LeftcoastBC

I agree with the other poster. Can't add much for May cause it's too early but those that may drop by to read this..

In season it is a nice walk to see the Salmon Run..

Skagway has been mentioned. Make sure its on whatever ship's Itinerary you end up on. Sitka is unique also. Ketchikan and Juneau are almost interchangeable. Icy Point Strait is pretty old school except for the Zip line. & Those later three will get you out into whale country on private tours if you are inclined that way also.

Watch your timing in other Ports if you get on a ship that goes to Tracy Arm.

I agree with Glacier Bay and Hubbard second ..

I also agree with More Inside Passage opportunity out of Vancouver return. (both ways)

If you do go out of Seattle you will have a late PM stop in Victoria BC for legal and cruiseline money reasons. Which can be nice.

Flts into Seattle are usually cheaper than into Vancouver. But you can still transfer to Vancouver by bus or train to take advantage of a bit more country seen

Enjoy planning.

I second Sequim's thoughts and add. Schools out in July and there might be a price benefit to going early in June.

Having done the land trip more that I ever wanted to I can say that once would be just great. The secret is finding another way out of Alaska without back tracking.

So its flying:... What do you do with your car or rental ?

Ferry:.... way to hard on the budget. But a much much better experience of viewing the inside passage.

Back Tracking: to at least the Stewart Cassiar Hwy (#37 in BC) and then backing tracking even more again from Prince George south.

But you would have seen some of the greatest country in the World.

been there a few times but yet to gather courage enough to lose enough weight to qualify...lol (i'm rather big)

Sure looks like fun. The people people starting out are just small dots way up the mountain, if you can see them at all. The sudden stop at the bottom makes for some great entertainment for those not brave enough to make the trip up.

Do the Interior of BC after you get off. There sre a few places even better than AK. :D Think about your budget and the dollar.

See you on the other side...:cool:

Roads being limited to the valleys associated to most of the communities reached by ship on mainstream lines. I recommend the city bus lines.

Most drivers are friendly and the locals will help you. Kinda like Bermuda. Everything goes around and ends up in the same place eventually.

I'm going to promote BC ...:) which you can start in Seattle also.

Look at Whistler and keep going North around several circle loops that could take you up into mountains and around through the south eventually. The Okanagan Valley in both BC and Wa. A return to Seattle over the mountains is not out of the question again is a great ride.

Highway 1 east of Kamloops is getting better all the time due to double laning but you still will be hitting there in the busy summer period. So the times on google are tight as has been mentioned.

Your teens should find whistler more "FUN" than Banff. :rolleyes:

Answer to Question : No.:)

Here's a bit more advice from another BC'r.

First :

Please dismiss Seattle from your choices. Budget/time/border and getting there and lack of scenery out of that Port and through the "Inside Passage" (up and back) available makes it always second choice unless there is a Port that you really want to visit that the Vancouver ships don't go to. SEattle itself of course is a great city and harbour but going out under the Lions gate bridge and the surrounding mountains and inside Vancouver Island can not be beat.

Second:

Do not dismiss HAL. their magradome /pool set ups for inclement weather is great for bad weather traveling. Esp. for kids. That being said the pool is usually restricted indoors for kids but there are times when it is available. This happens more frequently in Alaska... oh... Take strollers that pushes easy. Those 11 month old's will get a lot of attention. Esp. when dad is taking his turn ‼️

The so called age issue on HAL is not as great as everyone lets on especially on a 7 day Alaska cruise in the summer. Teens are also seen with family more and more. Not an issue in my mind.

The Infinity (Celebrity) is also a great ship for family. They have an indoor T pool(like a big hot tub) that will have specific hours for kids as it is restricted to over certain ages. Hot tubs out on the pool deck and one of their outdoor pools is heated these days I believe.

Both ships will have a kids program. ( Not for the babies.)

Been a few times.....

my above recommendations aside. The Solstice another Celebrity ship out of Seattle is more updated larger ship that you all will enjoy.

just the number of days.

something that has not been mentioned is the difference in the Scenery while cruising the "Inside Passage" stretches in Sailing to and From Vancouver and from Seattle.

It is a lot different. Way more time sailing on the outside of Vancouver Island vs. right into the Inside from Vancouver and more the last day and night on the return.

All lines run transfers to and from Seattle /Vancouver via buses. To get the Air difference.

I also agree on Glacier Bay being the best odds on Glaciers but Hubbard has never been disappointing for me on our trips. Tracy Arm however has been disappointing early.

