MississippiMom

Thank you for THIS! I do have the deck plans up, but haven't noticed where it references "half covered" versus "uncovered." Your reply is super helpful.

If you are a Princess fan, how do you pick the ship? Am I just going to need to watch one YouTube video after another? Currently leaning toward Sapphire Princess, southbound.

We sailed NCL in 2006 (I think that's what my signature below says), and we really, REALLY liked the freestyle dining concept with young children. The only reason that we have never sailed them again is because we drive to NOLA mostly to board and NCL hasn't been an option for us, during the dates we needed to vacation. I am hoping our next cruise (2025 or 2026) will be on board one of the NCL ships, because it's past time for us to give them a try, again.

My cousin and his wife JUST booked a NCL cruise in The Haven. I wish I could remember which ship. Regardless, I can't wait to hear about it. It sounds super fancy to me.

This is an incredible thread. I have learned SO much. Thank you to all who have taken the time to share their experiences. You have no idea how much this Southerner appreciates all of the tips, as we attempt to plan our first time to cruise in Alaska (either in 2025 or 2026).

This is all such great information! I definitely appreciate it, @Italy52, as we are at the very beginning of researching Alaska as a cruising destination.

@Anita Latte, I appreciate you asking this question. We are at the very, very beginning of the research for an Alaskan cruise in two to three years. Yes, we would like to see glaciers, but (people might freak out when they read this next part) do we really need to spend THAT much time staring at them? It seems like every time someone is on this board asking for itinerary recommendations, the "you must go to Glacier Bay" pops up, but, maybe, that's not the most important part of that family's priorities. I can see the financial appeal of taking the cruise you can afford. Or being realistic enough to know that your family really enjoys the activities offered by a specific cruise ship. For me, the reality is that I hesitate to book a cruise line we have never tried before. I'm leaning toward a one-way (Southbound) RCCL or NCL for Alaska, with a pre-cruise self-guided tour in Anchorage and Denali. I'm sure I will change my mind hundreds of times before we ever book anything, but I would love to find the posts that do NOT focus on the glacier viewing. I want to know more about the different port stops and the port excursions. This former Northern Exposure viewer and The Proposal watcher can't help but really want a Sitka stop.

@cruiselvr04 - Thank you for providing all of this detail. I have been reading a lot about Alaskan cruises, lately, but was very confused about the “cruise tours”. Now I understand why I couldn’t locate detail on the RCCL website. I’m not sure how I feel about not knowing my full land itinerary before booking.

I'm normally not too concerned about getting off the ships at port, but Labadee would make me think twice right now. The political unrest might not be near the physical location of Labadee, but it is impacting the Haitian employees mentally. Yes, they need the money the cruise ships bring in, but there's a lot going on in their country that could cause them to leave Labadee and go fight elsewhere at any given minute. There's also the (maybe I've watched too many movies) possibility of the turmoil impacting Labadee at any random time. I will admit that I am an entitled middle class American, who had the pleasure of spending one of our favorite cruise port days in a pricey cabana on Labadee. I don't wish them any ill harm, but serving cruise ship passengers may not be how the people of Haiti want to spend their days right now.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this kind of detail. It helps a whole lot.

Check your car rental prices through AARP, too. We were in a bind in 2021, when our Allegiant flight to Orlando got canceled and the AARP one-way car rental couldn't be beat my any of our credit card arrangements or my husband's employer discount.

First of all, thank you!!! Seriously. This thread is EXACTLY what I needed to read to get me started on a possible 2025 Alaskan cruise vacation. Your budget post is amazing! I've read and read and read and feel a bit overwhelmed, because this Mississippi girl knows ZERO about Alaska. Literally, two nights ago, I decided that we could save money by booking an inside cabin. Plus, and this is a BIG one, it's the only way that I am ever going to get a decent night's sleep with all of the hours of sunshine. Maybe a ship with one of those virtual balconies might be worth our consideration. I am leaning toward rejecting Princess as an option. Yes, yes, I know they are "the experts" out there, but the more I read about their more traditional and relaxing "Love Boat" style, the more I think it doesn't "fit" our family's cruising style. My crew likes karaoke, piano bars, dancing, shows, and trying to max out their adult drink packages. We like to stay BUSY. We are not "sit around the pool all day and chill" vacationers. (We can do that in our own backyard.) I can't wait to keep reading your posts.

