Tonight may be the night

[Ljbadfan]

We are going to Alaska in August this year on Disney. This will be our 3rd Alaska cruise with Disney. Yeah it's more money, already looked fo next year 2016 to Alaska and same time and it's $1000 more then this year. It may cost more but I couldn't see my self on a different ship. I get to see the characters and hopefully see old servers who have become great friends. It just feels like family ship. And by the way my wife and I don't have kids. We just love the service and class's of Disney cruise lines.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We met with the travel agent and here is where we are so far. We being one of my sisters and her husband and a couple that is very good friends of my wife and me; so a total of six.

We have not signed up for the cruise yet because the travel agent believes better deals will come out. We are traveling sometime between mid-June to mid-August 2016. Most likely sailing Celebrity, the south bound route; Seward Alaska to Vancouver Canada, concierge or better. Want to see more glaciers vs a round trip out of Seattle or Vancouver and we get into the port of Vancouver on a Friday so we can spend a couple of extra nights there and not use up more vacation time. Two people started new jobs and have only two weeks so far. None of us have been to Vancouver and are excited to spend more time there exploring the city.

Sounds great.

 

[jdb in AZ]

We met with the travel agent and here is where we are so far. We being one of my sisters and her husband and a couple that is very good friends of my wife and me; so a total of six.

We have not signed up for the cruise yet because the travel agent believes better deals will come out. We are traveling sometime between mid-June to mid-August 2016. Most likely sailing Celebrity, the south bound route; Seward Alaska to Vancouver Canada, concierge or better. Want to see more glaciers vs a round trip out of Seattle or Vancouver and we get into the port of Vancouver on a Friday so we can spend a couple of extra nights there and not use up more vacation time. Two people started new jobs and have only two weeks so far. None of us have been to Vancouver and are excited to spend more time there exploring the city.

Sounds like a good plan. We really like Celebrity. Service is first class, and we think their food is better than DCL. Better itinerary at a better price. I realize that's blasphemy around here, but DCL isn't the only company in the world offering great cruises.

 

[MelSpees]

I have sailed on the Wonder in Alaska and I find it strange people who haven't sailed DCL to Alaska can knock it down so hard if they haven't got a reference point on being on two cruise lines there.
We had a fantastic time there, a brilliant cruise something only Disney can do. It's the attention to detail the themed dinners the characters in local clothing the deck party the fun.
People post other lines have better ports of call well you have to do a longer than seven night cruise or a one way, to beat DCL. IMHO having flown over the " great" glacier bay from Skagway, I found Tracy Arm far far better.

People say Glacier Bay is great well on our list of sights it was far lower in our opinion than the other
things we did.

I know a number of people who did DCL Alaska and then rebooked it again for the next year.

Yes Princess is good in Akaska I have been on Princess but on other aspects Entertainment and food and kids clubs they are way behind DCL.

In the end each person must make their own decision.

Just one small point--you can't really compare flying over Glacier Bay with actually being there on a ship. It is beyond impressive. Not saying it is tremendously better than Tracy Arm, but it really is something to see.

 

[Dug720]

We met with the travel agent and here is where we are so far. We being one of my sisters and her husband and a couple that is very good friends of my wife and me; so a total of six.

We have not signed up for the cruise yet because the travel agent believes better deals will come out. We are traveling sometime between mid-June to mid-August 2016. Most likely sailing Celebrity, the south bound route; Seward Alaska to Vancouver Canada, concierge or better. Want to see more glaciers vs a round trip out of Seattle or Vancouver and we get into the port of Vancouver on a Friday so we can spend a couple of extra nights there and not use up more vacation time. Two people started new jobs and have only two weeks so far. None of us have been to Vancouver and are excited to spend more time there exploring the city.

It sounds like a plan, but... If you're going to only sail in one certain level of cabin or a certain location, I would personally look into the policy of the cruiseline about adjusting if specials come out. If they generally allow for changes to meet the specials (some allow for full adjustments, some will simply give the difference in onboard credit - either way it's nice), I'd strongly consider going ahead and booking so that you don't lose out on the cabin or location.

 

[phinz]

We are in the same boat (Yeah. I did that.) when it comes to DCL in Alaska. Looking at prices, we're going to have to jump ship (Yeah. I did it again.) and go with someone else. We just can't justify the differential for Alaska.

