Replanning Alaska

[Hllb]

So initially I used an FCC on Celebrity to book Solstice going to Dawes Glacier for my family of 5 (kids ages 13, 18, and 19). It was a compromise since no Glacier Bay but it was considerably cheaper and I was happy with the plans we made. A canoe trip in front on Mendenhall which lands and hikes around the glacier, a kayak trip to orca cove, and a combo trip on White Pass railway. Then I found out about the possible issues with Skagway dock and while I know everything might be fine, it also might mean we miss that port. If we did, that would be 3 sea days and only 2 good port stops (Victoria is a short evening stop).

 

so I started looking around again (I’ll only lose $400 of FCC if I cancel Celebrity). I found a good HAL cruise on Eurodam that does Glacier Bay, doesn’t do Skagway, and leaves only a day later. But, taking into account the fare, the FCC, and the OBC, it was going to be about $2500 more on an already expensive trip. I checked around and found a reputable TA that offered OBC and this got the difference down to about $450.

I have it on hold and I think I’m going to go with it. I know most people say HAL tops others in AK, so is this a good idea? Assuming it is, I’ll need to replan and have some questions.

 

We’ll be in Juneau same day/time so I can keep my glacier canoe trip. I booked this independently. It was expensive though - worth the splurge?

 

The railway tour is out since no Skagway. We add a day at Sitka though. We still go to Ketchikan but for a bit less time so I don’t think I can do Orca cove - it’s just too tight a timeline to book independently for my comfort.  My other Ketchikan excursion choice was kayaking to Tattoosh island and HAL offers that excursion so I’d probably book through them. I’m open to other ideas though. There are some good Kayaking tours in Sitka too so I could do one of those and something else in Ketchikan? I would love some recommendations for these two ports on the best things to do under $200 pp.

 

We have short stops inIcy Straight Point and Victoria too - I’m thinking if we get off the boat at all, we’ll do something on our own. Ideas welcome here as well.

 

One downside of HAL is that we’ll be in two forward cabins instead of mid ship (one balcony one inside on either cruise). My youngest gets motion sickness so I prefer to stick with mid ship. We’ve only been on one cruise before (western Caribbean) and had a day of particularly rough seas. He was fine until dinner which was at the very back of the boat. He made it through dinner but had to leave before dessert. Once back at our cabin, midship, he was fine. He was wearing Sea bands the entire time. Think he  will be ok in a forward cabin?

That feels like a book so thanks for reading. We are seasoned travelers but new to AK and almost new to cruising.

[Ferry_Watcher]

I don't think you mentioned whale watching.  Icy Strait Point would be a great place to do that.  The downside is that it appears that the Eurodam is in port during the dinner service, but your family could always eat early at the buffet and then take the whale watching excursion.  Even if you don't do whale watching, I would still encourage you to get off the ship and walk around ISP..  The beach is accessible, and your kids can dip their hands into the pacific ocean there!

 

Zip-lining is also offered there, and there is a recently opened gondola to take you to the top of the mountain.  If you do sail on the Eurodam, please don't overlook ISP. 

[Hllb]

8 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

I don't think you mentioned whale watching.  Icy Strait Point would be a great place to do that.  The downside is that it appears that the Eurodam is in port during the dinner service, but your family could always eat early at the buffet and then take the whale watching excursion.  Even if you don't do whale watching, I would still encourage you to get off the ship and walk around ISP..  The beach is accessible, and your kids can dip their hands into the pacific ocean there!

 

Zip-lining is also offered there, and there is a recently opened gondola to take you to the top of the mountain.  If you do sail on the Eurodam, please don't overlook ISP. 

Thanks for the info! I have so far ruled out whale watching as the last time we did it (Australia) my son got so sick. I don’t know that I could convince him to do it again. That said, 2/3 of the ship was puking that day (or wanted to) including my two older kids. My husband and I were fine but I had to take pictures from the deck one handed with my DSLR so I could hang on with the other! I would like another shot at it though - maybe I can convince them. We didn’t have any sea sickness meds last time due to my poor planning.

