Young couple in Alaska

[staceyeileen]

Hi all! I am hoping someone can provide some insight into our plans for an Alaskan cruise. Every time I think I've picked a cruise I read something else that changes my mind. We are a young couple, recently married, in our late 20's. We just returned from our honeymoon where we cruised with Carnival down to Central America. It was DH's first cruise, and I think I made a cruising enthusiast out of him (yay!) which means we are already planning our next. From reading this board, I know we want a r/t itinerary that includes Glacier Bay during late-May. I *think* I've narrowed it down the these options:

 

NCL Pearl out of Seattle

Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, Victoria

 

HAL Zaandam or Westerdam out of Seattle

Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Ketchikan, Victoria

 

HAL Zuiderdam or Volendam out of Vancouver

Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan

 

DH says he doesn't care about the ship or the line, we are making the trip to see ALASKA. While I agree with him for the most part, the ship has always been a big part of the experience for me in the past. Neither of us have sailed on NCL or HAL before. Is it true that HAL is generally an older crowd and on-board activities and entertainment are better on NCL? Will we feel out of place? How about the food? Will we be too enthralled with Alaska and worn out in the evenings to even care about these things?

 

Based on itinerary alone my head is telling me to give the nod to Zuiderdam or Volendam because it goes to both Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay, but something keeps bringing me back to the Pearl. Zaandam and Westerdam are the only ones that go to Sitka. I know cruising out of Vancouver is generally preferred for scenic cruising, but from the maps it looks like the Pearl itinerary tends to stick more to the Alaskan inside passage than other Seattle itineraries I've seen, with less open Pacific cruising. Or am I just trying to convince myself so I can go on the newer, hipper ship? :rolleyes:

 

DH is leaving it up to me. HELP!

[Toyz711]

you should enjoy the pearl, with the bowling alley and rocking climbing you have stuff to do when not in port. plus the freestyle dining, you have many places to dine...tables of 2 are the norm, for those that want it.

glacier bay is wonderful.

we took our neice/hubby with us on the NCL star, while they had a good time..they would have liked the pearl better. (this was the year before the pearl started cruising).

[Marie321]

We've been to Alaska 3 times. We enjoyed our trip out of Vancouver more because of the gorgeous inside passage. We flew in and out of Seattle and took the Amtrak from Seattle over to Vancouver. A very enjoyable start to our cruise!

 

Most people will tell you that Tracy Arm from a ship isn't great. They recommend a jet boat. This leaves out of Juneau at 9 AM, so your ship has to be docked before then. I haven't been on this, but hope to next time. There are many things to do in Juneau if this doesn't interest you.

 

Sitka is my very favorite port. Not touristy. Very beautiful.

 

I enjoyed the train in Skagway. I enjoyed Butchart Gardens in Victoria. We fished in Ketchikan, but it will be too early in May. Glacier Bay is awesome!

 

We've cruised the Westerdam often. We are older than you (50's) and not "partiers". We did do a lot during the day in ports and very seldom did anything in the evening. We were generally up very early (5 AM). There was not much going on in the evening other than the regular show, disco, etc. This ship was a good fit for us, but may not be for you.

[CaribQween]

I know cruising out of Vancouver is generally preferred for scenic cruising, but from the maps it looks like the Pearl itinerary tends to stick more to the Alaskan inside passage than other Seattle itineraries I've seen, with less open Pacific cruising. Or am I just trying to convince myself so I can go on the newer, hipper ship? :rolleyes:

 

 

Does anyone have any experience cruising this route to tell us if the NCL cruises out of Seattle really do stick to the Inside Passage? In looking at the Pearl itinerary for the 7-day Glacier Bay R/T out of Seattle, it actually does say Cruising Alaska's Inside Passage. However, the map only shows the inside passage up further north by Ketchikan and Juneau, but not down when leaving out of Seattle. In the southern portion it is still showing more of the Pacific cruising. The reason I ask is because we would really like to take NCL to Alaska. But in looking at all of the itineraries being offered, there are no round trips out of Vancouver (thus the inside passage) that also offers Glacier Bay. Since this would be our first Alaska cruise, if we were going to do a round trip, we would absolutely want it to include Glacier Bay as well as the inside passage. With what we are seeing offered right now, there isn't any itinerary that includes both. Any help would be appreciated.

