Alaska cruise questions

[Ag cruiser]

Never been to Alaska or on Holland America.  Have cruised on Windstar and Azamara.  Really want to do an Alaskan cruise in August 2021.  Trying to decide between Holland America and Celebrity.  Any advice?  Also, probably booking a balcony cabin.  Anything specific I should know?  Thanks in advance!  Can't wait to get back out into the world!

[kevingastreich]

39 minutes ago, Ag cruiser said:

Never been to Alaska or on Holland America.  Have cruised on Windstar and Azamara.  Really want to do an Alaskan cruise in August 2021.  Trying to decide between Holland America and Celebrity.  Any advice?  Also, probably booking a balcony cabin.  Anything specific I should know?  Thanks in advance!  Can't wait to get back out into the world!

HAL is a great choice.  Don't worry about what side of the ship you are on...what you don't see on the way up you will see on the way down.  You will love Alaska!

[Alberta Quilter]

 For a first time Alaska cruise, I would choose any itinerary going to Glacier Bay.  If you list the itineraries you’re interested in, and the port times, you’ll get more information.

[rsldonk]

Pick an itinerary that goes to glacier bay. HAL is by far your best choice for that 

[zelker]

Hands down HAL over Celebrity for Alaska.  Better itinerary from the cruise line that pretty much put cruising in Alaska on the map.

[jakers]

When we first cruised to Alaska we went on the Carnival Miracle with a group of people from work that had never cruised before. Everything on the ship was regrettable except having a balcony. We were blown away by Alaska and have returned to cruise many times. Our second Alaska cruise was on the Celebrity Solistice. A beautiful ship but terrible for Alaska. Every time we tried to find a good viewing area on deck we were behind a crowd of people. We kept returning to our balcony where we didn't have to line up in a crowd. Not many good viewing locations on a Celebrity ship. Hal is made for Alaska. There are multiple viewing locations on almost every deck. On Hal ships we don't need a balcony, you just walk outside.

[Ag cruiser]

Thanks for all the helpful info! Anything not obvious about cabin selection that I should consider? Not prone to motion sickness but quiet at night is a priority.

[HAL4NOW]

2 hours ago, Ag cruiser said:

Thanks for all the helpful info! Anything not obvious about cabin selection that I should consider? Not prone to motion sickness but quiet at night is a priority.

Try to choose a cabin with other cabins above and below.

[shipgeeks]

We had a balcony cabin on our Alaska cruise, and only used it one time, for an hour or two, during the 10 night cruise.  We much preferred being on the open top decks, viewing the scenery in all directions, and getting the sunshine.  

[SightCRR]

Some HAL ship balconies have solid steel railings that you cant see out of sitting down. Ask for ones that have see through railings. 

[57redbird]

5 hours ago, SightCRR said:

Some HAL ship balconies have solid steel railings that you cant see out of sitting down. Ask for ones that have see through railings. 

That's what we had on our 1st cruise --- Alaska/Oosterdam.....learned our lesson!

[zelker]

5 hours ago, SightCRR said:

Some HAL ship balconies have solid steel railings that you cant see out of sitting down. Ask for ones that have see through railings. 

You're able to tell which ones have solid steel railings by looking at the Key for the deck plans (see the black diamond in the middle column below) and then make sure that symbol doesn't appear for the stateroom you want.  Looks like those are only on Deck 4, Forward.

 

Edited May 27, 2021 by zelker