[Ferry_Watcher]

The ISP boat that we were on was a catamaran and the ride was pretty smooth (although it was a nice day).  Boat held about 40 passengers, and I am pretty sure it was owned and operated by the Tribal Corporation.  We did see bubble feeding by the whales, and one whale breeched.  Even though you may not do the whale watching excursion, you may see whales from the ship while docked at ISP, or as you sail into, or out of the area.  It is also possible to see whales from the shore.

 

If you just want to walk around ISP without anything planned,  there is a large firepit that folks can sit by and just take in the beauty of the area.

 

As for seasickness, I have seen lots of passengers using the prescribed patch that is placed behind the ear.  Your family physician could give you additional info re effectiveness. 

[Hllb]

20 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

The ISP boat that we were on was a catamaran and the ride was pretty smooth (although it was a nice day).  Boat held about 40 passengers, and I am pretty sure it was owned and operated by the Tribal Corporation.  We did see bubble feeding by the whales, and one whale breeched.  Even though you may not do the whale watching excursion, you may see whales from the ship while docked at ISP, or as you sail into, or out of the area.  It is also possible to see whales from the shore.

 

If you just want to walk around ISP without anything planned,  there is a large firepit that folks can sit by and just take in the beauty of the area.

 

As for seasickness, I have seen lots of passengers using the prescribed patch that is placed behind the ear.  Your family physician could give you additional info re effectiveness. 

Did you book an outside company? I see there’s kayaking through HAL at ISP as well.

[Ferry_Watcher]

@Hllb It was  a Celebrity shore excursion.  We were originally signed up for the zipline, but it was cancelled for some reason (this was during 2021 when the Alaska cruise season opened in July with very reduced ship capacity).   The whale watching was a substitute for the cancelled zipline.  I was so happy it turned out that way, as the whale watching was amazing!

 

https://www.g-wind.com/

 

We are returning to Alaska this May (Celebrity) and ISP will be a port-of-call.  This time we booked our whale watching with Glacier-winds and will be on a 6 passenger private boat.  I also believe they have a 13/14 person boat.

[Alex618]

Years ago I had. Forward cabin. I would never book a forward cabin again.  The motion in the forward cabin was horrible, it was the one and only time I ever felt sick in over 250 days at sea. Also, a friend of mind 77 who just returned from a Holland cruise said the ship was full of electric scooters.  With the age of your family, I am not sure I would choose Celebrity or Holland. 

[Coral]

I also hate forward cabins. I have had some rough sailings in Alaska and would hate to have a forward cabin.

 

Can you look at some other lines or options? Maybe the vendor you are working with for Mendenhall will switch dates for you with out a charge?

 

[Hllb]

Other lines are way more expensive if they go to Glacier Bay - I haven’t seen anything much under $10K just for the cabins. I know HAL is an older clientele but we aren’t worried about that anyway.

 

I’ll have to think more about the forward cabin. I’ll have them price midship, and see what that price is. I thought it would be ok since much of the cruise is in fairly protected waters, but maybe not.

[Hllb]

7 minutes ago, Coral said:

I also hate forward cabins. I have had some rough sailings in Alaska and would hate to have a forward cabin.

 

Can you look at some other lines or options? Maybe the vendor you are working with for Mendenhall will switch dates for you with out a charge?

 

I don’t have to switch the Mendenhall one at all but all the ones I’ve booked are fully refundable 

[Coral]

Just now, Hllb said:

I don’t have to switch the Mendenhall one at all but all the ones I’ve booked are fully refundable 

I was suggesting you go back to the drawing board and look at other options as neither choice looks desirable to me. If you do this, you may have to switch Mendenhall to a different day.

[Hllb]

14 minutes ago, Coral said:

I was suggesting you go back to the drawing board and look at other options as neither choice looks desirable to me. If you do this, you may have to switch Mendenhall to a different day.

