Alaska - Statendam r/t Seattle or Zaandam land and cruise?

We've never been to Alaska, trying to decide on all the options and it's making me dizzy. We're looking at late June or early July 2015 and so far we're interested in either the 14-day Fairbanks - Vancouver cruise/tour on the Zaandam or the 14-day r/t Seattle on the Statendam.

Highlights of the Zaandam are 2 nights in Fairbanks, riverboat cruise and gold panning, then 2 nights Denali with Tundra Wilderness tour, domed train to Anchorage, then coach along Turnaround Bay to Seward for 2 nights, then cruise with ports of Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan and cruising Glacier Bay. Oceanview cabin is $2399.

Highlights of Statendam are cheaper airfare (!), ports are Ketchikan, cruise Tracy Arm, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Anchorage, Homer, Kodiak, cruise Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, and Victoria. Oceanview cabin is $1899.

Since we've never been to this part of the world, I'm unsure what are the most important things to see. I've always heard Denali is top-notch, and the Statendam is in Anchorage from 7 AM to 11 PM - would this allow enough time for a visit? I've also read that Sitka is a great port and seldom visited, so a plus for the Statendam.

We cruised on the Zaandam her maiden year and loved her, and friends just came back from the 31-day Incan cruise on the Statendam and had good reports, so possibly the ships are a toss-up?

I would love to hear feedback and suggestions. Money is not the over-riding decision here, just want the best cruise available. Any thoughts?

For our first Alaska trip, we're doing the 14 night roundtrip from Seattle this year. It seems to be a highly recommended itinerary by people on this board and not always offered if I understand correctly. Then some other time we'll do a cruise/tour since most people seem to want to go back to Alaska.

I agree with Oceanmon - who knows if the 14-day round trip will happen next year. We did take a 7-day cruise to Seward some years ago, and then rented a car to visit family in Alaska, and enjoyed that very much, too. You probably have less than a 50% chance of seeing Denali at any time. I think we stayed nearby 3 days and never saw the peak. We also took a bus tour up. We've also driven up and back when DD was working in Haines. It's all amazing! You'll enjoy whatever your decision.:)

I have heard the inside passage (vancouver-fairbanks) is a must do for the scenery and calmer water. We did the seatttle cruise last year and did love it! there willl be a 14 day cruises in 2016 as well.

A June trip for dryer weather in Alaska.... July trip for dryer weather in Vancouver/Seattle, especially if you have extra days planned there. Don't forget the Canada Day or July 4th fireworks if you are in the area.

You can also combine two 7-day one way trips.... gives you the flexibility of extra days in Anchorage. You also have an opportunity to check out more than one cruise line for variety (but you lose loyalty perks).

Seattle is a $50 bus to/from Vancouver if you want to see both cities.

Let's us know your plans as they get firmer so we can give you more specific advice.

I've done the HAL 14-day Alaska itinerary three times (all on the Amsterdam). It is the best itinerary going when it comes to Alaska.

It's long enough to truly relax and enjoy. It goes to some off the beaten path ports, so you see the real Alaska---the way the southeast ports were before the Caribbean jewelry shops came to town. Hubbard Glacier is not to be missed, plus you also get the sail up Tracy Arm for a very different scenic cruising experience.

Do the land tour of Alaska, followed by the cruise down, on your next trip there.

We've never been to Alaska, trying to decide on all the options and it's making me dizzy. We're looking at late June or early July 2015 and so far we're interested in either the 14-day Fairbanks - Vancouver cruise/tour on the Zaandam or the 14-day r/t Seattle on the Statendam.

Highlights of the Zaandam are 2 nights in Fairbanks, riverboat cruise and gold panning, then 2 nights Denali with Tundra Wilderness tour, domed train to Anchorage, then coach along Turnaround Bay to Seward for 2 nights, then cruise with ports of Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan and cruising Glacier Bay. Oceanview cabin is $2399.

Highlights of Statendam are cheaper airfare (!), ports are Ketchikan, cruise Tracy Arm, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Anchorage, Homer, Kodiak, cruise Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, and Victoria. Oceanview cabin is $1899.

