Which of these cruise ships would you choose for Alaska cruise?
Art
cruise ships for my 7 day inside passage ALaska cruise from Vancouver.
They are:
Holland America Volendam
Holland America Zaandam
Norwiegian Sun
Royal Carribean Radiance of the Sea
Royal Carribean Serenade of the Sea
Celebrity Infinity
Which would you rate as best cruise ship to go to from best to worst, based
on quality of food, service, cabins (standard inside cabin), port of calls,
etc.... and please state your reason why?
Thanks in advance
Tom & Linda
"Art" <arth...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:5hwPd.370968$6l.130323@pd7tw2no...
Infinity.
Best Food. Service. Elegance. Pampering. Celebrity still offers bridge
tours. And I'm a fan of the Celebrity "style". Only downside is it doesn't
go to Glacier Bay.
--Tom
Art
THanks for the reply. If you took Celebrity out of the picture, how would
you rank the rest of the cruise ships?
THAnks
"Tom & Linda" <tkan...@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:_cxPd.1022$c35...@fe08.lga...
Sue and Kevin Mullen
Art wrote:
I have not been on HAL or NCL, but have cruised with Celebrity and
Royal Carribean. I have found the food and service on Celebrity to be
very good. On our recent Royal Caribean cruise the food was mostly
very bad, just a few good dishes here and there. The food on RCL has
been very uneven for some time now and you never know if it will be
good or not on your sailing. The service on Royal Caribean was very good.
sue
Benjamin Smith
Hmmm. I would go with Volendam or Zaandam, which are sister ships and
very similar to each other. They are HAL's last generation (a good
thing, IMO, as I don't care for HAL's latest generation). Don't know
much about NCL Sun. RCI ships are sister ships and very similar, part of
their Radiance class, their most recent. Celeb Infinity is one of their
Millennium class ships (2nd of 4), their latest generation. The HAL
ships are quite different in size from the others. The Volendam/Zaandam
are 60,000 tons and carry about 1400 people. The RCI ships are 90,000
tons and carry about 2300 people. The Celebrity ship is 91,000 tons and
carry around 2000 people. The NCL Sun should be in the 80,000 plus ton
range.
The thing is what a passenger is looking for and how they judge best to
worse. HAL probably has the best cabins, biggest, they provide fresh
fruit every day, and they now have the plushest linens and beds.
Celebrity and RCI both use cots for beds. Service is hard to say. RCI
has a certain style, NCL a certain style, HAL a certain style and
Celebrity a certain style and it depends on the product delivery at the
time of your sailing and what each individual encounters. If you go for
a style of service that is personalized and the service staff tending to
remember passenger preferences and addressing you by name then HAL's
service may be judged best. If you go for a more entertaining service,
overall, then RCI may be best. If you go for a more formal,
quasi-European style service, at least in the dining rooms, then
Celebrity may be considered best. If you like free choice and a variety
of dining rooms then NCL may work best. The for-pay restaurants on NCL
may be up to the quality standards of those on HAL and Celebrity. Or
close. Celebrity can be best overall in food, providing that they
deliver their A food product. Problem is Celebrity is inconsistent with
food delivery from sailing to sailing. HAL is also spotty, overall
ratings are respectable. RCI gets overall fair to poor ratings for its
food. NCL, may depend on what restaurant you choose.
Overall with cruise style, HAL and Celebrity may be somewhat more
pampering, RCI more entertaining, NCL more about free choice, especially
with dress and dining.
The ships are another thing. The newer, bigger ships feature tons of
balconies. Some feel these are a must-have but I don't go along with
that whatsoever. I feel the best ships for Alaska have the most open
deck space and I feel that the HAL ships are best if you don't mind
getting out of your cabin and going to a place to enjoy the Alaskan
scenery. HAL probably has the edge in ports of call as they've done
Alaskan longer than the other lines and have some port preferences. They
also do Glacier Bay, arguably the most vast and impressive glacier in
Alaska.
