Alaska Confusion

[RyanAb]

Hello, 

I am a first time cruiser. I am in my 30s and am really looking forward to visiting Alaska in May of 2025. I will either be solo or with somebody else, not sure yet. I have done so much research that I have confused myself even more when it comes to picking a cruise line and ship. 

My priorities are a clean ship with a good spa, a solid balcony/verandah room, not too much over $3k for a 7 day trip, and I am pretty set on leaving out of Vancouver for a better itinerary that lets me see more of Alaska on my excursions. 

 

I was leaning toward NCL Encore/Bliss because of their solo traveler program but then learned they dock outside of town and their port times are already short. Then I was leaning toward HAL Konginsdam/Eurodam but am a bit worried their staterooms are dated and there isn’t much to do on board. HX is right up my alley but their trips are 11+ days and about $2-5k outside of my budget. I think I would prefer to be with an older group than a bunch of families/kids. 

 

I could really use some advice from experienced cruisers in their 30s-40s on which cruise line/ship I should go with. I greatly appreciate any assistance/insight you can provide!. 

[Essiesmom]

You should be booking for itinerary,  not ship.  And you do not want to see all of Alaska from your balcony.  You need a ship with a wraparound promenade deck, to move around as the wildlife is spotted.  Have you looked at Coral and Caribbean Princess?  Your best bet for seeing glaciers in May is on an itinerary visiting Glacier Bay.  Ships are seldom iced out or fogged out of there.  EM

[karatemom2]

Have you looked at Princess? They offer excellent Alaska itineraries and experience. 

[RyanAb]

1 hour ago, karatemom2 said:

Have you looked at Princess? They offer excellent Alaska itineraries and experience. 

Sadly they are asking almost $5k for a solo traveler which is out of my budget. 

[CruiserBruce]

I am curious where you get the idea the Koningsdam or Eurodam have out dated cabins? Particularly as you haven't sailed before? Holland America is not a cruise line that has a lot of glitz...they are more subtle and understated. But there is nothing wrong with their cabins.

 

That being said, cruise ship cabins are not as big as standard hotel rooms.

 

Alaska is about the scenery and the state, not the ship. But both HAL ships have entertainment on board. Not late night parties and entertainment, but there is entertainment.

 

NCL has a program where you can a balcony cabin for a single without a supplement? That would be unusual.

[RyanAb]

4 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

I am curious where you get the idea the Koningsdam or Eurodam have out dated cabins? Particularly as you haven't sailed before? Holland America is not a cruise line that has a lot of glitz...they are more subtle and understated. But there is nothing wrong with their cabins.

 

That being said, cruise ship cabins are not as big as standard hotel rooms.

 

Alaska is about the scenery and the state, not the ship. But both HAL ships have entertainment on board. Not late night parties and entertainment, but there is entertainment.

 

NCL has a program where you can a balcony cabin for a single without a supplement? That would be unusual.

Ive ready a bunch of reviews about them being dirty/mildew-y smelling, especially the Eurodam. 

 

Yes, NCL has a really interesting solo traveler program. They offer solo inside/balcony rooms and the solo travelers have access to a 'solo studio' to lounge/meet other solo travelers. There is no single supplement for this too which is nice.

[peety3]

56 minutes ago, RyanAb said:

Ive ready a bunch of reviews about them being dirty/mildew-y smelling, especially the Eurodam.

I'd advise against mixing "poorly maintained" with "outdated". That smell and/or dirty state can arise quickly on any ship. Meanwhile, the decor may have a certain style based on the line, and some of those decor choices could easily be interpreted as outdated (others may see it as classic and/or nautical).

 

I can't speak for any line aside from Princess, but I do believe there's a certain "cruise ship smell" or perhaps at least "Princess cruise ship smell". For me, that's a signal that I'm on a cruise, and I love that feeling. 😉

[kad56]

18 hours ago, RyanAb said:

 

I am a first time cruiser. I am in my 30s and am really looking forward to visiting Alaska in May of 2025. I will either be solo or with somebody else, not sure yet. I have done so much research that I have confused myself even more when it comes to picking a cruise line and ship. 

My priorities are a clean ship with a good spa, a solid balcony/verandah room, not too much over $3k for a 7-9 day trip, and I am pretty set on leaving out of Vancouver for a better itinerary that lets me see more of Alaska on my excursions. 

