First Time cruise to Alaska

[Kevin308]

Hello, I am working on planing our first cruise. I have been looking at doing Alaska for years. I have been unable to come up with transportation options from Seattle to Vancouver. So what options are out there and what do they cost?

 

One other question that could decide the line I take. Are cruise line loyalty programs worth wild? Carnival sails out of Galveston that is a short drive for me for other cruises. But I think Holland my has the trip I most want to take to Alaska.

[Essiesmom]

You should book Alaska based on itinerary and price. Do you want to do a round trip from Seattle or Vancouver, or one way to or from Anchorage? Do you want to do one week, ten days, two weeks? A cruise tour with land portion? Most of the ships visit Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and cruise glaciers. Some do Tracy Arm, or Coloege Fjord, Hubbard Glacier, but the biggie is Glacier Bay, and not all lines go there, permits are limited. HAL and Princess have done Alaska the longest, and have to most permits for Glacier bay.

As far as getting from Seattle to Vancouver, some have taken Amtrak, but you might want to visit the North American Homeports board, select West Coast Departures for more suggestions. EM

[fairext11]

Know people who have taken the train, and said it was quite a nice trip.

[paul929207]

I would not book a cruis ebased on the loyalty program. They don't provide enough benefits. Pick the cruise witht the best itinerary and a price you can afford.

[cboyle]

On our Vancouver-Bangkok cruise, we used Quick Shuttle; it goes to both Vancouver piers.

http://www.quickcoach.com/

 

We flew into Seattle a couple of days early and toured some wineries and Mt. Rainier NP. The morning of the cruises, we dropped the rental car off and took the car rental shuttle to the airport. Quick Shuttle picks up at the airport and makes a couple of stops along the way (so you can also catch it downtown). You will have to get off the bus (with all your luggage) at the Canadian border for customs and immigration formalities.

 

A number of years ago, we took an inside passage cruise RT from Vancouver with our son. For that one, we wanted to tour some of BC and WA after the cruise. We flew into Seattle, rented a car, drove to Vancouver, parked at Canada Place, took the cruise, did our touring, and dropped off the car back in Seattle. The cost of three RT Princess transfers was higher than renting a car for 2 weeks and leaving it at the pier for a week. It was also more expensive for us to rent a car one-way both ways because of the drop-off fees.

[chipmaster]

Carnival versus Princess or HAL for Alaska are very different ambience. One isn't better or worst just very different. For Alaska there are enough reasons to look hard at Princess/HAL for their huge and varied schedules and options. The loyallity program is bait to do exactly what you are considering, lock you into a brand even though it might not be what you want.

 

If one way is what you want the only difference between Seattle and Vancouver is the sailing east of the Island "inside passage" IMHO that is nice but highly marketed for more than what it is. The highlights really are once in Alaska. Pick a one way out of either port and you get 99% of what you go to see.

 

For sure get Glacier Bay!

 

Hello, I am working on planing our first cruise. I have been looking at doing Alaska for years. I have been unable to come up with transportation options from Seattle to Vancouver. So what options are out there and what do they cost?

 

One other question that could decide the line I take. Are cruise line loyalty programs worth wild? Carnival sails out of Galveston that is a short drive for me for other cruises. But I think Holland my has the trip I most want to take to Alaska.

[Kevin308]

Carnival versus Princess or HAL for Alaska are very different ambience. One isn't better or worst just very different. For Alaska there are enough reasons to look hard at Princess/HAL for their huge and varied schedules and options. The loyallity program is bait to do exactly what you are considering, lock you into a brand even though it might not be what you want.

 

If one way is what you want the only difference between Seattle and Vancouver is the sailing east of the Island "inside passage" IMHO that is nice but highly marketed for more than what it is. The highlights really are once in Alaska. Pick a one way out of either port and you get 99% of what you go to see.

 

For sure get Glacier Bay!

 

 

That is what I thought on the loyalty programs.

 

I am going to do a round trip. I think the air fare is just going to be way to much for the one way trips. I know I can't do a cruise tour because I can't take that much time of work at once.

 

So I am looking at a 7 day round trip. I want to go to Glacier bay number one goal. Carnival only does it twice. However Holland shows a Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm. That is the trip I really want.