I'd pick HAL. Celebrity is fine, but on a different ship, one of the
earlier-generation ships that have more deck space. I enjoyed Alaska on
the Galaxy. RCI ships have lots of glass for viewing and this may be
advantageous when the weather is bad. But...HAL's pool area is enclosed
with a sliding glass roof over the main pool, and when the weather is
bad you can still stay in the area and enjoy the scenery.
Ben S.
> Thanks in advance
>
>
Tom & Linda
"Art" <arth...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:iuxPd.371002$8l.196808@pd7tw1no...
> Hi,
>
> THanks for the reply. If you took Celebrity out of the picture, how would
> you rank the rest of the cruise ships?
>
I don't like RCI's food.
HAL has (based on the ships we've seen in ports, and friends who've gone on
them) a reputation for a very elderly crowd. And people who I trust say HAL
has declined quite a bit.
I like the Norwegian Dawn, but I'm not sure about the Sun.
Me...
I think I'd look at either Princess or look at the other Celebrity ships
(Summit or Mercury).
Princess would be my 4th choice. Celebrity would be 1, 2 and 3 (Infinity,
Summit, Mercury).
What I'd also do is see if I could find any good pricing on Crystal. If I
did, they'd move immediately to #1, dropping Celebrity down a notch. But
Crystal at high pricing... they price themselves out of my budget.
--Tom
SONNY
Royal Carribean's Radiance of the Seas or Serenade of the Seas
These ship are the same class ships and have more glass that any other which
should make a big difference on an Alaska cruise. I've been on 24 Royal
Caribbean cruises and have no complaints about the service or the food. We
will be on the Jewel of the Seas in two weeks are are looking forward to
some fine dinning and a great time. The Jewel is also a Radiance class ship.
Tom & Linda
"Karen Segboer" <karens...@cupcaked.com> wrote in message
news:4226ad40...@News.Individual.NET...
>
>
> I'm not Tom nor am I Linda, but I would look at Royal Carribean
> Radiance of the Seas or Royal Carribean Serenade of the Seas.
>
Nah... Tom says thumbs down on Radiance/Serenade.
--Tom
Jean O'Boyle
> Due to time constraints and location, I am limited to about 6 different
> cruise ships for my 7 day inside passage ALaska cruise from Vancouver.
>
> They are:
> Holland America Volendam
> Holland America Zaandam
> Norwiegian Sun
> Royal Carribean Radiance of the Sea
> Royal Carribean Serenade of the Sea
> Celebrity Infinity
Art,
Having been on two Holland America ships last year, the new Westerdam and
the Statendam to Alaska, I would reccommend one of the Hal ships...We are
close to booking another HAL ship, the Ryndam, this summer to Alaska again.
You did not indicate your age, but even though some people feel that HAL is
for the older passengers, we found many mid-age and young people on the
ship..HAL is changing that way with their concentration of attracting the
younger passengers; they are upgrading their ships with an expanded youth
program and facilities and unless you have sailed on one of her ships
recently and seen this for yourself, or you are the real partying type, you
would enjoy HAL...They have much more open deck space, both inside and out,
to view the absolutely gorgeous scenery and glaciers...They have good food
and the staterooms have plush Euro-top mattress and duvets.
Movie theatre with popcorn as well as entertainment in the show room. What I
really loved was the abundance of fresh flowers everywhere...
I also was on the Radiance of the Sea last year and although it is a
stunningly beautiful ship, its food did not measure up to the Carnival
Conquest nor HAL..You do not have as much open deck space and a wrap around
balcony as you do on the HAL ships. To me that is important when visiting
Alaska.
You might check the link below, click on fleet and see the two HAL ships
that you are considering..
http://www.hollandamerica.com/home.htm
Have fun deciding and happy cruising!
--Jean
Jean O'Boyle
> Infinity.
>
> Best Food. Service. Elegance. Pampering. Celebrity still offers bridge
> tours. And I'm a fan of the Celebrity "style". Only downside is it
> doesn't go to Glacier Bay.
Now WHY did I know that you would say that? ;-)
Sheree did tell us how much she like it...
For us this year, Glacier Bay & Sitka are a *must do*!
--Jean
Jim Booth
enjoyed the fine service and we really like the food and many places for
eating. Also the "Free Style" was a hit with us.