Honestly, surprised people are steering me away from HAL. Most things I’ve read said they’re the best one in AK. is it really just the typical age of passengers that makes you suggest it? 
 

[Northern Aurora]

7 hours ago, Hllb said:

.......Then I found out about the possible issues with Skagway dock and while I know everything might be fine, it also might mean we miss that port. If we did, that would be 3 sea days and only 2 good port stops (Victoria is a short evening stop).

 

......

 

I am aware of several ships which diverted  from Skagway after the June 2022 rock slide.  They diverted to ISP, Haines and Sitka.  But which ships added sea days to their itinerary?

[Hllb]

20 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

I am aware of several ships which diverted  from Skagway after the June 2022 rock slide.  They diverted to ISP, Haines and Sitka.  But which ships added sea days to their itinerary?

I don’t know if any did but those other ports do have ships already planned so they may not be options. I would be ok with another port but not a sea day

[Coral]

29 minutes ago, Hllb said:

Honestly, surprised people are steering me away from HAL. Most things I’ve read said they’re the best one in AK. is it really just the typical age of passengers that makes you suggest it? 
 

Not steering you away from HAL. The times in port just don't sound desirable to me. Though I am not a fan of a lot of the 7 night cruises out of Seattle for this reason.

 

Ship's out of Vancouver have a little bit better timing. One way trips have the best times in port. Or cruises longer than 7 nights.

[Hllb]

12 minutes ago, Coral said:

Not steering you away from HAL. The times in port just don't sound desirable to me. Though I am not a fan of a lot of the 7 night cruises out of Seattle for this reason.

 

Ship's out of Vancouver have a little bit better timing. One way trips have the best times in port. Or cruises longer than 7 nights.

Got it, thanks. Some of the port times aren’t ideal, but most are ok with me. We can do a nice excursion at most of the ports. I’ll just likely book through HAL on the shorter port days. With a family of 5, open jaw tickets are quite pricey and Vancouver was surprisingly expensive too so I settled on Seattle as we can do direct on our preferred airline.

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, Hllb said:

I don’t know if any did but those other ports do have ships already planned so they may not be options. I would be ok with another port but not a sea day

 

Please understand that ports like Haines and ISP are very different from a port like Skagway.  Not only do I live in Alaska I also remember what the community of Skagway was like before they were "found" by the cruise industry.  And I actually know why the cruise industry moved into Skagway.  

 

Ports such as ISP and Haines don't host as many cruise ship passengers or cruise ships as Skagway, Ketchikan or Juneau.  They are not "fully booked."

[naturelovergirl]

We purposefully book forward cabins- because we like ship movement very much. We sleep like babies. BUT I would say that if someone is sensitive to the movement, they should consider if they feel the cost savings is worth it.

[Alex618]

10 hours ago, Hllb said:

Honestly, surprised people are steering me away from HAL. Most things I’ve read said they’re the best one in AK. is it really just the typical age of passengers that makes you suggest it? 
 

Hal is mostly older adults.  Have you looked at activities for you teenagers onboard?  Also, will you teenagers be content with excursions of white hair often crabby folks!  🤪I would really think this trough.  You say other lines are more expensive, but I sure would not want to be on a family vacation where all or part are unhappy and miserable!

[Margo5]

My family of 7 is booked for the Eurodam this summer. I have 5 kids (19, 16,14, 5, and 3). We are comfortable with HAL’s demographic (there should be some other kids present on a summer Alaska cruise) and don’t need a lot of exciting onboard activities. We chose this specific cruise because of the itinerary (Glacier Bay and longer times in port than some of the other options) and we’re doing private excursions. Our very tight summer schedule doesn’t allow open jaw cruises or Vancouver departures. We’re really excited to see Alaska!

[Coral]

2 hours ago, Alex618 said:

Hal is mostly older adults.  Have you looked at activities for you teenagers onboard?  Also, will you teenagers be content with excursions of white hair often crabby folks!  🤪I would really think this trough.  You say other lines are more expensive, but I sure would not want to be on a family vacation where all or part are unhappy and miserable!

