AKfamily

I live in Juneau. I know a poster above said they were in shorts in September, but this is NOT normal. September can be rainy and 50s. Come in July or August (NOT April, May, or September), bring a rain coat, and be prepared to go outside no matter the weather. If your cruise is going into Tracy Arm, you will get many similar sights to Glacier Bay. Excursions here are very costly, even for locals. That said, you will not get the most out of your Alaska experience if you stay close to the ship on port days. In Juneau, a splurge would be Taku Glacier Lodge, and budget would be hiking Mt. Roberts (go past the cross toward the ridge if it’s nice out), buy a beer at the tram bar at the top to ride down for free. The Mendenhall Glacier is very popular with tourists, but if you are also doing Tracy Arm you don’t really need to endure the bus ride there and crowds. Check out bike tours with Cycle Alaska. Alaska Pedicab is amazing for a narrated tour around downtown, and the Alaska State Museum is very well done. My recommendation for Alaska cruisers is always to take one of the cruise lines that goes all the way to Seward and then offers the land tours afterward. Southeast Alaska (cruise area) is vastly different than Southcentral and the Interior, and if you’re coming all the way up here already, you really should make the most of it.

Thank you for the tip! My kids will be 10 and 13 when we cruise so we will take this advice.

recommendations)

 

With all that said, now on to some questions. :) On our Carnival cruise two years ago, we stopped by the future cruise desk and spoke to the gentleman on duty. We talked about Alaska and he told us that prime whale watching season is in September? Would the rest of you agree? Seeing whales would be our #1 goal for an Alaskan cruise. Especially Orca (killer whales), which have been my son's favorite animal ever since he was little (he's 17 now). But seeing any whales would be awesome. We couldn't really consider a Fall Alaskan cruise before because of school, but he'll be graduating H.S. early, in January, so that'll no longer be a problem.

 

Glacier Bay would be another goal. I recognize that's limited on Carnival, but we'll keep that in mind when it comes time to book.

 

We've stayed in interior cabins so far and really don't have a problem with them. We've thought that maybe someday we'd splurge on a balcony. Let's say we got one for an Alaskan cruise. If we did Glacier Bay, or anywhere up there for that matter, is being on one side of the ship better than the other? Some people like to plan their balconies according to ports and being on the side facing a port, but when it comes to Glacier Bay, for instance, does it really matter? I don't mind going out on deck when there's something to see. And I like the idea of being out on deck and being able to move from one side to the other, forward & aft., so I'm not sure a balcony is best for us in that situation, but I just want to gather some info.

 

The scenery will be one of our biggest thrills. We love mountainous scenery, the Smoky Mountains is one of our favorite vacation spots. Again, as a family on a budget, we're not sure if we could even do any excursion. We'll sure try, but the scenery and the overall experience would probably be worth it to us. I'd love to do some of the adventurous stuff, but for us, an Alaskan cruise comes with two huge expenses. The cruise itself, for one. The other being just getting to home port. We're in the midwest, so it's a very long haul, and expensive one, just getting to port. Even longer than FL. But one thing I know I'd look forward to over the Caribbean is the cooler weather. Being from the midwest, I certainly wouldn't have a problem with Alaskan Fall weather. I'd much rather be in cool/cold temps than hot. And let me tell you, our humidity can choke a horse. ;p

 

We also would enjoy a more subdued passenger base that an Alaskan cruise would offer. We're not heavy drinkers or party animals...I did my fair share many moons ago and I'm past that. We like the fun atmosphere Carnival offers, but at times the wild ones are a bit too much. For those who have done a Carnival Alaskan cruise, are the activities available on board similar to that on a Caribbean cruise? Things like trivia, Playlist shows, general time-wasters at sea. Don't care about the casino, we don't really gamble.

 

Sorry this was so long. I love researching our vacations and didn't intend to start researching an Alaskan cruise for quite a while, but after reading this thread, it seemed like a great start. I appreciate the help and info.

As an Alaskan in Juneau, I can tell you firsthand that whale season is NOT at peak in September! Humpbacks show up in March and stay all summer, and Orcas seem to show up in May, June, and July. I would never recommend coming up in September! If you are just cruising the southeast, be aware that it is a temperate rainforest. Fall is rainy, as is spring and sometimes summer. July and August are the best months. Cruises are extending the season every year, and you may find lower prices in April, May, and September. I don’t recommend going then just to save a few bucks. If your itinerary includes Tracy Arm, I feel as a local that it is comparable to Glacier Bay (on a smaller scale). I have been to Tracy Arm and don’t feel a need to go to the expense to get to Glacier Bay. So I don’t think that is a make or break reason to choose one cruise over another. The main thing to keep in mind with Alaska is your shore excursion budget. Excursions are quite pricey until here, and if you don’t get away from the port areas you will really be missing out on the full experience.

As for the side of the ship to book a cabin on, generally heading north the larger mountains will be on the starboard side, but the waterways are very narrow and you will have land quite close on both sides. Going into Ketchikan there is a large bit of open ocean crossing. Gulf of Alaska will be port side.

As someone who lives in Juneau and sees the long line of cruise ships docked downtown from the living room every day, all summer long, I also suggest investigating other cruise lines. I would also recommend looking into the much smaller lines like Uncruise. Depending on what you are expecting out of a cruise to Alaska, just recognize that your time in ports will not come close to adequate. The shortest times seem to come with Norwegian. The brand new Bliss is only in port from 7am-1pm this year. The Carnival ship does seem to stay all day, but it’s just he one ship. HAL and Princess have multiple ships a day most days. Also, please pay the bit extra to cruise in July or August! It’s just not summer until then.