Alaska/hal Using Points

[tworgs]

just returned from Alaska 7 day north bound Vancouver to Anchorage WOW what a trip.MY DW And I traveled with another couple ,DVC members we meet on the Magic 3 years ago.The scenery was spectacular,the weather was great.Was it worth the 358 points plus the $850 upgrade plus the $95,for us it was. I will say the cast and crew on the Magic and Wonder have HAL beat hands down. We sailed on the MS Ryndam it was nice to sail on a smaller ship,1200 passengers. Just one word would I go back in a heart beat!

 

[debbie in Seattle]

What kind of suite did you get? Am thinking on doing this in the near future for my husband's birthday. What excursions would you recommend and not recommend?
How'd you like Seattle? Live out here and one of my kids lives in downtown Seattle and watches the ships come in and go out. Our city is filled with tourists this time of year.

 

[debbie in Seattle]

Opps, sorry, just reread your post, you left from Vancouver, not Seattle. Beautiful city, isn't it? Did you also go to Victoria as part of your journey?

 

[wtpclc]

Thansk you, thank you, thank you!!! My dh and I plan to do that next yr for our 10 yr anniv. I can't wait! (Just wish tehy'd release teh point charts soon, so I'd know how many points I have left.)

 

[CarolynK]

I will say the cast and crew on the Magic and Wonder have HAL beat hands down. We sailed on the MS Ryndam it was nice to sail on a smaller ship,1200 passengers. Just one word would I go back in a heart beat!

IMHO, HAL has been slipping in the area of service. We have sailed many times with HAL since 1993, but only once on DCL (in 1998). Back then, you couldn't compare the two in service. HAL crew members were just wonderful.

The company used to have a "tipping not required" policy, but they've recently introduced a new tipping policy (added on to your final bill). I really think this had a negative effect on the staff's attitude.

We are seriously thinking about giving DCL another try!

 

[tworgs]

We had a veranda suite on deck 10 towards the stern of the ship ,very nice cabin. My wife and I really like the idea of the luggage stored under the bed,and the flat panel tv and cd player. Otherwise you would have thought you were on DCL. Our complaint about the crew was the dinning staff,I guess I just expected a little bit more from them,my wife asked our server if he knew hoh to smile,excursions so many to chose from. Well we went on a helocopter to a glacier in skagway.kayaking in Ketchican,whale watching in Juneau.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Sounds wonderful. How did you get an upgrade while using DVC points?

 

[tworgs]

When we booked thru dvc, upgrade ,was an additional 800.00 for the ver anda suite.well worth the extra. Don't want to spend a week in Alaska with an inside cabin

 

[sleepydog25]

I simply couldn't pass up the chance to make a recommendation next time you get the itch to see Alaska. I lived near Anchorage for four years and always say the same thing to people: while cruises are nice, the best way to explore Alaska is to drive it. Fly into Anchorage and use it as your base of operation. Drive three hours down to Seward and spend a few days hiking, fishing, and taking nature excursions into Resurrection Bay. Go back to Anchorage and hit the museums, bike trails, 4th Avenue, and the tremendous restaurants. Then drive to Denali Park (or take the train) for a couple of days to see N. America's highest peak and view wildlife. You will meet great people, see the sights, and do more experiencing of the Alaska lifestyle than any cruise can show you.

I know. . .you say that the points cover the cruise and that's true. But think about renting the points and using the money to finance the trip. Just a thought and not meant to poke holes in a cruise line excursion since they are, indeed, wonderful and you do get to see some amazing sights and hit some nice little coastal towns. But, what's wrong with a little variety, eh?

 

[BobH]

Just a point of information. I learned that Carnival Cruise lines owns Holland America. Not sure when they bought them out. I believe it was the late 90's.
Wonder if this is the reason for service slipping as another person mentioned.

 

[barkley]

glad to hear someone enjoyed this dvc tradeout-we did it last august and had a terrible time! worst service in the world (crew was terribly understaffed and problems with staterooms could take days to correct). i think the new tipping policy has degraded the service standard greatly-hal may say that it's not mandatory but if you try to change the amounts or have it removed you will endure countless inquiry visits to your stateroom and by phone! if you have children and expect any kind of programming for them you will be sadly mistaken-hal is promoting a new "family friendly" atmosphere but not putting any money or staff behind it (4 hours per day of kids programming which consisted of coloring, board games or watching videos all in an area smaller than the smallest stateroom on board!)-and we were on one of the larger ships.

alaska is awsome, but i would never do hal again.

p.s. this was not only our experience but the experience of the majority of cruisers we spoke to on the trip.

 

[Dean]

Just a point of information. I learned that Carnival Cruise lines owns Holland America. Not sure when they bought them out. I believe it was the late 90's.
Wonder if this is the reason for service slipping as another person mentioned.

As well as several other lines. And RCCL owns Celebrity, has since 1990 I believe.