Alaska overall attracts older individuals though IMO - the ports have so many opportunities for younger adults and kids (ice trekking, canoeing, hiking, dog mushing, etc....). Alaska is all about the ports and the scenery. I am sure there will be families onboard if they are going during the summer and they also have each other. I would rather go with a better itinerary than a ship that misses a lot of Alaska because their family vacation is to see Alaska.

[disneyochem]

There tends to be a lot of multi-generational groups on Alaskan cruises including HAL.  Based on my experience, there will be a number of kids on your cruise (along with those white haired crabby folks 🙄).  You’ll find a lot of onboard activities for your kids—trivia, pickle ball, ping pong, basketball, hot tubs, covered pool, games etc.  The Crows Nest is also a great place to hang out with your family—lots of board games and puzzles. The US Rangers will set up a station during your Glacier Bay visit there (maps, animal bones, furs, etc).  HAL also serves split pea soup on the decks during glacier viewing days.

 

Cruises to Alaska are all about the ports and not so much about the ship—that’s why so many posters are concerned about your port times.  Longer port times are always better but if this cruise is the one that fits the budget/time constraints then this is it.  It will still be a fantastic and memorable cruise with your family!

 

 I highly recommend whale watching in Icy Strait Point with Glacier Winds.  I’ve been on a kayak/glacier trek to Mendenhall (with Above and Beyond Alaska) and enjoyed it.  Kayaking in Ketchikan is also fun (I used Southeast Kayaking) but you might also want to consider doing something different since you’re kayaking in Juneau.  Bear with me—go to the Lumberjack Show (cheesy but my kids loved it!).  You can sign up for axe throwing afterwards.  It was a hit with the teens and young adults in our family cruise last summer. You can then visit the science center, totem museum in town, Creek Street and the salmon hatchery by walking around town.  
 

The seas can get a little choppy cruising out of Seattle on the first and last sea days so do check on moving your cabins.  We don’t mind it but others do.

 

Have a great cruise!  Our kids still talk about how much they enjoyed our Alaskan cruises!  (I have girls and the highlight for them was interacting with puppies on a sled dogging excursion)

[Hllb]

22 minutes ago, disneyochem said:

There tends to be a lot of multi-generational groups on Alaskan cruises including HAL.  Based on my experience, there will be a number of kids on your cruise (along with those white haired crabby folks 🙄).  You’ll find a lot of onboard activities for your kids—trivia, pickle ball, ping pong, basketball, hot tubs, covered pool, games etc.  The Crows Nest is also a great place to hang out with your family—lots of board games and puzzles. The US Rangers will set up a station during your Glacier Bay visit there (maps, animal bones, furs, etc).  HAL also serves split pea soup on the decks during glacier viewing days.

 

Cruises to Alaska are all about the ports and not so much about the ship—that’s why so many posters are concerned about your port times.  Longer port times are always better but if this cruise is the one that fits the budget/time constraints then this is it.  It will still be a fantastic and memorable cruise with your family!

 

 I highly recommend whale watching in Icy Strait Point with Glacier Winds.  I’ve been on a kayak/glacier trek to Mendenhall (with Above and Beyond Alaska) and enjoyed it.  Kayaking in Ketchikan is also fun (I used Southeast Kayaking) but you might also want to consider doing something different since you’re kayaking in Juneau.  Bear with me—go to the Lumberjack Show (cheesy but my kids loved it!).  You can sign up for axe throwing afterwards.  It was a hit with the teens and young adults in our family cruise last summer. You can then visit the science center, totem museum in town, Creek Street and the salmon hatchery by walking around town.  
 

The seas can get a little choppy cruising out of Seattle on the first and last sea days so do check on moving your cabins.  We don’t mind it but others do.

