HAL vs NCL vs RCCL

[Northern Aurora]

To expand slightly on the Alaska Marine Highway -- in 2016 we flew to Kodiak for a few days before boarding the AMH ferry the Tustamena.  We were on the "Trusty Tusty" for several days before reaching Unalaska/Dutch Harbor.  Living in the interior of Alaska we rarely use the AMH system, but that trip put us on the AMH e-mail list.  

 

When we started to receive those e-mail updates we quickly realized how many times the ferry schedules are altered.  Sometimes slightly altered, but other times significantly changed. Storms cause problems during the winter, but even during the summer months it was surprising how often the routes and times are changed.  Folks would need to be extremely flexible in their plans to use the ferries.

[wolfie11]

11 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

To expand slightly on the Alaska Marine Highway -- in 2016 we flew to Kodiak for a few days before boarding the AMH ferry the Tustamena.  We were on the "Trusty Tusty" for several days before reaching Unalaska/Dutch Harbor.  Living in the interior of Alaska we rarely use the AMH system, but that trip put us on the AMH e-mail list.  

 

When we started to receive those e-mail updates we quickly realized how many times the ferry schedules are altered.  Sometimes slightly altered, but other times significantly changed. Storms cause problems during the winter, but even during the summer months it was surprising how often the routes and times are changed.  Folks would need to be extremely flexible in their plans to use the ferries.

Not to mention the fact that most of the docks are way out of town and without paying an arm and a leg to bring a car you’re not going to be able to do much of anything.

[Northern Aurora]

And again -- many of the AMH stops are very brief.  Friends boarded a AMH ferry on Saturday in Haines.  While they will stop in Sitka for four hours many of the ferry stops are just long enough to offload and load before they are other way to the next stop.  

[Coral]

18 hours ago, Aquahound said:

 

For those folks, I'm surprised the Alaska Marine Highway System and/or the small expeditionary cruise lines aren't mentioned more.  Personally, if my ONLY interest was watching the scenery 24/7 and never attending shows or going to a dining room, I wouldn't even look at the large, modern cruise ships.  

As people have posted, the Alaska Maine Highway System is really not an option for touring. It is great for transport but not touring.

 

Expedition ships are very limited in how many there are and the price can be 8x (or more) higher than the cost of a regular cruise.

 

Sometimes I look at your posts and wonder how much you know about Alaska.

Edited February 13 by Coral

[Aquahound]

15 hours ago, Coral said:

 

Sometimes I look at your posts and wonder how much you know about Alaska.

 

No, your problem is you can't follow context or any other opinion contrary to yours.  My post was a snide response to those who seem to have such a terrible time understanding why others like to have good entertainment on board.  But hey, if you didn't get it then, I don't expect you to get it now.  See ya.  

[Cruzaholic41]

5 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

No, your problem is you can't follow context or any other opinion contrary to yours.  My post was a snide response to those who seem to have such a terrible time understanding why others like to have good entertainment on board.  But hey, if you didn't get it then, I don't expect you to get it now.  See ya.  

I totally get what you’re saying. I’m a very active 60-something who likes to dance the night away, even after an active day in port. For me, the cruise line and the cruise ship is just as important as the itinerary. 

 

I’ll never understand why certain posters just can’t accept that other cruisers have different likes. 

[Coral]

7 hours ago, Aquahound said:

 

No, your problem is you can't follow context or any other opinion contrary to yours.  My post was a snide response to those who seem to have such a terrible time understanding why others like to have good entertainment on board.  But hey, if you didn't get it then, I don't expect you to get it now.  See ya.  

My comment was related to your suggestion of Alaska Marine Highway as an adequate way to visit ports which made absolute no sense. Your knowledge on this was incredibly wrong. Also, the cost of expedition ships is not something most can afford. They are cost prohibitive for majority of vacationers who visit this board.

It has nothing to do with entertainment on board. It is your ignorance on other things.

 

Obviously you do not get it.

Edited February 14 by Coral

[Aquahound]

5 hours ago, Coral said:

My comment was related to your suggestion of Alaska Marine Highway as an adequate way to visit ports which made absolute no sense.

 

Nope.  That's not what I said.  I said nothing about ports.  But hey, keep making stuff up to justify yourself.  

[Aquahound]

11 hours ago, Cruzaholic41 said:

I’ll never understand why certain posters just can’t accept that other cruisers have different likes. 

 

Thank you!  It only seems to get worse and worse as time goes on, doesn't it? 🤷‍♂️🙄

[Vegamatic]

Just want to thank Coral and Aquahound for hijacking my post and turning it into an insult fest.  Very Entertaining 

[Cruzaholic41]

7 hours ago, Coral said:

My comment was related to your suggestion of Alaska Marine Highway as an adequate way to visit ports which made absolute no sense. Your knowledge on this was incredibly wrong. Also, the cost of expedition ships is not something most can afford. They are cost prohibitive for majority of vacationers who visit this board.

