructed balcony rooms with connecting rooms.

 

@harryfat1-- If you do see this post, would love to hear your thoughts. In hindsight, If you had a chance to redo, would you have picked the same ship/cabins?

Edited October 7, 2022 by dlca1

[dlca1]

1 hour ago, dlca1 said:

Awesome. I actually was NOT aware of this promotion for 2023! It seems less well advertised. I see the love-boat promotion everywhere.  Even with the info in your post, it was hard to google/find the promotion!

 

My TA said I could switch over to that promotion but it would require me to put down a non-refundable $500 deposit instead of $1.  If plans firm up, I may try to switch over.  This would be a nice savings for 10 flights.

 

I called Princess directly to confirm if what my TA told me is true:

"I can switch to the EZAir promotion if I increase my deposit to $500." The Princess rep I spoke with checked and said she couldn't find any active EZAir promotions for my sailing.  She did say it is possible that travel agencies have access to different set of promotions.  Would any of the Princess experts know more about the 2023 EZAir promotion?

 

 

 

 

 

[dlca1]

I was able to find a version online and read the fine print. Looks like the EZAir 2023 promotion might be limited to a few May Alaska 2023 Sailings.

 

https://milled.com/princess-cruises/now-is-the-time-to-book-alaska-for-2023-lVJBJbFYJlbcH7dR

 

 

^*Fares are per guest and apply to minimum lead-in categories on a space-available basis at time of booking on 5/6/23 7-day Inside Passage (Roundtrip Seattle) cruise on Royal Princess^®, 5/13/23 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise on Grand Princess^®, 5/7/23 10-day Inside Passage (Roundtrip San Francisco) cruise on Ruby Princess^®, 5/12/23 11-day Inside Passage (Roundtrip Vancouver) cruise on Crown Princess^®, 5/6/23 12-night Denali Explorer (JA5) cruisetour on Grand Princess^®, and 5/20/23 14-night Off The Beaten Path (NA7) cruisetour on Grand Princess^®, are based on double occupancy and apply to the first two guests in a stateroom. Taxes, fees, and port expenses are an additional $250-$325. Fares and other values quoted in U.S. dollars except where noted. A refundable deposit is required for all stateroom guests and amount varies according to the cruise length, stateroom type and number of stateroom guests.

 

 

 

 

[harryfat1]

9 hours ago, dlca1 said:

Thanks again @harryfat1 for pointing out possible hiccups with my plan and the Air promotion for 2023. Would much rather know now.  I did some research.

 

 

 

 

I asked my TA to confirm with Princess. Princess said that in my case, there isn't a problem removing balcony dividers between E231 and E301. I'm going to call Princess myself to make sure I get the same message. Just speculating. Perhaps the break between E227  and E229 serves as a balcony fire break in this situation?

 

 

 

Awesome. I actually was NOT aware of this promotion for 2023! It seems less well advertised. I see the love-boat promotion everywhere.  Even with the info in your post, it was hard to google/find the promotion!

 

My TA said I could switch over to that promotion but it would require me to put down a non-refundable $500 deposit instead of $1.  If plans firm up, I may try to switch over.  This would be a nice savings for 10 flights.

The information that Discovery doesn't have connecting cabins on Deck 8 (where most of the obstructed balconies are) was helpful.  I kept eyeing the shiny new boat (Discovery) and hoping I could find a nice block of obstructed balcony rooms with connecting rooms.

 

@harryfat1-- If you do see this post, would love to hear your thoughts. In hindsight, If you had a chance to redo, would you have picked the same ship/cabins?

 

8 hours ago, dlca1 said:

 

I called Princess directly to confirm if what my TA told me is true:

"I can switch to the EZAir promotion if I increase my deposit to $500." The Princess rep I spoke with checked and said she couldn't find any active EZAir promotions for my sailing.  She did say it is possible that travel agencies have access to different set of promotions.  Would any of the Princess experts know more about the 2023 EZAir promotion?

 

 

 

 

 

 

6 hours ago, dlca1 said:

I was able to find a version online and read the fine print. Looks like the EZAir 2023 promotion might be limited to a few May Alaska 2023 Sailings.

