Alaska w/3 y.o. and 6 m.o.: Pearl vs. Oosterdam

[bosun1972]

First time cruise. We are interested in either the Oosterdam or the Pearl. I like the idea of HAL--seems a bit more subdued than NCL. We are not going on the cruise to bowl or go to a casino--this is for Family and seeing Alaska. We like hiking and being outside.

 

Which line might suit us better? My wife/kid love walking--does Pearl have a promenade deck? Any advice?

[6rugrats]

IMO, if you like a more subdued, upscale experience, avoid the Pearl and stick with HAL.

[bosun1972]

Im' a little concerned about dining. Am I going to offend people with my little kids? Formal nights? Am I spending extra money on something I wont enjoy?

[mousecrazy]

I've been on the NCL Star (same route as Pearl now) and Oosterdam - both to Alaska. First trip was on the Oosterdam with my elderly father and a group from his retirement home. Next trip was 6 months later with my family (and dad) including my ds5 and dd8 on the Star.

 

The Oosterdam is a lovely, elegant ship. Lots of artwork, very upscale surroundings. The dining choices are limited to the buffet or dining room. There is one surcharge restaurant...but I didn't think it was all that great. The food was very good. (But, keep in mind that I think most any food is good that I don't have to prepare). The service was amazing. I had no complaints on this cruise. You must 'dress' for dinner including several semi-formal and formal nights. However, if I had been with my kids, I think they would've had complaints. I'm guessing they wouldn't have liked the formal atmosphere, eating at a structured time or dressing for dinner. It reminds me of a museum...where you're afraid to speak above a whisper for fear of bothering someone. I think it's no surprise when I say that the passengers were older...the average age on our cruise was at least 70. But, we went in early September so all the kids were in school. I don't know what it's like in the summer, but I'm sure there are more kids. I checked out the kids area and it was small (smaller than the Star's area in contrast).

 

The Oosterdam and Star (now Pearl's itinerary) shared a similar itinerary. Except Oosterdam went to Sitka and Star went to Skagway. In my opinion, Skagway is a much more interesting port. The mining history of that port appealed to my family much more than the Russian heritage of Sitka. But again, these are personal opinions.

 

The Pearl is a newer ship than the Star, but I can't image the 'feel' of the ships are that much different. The Freestyle concept worked really well for our family. We could be flexible with when we ate and (a big deal with kids) what we wore. We didn't have to pack dress up clothes or force my 5 yo into them. The feel of the ship for us was relaxed and fun. The kids love the Kids Crew and still talk about their counselors.

 

We loved our experience in Alaska. And will probably go again when the kids are a little older and can experience it in a different way than before. We would like to try out other ships and cruiselines in the future, but for now, NCL works well for us. We're on the Star to the Mexican Riviera next month and very much looking forward to it.

[c-cruise]

We took our then 5 month old on the Oosterdam to Alaska last Summer and had a great time. We choose HAL primarily because Princess and RCI had a minimum age of 6 months which were were just shy of. Didn't consider NCL as an option because we have sailed with them before to Alaska and were not impressed.

 

Had no trouble bringing our daughter to the dining room on formal night (or any other night). The waiters had fun keeping her entertained. We were worried about disturbing other passengers, but honestly is was quite loud in the dining room so it wasn't an issue. The only time she cried was during the baked Alaska parade. Also, HAL now has an anytime dining option so you are not limited to the fixed dinner times. There is always the buffet of course as an alternative to the dining room.

 

We went in July and the average age was probably 50 I would say. Not overrun with kids, but definitely several hundred onboard. Quite a few folks on the other end of the age spectrum as well. We were often competing for floor space with our stroller with the folks with walkers :D

 

We loved the Oosterdam's itinerary. Sitka is great in that it is not a tourist trap like Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan have become. It is also not overrun with cruise ships so there is a decent chance you would be the only ship there that day. Oosterdam also goes to Hubbard Glacier which is much more spectacular than Sawyer (Tracy Arm) or even Glacier Bay (IMHO).