Alaskan cruise on HAL...when to go?

[ginnyanne]

We're looking at booking a cruise and I don't know when the best time to go would be. Also...I really don't know what the best itinerary would be. What are your faves? Thanks for the input! :)

[chipmaster]

My 2cents after some reasearch for our cruise last year

1) One way if you can afford the time and airfare open jaw. IMHO doesn't matter which way just saves you a day of sailing for scenic sailing

2) Pick a sailing that gets Glacier Bay or Hubbard or if you are lucky both. While nice, Tracy Arm isn't the same as Glacier Bay or Hubbard.


Best prices are always early and late in the season, May and Sept. The best time depends on what you are looking for, most sun, driest, animails, fishing, or perhaps a specific excursion must do?

[Taz]

I went mid/end of June this year and it was fabulous. We did the land portion first, starting in Fairbanks, and then cruised south from Seward to Vancouver. ALL of our land days were sunny and warmish except for one, but we were on the bus from Denali to Seward the whole time. We had one drizzly day on the cruise portion, but it didn't stop our helicopter excursion to one of the glaciers.

Definitely pick a sailing that gets Glacier Bay, Hubbard, or both. We did Glacier Bay.

If you do decide to take a land tour as well, I'd suggest skipping Fairbanks. I'd have rather gone directly to Denali National Park and spent more time there.

[RuthC]

"Best" is entirely in the eyes of the beholder. As chipmaster says, are you looking for daylight? animals? fishing? snow? Each month tends to offer something different, yet none of it can be counted on. The weather, especially, changes as often as during the course of a day. I have gone from sweatshirt w/jacket to t-top and slacks in one day!

I suggest you research the Alaska board to learn about the differences from one end of the season to the other. Factor in price differences, and take a good look at the various itineraries.
Alaska is the one place where itinerary comes first, in my book. Pick the places you want to go to, then find the ship(s) that go there when you want to go.

[Copper10-8]

Weather wise: June, July, August

[fann1sh]

If you've already zeroed in on HAL for Alaska, you should know -

- most people pick HAL because it's one of only 3 lines which can take you to Glacier Bay. (The others are Princess and NCL.)

I've not yet visited Glacier Bay. I've only seen Hubbard (which is amazing. Thank you RuthC for telling me I wouldn't feel disappointed about missing Glacier Bay once I saw Hubbard.)

But, Glacier Bay tops most people's "hit list".

[CowPrincess]

We're looking at booking a cruise and I don't know when the best time to go would be. Also...I really don't know what the best itinerary would be. What are your faves? Thanks for the input! :)

My favorite itinerary no longer exists :( but I keep checking EVERY season to see if there's a one-time-only offered.

As to "best time to go", the earlier months have more daylight (May, June, July) which can be a blessing or a curse, depending on what you want to do, whether you have little kids who need darkness to sleep, etc. Weather is a crapshoot. Some of the best weather I've had in Alaska has been early May and mid-September. That does not hold true for every trip, though -- weather on those trips was anomalous.

Have a look at ALL the ports offered, find out what is available to do on shore in each port, and then decide which itin will get you to the ports you want to experience on your first trip to Alaska. Recognize that it is unlikely that ANY itinerary will get you to everywhere you want to experience, and that you will need to make some trade-offs in all likelihood.

Good luck -- Alaska is amazing, and most of us who go there "once" end up going back again and again :)

[igraf]

I have been to both Glacier areas on HAL and would easily pick Hubbard over Glacier Bay.

Having said that, there is a real risk that the ship will not be able to sail into Yakutak Bay to see Hubbard if the weather is bad. This was a problem during the last month (September) of the 2011 season. We made it in but the cruises during the weeks before and after had to abort. Also, the sea going to and from Yakutak Bay/Hubbard can be rough.

igraf




....

I've not yet visited Glacier Bay. I've only seen Hubbard (which is amazing. Thank you RuthC for telling me I wouldn't feel disappointed about missing Glacier Bay once I saw Hubbard.)

