Considering HA for next years Alaska cruise

[Katnisslove]

Hello!!  My boyfriend (68) and I (38) have only been on 3 cruises and all on NCL and in the Caribbean.  We had an Alaska booked for last year that was canceled a few times so we went with the "safer" option (safer being that it probably wouldn't be canceled on us) and did the Caribbean again.  We knew that the next one would be Alaska since that is a bucket list place for both of us.  I had been mainly looking at NCL because that's what we know and they seem to be one of the only ones doing longer than 7 night cruises. We have done a 7 night, 9 night and the last was a 14 night.  We also get all the perks with them which is beverage package, $50 shore excursion per port, 3+ specialty dining nights and wifi. I happened to look at the Holland America site and noticed that they have the cruise with land tour package that is ALOT (between 1-2 grand depending on length) cheaper than an 11 night cruise on NCL.  What are your thoughts on switching lines? 

 

We like the trivia, games, daily activities on NCL but aren't night club people and rarely are out past 11 unless a performer we liked was playing.

We didn't use the water slides/rock wall/etc on NCL but I do love the water and was in the pool multiple times. Lol. 

We liked being able to eat when we wanted and the fact that there was always a place to eat/drink no matter what time.

He loved the Spinnaker lounge on the Gem for early morning coffee and relax while I was still asleep (area at the front of the ship which was all windows and relaxing chairs/sofas)

He also really liked the bridge viewing section on the Gem.  Anything like that on this line?

We do ship excursions for the piece of mind that they take care of everything (I'm not comfortable doing non-ship sponsored because we are "new" to cruising).  Are there enough options on HA?  (Like dog sledding, whale watching, zip line, etc..?  We are definitely not "lets pay to just ride around on a bus or walk around town" people.

If you have done Alaska what time of year would you suggest?

 

Any other pointers or thoughts would be wonderful!!!!!

[yamaha dancer]

My very first cruise was to Alaska with HA. Great food, boring entertainment. I took 3 teen agers and although they had a good time there wasn't a lot for them to do on board. The line I believe is better for mature adult cruisers. I guess that is me now 🙂

I think the best time to cruise to Alaska is mid September. The weather is still nice and the kids are back in school. Cruise prices to Alaska also drop in September.

I have also cruised to Alaska on NCL. If I took another Alaska cruise I would likely choose HA over NCL. 

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, Katnisslove said:

Hello!!  My boyfriend (68) and I (38) have only been on 3 cruises and all on NCL and in the Caribbean.  We had an Alaska booked for last year that was canceled a few times so we went with the "safer" option (safer being that it probably wouldn't be canceled on us) and did the Caribbean again.  We knew that the next one would be Alaska since that is a bucket list place for both of us.  I had been mainly looking at NCL because that's what we know and they seem to be one of the only ones doing longer than 7 night cruises. We have done a 7 night, 9 night and the last was a 14 night.  We also get all the perks with them which is beverage package, $50 shore excursion per port, 3+ specialty dining nights and wifi. I happened to look at the Holland America site and noticed that they have the cruise with land tour package that is ALOT (between 1-2 grand depending on length) cheaper than an 11 night cruise on NCL.  What are your thoughts on switching lines? 

 

We like the trivia, games, daily activities on NCL but aren't night club people and rarely are out past 11 unless a performer we liked was playing.

We didn't use the water slides/rock wall/etc on NCL but I do love the water and was in the pool multiple times. Lol. 

We liked being able to eat when we wanted and the fact that there was always a place to eat/drink no matter what time.

He loved the Spinnaker lounge on the Gem for early morning coffee and relax while I was still asleep (area at the front of the ship which was all windows and relaxing chairs/sofas)

He also really liked the bridge viewing section on the Gem.  Anything like that on this line?

We do ship excursions for the piece of mind that they take care of everything (I'm not comfortable doing non-ship sponsored because we are "new" to cruising).  Are there enough options on HA?  (Like dog sledding, whale watching, zip line, etc..?  We are definitely not "lets pay to just ride around on a bus or walk around town" people.

If you have done Alaska what time of year would you suggest?

 

Any other pointers or thoughts would be wonderful!!!!!