 

https://milled.com/princess-cruises/now-is-the-time-to-book-alaska-for-2023-lVJBJbFYJlbcH7dR

 

 

^*Fares are per guest and apply to minimum lead-in categories on a space-available basis at time of booking on 5/6/23 7-day Inside Passage (Roundtrip Seattle) cruise on Royal Princess^®, 5/13/23 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise on Grand Princess^®, 5/7/23 10-day Inside Passage (Roundtrip San Francisco) cruise on Ruby Princess^®, 5/12/23 11-day Inside Passage (Roundtrip Vancouver) cruise on Crown Princess^®, 5/6/23 12-night Denali Explorer (JA5) cruisetour on Grand Princess^®, and 5/20/23 14-night Off The Beaten Path (NA7) cruisetour on Grand Princess^®, are based on double occupancy and apply to the first two guests in a stateroom. Taxes, fees, and port expenses are an additional $250-$325. Fares and other values quoted in U.S. dollars except where noted. A refundable deposit is required for all stateroom guests and amount varies according to the cruise length, stateroom type and number of stateroom guests.

 

 

 

 

This post from CC is many years ago but someone referenced the fire door in relationship to Princess.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2005483-can-you-open-balcony-dividers/

 

Just Google for Princess Cruise balcony partition to see various posts on it.  I am no expert on this subject as I only needed 3 cabins and we were in the 500s so I didn’t dig into the topic you may want to since you have 6.

 

The airfare promotion info I got is from Princess spam email.  They spam me every chance they get as I am on their distribution list.  If you are using a Travel Agent, he/she should be able to forward the Princess ad to you.

 

You are quoting the “fares” deal.  Not the $300/pp airfare credit deal.

 

Below is the entire deal info for the airfares credit.  If you opt for this promotion, then you can start booking your airfare on Princess’ EZ Air now as it’s more less than 330 days out.  The advantage to booking early is you lock in the airfare/flight time you like and not have to pay for the airfare portion until your final cruise payment – which is probably around April of 2023. 

 

If there’s a sale on your airfare between now and then, you can revise your air booking for no change fees or even cancel prior to final cruise payment with no penalties.  So this gives you the option to at the minimum lock in a price/time you like and then keep checking the prices weekly to see if any changes to prices/flights.

 

Do note there are posts on CC that talks about the downside of booking via EZ Air so do your research. As I pointed out in my cruise report, the airlines (not Princess) canceled the flights I had booked but I never received any email notification until I checked my cruise personalizer so if you decide to go with this promotion, check on your cruise personalizer regularly.

 

+++++++++++++++++

GENERAL TERMS APPLICABLE TO ALL OFFERS IN THIS CAMPAIGN ("Offer"): Offer is available to legal residents of North America. Offer may not combine with other offers or promotions. Other exclusions may apply. Changes or refunds may not be permitted. Offer and its parts (if any) are not transferable, not substitutable, and not redeemable for cash. Princess Cruise Lines, Ltd. ("PCL") is not responsible or liable for any errors or omissions. Offer may be changed or revoked at any time. A refundable deposit is required for all stateroom guests and amount varies according to the cruise length, stateroom type and number of stateroom guests. Please refer to princess.com for terms, conditions and definitions that apply to all bookings.

 

1 Up to $300 airfare credit per guest is applicable to all guests (up to 4) in a stateroom and varies based on itinerary type. Up to $150 one way and a total of up to $300 roundtrip. Alaska Voyage of the Glacier itineraries and Alaska cruisetours will receive $300 airfare credit. Roundtrip Alaska Inside Passage itineraries will receive $200 airfare credit. Credit applies to flights booked through Princess EZair for cruise bookings made between September 14, 2022 and October 16, 2022 on select voyages included in this promotion only. EZair flight options are not available before 330 days in advance of the voyage return date. Air travel must be available in Princess EZair to book for the offer to apply. Additional airline baggage, change and cancellation fees may apply. Please visit princess.com/ezair for information.

 

2 Free Roundtrip Transfers applies to bus transfers between the arrival airport and the cruise port for all guests in the stateroom and is only available on select cruises. This offer is not available to guests who do not fly into an airport. Offer is limited and available first come, first served on a space-available basis. Unused transfers are non-refundable, non-transferable, and cannot be redeemed for cash. Transfers are offered on embarkation/disembarkation days only. Roundtrip free transfers are valued at up to $88 per guest. Offer cannot be combined with other offers not mentioned in this email.

