Has anyone sailed HAL to Alaska and compare with other lines?

[TeeBuccs]

I am looking to do another nb inside passage cruise to Alaska in '08 but want to branch out for a different itinerary than RCL offers. I am considering HAL and Princess but curious for first hand insite into the HAL experience. I have always envisioned a more sophisticated, stuffy, older crowd on HAL, but things may be different than I envision. If you have done the AK adventure, care to share your thoughts?

 

Thanks in advance!

[gg3]

Took HAL Zaandam, Inside Passage, out of Vancouver, 3 years ago, and Princess Diamond, Inside Passage, out of Seattle, 2 years ago. Much prefer HAL.......for many reasons. I love their look, their class, the size ship we were on, their attention to detail whether it be taking care of our cabin, food prep, keeping everything as germ free as possible, and on and on. When we decided to do Alaska the first time, our agent said "This may be the only time you go to Alaska, so I want to be sure it is a trip to remember, so I would recommend HAL just because they do it right." Also, we loved Vancouver AND Seattle, but Vancouver goes what I think of as the "true" inside passage......taking the route on the E. side of Vancouver Island, while routes out of Seattle go on the W. side of the Island.....which is "hello" the Pacific Ocean. Thus, the scenery is far superior, FAR superior out of Vancouver and the chance of getting into some rough water is greater out of Seattle. Princess Diamond is a lovely ship, but we were often late into port due to I believe, propulsion (?) problems which of course are hopefully repaired now. Also, I liked the smaller Z ship because that meant fewer folks everywhere.....whether it was leaving or boarding the ship, or going to the shows, eating, or just trying to find a slot at the casino. You know this is all very subjective but we are planning another trip to Alaska this year and will go HAL and no, we did not find it at all stuffy.......all age groups. gg

[dmlee1990]

We've sailed HAL to Alaska on the Amsterdam in 2005. We had a wonderful time. HAL caters to those who enjoy and appreciate elegance and excellence in service. HAL does have a slightly more mature crowd, but during the summer months, when school is out, there were many families.....we were one of them. Passengers were very friendly and did not seem to mind having well-behaved children on board.

 

The staff was excellent!! We were very pleased with the service. Our cabin steward was the best. He remembered our names after the first day. Also, our wait staff in the dining room were wonderful. Very helpful with suggesting menu items for dinner........very knowlegeable about each entree: how it tastes, if it was rich, low cal, etc.

 

I've sailed Princess and Carnival in the past, but not to Alaska. Princess is also a good cruiseline, but the European staff were a little arrogant.....but service was still good. Food and entertainment also good. Carnival would probably be lower on my list. Waiter said he had to ask when my husband requested to try two different appetizers for dinner. We never had any problems with this request on Princess or HAL.

 

I don't think you would be dissappointed with HAL. In my opinion, their service is uncomparable to other cruiselines.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done Alaskan cruises on Princess, NCL and HAL. Much prefer HAL.

[lkmamom]

We love Alaska......So much that we have cruised the inside passage three times now. Our first two cruises were on Princess, the Star and the Sapphire. Princess provides a fine cruise experiance. We especially liked the onboard naturalists. The ships are beautiful and we have always enjoyed Princess meals.

 

That being said, we cruised Alaska last summer with HAL for the first time. Our family LOVED HAL.:D My husband attended a medical meeting onboard but we had always wanted to give another cruiseline a try. The Zuiderdam was a very nice ship. It did take a little getting used to the decor because all of our previous cruises have been with Princess. We had a deluxe veranda suite which was absolute heaven. The room was very nice for our family and we especially loved the balcony for Alaska. It was covered!! Now to be fair, one can have a covered balcony on Princess (not on Dolphin deck with the minisuites), but the HAL balconies are so so nice with the teak furniture etc.. Why did we love HAL so much? Well it was the little things. The staff seemed genuinely "glad" that we were sailing with them. We have a teen, and our room steward was always so kind and wanted to make sure that our son was having a great time. The beds are heavenly and the layout of the room was perfect.

We would curl up on our balcony and wrap ourselves in the warm blankets provided in the room and just watch the beauty go by. In the distance one could hear "pea soup". Yep, they walk around with fresh pea soup. Not my favorite, but a nice touch for some:) We felt the evening meal was better on Princess, but the Lido concept for breakfast and lunch has Princess beat hands down.

Maybe it was because we were getting burned out on Princess and needed a change. We will cruise with Princess again but for now we are sticking with HAL. IMHO the staff seemed to really enjoy what they were doing and truly wanted the guests to have the best week of cruising that could be had. I know that is not so with everyone but it truly was in our case.

You really cannot go wrong with either cruiseline but for us, HAL is just right.

Linda

[Atomica]

I've done Alaska twice with NCL and once with HAL, and HAL came out the clear winner. They just seemed to put more attention into everything - from itineraries & port times to excursions to information about ports. The service we had on the Zuiderdam this past September was nothing short of impeccable - and to answer the OP's original question, there was no stuffy atmosphere onboard. In fact, even in late September, we were suprised to see a nice mix of passengers of all ages.

[mrmac]

TeeBuccs - How old are you and what do want to do after dinner? What have you liked and disliked so far in cruising?

 

Princess and HAL are both very good with superior itineraries NB. Check out my Ryndam review here on CC from last July. HAL does have an older crowd with some families in the summer. Princess will have better dance music for a younger crowd if you care about that. I love both the medium size HAL ships and the large Princess ships. Both lines do Glacier Bay and College Fjord so pick that itinerary as it is great.

[MercedMike]

We love Alaska. We are going back for our seventh cruise in August, and this time we are going on HAL. But Princess also does a wonderful cruise. Frankly, I would choose between them on itinerary, date and also on price.

 

Check out our cruising page in the sig below for reviews and pictures of Alaska cruises on both HAL and Princess.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[bepsf]

Have made it to Alaska twice on HAL & had great experiences both times.

 

I'd suggest that if you're concerned about a stuffy atmosphere you might want to make sure you're at Main (Late) Seating for dinner, but also don't expect to be up until the dawn partying because many folks on the Alaskan itineraries seem to want to get their rest so they can get up early to see all the amazing sights in the mornings.

*

However if you do choose to stay up late, the entertainment and cruise staff are lots of fun - and you might even be among the few aboard ship to see the Northern Lights.

;)

 

The staff & crew are incredible:* Waiters and bartenders will remember your name and preferred drink within a day or two.* I've even had them remember me (and my cocktail of choice) months later aboard other ships!

 

One thing about the ships themselves: The Magrodomes over the midship pools really make it alot more comfortable if the weather turns cold - whether you're taking a jacuzzi or just walking from the Lido to the Spa. I've tried to take a jacuzzi on other ships that don't have Magrodomes while in cooler weather, and it's sheer misery.

 

I generally prefer warm-weather cruises, but would not hesitate to sail to Alaska again on HAL.