Is peace & quiet possible on an Alaska cruise?

I am trying to decide whether to do a 7-day Alaska cruise (from Seattle back to Seattle) on Holland America, as a solo traveler. I am actually looking for quiet, relaxation, and a chance to get away and do some reading, writing, listening to music via mp3 player, and thinking about some important decisions that lay ahead.

Would an Alaska cruise offer some or most of the things I'm looking for? Obviously, I would not be interested in the disco, partying, casino, etc. Would there be enough space on the ship to find a lounge chair away from the crowds and have my own space to relax in silence and contemplation of the ocean?

Or would I be too distracted/disturbed by all the whir of activity?

:):o:confused:

I think you will easily find peace and quiet on a HAL ship.

I think you will easily find peace and quiet on a HAL ship.

Without a doubt.

If you want "peace and quiet"...do you actually NEED an expensive cruise? Is Alaska an attraction for you? If so...then yes...you will get what you want. If you ONLY want peace and quiet...you can do it much cheaper elsewhere! I would never pay to go to Alaska unless I wanted to SEE Alaska and be part of the excitement!

There is always somewhere on a ship where it is quiet. Just have to find it. Shouldn't be too hard.

Yes, especially if you can afford a balcony/veranda room where you will have your own private space. If that isn't possible, the ship's library is a great option for peace and quiet.

Happy cruising!

It absolutely is possible and it would definitely be very relaxing. You will find your own little space for this, be it on your own balcony, or on one of the public decks. You can have all the privacy and quiet you want if you put your ear buds in and tune everything else out. Having said that, people do cruise to Alaska specifically for the itinerary, scenery, and wildlife. I do hope you are planning to take advantage of beautiful Alaska; it could actually prove very therapeutic for you.

Just as a side note, since this is your first post here and I'm not sure if you have cruised before on HAL or any other line, but HAL still allows smoking on all balconies, if you were thinking of booking one. Many cruise lines no longer permit this, so I just wanted to let you know. For us, this is one reason we will never cruise with them again. There are other lines to Alaska, just as an alternative.

Let us know what you decide. :)

Oceania Regatta - under 700 passengers, excellent food, civilized ambiance exceptional service, many quiet spots to have peaceful self-reflection. Extremely restrictive smoking policies (two spots on the entire ship - one outdoors and one indoors within a glassed enclosure.

>> Just as a side note, since this is your first post here and I'm not sure if you have cruised before on HAL or any other line, but HAL still allows smoking on all balconies, if you were thinking of booking one. Many cruise lines no longer permit this.

Actually, you've hit the nail on the head: I've never taken a cruise anywhere before in my life, and at age 63 I would like to give it a try, especially I have this "thing" about the Ocean to the point where I watch youtube HD videos of the ocean to relax. It was always my dream to join the U.S. Coast Guard, but that didn't happen.

I am not very tolerant of smoke, and I did google over and over again the policies of the different cruise lines with respect to smoking, and was disappointed by HAL's policy on smoking (on balconies). Someone who's been on a 7-day Alaska cruise has told me that he thinks the wind would blow most of it pretty quickly, but I still think one would smell it, as the balconies are pretty small and abut one another with just a partition, so if the people "next door" smoked, I would probably go back in or else find a public deck chair...

Born and raised in Seattle, this is just one of the things I feel I have to do. Riding the ferry back and forth (50 minutes one way) to the other side of Puget Sound just doesn't do it for me.

The only other major cruise from Seattle goes down to Santa Barbara, and I think it would be much less scenic, with little view of anything but the Ocean, most of the way at least.

I have tried to get a sense of what it would be like on a HAL ship like the Wester--, but just couldn't get a sense of what the experience would be like for a solo traveler in need of "time out" from his "routine," so I posted here. I have viewed most of the HD youtube videos on HAL Alaska cruises. So I finally decided to get the gumption and post my query on this forum, without regard to whether I would appear foolish...

