Thinking About an Alaskan Cruise for Next June - Who's Been?

Hi all!

 

I'm way past-due for a cruise and, although I hugely favor the Caribbean, my mom (who I have NOT been able to talk into going on a cruise with me yet) would like to cruise Alaska. Tell me all about it!

I have been to Alaska twice and have a trip scheduled for the end of June 2019. If you would like to chat send me an e-mail to beverly poitrast at yahoo dot com

I have just returned from 5 days on land and a week on Coral Princess. My review is here.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2653758

As a previous poster said, there is an enclosed pool in the Coral. I did not use it because I wanted to be on deck watching the scenery and watching for wildlife. I had a balcony (I usually do) but actually on this cruise I did not think I needed it. I was on Deck 8 and in addition to the open decks, there was a huge aft space very near to our cabin that was like a personal balcony that I could have used. I would have saved about £1000 between the two of us if I had booked an oceanview. That buys a couple of fancy tours.

Big bucks were not necessary to have a great day out in beautiful scenery. In Skagway, besides looking around the cute town, we walked to Yakatunia Point and up to Lower Dewey Lake. There was a bit of scrambling over rocks required, but it was beautiful and there was no cost.

We saved money by booking independent tours when we booked a zipline for the girls in Skagway, a whale watch in Juneau and a sea Kayak in Ketchikan.

I doubt that I would go again simply because it involved 3 planes just to get to Anchorage. It was however a holiday of a lifetime.

We are sailing one-way (northbound) from Vancouver to Seward in just over a month on RCCL Radiance of the Seas. It has an outdoor pool AND an indoor one also in a Solarium with limited family hours, otherwise its adults only. Just because one cruiseline sails a lot in Alaska doesn't make it the best.

I 100% agree with the comment to price out excursions and consider what you want to do while there, and add that to your budget. If you cannot afford to do any excursions, you will be missing out on a LOT Alaska has to offer. It's not nearly the same as getting off the ship and finding a beach somewhere to relax all day like is common in the Caribbean. Excursions in Alaska are pricey and need to be reserved ahead of time. They are also once-in-a-lifetime type events for most people. We booked our excursions (all on our own, not through the ship excursions) about 10-11 months ahead of the cruise.

Happy planning!

Yes, we've already started setting aside funds for our future trip because this could be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, so we don't want to miss out.

Hi all!

 

I'm way past-due for a cruise and, although I hugely favor the Caribbean, my mom (who I have NOT been able to talk into going on a cruise with me yet) would like to cruise Alaska. Tell me all about it!

A land & sea tour gives you the best of both worlds, if you can spare the time and money. We just returned:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2653193

We went Back to Alaska for the 4th time on 1 June 2018. This was a South Bound 7 day out of Anchorage (Whittier Port) and was titled Voyage of the Glaciers. Because we would first go to Hubbard Glacier and then the next day spend the day scenic cruising Glacier Bay National Park.

We were on the Star Princess with Ruby Princess, a HAL and NCL ship in each port along with us. The Star is a great ship to go to Alaska on with its covered swimming pool on the top deck.

We flew up to Anchorage 1 day early to avoid any missed cruise Oops and stayed in the Capt Cook Hotel. We had arranged, with Princess, transportation from airport to the Hotel, stay at the Hotel, and then next day a train ride down to Whittier to catch the Ship which docked a short walk from the train.

At the Capt Cook Hotel We found out that we were in a Junior Suite, corner room, on the 8th floor of tower number 3. Great view of the city, bay and Mountains behind the bay.

Bus driver from airport to hotel told us that we had arrived on the warmest day that they had seen yet this year. At one stop sign the bus driver stopped and pointed out Mt McKinnley in the far distance.

We did some shopping in Anchorage to include getting two bottles of wine to take on the ship at the Brown Jug wine shop right across the street from the Hotel.

Going into the shop we both were carded?? What, I have more gray hair then Santa Clause and had to show that I was old enough to buy wine. Turned out the staff was really friendly wanted to keep talking to us when we wanted to leave

Next morning the Princess Staff working at the Hotel picked up all of our luggage and loaded it onto a truck for transport to the ship and finally into our Cabin. The luggage beat us to the ship.

