Need help choosing which cruise to pick

[aj925]

So looks like my original choice of the HAL Noordam is now sold out for interior rooms on the date I need (and I don't want to pay double that for oceanview) so I have the following 3 to pick from. Which one would you suggest based on the itinerary (they are all 7 day):

1) Norwegian Sun Vancouver to Seward (can get an oceanview family room for within our budget)

2) HAL Volendam Vancouver RT (can get interior or oceanview same price)

3) Princess Grand Princess Vancouver to Anchorage (cheapest of the 3 for interior room)

 

I'm leaning towards the Norwegian Sun because the Juneau time is 10am-8pm vs 1pm-10pm on the Volendam but not sure if that is so important.

All the ports are the same except Norwegian includes cruising by Hubbard Glacier, HAL Volendam includes Tracy Arm, and Grand Princess includes College Fjord.

[timbom]

Thought this might help you. Sent it to family who are trying to decide how to do the cruise.

 

Here's a detailed look at the five factors to consider when booking an Alaska cruise or cruise tour.

 

Price

Discounts are available right now on virtually every departure for the entire Alaska season, which runs from May to September. Shipboard credits and other free amenities also are available on many sailings. In general, you'll find the lowest rates on departures early and late in the season.

 

There are a few situations in which you should call us and lock in your rate as soon as you can, while there still are cabins that will accommodate your needs on nearly every ship. They are: if you want to sail on specific ship on a specific date, if you require a cabin that accommodates three or more people or a passenger with special needs, or if you need two adjacent or adjoining cabins or more than four cabins on a single sailing.

 

However, if you are flexible about date and ship, I recommend waiting until about 90 days prior to departure to book an Alaska cruise, as rates for many cabins are likely to be reduced at about that stage.

 

There's a chance that well-timed connecting flights could sell out if you wait, but I'd personally take that risk in order to wait for a terrific late-breaking deal to emerge.

 

As with all last-minute cruise deals, we will have them first on our site, and we will sell out many of the departures before most other travel agencies even hear about them.

 

Itinerary

There are two types of itineraries for Alaska cruises: Inside Passage cruises that sail round trip from Vancouver, Seattle or San Francisco; and Gulf of Alaska cruises that sail one way between Vancouver and Seward or Whittier (gateways to Anchorage and the interior city of Fairbanks). The Gulf of Alaska cruises include several days in the Inside Passage.

 

The round-trip cruises offer two advantages: 1) You can book closer to departure because there are many flights daily into, and out of, Vancouver, Seattle and San Francisco, and 2) They require less expensive airfare because no long flight to (or from) Anchorage or Fairbanks is involved.

 

Air into (and out of) Anchorage and Fairbanks is quite limited and flights fill early with cruise and cruise tour passengers, which makes it more risky to wait for a last-minute deal on a one-way Gulf of Alaska cruise.

 

The biggest advantage of one-way cruises is that they allow the opportunity to explore the interior of Alaska on a pre- or post-cruise land tour. Between one-third and one-half of all Alaska cruisers opt to extend their cruise with a tour of inland Alaska (out of Anchorage or Fairbanks) or British Columbia or the Canadian Rockies (out of Vancouver).

 

If you are leaning toward one of these cruise tours, keep in mind that tour buses, railcars and lodges in Alaska are very limited in supply and can sell out early. I recommend booking cruise tours no later than the end of February to ensure availability.

 

Weather

Alaska weather is delightfully unpredictable, but in general, you'll find the warmest temperatures in July and August, when average highs are in the low to mid-60s. Precipitation can rise a bit in late August and early September, but I personally would not avoid that time for that reason.

 

One of my fondest Alaska memories is of sipping coffee on our balcony as the scenery melted away and the ship slowed to a crawl in dense fog in the Inside Passage, our foghorn echoing off the mountains on either side, warning fishermen of our approach. On another day, we hiked a trail to an alpine lake for a canoe ride to the face of a glacier, in a driving rain. Invigorating does not begin to describe it. Weather is part of the experience in Alaska.

 

Click here for a list of Alaska ports, and then click a port name to see the weather details for that location.

 

Wildlife

Wildlife is one of the big attractions of Alaska, and different species are active at various times during the cruising season. Humpback and killer whales are seen throughout the summer in large sounds and straits along the coast, as they migrate between their winter homes in the south and their summer homes in the north. Brown and black bears can be spotted in grassy tidal flats starting in May and near salmon streams and berry patches in July and August. Moose and caribou begin calving in May, so look for cow moose and their young near thickets along roadsides and rivers in May and June.

