14 night alaska cruise

Do you think that HAL will ever change ships from Masdam ,to a more up to date Vista class vessel ,for this fabulous 14 night cruise ?

We want to do the cruise ;but ,not on Masdam

Such a shame. [emoji50]

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Such a shame. [emoji50]

 

 

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We all have preferred ships we like to sail for a number of personal reasons .:)

We are looking for HAL to be more competitive with their newer ships . Royal Caribbean is introducing their Quantum of the Seas which is a much newer vessel & much larger than any other vessel now servicing Alaska .The cruise critic news puts Quantum into Alaska in 2018 .This is simply a example of a cruise line being more competitive in a huge market:cool:

Personally for me, I would be thrilled to do the 14 day Alaska, no matter what HAL ship is sailing that itinerary! ;)

Looking forward to taking that trip if things go well......have to see if the pet sitter can watch my furry children that long before I can go. (Hoping!:))

We have done the 14 day itinerary 3 times on smaller HAL ships and would prefer to keep it that way!

Karen

I believe the 14 night cruise goes up the Cook Inlet to Anchorage, rather than using Seward. To do that, you need the smaller ship. So a no go for the Vistas. It is the Zaandam doing it next year. EM

We all have preferred ships we like to sail for a number of personal reasons .:)

 

We are looking for HAL to be more competitive with their newer ships . Royal Caribbean is introducing their Quantum of the Seas which is a much newer vessel & much larger than any other vessel now servicing Alaska .The cruise critic news puts Quantum into Alaska in 2018 .This is simply a example of a cruise line being more competitive in a huge market:cool:

I would be very surprised if Quantum could get docked at Homer, Kodiak, or Anchorage. I could be wrong on that, though. I also can't see how Homer and Kodiak and ISP/Hoonah could handle that many cruisers.

Thanks for the heads-up about Quantum in Alaska. I'll be watching who ports where very closely, before I commit to my 2018 cruise.

I believe the 14 night cruise goes up the Cook Inlet to Anchorage, rather than using Seward. To do that, you need the smaller ship. So a no go for the Vistas. It is the Zaandam doing it next year. EM

Question is since Masdam can go up the cook inlet to Anchorage why can't say Oosterdam do the same ?

Question is since Masdam can go up the cook inlet to Anchorage why can't say Oosterdam do the same ?

Maybe the navigation channel isn't suitable for a ship larger than the Maasdam or Zaandam?

Maybe the navigation channel isn't suitable for a ship larger than the Maasdam or Zaandam?

Possible ;however ,Alaska is constantly increasing the ports capacities because of the huge increase in tourism & with that in mind Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska to visit . Thus ,wouldn't the port authorities want more ships to dock near to Anchorage & thus increase the ability of larger ships entry with larger passenger loads? . That could mean a big increase for the Anchorage business .

We all have preferred ships we like to sail for a number of personal reasons .:)

 

We are looking for HAL to be more competitive with their newer ships . Royal Caribbean is introducing their Quantum of the Seas which is a much newer vessel & much larger than any other vessel now servicing Alaska .The cruise critic news puts Quantum into Alaska in 2018 .This is simply a example of a cruise line being more competitive in a huge market:cool:

OMG on that size of ship visiting Alaska.:eek: I thought they were trying to protect the environment and impact that cruise ships and cruisers make and they are letting that monstrosity in?

Uggh. :( I hope they keep that behemoth out of Alaska.

Do you think that HAL will ever change ships from Masdam ,to a more up to date Vista class vessel ,for this fabulous 14 night cruise ?

 

We want to do the cruise ;but ,not on Masdam

In 2017 the Amsterdam did the 14 night cruises and in 2018 it will be the Zaandam (also most likely for 2019 as well). The 14 night product has limited appeal, as well as port restrictions that make anything larger than an S/R class an unlikely candidate for the near future.

The 14 day Alaskan itinerary is an excellent one. I sailed on the Amsterdam for this year's cruise and it was the best of my Alaskan cruises. The Amsterdam and the Zaandam are just the right sized ships for such a cruise, in my opinion.

OMG on that size of ship visiting Alaska.:eek: I thought they were trying to protect the environment and impact that cruise ships and cruisers make and they are letting that monstrosity in?

 

Uggh. :( I hope they keep that behemoth out of Alaska.

All the cruise lines are going "bigger" with Alaska ships - Norwegian Bliss will sail there in 2018, Explorer of the Seas has already been sailing there the last two seasons (to be replaced with Ovation in 2019), Celebrity are going to have two Solstice Class ships in 2019 (Eclipse and Solstice) and in 2019 Princess will be bringing in the Royal Princess - all of these ships are well over 100,000 GRT with 2500-5000 pax each. Until the Alaska Ports put in vessel restrictions like Venice did I do not foresee this trend of bigger ships in Alaska diminishing anytime soon, sad as it is.

Given all the new tonnage being added in 2018/2019 I expect there to be some good last minute deals :D

In 2017 the Amsterdam did the 14 night cruises and in 2018 it will be the Zaandam (also most likely for 2019 as well). The 14 night product has limited appeal, as well as port restrictions that make anything larger than an S/R class an unlikely candidate for the near future.