It has nothing to do with entertainment on board. It is your ignorance on other things.

 

Obviously you do not get it.

You really need to let it go. You made a comment about not understanding why people want entertainment on AK cruises. That opinion was countered. Drop it. Your way isn’t everyone’s way. 

[CaribbeanIsland]

4 hours ago, Cruzaholic41 said:

You really need to let it go. You made a comment about not understanding why people want entertainment on AK cruises. That opinion was countered. Drop it. Your way isn’t everyone’s way. 

I appreciate @Coral info on this board. They know more about Alaska than most which is what this forum is about. If you want to discuss entertainment on ship - go to that cruise line forum.

 

I come here for Alaska information. So glad there are people on this board that stick to the topic.

[Casey12]

7 hours ago, Aquahound said:

 

Nope.  That's not what I said.  I said nothing about ports.  But hey, keep making stuff up to justify yourself.  

I will take Coral's helpful ALASKA information on this board any day over your ship's entertainment commentary. I appreciate everyone on this board who talks about Alaska and who has been to many of the ports and glaciers. We don't need negative comments on this board.

[Cruzaholic41]

1 hour ago, CaribbeanIsland said:

I appreciate @Coral info on this board. They know more about Alaska than most which is what this forum is about. If you want to discuss entertainment on ship - go to that cruise line forum.

 

I come here for Alaska information. So glad there are people on this board that stick to the topic.

 

40 minutes ago, Casey12 said:

I will take Coral's helpful ALASKA information on this board any day over your ship's entertainment commentary. I appreciate everyone on this board who talks about Alaska and who has been to many of the ports and glaciers. We don't need negative comments on this board.

Wow, you people are something else. The topic was the “good or bad” of HAL, NCL, and RCI. Read the first post. Entertainment is just as much a legitimate topic when comparing cruise lines as anything else, and that was verified by several in this thread who agreed. 
 

I went back and read this thread again. The first direct attack on another poster was by Coral in post 29, so how about calling out the source rather than the responses. 
 

By the way, I should remind you that posting under multiple accounts violates board rules. 

[Aquahound]

10 hours ago, Vegamatic said:

Just want to thank Coral and Aquahound for hijacking my post and turning it into an insult fest.  Very Entertaining 

 

My most sincere apologies.  I regret responding to that poster.  Hopefully going forward, everyone can be adults and not attack one another for differences in opinion.  Happy cruising, and good luck with whichever option you choose.  I'm sure you'll have a great time.  🥹

[JeffT237]

On 2/10/2024 at 11:24 AM, Aquahound said:

Encore doesn't sail the Canadian Inside Passage out of Seattle.  It cruises outside Vancouver Island, just like RCI Ovation.  That is very deceiving if NCL is advertising Encore as IP. 

We did our first Alaska cruise in May of 2022 with Princess round trip out of Seattle, they too advertised it as the "inside passage" which we have found to be a very generic term that all of the cruise lines offer.  We would not do another Seattle round trip, it felt like more open ocean sailing than sightseeing like we expected, shorter port times and we felt the necessary Victoria stop at night was a waste (we also got in late).  

 

I would agree for a first Alaska cruise we would include Glacier Bay, and a one way Northbound or Southbound to experience the true inside passage that travels east of Vancouver Island.  

 

On 2/10/2024 at 8:40 AM, Vegamatic said:

would appreciate hearing any opinions folks have, good or bad.  Thanks

 

In reading your post I'm assuming this is your first time planning an Alaskan cruise? I would do a ton of research online and on You Tube.  We enjoyed our Seattle roundtrip but it is not exactly what we expected and we left a little disappointed.  We did thoroughly enjoy Glacier Bay, we had a spectacular sunny day.  We are sailing this August Northbound from Vancouver and we're hoping to get all of the experiences that we feel we missed on our last cruise to Alaska.  Another thing to consider is excursions, they are expensive and the popular ones sell out quickly which means deciding on a cruise itinerary and booking early is important.  

 

On 2/10/2024 at 10:04 AM, Coral said:

With Alaska - it is best to pick the best itinerary and not the ship. I would post all 3 itineraries. 

 

100% agree, loyalty status is important too many, but I think Alaska is the exception.  I would go for the best itinerary that fits your needs.

[JeffT237]

My apologies to those arguing over entertainment as I had not read the entire thread, @Vegamatic these are my opinions on Alaska. Scenery and excursions were more important than entertainment for us.  

[Vegamatic]

Want to thank everyone for all the input.  Not trying to be a jerk, just trying to stay on topic.  Looked at everything, HAL out of Vancouver just not in the cards for us this year.  Going to stick to seattle.  And since NCL does Glacier Bay, going to stay with original plan.  

 

Happy travels everyone