Then we boarded a bus for a short ride to the train station. Day was bright and sunny as we rode the train South to Whittier. Snow capped mountains behind lakes showed up really nice. Saw a moose racing the train at one point. Great photo's.

Next day we sailed up to Hubbard Glacier. Going there we saw several deep cuts in the mountain rock cut in when the mini ice age came and quickly went in 1750. At one point the Ruby Princess sailed past one of those cuts and the ship, 960 feet long and 17 decks high, looked like a row boat.

By law the ship can not approach the face of the Glacier any closer than 1/2 mile away for safety. Ice bergs 3 to 4 stories tall can break off the face of the Glacier under water and pop up to the surface.

The ship's Capt stopped the ship sideways to the Glacier so everyone had a great photo op. Everyone on deck was dressed in layers against the cold eventho it was a bright sunny day out.

The ice of the Glacier reflected the sun light back as a blue color tone. Sitting on the float ice that was all around the ship we saw several mother seals and their pups sitting on the ice.

Hubbard Glacier is 6 miles wide and about 400 feet above the water with another 450 feet under the water. From the beginning to the face of the Glacier is 76 miles.

The next day, after we picked up two Park Rangers, we headed up the 56 miles of Glacier Bay National Park for Scenic Cruising. As we went further into the park we saw several smaller Glaciers until we arrived at the top of the bay and at Grand Pacific Glacier.

Also, our ship's Capt brought the ship in close to Marble Island so we could see the colony of Sea Lions living there. We were told most ship's Capt by pass Marble Island so we were give a real treat.

5 June we arrived at Skagway. The Wife has a favorite Jewelry shop, Broadway Fine Jewelry, that she hits every time we make it to Skagway.

Up the street is a little park with a metal statue of a Gold Miner sitting on his sled with his dog looking up at him. He has his arm resting on his knee and his head on his hand.

Poor guy, he worked half a year digging out gold and now his wife is in that Jewelry shop spending all of his gold. I know, I can relate to how he feels. :DIn fact if you were in town that day you might have seen me outside that jewelry shop trying to sell a extra camera lens to make payment for her purchases. :)

Then the ship moved on to Juneau. We got up early and hurried off the ship to catch a bus to go to Auk Bay to board a Jet Boat to go look for Whales.

Now, most whale watching boats advertise that if you go out with them and do not see any whales they will give a $100.00 bill when we get back to the dock. Then as soon as we were all on board the boat crewman held up a plastic whale and told us that is what we are looking for. See, we saw a whale, no $100.00 was going to come to us.

However, we did see lots of whales and got close to a large colony of Sea Lions. 3 came out and swam around the boat looking at us. One said hello to me and told me he would trade his autograph for a fish. No fish, but did take his photo.

Then we headed back to the dock and boarded the bus to ride to the Salmon Bake. That was a really nice operation. Choice of fresh baked Salmon or chicken and lots of side dishes plus drinks and dessert. Light rain started but no problem. They had large tents set up for the rain.

At Ketchican we walked over to Creek Street, part of the Gold Rush History, and did some shopping. Lucky I had some cash left from the sale of the camera lens.

Then we enjoyed our selves on the ship for a AT SEA day. Watched horse racing and listen to live music in Plazza on deck 5. Music not Country, but 50's and 60's, still good.

One last comment. The water was so calm the entire trip I would sit a glass of wine on the window ledge in the cabin at night and take a photo to show no waves in the wine plus to show that the sun was still up late at night.

Too quick we are back in Vancouver BC to catch flight and fly home.

The finish of another Great Cruise.

Bob

We just finished our 3rd Alaska cruise on Princess last Saturday and I would go again if time and budget allows.

1st cruise: DH and I took a Vancouver to Whittier July 2007 cruise on the Coral Princess followed by a 4 night cruise tour to Denali and Talkeetna. Highlights included:

• Vancouver became one of our favorite cities.
  
