Alaska 2008 - expert advice needed

[TMJplus1]

Hello - I'm getting ready to book our Alaska cruise for next summer and I've got some questions I know y'all can answer. As you'll see below, there is a lot I have to take into consideration and I'm feeling overwhelmed - your expert advice is MOST appreciated! :) :) :)

 

1) DEPARTURE PORT: We want to go round trip out of either Vancouver or Seattle (we live in between so we would not have to deal with airfare for our family of 5). Is there an advantage/disadvantage to either port? Do Seattle cruises go through the Inside Passage? Is there a disadvantage to Seattle cruises stopping briefly in Victoria, BC on the way back? (Been to Victoria many times so it feels like a "waste" to take a cruise there.)

 

2) SHIP: Unless I'm reading the website wrong (entirely possible) there are no Vista class ships out of Vancouver next year? So if we want to go Vista class we have to take the Oosterdam out of Seattle? (Not that there's anything wrong with the O'dam...it just gets back to that whole departure port issue again.)

 

3) TIMING: We are taking our 3 kids along so budget is a big factor (we want to get 2 cabins); therefore, we have decided to travel in September. Will there be any kids on the ship in September? Is the weather just horribly awful in September (remember, we already live in the Pac NW so we're not exactly expecting balmy tropical weather anyway)? Is there an advantage to going in May rather than September, since the prices are even better in May?

 

4) KIDS: Speaking of the kids...we will have our twin 12-year-olds and a 5-year-old along with us. While I was not blown away with the children's program on the O'dam in December, I have been assured that Club HAL is a much more active/better program on Alaska cruises because there are more families aboard. Will there still be plenty for them to do in Club HAL in September (or May)? Even on the Ryndam, Zaandam, or Veendam?

 

5) SHIP Part 2: We will also be traveling with my parents (in their 60's) who will be first-time cruisers and who are pretty elite travelers who are nervous about cruising - being "confined" to the ship, small cabin size, etc. This is why we've picked HAL for this cruise because we want to give them the best possible experience. We will recommend they get a suite since budget is not as big of an issue for them. Would a Vista class ship be too big for a "fussy" traveler? Would they be happier on the Ryndam, Zaandam, or Veendam?

 

THANKS SO MUCH!

[hammybee]

I'll take on the issue of kids. There were about 200 kids onboard the 5/20 sailing. Most were very young- preschool. Club HAL was hoppin.

 

The majority of families with school-aged children sail late June- early August.

It is possible that your twins may be a tiny minority, if you sail in May or September because most kids are in school. So often it's all about the other kids they meet while onboard especially for the middle school set. Your timing is not particularily conducive for your twins to make new friends.

 

I believe that only the Ryndam and Statendam will be doing a R/T out of Vancouver, in 2008. The rest disembark in Anchorage requiring a flight back to the states.

 

All sails from Seattle hit Victoria on the return trip. I think the departures from Vancouver are more scenic. Decisions- decisions.

 

You might consider a compromize and sail on the Amsterdam, out of Seattle. It's the perfect sized ship and a classic. Your parents will not be dissappointed in the suite life. Please consider, if at all possible, sailing when there are likely to be more school-aged children onboard.

[MercedMike]

Well, now, those of us who post to these boards are NOT the experts (although I know there are some posters who obviously consider themselves otherwise ...) We are just a bunch of opinionated and biased folks who happen to have more or fewer cruises under our belts and have acquired a bit of knowledge.

 

If you want expert help with the kind of questions you are asking, positively the best suggestion I can make to you is to find a good local Travel Agent who is a CLIA Accredited Cruise Counselor. Ask around from your friends and co-workers for their recommendations, and look for the CLIA certificate for the agent, not just for the agency. Tell the agent what you are interested in and ask for some suggestions. (If the agency only pushes one cruise line, run like the wind to another TA). Read through the brochures, go back to the agent with your questions, and be sure you are comfortable with the attention you receive and the way your questions are answered. It does not cost you anything, but the agency will get a nice commission from the cruise line when you book the cruise so you should get a lot of attention and service. That is the best way to learn about cruising from an expert!

 

Check out my page on suites on HAL. I think your parents will find lots of activities on the ship and not feel "confined"!

http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/zsuite.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[jtl513]

Seattle round-trips definitely do not do the best part of the Inside Passage, which is along the east side of Vancouver Island. We made that mistake 5 years ago, and are finally about to correct it this Sep on the Statendam.

 

As far as ship class goes, I prefer the Vistas because I like newer ships, and DW likes the S and R because they require much less walking. I think either would be fine for you and your parents, but the kids would probably like the Club HAL on the Vistas better.