Since we've never been to this part of the world, I'm unsure what are the most important things to see. I've always heard Denali is top-notch, and the Statendam is in Anchorage from 7 AM to 11 PM - would this allow enough time for a visit? I've also read that Sitka is a great port and seldom visited, so a plus for the Statendam.

We cruised on the Zaandam her maiden year and loved her, and friends just came back from the 31-day Incan cruise on the Statendam and had good reports, so possibly the ships are a toss-up?

I would love to hear feedback and suggestions. Money is not the over-riding decision here, just want the best cruise available. Any thoughts?

I live close to Seattle, so Alaska is not only a conveinient cruise for us, there is no air involved!!, We have done Alaska about 6 or 7 times, and are booked for the 14 day again this June 15th, on Statendam, which our friends just love, although we have not been on that particular ship... yet... It is quite a bit smaller than the Amsterdam and Zaandam, both of which we have done Alaska on..... come join us!!

I would recommend southbound with Princess, from Whittier to Vancouver. Whittier is much closer to Anchorage than Seward. Tracy Arm usually ends up being a service call. No glacier without the excursion. If you do the excursion at Tracy Arm you are limited in what you do in Juneau. I am not a fan of the McKinley Chateau. The CruiseTours stay at the bottom of the hill and the shuttle is unreliable. We have had to take the exhausting walk up the hill or miss an excursion more than once. Princess Denali Wilderness Lodge is all on one level. A real plus. Both companies use the same tourguides and buses.

I would recommend southbound with Princess, from Whittier to Vancouver. Whittier is much closer to Anchorage than Seward. Tracy Arm usually ends up being a service call. No glacier without the excursion.

The 14-day Statendam cruise doesn't go to Seward; it docks in Anchorage, about a 10-minute ride from downtown.

The Tracy Arm day is scenic cruising up the arm, as far as the ice allows. On my last cruise there (last August) we got all the way to South Sawyer Glacier. On a previous cruise, we got to North Sawyer Glacier.

There are no excursions up Tracy Arm on that cruise. It may be possible to book a shore excursion there from Juneau, but I don't know if there's time for that.

We've never been to Alaska,

Highlights of the Zaandam are 2 nights in Fairbanks, riverboat cruise and gold panning, then 2 nights Denali with Tundra Wilderness tour, domed train to Anchorage, then coach along Turnaround Bay to Seward for 2 nights, then cruise with ports of Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan and cruising Glacier Bay.

My wife and I have been to Alaska on three occasions and never have bit to Sitka or Kodiak - two sites that I would like to visit.

Having said that, the Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan, Gracier Bay is a wonderful cruise BUT you do realize that such a cruise only hits perhaps 10-15% of the State of Alaska - mostly coastal area.

You have to go up to Denali. The chances of seeing wolves, bear, fox and other wildlife is far better than the areas you are going to. Of course the usual cruise will have other wildlife - whales, otters etc.

I truly believe that those that have taken the usual Alaskan cruise but never been to Denali have never really seen Alaska!

We've never been to Alaska, trying to decide on all the options and it's making me dizzy. We're looking at late June or early July 2015 and so far we're interested in either the 14-day Fairbanks - Vancouver cruise/tour on the Zaandam or the 14-day r/t Seattle on the Statendam.

 

Highlights of the Zaandam are 2 nights in Fairbanks, riverboat cruise and gold panning, then 2 nights Denali with Tundra Wilderness tour, domed train to Anchorage, then coach along Turnaround Bay to Seward for 2 nights, then cruise with ports of Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan and cruising Glacier Bay. Oceanview cabin is $2399.

 

Highlights of Statendam are cheaper airfare (!), ports are Ketchikan, cruise Tracy Arm, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Anchorage, Homer, Kodiak, cruise Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, and Victoria. Oceanview cabin is $1899.

Since we've never been to this part of the world, I'm unsure what are the most important things to see. I've always heard Denali is top-notch, and the Statendam is in Anchorage from 7 AM to 11 PM - would this allow enough time for a visit? I've also read that Sitka is a great port and seldom visited, so a plus for the Statendam.

 

We cruised on the Zaandam her maiden year and loved her, and friends just came back from the 31-day Incan cruise on the Statendam and had good reports, so possibly the ships are a toss-up?

