Alaska not DCL?

[woody73]

We've been on two Alaska cruises with HAL and were very pleased. Glacier Bay was a highlight.

Woody

 

[MedicGoofy]

I recently sailed with HAL in Alaska, this past June. I know that they do sail out of Seattle, and do the same itinerary that I did.

When researching this, my Uncle, who sells cruises only, was very insistent upon HAL. One of the reasons, is their smaller ships giving you a quieter, it goes to Glacier Bay and a more intimate cruise. Having said that, while HAL is geared towards an older crowd, we had a ton of kids on board. You never would have known it, they were so preoccupied in the kids clubs, I thought it was an adult only sailing, until the chocolate buffet came out.

We loved HAL. The cruise was amazing. And I have to say, if you miss Glacier Bay on your sailing, it would be a shame. It is truely the most breathtaking place I have been. Some say it's no big deal.......I would definitely agrue that.

RCCL was cruising Alaska as of this past summer, so if they have stopped, it would be for next summer. We had 2 RCCL ships with us the entire cruise, as well as another HAL.

I would find a travel agent that specializes in cruises. Then get their opinion. Some are better itineraries....pick the best one for your family.

 

[tvguy]

Twice to Alaska on HAL out of Seattle, with Disney Eastern Caribbean on the Magic, and Hawaii on NCL America's Pride of America sandwiched in between.

HAL has been going to Alaska longer than any other cruise line, service was on par if not a notch above Disney, and they had kids clubs. We priced Disney for Alaska for our cruise this past June, yes, the price was nuts, but the deal breaker for us for they go Monday to Monday, not Saturday to Saturday or Sunday to Sunday. Having to burn up an extra vacation day just wasn't in the cards.

 

[jodical]

We sailed to Alaska out of Seattle on Princess 5 1/2 years ago when my son was just under a year old. Their amenities for young children were horrible. The crib they gave me was older than the hills and we were worried he would pinch his fingers in the hinges of the rickety thing so he ended up in bed for us. Not real sure how older kids would fare. We had previoulsy been on a Carnival boat which was much more youthful and lively so Princess seemed geriatric by comparison.

Annnnyway, the Tracy Arm Fjords are not to be missed (I think this is the same thing as Glacier Bay). Stunning!

Good luck with your planning!

 

[NancyIL]

We sailed to Alaska out of Seattle on Princess 5 1/2 years ago when my son was just under a year old. Their amenities for young children were horrible. The crib they gave me was older than the hills and we were worried he would pinch his fingers in the hinges of the rickety thing so he ended up in bed for us. Not real sure how older kids would fare. We had previoulsy been on a Carnival boat which was much more youthful and lively so Princess seemed geriatric by comparison.

Annnnyway, the Tracy Arm Fjords are not to be missed (I think this is the same thing as Glacier Bay). Stunning!

Good luck with your planning!

Tracy Arm Fjord is lovely, but it's not the same thing as Glacier Bay National Park. If you have a choice between the two - I'd choose Glacier Bay.

 

[3princessMommy]

We did HAL before we had kids. Several things:

1) Alaska cruises are really some of the absolute best for cruising!!! (We've done both DCL and HAL.) You simply have to go!
2) Don't pick the first cruise of the season - it may be cheaper, but they haven't gotten the ship put together really for the itinerary and regardless of how many times they've sailed it, there will be hiccups. Plus most of the really cool excursions are simply not available yet in the season.
3) Pick an inside passage cruise - PARTICULARLY if you get seasick. That outside passage can be a real doozy! (And make sure it's inside both ways!)
4) If you can, don't book a round-trip cruise (unless you can stay out for 14 days or so). The best thing we did after our HAL cruise, was get off and take the train up to Denali! The views are spectacular and the wildlife amazing! (Unfortunately, you can't do this with DCL.)
5) Do note though that HAL's demographic is very different than DCL. Although I think it's probably slighly younger than Princess. We didn't have kids yet on our cruise, but there definitely weren't very many families on our trip! That said, I think HAL did the nature experts better than DCL - again catering to the demographic.
6) If you go after June - take mosquito repellent! Some of those things are bigger than birds!
7) If you can afford it, the balcony cabin is the way to go. Up on deck it is REALLY cold on that glacier day!
8) MUST go whale watching!!!! Must take a seaplane!!! Dogsledding is COOOOOLDDDD and often cancelled. Eat some fresh salmon too! (Can't stand the stuff down here - but up there, it's like CANDY!)

Whichever one you choose - it will be truly the vacation of a lifetime!
Enjoy!

 

[woody73]

Tracy Arm Fjord is lovely, but it's not the same thing as Glacier Bay National Park. If you have a choice between the two - I'd choose Glacier Bay.

I agree. We've sailed both Tracy Arm Fjord and Glacier Bay. Glacier Bay wins hands down.

Woody

 

[jdb in AZ]

Only two cruise ships per day are allowed into Glacier Bay because of the fragile eco-system. Ships that can't get permits for Glacier Bay often go to Tracy Arm, which is also gorgeous! but not the same.

 

[algae]

When was your Princess Alaska cruise? Princess recycles ship names, but the current Emerald Princess was in Europe in 2011 and 2012 when DCL was in Alaska. Perhaps you were on the Diamond or Sapphire (other gem names)?

Ack! You're right. It was the Golden Princess. It was this year in June/July.

 

[NancyIL]

Ack! You're right. It was the Golden Princess. It was this year in June/July.

I sailed on the Golden Princess to Alaska in 2009 out of Seattle, with the same itinerary as DCL's (in 2012). Loved the ship!

 

[PegIra]

We are going on our 7th Disney Cruise on the Fantasy in Jan 2013, but we do want to do Alaska. Everyone says Princess and HAL are good for this. We are both handicapped and used scooters to get around at port. How will this situation hurt us for these cruises? Will we still be able to as much as everyone else? Our 55th wedding anniversary is in 2014 and were thinking of doing Alaska to celebrate. Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated.

Peg