• Taking a float plane out of Ketchikan over the Misty Fjords landing on the water and transferring to a boat for the ride back to Ketchikan. The experience and the scenery were a wonderful introduction to Alaska.
  
• Glacier Bay day (sailing all the way up to Marjorie Glacier and back) is stunning.
  
• The many glaciers in College Fjord.
  
• Seeing 'the mountain' come out from behind the clouds at 11 pm and watching until after 1 am and it still wasn't dark yet!
  
• Taking a flight seeing plane over the summit of Denali - one of our absolute best excursions anywhere in the world!
  
• Spending a morning and early afternoon in Anchorage where we had a great trolley tour and just loved seeing all the blooming flowers (which is true throughout the ports on the cruise too).
  

2nd cruise: DH and I, my 3 siblings and their spouses took a Vancouver to Whittier August 2012 cruise on the Coral Princess (2 couples added the cruise tour). Highlights included:

• The fun of taking a cruise with all of my siblings and spouses. We have done a handful of ocean cruises and river cruises with them since 2012.
  
• Visited Grouse Mountain and the Capilano Suspension Bridge since we arrived a couple of days early in Vancouver.
  
• Taking the train from Skagway to Fraser and then transferring to a van to Emerald Lake and back to Skagway. We were in the last car of the train (excursion through Chilkoot) and the view off the back viewing platform was incredible.
  
• Whale watching with Harv and Marv in our 'own' boat when the humpbacks were plentiful and bubble netting all around us.
  
• My sister and brother-in-law saw a bear in a creek near the walking trail at Mendenhall Glacier.
  
• The salmon were beginning to spawn in Ketchikan.
  
• See others' reactions to Glacier Bay.
  

3rd cruise: roundtrip Seattle ending last Friday with our entire immediate family (2 kids, their spouses and our 3 1/2 year old granddaughter) on the Ruby Princess. Highlights included:

• Being all together and seeing Alaska through the eyes of newbies.
  
• Seattle (arrive the afternoon before the cruise and spent the day after the cruise) - especially Chihuly Gardens, the Pike Market area, and the Aquarium (granddaughter's highlight).
  
• Spectacular weather. Sunny with highs in the high 70s in all the ports and high 60s Glacier Bay day! The ship's outdoor pools were mighty busy.
  
• Kids and spouses went whale watching in Juneau which they loved but didn't see any bubble netting. Granddaughter went up the tramway to the top of Mt. Roberts with us and liked the little nature center, the hiking trails and, especially, the caged (due to being blind and having been shot) eagle.
  
• Son and DIL went with us on the train to (and van back from) Fraser - again with Chilkoot in Skagway. They must have taken dozens of pictures.
  
• Everybody enjoyed the Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan. It was campy but the athleticism of the lumberjacks is incredible.
  
• Kids went to Butchart Gardens (we have visited it before) in Victoria, BC and loved it. They are all ready to visit again for a longer time so they can visit downtown Victoria too.
  

We're taking our 2nd Alaska cruise this month. The first was on Princess for our honeymoon back in 2000, northbound from Vancouver. We put all our travel money into getting a balcony room and therefore had very little money for excursions. That didn't stop it from being (still) the best vacation I've ever taken. We did an inexpensive totem pole tour in Ketchikan, a salmon bake in Juneau, and found a small mountain to hike on our own in Skagway. The pool was cold on Princess but we hung out in the hot tub with other professionals in their 20's and had a great time. We saw a humpback and orcas from the ship without paying extra for a whale watching excursion, and then saw belugas in the inlets on our transport bus from Seward to Anchorage after the cruise. Glacier Bay and College Fjord were nice, and this time around we're cruising by Hubbard Glacier.

This time we're going on Royal Caribbean and, 18 years later, we can spend more to upgrade the trip. We're taking our kids and our former exchange student and staying in a Family Oceanview stateroom. We're flying to Anchorage first, taking the Alaska Railroad (glass-dome Goldstar seats) down to Seward for a southbound cruise to Vancouver. We're doing a wilderness bear tour in Icy Strait Point, a city tour with Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, and dog sled musher camp in Skagway.