 

Bald eagles are plentiful and can be viewed at the water's edge through the summer, particularly near salmon-spawning streams. Tufted puffins and other seabirds begin nesting colonies on coastal islands in May. Shorebird-watching is popular in August and September as various species begin their migrations south for the winter.

 

Harbor seals are visible throughout the season and can be seen with their pups on and around the icebergs of Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay during the month of June. Sea lions start to become visible in September.

 

Fishermen will be happy to know that at least one variety of salmon -- the prized king salmon -- runs from May through August. Late May through June is the best time for saltwater king salmon fishing, and July through August is best for freshwater king salmon fishing. Sockeye (red) salmon fill freshwater streams and rivers on their spawning run from late June through July.

 

Saltwater fishing for chum and pink salmon is best in July and August, and freshwater fishing for these species is at its peak in August. Coho (silver) salmon can be found in saltwater areas from late July through early September and are abundant in freshwater areas during September and October. Halibut is most plentiful in saltwater areas from late June through August.

[donaldsc]

Make your selection based on -

 

1. Itinerary

2. Itinerary - duplication intentional

3. Does it visit Glacier Bay

4. Length time in each port

5. Departure point - Vancouver versus Seattle. Vancouver is better as you get to the interesting bits more quickly. This one might be after arrival / departure times.

6. Port arrival time and departure - there was a recent CC post where someone was trying to figure out what to see in Ketchikan because his ship arrived at 7 AM and departed at 12:30 PM.

7. Ship.

 

Note that ship is last.

 

DON

[CowPrincess]

So looks like my original choice of the HAL Noordam is now sold out for interior rooms on the date I need (and I don't want to pay double that for oceanview) so I have the following 3 to pick from. Which one would you suggest based on the itinerary (they are all 7 day):

1) Norwegian Sun Vancouver to Seward (can get an oceanview family room for within our budget)

2) HAL Volendam Vancouver RT (can get interior or oceanview same price)

3) Princess Grand Princess Vancouver to Anchorage (cheapest of the 3 for interior room)

 

I'm leaning towards the Norwegian Sun because the Juneau time is 10am-8pm vs 1pm-10pm on the Volendam but not sure if that is so important.

All the ports are the same except Norwegian includes cruising by Hubbard Glacier, HAL Volendam includes Tracy Arm, and Grand Princess includes College Fjord.

 

When are you going? It can stay quite light, quite late, so possibly the later time in Juneau wouldn't be as much of a negative???

 

Factor in airfare when you are considering your budget, the one ways may appear less expensive, but are they, after you add in airfare? Can your budget manage a possibly more-expensive airfare?

 

I like leaving from Vancouver because as donaldsc mentioned, you get interesting stuff right away ;)

[aj925]

Airfare is not a factor. The price from the east coast to Vancouver RT is actually the same right now as east coast to Vancouver and then Anchorage back to the east coast.

The itineraries are almost the same except for 1 port as I mentioned above. So I'm really just asking from people's experience which one they would go with, if price was the same for all 3.

It's 3 of us so I can't wait until it's closer to departure date to book.

[oaktreerb]

I am a HAL cruiser to Alaska but according to the info you give the Norwegian might work best for you. I Would prefer the cruise that goes to Seward. I Believe the Tracy Arm listed shows a service call only so you will not actually see Tracy Arm unless you take the excursion.

[epixx]

I would ask myself these questions:

 

1. Do I have any time or interest in post-cruise Alaska touring?

 

If no, then go with the round trip Vancouver. The return flight is significantly shorter, if not less expensive, from Vancouver than from Anchorage.

 

If yes, then go with either NCL or PCL.

 

2. Do I have any interest in doing excursions in either Seward or Whittier?

 

If yes to Seward, then choose NCL. If yes to Whittier then choose PCL

 

If no to both, but if interested in touring Denali Park, then perhaps go with PCL, as Whittier is slightly closer.

 

Good luck.

[aj925]

I am a HAL cruiser to Alaska but according to the info you give the Norwegian might work best for you. I Would prefer the cruise that goes to Seward. I Believe the Tracy Arm listed shows a service call only so you will not actually see Tracy Arm unless you take the excursion.

 

 

I actually just found one more HAL cruise with basically same itinerary going from Vancouver to Seward on the Oosterdam and a cabin within our budget just popped up on the Noordam so it is back in the running too. Are you familiar with either of those HAL ships, Volendam, Oosterdam, or Noordam?

 

We are going in August as an extension of our visit to Vancouver.

[donaldsc]

I actually just found one more HAL cruise with basically same itinerary going from Vancouver to Seward on the Oosterdam and a cabin within our budget just popped up on the Noordam so it is back in the running too. Are you familiar with either of those HAL ships, Volendam, Oosterdam, or Noordam?