Can't say about the others....oh yes, we booked the Sun for next January out
of New Orleans.
JIM
Benjamin Smith
> 'Saw your response re: Infinity, and it sounds like it would be a
> toss-up for me, personally. I know you prefer Celebrity.
>
I think the point is proven. Everyone has a different idea of what is
"best". Then there is what's "best" for Alaska. If you've sailed in
Alaska, and really enjoyed the deck space, then, if you are going to use
the deck space as opposed to spending most of your viewing time from
your balcony, the best Alaska ships have varied open deck space on
different levels of the ship, and that's HAL. Infinity or any Millennium
class Celebrity ship would be dead last.
Ben S.
> Karen
>
>
>
>
> http://www.cupcaked.com Ž
> (...and leave off the "potatoes" to e-mail)
Benjamin Smith
> "Art" <arth...@nospam.com> wrote in message
> news:5hwPd.370968$6l.130323@pd7tw2no...
>
>>Due to time constraints and location, I am limited to about 6 different
>>cruise ships for my 7 day inside passage ALaska cruise from Vancouver.
>>
>>They are:
>>Holland America Volendam
>>Holland America Zaandam
>>Norwiegian Sun
>>Royal Carribean Radiance of the Sea
>>Royal Carribean Serenade of the Sea
>>Celebrity Infinity
>
>
> Art,
> Having been on two Holland America ships last year, the new Westerdam and
> the Statendam to Alaska, I would reccommend one of the Hal ships... unless you have sailed on one of her ships
> recently and seen this for yourself, or you are the real partying type, you
> would enjoy HAL...They have much more open deck space, both inside and out,
> to view the absolutely gorgeous scenery and glaciers...
I agree. Sailing in Alaska is different than the Caribbean. You want to
be outside on deck. I think a balcony is limiting, in the inside passage
views are on both side of the ship, and a nice fore or aft part of the
deck is actually the best place to enjoy the scenery.
HAL does Alaska better than most lines. Princess also does Alaska well.
But HAL ships have the most deck space (though I'm not sure about the
Vista ships).
Maybe this is anecdotal but when I sailed to Alaska 5 years ago on the
Celebrity Galaxy, when we were docked with a Princess ship and a HAL
ship, there was absolutely no difference in the ages of pax getting off
any of the ships. Every age range was represented.
Ben S.
> --Jean
>
>
Charles
Benjamin Smith <be...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> HAL does Alaska better than most lines. Princess also does Alaska well.
> But HAL ships have the most deck space (though I'm not sure about the
> Vista ships).
Based on my Panama Canal cruise if I picked Princess I would book
Island or Corel Princess because I was easily able to move to different
deck areas. And the indoor lido area is actually a great observation
area if there is bad weather. And both have indoor pools. Alaska I will
do either HAL or Princess and not care about the ages because I
consider Alaska to be a destination cruise. And the cruise would have
to have Glacier Bay.
> Maybe this is anecdotal but when I sailed to Alaska 5 years ago on the
> Celebrity Galaxy, when we were docked with a Princess ship and a HAL
> ship, there was absolutely no difference in the ages of pax getting off
> any of the ships. Every age range was represented.
The problem with that is that the older people probably did not get off
the ship :)
Seriously, myself, I probably would pick Princess over HAL because I am
a Platinum member, but otherwise it would be a draw. Infinity, forget
it because it does not do Glacier Bay. If I lived in the Northwest and
was going to take a lot of Alaska cruises, it would be different. Right
now I expect I will only do one Alaska cruise.
--
Charles
Jean O'Boyle
"Benjamin Smith" <be...@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message news:fRJPd.11585>>
> I think the point is proven. Everyone has a different idea of what is
> "best". Then there is what's "best" for Alaska. If you've sailed in
> Alaska, and really enjoyed the deck space, then, if you are going to use
> the deck space as opposed to spending most of your viewing time from your
> balcony, the best Alaska ships have varied open deck space on different
> levels of the ship, and that's HAL. Infinity or any Millennium class
> Celebrity ship would be dead last.
