Recommendations for multi-gen fam RT YVR Sept 2012

[kaswife]

Hi All - Yet another first timer needing help choosing an Alaska itinerary. Apologies for the long post but I wanted to give you as much info as possible. Here are the details:

• Must be roundtrip Vancouver
  
• Sept 2012 (preferred, but will consider a late August sailing)
  
• Travelers are couple, 38/41 with 3 year old - adventurous, plus couple 54/60 (my parents), much less adventurous
  
• All are first time cruisers who have never visited Alaska
  
• Price not a huge consideration (will consider all lines for the right combo)
  
• Food a big priority, my parents will do lots of room service and res-only restaurants; we'll do the buffet with the rugrat a lot I'm sure
  
• Will probably do just a cruise (no cruisetour)
  
• We don't need tons of entertainment on the ship, just a fun place for our daughter to play, good food and a relaxing atmosphere (we're all early risers)
  
• My husband and I will probably leave the ship and do excursions like kayaking and hiking, and take our daughter and my parents when the activities are more low key (boat trips, historical tours, etc.)
  

Based on my initial research, it looks like our choices are HAL, Celebrity, and Princess.

 

I was originally leaning towards Celebrity, because I have actually toured the Eclipse when it was docked in Miami last year and I was very impressed with the food, accomodations and ambiance. I think my parents would be very comfortable in a Celebrity suite. But Celebrity doesn't go to Glacier Bay which everyone seems to rave about.

Alaska Hubbard Glacier Cruise departs 9/2 or 9/9 (Century)

Alaska Roundtrip Cruise departs 9/7 (Millennium)

 

Then I heard about Princess, and their Alaska presence. They go to Glacier Bay, but I wasnt too impressed with their accomodations - does anyone know if they have "Family" suites on the Sapphire? And the food seems sub-par, especially after the recent news of food poisoning on 2 ships! Should we be concerned?

Inside Passage with Glacier Bay departs 9/22 (Sapphire Princess)

 

Finally, there's HAL, the grandfather of it all. The decor and ambiance seems a bit stodgy but I think my parents would like it since it's low key and evokes the old ocean liners. Club HAL sounds great for our daughter. Not sure about the food. Passenger profile seems a bit older than the others. I worry my daughter will be the only kid on the cruise, especially in September. But they do go to Glacier Bay...and they have a LOT of sailings/ships to choose from:

7-Day Inside Passage departs 8/29, 9/5, 9/12, 9/19 (Volendam)

7-Day Inside Passage departs 8/25, 9/8, 9/15, 9/22 (Zuiderdam)

7-Day Roundtrip Vancouver departs 8/28, 9/4, 9/11, 9/18 (Volendam)

7-Day Roundtrip Vancouver departs 9/22 (Statendam)

7-Day Roundtrip Vancouver departs 9/22 (Zaandam)

7-Day Roundtrip Vancouver departs 8/31, 9/7, 9/14, 9/21 (Zuiderdam)

7-Day Roundtrip Vancouver departs 8/30, 9/6, 9/13 (Amsterdam)

 

Royal Caribbean was never on the list since it seems a step down from Celebrity - let me know if it should be. Norwegian originally appealed to us for the Freestyle Cruising concept, but the ships don't seem as nice (or are they)? My parents are luxury travelers, but we need the kid-friendliness too. We like history with a bit if adventure, but are open to all the sights.

 

So there you have it. Thanks for reading! :o

[vbmom87]

Welcome to CC. Enjoy your planning to the majestic land of Alaska!!!

 

The nice thing about HAL's round trip out of Vancouver on the Zuiderdam/Volendam is you get both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm Fjord, two beautiful scenic sailing days IF scenery is a priority for your group. Many who have gone with the Wednesday departure have stated that the ports were less crowded than for the Saturday sailings as there were fewer ships in port.

 

I would stay away from the mid-late September sailings. I would go the end of August or no later than the first week of September if those are your only options. The later you go in the season, the less daylight you will have. Historically, the weather in September gets rainier and colder the later you get in the month. That does not mean you wouldn't catch a nice week, but if you are going to consider statistics, you will likely want to avoid mid-late September. With you wanting to do some active and adventurous activities, I would think you might want to go when the chance of rain is lessened. Also, as far as having children on board, that will be much decreased on any line in September. If you want to be on a ship with more children you need to look at the end of the June through the beginning of August.