 

We are going in August as an extension of our visit to Vancouver.

 

You are stressing way too much over the choice of ship. Remember my 7 rules for choosing a ship in AK. The ship is the last one on the list.

 

DON

[oaktreerb]

I actually just found one more HAL cruise with basically same itinerary going from Vancouver to Seward on the Oosterdam and a cabin within our budget just popped up on the Noordam so it is back in the running too. Are you familiar with either of those HAL ships, Volendam, Oosterdam, or Noordam?

 

We are going in August as an extension of our visit to Vancouver.

 

It looks like both the Volendam and Noordam are rt Vancouver and both go to Glacier Bay. If you want to see Tracy Arm (and you should) you will need to pay the extra for the shore excursion. If you have already spent time in Vancouver you may be happier to sail rt and fly home from there. I have been on this class of ship but I have never been in an inside cabin. If you look at HALfacts.com you will get a lot of information on the inside cabins as the size can vary considerably.

 

I like the Oosterdam because it is bigger and offers verandahs that are not suites.

Again, I do not sail in insides. I need to at least see daylight. If you are not planning to spend some time in Seward, Anchorage, or Denali you may as well do the rt Vancouver on the Noordam or Volendam.

 

Look on HALfacts.com. Lots of good information.

Edited January 18, 2015 by oaktreerb

[travgurl]

After a lot of research last summer, we are booked on the Holland Oosterdam for July 26th out of Seward. We are doing the land/sea tour beginning in Fairbanks on the July 22nd. It is the 5DL tour Check it out. Very happy with our choice. Good luck on your decision.

[aj925]

You are stressing way too much over the choice of ship. Remember my 7 rules for choosing a ship in AK. The ship is the last one on the list.

 

DON

 

I am asking about the ships because the itineraries and times in port for the 3 HAL ships is almost identical. I thought someone might suggest one ship over another because they are able to get up closer or have better viewing facilities, etc. Just anything that would set one above the other. Right now it doesn't matter whether we return from Seward or Vancouver and if people say there are some must do's around Seward or Anchorage we don't mind extending our trip 2-3 more days.

[aj925]

It looks like both the Volendam and Noordam are rt Vancouver and both go to Glacier Bay. If you want to see Tracy Arm (and you should) you will need to pay the extra for the shore excursion. If you have already spent time in Vancouver you may be happier to sail rt and fly home from there. I have been on this class of ship but I have never been in an inside cabin. If you look at HALfacts.com you will get a lot of information on the inside cabins as the size can vary considerably.

 

I like the Oosterdam because it is bigger and offers verandahs that are not suites.

Again, I do not sail in insides. I need to at least see daylight. If you are not planning to spend some time in Seward, Anchorage, or Denali you may as well do the rt Vancouver on the Noordam or Volendam.

 

Look on HALfacts.com. Lots of good information.

 

Would the excursion to Tracy Arm be out of Juneau? We already had our hearts set on doing the heli/dog sledding excursion out of that port. But I would love to see Tracy Arm too.

[Dobermangal]

If you want holland America ship specifics head over to the HAL board here and ask there.

 

I am sure I read something about the Noordams aft pool area having been removed and replaced by hot tubs and new passenger cabins and that may have impacted the outside deck experience to some extent but to what degree I don't know.

 

Those who have have been on the specific ships recently will be able to help you there, you definitely want to have lots of outside public space available to use in Alaska.

Carla

[oaktreerb]

All HAL ships have plenty of inside and outside viewing area and will open the bow in Glacier Bay. They have a full promenade deck so that you can easily move from one side to the other. The pools have a pool cover and you have great views from the tables outside the Lido in the pool area. The ships are small compared to other major cruise lines so that you will not have to compete for a view except possibly on the bow in Glacier Bay and eventually some people get cold and go inside. It's all about the itinerary. Toss a coin.

[epixx]

Right now it doesn't matter whether we return from Seward or Vancouver and if people say there are some must do's around Seward or Anchorage we don't mind extending our trip 2-3 more days.

 

If you really don't care about the longer flight from Anchorage and can extend the trip in Seward, than omit the round trip Vancouver itinerary. Stay 2-3 more days in Seward. Plan for the helicopter dog sledding the first day in Seward (http://www.sewardhelicopters.com/seward-dog-sled-tours), then, if it's canceled, ask them if they have an opening for your second day. Plan to do the Kenai Fjords cruise, the Alaska SeaLife Center, hike to Exit Glacier, sea kayaking, or fishing on the other day.