Ships HAL . And or The Infinity out of Vancouver for Celebrity.

I don't usually do this BUT I think this will save you a lot of time and then you still may not get what you want.

Have a read. It's complicated sometimes.

Notice the dates.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2025307

Cross the border all the time in the VAlley (Sumas) usually and drive to Seattle. An early morning crossing even in the summer is usually no an issue. Long weekend starts the only exception.

Drive to either Pier easy 3 hours.

Unless it's just an east coast thing and if so don't ever mention it again. pLease..:):)

PD working on a Ak for next year. The Point is in safe Hands. Spent MAr in AZ. Didn't see you. 😎

I agree you will be allowed to board by Celebrity.

I am wondering the source of your guidance if not Celebrity personal how would they know. Since you are in Seattle you are not travelling and have not all that much to lose except the fun. So don't worry about it.

The last point made by the above poster about not belong allowed to board in Vancouver is not valid . You would of course be already in Canada having been cleared into the Country already and the clearance on ships going to Alaska from there is done by your own Countries (US) Border personal.

CANADA might not let you back in when you return though. 😇

All of this of course is unofficial advice all be it from persons of knowledge

Thanks

Glad I'm not as old as some. Lol

People need not be scared at all. IFyour cruise line will take YOU out of Seattle the only hardship you MIGHT face would be if you booked a non refundable tour in Victoria and Canadian authorities would not let you off the ship.

Wait I just thought of something else IF you were taking one of the tours into Canada say from Skagway ......they MIGHT not let you in there either.

But information is king.

We have decided that it's not even worth trying to get off the ship in Victoria. We are only there from 7:30-midnight on the last night of the cruise. We are going to see Alaska so it's no biggie to us. My only concern at this point is not being allowed to board in Seattle. We have planned this cruise for months and would be devastated if I were not allowed to board. Again, we are staying on the ship in Victoria. Can someone please ease my mind about boarding? Freaking out here. My DUI was in early 2006.

If the cruise line has taken your money and if you only have the DUI they will take you. You may or may not be allowed off in Victoria.

But be advised that there is just as much to see and do in Victoria between 730 and sailing as any Port in Ak. Minus the odd glacier and closeup mountains :)

No need to freak out.

I can not comment on the ships other than the Solstice. But it would be very rare for a ship to leave Vancouver and sail to the south to go around the outside of Vancouver Island.

The Clearance on the height of Solstice was adjusted with hydraulics to allow entrance to Vancouver Harbour several seasons ago now. This would have also allowed clearance because of height in relation to Power Cables on that route.

Hello right back Bob. Enjoy AK.

Our somewhat chatty escapade will have everything you need to know. :D

Check Mr Preismans' Website for the pure info.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1837859

http://www.thepreismans.com/

#1. If Party picking you up is comfortable with the madhouse traffic around Pan Pacific when ships come and go. Just walk off and get picked up right in front of the Hotel. Cell phone contact would be a big help.

Other than that. Have them go to Elevator in P2 parking (keep right as you drive under) beneath the Pan Pacific and you take the elevator down to meet them. Parking is not cheap.

The elevator you take down is just in front of you as you get out of customs and are about to walk either left or right out into the vehicle loading/unloading area on the cruise level.

If you go for #1 continue walking keeping rightish and out of harms way past the line for taxi's out into the loading area to where you can see the ramp leading to the street.

There is a door into the hotel and an elevator. Go to street level and walk out front keeping right. If line up for elevator and you can do the slight ramp to the street do that and meet your party along the front of the hotel to the right somewhere.

They do charge right away.. And you are correct that they may not have a fit for you onboard.

They do have some but no guarantee

I think this all stems from how Celebrity has positioned itself in the market. At the lower end you have Carnival, NCL, RC etc who know that the average passenger is at very least ambivalent about formal nights. At the other end you have lines like Cunard with their strict dress codes and Seabourn who just hope they can price most of the overly casual dressers out of the market.

 

Celebrity is stuck bang in the middle, on one hand tying to be a mass-market line and on the other pushing the "modern luxury" image. So on the same ship you get a balance of the formal-haters as well as those who insist that formal is an essential part of cruising.

 

I don't think that Celebrity necessarily attracts snobs, is just that the market positioning results in X being the battlefield where these issues are fought out. Whichever side is currently losing gets over-defensive and this manifests itself as rudeness/snobbiness, at least on these forums. On-board nobody really cares.

I just hit the "LIKE" button