Personal choice, we haven't had much desire to do a land tour and hang out in the wilderness. We enjoy wildlife but days on end of nothing but wilderness and wildlife isn't our thing.

There are a million ways to have a great Alaskan cruise, I'm sure on any cruise line, with any excursions. It's an incredible vacation.

Check out the Jewel and Pearl reviews in my signature. Also plenty of photos in the album.

June is a great time of the year to go (any time is though)

Hi all!

 

 

 

I'm way past-due for a cruise and, although I hugely favor the Caribbean, my mom (who I have NOT been able to talk into going on a cruise with me yet) would like to cruise Alaska. Tell me all about it!

Come with us on the Radiance of the seas. June 14,2019. We have been to Alaska on Carnival but this time decided to go with Royal for better port times.

You will love Alaska. It is so breathtaking.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Just returned from my very first cruise and it was to Alaska. Took Holland America’s Eurodam because we wanted to see Glacier Bay. Round trip out of Seattle.

It was truly the trip of a lifetime! I cannot say enough good things about it. We had heard that Holland America skews older but there were plenty of kids and, really, people of all ages.

Do it! You’ll love it!

I'm going back to Alaska in a couple of weeks. We typically go out of San Francisco. The itinerary is similar to the 7-day round trips from Seattle and Vancouver, but out of S.F. it's a 10 day cruise for the extra sea time. The weather in Alaska is variable, which is why people will often recommend light layers over bulky winter wear. We've seen it 80 degrees in Skagway and with snow at the top of the tramway in Juneau, and everything in between. The only time I've really seen it cold though was in Glacier Bay - but it's a major highlight, so if you can get an itinerary with that I'd recommend it. Regardless, you can't go wrong with an Alaska cruise. Feel free to see my signature for pics and reviews of some of our previous trips there. :)

With adequate clothing, you won't be cold and miserable. It doesn't require that much - it is summer in Alaska, not mid-winter.

 

Sent from my Pixel using Forums mobile app

Lol, you did see that I'm from Texas, right? Summer in Alaska is probably my winter. I'll be the first to admit I am a cold weather weenie.

I'm from Sacramento and grew up in Southern California. Summer here can get over 100 degrees & sometimes over 110. The weather I had there this May was like my winter. I've been delayed on a flight through Dallas due to snow & needing to de-ice the plane. We don't get snow &, AFAIK, our airport doesn't have de-icing facilities.

With appropriate clothing, I was never chilled & thoroughly enjoyed myself. Go in June or July and it should be warmer than May.

Sent from my Pixel using Forums mobile app

CruzerDeb, here is great clothing advise from a previous CC post:

"Your minimal clothing needs will depend on how often you are comfortable repeating your clothing.

When people say layers...the common description is:

Comfort layer...this is your base layer, closest to your skin. Ideally, it's wicking and/or quick dry. It should be comfortable. Depending on your cold/heat tolerance, could be sleeveless, short, or long sleeved.

Warmth layer...whatever you put over your base to provide added warmth, if necessary. Could be long sleeved or a vest. Fleece, sweatshirt, flannel, sweater. Since this is generally an added layer...could just be one thing that you bring to put over your base.

Protection layer...waterproof coat. You should just need one.

Weather changes rapidly, even hour to hour. You may find that you want to be warmer on the bus ride to Mendenhall...then you get warm walking...so you lose the warmth layer...then you make it to Nugget Falls and the breeze coming off the lake while you just stand there and admire the view is chilling...so you put the warm layer on again...starts to rain...stops raining...you start walking again and get warm. The clouds roll in and you get cooler...

Plan to be adjusting your layers all day long.

Bring as many base layers as you see fit to accommodate how comfortable you are re-wearing your clothes. Bring as many warmth layers as you see fit to complement your base layers.

For bottoms...think about the consequences of dealing with some rain. Do you have water resistant pants? Would you need extra pants if some got wet? Plan accordingly.

Depending on how comfortable you are with cooler temperatures...you might be just fine in shorts. Would you normally wear shorts in lower 70s weather? You might want to grab a pair or two, just in case, because it is summer after all.