 

[dmunsil]

We took DCL to Alaska last summer, and enjoyed it so much we're going back next summer with more family members. But we're taking the Nieuw Amsterdam out of Vancouver, because it goes to Glacier Bay AND Tracy Arm (Tracy Arm is an optional excursion in a smaller boat that meets the main ship on the way to Juneau), and it's much, much cheaper.

DCL does a fantastic job in Alaska and our cruise was lovely. But I feel like the majority of what we loved was Alaska and that doesn't change no matter what ship you're on.

Based on reviews and talks with friends who've done Alaska with HAL, these are the main differences between DCL and HAL as we understand them:

• Food: HAL is a bit more ambitious with their menus in the MDR, and food quality is at least as good or better. HAL primary upcharge restaurant (Pinnacle Grill) about equivalent to Palo overall. HAL has additional upcharge restaurants: Canaletto (only $10, and good but not astonishing) and on their two newest ships (Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam) Tamarind (Asian, supposedly very good). HAL doesn't have anything like rotational dining, or the show in Animator's Palate.
  
• Entertainment: Disney is much better, albeit more family-oriented. HAL is more adult-oriented (i.e. boring for kids) with cabaret-style song and dance shows in the main theater. The movie theater on HAL is smaller and doesn't show first-run or 3D movies. They both have variety acts like magicians, comedians, etc. and they seem to get similar level of talent. The comedians apparently work somewhat bluer in the late night shows on HAL.
  
• Activities onboard: HAL has a very nice culinary theater where you can watch cooking demonstrations and classes. Disney has some neat "family game shows." Disney has a water slide and kid's water play area. HAL has a sliding cover over the main pool, making it usable even when it's cold out or raining. A lot of the other stuff is similar; they both have pub trivia, naturalist talks, etc. They both have bingo (and HAL, of course, has a full casino, which we don't care about but obviously lots of people enjoy it).
  
• Kids: Disney, to no one's surprise, wins big for grade-school and younger. Disney's kids clubs are unreal. HAL apparently has pretty good kids programs in the summer and Christmas when kids are out of school, but it's more like a regular day camp, with nice counselors who lead crafts and activities, plus some computers and video games. Teen centers and activities are similar between the two lines.
  
• Staterooms: HAL actually comes out ahead here. Their regular verandah cabins are pretty equivalent to a Disney cat 5, though no split bath. Their Signature Suites (upgraded verandahs) are nicer than a Disney cat 4, with more square footage, and a bathtub with shower AND a separate shower stall, plus a double sink. Disney's 1-bedroom concierge suites, though, are nicer overall than HAL's Neptune Suites (though the price difference is pretty astonishing).

 

[Dug720]

We took DCL to Alaska last summer, and enjoyed it so much we're going back next summer with more family members. But we're taking the Nieuw Amsterdam out of Vancouver, because it goes to Glacier Bay AND Tracy Arm (Tracy Arm is an optional excursion in a smaller boat that meets the main ship on the way to Juneau), and it's much, much cheaper.

DCL does a fantastic job in Alaska and our cruise was lovely. But I feel like the majority of what we loved was Alaska and that doesn't change no matter what ship you're on.

Based on reviews and talks with friends who've done Alaska with HAL, these are the main differences between DCL and HAL as we understand them:

• Food: HAL is a bit more ambitious with their menus in the MDR, and food quality is at least as good or better. HAL primary upcharge restaurant (Pinnacle Grill) about equivalent to Palo overall. HAL has additional upcharge restaurants: Canaletto (only $10, and good but not astonishing) and on their two newest ships (Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam) Tamarind (Asian, supposedly very good). HAL doesn't have anything like rotational dining, or the show in Animator's Palate.
  
• Entertainment: Disney is much better, albeit more family-oriented. HAL is more adult-oriented (i.e. boring for kids) with cabaret-style song and dance shows in the main theater. The movie theater on HAL is smaller and doesn't show first-run or 3D movies. They both have variety acts like magicians, comedians, etc. and they seem to get similar level of talent. The comedians apparently work somewhat bluer in the late night shows on HAL.
  
• Activities onboard: HAL has a very nice culinary theater where you can watch cooking demonstrations and classes. Disney has some neat "family game shows." Disney has a water slide and kid's water play area. HAL has a sliding cover over the main pool, making it usable even when it's cold out or raining. A lot of the other stuff is similar; they both have pub trivia, naturalist talks, etc. They both have bingo (and HAL, of course, has a full casino, which we don't care about but obviously lots of people enjoy it).
  
