planning first alaska cruise - what ship? - add car tour from Anchorage?

[Brissle]

Hi everyone,

We are an active retired couple.

We are planning our first Alaska cruise in June 2011 - waiting for 2011 brochures to be published in the UK.

Would be interested in views on which is the best cruise line / ship to do this cruise.

We have cruised many times in medium and large ships (1500 - 2500 passengers), but are wondering whether a smaller ship is better for getting into places that the large ships cannot reach? Or does every ship go everywhere?

My TA recommends Princess Cruises, but we have no experience of them and they appear to be quite big ships.

 

Second question, please:

We plan to do the one way cruise north from Vancouver and fly back to Vancouver from Anchorage. Any views on delaying our return flight and renting a car and exploring north from Anchorage - maybe even up to Prudhoe Bay? We'd far prefer to do something like this independently rather than in an organised tour, but is it practical? What distances are involved? Is the trip worth-while? Is it easy to find accommodation?

 

Will be grateful for any thoughts on either question!

[AkSusan]

Hi everyone,

We are an active retired couple.

We are planning our first Alaska cruise in June 2011 - waiting for 2011 brochures to be published in the UK.

Would be interested in views on which is the best cruise line / ship to do this cruise.

We have cruised many times in medium and large ships (1500 - 2500 passengers), but are wondering whether a smaller ship is better for getting into places that the large ships cannot reach? Or does every ship go everywhere?

My TA recommends Princess Cruises, but we have no experience of them and they appear to be quite big ships.

 

Second question, please:

We plan to do the one way cruise north from Vancouver and fly back to Vancouver from Anchorage. Any views on delaying our return flight and renting a car and exploring north from Anchorage - maybe even up to Prudhoe Bay? We'd far prefer to do something like this independently rather than in an organised tour, but is it practical? What distances are involved? Is the trip worth-while? Is it easy to find accommodation?

 

Will be grateful for any thoughts on either question!

The one small ship cruise line that does cruises up here is Cruise West http://www.cruisewest.com/alaska-cruises but out of Anchorage it's only a 4 nights/5 day cruise and it doesn't see much of what you would see on a big ship. None of them leave out of Vancouver either and the prices are about double per person then would be on a bigger ship.

 

I've done Alaska cruises both on Princess and Royal Caribbean. And have enjoyed both.

 

Now in regards to going north from Anchorage via a rental car. It's very simple to leave here and go north to Denali National Park. It's about a 5 to 6 hour drive and you would have the opportunity to see wildlife. Or you can drive south and enjoy Glacier day cruises out of Prince William Sound out of Whittier or Kenai Fjords boat day cruises out of Seward.

 

You can't drive to Prudhoe Bay as it's a long trip plus gravel and plus rental car companies do not allow their cars to be driven on gravel.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

[Budget Queen]

How much time do you have?? Alaska is huge, and as an example, just touring Denali Park requires at least 3 extra days. There area some excellent tours that go to Prudhoe, as already noted, unless you rent a specific allowed- gravel "OK" car, and have extensive experience- you can not "drive" there.

 

I suggest you get more familiar with interior Alaska, helpful will be some guide books and a map.

 

If you don't want the major lines- with are mass market and large- HAL, Princess, RCI, Celebrity, then look at Regent and similar. Way more costly, but definately an enhanced experience.

 

Are you basing yourself out of Vancouver- reason, why you want to be there twice?? Otherwise, you may also want to look at an open jaw/multi city option, if you are going home.

[timetravler]

I love Princess as it is just right for my lifestyle. But I think whatever cruise company you choose, pick one that goes to Glacier Bay(Princess does). If this may be your only Alaskan cruise, then seeing Glacier Bay is a must. My first Alaskan cruise(Princess), we did a 3 day land tour. Princess brought us by train to Denali to their own Princess lodge. From there we did a wilderness tour and the husky homestead tour. The husky homestead tour was my favorite. It is at Jeff Kings(4 time iditerod winner) facility. This tour really gives you a true idea of what mushing is all about. After Denali, once again we boarded the train to Seward. It is an all day train trip, but very scenic. The train takes you right to the ship. So I would think about doing this too, but you certainly can go touring on your own, of course.