Most recommend waterproof or water resistant shoes. You can easily treat shoes you already own. Bring multiple pairs so that if you need dry shoes, you have them while the others dry...IF you don't own water proof shoes."

CruzerDeb, here is great clothing advise from a previous CC post:

 

"Your minimal clothing needs will depend on how often you are comfortable repeating your clothing.

 

When people say layers...the common description is:

 

Comfort layer...this is your base layer, closest to your skin. Ideally, it's wicking and/or quick dry. It should be comfortable. Depending on your cold/heat tolerance, could be sleeveless, short, or long sleeved.

 

Warmth layer...whatever you put over your base to provide added warmth, if necessary. Could be long sleeved or a vest. Fleece, sweatshirt, flannel, sweater. Since this is generally an added layer...could just be one thing that you bring to put over your base.

 

Protection layer...waterproof coat. You should just need one.

 

Weather changes rapidly, even hour to hour. You may find that you want to be warmer on the bus ride to Mendenhall...then you get warm walking...so you lose the warmth layer...then you make it to Nugget Falls and the breeze coming off the lake while you just stand there and admire the view is chilling...so you put the warm layer on again...starts to rain...stops raining...you start walking again and get warm. The clouds roll in and you get cooler...

 

Plan to be adjusting your layers all day long.

 

Bring as many base layers as you see fit to accommodate how comfortable you are re-wearing your clothes. Bring as many warmth layers as you see fit to complement your base layers.

 

For bottoms...think about the consequences of dealing with some rain. Do you have water resistant pants? Would you need extra pants if some got wet? Plan accordingly.

 

Depending on how comfortable you are with cooler temperatures...you might be just fine in shorts. Would you normally wear shorts in lower 70s weather? You might want to grab a pair or two, just in case, because it is summer after all.

 

Most recommend waterproof or water resistant shoes. You can easily treat shoes you already own. Bring multiple pairs so that if you need dry shoes, you have them while the others dry...IF you don't own water proof shoes."

That's all great advice.

I'd add to it - you can bring some small easy to pack things that can increase warmth and can be adjusted as weather varies:

A warm scarf can block drafts coming in around your neck and even pulled up over your lower face to protect from wind on a whale watch or on deck during scenic cruising.

A warm hat - you can lose a lot of heat from your head; some people like one with a bill at the front to shade their eyes a bit and keep the hood of their waterproof layer from dropping too low over their face.

Gloves - I particularly like a fingerless glove with mitten cap like these at Amazon because they quickly free fingertips for using touch screens and the mitten part can be flipped over the finger tips the rest of the time. There are also gloves made with a material that is supposed to allow you to use touch screens with them on. I had a pair and they worked fine at first but they don't now - perhaps something in the material degraded over time and usage.

I prefer that my warmth layer and protection layer is opens in front (button or zipper), not a pull-over. There are times when it is too hot with a pull-over on and too cold with it off. Adjustability is key.

This has been a great thread! Y'all have given great advice & lots of info! Thanks, CruzerDeb for starting it!

I have done 3 AK cruises. All of them on Princess, and all RT out of Seattle. I would book a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay for a first time cruise.It is truly awesome. AK is all about the adventure, scenery, and wildlife. It is truly a magical place. Each trip I did different excursions in each port. I have enjoyed all of them. Whale watching is the thing to do In Juneau. My favorite excursion in Skagway was the bus ride into the Yukon. We went to Caribou Crossing and Carcross. The scenery was amazing, and the bus stopped lots of time for photos going an coming. Many people like to do the train ride in Skagway. My favorite excursion in Ketchikan was the Deadliest Catch excursion. It was so much fun!!!! We also saw lots of eagles on that excursion.We also saw lots of wildlife from the ship. Ketchikan and Skagway are very cute towns with lots of character. We also found lots of Made in Alaska souvenirs, not just the typical stuff in Skagway and Ketchikan. There is so much to do and see. It can be overwhelming planning your trip, but so much fun.