Alaska 1st time with 29 & 25 year olds - Questions!!!

We are considering taking a 7 day Alaska cruise next summer (round trip Seattle) with our 2 daughters, aged 29 & 25. For Alaska I do not want to be on a ship over 2000 people. If we could afford it we would do an Un-Cruise with only 80 on board! We are looking at June or August and would like to know the pros and cons of each. Looking at the HALs Westerdam and Carnival Legend, primarily as they at mid-sized ships. My girls don't need lots of action. Our needs are good food, friendly fellow travelers, good itinerary, and well maintained ship. Have been doing research and now seek suggestions form you experts! I welcome any advice on ships, etc. Thank you.

We are considering taking a 7 day Alaska cruise next summer (round trip Seattle) with our 2 daughters, aged 29 & 25. For Alaska I do not want to be on a ship over 2000 people. If we could afford it we would do an Un-Cruise with only 80 on board! We are looking at June or August and would like to know the pros and cons of each. Looking at the HALs Westerdam and Carnival Legend, primarily as they at mid-sized ships. My girls don't need lots of action. Our needs are good food, friendly fellow travelers, good itinerary, and well maintained ship. Have been doing research and now seek suggestions form you experts! I welcome any advice on ships, etc. Thank you.

Alaska is more about ports than the ships. Most ships in Alaska are over 2000 passengers . Of the two I would chose HAL over Carnival. Because you are traveling twenties year olds I would suggest the Legend because there will be more activities later in the evening on-board.

Westerdam will be a better product overall but the age would be a little older.

Because you are traveling twenties year olds I would suggest the Legend because there will be more activities later in the evening on-board.

Westerdam will be a better product overall but the age would be a little older.

I disagree, in my experience going on both lines in Alaska, Carnival has no more activities than HAL in the evening. Demographics are similar as well, (took, both, again this year)

We are considering taking a 7 day Alaska cruise next summer (round trip Seattle) with our 2 daughters, aged 29 & 25. For Alaska I do not want to be on a ship over 2000 people. If we could afford it we would do an Un-Cruise with only 80 on board! We are looking at June or August and would like to know the pros and cons of each. Looking at the HALs Westerdam and Carnival Legend, primarily as they at mid-sized ships. My girls don't need lots of action. Our needs are good food, friendly fellow travelers, good itinerary, and well maintained ship. Have been doing research and now seek suggestions form you experts! I welcome any advice on ships, etc. Thank you.

In my opinion with your big ship dislike- I think you need to look more at the ports, port time, and port activities. You don't list the itineraries, but there is likely to be differences that could direct you to your choice.

Thank you both for your replies. The itineraries are almost identical. Westerdam is Seattle, Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Ketchikan, Victoria, Seattle. Carnival Legend is the same but substitutes Skagway in place of Glacier Bay. So any comments on the one difference in itineraries are welcome. The girls being 25 and 29 actually do not need tons of activities as they are not big party girls. I am more concerned with the quality of the experience. Would be open to other lines but am not interested in very large ships. Thank you.

Thank you both for your replies. The itineraries are almost identical. Westerdam is Seattle, Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Ketchikan, Victoria, Seattle. Carnival Legend is the same but substitutes Skagway in place of Glacier Bay. So any comments on the one difference in itineraries are welcome. The girls being 25 and 29 actually do not need tons of activities as they are not big party girls. I am more concerned with the quality of the experience. Would be open to other lines but am not interested in very large ships. Thank you.

Substituting Skagway for Glacier Bay National Park is not a trivial change. It isn't called a National Park for nothing. Skagway is nice but Glacier Bay is stunning.

DON

Maybe consider a one way from Vancouver on the Coral Princess...... We have discovered that our ship experience is what we make of it regardless of the number of passengers.

The ports might be the same but also look closely at the port times. Will you be in port long enough and at the right time of day for planned activities?

Good point about the port times. What would you consider minimum times needed at each place to get to the most out of it? I will look into that more closely. looks like we should stick to the itinerary with Glacier Bay. Thanks!

The amount of time you need will depend on planned activities.

ie it would be difficult to plan a bear watching excursion in Ketchikan with a port time of 7am - 1pm.

Good point about the port times. What would you consider minimum times needed at each place to get to the most out of it? I will look into that more closely. looks like we should stick to the itinerary with Glacier Bay. Thanks!

Not to be rude, but I am factual- YOU need to determine WHAT you want to see and do in ports. Look at EACH one (they all have visitor websites), and figure out where YOUR priorities are and what tours YOU want to do or what you want to see.

