Alaska?

[G&TQ]

Ok I have been reading the thread about the coolest things set at sea. And now I am ready to plan a cruise to Alaska. I knew someday we would go. Now I need to start researching as this is not one I want to suprise the hubby with. Cross country flight a week cruising and another cross country flight. Lots of planning. When is the best time of year to go? any suggestions? For those that have done it more then once is there a big difference in the lines. This will probably be a once in a life time thing as my bucket list gets longer by the day. :D

[firefly333]

HAL is usually cheapest since they have the most ships. You will usually pay a premium to go on the one ship to Alaska Carnival has.

 

The only time you can cruise to Alaska is May to Sept. Its much cheaper of course in May or Sept when its not only cooler but the days are shorter.

 

When the days are the longest and you can see the most is expensive. Its a trade off.

 

I would consider Hal or as a back up Princess to go to Alaska.

[klmorg]

Although I love cruising on Carnival, their Alaska cruises are rather limited, at least for my schedule & my "requirements". Thus, I will be taking an Alaska cruise on Princess (Coral). While you're reseaching, you should try to cruise on one that includes Glacier Bay for sure, such as a Southbound from the Anchorage area to Vancouver. And definitely a balcony cabin at a miniumum. Hey, if its a once-in-a-lifetime thing, do it up good! :D Just keep researching & researching and you'll reach your decision. Good luck!

[mrpayroll]

Check out Princess Land and Cruise tours. We did 5 nights on land before the 7 night Southbound cruise. FABULOUS !!!

[gnocchi_mommy]

Well I can give you my opinion as a former Alaskan resident- if you are going all that way do NOT limit yourself to a glacier bay/southeast Alaska itinerary. Alaskans call southeast AK "Seattle North", there is SO much more to the state than just glacier bay. Take one that will take you all the way to Whittier- and then add on a land package that allows you to spend a little time in Anchorage, even Fairbanks if you can swing it. Central AK is so different than SE AK, and is a destination everyone should hit if they've already make the splurge to had that far north!

 

Also I am biased but I think the glaciers on the Prince William Sound - are actually more impressive than Glacier Bay- if I had time for an add on it would be that end for sure.

[genegri]

If this is a once in a life time trip, do it right and do NOT cruise with Carnival. Carnival's alaska cruises are not worth the money.

 

Stick with either HAL or Princess. I would recommend doing a one way cruise and spend a few days in Alaska on land. If you have to do a round trip, choose a departure out of Vancouver, not Seattle.

 

HAL is having flash sales for their June and July itineraries, which is also the best time of the year to go. OV as low as $499 for 7 days. You can't beat that price.

 

Princess's balconies are generally less expensive than HAL. If you can swing it, balcony is the best way to cruse Alaska. Princess's soundbound itinerary is a killer with both Hubbard and Glacier Bay.

[xbatt8]

We did the 10 day cruise from San Francisco and back. Had a lot of the same ports as the other cruises, but several more days of relaxation on board during "at sea" days. Plus you get to visit SF on either side of the cruise (which might be on your bucket list also).

 

We went the second week of July and it was perfect. Drizzly rain on one or two days, but not bad at all. Cool temps at night and beautiful daytimes.

 

One warning.... This was an "older" cruise and the hallways were filled with walkers and wheelchairs. If you are into the disco and hopping nightlife, there won't be very many people joining you. I love closing the disco down on cruises, and there were a FEW like minded people on this cruise, but not very many. Let's just say I never felt crowded on the dancefloor.... :-)

 

That said, however, I will do this cruise again.

[TravellinGranny]

My suggestions -

 

Mid May was great. days were warmish (60s-70s) The day I was in juneau was 74'. Cooler in the mornings & evenings. I did not bring a coat - just wore layers and of course, included a fleece pullover for times out on the sightseeing & whale watching boats. September is the later 'shoulder season', but tends to be the start of the rains.

 

Bring Binoculars, a camera with a zoom lens and instead of large capacity memory cards - use multiple smaller capacity (just incase something happens, you won't lose all your pics, as you will be taking many.)