I would love to hear feedback and suggestions. Money is not the over-riding decision here, just want the best cruise available. Any thoughts?

IMHO you need to do some reading on the Alaska forum here:

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

I personally prefer the Zaandam over the Statendam. Having said that, I'm going to be booking the Statendam 14 day trip :) For Alaska, I think the itinerary is more important than the ship. There are not many chances to cruise to ISP, Sitka, Kodiak and Homer, or to cruise right into Anchorage, so this is the year I plan on doing the 14 day RT.

This Denali flightseeing excursion is shown on the list of shorex for Alaska. It does say for "Intransit", so I'm not sure if that means it is or is not available for the 14-day pax

Soar to new heights on this intimate, three-hour flightseeing adventure. An experienced Alaska bush pilot will share with you some of Alaska’s most inaccessible and spectacularly wild settings. Depart from Lake Hood, Anchorage’s lively floatplane base, and traverse the flatlands across Cook Inlet, watching for moose and beluga whales en route. You’ll follow the ragged spine of the Alaska Range, with its massive walls of rock and ice, to its crown jewel—Mt McKinley. At a formidable 20,320 feet tall, Mt McKinley is the centerpiece of Denali National Park. See where climbers summit on McKinley's massive south face. Marvel at the Ruth Glacier—a 40-mile-long river of ice that flows through the Great Gorge. This granite-walled chasm is the world's deepest trench.

Again IMHO it would be worth a call to the HAL shorex department to see if it would be offered on the Statendam sailing.

Good luck with your decision! Whatever trip you choose, Alaska will be an amazing experience, I'm sure :)

I've done both a cruise tour and the 14 day cruise from Seattle. Both are very good but very different. I think you might want to consider doing one option and then coming back at a later date to do the other option. Believe me, once you go to Alaska, you'll want to go back.

First off, I would go in June because it is drier in Alaska in June, and you'll be there around or close to the longest day of the year. Nothing like being in the land of the midnight sun!!

From Anchorage, on the 14 day cruise, you will not have time to do Denali justice by ground. You really need to stay there for at least two nights. Your best bet, from Anchorage, would be a flightseeing tour, as mentioned by Cow Princess. They're pricey, too, so make sure that you include the cost of the excursions in your budget.

I would also choose to leave from Vancouver over Seattle because you cruise the Canadian inside passage with its spectacular scenery so close you feel like you can reach out and touch it. From Seattle, you cruise west of Vancouver Island and only reach the Alaska inside passage as you get to Ketchikan.

You can fly to Seattle and still cruise from Vancouver. There are many options to getting to Vancouver - rental car, bus, train, HAL transfer. It just takes more time and effort, if that's something that you're willing to do.

I'm not trying to influence your decision in any way but just wanted to point out some options, particularly if you think you will be going to Alaska only once. Pick the itinerary that will work for you. There are pros and cons to each.

And don't be surprised if Alaska calls you back! Most of us who have posted here have been several times, and not just because it's close!

This Denali flightseeing excursion is shown on the list of shorex for Alaska. It does say for "Intransit", so I'm not sure if that means it is or is not available for the 14-day pax.

That's exactly who it is for. Passengers ending (or beginning) a cruise out of Seward (with an Anchorage transfer ending/starting point) can't take that tour. Passengers in Anchorage for the 1-day port stop can.

I was booked for that tour last trip, but it was canceled as we had to dock late. A different flightseeing tour over the nearby mountains was substituted. It was excellent, but not the Denali tour. :( Now I have to go back yet again for that shore excursion! Hope it's sunny when I do get back there! :D

We have done Statendam's 14 day cruise a couple of times -- on the Amsterdam -- and loved it. Very, very few ships go to Homer, Kodiak and Anchorage.

We did land portion many years when we were younger and were able to handle the long days on buses and trains.

Wow, thanks for all the replies! So many choices and options. We're in our 70's, and after reading some reviews of the land portions, there seems to be a LOT of walking involved, even once you're at the lodges.

I like the idea of the Denali flight tour at the Anchorage stop on the r/t Seattle cruise. Would we miss much by doing the r/t vs. the cruise/land tour?