In my opinion- with you claiming these two sailing are "identical", tells me, you would be best doing more homework. They aren't really similar at all, with BIG differences, you aren't aware of. Sitka, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Tracy Arm are ALL ane EACH very different and offers different opportunities. I'm never one to make claims of some being better than others- as those would be what I may like. Each of these offers something that is very worthwhile. It's up to you, to find out what you may like to see/do more? Only way you are going to do that is to find out more about them- using those visitor web sites is a good start.

Alaska by Cruise ship by Anne Vipond is a great book to get in researching your cruise. After having a disappointing first cruise to Alaska, this book helped me quite a bit.

I would take Skagway over Glacier bay for a first Alaskan cruise. This way you get to see the most and also take an excursion into Canada(passport or passport card) from Skagway.

Again study the ports and determine what you want to do . A 7AM to 1PM stop isn't long enough in any port.

Read Anne Vipond or Fodor's book on Alaskan ports . Both are good sources of info . Don't forget the Alaska Tourism site .

Why not consider a 7 day rtn on HAL or Celebrity from Vancouver . These cruises usually give you longer port times.

In Skagway you'll get an idea of what Alaska looked like around 1900.

I would take Skagway over Glacier bay for a first Alaskan cruise. This way you get to see the most and also take an excursion into Canada(passport or passport card) from Skagway.

Again study the ports and determine what you want to do . A 7AM to 1PM stop isn't long enough in any port.

Read Anne Vipond or Fodor's book on Alaskan ports . Both are good sources of info . Don't forget the Alaska Tourism site .

Why not consider a 7 day rtn on HAL or Celebrity from Vancouver . These cruises usually give you longer port times.

I am the opposite. My first cruise skipped the glacier (Hubbard) and I was sorely disappointed. I would try to pick an itinerary that has both. I think seeing a great glacier viewing day such as Hubbard or Glacier Bay in Alaska is important, especially if they think this will be their only trip. Also, the OP mentioned that their ideal trip would be Un-Cruise - that trip is all about scenery.

Thank you all. I will look into both books mentioned as I totally agree we need to know more about each port. BudgetQueen, I did not say the two itineraries were identical. I said all the ports were the same with the exception of one doing Glacier Bay and one doing Skagway. They both include Sitka, Ketchikan, Juneau, Victoria. I think for us it is all about the scenery. If it were just my husband and I we would be doing an Un-Cruise to get even closer to nature and the scenery. But for 4 of us we need a less expensive option.

Some are mentioning a Vancouver round trip instead of Seattle. We could do that. We live in Northern CA and one daughter lives in Portland. Our plan is to drive to Portland and then to the cruise departure city and stay overnight. The other daughter will fly there to meet us. We could drive the extra 3 hours to Vancouver if that route would afford a better itinerary.

I will order one of those books right away so I can get more research done. We are limited to 7 days due to work schedules and want to stick to Seattle or Vancouver round trip. Thanks for all your advice!

Thank you both for your replies. The itineraries are almost identical. Westerdam is Seattle, Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Ketchikan, Victoria, Seattle. Carnival Legend is the same but substitutes Skagway in place of Glacier Bay. So any comments on the one difference in itineraries are welcome. The girls being 25 and 29 actually do not need tons of activities as they are not big party girls. I am more concerned with the quality of the experience. Would be open to other lines but am not interested in very large ships. Thank you.

I just looked up the Carnival Legend itinerary. Looks like they do Tracy Arm instead of Glacier Bay and Skagway instead of Sitka. These itineraries a nowhere near "identical" and definitely require more research to fully understand the differences and decide which is best for you.

Thank you all. I will look into both books mentioned as I totally agree we need to know more about each port. BudgetQueen, I did not say the two itineraries were identical. I said all the ports were the same with the exception of one doing Glacier Bay and one doing Skagway. They both include Sitka, Ketchikan, Juneau, Victoria. I think for us it is all about the scenery. If it were just my husband and I we would be doing an Un-Cruise to get even closer to nature and the scenery. But for 4 of us we need a less expensive option.

 

Some are mentioning a Vancouver round trip instead of Seattle. We could do that. We live in Northern CA and one daughter lives in Portland. Our plan is to drive to Portland and then to the cruise departure city and stay overnight. The other daughter will fly there to meet us. We could drive the extra 3 hours to Vancouver if that route would afford a better itinerary.

 

I will order one of those books right away so I can get more research done. We are limited to 7 days due to work schedules and want to stick to Seattle or Vancouver round trip. Thanks for all your advice!

Why don't you post each itinerary, so it's clear to the respondents what you are referring to? I'm going by what you have written. :)

If you now are open to Vancouver- I recommend- you find out about the glacier and port differences, also try your library, look over shore excursion lists. Most important, know the differences between Vancouver and Seattle sailings, and why you would prefer one over the other. THEN start looking at cruises. :)

Thank you for all your suggestions. We are now looking at Vancouver round trip as the Seattle round trip has a stop in Victoria and my husband and I spent two days there once before. The Vancouver itineraries are: Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and Inside Passage. The two ships that sail around the same date with the same itinerary are the Nieuw Amsterdam and the Volendam. Both HAL, but one built in 2010 and one is 1999, respectively.