 

As far as food, if you take a look at all cruise line forums, you will see everyone commenting that food is not what it used to be. Everyone is making cuts to keep their ships full. That means cutbacks across the board with food and other amenities.

 

I always hear good things about HAL's roomservice compared to other lines, but I have no personal experience in this regard. I have been on two HAL cruises to Alaska and did love them both. You just need to find the best fit for your group. I did not like the food on NCL at all compared to HAL.

 

From what you have posted, it seems like your parents would actually prefer one of the luxury cruiselines...not sure who will be sailing Alaska in 2012 but you would want to check out: Lindbdad, Regent, Silversea, Oceania. They may offer more of the experience your parents are looking for.

[kaswife]

From what you have posted, it seems like your parents would actually prefer one of the luxury cruiselines...not sure who will be sailing Alaska in 2012 but you would want to check out: Lindbdad, Regent, Silversea, Oceania. They may offer more of the experience your parents are looking for.

 

Thank you for your detailed reply. I have looked at most of the other luxury lines you recommend and they seem to have a lot of longer/combo itineraries or don't fit with our September timing. It's also very hard to find information on their children's programs. most of which seem minimal or non-existent. One line I recall just has a children's supervisor on the ship, but there are no dedicated children's facilities. The last thing I want is for us to be on a ship where our child is not welcomed (by staff or other cruisers) or that doesnt have a kid-friendly zone. Nor would we want to intrude on a cruise geared towards child free vacationing just because my parents prefer 5-star room service. So my parents are willing to sacrifice a little luxury for a more family-friendly environment. We have done Club Med before (which you may be familiar with; it's very spartan accomodations-wise but loads of fun) and been perfectly happy. I think I am leaning towards HAL for the itinerary, and the accomodations seem more than sufficient for our needs. I take your note on the food to heart and wont set expectations too high. It is mostly mass-produced afterall. But at least HAL has smaller ships. Thanks again!

[Assateague Island Princes]

Also keep in mind that on HAL, most sailings offer 3rd and 4th passengers for free or very little cost (plus taxes of course), which would be a plus with your child in your cabin.

 

Agree with all of Mary's recommendations above, particularly for a sailing in late Aug. or the very first week of September for all of the reasons she mentioned. I would suggest the Volendam sailing if you are interested in HAL. The Wednesday departure and the smaller ship plus excellent itinerary is great for first timers.

 

Your parents sound like they would be very pleased with HAL's "suite life" and the food, in our opinion, was great. Been on four Alaska cruises with HAL - twice on the 14 day itinerary on the Amsterdam (shared one of those sailings with Mary - aka: vbmom!), and two 7 day itineraries on the Oosterdam, so needless to say, I'm very pro HAL.

 

The great thing about HAL's room service is that they have a wonderful complete menu, all categories of cabins from the owner's suite to the smallest inside cabin can order room service 24 hours a day, including hot breakfast entrees, which I understand on Princess you can only order continental breakfast room service in the lower cabin categories. Plus on HAL any cabin can order dinner from the MDR menu delivered to your cabin (I think the only stipulation is that you place your order during the first hour of dining room service, though you can get it delivered whenever you want. Great perk after a long day in port and you just don't feel like dresisng for dinner. Of course, there is always the very casual Lido buffet, which is the only venue we tend to eat from on AK cruises - we just prefer the more relaxed atmosphere, and can eat at our own pace - which is much quicker than the MDR dinners tend to be. We like to be out on deck every available minute scanning the seas for whales;).

 

Good luck in your planning process, and hope you find the best cruise fit for your family. You are gonna love Alaska - no place on earth quite like it! Smooth sailing!

[Northern Aurora]

Cigarette smoking is a strong issue for me. If it is an issue for others in your party, Celebrity has an extremely restrictive smoking policy. There is currently no smoking in balconies, in staterooms and only in one inside venue. Celebrity is heading toward no inside smoking venues. Presently, as the M-class ships are "soltiscized" they are eliminating the inside smoking venue.

[Putterdude]

While I happen to be a fan of Princess' "Voyage of the Glaciers", it is not a 7 day return so they will not meet your objectives. Having done an HAL cruise this winter and experiencing the absolute worse cruise we have ever taken, I have a problem in recommending HAL albeit they have a good reputation in Alaska and they do tend to take scenic routings that others don't do. As a cruise line I would rate Celebrity as superior to HAL by a considerable margin and truth be known they scored slightly better than Princess in a number of respects. The thing with Celebrity is that while the include the Hubbard Glacier they for the most part go to Icy Strait Point rather then Skagway...which is my favourite port in Alaska.