 

3 $100 Shore Excursion credit per guest is applicable to all guests (up to 4) in a stateroom. Guests with single occupancy will receive double the per guest credit amount. Shore Excursion credit may be used on a single voyage only, is not redeemable for cash, cannot be used in the casino, expires at the end of that voyage and is not applicable during the land portion of cruisetours. Shore Excursion credit is based on the ship's onboard currency.

 

Offer expires: October 16, 2022. Any advertised offer may be changed or revoked at any time.

 

Reference promo code: UL3/UP3/UR3. Campaign code: RF2AK014

[harryfat1]

9 hours ago, dlca1 said:

 

 

@harryfat1-- If you do see this post, would love to hear your thoughts. In hindsight, If you had a chance to redo, would you have picked the same ship/cabins?

 

Everyone has difference preferences on what they want for their cruise so what we wanted from our cruise is likely different than what your family wants.

 

We wanted to see two different sets of Glaciers on our cruise with Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier being top of the list.  That pretty much eliminated all the Seattle sailings. We then picked the biggest ship from what’s remaining. 

 

We wanted two Glacier days as in our previous Alaska cruise, it rained on our one and only Glacier visit (Hubbard) and we couldn’t see much due to the rain and the gray skies and mists.  So, we wanted two chances to see the glaciers this time in case of bad weather again.

Princess advertised these sailings as voyage of glaciers and to that extend, they delivered.  We saw both Glaciers as scheduled and got lucky with no rain.

 

 

 

The ship itself is fine as it’s only few years old.  The Hollywood Conservatory is good to view the Glacier for people that wants to view it from indoors.

 

 

You mentioned the Noodles bar and Congee.  I assumed you saw these from my trip report.

 

 

 

What we didn’t like was Princess’ lack of major entertainment and the demographics isn’t right fit for us.  We prefer RCI type of entertainment options with more active events but they don't have double glacier days.

 

But you can’t have everything. You get the itinerary you want and deal with whatever short comings of the cruise line. Those are the tradeoffs. 

 

[donswife]

I have done Alaska cruises with NCL, HAL, and Princess.  I thought Princess had the best destination specific programming and food.

[dave_k58]

On 10/4/2022 at 2:14 PM, Wishing on a star said:

To the original poster here.   I now that you said that spending time on your own balcony is a big thing.  Again, you can look for Premium Balcony cabins, or Premium Deluxe Balcony cabins (on Royal class newer ships)  to have a larger than standard balcony.   I am not readily aware of any 'Premium' cabin that does not have a larger than standard balcony.

(there are exceptions of some cabins with larger balconies that do not come with the Premium category upgrade).  

Fully go over deck plans!

 

I truly hate to continue to derail this valid and wonderful poster's thread here with confusion, disagreement, and argument.   But, there can be misleading stuff about this.  I have seen it said that 'Premium is based on a preferred location".    When they can be forward, aft, different decks, etc.   They have larger balconies...  and I am guessing from some recent info and photos that these that are the category 'premium' balconies are being furnished with a real table instead of the little side-table footstool.

 

Quoting my earlier question.....  Which should actually be another thread.

" I would love it somebody could give me an example of a stateroom that is 'premium' balcony that does NOT have a balcony that is larger than standard."   Without looking at every cabin, I have not seen any.

 

And, to note, this,  quoted below,  is not answering that question.

Quite the opposite.

"Here you go. Some examples of balcony cabins that are not 'premium' that have large balconies. There are other examples....."

 

From what I have seen,  the 'premium balcony',  or also 'Premium Deluxe Balcony ' (which 'deluxe' cabins are on the Royal class newer ships,) will have a larger balcony than standard balconies on that ship.

 

 

 

 

WE love Royal class ships ( but have never been on an Alaska cruise) .  We have had CC Minis, Minis and Deluxe Balcony. All had what I consider to be small balconies, and I don't think there was any difference in the size of the balcony and the class of cabin

[shiner6]

Having done this trip with both Princess and Hal, I would say that I loved them both. However, for your specific situation I would recommend HAL Koningsdam out of Vancouver. We just did this itinerary with our extended family. Everything you are are looking for, is on this ship.  Make sure you do the Deadliest Catch expedition!!!  I would book regular balconies. Do not waste $$$$ on a Vista suite---not worth the extra cash for a tiny amount of extra room.  Our family would gather up in the Crow's nest and play board games, eat snacks , have a cocktail, stretch out and relax all while having a broad view of the beautiful scenery while inside. There was plenty of viewing spots outside as well.  One of our group had 4 to a regular balcony room--no problem.  We chose rooms near elevators and loved this location.  The entertainment in the lounges were good ,the nature talks were spectacular. 

