How important is the ship?

[donaldsc]

For Alaska s opposed to many other cruise destinations, on a scale of 0 to 10, IL would rate the ship importance as 0.1 or lower.

 

DON

[sherryf]

Bubble netting is rare to see. The "group" is temporary and maybe stays at the feeding behavior a day or 2. Most likely times are July/ August. I went out twice the same day last year, due to active bubble netting, but that was the only day I saw it.

 

I guess we have been exceptionally lucky. We saw bubble net feeding at the end of July two years in a row!

[tropicgirl52]

I guess we have been exceptionally lucky. We saw bubble net feeding at the end of July two years in a row!

 

Lucky you! We would love to see that behavior. Guess we'll just cross our fingers and hope.

[Budget Queen]

I guess we have been exceptionally lucky. We saw bubble net feeding at the end of July two years in a row!

 

Sure have. :) May it continue for you!!!

 

I'm going on about 20 trips a year now, and the last few years, have only seen bubble netting 1-2 of those trips/year. Of course the Hawaii trips, "don't count", but just totaling up all the whale watches I do. Contrary, to what's often "reported", as it being an exclusive behavior in Alaska, I actually have seen bubble netting twice out of Gloucester. It was several years ago, but, these whales NEVER "mix", none going over the north pole, or through the Panama Canal. The Atlantic, are primarily with white flukes- which glow neon green, under that water. :) Very easy to see under the water, and a big advantage to have a multi level boat for the distance of viewing. Whereas, the Pacific humpback flukes are primarily black.

 

When it is going on- I always will attempt to go out again, if I can arrange it. I should have gone out 3 times (I've done that before). The day they were going on, last year. I had my nephew with me, with other plans. Hindsight is always 20/20.

[gertz]

To us every thing is important and we try very hard to get it all.

 

If you don't think the ship is important. Do a cruise on a "terrible" one.

 

Food ----.

 

And so on and so on.

 

Do your homework on each.

[MpwdMom]

Libby Riddles has an EXCLUSIVE contract with Princess and she comes aboard in Juneau with her dogs and gives a presentation about the Iditarod.

 

Who is she? We are on the Coral Princess next month, Northbound. I would love to see the dogs onboard!

 

I believe they introduced a new Taste of Alaska menu and are partnering with several local restaurants to duplicate and/or bring on fresh seafood.

 

I hope this is so. It would make dinner more interesting.

Edited April 9, 2015 by MpwdMom

[familycruzinnewbie]

I am interested in Alaska but probably not until around 2017. Yes I'm a massive pre-planner which may make it painful to get those late Alaska cruise deals. If we go on a family cruise to Alaska with our teens, the ship will fare into it. If I didn't care as much about Glacier Bay, I would go Carnival, just because we have sailed them before, the kids like them and we are familiar with their cabins, dining choices, kids clubs etc. I was looking at the NCL Sun northbound. It looked like Northbound included Glacier Bay where southbound did not or am I misunderstanding it. The Pearl has a RT trip from Seattle - how does the Pearl compare to the Sun. I would look at HAL, once they have a functioning website.

[Budget Queen]

Who is she? We are on the Coral Princess next month, Northbound. I would love to see the dogs onboard!

 

 

 

.

 

http://www.libbyriddles.com/

 

The problems I've run into a few times when I've sailed Princess is the scheduled time was, in the middle of the port time, so I didn't attend the last few times. She has been contracted for many years. The program, the last time I saw it- 3 years ago, was the same as the prior one- which is a great one.

 

Cruise lines also contract with Steve Hites in Skagway, who is a fantastic folk singer, who has a very nice program, based on the frontier of Alaska. Many times it scheduled nearer the end of the port day. He is the owner of the Skagway Streetcar Company, who also does a nice tour.

[MpwdMom]

Thanks for the info! That's disappointing that it's on a port day. This is our first trip to Alaska and I'm not certain we'll get back, so those port times are vital to see/do what we can.

[JimAOk1945]

We choose our cruises based on the itinerary. We enjoyed our 2nd Alaska cruise more than our first since it offered 4 ports of call rather than 3.