[Budget Queen]

I love Princess as it is just right for my lifestyle. But I think whatever cruise company you choose, pick one that goes to Glacier Bay(Princess does). If this may be your only Alaskan cruise, then seeing Glacier Bay is a must. My first Alaskan cruise(Princess), we did a 3 day land tour. Princess brought us by train to Denali to their own Princess lodge. From there we did a wilderness tour and the husky homestead tour. The husky homestead tour was my favorite. It is at Jeff Kings(4 time iditerod winner) facility. This tour really gives you a true idea of what mushing is all about. After Denali, once again we boarded the train to Seward. It is an all day train trip, but very scenic. The train takes you right to the ship. So I would think about doing this too, but you certainly can go touring on your own, of course.

 

This poster must have gone several years ago, since Princess has no longer docks in Seward.

 

For clarification, they would have boarded their train for Seward from Anchorage, Denali/Anchorage is a day trip in itself. They did not do this in a single day, as they claim. Now, if they are mistaken and didn't realize they weren't in Seward but went Denali to Whittier, that, run, is available as a single day trip, taking 10 hours.

[zelker]

Other options to consider:

 

Holland America has announced their 2011 Alaska itinerary and are offering the 14 night Alaskan Adventurer Cruise that sails roundtrip out of Seattle on the Amsterdam again (it's new this year and doesn't even start until May but it must be so popular that they are repeating it again next summer). We are doing it in July this year so I can't attest to it yet but we have sailed HAL twice and had great experiences both times. The itinerary is marvelous and really gives you an opportunity to hit a lot of ports on one cruise and at least see all of coastal Alaska. The ship is one of their two flagships and hold around 1300 people so a nice medium size. They also take you into Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier on the same trip which is a huge plus in our book.

 

I know Princess is also offering a similar trip this year on an even smaller ship (the Royal, which holds about 750 people) with one less port but they are moving that ship to Europe next spring (moving to P&O line, I believe) so not sure if they will offer this on a different ship next year or not. And we have not sailed on Princess so I can't offer any feedback on the line itself.

 

Anyway, it might be something for you to consider when you are researching trips. Anything you do in Alaska will be "worth it". :)

[Brissle]

Thanks everyone for thoughts so far.

CC is so useful and I'm already gathering ideas for what to do at each port, from the many other postings here.

 

This will be a major, one-off trip for us - 6 or 7 weeks - we are planning to fly UK to Calgary, take the trans Rockies train to Vancouver, spend a few days in Vancouver, get on a cruise one way to Anchorage, explore some of Alaska (maybe allow several days - depends what we find to do), fly back to Vancouver, pick up a Campervan (RV) and take 2 - 3 weeks to drive back through the Rockies to Calgary, then fly home to UK.

We want to visit Vancouver after hearing/reading many great reports about the city and area. We want to explore the Rockies slowly - have visited Banff / Lake Louise for skiing, so would love to see the area in summer weather and do some hiking.

This is going to cost quite a lot, so we are not looking to increase expenditure unnecessarily. Have looked at Regent cruises and they seem to be much more expensive, so I guess it'll be Princess because they are sister cruise line to our favourite UK cruise company (P&O).

We like the idea of doing some exploring in Alaska independently - and we thought that might be less expensive than a tour organised by the cruise company anyway.

I have no problem with driving on gravel roads - have done many miles in Arizona and in New Zealand on gravel...... But if the rental companies are difficult about that we may have to re-think.

Just wondering now, whether there's an option to rent an RV in Anchorage for 5 or 7 days.........

[mytime53]

It sounds like you're planning a fantastic trip. We're like you...if we're putting out the time, effort, and money to get so far away, you might as well take advantage of it and stretch it out for a while.

Anyway, yes you can rent a motorhome in Anchorage; here's some info:

http://www.abcmotorhome.com/

http://www.greatalaskaholidays.com/

http://alaska.org/gettingaround/alaska-rv-rentals.htm

 

We drive on gravel roads all the time, but the road to Prudhoe Bay is another matter. It's not one for a rental car at all--we've taken rental cars places we shouldn't, but we wouldn't take one on the "Haul Road." Too few services if you have difficulties...flat tires alone can do you in.