[Wishing on a star]

Dave,  yes standard balconies are SMALL on these ships!

However, Princess now has most larger actual balconies (the outside balcony, all interiors are the same) re-categorized as 'Premium'.  It appears that they might be putting the little actual table on these balconies instead of the side-table/footstool that is standard..

These can be regular balcony cabin size, or, deluxe balcony which of course is slightly larger with the little love-seat.  

 

On the Royal and Regal, I think these are very limited to the AFT facing deluxe balconies.

There are more of these 'Premium' balconies on the newer ships.

 

PS:  This poster has probably decided on a group of Obstructed Balcony cabins that are all next to each other.

[dlca1]

New Update: I haven't booked yet, but have decided to switch to HAL Koningsdam

 

Prior to this thread, I had never even considered HAL. I think my impression of HAL was based on some of the older ships.  After reading reviews and watching recent videos of the Pinnacle class HAL ships, I'm really impressed. The Koningsdam does indeed seem to be a better fit what we need!  Thanks for suggesting this and nudging me in this direction! @san diego spartan @shiner6 @Jammu2

 

Summarizing some of the factors that drew me to select  Koningsdam.

 

Important for Me: 

 

- We can still see Glacier Bay

- Allows us to sail inside passage/east side of Vancouver and not waste sea days. Prior to this thread, I wasn't even aware of the Vancouver east/west distinction and how pretty the inside passage is! ( Thanks

@muffin, @sunviking90 @JeffT237

@fishin' musician @Wishing on a star

- Addresses the concern/warning that Majestic is too large + has insufficient viewing/seating areas. ( @Coral   @mtnesterz @Casey12

- It is a plus for us being able to fly in/out of  bigger Vancouver airport. I didn't really want to deal with cost/logistics of flying out of Alaska with so many people.

 - Quality of Non Specialty Dining is a priority.  It sounds like HAL has a slight edge in food category over Princess. I was more drawn to try the food from the HAL food photos/videos. Saw some videos where the HAL chefs seem to take extra care in food prep.

- Cabin Decor/General Ship Design-- This was actually probably more important to me than your average Alaska traveller.  I'm really drawn to the decor/colors of newer ships like Discovery and Encore.  I felt like Saphire was too dated for me. Majestic was ok, but nothing I was excited about. Even though the Koningsdam was launched in 2015/2016 (after Majestic), the decor choices still look fresh/modern/calming to me.

- Cabin- I like the small touches (e.g. nicer closets that seem more like custom closets with doors that close/hide clutter, nicer sink, shower-door instead of curtain) The room amenities on Koningsdam videos seemed a notch nicer than Princess. 

 

Nice, but not critical

- The main lido deck can close up with bad weather.

- Cabin Balcony-  Balcony isn't critical for us, but the Majestic balconies did look quite small. The HAL balconies in the obstructed balcony rooms look more spacious. There is room for a chair and footstool.

 

NEUTRAL

- Kids club:  Both ships appear to have a high quality area for kids to play.  We probably won't spend much time there. 

- Nighttime Entertainment isn't important for us. However, the music-walk seems interesting.

 

CONS

- Cost appears to be a tad higher

- Since we like casual, I still have the (possibly incorrect) impression that HAL expects dressier than Princess.

- Won't have the Asian Noodle Bar and Congee Bar.

 

Thanks again for everybody sharing their wisdom! Really appreciate it. Your advice really helped change the the trajectory of the trip. I know we are going to have a much better trip because of all this feedback.  I'm actually now super-excited for the trip and trying out Holland America.

 

 

Edited October 10, 2022 by dlca1

[Coral]

The Sapphire Princess is not dated - I promise you that and she will be in dry dock before your sailing.  There has just been some bad info on her coming out of being out of service. All ships coming out the first time has had some rough patches after not sailing since before COVID. Having been on HAL I don't think the food is any better. I liked HAL.