But, Glacier Bay tops most people's "hit list".

[Assateague Island Princes]

If you can spare two weeks, HAL's 14 day itinerary sailing round trip from Seattle cannot be beat! I've done it twice and wouldn't hesitate to do it again! Love the smaller Amsterdam!

The first time on the 14 day itinerary we sailed on May 31, 2010 - great weather, only a couple of days of rain, and it was certainly wonderful having all that daylight for the spectacular scenery! The second time was this past Aug. 5th - we had fantastic weather, and it was the first time in my four trips to AK that I'd been there during the salmon run. Amazing! My goal was to see bears fishing for salmon, and darn if my goal wasn't met.....and surpassed! It was great and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but did miss the longer hours of daylight that we'd experienced in prior early June sailings.

[janmcn]

May is favorite month…more snow on the mountains…usually drier (I say this due to friends who lived there)…prettier overall. BUT…not much animal activity…so plan on going twice! We've been there 4 times and it's still a favorite cruising spot.
Hubbard Glacier for sure!
Also…do a cruise that leaves from Vancouver…gorgeous sailaway.
You'll enjoy it no matter when you go or what you end up seeing…it won't be your last trip there!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Having done quite a few Alaskan cruises from the first part of May through September -- we enjoyed the cruises from the middle of June through the middle of August the best. The weather tends to be better during this time.

If you can afford a longer cruise I would suggest the 14 day Amsterdam cruise -- lots of ports - does Hubbard Glacier and Tracy Arm. Surprisingly we saw more glacier calving this year in Tracy Arm. For the first ever for us we were not able to get very close to Hubbard glacier. No one can predict how close you will get to any glacier. Ports include Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, Kodiak, Homer, Anchorage, Icy Straight Point (Hoonah).

Forgot - also Victoria.

[VermeulT]

Best month for animals?

How do you deal with the air travel from the east coast? Fairbanks seems like a pain to get into (connections etc).
I did a search and couldn't find anything under $600... is that typical? Would you be more inclined to book air though HAL?

[SwissMyst]

We were late May and early June - very cold and some light rain with patches of rough seas, but it had been in the 70-80's just the week before. However, this time of the year was green and gorgeous with lots of blooming flowers and the rhododendrens at their peak. Snow on the mountians just a few miles away. Stunning scenery. But dress as if going on a ski vacation would be my advice. The sun can be out, but the winds and outdoor air can be cold.

[Willsot]

We sailed on the Rotterdam the last week in Aug./first week in Sep. and the weather was wonderful. We also had excellent whale watching. We prefer Hubbard over Glacier Bay.

[SwissMyst]

For a 7 day round trip - Zuiderdam from Vancouver Inside Passage was a great package. Liked Skagway a lot once I got to really understand the Yukon Gold Rust history - very well handled in this historic town. Be sure to take the White Railway both up and down and see where these miners trudged up these slopes and on into the Yukon. Best HAL Main Dining Room food so far on that Zuiderdam trip. Or, was it so cold we had great appetites? Naw, I think it was really good.

[GeriatricNurse]

For a 7 day round trip - Zuiderdam from Vancouver Inside Passage was a great package. Liked Skagway a lot once I got to really understand the Yukon Gold Rust history - very well handled in this historic town. Be sure to take the White Railway both up and down and see where these miners trudged up these slopes and on into the Yukon. Best HAL Main Dining Room food so far on that Zuiderdam trip. Or, was it so cold we had great appetites? Naw, I think it was really good.


Wasn't it the Zuiderdam that you had a bad dining experience at one time in the PG? :confused:

[BSinPNS]

An advantage of doing the land tour in Alaska and then boarding the ship - you know about 50 of your fellow travellers very well having spent several days with them.