 

However in life there is always compromise involved. My wife is scared of the water a bit. But more than that doesn't want to be locked up in an inside cabin. Carnival has some options for rooms that are cheaper. So I am having to factor in her wish's as well.

[GORDONCHICK]

Itinerary should be your #1 factor when choosing an Alaska cruise. If you can go after Labor Day or before Memorial Day, those are less expensive than the ones during summer break for schools.

 

We aren't in our cabin that much at all, so an inside is the best way for us to go, and we can spend more on excursions. Aside from glacier viewing, the Alaskan experience is off the ship. We thought Hubbard Glacier is much more impressive than Glacier Bay, but if you're sailing early in the season, Glacier Bay would be the way to go because the ships can't get close to Hubbard until the last half of the season.

 

We went on HAL for our 2nd Alaskan cruise less than 2 months ago. I wanted to be able to compare Glacier Bay to Hubbard. I won't choose HAL again - not our cup of tea, but it's still hard to have a bad cruise regardless of the line. We really enjoyed Sitka but missed not going to Skagway.

 

If you need to get to Vancouver from Seattle, we absolutely loved the Cascades train up to Vancouver. No waiting at the border and we cleared customs in less than 5 minutes once we got to Vancouver. Very comfy ride, great scenery and liked being able to move about and go to the food car if we wanted to. We will definitely do this again if we need to get to Vancouver!

[pookey1265]

When I cruised Alaska on Carnival in 05, I flew into Seattle and Carnival picked me up at the airport and brought us directly to the ship. No hassle at all. Glacier Bay is a must for first cruise to Alaska. Have fun planning.

[bbwex]

Quick Coach is the other alternative to get to Vancouver, as has been posted.

 

While a one-way trip may be a little more costly since you have to fly back, since you are limited in time, it might be worth it, since you will have a chance to see more in a small period of time. We flew on Alaska Airlines last summer, and it wasn't too costly. I know things have gotten more expensive, but it might be an option.

 

If you got up to Seward, and could do the Kenai Fjords tour, that would give you an incredible view of glaciers "up close and personal," as well as a fair amount of ocean wildlife -- seals, sea lions, puffins, etc. Of our cruisetour and visit to Denali, I would rank the Kenai Fjords tour the second best and most interesting thing we did. Seeing glaciers from the ship is not to be dismissed, and Glacier Bay, College Fjord, etc., are all great. But you are also seeing them from a mile or more away. Seeing a 500' tall wall of ice from less than a half mile from a small (100 passenger) boat is very different, and gives you a whole different view.

 

Then you could get to Anchorage at the end of the day, perhaps spend just a day in Anchorage before flying back.

 

These are just my thoughts. I am sure you will get lots more.

[cracker355]

We went Princess last year. Great cruise/land trip for a first time cruiser. Princess bused us from Seattle to Vancouver, nice trip about 3-4 hours. Next time up there is will do my own thing after arriving an Anchorage. There is so much to see. Awsome Place! Have fun!

[LarryL]

Hello, I am working on planing our first cruise. I have been looking at doing Alaska for years. I have been unable to come up with transportation options from Seattle to Vancouver. So what options are out there and what do they cost?

 

One other question that could decide the line I take. Are cruise line loyalty programs worth wild? Carnival sails out of Galveston that is a short drive for me for other cruises. But I think Holland my has the trip I most want to take to Alaska.

 

We rented a car at SeaTac and drove, at our leisure, to Vancouver. The benefit was we had transportation to sightsee during our pre-cruise stay. The train would absolutely be a good option but you must be aware of your airline connections and time them accordingly.

 

I would recommend looking at the itineraries that interest you and then choose what suits you most. As a first time cruiser, loyalty programs would not be a factor. If you discover cruising is going to be a frequent vacation then a loyalty program may be good assuming you have found a line that suits you. We are partial to Royal Caribbean and Princess. The loyalty perks like priority boarding, free internet minutes, etc can be nice but we cruise these lines because we like them. Someday we will try the others.

 

As you plan your cruise, consider traveling a day or two prior to your cruise date. You will find your cruise is more relaxed not having to stress about missing a connection, flight cancelation or other things that can occur getting to your port. Vancouver is a beautiful city, as is Seattle, with many things to see.:)

 

Have fun and good luck with your planning.

 

Larry