We did the land/cruise in 1989 and enjoyed it very much especially the domed rail car ride even though it rained every day. We only spent 1 night in Denali but we did catch a quick glimpse of the mountain in it's full glory. We also saw bears up close, doll sheep running beside us, caribu, ptarmagin and moose. We were told that was very unusual to see the full mountain and also unusual to see so much wiildlife. The paddlewheel boat ride in Fairbanks was quite interesting as we got to see an Alaska fishing wheel in use and also got to see a sled dog camp. Not sure if it would be the same today.

That said, we were 25 years younger at the time and the land portion was very exhausting. Up at 5, breakfast at 6 and on the road by 7 for many many hours.:eek: If you do decide on the tour/cruise be sure to do the tour first so you can get a lettle rest before going home.

Now that we are in our 70's we are booked on the 14day r/t from Seattle on the Statendam, June 15 sailing and would love to have you join us.;)

We did a HAL land/cruise tour on our very first cruise. We would highly recommend it because of the Denali experience.

We flew into Anchorage 3 days early, rented a car and did our own sightseeing then met the tour for the train trip to Denali and then to Fairbanks. The Tundra Tour was truly awesome!! :) We saw all 5 of the big 5 animals on the tour including a herd of caribou racing across the tundra. There's a very cool museum at the park as well as a "show" with their actual working dogsled dogs. We also enjoyed gold mining and the riverboat tour in Fairbanks.

We came home feeling we'd really "seen" Alaska even though there are some areas we'd like to return to see. We were there early July and it was too early for the Salmon running and the bears that hunt/fish for them.:(

Wow, thanks for all the replies! We're in our 70's, and after reading some reviews of the land portions, there seems to be a LOT of walking involved, even once you're at the lodges.

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We took a land/cruise tour in our mid-70s on Princess through the Yukon with two days in Denali and ending in Anchoridge.

 

There wasn't that much walking in Denali. The wilderness tour in Denali is a long bus ride through the park with a couple of restroom breaks and stops here and there when there were good photo ops. Incidentally, I walk with a cane and occasionally use a walker if that helps with the "walking" concerns!

Wow, thanks for all the replies! So many choices and options. We're in our 70's, and after reading some reviews of the land portions, there seems to be a LOT of walking involved, even once you're at the lodges.

I like the idea of the Denali flight tour at the Anchorage stop on the r/t Seattle cruise. Would we miss much by doing the r/t vs. the cruise/land tour?

You are going to miss the interior of Alaska. You will see the coastal areas instead. So "miss much" is pretty hard to determine.

From what I recall reading of some of the land portion reports, those are loooooong days. Lots of time on a bus. For me, that's the big turn off. The bus. And "bus butt" ;)

You have a long trip to get to Alaska, if you decide on the land tour/cruise combo. You will probably want to add a day pre-land-tour just to recuperate from the flight (s).

I'm not a good one to help you decide, as when we do a land trip to Alaska, it will be on our own.

I linked to the Alaska forum in a previous post in this thread -- I really do suggest you have search/read there and see some of the land tour reports, to see if they will give you what you want. Post questions there, too, as there are many helpful, experienced Alaska cruisers/tourers/residents on that board :)

edited to add: IMHO every trip to Alaska involves compromise, missing out on one thing/port/experience to do or see another.

Maybe another way to look at the two options should be based on your current mobility. If you are fairly mobile, perhaps you should do the cruise tour. If you do the 14 day cruise now and then you become less mobile, you, or your spouse, may not be able to do the cruise tour later. You can save the 14 day cruise for when you are less mobile.

Based on what you wrote about the cruise tour that you're looking at, I don't think there is a lot of walking. There will be long days on trains/coaches (from Fairbanks to Denali and Denali to Anchorage/Seward. My mother was in her early 70's when we did our 3 day cruise and 8 day tour in Alaska. She was fine. Could she do it now, 9 years later, maybe but I don't think she would choose to do such a long land portion.

As Cow Princess says, you will miss things/ports/experiences by choosing one option over the other. You won't get away from that.

I did just think of another option that may work, if your budget and time allows: Do both!:D Do one first and then transfer to the other and do that. Then you're getting double value out of your airfare. RuthC did something similar last year (without the land portion).

Whichever choice you make, it will be a great trip.