 

Now after saying that - I think you picked the worst ship on Princess to sail to Alaska on and think the Koningsdam would be far better than Majestic. You were were persuaded by her newness - I would never base a decision on that. In Alaska - you want a smaller ship, you want one with better viewing options and Konginsdam will give you that.

 

Like I said - the Majestic would be the last ship I would sail to Alaska unless it was free. Viewing options suck, balconies are small and inferior routes in Alaska. Just too big for Alaska. It has too many negatives IMO. I would look at the Alaska board to get non-biased reviews where people don't rank buffet as #1 feature.

 

I think you made a good decision to switch ship wise. I don't know the itinerary of HAL in Alaska on the Koningsdam. Hopefully it has a good route.

Edited October 10, 2022 by Coral

[dlca1]

56 minutes ago, Coral said:

The Sapphire Princess is not dated - I promise you that and she will be in dry dock before your sailing.  There has just been some bad info on her coming out of being out of service. All ships coming out the first time has had some rough patches after not sailing since before COVID. Having been on HAL I don't think the food is any better. I liked HAL

Thanks for the correction Coral. It is good to dis-spell misinformation if not accurate. As a cruising amateur, I couldn't tell what was temporary vs sign of showing age.

 

56 minutes ago, Coral said:

You were were persuaded by her newness .... Like I said - the Majestic would be the last ship I would sail to Alaska unless it was free. Viewing options suck, balconies are small and inferior routes in Alaska. Just too big for Alaska. It has too many negatives IMO. I would look at the Alaska board to get non-biased reviews where people don't rank buffet as #1 feature.

 

I definitely have a very strong bias in favor of newer/well maintained/updated decor.  If I were forced to pick, I would still pick newer/less ideal route vs older/better route. 

 

Luckily for me, enough voices (including yourself) chimed in on here to nudge me to find a better choice.  With Konningham, it sounds like I get to have best of all worlds. The route would include (Vancouver Inside Passage, Tracy Arm Fjord/Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan) in a mid-sized ship with good food and modern decor!

 

[Coral]

9 minutes ago, dlca1 said:

 

I definitely have a very strong bias in favor of newer/well maintained/updated decor.  If I were forced to pick, I would still pick newer/less ideal route vs older/better route. 

 

Luckily for me, enough voices (including yourself) chimed in on here to nudge me to find a better choice.  With Konningham, it sounds like I get to have best of all worlds. The route would include (Vancouver Inside Passage, Tracy Arm Fjord/Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan) in a mid-sized ship with good food and modern decor!

 

In the Caribbean - a lesser route/better ship may work but not in Alaska. Alaska is about the scenery. You did pick an awful trip initially. You will understand once you are there.

 

Budget for a small boat ride in Tracy Arm. Definitely worth it!

 

You did the right thing to switch to HAL.

Edited October 10, 2022 by Coral

[JeffT237]

2 hours ago, dlca1 said:

With Konningham, it sounds like I get to have best of all worlds. The route would include (Vancouver Inside Passage, Tracy Arm Fjord/Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan) in a mid-sized ship with good food and modern decor!

I am looking at the Konningham out of Vancouver as well, we plan on doing our second Alaska cruise but not until 2024 and the schedules are not out yet.  Our May 2022 Alaska cruise on the Crown Princess was such a disappointment and we really want to see all that we missed.  We will be doing a true inside passage out of Vancouver it just comes down to what ship and cruise line.  Since we already have done Glacier Bay we feel we have more options to chose from.  RCI does an 8 day out of Vancouver that we're considering (doesn't go to GB) as well as the Konningham.  Although we prefer the newer ships like you, I feel Alaska is the exception.  Sounds like you found the right cruise, CC is a great resource for planning, enjoy!

[puppycanducruise]

I'm sure you picked a great cruise.  Enjoy!

[Coral]

47 minutes ago, JeffT237 said:

I am looking at the Konningham out of Vancouver as well, we plan on doing our second Alaska cruise but not until 2024 and the schedules are not out yet.  Our May 2022 Alaska cruise on the Crown Princess was such a disappointment and we really want to see all that we missed.  We will be doing a true inside passage out of Vancouver it just comes down to what ship and cruise line.  Since we already have done Glacier Bay we feel we have more options to chose from.  RCI does an 8 day out of Vancouver that we're considering (doesn't go to GB) as well as the Konningham.  Although we prefer the newer ships like you, I feel Alaska is the exception.  Sounds like you found the right cruise, CC is a great resource for planning, enjoy!