 

Both cruises were in August and the weather was very nice. In fact, we wished we had packed shorts. The only time we wore warm clothing was while the ship was in the glacier areas.

 

We have another Alaska cruise booked for next August. Again, we chose it based on the itinerary which is 14 days.

 

Alaska is a fantastic experience! Happy cruising!

[5waldos]

For Alaska s opposed to many other cruise destinations, on a scale of 0 to 10, IL would rate the ship importance as 0.1 or lower.

 

DON

 

But- and for me it was a big but- having a good naturalist onboard whatever ship was a very big plus.

Edited April 10, 2015 by 5waldos

[familycruzinnewbie]

For teens that like to be active - which ships would you recommend or not recommend. I'm the vacation planner and don't want to get blamed for picking an old dingy ship.

[Budget Queen]

For teens that like to be active - which ships would you recommend or not recommend. I'm the vacation planner and don't want to get blamed for picking an old dingy ship.

 

Ships are certainly subjective. Instead, I would suggest you involve the kids in the port plans, plenty of "active" adventures to keep them very occupied. :)

[Av8tor]

I think the ship is VERY important; in fact it's essential!! Without it, you'd get wet and cold swimming from port to port!! :eek:

[Tee & Chilli]

i think the ship is very important; in fact it's essential!! Without it, you'd get wet and cold swimming from port to port!! :eek:

 

lol

[maggieworkman]

Princess does Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay on all southbound trips.

Coral and Island are the Panamax ships so are smaller than some of the other large girls going to Alaska.

Wonderful forward and aft viewing areas from several decks(which were great during the Panama canal transit).

Ships are narrower and it was easy to walk back and forth on several decks to view each side.

Horizon Court is forward-so nice views while you eat.

Naturalists on board as well as park rangers.

Libby Riddles has an EXCLUSIVE contract with Princess and she comes aboard in Juneau with her dogs and gives a presentation about the Iditarod.

Covered pool area so you can swim anytime.

I believe they introduced a new Taste of Alaska menu and are partnering with several local restaurants to duplicate and/or bring on fresh seafood?

Spa had some great body treatments-loved their massage "menu".

 

When I asked the original question, Princess didn't have their itineraries out. Now that they are out, I am looking at those too.

 

Right now I have the roundtrip out of Seattle on NCL Pearl booked with the "kids sale free" promotion (2 rooms, so only 1 kid is free). Not 100% happy because the pool isn't covered. But it does do Glacier Bay (not Hubbard, however).

 

I prefer to do the Seattle or Vancouver roundtrip because my mother and I MIGHT try to fly standby since my brother works for an airline. I have a few days to attempt to get there via standby. I would book an actual ticket for my DH since he has restricted vacation time. Not sure about the DDs yet. Depends on their work schedule. I think it might be difficult to get to Anchorage on standby? There are only a couple flights per day. My brother is going to monitor things for the 2015 season and we finalize decisions based on that.

 

I am, however, debating between the Star Princess Southbound and the Crown Princess roundtrip Seattle. The Star does Glacier Bay & Hubbard. The Crown does Glacier Bay. In addition, the Star Princess has a covered pool while the Crown does not. And the 10 day roundtrip from San Francisco is a possibility. I'm sure we could get there on standby. And the Grand Princess has a covered pool. Plus the times on Port Days seem good.

 

Maggie

Edited April 16, 2015 by maggieworkman

[Budget Queen]

When I asked the original question, Princess didn't have their itineraries out. Now that they are out, I am looking at those too.

 

Right now I have the roundtrip out of Seattle on NCL Pearl booked with the "kids sale free" promotion (2 rooms, so only 1 kid is free). Not 100% happy because the pool isn't covered. But it does do Glacier Bay (not Hubbard, however).

 

I prefer to do the Seattle or Vancouver roundtrip because my mother and I MIGHT try to fly standby since my brother works for an airline. I have a few days to attempt to get there via standby. I would book an actual ticket for my DH since he has restricted vacation time. Not sure about the DDs yet. Depends on their work schedule. I think it might be difficult to get to Anchorage on standby? There are only a couple flights per day. My brother is going to monitor things for the 2015 season and we finalize decisions based on that.

