Differences in cruises- confused!!

[Jaxgal]

I have just begun the process of gathering info for our first Alaska cruise next year!! We are thinking of going in either May or June. I am very excited to start the planning, but I am getting confused with the different cruise itennaries with each cruise line. I understand the ports, its the passage cruising that is making it hard to choose.....

 

We are not set on one particular line. We have cruised Carnival in the past, but want to try someone different this time. Hubby and I are both late 30's with no kids. We are looking for a 7 day cruise with a nice veranda cabin, good food and fun on-board activities. We both love nature and are both excited about taking in what each port has to offer. We are leaning more towards Princess or NCL right now.....

 

Where I am confused is what is the real difference between Tracy Arm Fjord, Glacier Bay, and Sawyer Glacier?? Are the cruises that start in Whittier and end in Vancouver better than say a round trip one from Seattle or Vancouver?? Will you really see anything different?

 

We will just do this Alaska trip one time. We love to travel and have lots of different places on our must see list, so no plans on going back another time. We are looking for the BEST experience we can have!

 

Any input would be great as I am really confused!! :confused:

[TiCKed]

I think the concensus among most who have experienced more than a few of the glaciers is that Hubbard and Glacier Bay are the best ones. Typically, cruises hit one of those, then one of the lesser glaciers like Tracy Arm, or Sawyer. (There are exceptions, as the Southerly Princess cruises do both Hubbard and Glacier Bay....and I suppose there may be some cruises who do neither one(?))

 

As for round trip out of Vancouver or Seattle vs. the North-South, or South-North, it's probably a matter of personal preference. If you start, or end, in Anchorage, you have the opportunity to do some extended land tours of inland Alaska. On the other hand, it's typically cheaper airfare to fly in and out of Vancouver/Seattle versus doing a pair of one ways into different cities. Port calls on either type of trip are about the same: 3 or 4 Alaskan ports.

 

Hope this helps a little in making your decision. What I relayed is mainly what I've heard here on CC, since I'll be a first timer in August. (Anything I'm wrong on will certainly be corrected by someone!)

[cruzn single]

The round-trip out of Vancouver can make for smoother cruising both ways. Cruises leaving from Seattle usually travel West of Vancouver Island, and therefore are actually in the ocean, so rougher seas at least for the day into and out of Seattle.

 

Have done Glacier Bay in 2 of our 3 Alaska cruises which is spectacular! Saw College Fjord also on last year's cruise, and I could take it or leave it--nothing special in my estimation.

 

This year we did no Glacier cruising, as we were on a repo cruise, but did hit the ports of Kodiak and Sitka, both of which are highlight towns, as far as we are concerned.

 

Whatever you decide, remember the destination in Alaska is the scenery. The ship is totally secondary. Since Alaska cruises are port intensive, the ship board activities take a back seat on these cruises.

 

Have fun deciding!

[mapleleaves]

my standard advice is to borrow a few Alaska travel books from the library and learn about the various locations and look at the photos. There are even a couple of books about Alaska cruises. If you're definitely taking the cruise, the cruise book would be a great planning tool. Ann Vipond, Alaska by cruise ship. For every person who loves Glacier Bay there's another that prefers Hubbard. Do a little research so you can make an informed decision.

Other considerations are the number of hours in each port, and at what time. 6am- noon isn't too useful. Also, if you have a specific excursion in mind, like fishing or bear viewing at Anan, make sure you choose the right month for that activity .

[chipmaster]

Inside passage as the cruiseline likes to market is neat but IMHO not a neceassity. If I had to choose the highest thing on my list would be scenic cruising with Glacier Bay at the top and Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glacier at the bottom. Being at the bottom isn't bad, just there are far better glacier viewing/scenics than Tracy Arm / Sawyer.

 

HAL/Princess have the most sailings one way and roundtrip and I'd look at them first. The choices/sailings from the other lines are more limited.

 

Choose wisely as you already noted, the ports are similar the differences is the scenic cruising and you don't want to go wrong there!

 

I have just begun the process of gathering info for our first Alaska cruise next year!! We are thinking of going in either May or June. I am very excited to start the planning, but I am getting confused with the different cruise itennaries with each cruise line. I understand the ports, its the passage cruising that is making it hard to choose.....

 

We are not set on one particular line. We have cruised Carnival in the past, but want to try someone different this time. Hubby and I are both late 30's with no kids. We are looking for a 7 day cruise with a nice veranda cabin, good food and fun on-board activities. We both love nature and are both excited about taking in what each port has to offer. We are leaning more towards Princess or NCL right now.....

 

Where I am confused is what is the real difference between Tracy Arm Fjord, Glacier Bay, and Sawyer Glacier?? Are the cruises that start in Whittier and end in Vancouver better than say a round trip one from Seattle or Vancouver?? Will you really see anything different?

 

We will just do this Alaska trip one time. We love to travel and have lots of different places on our must see list, so no plans on going back another time. We are looking for the BEST experience we can have!

 

Any input would be great as I am really confused!! :confused:

[fleckle]

Besides being smoother, traveling east of Vancouver Island gives you very scenic cruising while going around west of Vancouver Island is essentially just a day spent cruising out in open ocean far away from shore. Be sure to take a good look at the itinerary maps of the cruises you are considering to see which routes they take.

 

As others have said, read up on Alaska in advance and decide what you really most want to see and do.

7 days is barely enough time for an introductory Alaska trip. What you can experience in such a short time will be very limited. If you are serious about wanting the best Alaska experience, it will require more time.

