First time cruiser looking for Alaska advice

[SQ520]

Hello, my wife and I were looking into an Alaska cruise for next year and have no idea where to start. We are in our late 20's and have no children. Would one or another of the cruise lines be more oriented toward our demographic or will it be mostly older people and families with kids regardless of what we do? We're trying to keep on a budget but would like to go for an oceanview room. Does anyone have advice on the merits of one-way versus round-trip 7-day cruises? Seattle vs. Vancouver? How do you plan your airline connections? We would likely be looking into a cruise in late-May/early-June as that's when we'd be best able to fit it into our schedules.

 

Thanks in advance,

[DragonOfTheSeas]

You need to do a little research about Alaska to narrow down what you want to do. then you can get some advise about the various ports sand cruise lines. People of all ages cruise to Alaska on all of the lines. Pick the week or weeks you are able to travel. Look at the cruises during those weeks and look at port times. Which has good times, cabins available and the right price?

 

I found we spent so much time in the ports that the ship was not a big deal for us. However, we sailed the Radiance of the Seas and it was a beutiful ship. I wish I had spent more time aboard.

Edited December 9, 2013 by DragonOfTheSeas

[Kamloops50]

We have sailed on Holland America and Princess . When you looking at a cruise figure out if you also want to do a land tour before or after the cruise.

Both on HAL and Princess we have seen all age groups from tween's up the mid 90's.

[SQ520]

Well, all of the cruises seem to go to pretty much the same places in a seven day cruise (Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway) with the big decision being whether to see Glacier Bay or Sawyer Glacier and whether you want to cruise one way or round trip.

 

It appears that one-way cruises are significantly less expensive and see more, but have higher airfares associated with them, and that cruises leaving from Vancouver travel the inside passage while ones from Seattle travel the open ocean.

 

We probably would not be doing a land tour (would we be missing out on a lot by passing on that?)

[mapleleaves]

you need to do the research and determine which itinerary, cruiseline, etc will work best for YOU.

There are books specific to Alaska cruises .... Ann Vipond's "alaska by cruiseship and Fodor's 'alaska ports of call' will provide you with info about the cruiselines, ships, itineraries, ports, activities, etc

Have a look at the STICKY above called something like '2013 alaska cruise reports'. There are detailed reports for NB, SB, and RT cruises. Go to reply #45 and you'll find they're sorted by cruiseline.

Also, go to the REVIEW forum, specifically the MEMBER REVIEWS of Alaska cruises.

If you choose a Vancouver departure you MAY find it cheaper to fly into Seattle then travel to Vancouver. You can do so by cruiseline transfer, Amtrak Cascades train or bus, Quick Coach, Bolt Bus or one-way rental car. Have fun planning!

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Well, all of the cruises seem to go to pretty much the same places in a seven day cruise (Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway)

 

also Icy Strait and Stika

 

with the big decision being whether to see Glacier Bay or Sawyer Glacier and whether you want to cruise one way or round trip.

 

It appears that one-way cruises are significantly less expensive and see more, but have higher airfares associated with them, and that cruises leaving from Vancouver travel the inside passage while ones from Seattle travel the open ocean.

 

These are very important considerations.

 

We probably would not be doing a land tour (would we be missing out on a lot by passing on that?)

 

I see you are from Texas. That is a very big state with lots of variation of scenery. If you took a cruise that stopped at Brownsville, Galveston and Houston you will see 3 important Texas coastal communities--but, you miss out on most of Texas. A cruise along the panhandle of Alaska does the same thing.

 

If you have the vacation time to add on a few days to a one-way cruise, you get to see much more. But, just like TX, distances are much larger than they seem on a map.

[genealogyfan]

You also have to decide if you want to go all the way North - up to Seward or Whittier - or just stay in the inside passage and do a roundtrip to Seattle or Vancouver.

 

Do you want to add any land portion tour to the cruise or just do a cruise?

[PM14]

We were in the same position trying to book our first cruise in Alaksa (May 2014) and you really can just end up going round in circles trying to figure out which cruise line and itinerary is best. The way we looked at it was Alaska is a big place and realistically we are never going to be able to squeeze in everything. Didn't want to do a land part as I would rather do that myself at a later date than through an organised tour. So really we were left with what is available in our time frame (as it was pretty tight). Ended up booking a 7 day round trip from Vancouver with princess cruises.

 

Will we miss out on stuff, yes of course we will. But what we will see will still be amazing and our first time in Alaska. And if it really is that beautiful (which I'm sure it will be) then we can always go back and do something different next time.

 

P.S we are the same age group as yourself, and if there are not many people our age on the cruise then we will be happy in our own company and make our own fun, you will be on land for a large portion of the trip anyway.

[jimicaj]

My husband and I are in our late 20s, no children. We went on our first cruise last summer and did a round trip out of Vancouver on Holland America. The demographic tended to be retirees, but we didn't mind. They were very sweet to us. The ship was elegant and the food and service excellent. We are not late night club people, so we didn't mind not having that type of entertainment. We enjoyed all of the ports and spent a few days in Vancouver as well.