 

I am, however, debating between the Star Princess Southbound and the Crown Princess roundtrip Seattle. The Star does Glacier Bay & Hubbard. The Crown does Glacier Bay. In addition, the Star Princess has a covered pool while the Crown does not. And the 10 day roundtrip from San Francisco is a possibility. I'm sure we could get there on standby. And the Grand Princess has a covered pool. Plus the times on Port Days seem good.

 

Maggie

 

You are flying on a buddy pass? Seattle does have load factors in the 90%s. The airline I use, has one flight per day in/out Anchorage. Extremely difficult for nonrevs. I would of had a WEEK wait, last year to get out, with a higher boarding priority than you, if you are buddy pass. I ended up getting a cheap one way flight to Long Beach (didn't matter where I flew to, this was the cheapest)

 

IF you are using a buddy pass, and not a higher priority, then I would recommend you allow at least 4 days to get to Seattle. 2013 I had to fly into Portland since Seattle was bottled up- and I was a priority 1. I took Greyhound to Vancouver, good alternative.

 

Again- a lot depends on your boarding priority. IF a buddy pass, you never gain, employees and retirees will always get on before you.

Edited April 16, 2015 by Budget Queen

[maggieworkman]

You are flying on a buddy pass? Seattle does have load factors in the 90%s. The airline I use, has one flight per day in/out Anchorage. Extremely difficult for nonrevs. I would of had a WEEK wait, last year to get out, with a higher boarding priority than you, if you are buddy pass. I ended up getting a cheap one way flight to Long Beach (didn't matter where I flew to, this was the cheapest)

 

IF you are using a buddy pass, and not a higher priority, then I would recommend you allow at least 4 days to get to Seattle. 2013 I had to fly into Portland since Seattle was bottled up- and I was a priority 1. I took Greyhound to Vancouver, good alternative.

 

Again- a lot depends on your boarding priority. IF a buddy pass, you never gain, employees and retirees will always get on before you.

 

 

Yes. It would be a buddy pass. Thanks for your experience! It is good to know. As I said, we were going to monitor the situation this year to see what it looks like. I'm surprised Seattle would take 4 days because there were around a dozen flights or so to Seattle per day! Do you think the San Francisco departure would be better?

 

My mom I think has higher priority than I do. Although it is way lower than employees, etc. Maybe I should convince my brother to join us on the cruise?? :) He can't, however, since he has 2 very little kids.

 

I can't complain because so far I have gone to London and Tokyo thanks to his passes. And I made it to both in one day.

 

Maggie

[Budget Queen]

Yes. It would be a buddy pass. Thanks for your experience! It is good to know. As I said, we were going to monitor the situation this year to see what it looks like. I'm surprised Seattle would take 4 days because there were around a dozen flights or so to Seattle per day! Do you think the San Francisco departure would be better?

 

My mom I think has higher priority than I do. Although it is way lower than employees, etc. Maybe I should convince my brother to join us on the cruise?? :) He can't, however, since he has 2 very little kids.

 

I can't complain because so far I have gone to London and Tokyo thanks to his passes. And I made it to both in one day.

 

Maggie

 

The problem is, you needing to make the cruise. You won't know what the flight loads are, until that time is PAST. So the main reason, I always suggest having more time than you need. I've been non rev traveling over 30 years, I did 10 flights last year, including Argentina, Chile, Barcelona, Kona, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Seattle, connecting through several other airports. :) I fly under retiree. I do get a few priority passes every year, which gives me priority 1. It depends what airline, for the specific ranks.

 

If you want to look at some tracking- you need to do so, right at take off. The airline we use- gives us the ability to see lists of cleared stand bys. It does no good to check numbers in advance. They change right up to take off, and the ONLY number that means anything is the final at take off. :)

[maggieworkman]

The problem is, you needing to make the cruise. You won't know what the flight loads are, until that time is PAST. So the main reason, I always suggest having more time than you need. I've been non rev traveling over 30 years, I did 10 flights last year, including Argentina, Chile, Barcelona, Kona, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Seattle, connecting through several other airports. :) I fly under retiree. I do get a few priority passes every year, which gives me priority 1. It depends what airline, for the specific ranks.