 

It does not matter which cruise line has more or fewer sailings. All that should matter is which cruise is the best fit for what you want in the price range you are willing to pay.

[Artrina]

I did RT Seattle last month - which I thought went west of Vancouver Island. I thought we had gorgeous views from our cabin going north and ocean views coming south.

 

I'll also add this. The cruise last month was on the Golden and it we enjoyed it so much we're planning another Alaska cruise for next year. That trip will be a southbound with a few days in Alaska prior to sailing. We think it looks like longer times in a couple of the ports we'd like to see more of - as well as an additional glacier to see.

[mskaufman]

Everyone is looking for the best experience possible. Of course, that means something different to everyone. Think about going to the library and taking out an Alaska tour book (there is even one about cruising to Alaska). Read through, look at the pictures and decide what it is that will make it your experience. Once you decide, don't look back - just know that you will have a great time.

[Jaxgal]

Thank you everyone for the helpful fast replies and tips! Getting a book sounds like a great idea! Also, the more I read these boards, the more information I am gathering and saving into a word document. Hopefully in a few months I will have it all figured out. Right now Princess seems to be the winner with my husband...but that could change. I am actually looking forward to lots of research :D

[zqvol]

I have just begun the process of gathering info for our first Alaska cruise next year!! We are thinking of going in either May or June. I am very excited to start the planning, but I am getting confused with the different cruise itennaries with each cruise line. I understand the ports, its the passage cruising that is making it hard to choose.....

 

We are not set on one particular line. We have cruised Carnival in the past, but want to try someone different this time. Hubby and I are both late 30's with no kids. We are looking for a 7 day cruise with a nice veranda cabin, good food and fun on-board activities. We both love nature and are both excited about taking in what each port has to offer. We are leaning more towards Princess or NCL right now.....

 

Where I am confused is what is the real difference between Tracy Arm Fjord, Glacier Bay, and Sawyer Glacier?? Are the cruises that start in Whittier and end in Vancouver better than say a round trip one from Seattle or Vancouver?? Will you really see anything different?

 

We will just do this Alaska trip one time. We love to travel and have lots of different places on our must see list, so no plans on going back another time. We are looking for the BEST experience we can have!

 

Any input would be great as I am really confused!! :confused:

 

We just got back today. If you can arrange it, we have decided that the best way to go is a one way from the Anchorage area (either Seward or Whittier - the city depends on the line) ending in Vancouver. Try to add at least 3 or four days on the front end for Denali. Princess does an exceptional land tour that can be booked independently of the cruise (we used them and cruised on Regent).

 

Don't worry too much about the ship board activities, you are not going to have time to worry about them. Days will be very very busy and very long (right now there is about 21 hours of daylight each day and it never really gets dark).

 

Get the lowest level balcony cabin, while you will spend some time out there the views are usually better off the stern.

 

Tracy Arm and Sawyer are the same thing. If you have the option for that by all means take that excursion. It was the second best that we did ( the first was a flightseeing that landed at the foot of Denali on the glacier).

 

Try to get as many port days as you can, while cruising the inside passage is beautiful the best part of Alaska is the ports.

 

Feel free to check out our thread on the regent board or on the sea dream board.

[jrs2831]

When I was planning our cruise, which was in May of this year, I was told if you do the Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glacier, which are "lesser" glaciers as another poster said, take the ships excursion that takes you up to the glacier in a smaller boat. Then its spectacular. From the ship apparently you cannot get close enough to be wowed like you would at Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier.

 

Our round trip tickets to Vancouver cost the same as tickets that into Vancouver and out of Anchorage or vice versa. Flying into Seattle is much cheaper.

 

I am not a seasoned cruiser and did not expect to be seasick but was! I took Bonine but might have started it too late that first day to really get the benefit. One night my husband had to stuff paper in a drawer in the closet that was sliding and hitting the door, then sliding and clunking back into it's glide from the motion. I don't know if this is atypical but I think I might have really been sick on a Seattle itinerary.

 

We chose inside passage for the scenic sailing and my husband feels we got jipped the first day. We seemed to be sleeping during the inside passage, but did have fabulous views on the last day on our way back. Some of the Seattle sailings go through the inside passage on the way back, I think so look closely at the maps showing the route.

 

Having enough time in port and going to the ports that have the exursions you want to do would also be important in choosing the itinerary that is best for you. For example, I did not go to Sitka but they have a wildlife viewing excursion that gets great reviews (including from someone I know) and not many ships go there so if you wanted to go to Sitka, that would narrow down the options. Many of the Seattle sailings stop in Victoria just for the evening so if you really want to enjoy Buchart Gardens, you'd need more than 6pm-midnight. So many people end up not really "counting" Victoria as a port.

[Budget Queen]

You are ahead of your self. I too suggest you get educated on visiting Alaska. At your library, take out Alaska By Cruiseships, Fodor's Alaska, Ports of Call, Frommer's Alaska, Ports of Call, and grab any others.

 

Take some time and find out- about- ports, and what activities they will offer you. Cruise routines. I don't recommend one ways, unless you are going to add several days. I am not in agreement with "Princess cruisetours" being "exceptional", some are poor itineraries.

 

The key is to know what you are looking at, and all the details. "Fun on board activites" and Alaska really don't go together. :) Alaska cruises are very different for other areas, with a big percentage of the "trip" being outside the ship for many.

 

IF this truely is your ONLY trip, then take advantage of going there, and do a one way cruise with either Princess or HAL, and add at least another week, with two being better. :)