Summit Alaska Deals

[Danny Ocean]

For those of you who have cruised the Alaskan waters, how is this summer's 7 day itinerary on the Summit? We've never been to Alaska and there are some really great deals out there but they seem to be for inside cabins. We've never traveled "inside' and wonder if we'll be missing much. How do you like this itinerary and how do you feel about an inside cabin on an ALaska cruise?

 

Any advice and suggestion is appreciated. What are the 'must do' excursions?

 

Thanks!

 

Danny

[kente]

We have only been to Alaska once, but I think that is the one place that I would always want an Outside with a balcony. Just sitting on the Balcony sipping hot chocalate while at Hubbard Glacier made the whole trip even greater.

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Danny, We have four cruises in Alaska as you can see in my signature. We had Ocean View on the Back-Back and balcony on the other two. As kente stated the balcony is nice to have in Alaska and we did enjoy it a lot. We also enjoyed the OV cabins and spent more time on deck. We met people with inside cabins and they seemed happy with their choice for the most part. They would go out and around the ship if cabin got boring.

 

I think the itenerary on the Summit is excellent. We have been to most ports four times and still find new things to explore. You just can't do it all with one day in port so must make choices each time. That is good and a reason to return.

 

My present philosophy is choose the cabin you are comfortable with both financially and mentally. There are many nice places on Summit to: relax, eat, read, see movies, see shows, listen to bands, play trivia, play sports, exercise, view scenery etc, etc.

 

Your time will be filled with many activities so the room may not be the main attraction to you. Also that extra money can be used for shore excursions, food & drinks, tips and shopping among other things.

 

That said, I wish you bon voyage and happy cruising.

[Mike2131]

Danny, We have four cruises in Alaska as you can see in my signature. We had Ocean View on the Back-Back and balcony on the other two. As kente stated the balcony is nice to have in Alaska and we did enjoy it a lot. We also enjoyed the OV cabins and spent more time on deck. We met people with inside cabins and they seemed happy with their choice for the most part. They would go out and around the ship if cabin got boring.

 

I think the itenerary on the Summit is excellent. We have been to most ports four times and still find new things to explore. You just can't do it all with one day in port so must make choices each time. That is good and a reason to return.

 

My present philosophy is choose the cabin you are comfortable with both financially and mentally. There are many nice places on Summit to: relax, eat, read, see movies, see shows, listen to bands, play trivia, play sports, exercise, view scenery etc, etc.

 

Your time will be filled with many activities so the room may not be the main attraction to you. Also that extra money can be used for shore excursions, food & drinks, tips and shopping among other things.

 

That said, I wish you bon voyage and happy cruising.

 

Alaska is a cruise where you are out of the cabin constantly. We had an Ocean View on the Horizon and a CC on the Summit. We enjoyed the balcony but would have had a great time without it. My girlfriend would find an Inside a little claustrophobic, so if that is an issue, opt for an outside.

 

Things to think about:

 

1) Budget - A lot of the specials I have seen from various lines offer an OV for a small upgrade over an Inside.

 

2) Claustrophobia - As mentioned above, this could be a issue.

 

3) Size and configuration - Insides can be a little more irregular in shape (and sometimes size) than outside cabins. This will vary from ship to ship and is usually more of a consideration on older ships.

 

4) How much time do you spend in the cabin? If you only really use it to sleep, shower, and change clothes then an Inside can be a great value. If you like to relax and spend more time in your stateroom, an Inside might be less attractive due to the lack of a view or natural light.

[cruising808]

Sailed Mercury 5/20/05 to Alaska in an oceanview cabin -- we loved having the window. Next time we'll get a balcony stateroom. Our kids were in an inside stateroom (across from ours) -- they called it "the cave". When you are in an interior stateroom, you can't tell if its day or night; and if you are a little claustrophobic, this may not be the room for you.

 

However, if you are the type to get out and about, and don't mind spending time in the public areas of the ship, the inside stateroom should be ok. We liked having a leisurely, early breakfast in our stateroom, and it was nice to look out the window and see the beautiful scenery outside.

 

Regarding shore excursions, we loved going sea kayaking in Ketchikan and whale watching in Juneau.

[greydog]

Balconies are nice but the OV savings can finance your excursions. The White Pass historic railroad trip along the 1898 goldrushers' foot trail is a highlight (views affected by extent of rain/clouds). It costs around $90 but you can do on your own from RR station and save around $12-15. The ships' train is brought close to the ship for load/unload. Check out at http://www.whitepassrailroad.com For cheaper, a bus tour up the WP valley costs about $40.

 

Hubbard Glacier:

Here's some USGS pictures of RARE event when 60ft lake built up from ice jam at Hubbard a couple years ago. Bay was shut for summer months until ice jam broke and the flood was released.

http://ak.water.usgs.gov/glaciology/hubbard/photos/eastward_detail.htm

[geoherb]

We were able to move up from an inside cabin to an obstructed view on our Alaskan cruise. We did not spend much time looking out the window, but it was nice to have the natural light. And occasionally we saw something that we wanted to see better and would grab our binoculars and head down a deck to the Promenade Deck.

 

I worried about being in an inside cabin for Christmas and New Year's on the Century. The year before, we had a great balcony cabin the week before Christmas on a Princess cruise. But the difference in price for holiday cruises made us appreciate just being on the ship. And we managed the nine nights fine. We saved more than $1,500 over what an outside cabin would have cost.