 

If you want to look at some tracking- you need to do so, right at take off. The airline we use- gives us the ability to see lists of cleared stand bys. It does no good to check numbers in advance. They change right up to take off, and the ONLY number that means anything is the final at take off. :)

 

Yes. That is what we plan to do. Look at numbers at take off for this year for the time around which we want to go next year.

 

Thanks for you insight.

 

Maggie

[TxnAquarian]

For those to whom the ship is important, I would stay far away from NCL Sun. We are in our 30s and enjoy both active ships and quiet ships....we have done everything from NCL (which we enjoyed, except for the Sun) to Celebrity to Crystal. We have enjoyed all the different styles of cruising. But the Sun is a poor ship, poor layout and old. We sailed her to Alaska in 2009 in a Penthouse Suite and found the whole experience depressing, from the service to the small, dingy lounges. We enjoy Alaska and everything that is offered there, but we also spend a lot of time relaxing on the ship, so onboard experience for us is just as important as ports.

 

 

 

Michael

[Lulubelle45]

So can someone tell me what a typical day would be for you on an Alaska cruise? For example, the day we view Hubbard Glacier, what would you be doing all day?

 

Thanks,

Maggie

 

I sailed last August on the Celebrity Century (she was sold and replaced with the Infinity) so I did the same itinerary. Tendered in Icy Strait, full day in Juneau and until 4 pm ish in Ketchikan. They had a wonderful naturalist on board. We had a leasurely breaky while sailing in to Hubbard. While in Hubbard Glacier, for the first hour he narrated the view, directing our eyes to wildlife and calving. Then as we turned to leave we were able to enjoy the view quietly. We were told that we were able to approach the glacier closer in August than anytime earlier in the season. We ate lunch out on the deck as we left the Glavier then just attended some activities as it was a sea day. I might add we were blessed with warm sunny days our entire trip, to the point we learned no one had air conditioners in Ketchikan (it was that warm!) In June July the nights are longer but there is more of a chance thr ice will prohibit entering closer. There are various areas to relax and read on the Infinity- (I went on a tour of her the year prior to sailing Century with my TA)

I don't think you would like NCL Sun. I've been on the Pearl which was a nicer ship, the Sun needs a facelift imo. I'll be sailing Princess to Ak in 2 weeks so I can't tell you yet how it turns out.

Edited April 19, 2015 by Lulubelle45

[Lulubelle45]

I am interested in Alaska but probably not until around 2017. Yes I'm a massive pre-planner which may make it painful to get those late Alaska cruise deals. If we go on a family cruise to Alaska with our teens, the ship will fare into it. If I didn't care as much about Glacier Bay, I would go Carnival, just because we have sailed them before, the kids like them and we are familiar with their cabins, dining choices, kids clubs etc. I was looking at the NCL Sun northbound. It looked like Northbound included Glacier Bay where southbound did not or am I misunderstanding it. The Pearl has a RT trip from Seattle - how does the Pearl compare to the Sun. I would look at HAL, once they have a functioning website.

 

My teens loved NCL. The Pearl had the rock climbing wall and on rainy days they hung out at the bowling alley with friends met and ordered Pizza. At that time the pool had a waterslide (2011) and a wave pool but they were in the hot tubs rain or shine. Sailed HAL Zaandam, zzzzzzz

Edited April 19, 2015 by Lulubelle45

[chilidog11]

I think I read an article that the Sun went through a remodel in 2011. There was a great recent trip review on the Sun. Very detailed with photos.

[Budget Queen]

I do agree- IF you want more bells and whistles of a ship=- cross the NCL Sun off your list. :) It is an older, "basic" ship. I sailed the Sun 3 times last summer, along with the Pearl in Alaska- yep the Pearl is "nicer". :)