• Kids: Disney, to no one's surprise, wins big for grade-school and younger. Disney's kids clubs are unreal. HAL apparently has pretty good kids programs in the summer and Christmas when kids are out of school, but it's more like a regular day camp, with nice counselors who lead crafts and activities, plus some computers and video games. Teen centers and activities are similar between the two lines.
  
• Staterooms: HAL actually comes out ahead here. Their regular verandah cabins are pretty equivalent to a Disney cat 5, though no split bath. Their Signature Suites (upgraded verandahs) are nicer than a Disney cat 4, with more square footage, and a bathtub with shower AND a separate shower stall, plus a double sink. Disney's 1-bedroom concierge suites, though, are nicer overall than HAL's Neptune Suites (though the price difference is pretty astonishing).

If avoiding smoke is a consideration, some things to be aware of...

* HAL still allows smoking on their balconies - so if you have a verandah cabin and someone under and/or in front of you smokes, be prepared to have to deal with the smoke and smell on your verandah.
* They do have a casino on board, and smoking is allowed in there while playing. Couple of things here - at least on the Westerdam, I don't know if it's the same on all of their ships... 1) There are not doors enclosing it, so if you're anywhere in the vicinity when it is open, you'll be smelling it. 2) Depending on which deck you're entering the dining room on, be prepared to walk through the casino which reeks even while closed OR walk up one level or down one level and through guest hallways to avoid it.

Just for the opposite view on HAL...

I was on HAL last year to Alaska (on the Westerdam) and once on them was enough for me.
Food: I didn't see "ambition" in the MDR menu or otherwise - in fact we were lucky to see food our service was so bad. Our group was spread at multiple tables, and it wasn't just one section where the service was bad. ALL of us had questionable service.
Entertainment: I found entertainment boring as an adult. ICK. I sat through the captain's toast with the TA in charge of our group and then bolted. I've seen better in non-Disney theme parks.
Activities: I don't really go on a cruise for activities, so I don't pay attention to these either way.
Kids: I was FAR more aware of kids on HAL than I ever am on Disney. Chalk it up to a couple of things - 1) There is NO adults-only pool or area on HAL (again, at least on the Westerdam, but until they change things, she's one of their ships in Alaska) so there is no escape from them without paying for the spa equivalent of the Rainforest Room. 2) At least in Alaska, their club hours seemed EXTREMELY limited - I'd often at various times of the day be walking in the hall where the club door was and it was always closed and dark with no one in there. 3) From listening to the kids swinging off the sculptures at the pool whine, the activities were "boring" and they didn't want to go even when it was open.
Staterooms: Given that I don't do the suite thing, I can't comment there, but I would hardly classify their standard verandah as the same as Disney's Category 5 - split bathroom or not. I travel solo, so I had plenty of room, but I cannot imagine trying to share that cabin with more than one person...and then only someone I knew very well.

Just goes to show that people can have very different experiences though, so YMMV.

 

[dmunsil]

If avoiding smoke is a consideration, some things to be aware of...

* HAL still allows smoking on their balconies - so if you have a verandah cabin and someone under and/or in front of you smokes, be prepared to have to deal with the smoke and smell on your verandah.
* They do have a casino on board, and smoking is allowed in there while playing. Couple of things here - at least on the Westerdam, I don't know if it's the same on all of their ships... 1) There are not doors enclosing it, so if you're anywhere in the vicinity when it is open, you'll be smelling it. 2) Depending on which deck you're entering the dining room on, be prepared to walk through the casino which reeks even while closed OR walk up one level or down one level and through guest hallways to avoid it.

Thanks for the reminder; yes, we're a little worried about smoke. We'll have 4 verandahs in a row with dividers we can open, and we're right up against the glass elevator on one end. so if someone starts smoking near one end we should be able to decamp to the other end. We hope. I'm just a little worried that with HAL being the last major line to allow smoking on balconies, all the smoking cruisers will sail only them. That said, so far it seems like there hasn't been a huge uptick in smoking on HAL based on the reports I'm reading. I also kind of hope that HAL will follow suit with everyone else and ban smoking on balconies some time in the next year and make the issue moot. We don't plan to spend any time in the casino, and based on my reading of the deck layout of the NA I think we can avoid the casino pretty easily.

