Anyone do the Holland America Alaska Cruise?

[donald@home]

We are thinking of using our points to do the Holland America Alaska Cruise. Anyone else do it? If so, how was it? How did it compare to Disney (the only cruise I am familiar with)?

Any opinions would be appreciated.

 

[llp479]

My parents have done it twice, and loved it both times. They enjoy cruising with Holland American. They just returned from a HA Baltic Sea Cruise.

Can't say how it compares to Disney, but they prefer HA over other cruise lines, if this helps.

 

[RLevy29]

We just returned from the Holand America cruise in Alaska. We did not use points. We did a land tour first. It was VERY hectic. We arrived in Anchorage on 8/18 at 3:20 pm traveling from Philadelphia leaving at 7:30 am. Stated at the Marriot in Anchorage (nice hotel with a beautiful indoor pool and whirlpool.) The sun was still not set when we were finished dinner at 10:00.
The next day we traveled to Denali National Park on the domed train. Some of the scenery was nice but it was overcast and foggy which made it hard to see. We were on the train for 8 hours which was a bit too long. We arrived at the McKinley Chalets at 4:00 and went right to our room. It was still raining. We went to a dinner show that reminded us a lot of Hoop-Dee- Doo.
The next day we took a tour into Denali but it was still raining. We went to see the sled dogs at Denali which was interesting if you like dogs. We then were dropped off at the railroad station where we rode for 4 hours to get to Fairbanks. It was raining. We ate on the train and it was so miserable out that when we arrived at Fairbanks, we just went to our hotel and watched TV.
The day in Fairbanks included a tour of a Gold Mine where you could pan for gold. This was fun, but once again it was raining. Then our tour guide took us to see the Alaskan Pipe line which was huge. We then were taken to the airport where we flew from Fairbanks back to Anchorage. After claiming our luggage , we were then on another bus to Seward to get on the ship. The sun was shining! We had a great 3 hour ride and our bus driver pointed out many interesting things. We were very glad to see the ship, even though the bus ride was the most enjoyable that we had had so far.
Getting on the ship was painless and quick. It was 7:30pm and we were tired, dirty, and hungry. Our dinner was the 2nd seating, so we were looking forward to showering and relaxing after all the travel. I was in the shower when the captain announced that there was going to be a lifeboat drill at 8:00. I was not happy ! I hurried and tried to dry my hair and figure out how to work the life jacket. We went to our station and stood there for 20 minutes. Wedecided to go to the buffet so my husband could shower. When we arrived there a lot of food was covered up and put away, so we didn't have many choices. This was not a relaxing evening to say the least!
The next day we were at sea and it was cloudy and raining. There were many activities to do on the ship so it wasn't too bad. Tuesday was our day in Glacier Bay and it was cloudy and raining. You could see the glaciers, though and they wer awesome! We had a mini-suite with our own balcony, so we didn't have to stand in the crowds.
Our stops were at Sitka, Juneau, and Ketchikan. It was cloudy and raining. (Do you notice a pattern here?) Sika was the most miserable and we canceled our bike ride. (No refunds for weather.)
The last full day was sailing through the inside passage. The sun was shining! We were on the balcony all day long just looking at the beautiful scenery. It was the best day!
Our impressions of Holland America Cruise Line: Excellent- We love the ship. the service, the food.
Recommendations: Expect lots of rain even in the "dry" season. We spoke to locals and they told us that it is usually overcast. People that were on the ship had flying tours and they were canceled because of the weather.
Pick your land tours more carefully than we did. We were constantly traveling the first 4 days and felt as though we really didn't see anything. Try to stay in places at least 2 nights.
I hope I gave you a good over view of our trip. We did enjoy the cruise, and would go back but we would cruise a different route than we did this time.

 

[Sarah'sMomfrom PA]

We did the Holland America cruise last August. We were on the Rynndam and did the northbound cruise from Vancouver, BC to Seward, Alaska. It was truly the trip of a lifetime. We picked the northbound (southbound is just the opposite route) instead of the inside passage because you actually get to see alot more of Alaska. We used our DVC points and I do not regret using them. Some say that it is not a good bargain but by just having to pay the $75.00 exchange fee, it allowed the three of us to travel to Alaska and then do the land portion (anchorage to Denali to Fairbanks)--we were gone for a total of 21 days. If I had to pay for the cruise and airfare, I may not have been able to afford the land portion which is not to be missed.
We have also done both the 4 day and 7 day cruises on DCL and truly love the Disney cruise (I am addicted to Disney). the childrens programming is superior on DCL which is to be expected (my dd is 12) but keep in mind that the Alaska cruise caters to an older crowd although we were amazed at how many kids were on board. Some of the elderly cruisers were annoyed at some of the kids and like any other cruise, you will find good and bad kids and kids that are rude and also adults who could use a course in manners!! (IMHO!!) the shows are more like Las Vegas type shows and my daughter didn't even watch one show with us whereas on Disney, she attends all of them. We kept comparing HAL to Disney the first few days but came to realize that they are two different cruise lines and until DCL goes to Alaska, we have no choice. I don't think that you will regret making the trip--just to sail through all of the glaciers and seeing the blue crystal clear color is worth it. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.