[TheCalicoCat]

FWIW - I was open to all of the lines that you mention (using the rational that you used - RT, Glacier Bay, Children's venue) & we chose HAL Volendam.

[vbmom87]

Thank you for your detailed reply. I have looked at most of the other luxury lines you recommend and they seem to have a lot of longer/combo itineraries or don't fit with our September timing. It's also very hard to find information on their children's programs. most of which seem minimal or non-existent. One line I recall just has a children's supervisor on the ship, but there are no dedicated children's facilities. The last thing I want is for us to be on a ship where our child is not welcomed (by staff or other cruisers) or that doesnt have a kid-friendly zone. Nor would we want to intrude on a cruise geared towards child free vacationing just because my parents prefer 5-star room service. So my parents are willing to sacrifice a little luxury for a more family-friendly environment. We have done Club Med before (which you may be familiar with; it's very spartan accomodations-wise but loads of fun) and been perfectly happy. I think I am leaning towards HAL for the itinerary, and the accomodations seem more than sufficient for our needs. I take your note on the food to heart and wont set expectations too high. It is mostly mass-produced afterall. But at least HAL has smaller ships. Thanks again!

 

I really think HAL will be a good compromise for you. Every cruiseline out there will have their cheerleaders and their nay-sayers. I would not gauge any cruiseline on one person's experience (including mine). You can read lots of reviews on both this Alaska forum of CC and the ship review section of CC. Although I loved my two Alaska cruises with HAL, I would not hesitate to go on another line. I choose based on itinerary. We did not have the best experience on NCL, but I would definitely go on them again if the itinerary was what I was looking for. I cruise for the itinerary and don't get hung up on little things. On my two cruises with HAL I can only think of one thing that went awry....that was disembarking in Victoria on my cruise this past summer. Something went wrong and people were backing up waiting to get off the ship. Still, it was a minor inconvenience that delayed us about a half hour. In the scheme of life, not a biggie. Considering in three weeks of sailing that is the only negative I can remember, I think we did well. A lot will depend on your expectations and attitudes. Trust me, I have done a lot of research on the main stream cruiselines and I have to say that every cruiseline has someone who says they will never cruise on them again. Stuff happens!!! It is our reaction to what happens that will determine if we have a good or bad experience. Good luck with your planning, and please let us know what you decided and how it went.

[kaswife]

Thank you all so much for your valued input. You have helped me narrow down our choices from such a vast selection - and I thought we would never figure it out. I think I just needed to hear what I suspected, that all of the cruise lines are on par with each other in most areas, it's more a matter of the attitude you put into the trip. My parents will have a suite, so chances are they would have a wonderful, pampered experience whether we were on Carnival or Crystal. I really want to give HAL the benefit of any doubt and try their Club HAL program; the reality beeing it's going to be as good as any other week long program for a 3 year old that wont even remember the trip. Other than that it will be all about the sights, and why not see a World Heritage site like Glacier Bay while we have the chance? I'm treating this cruise like it might be my one chance to visit Alaska, and that's what we want to see, so I'm taking vbmom's advice and choosing 1st by itinerary and secondly by ship amenities. Volendam's Wednesday sailing it is. Now to convince my parents (they are leaning towards Celebrity, but they haven't seen the light on the itinerary yet). I'll keep you posted, and thanks again! :)

 

P.S. to Northern Aurora - thanks for the smoking tip, I think that will be a deciding factor too, since (much to our chagrin) my mom likes to smoke occasionally while on vacation. Assuming as of September she can smoke on her veranda on the Volendam, then that will nudge her towards choosing HAL over CC.

 

P.P.S. to Assateague Island Princes - Yay for the free 3rd passenger! And 24 hour room service sounds AWESOME.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Glad we could be of help! Hope you can convince your folks to give HAL a looksee. Especially in a suite, I think they will really enjoy the pampering and all that comes with it. The Volendam has a wonderful itinerary and I believe you and your family will enjoy yourselves. Hope you have smooth sailing and great weather, but be prepared - then you won't be disappointed. Waterproof outwear, including shoes (or just spray sneakers w/waterproof spray you can purchase from any shoe store or Walmart camping section), think layers - tees topped by longsleeved tees or fleece, maybe a hoodie or two, and then a waterproof jacket over top. Forget about the umbrella - with wind and rain in ports, you'll be a hazard to others and to yourself!