 

Have a great cruise!  Our kids still talk about how much they enjoyed our Alaskan cruises!  (I have girls and the highlight for them was interacting with puppies on a sled dogging excursion)

Thanks for the thoughtful response! The one port day that is shorter than expected is the Ketchikan stop (comparing to the Celebrity cruise I already have booked). And while longer would be better, the one time we cruised we just did excursions, and not much else. We did them through the cruise line since we were new to cruising. In the instance of a shorter than desirable port time, I'd be more likely to book through the cruise line again, and independent on the longer port days. As long as we still have adequate time for an excursion, I think it will be OK. We are limited as well due to schedules - my work is quite flexible, but my husband is a professor. He's teaching this summer and the kids have plans we have to work around, so late June to mid-July is really our only window. I do like the idea of more port stops on the HAL cruise, even though X's are longer. Skagway would be a great stop, and it would be a bummer to miss it, but I'm such a planner that the uncertainty of that stop (even though it's looking more positive at the moment - we wouldn't know until after final payment), coupled with no Glacier Bay makes me think moving cruises is the best choice. I also have to contend with moving flights around, which adds a bit to the cost as well.

 

I may try to go for a whale watching excursion in ISP, even though that is a very short port stop. My youngest has not fared well on a prior WW trip in Australia, but we also were not prepared with meds, so lesson learned. I feel like it would be better in AK as in Australia we had to go quite far out. They did warn everyone that it was very rough that day - and they were not kidding. I'd say 2/3 of the boat had issues that day. I could move the interior cabin (for 2) to midship for no increase in money. It would be on the same deck as the balcony, but not very close. Might be worth it as we could just put him in that cabin if the seas were rough. Moving the balcony is considerably more expensive. That seems like a good compromise to me - not ideal, and the adult children really don't like not being near the rest of us, but it's not a huge ship, so it might be OK with them as long as its the same deck.

 

I do really appreciate everyone's view points and suggestions. I used to be concerned on trips that 'it may be the only time we go' and I no longer feel that way, so some compromises are likely OK. We've had the luxury of taking some really nice vacations over the last 5 or so years. I was quite sad when the pandemic hit and I had to face not being able to take some epic vacations in the last 2 years with my older kids at home. Lucky for me, they've stayed at home for college (since hubby is a prof, and they got scholarships, their college is covered at his university) and still enjoy vacationing with us.

[Coral]

I would not hesitate to book independently. The companies in Alaska have an amazing reputation for getting you back to the ship on time (it is all about how they make their money and their reputation). They want to know what ship you are on because of this. I literally have not read anyone on this board who did a private tour who did not make it back to the ship in time. 

 

I personally hated the lumberjack show - though we did not have axe throwing at the end. I thought those who enjoyed it the most were under the age of 5 and over the age of 70. Of all the ports - Ketchikan is my least favorite so having a short port time is fine for me here. The Deadliest Catch/Bearing Sea Crab seems to be popular amongst kids your age. You can google videos for tours to see what your family would enjoy.

 

The train in Skagway is historic and interesting though I think your kids would be bored with it. I have seen people fall asleep on the ride back. You can do Skagway next time.

Edited February 12, 2023 by Coral

[Hllb]

15 minutes ago, Coral said:

I would not hesitate to book independently. The companies in Alaska have an amazing reputation for getting you back to the ship on time (it is all about how they make their money and their reputation). They want to know what ship you are on because of this. I literally have not read anyone on this board who did a private tour who did not make it back to the ship in time. 

 

I personally hated the lumberjack show - though we did not have axe throwing at the end. I thought those who enjoyed it the most were under the age of 5 and over the age of 70. Of all the ports - Ketchikan is my least favorite so having a short port time is fine for me here. The Deadliest Catch/Bearing Sea Crab seems to be popular amongst kids your age. You can google videos for tours to see what your family would enjoy.

 

The train in Skagway is historic and interesting though I think your kids would be bored with it. I have seen people fall asleep on the ride back. You can do Skagway next time.

Good point about the private tour companies. I guess the exception would be ones that don’t provide transportation from the dock. The kayaking we have booked at Ketchikan doesn’t pick you up at the dock so I think that one is out. But I can look at others that do pick you up.