 

Balcony is a must for this type of cruise. It really doesn't matter which side, although aft is best (highly coveted). When the ship goes into certain areas of glaciers, the ship will turn 360' for all to have a great view. Coffee, tea or cocoa, wrapped in a blanket watching the wildlife & scenery has no words to describe the feelings that fill you.

 

If going to Ketchikan - bring a rain poncho ANY TIME OF YEAR. It rains in this area more, but when I was there, it was overcast for most of the day, and didn't start raining until later in the afternoon.

 

 

Juneau - No matter how corny it looks.....take the tram to the top of Mt Roberts (Right near where the ships dock). The views are AMAZING to say the very least & it won't break into your port time very much.

 

 

Sitka - a place I would love to retire someday.

Not sure how to post the link to my webshots, but I think if you click the thumbnail, it should bring you to my Alaska Trip album, starting in Vancouver. Unfortunately, One of my memory cards was corrupted, so no pics of Skagway or Anchorage.

 

Also, don't forget to visit the "Port of call" boards for your planning.

Happy Trails & have fun!

[buddylover]

OP, it depends who will be going with you. If you are going with children then June, July, Aug are the best months. We opted to go near end of season with less children on board, the weather was gorgeous, we had NO rain and just wore jackets (it was in the 60's). I agree with several posters from above, we did a land/cruise package starting in Fairbanks and travelling down to Whittier where we boarded the ship for a south bound cruise ending in Vancouver. We took Princess for this trip and it was spectacular, but I would highly recommend a balcony as you enter some of the fjords and bays to view glaciers at sunrise and don't need to get dressed or leave your room, merely go onto the balcony. There was a "naturalist" on board speaking about where you were and the sites and it was piped throughout the ship and could be heard on the balconies....it was GREAT and I highly recommend Princess for this trip!

[SadieN]

If you can swing it- check to see if HAL is doing the 14day cruise. Hits all the major ports and a whole bunch of minor ones.

 

HAL was wonderful for Alaska. They open up the bow, all the forward balconies and serve a great pea soup. If you need indoor viewing the Crow's Nest is an indoor lounge that overlooks the bow. great place to viewA balcony is nice but unfortuantely we could only hear the naturalist if we were in a public area.

[msmuppet710]

I went on the last day in August. The temp was in the 60s, and it only rained once. I'm still in awe of Alaska and I think it's a bucket list place to visit.

 

I went to Alaska on RCCL on Vision of the Seas in maybe 2004 or 2005. It was my first cruise and my parents planned it so I was a bit out of it and didn't know anything about cruising at the time so I can't speak for the cruise line or any thing like that. I loved the cruise and Alaska and HIGHLY recomend going thats for sure. Boat, food, and crew were great. Onboard entertaiment was lacking.

 

My favorite things were when the ship pulled right up to Hubbard glacier, and crusing through the misty fjords. The things I think I missed out on now that I know what to look for in a cruise are ..a naturalist on board, a land tour or at least a Denali tour pre/post cruise.

[DragonMouse]

Ok I get Princess but what is HAL?

[mrpayroll]

Ok I get Princess but what is HAL?

 

Holland America.....

[chipmaster]

Once in a lifetime pick the line and price that gets you Glacier bay. I think if you are doing a long and expensive x-country flight to pick a one way that includes a week add on land portion.

 

In all honesty Carnival has few sailings, the best choices are Princess and HAL, look there first!

 

Best time is dependent on what you want to see or do? July-August is peak for many reason including salmon, wildlife and weather.

 

Don't bite on the stories about May or Sept being good or that July is horrible. Its the weather and averages are misleading. You could get good weather any month and horrible in any. Statistics are what they are and early and end of the season are colder and are worst on average.

 

Good luck planning

 

Ok I have been reading the thread about the coolest things set at sea. And now I am ready to plan a cruise to Alaska. I knew someday we would go. Now I need to start researching as this is not one I want to suprise the hubby with. Cross country flight a week cruising and another cross country flight. Lots of planning. When is the best time of year to go? any suggestions? For those that have done it more then once is there a big difference in the lines. This will probably be a once in a life time thing as my bucket list gets longer by the day. :D