This was pretty much what I was going to add. I took said cruise on Maasdam last year and it was wonderful, including the ship. I spent endless hours on deck and in the Crows Nest looking for whales (quite successfully much of the time) and watching the scenery go by. Personally I would do this trip again in a heartbeat, but I don't think I'd want to be on anything larger than an S or R class ship. Also I think this cruise spoiled me so I'm not really interested in doing a 7-day to Alaska. Too short unless you do an on-land add-on. Looking forward to getting back on board Maasdam in five months!

Possible ;however ,Alaska is constantly increasing the ports capacities because of the huge increase in tourism & with that in mind Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska to visit . Thus ,wouldn't the port authorities want more ships to dock near to Anchorage & thus increase the ability of larger ships entry with larger passenger loads? . That could mean a big increase for the Anchorage business .

I bet someone on the Alaska board could answer those questions. Try posting there. Lots of local Alaskans, in addition to tourists, post there.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

We all have preferred ships we like to sail for a number of personal reasons .:)

 

We are looking for HAL to be more competitive with their newer ships . Royal Caribbean is introducing their Quantum of the Seas which is a much newer vessel & much larger than any other vessel now servicing Alaska .The cruise critic news puts Quantum into Alaska in 2018 .This is simply a example of a cruise line being more competitive in a huge market:cool:

If you've never cruised to Alaska, you can't understand why the small ships are regarded so favorably by so many who have posted in this thread.

In my world, for Alaska, bigger does not necessarily equate to being better or "more competitive" as you phrase it. If I could afford it, I'd be on an UnCruise ship for Alaska.

When I look at the RC website I see only Radiance and Explorer doing Alaska for 2018.

Amsterdam was perfect for this year's 14-day Alaska. Would do it again right away (nuts to the current weather there).

Jim

This was pretty much what I was going to add. I took said cruise on Maasdam last year and it was wonderful, including the ship. I spent endless hours on deck and in the Crows Nest looking for whales (quite successfully much of the time) and watching the scenery go by. Personally I would do this trip again in a heartbeat, but I don't think I'd want to be on anything larger than an S or R class ship. Also I think this cruise spoiled me so I'm not really interested in doing a 7-day to Alaska. Too short unless you do an on-land add-on. Looking forward to getting back on board Maasdam in five months!

I did the 7 day with the land add-on last time. I agree, the 14 day seems to be a wonderful way to go. Hopefully it will be the way I do Alaska next time. The last trip I had to Alaska was one of the most memorable trips of my lifetime. Loved every minute. Was glad to be on a smaller ship with less passengers. It was just great IMO.

I did the 7 day with the land add-on last time. I agree, the 14 day seems to be a wonderful way to go. Hopefully it will be the way I do Alaska next time. The last trip I had to Alaska was one of the most memorable trips of my lifetime. Loved every minute. Was glad to be on a smaller ship with less passengers. It was just great IMO.

I hope you get to take the 14 day cruise! (y)

All the cruise lines are going "bigger" with Alaska ships - Norwegian Bliss will sail there in 2018, Explorer of the Seas has already been sailing there the last two seasons (to be replaced with Ovation in 2019), Celebrity are going to have two Solstice Class ships in 2019 (Eclipse and Solstice) and in 2019 Princess will be bringing in the Royal Princess - all of these ships are well over 100,000 GRT with 2500-5000 pax each. Until the Alaska Ports put in vessel restrictions like Venice did I do not foresee this trend of bigger ships in Alaska diminishing anytime soon, sad as it is.

 

Given all the new tonnage being added in 2018/2019 I expect there to be some good last minute deals :D

Thank you :)

Good info but sad. Antarctica was smart and put a limit on early - a few years ago. I hope Alaska has the same smarts.

I see huge ecological issues here. Cruise deals are the least of my worries. I'm more concerned about the impact.

I will be the first to admit that Alaska is not on our bucket list until we are older but all the lovely plants, animals and glaciers there are ;). Letting behemoths in is an invitation to disaster ecologically IMO and those passengers will not get to see what they would on a smaller ship. JMO though.

Do you think that HAL will ever change ships from Masdam ,to a more up to date Vista class vessel ,for this fabulous 14 night cruise ?

 

We want to do the cruise ;but ,not on Masdam

Doubt it. I've been on that wonderful cruise a few times but doubt that they can get a Vista or Signature into some of the unique ports on that route. Anchorage is one that comes to mind. I think that it might be difficult to maneuver a large ship in the Knik Arm.

I hope you get to take the 14 day cruise! (y)

Thank you so much for your good wishes!:)

When I look at the RC website I see only Radiance and Explorer doing Alaska for 2018.

That is correct. They have announced that Ovation will replaced Explorer for 2019 which goes on sale in mid December (Week of 12/11/17) :cool:

I agree with others that the masses will long term have an impact on the wilderness and eco-systems around the ports - they have started to already and it will continue to magnify as more and bigger ships carrying more passengers are crammed into the limited ports that can support them. I feel that the Alaska ports are nearing their saturation point in terms of sustainability.

Alaska is next on our cruise list and based on the rave reviews we have heard from friends and family members about their cruises on smaller HA ships, we can't wait. We just wish a 14 day itinerary sailed from Vancouver.