[staceyeileen]

Does anyone have any experience cruising this route to tell us if the NCL cruises out of Seattle really do stick to the Inside Passage?

 

Sorry if I mislead you... the Pearl does indeed sail west of Vancouver Island and not through the portion of the inside passage near Vancouver. I was just comparing Seattle itineraries and the Pearl seems to stick MORE to the *Alaskan* inside passage than the HAL itineraries... at least that is my interpretation of the itinerary maps? Perhaps it doesn't make a difference, I'm not sure.

 

Example:

NCL Pearl

 

vs. HAL Westerdam

[tee_harbor]

Sorry if I mislead you... the Pearl does indeed sail west of Vancouver Island and not through the portion of the inside passage near Vancouver. I was just comparing Seattle itineraries and the Pearl seems to stick MORE to the *Alaskan* inside passage than the HAL itineraries... at least that is my interpretation of the itinerary maps? Perhaps it doesn't make a difference, I'm not sure.

 

I think it's a case of one cartographer making bigger loops than the other. :D

 

Only Sitka is on the open ocean of your ports, and coming from Juneau, the only time you're in the open ocean is when you drop anchor and then when you leave and go to the end of the island to cut back into the passage.

 

However, from looking at the Westerdam's itinerary, they spend the first day sailing like a bat out of hell up to Glacier Bay, so there will be little sightseeing, IMO. I'm not sure why the map doesn't show a single path up to Glacier Bay when the itinerary states that's what will be happening. Hopefully someone who's done this tour will post.

[CaribQween]

Sorry if I mislead you... the Pearl does indeed sail west of Vancouver Island and not through the portion of the inside passage near Vancouver. I was just comparing Seattle itineraries and the Pearl seems to stick MORE to the *Alaskan* inside passage than the HAL itineraries... at least that is my interpretation of the itinerary maps? Perhaps it doesn't make a difference, I'm not sure.

 

Example:

NCL Pearl

 

vs. HAL Westerdam

 

Oh no, you didn't mislead me. I just wasn't seeing the whole picture clearly. Thanks for showing the two maps together because now I can see better what you're saying. Even between Ketchikan and Juneau, HAL circles out into the Pacific whereas the map from NCL is showing the Inside Passage for that portion of the itinerary.

[deadzone1003]

Based on itinerary alone my head is telling me to give the nod to Zuiderdam or Volendam because it goes to both Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay, but something keeps bringing me back to the Pearl. Zaandam and Westerdam are the only ones that go to Sitka. I know cruising out of Vancouver is generally preferred for scenic cruising, but from the maps it looks like the Pearl itinerary tends to stick more to the Alaskan inside passage than other Seattle itineraries I've seen, with less open Pacific cruising. Or am I just trying to convince myself so I can go on the newer, hipper ship?

 

Just be aware that Tracy Arm is very icy in May. It is difficult for most cruise ships to view Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm at a reasonably close distance in July. It is best to see Tracy Arm from a small boat anyway and

the Westerdam is the only r/t cruiseship that has a timeframe that allows you to do a day cruise from Juneau to Tracy Arm. However the Zuiderdam or Volendam would still be a good choice. Now, don't expect too much in terms of social life from any cruise ship sailing Alaska. The demographics are more similiar than dissimilar, even Carnival is pretty quiet. Since you are sailing in May, kids are still in school. So, just pick the itinerary that appeals to you most.

[Budget Queen]

Overall passengers are older sailing Alaska with middle aged and above the bulk on ALL LINES, including Carnival.

 

There is a great difference in routes but round trip Seattles do the LEAST scenic sailing overall. The Pearl essentially has 2 "sea" days. The routes can vary greatly with Vancouver, but sailing inside Vancouver Island is extremely scenic, and HAL does detour to Robson Bight. ALL cruises can "say" they sail the Inside Passage, you can not get to Juneau, Skagway without doing so.

 

I have been on HAL in Alaska and on the Pearl. HAL is my preference, their cpts. go out of the way for the passenger, and have a ship naturalist which greatly enhances a trip, especially for a first timer.