FIRST HAL CRUISE...what to expect?

[RandomIam]

Hey everyone,
We are going on our second cruise in September. A few questions. Our first cruise was on Carnival Inspiration to Grand Cayman and Cozumel. It was OK, not bad for our first cruise. This time we decided to take a big jump and go on HAL Westerdam to Alaska. We will be bringing our 11 month old and his grandparents as well.

What are the biggest differences between the two lines? What should we expect different from Carnival?

Second...shore excursions. We have heard great things about Capt. Larry in Juneau. Is it worth going with him or is the cruise's excursion just as good. We are visiting Juneau Sitka and Ketchikan. We are traveling with our baby (will be 11 months) and parents (65 and 76). What would be the best bets for excursions?

Last question, I know everyone has different opinions of children on cruise ships. As I said our son will be 11 months so you wont have to worry about him running around unsupervised. We promise to do our best to keep him from bothering anybody. Any advice from people who have sailed with little guys (under a year) before?

Thanks

[middle-aged mom]

Hello Random, and welcome to the HAL board. I am a "newbie" myself, but I am attaching a link to an excellent Westerdam review written by 5 in OK, who travelled on Westerdam to Alaska this past May with her parents and three children, although none of her children was as young as yours. But there's all kinds of really great and useful info in her review. Click right here (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=355871&highlight=Westerdam). Perhaps you've already read it? Have a wonderful cruise on HAL; I know I am definitely looking forward to our first family cruise onboard Zaandam this summer.

[tomc]

As I said our son will be 11 months so you wont have to worry about him running around unsupervised. We promise to do our best to keep him from bothering anybody. Any advice from people who have sailed with little guys (under a year) before? As someone who has had years of experience of not being a parent, my only advice is to make sure the Little One does not get overstimulated. Find the quiet spots on the ship, which change with the day parts, and schedule a few time-outs every so often. I noticed there were times when the Wajang Theater was empty (the movie theater, whatever the equivalent is on the Wester), maybe the show lounge, especially the upper balcony, when nothing is going on. They are quiet, dark places.

As I said, like most self-appointed experts, I have no experience in this. But finding quiet spots around the ship is better than going back to your cabin each time baby gets antsy.

[RandomIam]

Thanks for the tips. Good idea about finding quiet spots.