 

[Sarah'sMomfrom PA]

Forgot to tell you that the weather for our trip was great except for one day--the morning in Valdez where it was rainy and foggy. We actually brought tons of fleece and turtlenecks and in Juneau we had to go back to the ship to change into shorts, etc because we were dying with the heat. I guess it is just hit and miss as to what kind of weather you will have (we were gone from August 1st and returned on August 21, 2002. We even had a black bear (around 200-250 lbs.) come right in front of us while we were waiting for a bus. That was the highlight of my trip!! I have to agree with the last poster that the train ride to Denali was boring--it did seem like a long 8 hours but I wrote post cards and read a book so it did pass the time. Be sure to take lots of snacks on the train because our family didn't care for the limited menu!! We even ran into another DVC family on the cruise and again on the train (they were from New Jersey).

 

[Candace]

Can someone explain the difference between the Glacier Bay Inside Passage cruise and the Glacier Discovery cruise. Is one more preferable, and why? Thanks!

 

[Doctor P]

Thanks for your reports. Alaska is the only state to which I have not been and I would really like to do an Alaskan cruise in the future.

 

[donald@home]

Wow. Thanks for the detailed reports. I threw this question out there not expecting to get an answer. You guys are great.

We have a cousin who is living in Alaska for the next few years and we thought a visit would be a good excuse for the cruise.

Thanks again.

Anyone else?

 

[KCritter]

We've cruised to Alaska on Princess, but have also cruised with HAL and Disney to other locations. Here's my 2 cents:

There is nothing else in the world like an Alaskan cruise. I recommend you take the northbound route, because the scenery unfolds and becomes more spectacular every day. Splurge on a helicopter tour that lands on one of the glaciers. It is expensive (~$200 pp) but it is the experience of a lifetime.

Southeastern Alaska is technically a rainforest. Ketchikan gets about 13 FEET of rain each year. Be prepared to get rained on. Take ponchos or rainsuits and forge ahead!

The best time of year to go is July through about mid-August. It is cheaper to go in late May or early September but it is COLD and much wetter.

HAL cruises are very traditional, very elegant and much more sedate than Disney. They have a high reputation for quality service. They tend to attract an older clientele than many of the other cruise lines.

Have a wonderful time if you decide to go! Cruises are my other favorite vacation along with WDW.

 

[GrammieMame]

We did Holland America several years ago and it was one of the most fabulous trips we ever did. Don't let weather reports discourage you. Although you can't control the weather, we took the last trip available in September and had sunshine and warm weather every day but one. The one shore trip I wouldn't do again was salmon fishing. We went out and anchored near the shore and just sat there for hours. Once one person caught a fish. I'd go for this trip again in a minute.

 

[wdw1972]

I did the Alaska Discovery cruise this past June - on the Amsterdam (the newer of the 2 flagships of the line) and it was terrific! I paid cash - as a previous cruiser on HAL it makes no sense for me to waste my points when HAL give me a big discount - plus, I wanted a mini-suite with a verandah and those aren't available on points.

HAL is my preferred cruise line - for what I want/expect, it's definitely superior to DCL, and although their kids' programs aren't as extensive as Disney's my son has always preferred HAL. He's cruised them at age 10, 12 & 15. HAL is more elegant - top notch service & nice ambiance, but not stuffy at all. It's got a reputation of having older passengers, but I've always seen plenty of younger (30's, 40's, 50's) people on board.

We're back on HAL again next summer (also doing the DVC Disney cruise but only because several friends will be on board), and can't wait!

 

[WDWguruDH]

Another vote for HAL and Alaska! We did it a couple years ago (did not use points) and loved it. It is the only thing that comes close to ranking up there with WDW for must do again and again. Holland America is a great ship with wonderful service, a little for the older crowd, I would not suggest taking a lot of kids, but an excellent experience overall.

 

[WDWguruDH]

Another vote for HAL and Alaska! We did it a couple years ago (did not use points) and loved it. It is the only thing that comes close to ranking up there with WDW for must do again and again. Holland America is a great ship with wonderful service, a little for the older crowd, I would not suggest taking a lot of kids, but an excellent experience overall.