The September Dream - Choosing the right cruise ship

Hoo Ra ! I have not been blogging for sometime coz my mind is focusing on the september dream ..yeah ... its finally coming !

This is quite a last minute decision as I did not initially plan to go anywhere for the later half of this year. However, just suddenly wanted to travel so much and picked up my long abandoned plan to go Alaska. I loved Alaska, the pristine wilderness, the whales, glaciers, seals, otters, brown bears, i simply adore them. I dreamed of going there for honeymoon, but Jon is not a scenery lover and prefers artifacts, culture and buildings. So we went to Europe instead. I have always wanted to see the northern lights too, they are just so amazing.

Finally after nagging in his ears for 2 years, Jon agreed to go hahah. This trip may also be my last long haul one, for at least the next 10 years. No, I am not pregnant lol. But its probably time for us to start serious family planning from next year onwards. With a kid, I guess chances of such trips will be far and few. So I better grab this chance and chiong. . so in a tight timeline of 2 months, I have to start crash planning.

The first is to source for the right cruise ship. There are a couple of reputable ones such as NCL, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess etc. Each have their own pros, cons and caters to different markets. The ones highlighted below are some of the common ships which sail to Alaska and Caribbean.

NCL, Royal Caribbeam, Carnival - these are "fun ships" and are usually huge in size. Around 2000 to 3000 passengers onboard. They have more amenites and caters to families, kids and young people.

Holland America, Princess, Celebrity - these are the more premium lines. They have more exquisite and award winning menus. Services are usually much better. For Holland America, most ships tend to be smaller in size, allowing them to cross passages which are not available to bigger ships. The passenger size is also smaller, allowing for a better space ratio, without everyone squeezing on deck just to see glacier calving.

Cruise West, Regent Seven Seas, SilverSea, Azmara - these are luxury cruise ships and are also smaller in size. These are fantastic ships to be on, if you have the budget. They are all inclusive ships, which means gratituties, shore excursions, alcoholic beverages are included. There is a promotion going on right now by Regent Seven Seas. They offer 1 for 1 cruise fare, free and unlimited shore excursions for 2010 vogages.

Many cruise lines are going to reduce their sailings to Alaska in 2010, hence prices could probably incease. So, another good excuse for me to go this year haha.

NCL is a good choice for people who prefer freestyle cruising, ie, no restrictions to dress code, no fixed dining hours. I loved it too, but was quite put off by reviews mentioning that there are always long queues on every restaurant during dining hours. One thing I like about NCL, its famous Chocolate Buffet ! Yummy !

After much consideration, we decided to go for Holland America (HAL). HAL cruisers tend to be more "mature", meaning older in age. HAL has a long history of traditional cruising, yet is also modernly equipped to keep up with the times. Frankly speaking, I prefer a more mature crowd. Kinda make me irritated if I have to see kids shouting and chasing each other around the decks. Its also smaller in size, which I prefer as well. I am not into entertainment, so no night parties is fine with me. Food and service are excellent. And also, one important factor, is HAL's staterooms. After comparison, they have bigger staterooms than most other ships, making it more spacious and cosy. They also take good consideration of beddings and duvets. If not wrong, their beds are Sealy's.

All food are included in the cruise fare, no matter which cruise line you take. Hence everything that you order in the restaurants are free, except specific specialty restaurants. For drinks, only tea, coffee, plain water are foc. Alcoholic drinks and juices are payable. But these will be included in the luxury ships.

There are usually 2 formal nights for a 7 day cruise. Gentlemen are to be decked out in dark suits with tie or tuxedos. For ladies, it will be evening gowns. Most cruise ships observe these dress code. It is a good experience and it can be fun. But we have decided to skip the formal nights and dine in Lido restaurant during those 2 nights. I do not mind bringing an extra pair of heels or gown if I am just going to Alaska. Its just troublesome having to bring these for 2 nights when we are heading to Rockies and Northern Canada after the cruise. Hence, we'll dine in the Main Dining Room on normal nights, and Lido on formal ones.

More on the Rockies later, to be continued.....