Fellow HAL sailers help me!!

[airlink diva]

Hi Fellow HAL sailers!!

My parents are looking into an Alaskan cruise in July (pending my mother's vacation approval). They never sailed with HAL before, but sailed with another cruiseline which is within the VIP membership. Since I loved HAL alot and I want my parents to sail with HAL, my father is placing me in charge in picking an Alaskan cruise for them.

I sailed to Alaska, but not on HAL. Their only requirements is sellling out of Seattle and great viewing.

I need help on suggestions on what ship was your fave on Alaskan cruise and should they spring for the balcony?

[Sailorgirlseattle]

We took Westerdam RT from Seattle last summer. Was really great! Did an afternoon tour of Hubbard Glacier, and stopped in Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria. Drawback is you go outside Vancouver island both directions -- so your sea days are not as scenic as if you go through the Inside Passage. Not sure of the other HAL ships' itineraries.

[duck tune]

We have taken both the Zaandam and the Amsterdam out of Seattle with the same ports as SailorgirlsSeattle. A balcony is certainly a plus and both ships were great (but are smaller than the Vista Class).

[Iris5383]

We are booked on the July 13th Seattle departure on the Amsterdam. We've been to Alaska twice before, once from Seattle. I didn't have any complaints on the scenery! The Amsterdam is a smaller ship than the Westerdam or Oosterdam (I think both go to Alaska this summer) and for us the smaller ships are better. Less crowded, not so chopped up with small public rooms. We have never had a balcony in Alaska, so I can't answer that for you.

[airlink diva]

We took Westerdam RT from Seattle last summer. Was really great! Did an afternoon tour of Hubbard Glacier, and stopped in Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria. Drawback is you go outside Vancouver island both directions -- so your sea days are not as scenic as if you go through the Inside Passage. Not sure of the other HAL ships' itineraries.

I thought that all ships took the inside passage. I need to pass this info!

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Hi Fellow HAL sailers!!

My parents are looking into an Alaskan cruise in July (pending my mother's vacation approval). They never sailed with HAL before, but sailed with another cruiseline which is within the VIP membership. Since I loved HAL alot and I want my parents to sail with HAL, my father is placing me in charge in picking an Alaskan cruise for them.

I sailed to Alaska, but not on HAL. Their only requirements is sellling out of Seattle and great viewing.

I need help on suggestions on what ship was your fave on Alaskan cruise and should they spring for the balcony?

 

Airlink Diva;

 

I think you need to sit down with a knowledgeable travel agent and discuss Alaska. :) If your parents want an Alaska cruise sailing round-trip from Seattle, in 2007 their options are the Amsterdam, Oosterdam, and the Noordam. The Amsterdam appears to be doing a variety of itineraries, some involving Frederick Sound and Tracey Arm, and others going to Glacier Bay. The Oosterdam is going to Hubbard Glacier. Noordam is the only ship doing Glacier Bay on every itinerary from Seattle this year, as far as I can determine. For July, space is filling up fast, and not every date is available any longer. (For instance, there are currently only two sailings available on the Amsterdam in July).

 

Round trips from Vancouver are typically considered more scenic, as the ships sail between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland. If you leave from Seattle, as SailorGirl said, you will have more open ocean crossing, which is less scenic and possibly more bumpy. The ships doing RT itineraries from Vancouver this year are Zuiderdam and Zaandam.

 

There are also northbound and southbound one-way itineraries from Vancouver. Those are usually booked in conjunction with a Holland America land tour. The Volendam, Ryndam, and Statendam are doing the Vancouver one-ways this year, and they are doing a variety of itineraries. I heartily recommend picking up a HAL Alaska 2007 brochure to get all the details. You can also visit HAL's website, and download interactive digital brochures straight from the site.

 

Frommer's has an excellent introductory guide to cruising Alaska, called, oddly enough;) , Frommer's Alaska Cruises and Ports of Call 2007.

Good luck to you and your parents:)

 

Karin

[Atomica]

We had a balcony in September to Alaska. I'd been to Alaska twice before, once in an oceanview, and once in an inside cabin. The balcony was by far my favorite - I loved being able to stand out on it each morning and evening. We found it was really handy when we were in Glacier Bay.

 

Having said that, you can have a good time in Alaska in any cabin. The difference was this time we tended to spend a bit more time in the cabin than before, because it was that much nicer with the verandah.

 

One final note about balcony cabins: they're likely to be cheaper on the Oosterdam and Noordam, simply because there's more of them compared to the Amsterdam, which has fewer.

[kikiwik]

I was with atomica on this cruise and the balcony was the best. If you can convince your parents i'd sail out of Vancouver with a balcony. The scenery is just beautiful and is not somthing anyone would want to miss. If they do sail from seattle the oosterdam and the nordam are great ships although thats just what i've heard from atomica(not that he talks about them all the time) ;) but whatever when they choose be sure to get a balcony.