Round trip Seattle isn't great and then Crown had major issues this year. I felt so sorry for those people whose only cruise to Alaska was on this. People missed so many ports on this ship this summer.

 

On my RCI cruise - I wasn't impressed with their lack of anything Alaska onboard. They did shopping talks and that was it.

[cruisequeen4ever]

On 10/6/2022 at 6:00 AM, dlca1 said:

Quick Update: I booked on Majestic yesterday!  

 

I really appreciate all the seasoned experts sharing their advice about going with smaller ships for Alaska.  I'm convinced this is the best way to see Alaska if nature/scenery is top priority. Your comments led me to seriously reconsider the Sapphire. Carefully read a bunch of recent reviews/reports/videos. For my taste, Sapphire looked too dated. I also looked very briefly into HAL.  The ships/food look great.   There also seems to be a consistent theme that folks with direct experience on both Princess and HAL typically prefer HAL.

 

Ultimately, I decided that for my scenario,  it is more important for me to stay in a newer/modern ship and accept the drawbacks.   When we go on vacations, I know I'm much happier/more relaxed when I stay in newer/clean/modern/well-maintained resort.  I also picked Princess over Hal because it seems like the better fit for a casual multi-generational trip with tweens. Will definitely consider HAL for a future adults only cruise.

 

I was actually leaning towards the Discovery (nice and new), but had to rule it out because there were no connecting obstructed balcony rooms left. I was able to get a block of 6 continuous obstructed balcony rooms (E229-E307) on the Majestic.  This block includes two sets of connecting rooms. Rooms are all Starboard side (for Northbound itinerary). I think/hope they avoid the entertainment areas above/below.   We like to peek out on the balcony but typically don't spend much time on the balcony (hotels or cruises). I'm sure that will increase a bit for Alaska.  The grandparents typically got themselves inside rooms. Having any balcony should be a nice perk.  With the interconnected balconies, I'm hoping we can walk around and navigate any balcony obstructions.

The Princess $1 deposit is a pretty compelling way to get customers to pull the trigger.   With all the input on this thread, I feel pretty good about the choice. However, the tiny deposit allows us freedom to change our mind.

 

The Majestic had some nice bonus features too. The grandparents might enjoy the bi-lingual signage. I think the group will also enjoy having the option of the Asian Noodle Bar as well as Congee Bar. This may be the grandparents  last trip to Alaska. Think they will have plenty to enjoy (sites, grandkids, sites).   I suspect this will be my family's first of many trips to Alaska.  

Thanks to all the commenters on this post. Was incredibly helpful to get everybody's expert insights. 

@Wishing on a star  -- thank you for going above and beyond and sharing all that balcony information. None of the larger balconies were available.  Like you said, those go fast.  I was grateful just to be able to find 6 contiguous obstructed balconies. 

 

Great decision! Have fun!

[JeffT237]

51 minutes ago, Coral said:

Round trip Seattle isn't great and then Crown had major issues this year. I felt so sorry for those people whose only cruise to Alaska was on this. People missed so many ports on this ship this summer.

 

On my RCI cruise - I wasn't impressed with their lack of anything Alaska onboard. They did shopping talks and that was it.

Yes lesson learned, we booked the Seattle roundtrip last minute, seemed less logistics than the one way that ended in Whittier.  We will not make that mistake again, we will only look for cruises out of Vancouver for the scenery.  Ironically we chose the May 7th Crown specifically because it was it's return to service cruise, I mistakenly assumed having a small crew onboard for 2 years that the ship would have addressed any maintenance and mechanical issues especially on an older ship and the likely hood of a major mechanical issue would be less likely.  Epic fail.  We both agreed for our first Princess cruise we did not receive the true experience, in fact we cruise soon on the Discovery and are excited for the upcoming trip.  

 

As far as competitors, we've sailed both Carnival and RCI,  and for our Alaska re-do we are considering both HAL and RCI.  We also chose Princess because of their Alaska reputation and Glacier Bay but we really saw very little enhanced Alaska experiences onboard.  The Alaska specific menu had very little to offer and besides the ranger presentation at GB we didn't really notice much.  We did not attend any of the presentations in the theaters.  We've cruised RCI several times so if we do chose them we're confident on what to expect.