Food: I didn't see "ambition" in the MDR menu or otherwise - in fact we were lucky to see food our service was so bad. Our group was spread at multiple tables, and it wasn't just one section where the service was bad. ALL of us had questionable service.
Entertainment: I found entertainment boring as an adult. ICK. I sat through the captain's toast with the TA in charge of our group and then bolted. I've seen better in non-Disney theme parks.
Activities: I don't really go on a cruise for activities, so I don't pay attention to these either way.
Kids: I was FAR more aware of kids on HAL than I ever am on Disney. Chalk it up to a couple of things - 1) There is NO adults-only pool or area on HAL (again, at least on the Westerdam, but until they change things, she's one of their ships in Alaska) so there is no escape from them without paying for the spa equivalent of the Rainforest Room. 2) At least in Alaska, their club hours seemed EXTREMELY limited - I'd often at various times of the day be walking in the hall where the club door was and it was always closed and dark with no one in there. 3) From listening to the kids swinging off the sculptures at the pool whine, the activities were "boring" and they didn't want to go even when it was open.
Staterooms: Given that I don't do the suite thing, I can't comment there, but I would hardly classify their standard verandah as the same as Disney's Category 5 - split bathroom or not. I travel solo, so I had plenty of room, but I cannot imagine trying to share that cabin with more than one person...and then only someone I knew very well.

Just goes to show that people can have very different experiences though, so YMMV.

Thanks so much for the report. I'm sorry your trip wasn't great. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping your experience is the exception rather than the rule. Certainly there are mixed reviews of HAL on cruise critic and there are both people who loved the Westerdam and people who didn't. I live near Seattle and the Westerdam is the "go to" cruise for people around here, so I know a LOT of people who've been on it to Alaska. They all were pretty happy with it, but none of them have taken DCL as well (or any cruise) and have no point of comparison. We do know a family that took NCL to Alaska and were not happy with it.

So you've articulated my biggest fear: that it'll be a terrible trip and ruin Alaska for my in-laws. If it's a perfectly decent cruise but a disappointment compared to Disney, I can handle that. We'll just need to remember to clam up and never say, "gosh, this is so much better on Disney." I guess we'll find out next summer.

 

[Dug720]

Thanks for the reminder; yes, we're a little worried about smoke. We'll have 4 verandahs in a row with dividers we can open, and we're right up against the glass elevator on one end. so if someone starts smoking near one end we should be able to decamp to the other end. We hope. I'm just a little worried that with HAL being the last major line to allow smoking on balconies, all the smoking cruisers will sail only them. That said, so far it seems like there hasn't been a huge uptick in smoking on HAL based on the reports I'm reading. I also kind of hope that HAL will follow suit with everyone else and ban smoking on balconies some time in the next year and make the issue moot. We don't plan to spend any time in the casino, and based on my reading of the deck layout of the NA I think we can avoid the casino pretty easily.



Thanks so much for the report. I'm sorry your trip wasn't great. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping your experience is the exception rather than the rule. Certainly there are mixed reviews of HAL on cruise critic and there are both people who loved the Westerdam and people who didn't. I live near Seattle and the Westerdam is the "go to" cruise for people around here, so I know a LOT of people who've been on it to Alaska. They all were pretty happy with it, but none of them have taken DCL as well (or any cruise) and have no point of comparison. We do know a family that took NCL to Alaska and were not happy with it.

So you've articulated my biggest fear: that it'll be a terrible trip and ruin Alaska for our in-laws. If it's a perfectly decent cruise but a disappointment compared to Disney, I can handle that. We'll just need to remember to clam up and never say, "gosh, this is so much better on Disney." I guess we'll find out next summer.

I was able to NOT let the vehicle by which I got to Alaska ruin ALASKA for me. The beauty of Alaska will speak for itself! (Though I will say that I think they thought I was some kind of spy for Disney at least in my cabin... I have a DCL hoodie and had brought DCL toiletries with me, and the first full day I returned to find not only my steward but an assistant and a supervisor with clipboard at my cabin, and at least my steward was ALWAYS checking to make sure things were ok. I guess the word just didn't get passed to the dining crew. Haha!)

I'm going on the same running cruise this year, but we're on RCCL (Radiance of the Seas), so we'll see how it goes. But the fact that I want to go back and experience Alaska again speaks for itself.

 

[dmunsil]

I guess the word just didn't get passed to the dining crew. Haha!

