WHICH CRUISE LINE and WHEN?

[luv2cruiseny]

Okay, getting ready for my third cruise - have done canada, eastern and western caribbean. A very good friend of mine will be celebrating her 50th birthday next year and recently divulged that she would love to go on an alaskan cruise.

 

I haven't done any research on Alaskan cruises - my personel choice for my next 2 are mediterranean and panama canal.

 

Anyway - I would love to hear from anyone on thier choice of cruise lines for Alaska - (all 3 of my cruises have been on carnival) - both negative and positive and when is the best time to do this type of cruise.

[soooo excited!]

We are off on our first cruise - Alaska - next July - but I can tell you what my travel agent told me - beware of going on the cheaper cruises on the edge of the season - May/Sept. depending on what excursions you plan to do - fog can be a real problem - so flightseeing stuff can be tricky - if you want fishing - check out the best times for that - so, it really depends what you want to do on the cruise as to the best or worst time to go - I've read it's more rainy later in summer (mid-July through August).

[luv2cruiseny]

Thanks much for your input - for anyone out there who has already done the alaskan cruises - please provide your opinions.

[Chance's Mom]

My husband and I did Alaska last Sept. on the NCL Star! WE LOVED IT! We had rain/drizzle alot of the days, but we were able to do all of our excursions. Apparently the week before the weather was gorgeous! You just never know about the weather! We really liked the free-style dining on NCL. Go to eat whenever and where ever you want. Alaska is much more casual, but nice clothes are still worn at dinner. (Just not as many formals!:) ) Remember, you go for the beauty of Alaska! Have fun!

[luv2cruiseny]

thanks very much for the info.

[RetireeWannabee]

I'm taking Mom to Alaska in Sept on Princess. Scenery and economy are my priorities; Princess has Naturalist on board and economical Southbound.

[KAYEF]

We "always" do Alaska at the end of Aug. and into Sept. and have never had rain..............it's been spectacular.:o

We went on NCL last year and the cabins were TINY; that was a shock to us. We really enjoyed the freestyle dining, though............going back to HAL this year...............we LOVE HAL. Friends enjoyed their Princess cruise to Alaska.

You will visit more ports if you do a one-way cruise. Be sure you either visit Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier so you really get the "glacier experience."

Skagway and Sitka are our favorites; this year we're disembarking in Seward and renting a car for a week.

The "problem" with going to Alaska is that you get "bit" and go back and go back and go back again..............it's fantastic, gorgeous, and vast.....

lost to see and do.

Have FUN!!

[luv2cruiseny]

thanks so much for the info. I'll look into both and see what I can find.

[bunduo]

 

We were on the HAL Ryndam last year. It was simply the most spectacularly beautiful cruise we have ever taken...and we are huge caribbean/med. fans. We are going again next year with Princess. HAL might be closer to your friends demographic.

 

Unlike some cruises, Alaska is the main attraction rather than the ship.

Personally, I looked at itinerary first, ship second, price third. A balcony is a must as is cruising Glacier Bay. Either way, your in for a vacation of a lifetime.

 

-Matt

[SunFunCruiser]

We picked carnival. The Spirit has been cruising this route for a while and also has a naturalist onboard. Price was great.

We are comfortable with Carnival, love the cabin size and the kid's club.

 

We picked Southbound so we can explore Alaska before our cruise.

[GMoney]

We were on the HAL Ryndam last year. It was simply the most spectacularly beautiful cruise we have ever taken...and we are huge caribbean/med. fans. We are going again next year with Princess. HAL might be closer to your friends demographic.

 

Unlike some cruises, Alaska is the main attraction rather than the ship.

Personally, I looked at itinerary first, ship second, price third. A balcony is a must as is cruising Glacier Bay. Either way, your in for a vacation of a lifetime.

 

-Matt

 

Hi Matt - I am considering HAL Ryndam and Volendam and Diamond Princess for May 2007. How was the Ryndam? I know she's older and smaller, but are the cabins and public areas in good shape? Don't really care about food or entertainment.