 

I was leaning toward NCL Encore/Bliss because of their solo traveler program but then learned they dock outside of town and their port times are already short. Then I was leaning toward HAL Konginsdam/Eurodam but am a bit worried their staterooms are dated and there isn’t much to do on board. HX is right up my alley but their trips are 11+ days and about $2-5k outside of my budget. I think I would prefer to be with an older group than a bunch of families/kids. 

 

I could really use some advice from experienced cruisers in their 30s-40s on which cruise line/ship I should go with. I greatly appreciate any assistance/insightyou can provide!. 

I also travel solo, and I hear you. Have you considered an inside room? I've sailed in both inside and balcony rooms, and I like both for different reasons. Insides tend to be much quieter. Even on quiet ships I hear people on other balconies. I found it surprisingly annoying the first time I sailed on a balcony. Insides also force me outside my room more. I do miss the natural light, but in Alaska with sunlight all the time keeping me awake it's kinda nice. Everyone tells you that you absolutely need a balcony, and it's defiitely nice, but for me it hasn't been the upgrade I thought it would be. On the days that we had scenic cruising in glaciers  it's better to be out on the public decks. That's because you can move around and see different angles. On a balcony, you won't have a glacier view half the time.

 

I've sailed holland and even though I'm way on the younger side (in my 40s), I've really liked it. They do a good job of maintaining their ships, and older ships tend to be smaller and more manageable. 

 

The other way to save money is to go earlier in the season (late may, early june). I wouldn't chance it later in the season since the water tends to be choppier and your risk of port cancellations is greater.

 

In any case good luck. Sailing solo requires a lot of planning.

[wolfie11]

If you want to wait until 2026, Virgin will be cruising Alaska.  They have frequent sales and include a lot you would pay extra for on other lines. Plus they won’t spend half your time onboard trying to sell you overpriced art or hook you up with a shopping host.  The food and entertainment are amazing.  

[CDNPolar]

Don't discount Princess Cruise Lines as their Alaska itineraries are amazing and Princess does Alaska well - IMO.

 

3K as a solo traveller is your budget?

 

For a balcony room, and single supplement, put flights into the mix and then add excursions, add wifi, add any drinks, then I think that you are really looking for a budget cruise.

 

If all you want is a cabin and meals, and don't want to drink anything but water and coffee / tea, then you are fine, but I still think your budget is thin.  

Sorry - just my thoughts and opinion.

[sparks1093]

On 9/24/2024 at 5:35 PM, Essiesmom said:

You should be booking for itinerary,  not ship.  And you do not want to see all of Alaska from your balcony.  You need a ship with a wraparound promenade deck, to move around as the wildlife is spotted.  Have you looked at Coral and Caribbean Princess?  Your best bet for seeing glaciers in May is on an itinerary visiting Glacier Bay.  Ships are seldom iced out or fogged out of there.  EM

 

56 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

Don't discount Princess Cruise Lines as their Alaska itineraries are amazing and Princess does Alaska well - IMO.

 

3K as a solo traveller is your budget?

 

For a balcony room, and single supplement, put flights into the mix and then add excursions, add wifi, add any drinks, then I think that you are really looking for a budget cruise.

 

If all you want is a cabin and meals, and don't want to drink anything but water and coffee / tea, then you are fine, but I still think your budget is thin.  

Sorry - just my thoughts and opinion.

A lot of good advice in these two posts. The itinerary should be driving this. Shipboard decor? For 7 days I wouldn't worry about it too much. $3k might be enough to cover the cruise fare but then when you start adding the other things as mentioned it's going to add up- fast. It can definitely help if you find someone to share the cabin since that will reduce the fare that you pay which will allow you to stretch your budget a bit.

[Essiesmom]

There are Live from threads on most of the cruise line boards here with ships to Alaska.  You might look for some of them.  Do some research on the Alaska board for excursions and costs.  Unless you can be satisfied with getting on the ship and wandering around, buying a few inexpensive souvenirs, you may want to reduce your requirements to an inside cabin.  Anything you expect to see from your balcony can be seen from a promenade deck on many ships.  And depending on where you live, you may find you need to fly in a day early and book a hotel, plus meals.  You have some figuring to do.  EM

[kad56]

21 hours ago, RyanAb said:

Ive ready a bunch of reviews about them being dirty/mildew-y smelling, especially the Eurodam. 

 

Yes, NCL has a really interesting solo traveler program. They offer solo inside/balcony rooms and the solo travelers have access to a 'solo studio' to lounge/meet other solo travelers. There is no single supplement for this too which is nice.