I’ve sailed Alaska on HAL - from Seattle - and have heard from friends that the combined land/cruise package is really good value.  I certainly feel that a week on a HAL ship is much better than any time on an NCL ship - but tastes vary.

 

I think you only want to think about late May to mid-August — the weather window is not that wide.

[Pudgesmom]

We had a fantastic three generation cruise on HAL about 10 years ago to Alaska. If it’s in your budget, don’t miss the Taku Glacier Lodge. Dog Sledding and Kayaking were fun too 

[Toofarfromthesea]

53 minutes ago, Pudgesmom said:

We had a fantastic three generation cruise on HAL about 10 years ago to Alaska. If it’s in your budget, don’t miss the Taku Glacier Lodge. Dog Sledding and Kayaking were fun too 

 

I second the motion on the Taku Lodge.  Great view of glaciers from the sky on the flight and the best salmon dinner I ever had in my life.  Plus we got a little show when a bear ambled out of the woods and started pawing up grease from the bbq the salmon was cooked on.  We also enjoyed the crab boat excursion, particularly since our son-in-law's dad is a crab boat captain.

 

[thinfool]

It's worth noting that HAL and Princess have been doing Alaska longer than any other lines.  They own or have exclusive access to many venues that are popular with folks.

Many will tell you that an Alaska trip is about Alaska, not the ship or cruise line.  I would agree.  Worthy of note is that, while NCL has permits for Glacier Bay (limited), HAL and Princess have the lions share of permits for this awesome location.

[lenquixote66]

On 3/5/2022 at 1:16 PM, Katnisslove said:

Hello!!  My boyfriend (68) and I (38) have only been on 3 cruises and all on NCL and in the Caribbean.  We had an Alaska booked for last year that was canceled a few times so we went with the "safer" option (safer being that it probably wouldn't be canceled on us) and did the Caribbean again.  We knew that the next one would be Alaska since that is a bucket list place for both of us.  I had been mainly looking at NCL because that's what we know and they seem to be one of the only ones doing longer than 7 night cruises. We have done a 7 night, 9 night and the last was a 14 night.  We also get all the perks with them which is beverage package, $50 shore excursion per port, 3+ specialty dining nights and wifi. I happened to look at the Holland America site and noticed that they have the cruise with land tour package that is ALOT (between 1-2 grand depending on length) cheaper than an 11 night cruise on NCL.  What are your thoughts on switching lines? 

 

We like the trivia, games, daily activities on NCL but aren't night club people and rarely are out past 11 unless a performer we liked was playing.

We didn't use the water slides/rock wall/etc on NCL but I do love the water and was in the pool multiple times. Lol. 

We liked being able to eat when we wanted and the fact that there was always a place to eat/drink no matter what time.

He loved the Spinnaker lounge on the Gem for early morning coffee and relax while I was still asleep (area at the front of the ship which was all windows and relaxing chairs/sofas)

He also really liked the bridge viewing section on the Gem.  Anything like that on this line?

We do ship excursions for the piece of mind that they take care of everything (I'm not comfortable doing non-ship sponsored because we are "new" to cruising).  Are there enough options on HA?  (Like dog sledding, whale watching, zip line, etc..?  We are definitely not "lets pay to just ride around on a bus or walk around town" people.

If you have done Alaska what time of year would you suggest?

 

Any other pointers or thoughts would be wonderful!!!!!

We did a 7 day land followed by a 7 day cruise on an HAL ship in the month of May.It was one of our favorite vacations.On the land portion we toured Denali National Park.Our guide was a college professor from Oregon who spent 6 months a year in Alaska.He told us to throw away any brochures about Denali and gave us actual books to keep.It was a great tour.

The land portion was by bus and train.We saw and did so much .HAL had a guide who was with us 24/7 .

[labdoggomom]

If you are on tictoc- @dutchworld_americangirl   She is currently a wife on board HAL- her husband is the staff chief officer for that boat. They will work the Alaskan route this summer. She has lots of great info about cruising. 

[Host Kat]

Howdy everyone! 

 

The OP has recently booked a June 6, 2023 Alaska RT from San Francisco cruise. Therefore, this thread is closed.

 

Happy sails to all,

 

Host Kat