Cruise to Alaska questions

[janiceah]

So, my MIL would really love to cruise to Alaska next summer. My BIl & SIL would also be going so I have so many questions.
We would do a 7 day out of Seattle and I'm looking at the Rotterdam or Vaandam and this will be our 1st time to Alaska for all. (and my inlaws first cruise)
Should I wait to book till we go on the Eurodam in February. Would their be savings then?
Is this a good itinerary? Both ships seem to have similar itineraries.
My MIL will probably stay in our cabin. Is that doable? We're looking at either an inside or OV due to costs (with 2 cruises in one year). Can you do a guarantee if you have 3 people?
Any must sees? I know there is tons of info out there but I don't even know where to begin even though I have done some research on here.
Any feedback is so appreciated. Thank you so much!

[pipedreams62]

Alaska is beautiful. If you book on the ship you'll get shipboard credit and you'll only have to put down $200 deposit for two people.

Right now,they have some Alaskan sailings (on HAL) where the 3rd and 4th person are FREE in the cabin. I'm not sure when the dates are or when you're going.

It's a gorgeous trip and it's like living in a painting.

have fun,

If I can help let me know.

[CowPrincess]

Getting to see Sitka (which I think the Seattle itin offers) will be wonderful. However, you get two days of "out in the ocean, not a lot to see" sailing from Seattle.

If I recall correctly, you cannot do a "guarantee" for 3 people in one cabin -- not all cabins can accommodate 3 people.

IMHO an OV is worth the bit of added expense, especially if some of you are likely to get tired out. One friend I travelled with this spring stayed in the cabin, in her jammies and slippers, to view Glacier Bay. She could be comfy, and still see the scenery.

DO check out the Alaska board here on CC -- there is a ton of GREAT information, and many helpful posters.

edited to add link to the Alaska board: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

[Krazy Kruizers]

If you wait to book when you are on the Eurodam -- you will get shipboard credit. But you can only book for 2 people. Don't know if it will be possible to add a third person once you get home. We have never gotten a cheaper price on a cruise when we have booked while cruising -- they don;t give any discounts.

I would choose the Rotterdam over the Veendam -- she is a more classic ship.

As said -- you will have 2 days sailing in the Pacific. The 7 day cruises out of Seattle do not do the inside passage.

[fsdj1097]

So, my MIL would really love to cruise to Alaska next summer. My BIl & SIL would also be going so I have so many questions.
We would do a 7 day out of Seattle and I'm looking at the Rotterdam or Vaandam and this will be our 1st time to Alaska for all. (and my inlaws first cruise)
Should I wait to book till we go on the Eurodam in February. Would their be savings then?
Is this a good itinerary? Both ships seem to have similar itineraries.
My MIL will probably stay in our cabin. Is that doable? We're looking at either an inside or OV due to costs (with 2 cruises in one year). Can you do a guarantee if you have 3 people?
Any must sees? I know there is tons of info out there but I don't even know where to begin even though I have done some research on here.
Any feedback is so appreciated. Thank you so much!

The round trip iteneraries from Seattle are probably the ones that require the least amount of logistics and the airfare will be cheaper (depending on your home city) than Vancouver or any of the one-way iteneraries.

We have sailed R/T Seattle 4 times and it is a beautiful city with lots to see and do. Would definitely recommend flying in a day or two early to visit the sights and take in some of the fantastic restaurants.

You didn't say which month you planned on sailing. That makes a difference as the pricing for the 'shoulder' months of May and August-September are usually a little less expensive. We try and sail in late May for a couple of reasons. First, the pricing, and then the mountains still have lots of snow remaining. However, if you want to see bears, or spawning salmon, you may want to book later in the season.

The R/T Seattle iteneraries usually include a stop is Sitka which is a beautiful town with lots to see and do. If fishing is a priority, I would recommend Sitka or Ketchikan.

If you want a whale watching excursion, I would plan that for Juneau as Auke Bay usually does not disappoint.

If you book while aboard the Eurodam, you will receive some shipboard credit, but not that much. We prefer booking early and then watch for possible reduction in pricing prior to final payment. We have had good luck in upgrading our cabin assignments from Ocean View to Verandahs with little price difference by watching for the specials on HAL's website. Remember this does not always happen as Alaska is still a very popular itenerary.
Also, by booking early the cabins that accomodate a 3rd person will probably be more readily available. And yes, you can do a guarantee for a triple cabin.

One more suggestion would be to visit the Alaska Ports of Call boards. There is a wealth of knowledge there.

Good luck and please let us know how your booking went.

You will love Alaska. But be careful, it's addicting(as up can tell by my 'signature')!

[Cruisin'Lady]

... And yes, you can do a guarantee for a triple cabin.


This is not always true. If they have a discounted price for a 3rd person...such as 3rd and 4th person are free or $199...ect. HAL will not necessarily sell you a guarantee. I tried to get a guarantee veranda for our cruise when I booked with HAL. But I was told that we didn't qualify because the 3rd person was free. We had a choice between 2 cabins and was told that they will mark the spot for complimentary upgrade if one came up. So far it hasn't.