[Podie]

If you are experienced RV'ers and do your cooking in it, an RV might be less expensive than a rental car and hotels. But when we looked into it, the RV was almost $200 per day and we knew we would still be eating in restaurants, so between the rental RV and the cost of gas, it was more cost effective to rent a smaller car, stay at hotels or B&B's along the way, and eat our meals out. We even met a retired couple who had flown to Seattle, bought a used RV at a rock bottom price, spent the summer driving around Alaska, then sold it for a little more than they'd paid for it! Now THAT'S the way to do it!:)

[Chips401]

We have been on the Alaska trip several times. The last time we went we sailed in to Anchorage and rented a car at the airport. The ship transfer took us to the airport and then we rented a car. We drove south down to Seward. It was a long drive around 3 hours but it was worth every mile of the trip. It is one of the most scenic highways in the world. There are several boat trips you can go on in Seward and many pretty trails(one to a glacier). We stayed at Seward Windsong Lodge. We had a wonderful time and highly recommend the trip.

[odd man out]

It was suggested that Glacier Bay is a high priority for many and you asked about smaller ships and saving money. The Cruise west ships are very small, but expensive and they don't sail out of Vancouver. Holland America Line is the other company that has a significant number of cruises into GB (access is limited by the National Park Service). Their ships are not small (like Cruise West) but several are smaller than the Princess Ships (about 1200 passengers vs 1900 and up). Prices about the same.

 

Also, sorry if this is too off topic (i.e. Alaska), but on your way back to Calgary, I would recommend some time in Yoho NP (The drive up to Takakkaw Falls is spectacular), and in Banff NP (Peyto and Moraine Lakes).

[Budget Queen]

 

I have no problem with driving on gravel roads - have done many miles in Arizona and in New Zealand on gravel...... But if the rental companies are difficult about that we may have to re-think.

Just wondering now, whether there's an option to rent an RV in Anchorage for 5 or 7 days.........

 

Sorry, it is not just gravel roads, you really have no idea. It is not recommended.

 

A sample itinerary for wildlife would be Seward and Denali park, at least 5 days. Purchased coupon books could offer perhaps, added savings.

[Brissle]

OK everyone, many, many thanks.

This has all been very useful.

We take the point about the "gravel" roads (BudgetQueen) and will avoid them!

 

In fact, as a result of more thinking and research on Trip Advisor we have virtually decided to rent an RV and spend 7 - 10 days touring after the cruise docks in Anchorage. There's no shortage of places to see and I have copied down several suggested itineraries. And the rental companies provide a long list of prohibited roads !

 

On the basis of cost, convenience and reputation we will probably go with Princess Cruises.

 

On the basis of various postings in this Forum we'll probably explore with local tour companies in each port

 

Thank you for the "side" comment (OddManOut) about YoHo NP. I've noted it on my list for that segment of our trip - haven't really started researching

the Vancouver to Calgary RV trip yet - there's so much to plan, I'm glad I've started good and early. Will use Trip Advisor for that research.

 

As always, members of Cruise Critic have been terrific in offering their wisdom to help others. I'm very grateful.

[Cruisin Kay D]

We are going through Great Alaskan Holidays RV rental to drive a brand new RV from factory in Iowa to Anchorage betw May 15 & June 2. The company each year buys new RVs & we are among 140 other couples/people renting the new one at a bargain price to transport it for them. I will be able to tell you more about AK & the RV rental in June after we get back to TN. So far the company has been just delightful to deal with!!!

[Brissle]

Thanks for that offer - sounds like you got a bargain deal - we are very interested in feedback from GAH - most reports on here are very good - although our local travel agent doesn't deal with them, so I might have to go direct.

I've been using Trip Advisor for land based activities, so you might find me posting there as well.

Have a good trip.

[Brissle]

Thanks for that offer - sounds like you got a bargain deal - we are very interested in feedback from GAH - most reports on here are very good - although our local travel agent doesn't deal with them, so I might have to go direct.

I've been using Trip Advisor for land based activities, so you might find me posting there as well.

Have a good trip.