As Cow Princess says, you will miss things/ports/experiences by choosing one option over the other. You won't get away from that.

Agreed. Cow Princess is so, so right on that.

Alaska is vast---it's called The Great Land---and no matter what you do on one relatively short trip there, you will miss something. Lots of things, actually!

One more thing that hasn't been mentioned in this thread yet is the Arctic experience, and going to remote Native villages. There are tours up to the Bering Sea, and others that take you out to Kotzebue and Nome. Again, you can't do it all in one trip.

I did just think of another option that may work, if your budget and time allows: Do both!:D Do one first and then transfer to the other and do that. Then you're getting double value out of your airfare. RuthC did something similar last year (without the land portion).

 

Whichever choice you make, it will be a great trip.

Correct. I did two separate cruises to make one long flight worth it by giving me two different experiences.

I did a 9-day land tour as part of my second cruise to Alaska.

That's the thing about Alaska, there is so much to see & do, it takes several trips. Plan something for this first trip, knowing that there will always be something new the next time (and the time after that, and the time .... ;))

In 1993 we took our first cruise to Alaska and we've done it every year (except 1) ever since.

The third time we cruised to Alaska we flew to Fairbanks and did a 6-day land tour before taking the cruise southbound. We had a great time and Denali actually co-operated and was "out" the day we were there.

We're doing Statendam this year. We have done this cruise twice on Amsterdam and really enjoyed it. We've been to Kodiak and Homer several times, Sitka and Skagway numerous times, Icy Strait four times (including being on the first cruise ship to call on Icy Strait) and Juneau and Ketchikan on every trip.

If you are only going to go to Alaska once, then by all means take a land and sea tour. It's more expensive but there's so much you miss when you just do SE Alaska. Be sure to include Denali in your itinerary, which usually implies Fairbanks also. Why would you go all the way to Alaska and not see Denali, it's like going to Arizona and not stopping at the Grand Canyon. For glaciers my ranking is Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier, College Fjord, and Sawyer Glacier. Sawyer Glacier (Tracy Arm) is last because it is the least reliable. We've attempted it six times and have been successful once. Last year we we're able to go all the way in, although the ships that transit it the following day had no problem.

Not too many ships call on Sitka because they have to anchor out. There is no large ship pier there. That said, Sitka is my favorite port in SE. It has a very strong Russian heritage that the locals promote, one of the smallest National Parks in the US, and a wonderful raptor rehabilitation center.

About your question about Anchorage. The drive time from Anchorage to Denali is about 5 hours, so although you would be in Anchorage 16 hours, you would have limited time in Denali and I'm not sure whether you would be able to get the tour bus once you are in the park without reservations (private cars aren't allowed on most of the roads in Denali). There are tour buses that will take you to Denali and back in one day, so might check that out if you still want to try. Remember that you will need to be back on the ship an hour before sailing and the Anchorage pier is not close to most of the tourist locations where the tour buses would pick you up/drop you off, so plan accordingly.

Having said all that - whatever decision you make will be the right one. Welcome to Alaska!

Remember that you will need to be back on the ship an hour before sailing and the Anchorage pier is not close to most of the tourist locations where the tour buses would pick you up/drop you off, so plan accordingly.

All aboard time is 1/2 hour before sailing, not a full hour. It's not a huge difference, but not quite as tight.

There is a shuttle between the dock and downtown, usually dropping off/picking up passengers at the Egan Center. That's around the corner from the Visitor's Center, and right in the center of the action---about 10 minutes drive from the pier.

The daily program will give the time for the last shuttle.

RuthC, which two cruises did you do last year? Did you write a trip review?

RuthC, which two cruises did you do last year? Did you write a trip review?

I did the 7-day Volendam cruise out of Vancouver on the Wednesday-Wednesday time frame. Then, I came down to Seattle to pick up the Amsterdam 14-day the following Sunday.

I had never taken the Tracy Arm shore excursion in the catamaran, and the Volendam is one of only two HAL ships that have it. So, since I was taking the 14-day cruise anyway, and was going to be in the neighborhood, I did both.

No, I didn't do a review on either cruise. I used to do "Live from ..." reports faithfully, but one time I felt like my efforts were being taken for granted, so I don't take the time anymore.