 

Good luck, and yes, please keep us posted on your final decision.

[kaswife]

Update: We are booked on the Volendam sailing RT from Vancouver Wed Aug 15 (yay midweek!). Now for more questions.

When should we arrive in Vancouver? We are booking our air/hotel separately.

Which excursions can we do with our 3 year old? Do we book now or wait until we are on the ship?

Which excursions are best for history/naturalist buffs like my father and husband?

Do I need to reserve a space for her in Club HAL?

What is the dress code? My parents will probably skip formal nights. Is it taboo to bring our daughter to formal night?

Besides the waterproof clothing/layers, anything else we should consider bringing?

Are there really VCRs in the staterooms or have they upgraded to DVD players? We have a portable DVD player which we will probably bring for the plane ride anyway but I was wondering for my parents' sake.

Any tips for combating sea sickness? Bromine vs. Dramamine? Ear patches? Wrist bracelets?

I'm sure I will have more but this is enough to start.

[rayliang]

1) arrival at Vancouver depends on how much time you want to spent in the city. If you find a flight that arrives early enough, you can go from the airport straight to the ship and just board. The Vancouver Metro has a train that goes from the airport directly next to the dock.

 

2) Book excursions as soon as you can. Call the tour operators regarding possible age limits. Things kids likes for example the Lumberjack show at Ketchikan.

 

3) plenty of stuff for history buff and naturalist buffs. The totem parks in Ketchikan, Alaska State Museum & Last Chance Mine Museum at Juneau, the Klondike National Monument HQ at Skageway, etc. Also things such as whale watching and bear watching trips. It all depend on your budget.

 

4) Club HAL, if they are already taking reservations, do so.

 

5) I brought my kid to formal night dinners. No problems. Don't have to be full on dress suit and stuff, but something at least elegant for ladies, tie and / or jack for men.

 

6) umbrella / poncho is good too, depending on Alaska weather forecast when your trip is near. Good walking shoes, because there's gonna be a lot of walking. Don't forget dress shoes for formal night. Binoculars for EVERYONE is a must, something 16X+. Camera with great zoom will be very helpful too. And camcorders.

 

7) I never seen VHS or DVD players in the cabins. For that matter, I don't remember seeing a way to hook your own player to the TV either.

 

8) can't help you there :) never gets sea sick. My wife prefers ginger vs. other meds.

 

Get a Alaska Guide book!!! AAA, Frommer, etc.

[Budget Queen]

I have sailed all these lines to Alaska and certainly enjoyed them all. BUT, I do believe none of these are going to meet your "food" and service requirements. All these cruise ships are megaliners, geared to the mass public. Food quality has dropped significantly since I first stated sailing and find them all, now, very similar. I take 4-6 cruises every year, so have some current information. "Room Service" depending what you are referring to, can mean anything from a snack type limited menu to full dinners in the suites. I suggest you may want to focus on that in your planning.

 

Overall, of your list, HAL is the clear winner for "Alaska", so your choice there is a great one.

 

You mention your daughter and "formal" nights, frankly, few 3 year olds are going to be able to tolerate the entended dining, and it will be up to you, to exit, IF you choose to??? Be realistic perhaps?

 

There may be limitations on kayaking trips with a 3 year old, so be certain to verify this.

 

Your "age" assumptions are wrong. demographics are very similar on ALL lines sailing Alaska with the bulk middle aged and above, even on Carnival. There will be "some" kids, but none of the lines, consistantly have the numbers of the Caribbean. IF this is more important then you might want to take a look at Disney. It's not too late to change anything at this point.

[vbmom87]

 

 

1) arrival at Vancouver depends on how much time you want to spent in the city. If you find a flight that arrives early enough, you can go from the airport straight to the ship and just board. The Vancouver Metro has a train that goes from the airport directly next to the dock.

 

 

 

6) umbrella / poncho is good too, depending on Alaska weather forecast when your trip is near. Good walking shoes, because there's gonna be a lot of walking. Don't forget dress shoes for formal night. Binoculars for EVERYONE is a must, something 16X+. Camera with great zoom will be very helpful too. And camcorders.

