How to choose which cruiseline to use to go to Alaska?

[kathiag96]

Hi everyone,

 

My parents are planning a cruise to Alaska this summer for their 40th wedding anniversary and have invited my husband and I to go along with them. They are currently looking at 7 day cruises originating in Seattle. Right now they are looking at Carnival and Holland America. I've also suggested to look at NCL as they seem to have good reviews.

 

Can anyone direct me to the easiest way to compare these cruise lines options? My husband and I have been on several Carnival cruises (all chartered music cruises so they're hard to compare to a "regular" cruise) and enjoyed ourselves, but I'm wondering if we should go for a different option this time. My parents are looking for me to help make this decision so I thought I'd ask for your help.

 

Our ages are: mom (66), dad (64), husband (40), and me (36). Thanks in advance for your help!

[vbmom87]

Hi everyone,

 

My parents are planning a cruise to Alaska this summer for their 40th wedding anniversary and have invited my husband and I to go along with them. They are currently looking at 7 day cruises originating in Seattle. Right now they are looking at Carnival and Holland America. I've also suggested to look at NCL as they seem to have good reviews.

 

Can anyone direct me to the easiest way to compare these cruise lines options? My husband and I have been on several Carnival cruises (all chartered music cruises so they're hard to compare to a "regular" cruise) and enjoyed ourselves, but I'm wondering if we should go for a different option this time. My parents are looking for me to help make this decision so I thought I'd ask for your help.

 

Our ages are: mom (66), dad (64), husband (40), and me (36). Thanks in advance for your help!

 

Welcome to CC. This is a great place to gather information for your upcoming cruise. I suggest you go to the library and get some books about Alaska to familiarize yourself with this large and varied state. I read Fodders and Frommers Alaska books before I booked my cruise and found them very helpful. Others on this board also recommend Alaska by Cruiseship.

 

Just for some general information for you as you begin your research: Seattle sailings are less scenic than Vancouver Sailings. Vancouver sailings spend more time in the scenic Inside Passage. Seattle sailings are at greater risk for rougher seas.

 

In general Alaska cruises go to 4 ports with one scenic sailing day, or 3 ports and 2 scenic sailing days. Some people prefer ports, others prefer the extra day of sailing in a scenic area. The most "popular" glacier areas to see are Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier and College Fjords. Some cruises go to Tracy Arm Fjord. Although the fjord is beautiful, a cruiseship may or may not get all the way to the end of the fjord to see the Sawyer glaciers as the fjord can get quite iced up. If glaciers are a priority, I would not recommend a cruise that just goes to Tracy Arm Fjord and not another glacier area. If glaciers are not a priority, then it could be a good choice for you.

 

I really would not concentrate at all on cruiseline for Alaska. After you read about the ports and glaciers and decide which appeal to you, then I would look for a cruiseline that has an itinerary that will best fit your needs. Keep note of how long the ship will be in each port. If you have decided what you want to do in each port, it is important that you have enough time to do all that you want to do.

 

Everyone has their favorites in Alaska. Don't be too persuaded by what others say are musts for them. Get to know the state, and before you know it, you will soon realize what is most important for you.

 

Once you find an itinerary, feel free to post it, if you would like input. The posters here will often see things you may have missed.

 

Happy Planning!!

[dpro]

Hi everyone,

 

My parents are planning a cruise to Alaska this summer for their 40th wedding anniversary and have invited my husband and I to go along with them. They are currently looking at 7 day cruises originating in Seattle. Right now they are looking at Carnival and Holland America. I've also suggested to look at NCL as they seem to have good reviews.

 

Can anyone direct me to the easiest way to compare these cruise lines options? My husband and I have been on several Carnival cruises (all chartered music cruises so they're hard to compare to a "regular" cruise) and enjoyed ourselves, but I'm wondering if we should go for a different option this time. My parents are looking for me to help make this decision so I thought I'd ask for your help.

 

Our ages are: mom (66), dad (64), husband (40), and me (36). Thanks in advance for your help!

 

FWIW, you'll do better in Alaska on a small ship like the Royal Princess, or equivalent on another line, JMHO. Usually better itineraries, can dock instead of tender in some places, can port in places where large ships cannot, age group better matches you & your parents, more upscale than Carnival, and we have found small ship cruises to overall be more enjoyable.

 

However, Alaska is a great cruise, I am sure you will enjoy whatever ship/line you decide on.

 

Rc

[psyfi]

Welcome to cruise critic! I'm going on my first Alaskan cruise this summer so I was much in the same boat you are now. I chose based on itinerary--several of the Southbound Princess cruises offer stops at both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier whereas most of the rest only do one or the other (7 day). Most of the 7 days hit pretty much the same few ports. But in some cases the port times can vary greatly and some excursions cannot be done (i.e. there is an 11 hour boat trip into Tracey Arm). I believe that Princess and Holland are the only 2 lines that have permits for Glacier Bay. Roundtrip Seattle is definately going to be cheaper for airfare but if you don't see what you want on the cruise then it isn't worth it in my opinion. This is a great place to find lots of information. Take a look around the posts on this board then be sure to post if you have more questions! Happy planning!

[kathiag96]

thanks for the info so far, everyone. Based on what I've been reading on cc today and discussions with my dad this evening, we are leaning towards a roundtrip (which is a must for him) from Vancouver, since it appears to be a more scenic view. Due to my desire to see Glacier Bay, it looks like we'll probably be doing the Holland America trip.