 

I would guess that you would be more likely to finds more kids on May sailings that Sep sailings, as many school systems, such as those here in FL, get out for the summer in early May, but nearly everyone is in session by Sept.

 

Bottom line: I suggest Vancouver, in late May.

[hawgwildterry]

Howdy Neighbor,

 

We booked the Veendam out of Vancouver on her May 9th roundtrip, inside passage to Alaska.

 

We liked the idea of cruising the actual Inside Passage and back. We also wanted a little bit more of an intimate feel about the ship this time. As you mentioned, Victoria is a very nice place.....but to us it's 'been there done that' too many times.

 

If you do want a bigger ship then the Vista's out of Seattle will fit you and your family well.

 

Good luck with your decision.

 

Terry

[TMJplus1]

Thanks for all the great replies! I'm hoping to get this booked this week so I will let you all know what we decide. Definitely leaning towards Vancouver, though, and will consider May.

 

Regarding a travel agent, I agree to a point but I really think the best advice comes from those who have "been there done that" and who don't necessarily have a financial interest in the advice they're giving me. Thanks again! :)

[Tricia724]

First of all, you are going to have a wonderful trip no matter which choice you make. You can't go wrong.....it's just a matter of choosing the options that will work best for you, and only you can decide your priorities.

 

I have sailed from Vancouver but I've never sailed out of Seattle, so I can't personally compare the two, but if you go to HAL's website and look at itinerary maps for sailings out of Vancouver and Seattle, I think you can see the difference. Sailing from Seattle, the ship swings out into the Gulf of Alaska and into more open water, whereas from Vancouver the ship hugs the coast all the way up. Many people consider the sailings from Vancouver to be more scenic and with more daylight sailing.

 

I'm seeing what you're seeing from the HAL website.....no Vistas out of Vancouver next year. Perhaps we're starting to see the results of saturation in the Alaska market, since there are a lot of discounts on cruises this year. Anyway, if you decide on a Vista, you will have to sail out of Seattle, but that would give you a choice between Oosterdam and Westerdam.

 

I can't address the kids' options because I don't travel with children, but my last Alaska cruise was the final sailing of the year in mid-September, and there were very few children onboard or in port. Perhaps if you traveled the first week in September there might be more but still probably not as many as during the summer. I'm inclined to agree with hammybee that May might be better for kids because it's the end of the school year. Perhaps if you call HAL's customer service, they can give you an idea how many children are booked for the same time periods this year.

 

As far as the weather goes in Alaska, there are no guarantees whenever you go. You will find cruise reviews reporting good weather and bad weather for just about every month. No, the weather won't necessarily be awful in September, but the odds are higher for more rain and colder weather. When I was there two years ago, we sailed from Vancouver somewhere around the 16th of September and had exceptional weather for the whole week with about an hour of rain in Ketchican. That may not be the norm, but it does happen. My prior trip was the first week in June, and that was also wonderful weather. Since you live in the Northwest, I'm sure you can handle whatever Alaska throws at you in either May or September.

 

Regarding your parents, unless they are unreasonable or hard to please, they should do fine. If they are just a little tentative because they've never been on a ship before, they are going to be in for a wonderful surprise. I don't think people realize how nice the ships are and how open and spacious the public rooms are until they get onboard.

 

As for the size of the Vistas.....well, they are the largest ships in HAL's fleet for now, but they are smaller than many of the ships other cruiselines are sailing to Alaska. If your parents are basically healthy and can walk around, they should do fine on a Vista. If they have physical limitations, then they might do better on one of the smaller ships. That fear of confinement will disappear once they get on the ship and look around. A larger cabin should help.

 

Good luck to you and happy sailing.

[hammybee]

If you want expert help with the kind of questions you are asking, positively the best suggestion I can make to you is to find a good local Travel Agent who is a CLIA Accredited Cruise Counselor. Ask around from your friends and co-workers for their recommendations, and look for the CLIA certificate for the agent, not just for the agency. Tell the agent what you are interested in and ask for some suggestions. (If the agency only pushes one cruise line, run like the wind to another TA). Read through the brochures, go back to the agent with your questions, and be sure you are comfortable with the attention you receive and the way your questions are answered. It does not cost you anything, but the agency will get a nice commission from the cruise line when you book the cruise so you should get a lot of attention and service. That is the best way to learn about cruising from an expert!

 

Check out my page on suites on HAL. I think your parents will find lots of activities on the ship and not feel "confined"!

http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/zsuite.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

 

A CLIA accredited cruise counselor has not necessarily sailed with HAL or in Alaska. It's necessary to drill down to the specific agent, within the travel agency. Given you are in Washington, there are many travel agents who specialize in Alaska for the obvious reason, proxcimity to the ports.