Where in the world do I start?

[msbiojojo]

Hello all,

Its been forever since ive visited this site. How are you all!!

I chose....gasp....a destination to Jamaica for my last vacation and not a cruise, so its been a while. I did so much homework for my last cruise to the carribean that i think i sucked the fun right out of it. I felt like i had already been on the cruise and hadnt stepped foot on carribean soil. I had a blast so now its Alaska, july 06. Celebrity is my cruiseline of choice but im keeping options open if it doesnt fit into our plan.

 

This vacation will be different. It will be not only husband and I (late 30s) but my parents (early sixties) too. We are going to sort of "oversee" their care and help them out. Mother loves to do anything.....limited only by a slightly bum knee, she is game for anything. Father is the ill one. Diabetic, cane, limited mobility. We are going because dad wants to see Alaska before hes unable to go anywhere. So thats where we are going. I dont think its a good idea because of such a long flight but thats his wish.

 

So what should my first step be? Any advice before i begin? Id like to hear about departure ports, which may be better flight wise. Im looking at it as a daunting task. I dont know anyone who has ever been....and my travel agent...although very good....i find that the suggestions here are much more specific and simply top notch.

 

I'll be standing by. Thanks a bunch

JoAnn

[kated]

I too am thinking about an alaskan cruise for 2006 on celebrity. I am looking for info on best departure points and itineraries. Good luck with your plans :P

Kate

[Urban trekker]

There are really only two main departure points for Alaska cruises - Seattle or Vancouver - yes San Francisco has a few but they are longer - Airfare will probably be cheaper into Seattle - you need to decide whether you are going to do a seven day roundtrip or one way from these ports - do you have a favorite cruise lines - all Princess cruises out of Vancouver are now one way - remember if you cruise from Seattle most of the ships will travel up the west or outside of Vancouver Island while the Vancouver sailing go up the east or inside of Vancouver Island - is Glacier Bay more important than Misty Fiords - do you want Sitka or Prince Rupert

Have you visited Seattle in the past and not Vancouver or vice - versa - if you have been to neither both are great cities but naturally I hope that you choose Vancouver - your choice of cruise lines will also dictate where you sail from - in Vancouver almost all cruise lines except for RCL sail from Canada Place which is right downtown while in Seattle some lines sail from the Bell St Terminal which is in the heart of the tourist area while the others - mostly Carnival line ships - Princess - Holland America go from another pier in the industrial area

The US dollar will buy you about 20% more in Canada at the present time

As for ports - if sailing from Seattle you will visit either Victoria or Prince Rupert as your required Canadian port and then Ketchikan, Juneau and either Skagway or Sitka - with the exception of Sitka where you tender the other ports usually dock.

 

This is a lot but hopefully it is a start and i am sure that some of the other regulars on this board will offer you some help and Budget Queen can also answer your questions.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[msbiojojo]

Thanks for the start Urban,

There are a few things that i do know already if given a choice.

 

-Celebrity cruiseline (summit or infinity)

-Itinerary that has the fewest tenders possible (parents NOT coordinated enough to handle it) ...so im thinking anything with Sitka is a no go.

-Whichever port will eliminate flight time(or connections) is the one we would like to go with so ill have to look into either Seattle or Vancouver and what sort of flights go out of boston.

 

 

Again my thanks and look forward to hearing from others.

j

[Budget Queen]

If you are looking at a round trip cruise, I recommend Vancouver for the superior inside passage sailing, some Seattle departures have more outside passage. I give a big preference to Glacier Bay so HAL is my preferred vender out of Vancouver. Just a thought- but a lot of Alaska is outside the ship. There are few limitations with good planning. So consider looking at ports, time in ports, glacier, route, price.