Hi
My husband and I are planning a HAL (Ryndham) cruise end of May to the Inside passage and Glacier Bay (Seward to Vancouver). There are some really good deals for the inside cabins.

Our question is, by taking an inside cabin or even an outside cabin with a window, is it practical to assume that we can spend most of the day in common viewing areas?
This is our first time on a crusie, so we are not sure.

Any input is appreciated!
Thanks
Sharmila

Yes you can.

The main disadvantage is when going through Glacier Bay - the decks are very crowded. Other times, they won't be crowded at all.

If I had a choice of sailing with no balcony or not sailing at all - I would grab an inside in a heart beat.

You will love your cruise!

Hi Theresa,
Thank you for your feedback. We are leaning toward saving with the inside cabin and spending more on the excursions in Alaska. We are really excited about the inside passage cruise.

Great Idea... In a perfect world we'd all have balconies... but it's not perfect so I cruise an inside cabin and spend a lot of time on deck, in the common areas and on excursions. Don't let it bother you. I've been on 7 cruises and only 2 have been in cabins with windows (no balconies yet). Most folks I know haven't cruised and they don't know what they are missing. So, put me inside but put me on the ship.

I cruised last year to Alaska and it was too cold for us to spend "quality time" on the balcony. I really tried - I put sweats on, a winter jacket, gloves and tried to read outside and it was too cold the week I went. It was nice the day we went through Hubbard Glacier but we also spent part of this time on the regular decks while at Hubburd Glacier.

Alaska is expensive - especially some of the excursions. I would rather spend money on the excursions then on a balcony if I had a choice (balcony or excursions).

Just get on the ship and you will be happy!

Check out guarantees with your TA. If you book an inside guarantee you MIGHT get an outside cabin.
Since this is your first cruise, I will explain a guarantee. If you book an inside guarantee, you are guaranteed a cabin in that catagory. Most cruise lines will upgrade you to a higher catagory which could possibly be an outside, since there are not as many inside cabins. You do not get to choose your cabin. You are assigned one a couple of weeks before your cruise and sometimes just a day or two before your cruise. There are both inside and outside guarantees available on all cruise lines. If you book an outside guarantee you will get an outside cabin and possibly get upgraded to a higher catagory.
Any questions, just ask.

We were on Celebrity's Summit (Vancouver to Seward) last year during the second week of June. We had a balcony cabin which we enjoyed immensely. We could pop in and out at will for a breath of fresh sea air.

That being said, whether you are on your own private balcony or up on the open deck in the public areas, it is likely to be cold in late May.

The public decks allow you room to rove around, but I agree that they get really crowded when passing through the more scenic areas.

I agree with what an earlier poster said about the expense of many of the excursions. If the two of you plan to take an expensive excursion in each port, that may well dictate choosing a cheaper cabin. I would recommend pricing the excursions that interest you before making the decision about inside vs. balcony.

Just take plenty of warm clothes. We had a cabin with 2 big windows but I found it much more fun to be outside. We were there in May and it was not a problem. Make sure you have raingear that will fit on top of everything else, good gloves (ski gloves) and a warm fleece hat (I had to buy one).

My two cents: one possible disadvantage of a balcony - you will only get one view. For example, if a humpback whale and calf are spotted on one side of the ship, and your balcony is not on that side, you miss seeing it. It was really funny to see everyone running from one side of the boat to another side on the top deck as we passed through a pod of whales that were on both sides.

On all HAL shilps there is a great bar on the top with panoramic views. Stake out a great seat early and you'll see everything just fine when in Glacier Bay.

Thanks everyone for all your wonderful suggestions! Since all the exciting excursions are so tempting and not the cheapest, we're going to go for the inside cabin and splurge a bit on the excursions. We'll be geared with warm clothing thanks to your advice. Looking forward to shuttling around the deck! we'll definitely check out the great bar on the top with panoramic views as suggested! Thanks again

Sharmila