Have cruise HAL to Alaska 3 times. Always in a balcony. I am super sensitive to smokers and have never experienced even a wiff on HAL on my balcony. Now certainly I could be just lucky but I think there are just less and less people smoking. I do really enjoy HAL.

I am assuming you already know about the Single Supplement required for Solo cruisers?

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Royal Caribbean and Princess also sail round trip from Seattle, and there is no smoking permitted on the balconies, just as a note. Sadly, some do defy the rules and smoke outside - it's a real drag, not going to lie to you. Anyway, as JVilleGal mentioned, the solo cost is always more expensive, sometimes as high as double. You will have the cabin to yourself but in effect you are paying for two guests.

Perhaps a good cruise travel agent would be able to help you sort through all of this, and give you pricing and cruise line choices. :)

Yes there will be areas that are quiet.

Keith

I am trying to decide whether to do a 7-day Alaska cruise (from Seattle back to Seattle) on Holland America, as a solo traveler. I am actually looking for quiet, relaxation, and a chance to get away and do some reading, writing, listening to music via mp3 player, and thinking about some important decisions that lay ahead.

 

Would an Alaska cruise offer some or most of the things I'm looking for? Obviously, I would not be interested in the disco, partying, casino, etc. Would there be enough space on the ship to find a lounge chair away from the crowds and have my own space to relax in silence and contemplation of the ocean?

 

Or would I be too distracted/disturbed by all the whir of activity?

 

:):o:confused:

HAL ships aren't party ships. There are not a lot of activities.

There are lots of areas where you can sit back and relax, read and write.

Alaska is all about the scenery.

I found that ship bars (many don't begin serving until later in the day) are often quiet, comfortable places to read, think, doze off, etc. Many ships have at least one bar with lots of glass windows and watching the scenery can be very relaxing.

The best area on the Westerdam will be on the top deck in front, in the Crow's Nest lounge. You can relax in one of the barkeloungers in the very front by the windows and just stare at the beautiful scenery. Just get an Ocean View cabin and you'll still be able to see a lot of Alaska.

It'll be as peaceful and relaxing as you make it. But remember that we Seattleites aren't able to appreciate the scenery quite as much because we're surrounded by it on a daily basis. It's just "more" in Alaska.

The great majority of passengers do shore excursions. So, on port days you'll virtually have the whole ship to yourself.

This sounds all very encouraging. I really appreciate the feedback, as I want to have a pretty good idea of what I'd be getting myself into if I did a 7-day excursion. I did a Rick Steves 17-day trip to Italy and by the 9th day was wishing I were back home (too much time on a bus, etc.).

I want to get a lot of reading done, do a least an hour of daily meditation, and hopefully some writing as well. I need the time away from my home and routine to concentrate.

Besides the Crow's Nest, another great place to have peace and quiet on Westerdam is in the Explorer's Lounge on deck 2.

There are lots of quiet spaces, especially during the day. We're fond of sitting on the Promenade Deck. I read magazines and DH reads books. I always keep binoculars handy because you never know when you'll need them in Alaska.

Alaska has some noise rules for the cruise ships. While in port they cannot play loud music,show outdoor movies and use their horns.

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A disco on HAL? :eek: Last time we cruised with them it was more like string quartet before dinner. Seriously.

Definitely not a party boat.

This sounds all very encouraging. I really appreciate the feedback, as I want to have a pretty good idea of what I'd be getting myself into if I did a 7-day excursion. I did a Rick Steves 17-day trip to Italy and by the 9th day was wishing I were back home (too much time on a bus, etc.).

 

I want to get a lot of reading done, do a least an hour of daily meditation, and hopefully some writing as well. I need the time away from my home and routine to concentrate.

Scope out places in the ports that might be good for meditation, too. The Alaska board might be a good place to do some research on that.

Alaska is an excellent cruise destination to help you regain your "center" :)