Happy sailing!:D

[aussiedisneyfan]

You can book a 3 berth cabin while onboard, you don't have to book twin. We booked our Xmas cruise on our last Xmas cruise with $100pp deposit and big OBCs. We have never been able to book a guarantee with 3 people.

[Modern_Viking]

We would do a 7 day out of Seattle and I'm looking at the Rotterdam or Vaandam and this will be our 1st time to Alaska for all.

Should I wait to book till we go on the Eurodam in February. Would their be savings then?

My MIL will probably stay in our cabin. Is that doable? We're looking at either an inside or OV due to costs (with 2 cruises in one year).

Can you do a guarantee if you have 3 people?

Any feedback is so appreciated. Thank you so much!

The two R-class ships sailing most of the 7 night trips to Alaska out of Seattle in 2010 are Zaandam and Rotterdam. There is no "Vaandam" at HAL. :p

Booking on-board reduces your deposit (but increases your final payment by an equal amount) and gets you a little shipboard credit (I would guess $50 for a 7 night cruise in an inside or OV). There do not seem to be any other special discounts not available via land-based booking options.

In general, the cabins on the Zaandam and Rotterdam are bigger than cabins of a similar price on the Vista-class Oosterdam (which is the 3rd ship regularly sailing 7 night Alaska cruises out of Seattle in 2010--although the R-class Amsterdam also has two of them in May).

The main difference in itinerary on Zaandam and Rotterdam seems to be Glacier Bay vs. Hubbard Glacier. I have only been to Glacier Bay and was wowed by it. It seems like many people have a preference of one of these places over the other, but I have not seen any general agreement as to which is "always" better than the other. Thus, I can't really say one or the other will be better for you. Some of your results will be based on weather, current ice conditions, etc. thus hard to predict. Also, what month you cruise might tip the scale toward one stop or the other.

If you have 3 people in a cabin, I would suggest choosing one based on the amount of closet/storage space included. In my only slightly thorough research, here would be my suggestions for which cabins to pick on an R-class ship (such as Amsterdam, Zaandam or Rotterdam), listed best to worse:

1- outside cabin on either Main Deck or Dolphin Deck
2- inside cabin with the longest wall running side to side (port to starboard)
3- an outside cabin on Lower Promenade Deck, an inside cabin with the longer wall running fore-aft (lined up from bow to stern), a wheelchair accessible cabin.

NOTE: I have seen a few people remark that the inside cabins with the longer wall running fore-aft seem "bigger" than inside cabins with the longest wall running side to side. I think the former set of cabins might look bigger because there is slightly more open floor space, which is in part caused by there being less room given up to closets. Also, when you enter these cabins, you have to look left and right to see the whole cabin an that may seem better than looking down a longish and narrow hallway. It may also be that the cabins wall running fore-aft are actually bigger (I don't know for sure). But with three adults in Alaska, my gut would be to sacrifice floor space for closet/shelving space to hold coats, sweatshirts, and the like.

Granted, I am weird, but I don't get taking the gamble on booking a guarantee cabin. I would rather retain control and pick my cabin instead of giving HAL the job of picking for me. To me, room location is important on a ship, and more so than in a hotel. But, I am not a gambler, so maybe that has something to do with it. I have once accepted an upsell offer from HAL to move to a better cabin for a reduced cost. In that case, I did get a better cabin and for less than booking it in the first place. The one time I let HAL give me a free "upgrade," what I got wasn't an upgrade to me and might have been a downgrade. Just something to consider. Your experience may vary.

[janiceah]

What great responses everyone. This answered alot of my questions so thanks for taking the time to post.

I didn't even think of closet space so Modern_Viking thank you for that and for the tips on picking a cabin for the extra room. I was mostly thinking about if the sofa bed was open could I get to the bathroom!

I'm actually so excited my MIL wants to do this. She has been taking care of my FIL who had cancer for the last few years and has now passed away. I think she now has made a "bucket list" and not only was this on hers but also on ours. I'd hate to not go because of money so that's why we're considering an inside or outside cabin when normally I would go for a verandah. In May a 3rd person is free and in June the dates I looked at are $99.
Once again, thanks so much for all of your help!

[sparky-elpaso]

What great responses everyone. This answered alot of my questions so thanks for taking the time to post.

I didn't even think of closet space so Modern_Viking thank you for that and for the tips on picking a cabin for the extra room. I was mostly thinking about if the sofa bed was open could I get to the bathroom!

I'm actually so excited my MIL wants to do this. She has been taking care of my FIL who had cancer for the last few years and has now passed away. I think she now has made a "bucket list" and not only was this on hers but also on ours. I'd hate to not go because of money so that's why we're considering an inside or outside cabin when normally I would go for a verandah. In May a 3rd person is free and in June the dates I looked at are $99.
Once again, thanks so much for all of your help!

We had an inside on the Radiance of the Seas and it was fine for the 2 of us. Here are some pics if you want to do some dreaming. Just click on the Alaska set on the right side and then on slideshow in the upper right corner.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sparky46/

I can recommend "Harv and Marv" for whale watching in Juneau - small boat (6 passengers) so you really get a good view.