travelbug1993 Posted January 4, 2020 #1 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Hi Cruisers. I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on which company my husband and I (early 50's) should book with to do an Expedition cruise to Alaska and maybe the Russian Far East in July/August/September 2021. Both seem on a par to me with the odd items swaying in each one's favour. The more I read the more confused I get. Many thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted January 5, 2020 #2 Share Posted January 5, 2020 All I can say is if you do end up doing it - I want to read your review after! Looking at your history - you have done some unusual ships. I did Norway on Princess and you did Hurtigruten. I have heard of Hurtigruten but am somewhat afraid to go on their ships though they go everywhere in Norway. I did Amawaterways years ago to Russia and you did Volga Dream which I was not familiar with. I was not impressed with Ama but it was a long time ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
English Voyager Posted January 5, 2020 #3 Share Posted January 5, 2020 (edited) 5 hours ago, Coral said: All I can say is if you do end up doing it - I want to read your review after! Looking at your history - you have done some unusual ships. I did Norway on Princess and you did Hurtigruten. I have heard of Hurtigruten but am somewhat afraid to go on their ships though they go everywhere in Norway. I did Amawaterways years ago to Russia and you did Volga Dream which I was not familiar with. I was not impressed with Ama but it was a long time ago. Although the newer Hurtigruten ships have become more luxurious it is not a cruise line but a service for coastal communities. Some stops are only long enough to land, or take on board, passengers and freight. Edited January 5, 2020 by English Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted January 5, 2020 #4 Share Posted January 5, 2020 4 hours ago, English Voyager said: Although the newer Hurtigruten ships have become more luxurious it is not a cruise line but a service for coastal communities. Some stops are only long enough to land, or take on board, passengers and freight. Thanks. Do people disembark and catch a later ship? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floridiana Posted January 18, 2020 #5 Share Posted January 18, 2020 On 1/5/2020 at 1:55 AM, English Voyager said: Although the newer Hurtigruten ships have become more luxurious it is not a cruise line but a service for coastal communities. I think they also do 'real' cruises with their new ships and Arctic expeditions. As to the question whether passengers can do easy hop-on, hop off, it probably depends whether it's a high frequency port or some small village hidden away. You would have to check their schedules. I noticed that they always have the better pier, closer to town or village than the cruise ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floridiana Posted January 18, 2020 #6 Share Posted January 18, 2020 As to Ponant, I liked the Austral. Haven't been on Silversea, isn't' it more formal than Ponant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelbug1993 Posted January 18, 2020 Author #7 Share Posted January 18, 2020 Hi everyone. We decided to book with Ponant for a few reasons. The discount with Ponant is applied and you only have to pay a 25% deposit and the balance 120 days out. We have sailed with them before so have an additional 5% discount. It was also a better itinerary for us. Yes, Silversea claims to be more high scale than Ponant, but except for a few things they are very similar. However in order to get Silversea’s 10% discount you need to pay your deposit and a few days late pay the full amount! When our cruise is Sept 2021 that is a long time before and depending how you pay for it, a lot of extra interest. I am looking forward to the cruise and will write a review when we return. Thanks to everyone for their comments. Safe Travels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelbug1993 Posted January 18, 2020 Author #8 Share Posted January 18, 2020 We ended up booking the Alaska and their Fur Trader’s cruise as the one we wanted may not be offered next year. Still happy with that itinerary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floridiana Posted January 25, 2020 #9 Share Posted January 25, 2020 Enjoy the cruise and tell us how it went afterwards. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqueline Posted February 7, 2020 #10 Share Posted February 7, 2020 (edited) We just booked the Russian Far East, Kamchatka peninsula in 2022. They are offering two cruises on this itinerary on the Inspiration. We did sail Silversea in the Galapagos, but I am happier with the newer HL ship. They do a great job with luxury expedition cruising. Getting ready to board the Aqua Mekong in Phnom Penh this afternoon. Edited February 7, 2020 by Jacqueline 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelcat2 Posted February 16, 2020 #11 Share Posted February 16, 2020 (edited) Definitely Silversea! P.S. Your choice of going to Alaska in August (hopefully late August) or September is a good one. You will avoid the thousands of children/families that cruise that area is June, July and early August. Edited February 16, 2020 by Travelcat2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floridiana Posted February 22, 2020 #12 Share Posted February 22, 2020 (edited) On 2/6/2020 at 11:52 PM, Jacqueline said: Getting ready to board the Aqua Mekong in Phnom Penh this afternoon. Enjoy? Will you also do the Amazon cruise with H-L? Tight schedule, maybe impossible. Edited February 22, 2020 by Floridiana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqueline Posted February 25, 2020 #13 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Right! My reasoning is on the other thread. Hope you have a wonderful trip. When you return, please let us know all about it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floridiana Posted February 28, 2020 #14 Share Posted February 28, 2020 On 2/25/2020 at 10:21 AM, Jacqueline said: When you return, please let us know all about it! I will write a review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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