Meggie1129

We will om be in Ketchikan from 10A-6PM. IF I book directly through the operators and not Princess, it looks like we could catch the 11:15 Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show and have a 15 minute window to catch the 12:30 Alaska Crab Bering Sea Deadliest Catch Tour. It looks like they are both within a block or so of the harbor, if we left the lumberjack show five minutes early is it doable?

Hello! I posted yesterday comparing two different NB ships. Well, after researching doing the land portion ourselves, we are now most likely going to book the SB trip from Whittier and have approximately 4.5 days ourselves. I would rather have taken the Sapphire princess, by by taking the SB Grand Princess instead it allows us the following - * Fly into Anchorage on an early Friday evening and have Saturday through Wednesday afternoon to explore Seward and Denali before the ship leaves Wednesday evening. (I may ask for further help in trying to fit in the train ride to or from Denali, but most likely we will rent a car for flexibility and then make sure we take the train as an excursion in Skagway) * We can avoid having to fly a red-eye out of Anchorage back home and instead can depart from Vancouver that last day * Our port time in Ketchikan is 10-6, vs. 6-2 (which will *hopefully* allow us the time to do the Deadliest Catch boat tour AND catch a Lumberjack show if we can time it right) * We can have action packed days on land in Alaska, then have a bit of "relax" time while the ship cruises Hubbard and Glacier Bay, before 3 more days then in port with excursions. Again, I know the Grand is a bit more run down than the princess, but I am trying to think of it more as a hotel that allows us better flexibility with the rest of our schedule.

Thanks for the tip about the rough seas on Kenai Fjords! I have been on a cruise before and did ok, but smaller boats and I are not really friends!

Well it’a more for the teens, being in the ship for a day or or exploring, does that make sense?

Why would you choose that itinerary?

I could desperately use some help here. Due to my son's football schedule we are limited to only two potential weeks to do a land/sea tour for next summer. I want to get this booked soon as many of the balcony rooms are starting to book up. My husband and I are in our early 40's and our kids will be 16 and almost 13. We are torn between the northbound Sapphire Princess leaving from Vancouver Memorial Day weekend, or the Radiance of the Seas leaving from Vancouver right before 4th of July. There are a few major differences that I am torn by: * Sapphire goes to Glacier Bay whereas Radiance goes only to Hubbard Glacier * Sapphire has an extra cruising day whereas Radiance stops at Icy Strait Point * Sapphire goes to Ketchikan whereas Radiance goes to Sitka * Sapphire finishes at Anchorage whereas Radiance finishes at Seward (So, my question with this is, is it worth spending time in Seward to hit Kenai Fjords NP) * Sapphire has longer port days at Juneau and Skagway, whereas Radiance has shorter days in Sitka and Skagway and only late afternoon/evening in Juneau The Sapphire Princess seems to be a better ship with more offerings, but that extra day at sea viewing College Fjord seems like it could be kind of boring. I also have done a ton of research and am having trouble figuring out which ship is more "kid-friendly". Excursion wise, we want to hit Mendanahll glacier, go dog-sledding, hiking, maybe kayaking, etc. Any advice you can offer would be great. I don't know much about Icy Strait and if it is a worthwhile stop, or if Ketchikan is preferable to Sitka? Also, not sure if we are going to do a land portion after if we should prioritize perhaps spending time in Seward to do a boat tour in Kenai Fjiords. Any input you have is much appreciated!