The other thing to know is that there are a lot of negative cruise reviews out there. Overwhelmingly so. I find a lot of them pretty over the top. When I look at hotel reviews, there's some odd ones, but overall, I think they're a good guide, and a relatively good measure of quality. Not with cruises. There's a ton of terrible reviews for relatively nice experiences. I was particularly suprised you read bad reviews of a Holland ships, since Holland is one of the nicer brands sailing out there.

 

The other thing about Norwegian is that their solo rooms might not be any less expensive than a regular, non-solo room on another cruiseline or even Norwegian. I thought I'd want to sail Norweigian as well since I travel solo, and then the prices just didn't add up. I do think the solo travel coordinator and lounge sound nice, but I've met people without that resource. Both Holland and Princess have solo meetups on the first night. I've met some cool people at those events, and some crappy people. I've also met cruise friends at the beach and at an excercise class.

[leaveitallbehind]

IMO Princess is one of the best cruise lines for Alaska based on itineraries and optional land packages.

 

But you may want to talk with a travel agent who specializes in cruises to have them look at your preferences, expectations, and budget as they would then be in the position to recommend the different cruise line alternatives that would be a good fit at the best available fares.

Edited 23 hours ago by leaveitallbehind

[RyanAb]

7 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

Don't discount Princess Cruise Lines as their Alaska itineraries are amazing and Princess does Alaska well - IMO.

 

3K as a solo traveller is your budget?

 

For a balcony room, and single supplement, put flights into the mix and then add excursions, add wifi, add any drinks, then I think that you are really looking for a budget cruise.

 

If all you want is a cabin and meals, and don't want to drink anything but water and coffee / tea, then you are fine, but I still think your budget is thin.  

Sorry - just my thoughts and opinion.

$3k for the cruise portion. I ended up booking the HAL Koningsdam with the Have It All promo, Verandah for $3200 in May. I’m looking forward to it! Thanks for all the advice. 

[Host Kat]

 

On 9/24/2024 at 3:46 PM, RyanAb said:

Hello, 

I am a first time cruiser. I am in my 30s and am really looking forward to visiting Alaska in May of 2025. I will either be solo or with somebody else, not sure yet. I have done so much research that I have confused myself even more when it comes to picking a cruise line and ship. 

My priorities are a clean ship with a good spa, a solid balcony/verandah room, not too much over $3k for a 7 day trip, and I am pretty set on leaving out of Vancouver for a better itinerary that lets me see more of Alaska on my excursions. 

 

I was leaning toward NCL Encore/Bliss because of their solo traveler program but then learned they dock outside of town and their port times are already short. Then I was leaning toward HAL Konginsdam/Eurodam but am a bit worried their staterooms are dated and there isn’t much to do on board. HX is right up my alley but their trips are 11+ days and about $2-5k outside of my budget. I think I would prefer to be with an older group than a bunch of families/kids. 

 

I could really use some advice from experienced cruisers in their 30s-40s on which cruise line/ship I should go with. I greatly appreciate any assistance/insight you can provide!. 

 

1 hour ago, RyanAb said:

$3k for the cruise portion. I ended up booking the HAL Koningsdam with the Have It All promo, Verandah for $3200 in May. I’m looking forward to it! Thanks for all the advice. 

 

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[Hlitner]

Congratulations on booking your cruise   Since budget seems to be a major consideration, I would suggest you use a lot of price caution, once aboard.  HAL is a line that does its best to "maximize onboard revenue."  You can spend thousands of dollars, once aboard, if you do not use discipline and common sense.  In your OP you mentioned the Spa, and this is a place that can rapidly destroy a budget.  On board Spas are operated by a third party contractor and their operators are very skilled at separating folks from their money.  Other areas to avoid, in terms of controlling your budget, are the photo shop and art auctions.  Also beware that HAL has plenty of "Add-Ons" in their Main Dining Room (MDR) and even their alternative Pinnacle Grill.  

 

Finally, there is the issue of cruise line excursions.  They are also handled by third-party contractors and are generally overpriced and overcrowded.   Do you want to see the beautiful outdoors with 60 of your friends?  In some cases, you might want to simply do some things on your own (such as a walking tour of a port) or join with others (you can use the CC Roll Call) on a small group private tour that might be both better and less expensive than a cruise line excursion.

 

There are many cruisers who get carried away, once aboard, and spend money without a thought.  Cruise ships make this tempting because you never need cash or a credit card and can simply use your cruise card (also your cabin key) to charge anything.  At the end of the cruise, you then find yourself with a bill of thousands of dollars.

 

Hank