I know the ports are important but we don't get to travel with our grown daughters very much so this is more about being together and seeing something new for us all together. My husband and I will likely do many more Alaska cruises so I dan see what I miss on other trips.

Not sure if any other line has round trips from Vancouver but most are much larger ships so I have limited it to HAL. Your continued advice is welcome if you have advice between the two ships or the two itineraries. Thanks.

Thank you for all your suggestions. We are now looking at Vancouver round trip as the Seattle round trip has a stop in Victoria and my husband and I spent two days there once before. The Vancouver itineraries are: Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and Inside Passage. The two ships that sail around the same date with the same itinerary are the Nieuw Amsterdam and the Volendam. Both HAL, but one built in 2010 and one is 1999, respectively.

I know the ports are important but we don't get to travel with our grown daughters very much so this is more about being together and seeing something new for us all together. My husband and I will likely do many more Alaska cruises so I dan see what I miss on other trips.

Not sure if any other line has round trips from Vancouver but most are much larger ships so I have limited it to HAL. Your continued advice is welcome if you have advice between the two ships or the two itineraries. Thanks.

The Celebrity Infinity also does 7 day RTN from Vancouver.

The Nieuw Amsterdam is a newer and slightly bigger ship than the Volendam. You'll be happier with either one. Both have a full wrap around promenade with deck loungers and blankets for sitting and watching the world go by.

Alaska is unique and unless ones is really adventurous to do it by cruise is the simplest way to see the spectacular wilderness.

Roundtrip out of Seattle is often the most convenient, make sure to pick a line that does Glacier Bay. If you can afford the one way gives you another scenic day in Alaska and is worth the open jaw or more expensive flight options.

As to crowds, no getting around it, think of Las Vegas like hotel crowds. Unless you have tons of money or like DIY roughing it, cruise is one of the few options.

Personally I'd take a look at Princess for the best balance of selection/value and for the wider age demographics.

What excursions are you interested in? Make sure that your port times allow you to do them.....

Also --if smoking is an issue for you then make sure you research where it is allowed onboard. FYI smoking is allowed on HAL balconies.

Depending on the ship and Captain. Port times are the scheduled arrival and departure times. You'll usually have about an hour less than the scheduled port time.

Thank you for all your suggestions. We are now looking at Vancouver round trip as the Seattle round trip has a stop in Victoria and my husband and I spent two days there once before. The Vancouver itineraries are: Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and Inside Passage. The two ships that sail around the same date with the same itinerary are the Nieuw Amsterdam and the Volendam. Both HAL, but one built in 2010 and one is 1999, respectively.

I know the ports are important but we don't get to travel with our grown daughters very much so this is more about being together and seeing something new for us all together. My husband and I will likely do many more Alaska cruises so I dan see what I miss on other trips.

Not sure if any other line has round trips from Vancouver but most are much larger ships so I have limited it to HAL. Your continued advice is welcome if you have advice between the two ships or the two itineraries. Thanks.

"Small" doesn't match with any of the regular cruise lines. :) Even 1000 passenger difference, you won't notice much on these ship, since the size absorbs at similar percentage amounts. All these ships are probably going to be considered way too large and crowded for what you want.

One point with Tracy Arm and HAL, some cruises, have it listed as a "service stop". This means the cruise ship does NOT sail it, and you have to purchase the add on ship excursion. But- if the cruise ship does sail it, I find it "necessary" to purchase the add on anyway, since it is so grossly superior compared to the cruise ship transit.

With Glacier Bay, some people stay in their cabins and watch from their balconies. But, doing so, limits you to less than 50% of the potential views. Especially if you want the most potential to view calving- you need to be on the move about the ship. The upper decks are the ones that are very crowded. I never find the lower open side decks crowded at all, based on 11 Alaska cruises in the last 2 years, on, NCL, HAL, Princess and Carnival. There are ways to avoid people. :) :)

Thank you all. I am now deciding between the Nieuw Amsterdam and the Volendam leaving from Vancouver. It is clear that the Vancouver departure will get us more interesting ports. They both offer: Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and the Inside Passage. Now just torn between the newer Nieuw Amsterdam and the smaller, older Volendam with only 1432 passengers. Also the Volendam sailing is a Wednesday departure and some say that will result in less people in port. Just wondering the differences for my two daughters, 25 & 29. Is it necessary to have a verandah on the Volendam? Lanais are sold out so a private verandah would be next and is pricey. Is the deck space ample on the Volendam? Thank you all very much.