Best ships for indoor and/or heated outdoor viewing options for Alaska (with seating)

[rnr4thatsme]

Hi there!   What is your favourite ship with the best indoor and/or heated outdoor (thinking heat lamps etc) viewing options with seating?  Is there a ship you've been on which you did NOT like the observation areas available?  We are doing an oceanview cabin, so we won't have our own private seating area.

[karatemom2]

I've never been on a cruise ship with heat lamps - not sure they are allowed on ships due to potential fire danger.

 

Generally we find Princess the best in terms of the overall Alaska cruise experience - the Grand and Sapphire both have indoor pools/conservatory areas. Also, on Princess ships viewing from the buffet tends to be good.

 

NCL has probably the worst itineraries for Alaska, but in terms of indoor viewing, they do have the forward facing observation lounge which is pretty magnificent for viewing in a warm, dry, environment. But I would never choose NCL for Alaska just for this reason. The rest of what they offer is subpar in my opinion.

 

Honestly, being inside is never much of a priority for me in Alaska - you really experience it best outdoors on deck (Sapphire and Grand both have wonderful promenade decks) when you are enjoying scenic viewing from the ship. Watching a whale or glacier through a window just isn't the same.

 

My advice - layer up if it is cold, put on a hat and gloves, and go outside to enjoy the beauty!

[wolfie11]

Viking.  They have indoor viewing in the Explorer’s lounge with easy access outside for good pictures and great outside viewing areas with seating on Decks 2 and 7.

[CruiserBruce]

The Crow's Nest on HAL and the mid ship pool area with it's close-able roof are very popular.

[Heidi13]

Best indoor areas would be Viking, with a fwd lounge spanning 2 decks, a covered main pool and the entire buffet area. With considerably less pax, the viewing areas are generally not crowded.

[Cruzaholic41]

It’s hard to say which is best. It’s easy to say Princess, especially Royal Class, is the worst though. Otherwise, everyone seems to have lounges with really nice panoramic views. 
 

I like Celebrity Solstice Class Sky Lounge best for indoor views. The windows are twice as high as HALs Crows Nest. For an outdoors feel, RCIs Quantum Class forward facing Solarium is really nice. 

[Brandis]

I really like RCL's Radiance Class, there are lots of indoor areas with huge windows and comfortable seating. Even the mid-ship elevators have a view and the Viking Crown Lounge offers almost 180 degrees view.

I don't think heating lamps are prohibited on ships, as the Alaska Marine Highway ferries have a covered solarium like area for tents and they do have heating lamps there.

[Crew News]

My favorite cruise ship for outdoor viewing in Alaska is the Holland America Ms Zandaam.  Decks 6 and 7 have a public aft balcony that spans the entire back of the ship.  Each deck has a large heating vent just a few steps back from the railing as well as blankets and loungers.

[SkippersCruisersMN]

We went to Alaska on the Quantum of the seas. The ship had so many great indoor and warm areas to view things from. The solarium was great. There were 2 days we spotted whales while sitting in the hottub. We also enjoyed sitting on our balony with a blanket a couple of the afternoons.