holland america/alaskan cruise

[disney queen]

has anyone done this cruise using points? i do not know the difference of the "ratings"~low, economy, value, standard, peak, premuim" are these seasons? or lodging? and are all the staterooms outside? thanks

 

[bongo59]

we did it and it is marvelous...........not every room is outside and if you are doing th einside passage i would strongly reccomend that you buy an outside room..........when you pull into glacier bay that one morning and get up and see the glaciers and icebergs in your window and on your balcony you know you made the right call............................

 

[disney queen]

thanks! anyone else?

 

[Toby]

We just did this cruise this past August, using points. It was wonderful for myself, hubby, and two older kids. We had a outside balcony, which I think is a must, if you can swing it. Gorgeous scenery, beautiful ship, great food. Just a wonderful experience!! We just found the cabin, although quite spacious, a little cramped with the four of us in it. My son is 18, and 6'2", and my daughter is 21. Definately need two cabins. If it is just the two of you, great, or if you have small children, plenty of room. We still were talking about the great time we had on this trip over the holidays. And Seattle is a blast!!

 

[WDWguruDH]

We have done HAL in Alaska several times, once on points from DVC - love it! Would suggest upgrading to outside at least, balcony if possible.
Here is a link to a thread on this topic, my wife posted quite a bit with tons of info:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=330252

 

[Mary Ellen]

has anyone done this cruise using points? i do not know the difference of the "ratings"~low, economy, value, standard, peak, premuim" are these seasons? or lodging? and are all the staterooms outside?

We have sailed to Alaska 4x on HAL, #5 will be this May. Those aren't 'ratings' - low, economy, value, standard, peak, premuim are the seasons - price goes up as the fancy name increases. There are inside cabins on the ships, but the last time I looked at points they were all for outside or balcony cabins.

 

[disney queen]

thanks everyone!!!

 

[BobH]

I am researching an Alaskan Cruise as well. I was told by DVC member services about a month ago that the staterooms available for DVC members were a category "C" room which may be outside but will not have a verandah.
I would want a room with a verandah which would be a category BB, B,A or higher. You can upgrade to these categories for a price. This is part of the post I made after getting a great deal of help and direction from people on this board who pointed me in the right direction:

I called member services today and was told by a DVC representative that I should be able to use points for a Glacier Discovery Cruise but I would have to make my own separate arrangements with Holland America for the rail trip to Denali that I wished to take - as Dean had posted. I still have to call Holland America to confirm what DVC member services told me - and I do not know the cost of an add on trip by rail car to Denali yet.

I know I would prefer a Verandah Suite so I also asked member services if I could upgrade the stateroom I would get based on my points. Member services told me that currently you get a catergory "C" stateroom with points but that I could pay from
$310 to $410 per person for an upgrade to a Verandah Suite Category B stateroom. They stated that I could pay from $350 to $450 for a Verandah Suite Category A stateroom. These numbers were for all ships with the exception of the Oosterdam. The Oosterdam upgrades ranged form $110 to $500 for cabin upgrades from the
type you get with points.
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Holland America told me you can also coordinate a rail car trip to Denali National Park with http://www.grayline.com.

I also intend to go to a Holland America Cruise presentation put on by AAA. There appear to be many of them scheduled for Jan & Feb each year and seem to be a reat way to learn more about the ships and what the staterooms are like. Hope this helps you out. Have a great time planing and a great trip!