Just curious: did you do traditional seating or any time seating? We signed up for traditional, since we like having a fixed time to eat, and we like having the same server each night. It's not supposed to make a difference to the service quality either way, but I'm skeptical.

Did you try the upcharge restaurants?

 

[Dug720]

Just curious: did you do traditional seating or any time seating? We signed up for traditional, since we like having a fixed time to eat, and we like having the same server each night. It's not supposed to make a difference to the service quality either way, but I'm skeptical.

Did you try the upcharge restaurants?

I think we had traditional but were seated with the anytime for some reason (since I was with a group, the cruise escort from the agency we worked with handled all of that). We did have the same group of servers - perhaps that's what was throwing them off? Maybe they're used to anytime and didn't get that they'd have the same people to a degree (we rotated tables among our group per the seating arrangements the cruise escort worked out).

I didn't go to any of the upcharge restaurants because of the group rotation thing - and I wasn't sure how HAL would be with a solo (I know Disney is spectacular).

 

[jiminyC_fan]

You know this proves that we all want or expect something different on a cruise. It's ok if we don't see eye to eye on which cruise line is best for Alaska. Some of us prefer the itinerary and some prefer the ship itself as more of the destination and that's ok, too. That's why we all have options. One vacation style is not better than the other. We, personally go for the itinerary. We do not compare with DCL while on another cruise line. We enjoy what is before us.

 

[Debbie]

You know this proves that we all want or expect something different on a cruise. It's ok if we don't see eye to eye on which cruise line is best for Alaska. Some of us prefer the itinerary and some prefer the ship itself as more of the destination and that's ok, too. That's why we all have options. One vacation style is not better than the other. We, personally go for the itinerary. We do not compare with DCL while on another cruise line. We enjoy what is before us.

Absolutely! And I think that when I go in with that attitude (rather than "It's not Disney, I'm a'gonna hate this") you see and enjoy all of the wonderful things that you have. We did Alaska on the Zuiderdam last year, and had a great time. Only saw kids the last sea night. Only smelled cigar (and I happen to like the smell of a good cigar) once on my verandah. The casino....wasn't busy, so was mostly a non-issue, but the shows are definitely not Disney. We enjoyed the comic, though-very, er, adult. The best thing that I enjoyed was that you could have your entire main dining room meal sent in for room service. That was awesome! (well and the laundry!). When we go back to Alaska-and I know we will-I'm not sure which line it will be on, but I do know that it won't be on DCL. I'm be going to Alaska and I won't need the characters. (although I'm doing a Christmas Disney Cruise this year, and I can hardly wait!)

 

[GatorMomInNC]

We did HAL forCanada, not Alaska. Of course every ship is different and every cruise is different, but...We had to ask for a different server after the second night-- my sister said she would not eat in the dining room again with the same server. Slooooooowwww! An hour to get an appetizer. No prebussing, so when they came to serve our main course, our appetizer plates were still there. I picked up my plate in my right hand and my son's in my left so they could put the food down, which they did, and left. Me. With plates in both hands.

Kids club never seemed open more than 2 hours at a time, but my younger son did love it--played Wii all the time. Older son would not go. Very few kids (75) on board, and this was summer. My son didn't want to go on an excursion with us but kids club shut down at lunch, so I had to choose between forcing him to go, or skipping excursion...rest of my family went and I just hung out in port.

Also, cruise was very pricey (more than what I typically pay on DCL in fact) as no available room held 4 people so I had to book two. Room stewards were good. Library and computer classes were nice. Casinos never looked very busy, but were in the center of the ship, open to bars and shops, so any smoking permeated the ship. Went to 1.5 shows, first was boring, no plot, no show, just singing a bunch of Vegas tunes. I walked out of second -comedian who,I was assured by guest services was family friendly --very early 1960s Poconos Henry Youngman style offensive stereotyping humor. Honestly, it was like a time machine back to another era. Just hung out with the kids watching TV or reading in the library.

But, we still had a great time! Very port intensive, we were traveling with family and played a lot of trivia. My kids played in the pool and hot tubs--no one else did, honestly, I could count on my hands the number of people we saw in them. We would have enjoyed ourselves more on DCL for sure, but days were spent ashore or playing trivia, it was really only in the evenings after about 8pm that I was bored.

I hear that HAL is great for Alaska, and that is what you are there for, so I am sure you will have a great cruise...