>
> Ben S.
Point well taken, Ben, Things have changed on HAL the past two or so years
and if you have not taken a cruise on HAL recently, you would not be aware
of them...Our first cruise to Alaska was in 1998 on the Carnival
Jubilee...it wasn't apparent to us how much more deck space there was
available to see the Alaskan scenery until we took the Statendam last
July...I love balconies, but on a cruise to Alaska, I think that I would
take an outside room and view the scenery from the deck..One can move from
back to front or side to side to get the best views that a balcony does not
allow you...I have had people tell me that the balcony was too cold to sit
out on when the ship was moving and that they regretted paying extra for
one...That view of course, differs among others...There was a naturalist
onboard the Statendam who gave lectures over the intercom which were very
interesting filled with information on the glaciers and other scenery as the
ship stopped or slowly moved through those areas...That was not available on
the Jubilee..not sure if it is on other cruise lines, either.
--Jean
Jeff Coudriet
ago and last summer on the Mercury in Alaska. Did the same kind of
thing over the PA system. In fact the guy last summer did 3-4 lectures
with slides and music in the main show lounge and each one was packed!
He was very funny and of course informative. Made such a difference in
the awareness and appreciation of all things Alaska.
Jeff
Jean O'Boyle
"Jeff Coudriet" <jeffcouds...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:FYTPd.29339$uc.28382@trnddc03...
> Jean -- we had fantastic naturalists onboard both the Galaxy some years
> ago and last summer on the Mercury in Alaska. Did the same kind of thing
> over the PA system. In fact the guy last summer did 3-4 lectures with
> slides and music in the main show lounge and each one was packed! He was
> very funny and of course informative. Made such a difference in the
> awareness and appreciation of all things Alaska.
Good to know, Jeff...On the Norwegian Crown to South America, we had one
too... The lectures on Costa Rica were spell binding, they were so
interesting. She had a voice that kept your attention...She also did the
Panama Canal lecture over the PA system while we were transiting the canal.
--Jean
schall...@webtv.net
BILL
sheree
the summit was great, he went on the whale watching with us (thepurple boat)
and spends winters in hawaii. marty would know his name, they were playing
poker together one afternoon!
--
Sheree
"Jeff Coudriet" <jeffcouds...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:FYTPd.29339$uc.28382@trnddc03...
Dennis P. Harris
you will only see what the cruise line wants you to see, and they
want you to pay for bogus "excursions" to places where locals
would never think of going, so that you can get fleeced of more
of your money (if you have any left after playing the rigged
casino) at their captive "attractions" run by carpetbaggers who
don't live here.
if you want to see alaska, come as an independent traveller.
=============================================================
If you want to see the real Alaska, don't come on a
cruise ship! See the cruise industry rogue's gallery
at http://www.cruisejunkie.com/#Environmental_Issues
Dennis P. Harris NO_SPAM_T...@gci.net
Gwen Fidd
"Dennis P. Harris" <NO_SPAM_T...@gci.net> wrote in message
news:er73119oh9qmtlpmu...@4ax.com...
> =============================================================
> If you want to see the real Alaska, don't come on a
> cruise ship!
And what is the REAL Alaska? It's mosquitos as big as hummingbirds, it's
fleas that can suck a pint of blood each, it's hermits that bathe once a
year and shave once a decade and believe that the whole world should bow
down to them because they want to nap during the daytime without being
awakened by helicopters that just happen to bring profits to town.
Juliana L Holm
> if you want to see alaska, come as an independent traveller.
Any reason one could not arrive on a cruise ship and then spend time as an
independant traveller?
--
Julie
**********
I could be wrong. My experience is limited to my experience.
Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at
http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm
Dennis P. Harris
Juliana L Holm <jh...@osf1.gmu.edu> wrote:
> Any reason one could not arrive on a cruise ship and then spend time as an
> independant traveller?
>
The only way to do that is to get off at the end of the trip on
the one-way voyages. Federal law doesn't allow cruise ship
passengers to get off the ship anywhere else.
If you really want to see Alaska by water, take the Alaska Marine
Highway. http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/index.html