[SwissMyst]

Wasn't it the Zuiderdam that you had a bad dining experience at one time in the PG? :confused:

I always qualify my Zuiderdam dining comments with MAIN DINING ROOM food was the best we have ever had. And I dropped complaining about the worst meal we had ever had anywhere on planet earth in the Zuiderdam Pinnacle Grill on June 18, 2010.

Gosh Geri, I didn't know you missed hearing about this again. So, here it is. Zuiderdam Pinnacle Grill - June 18, 2010 - worst dining experience we ever had on planet earth, ever.:p

[startwin]

I always qualify my Zuiderdam dining comments with MAIN DINING ROOM food was the best we have ever had. And I dropped complaining about the worst meal we had ever had anywhere on planet earth in the Zuiderdam Pinnacle Grill on June 18, 2010.

Gosh Geri, I didn't know you missed hearing about this again. So, here it is. Zuiderdam Pinnacle Grill - June 18, 2010 - worst dining experience we ever had on planet earth, ever.:p

LOL.... I take it you didn't enjoy your meal that night?:rolleyes: Guess you can't recommend the PG for me, then, for my Panama cruise:D

[startwin]

Up until my last cruise to Alaska, I've always said September is the best. Not any more, we had wild weather and very high seas. Think I'll choose July next time.

[SwissMyst]

LOL.... I take it you didn't enjoy your meal that night?:rolleyes: Guess you can't recommend the PG for me, then, for my Panama cruise:D

Later PG reports from the Zuiderdam have been better. And there were others who also shared other PG horror stories as well about a year ago. One does not hear them any longer. I think the PGs went through a really bad period for a while back then.

The biggest complaint from others was inconsistency, which was always a mystery because it is a limited menu that has not changed much so one would think they could get it down to a fine art of fine dining across the fleet. It was agreed the setting is lovely and a nice change of environment from the business of the main dining room.

But even I don't want to dreg up the details from the first bit of the flabby bread crisps to the Faked Alaska glop to the surly wait staff and the palpable staff tensions that bled into every single part of what was intended to be a premium evening. :( T'was a bad night at the Zuiderdam PG.

[startwin]

Later PG reports from the Zuiderdam have been better. And there were others who also shared other PG horror stories as well about a year ago. One does not hear them any longer. I think the PGs went through a really bad period for a while back then.

The biggest complaint from others was inconsistency, which was always a mystery because it is a limited menu that has not changed much so one would think they could get it down to a fine art of fine dining across the fleet. It was agreed the setting is lovely and a nice change of environment from the business of the main dining room.

But even I don't want to dreg up the details from the first bit of the flabby bread crisps to the Faked Alaska glop to the surly wait staff and the palpable staff tensions that bled into every single part of what was intended to be a premium evening. :( T'was a bad night at the Zuiderdam PG.

Great descriptive ability, LOL - I get the picture.

[RAJKR74]

Like Krazy Kruizers said earlier, the 14 day Alaska cruise out of Seattle on the Amsterdam is a great cruise. We did it in early July this year and had excellant weather. The ship and crew were great and this was probably the best cruise of the four we have done.

Here is a link to our pictures from our trip:

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=07afc87cdf2f6dca&sc=photos#cid=07AFC87CDF2F6DCA&id=7AFC87CDF2F6DCA%212347&sc=photos

Just click on one of the albums and it will display thumbnails. Click the first thumbnail and it will start a slide show. The arrow in the top left will take you back to the album page.

Also going on any cruise that takes the "inside passage" is the way to go. This goes on the east side of Vancouver Island and it not only is very scenic but calmer than out in the ocean west of Vancouver Island.

We did Glacier Bay back in 2007 and then Hubbard on the Amsterdam this year. Have to say Hubbard was the better glacier.

Trying to decide what month has the best weather is very hard to do. We did a 7 day Alaska cruise out of Vancouver BC in 2007 in the middle of July and never saw the sun in 7 days but this year we had only one hour of rain in Sitka for the full 14 days......so who knows?

But the good thing is....any Alaska cruise is good and very memorable. You will have a great cruise!