I have, repeatedly, read that you MUST go to Glacier Bay. It looks beautiful in the photos, but I'm not convinced that I'm willing to select our cruise based solely on that one stop/port/viewing. I thought I was only going to look at Glacier Bay itineraries, but now I'm thinking that our focus might need to be what kind of excursions are available at the port stops. While I'm certain that my husband and I would appreciate the views at Glacier Bay, I don't want to limit our options. There's a lot to consider, like flight costs to Seattle versus Vancouver and/or Whittier or Seward. We already know that a late July, August or early September time frame for an Alaskan cruise will work the best with our life schedules. Curious what non-Glacier Bay itinerary stops have been your favorites/can't miss.

I notice that you lean toward the two cruiselines we might be considering. Yes, yes, I know that Princess and HAL are considered the ones to be on, but our family has sailed RCCL and NCL and we like those ships' bells & whistles, so to speak. Did you pick your sailings based on the itinerary, the actual ship or the price point of that specific sailing?

Thank you so much for this detail. I know it may sound silly to everyone with Alaskan cruise experience, but, as a newbie to that itinerary, I am finding it all a bit overwhelming to sort out. We will want a 7 day sailing with as many sight seeing opportunities as possible, but also want to enjoy the ship, especially if the weather isn't cooperating or if a port is missed. There could be a possibility that our late 20-something/early 30-something children will sail with us, so I don't want them feeling like we picked "an old folks" cruiseline, which is why I was looking closely at the smaller NCL and RCCL ships.

I appreciate your perspective. We were just recently on a Western Caribbean cruise and we booked a balcony, because we used our balcony a lot on our previous cruise. Not the case this time around. I wish we would have saved some cabin money for excursion money.

So glad I stumbled across this thread as I begin researching possible Alaskan cruises. I was convinced we needed a Vancouver departure due to the inside passage sailing. Time for me to look closer at Seattle departures (definitely less expensive airfare) or maybe even consider a North to South sailing with some time in Denali, first. So much to consider.

Any oceanview fans?

I am just now starting to learn about the Alaskan cruise options in hopes we can enjoy one of those itineraries in 2026. If NCL Sun is leaving, are there any remaining NCL ships that are small enough to cruise the inside passage?

We did not ask for a taxi recommendation at all, and just told them The Krazy Lobster. There were tons of empty loungers, but none of us were interested that day. The beach was not perfectly clean, but wasn’t bad either. No sargassum smell.

We wound up at The Krazy Lobster for a few hours. (Carnival Valor sailing) The margaritas and the chicken quesadillas were delicious, and we had a very attentive server. We did have some vendors come by, but it wasn't horrible. Overall, a lovely afternoon, but nothing particularly special about it. No one was interested in walking up and down with me to check any other place out, so no idea what is next door on either side.

We ported in Costa Maya earlier this month. There was a tram that seemed to be running, occasionally. I watched from our balcony when we first got there, and there was no rhyme or reason to how often the tram might appear. Additionally, there were two ships at port, and there was no possible way that you could guarantee you would get a seat on the tram. By the time we left the ship, the tram was no where in site. But when we were returning on our walk to the ship, we did see the tram moving slowly through the passenger traffic.

Yep, it happens. A canceled sailing due to a charter happened to us back in the early 1990s. Then in the early 2000s, my husband’s employer was the cause of having two regular sailings canceled due to booking charters.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your comment. All my kids are adults, so, maybe, I do need the archeologist on board. 🤣

I cannot wait to read the responses you get. We started talking last night about an Alaskan cruise for 2025 or 2026. I’m leaning toward NCL, because of their freestyle cruising, however, I’m not convinced we need THAT many bells & whistles.