Trip Review HAL Koningsdam
My family just got off a round-trip 7 night cruise from Vancouver and had a fabulous time. I'd definitely recommend for multigenerational travel (we had ages 3-71).
Getting to Vancouver from the East Coast is not easy. We had a lot of flight issues and ended up driving from PDX to Vancouver overnight to make embarkation. Fortunately we had buffered a whole 24 hours because we would have missed the boat otherwise.
The balcony was worth it for my retirement aged parents and my siblings with small kids who went to bed early. We could have skipped it as we just weren't in the room much.
The Crows Nest is the best hangout.
If you enjoy live music the offerings are good. If you want a Broadway show, less so.
The kids enjoyed the kids club, the pool, and the sports deck. All the kids I saw seemed to be enjoying themselves. Don't be afraid to book this for a family.
If you are a hiker at all Laughton Glacier from Skagway was great. We did not book a tour and did it ourselves. It's an easy hike and if you bring microspikes you can hike up on the Glacier which is great. There are tour operators that do the hike, but as my spouse and I are pretty experienced hikers I didn't feel like I needed a tour. We booked the White Pass Rail tickets ourselves but book early because they sold out several months in advance as they sell out.
We did the Endicott Arm excursion which was lovely and really cool, but I wouldn't want it to replace Glacier Bay. Whichever itinerary you choose, choose Glacier Bay. I'm glad I ruled out all cruises that didn't go there.
Alaska is for classic cruising, not waterslides. That being said the lido pool being covered is a godsend for kids. Sorry adults with no kids.
I did a day pass to the thermal suite and highly recommend doing it at least once. What great views.