 

Also, did you do a HAL landtour, and if so, how was it?

 

Thanks!

[lisaland15]

We went on Carnival Spirit (Northbound) at the end of June. You can read my review below.

 

Good luck deciding!

[Julia’s Journey’s]

We are going on the Diamond Princess in September - we are doing both the North and Southbound from Vancouver to Whittier and back we arranged with the private excursions that if the weather sucks the first week we will try the second week.:D

[gg3]

We have cruised Alaska twice, once in Sept. on Holland and in July on Princess. Everything is subjective which is exactly what you will see if you start studying this Alaskan board. Personally, we loved Holland's Zaandam. May and Sept. are usually cheaper fares, far less children, and you can see and do everything you do in summer months. If you can, get a balcony cabin - 24/7 spectacular views. I would try to pick a cruise that goes Inside Passage out of Vancouver, since going out of Seattle takes you on the W. side of Vancouver Island into the Pacific and you miss a whole lot of gorgeous scenery that you see out of Vancouver. We used a travel agent for both trips and she got us as good a rate as on line sources. Go at least a day ahead of your cruise - you can get there, sightsee, and avoid the disasters that many have with travel delays on the day of their cruise (this is a must). We had no problem with fog, but do be prepared for rain at any time. It is part of Alaska and life goes on perfectly with it. We whale watched with Capt. Larry in Juneau in the pouring rain and saw a fabulous display of whales, orcas, seals, - what a treat. Anyway, study these boards a lot, esp. the advice of Yukon and Budget Queen and you will be Well Prepared. gg

[luv2cruiseny]

thank you all for the input - I certainly do have my research ahead of me. This will be a big help.

[CruisinMommas]

Thank you for all the advice. I want to do a b2b from Vancouver ,Seward,Vancouver or Hawaii for a big anniversary one in 2008 and one in 2009. Will wait to see wait May of 2008 sends our way. I will be checking back often for some good advice. Thanks

[MINIjen]

This will be our first cruise, but we're booked on RCCL's Radiance of the Seas in early June 2007. :) We're very excited!

[bunduo]

Hi Matt - I am considering HAL Ryndam and Volendam and Diamond Princess for May 2007. How was the Ryndam? I know she's older and smaller, but are the cabins and public areas in good shape? Don't really care about food or entertainment.

 

Also, did you do a HAL landtour, and if so, how was it?

 

Thanks!

 

We really enjoyed the Ryndam. We were on board with a large group. It was awesome. We didn't have any complaints and, as far as I know, no one in the group did either. Overall, I would describe the Ryndam as elegant. It is an older ship but it would be hard to tell it's age if the information wasn't so readily available.

 

In Juneau, if it isn't foggy, take the tram up the mountain and look down on all the cruise ships in port. When we were there, the Ryndam was the smallest but it's hard to tell when we were onboard. Of course, small isn't a bad thing especially when it's breakfast buffet time or when disembarking the vessel.

 

The Ryndam also has great public spaces for viewing the outdoors. Unlike some ships, the bow of the ship is accessible and the bar/dance club at the top, the name of which I've forgotten, offers a great place out of the weather that offers panoramic views.

 

My aunt and uncle took a HAL landtour up to Denali. According to them, HAL ran a first class operation. The train, hotel, and motorcoaches were outstanding. His only complaint was the school buses the NPS uses in Denali. Denali was beautiful but 65 year-old bones don't handle bumpy rides on school buses very well. Of course, the school buses aren't HAL responsibility.

 

The only negative about Ryndam is that the ship has intermittent problems with the toilets. Ours didn't work once when we on our way to dinner but was working when we got back. They might have solved the problem by now but that is one thing to keep in mind when you are doing your research.

 

Does the Ryndam have any space available in May? When I was shopping, the Ryndam didn't have any good cabins available in June. The popularity of the ship speaks for itself.

 

Good luck! :) -Matt