 

.

 

I would NEVER fly into port the day of the cruise. Too much can happen with flight delays and missing the ship. Over the four years I have been reading this forum I have read of too many who have missed the ship. Including 15 who missed my cruise on the Volendam in 2008. Believe me, it is not a stress you want. Vancouver is a beautiful city with lots to do. Take advantage of it.

 

Forget the umbrellas. If everyone has waterproof clothing you will be far better off. No one wants to be bothered with holding umbrellas.

[vbmom87]

Update: We are booked on the Volendam sailing RT from Vancouver Wed Aug 15 (yay midweek!). Now for more questions.

 

When should we arrive in Vancouver? We are booking our air/hotel separately.

 

Which excursions can we do with our 3 year old? Do we book now or wait until we are on the ship?

 

Which excursions are best for history/naturalist buffs like my father and husband?

 

Do I need to reserve a space for her in Club HAL?

 

What is the dress code? My parents will probably skip formal nights. Is it taboo to bring our daughter to formal night?

 

Besides the waterproof clothing/layers, anything else we should consider bringing?

 

Are there really VCRs in the staterooms or have they upgraded to DVD players? We have a portable DVD player which we will probably bring for the plane ride anyway but I was wondering for my parents' sake.

 

Any tips for combating sea sickness? Bromine vs. Dramamine? Ear patches? Wrist bracelets?

 

I'm sure I will have more but this is enough to start.

 

Congrats on making your decision. I hope you all enjoy the cruise and Alaska. I guess the smoking on the balcony swayed your mother? ;)

 

On the Amsterdam this past summer we did have a new TV with a DVD player. I would suggest checking with those who have recently been on the Volendam. Go the HAL forum to find this info out.

 

Formal night attire seems to vary from ship to ship and year to year. When I was on the Volendam in Alaska in 2008, men could wear a shirt and tie without a jacket, or they could wear a shirt and jacket without a tie. Most, however, did wear suits. Not sure if this has changed much as we did not go to formal nights on our 2011 cruise.

 

If your 3 year old is used to dining out in restaurants and does fine, I see no reason not to try it out. However, as already mentioned, be prepared to leave the dining room if she acts up.

 

Any excursion you are sure you want to take, should be booked ahead. Check cancellation policies. Read the fine print yourself. Don't rely on what someone says was their experience in the past. Policies do change.

 

Besides the tours the ship offers, don't hesitate to look into some independent tours.

 

Ketchikan has several opportunities for viewing totem poles. This may interest your husband and father.

 

http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/totempol.htm

 

For boat rides, you can take the tour to Misty Fjords. This tour you usually have to book through the cruiseline. Might be a little long for the 3 year old, but it is a pretty boat tour. We lucked out to have a beautiful sunny day. You can also do a fly-in to Misty Fjords, which I understand is quite amazing.

 

As mentioned before, Ketchikan is a good place to kayak.

 

Ketchikan also had flights to see bears in the wild eating salmon. You need to check first when is peak time. You don't want to spend all that money if it is not peak time for the location you are going to.

 

For Skagway the train/bus combo will likely be of interest to the history buffs in your group, but might be a bit too much for the 3 year old. Here is info on the hiking trails in Skagway:

 

http://www.skagway.com/skagwaytrailmap.pdf

 

Juneau offers lots of variety. At trip out to Mendenhall Glacier is always nice. There are helicopter tours that land on a glacier. I checked them out last year for someone and did find some that took 2 year olds. For you and your husband there are some glacier treks that sounds awesome for the adventuresome type. On clear days you can take the tram up Mt. St. Roberts. You and your DH could actually start early and climb up and have your parents and daughter meet you up at the top. (of course they would need to start later). Lots of options in Juneau.

 

Check with your health care provider regarding meds for motion sickness. I have good luck with taking one Bonine at night and then taking 2 ginger root capsules (500mg each)when I get queasy. The ginger worked like a charm for me when I was on a very wild ride in Kenai Fjords. (check with doc on these, as ginger can interact with some medications) I have read good things about crystallized ginger, but could never find it. I have since located it in the spice department of my supermarket. My DH uses the patch, but they have side effects I wasn't willing to risk. He likes easy and he did not have any problems. It is recommended you try them out at home first.

 

Good luck!! With careful planning you are going to have an awesome adventure.