 

I have another question - is it cheaper to book flights on our own (through Orbitz etc) or thru the cruise line. I've heard the cruise line doing it may give you a better deal, but my initial views of flights on orbitz.com is showing much cheaper flights than when I look up info on the cruise line's website.

[vbmom87]

thanks for the info so far, everyone. Based on what I've been reading on cc today and discussions with my dad this evening, we are leaning towards a roundtrip (which is a must for him) from Vancouver, since it appears to be a more scenic view. Due to my desire to see Glacier Bay, it looks like we'll probably be doing the Holland America trip.

 

I have another question - is it cheaper to book flights on our own (through Orbitz etc) or thru the cruise line. I've heard the cruise line doing it may give you a better deal, but my initial views of flights on orbitz.com is showing much cheaper flights than when I look up info on the cruise line's website.

 

For glacier lovers, Holland America has a cruise out of Vancouver that goes to both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm Fjord. This would be a great choice for someone looking for a very scenic cruise. However, as I said before, you need to read up and decide what it is you would like best.

 

I always book air directly. I may use a sight like kayak.com or orbitz to help me find deals, but I like to book direct with the airlines. My son used to travel alot and it was mandatory he book through Orbitz for work. For his personal travel, he always books direct with the airlines. He claims that the airlines take better care of those who booked direct if there are any kinds of problems.

 

Another suggestion: Fly into port AT LEAST one day before your cruise. I have read some pretty sad posts written by people who missed their cruises because of flight delays and/or cancellations. It doesn't happen often, but I just wasn't willing to take that risk. Plus, Vancouver is a great city to explore if you have the time.

 

ANother thing to consider is travel insurance. This is a whole other topic to explore. Read, read and read about travel insurance as they are not all equal. Again I have read of people who bought travel insurance only to find out that they were not covered for everything they thought they were. I think it took me two years to learn most of what I needed to know, and I am still sure I don't know and understand it all. You can do searches on insurance on this board and find lots of info.

 

The one thing I will mention is pre-existing conditions. If anyone you are traveling with or an immediate family member back home has a pre-existing condition, your travel insurance will not cover you if you have to cancel your trip because something happens to them, UNLESS you have a policy that covers pre-existing conditions. In order for your policy to include pre-existing conditions you typically MUST PURCHASE your plan within in a set number of days of you paying your FIRST TRIP DEPOSIT. Usually it is somewhere between 7 and 21 days. You don't pay more for this coverage, but you must purchase it early on. Now, there are other plans that do include pre-existing conditions that you can purchase at a later date; I believe up to final payment, but you need to verify this. However, these plans cost more. If you decide to take out travel insurance, make sure you get educated. DO NOT trust a travel agent to have adequate knowledge of insurance. Do your own research. JMHO.

[Budget Queen]

You've already narrowed down your choices. :) HAL is the only line available out of Vancouver with Glacier Bay, so take a look at those itineraries. Especially look at ports and time in ports. Look at shore excursion lists and see what priorities you have. Do not expect all to have the same interests, so consider splitting up and not looking at "group" port touring.

 

I do suggest you might want to consider adding a few days and touring Seattle/Vancouver. Avoid arriving the same day as embarking the ship.

 

As for airfare, compare prices, many times, Seattle can be significantly cheaper, and it is easy to get between the two cities. There are independent buses, Amtrak, one way rental cars. You do have to add in transfers for nonship booked airfare, but generally is less costly. Cruiseair, can have a disadvantage of poorly scheduled flights and times. It can be worthwhile to pay the deviation fee.

[CowPrincess]

We've booked air thru the cruiseline once, because it was a screamingly good deal :) That's pretty unusual, though -- we were very lucky I think, but we still always check the cost of cruise air vs booking ourselves. However, if you get cruise air, you will likely get crappy flights, and (as the cruiseline told me) no guarantee you'll even get to be on the same plane. And cruise air bookings generally arrive in the port city the day of embarkation (which makes me crazy).

 

As BQ said, flights to Seattle are generally substantially less money than flights to Vancouver, and there are a number of ways of getting to Vancouver from Seattle.

 

Holland America ships in Alaska are generally smaller than the other lines' ships in Alaska, which is pretty nice for glacier viewing in Glacier Bay, and for overall getting around the ship throughout the trip. Lots of public deck areas and they open up the bow for people to view the glaciers on Glacier Bay day.

 

Holland America also usually has a "travel guide" or similar for Alaska, who will do talks on the native way of life, nature in Alaska, history and such, which can be pretty interesting.

 

Make sure you check out the Holland America forum on CC, too, to learn more about the cruise line.

[dpro]

thanks for the info so far, everyone. Based on what I've been reading on cc today and discussions with my dad this evening, we are leaning towards a roundtrip (which is a must for him) from Vancouver, since it appears to be a more scenic view. Due to my desire to see Glacier Bay, it looks like we'll probably be doing the Holland America trip.

 

I have another question - is it cheaper to book flights on our own (through Orbitz etc) or thru the cruise line. I've heard the cruise line doing it may give you a better deal, but my initial views of flights on orbitz.com is showing much cheaper flights than when I look up info on the cruise line's website.

 

We have always found it better to book air directly with the airline of our choice. The only exception to this is an upcoming trip to India, where Expedia could book us on an Indian airline and we pay in USD and have them to act as an advocate in case something goes wrong.

 

We have used Expedia, Orbitz and others to check prices, but for some reason get our best rates directly with the airlines themselves. Just our experience. One of the best places to check air prices, even though you can't book, is to google for itasoftware and follow links to check in, use the guest option. Hope this helps.

 

Also, as per advice above, go a day or two early to be sure you are there for embarkation.

 

Rc