 

The scenery is amazing and the excursions very cool. We rode the white pass train in Skagway and in Juneau we took a helicopter and landed on the Mendenhall Glacier. You will have a great time! We stressed way too much about what line and itinerary to take, but ultimately chose HAL due to the dates and I wanted a traditional cruise experience that didnt feel too crowded.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Forums mobile app

[vbmom87]

My husband and I are in our late 20s, no children. We went on our first cruise last summer and did a round trip out of Vancouver on Holland America. The demographic tended to be retirees, but we didn't mind. They were very sweet to us. The ship was elegant and the food and service excellent. We are not late night club people, so we didn't mind not having that type of entertainment. We enjoyed all of the ports and spent a few days in Vancouver as well.

 

The scenery is amazing and the excursions very cool. We rode the white pass train in Skagway and in Juneau we took a helicopter and landed on the Mendenhall Glacier. You will have a great time! We stressed way too much about what line and itinerary to take, but ultimately chose HAL due to the dates and I wanted a traditional cruise experience that didnt feel too crowded.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Forums mobile app

 

Our DD and Son-in-Law (25 years old) chose the HAL Volendam (round-trip Vancouver) for their honeymoon. They sound a lot like you and your DH. They were not looking for a lot of ship entertainment..their goal was to find the most scenic cruise they could that worked with their dates. This meant Vancouver for the more scenic route. The Volendam had a mid-week departure which worked with their wedding date. They had an absolutely wonderful time. They took the Bennett Scenic Journey in Skagway and said it was their favorite excursion. In Juneau they took the helicopter to the glacier with a two hour hike. That was also an amazing experience for them. They took some kind of boat tour in Ketchikan where they actually drove their own boat. They ended up being the only people on this tour, so it was pretty amazing for them. They did not mind that the ship was not full of young people. We prepared them that Alaska cruises would be more subdued than the average cruise. Knowing what to expect, surely helped. They sought out different ship activities, participated in formal nights and truly had a marvelous time.

[peety3]

Our first cruise was Vancouver-Whittier northbound. We lived in San Antonio then, and flew into Seattle the day before then took a Princess bus to Vancouver. Honestly, getting home to Texas was rough - we took an ~8:30pm non-stop to Houston, landing at ~6:00am, but the lights on the plane couldn't be turned off so it was hard/impossible to sleep. We made it home around 10:00am. All of the other flight options involved a fuel stop/full stop/plane change in Seattle/Portland/etc. adding an extra leg to the journey. This was late season, 9/4-11/10, with very few <50 folks like us. Pleasant crowd, many seemed to know how to cruise well, etc.

 

Our second cruise was Vancouver-Whittier northbound, booked while we lived in SA but cruised after we moved to Seattle. My folks flew in from Philly, and a friend rode with us to Vancouver and drove our vehicle back. Traffic in Vancouver was a pain. We took a flight from Anchorage to Seattle in the evening, and had reasonable travels, then my folks flew home on the next day or perhaps the day after. Much more reasonable for them. This was higher season, 8/11-18/12, and had a lot more families aboard, leading to a little more chaos.

 

Our next cruise will be RT Seattle since we live here. I'll miss the extra glacier stop, but I'm looking forward to more relaxation because of more at-sea time.

[agabbymama]

OP, lots of work and research for you to do, but for me it's half the fun.

I start a graph chart with the different cruiselines/ships across the top. Down the side go the things that are important to me (cost, cabin type, ports, times in ports, length of cruise, size of ship, excursions, etc.). Head to your library and find a Frommer's or Fodor's Alaska guide book. Find out what you want to see and do. Each port also has a website that you can browse and some even send vacation planners if you request. As you research, put an "X" in the conjoining box on the graph chart. As you near the end of your research one should have x's than the others.

 

I do prefer HAL and have done just a 7 day cruise with them, and also an 11 day cruisetour to the Yukon and interior Alaska.

 

Only you can decide what fits you best! Have fun planning then taking your trip! Alaska is AWESOME!

[dadroy]

You mentioned you have a budget, which most people do. This budget will play a big part of your planning.

 

1. Is this going to be your one and only cruise to Alaska or do you plan on repeating the trip. ALL cruises to Alaska are great. What really separates is the shore excursions. We did a helicopter trip to the top of a glacier. It was fantastic walking on 1,000 old ice. Expensive, $350 per person. But if you are never going back, well worth the expense. I compare it to our trip to Niagra Falls. Great views standing on the edges and looking over. Unbelievable memories from the helicopter trip over the top. Sure you can say you saw glaciers, but would you prefer to YELL< SAW GLACIERS.

 

2. The same can be said of taking the boat to Misty Pford and then taking a float plane back to town. Something I will never do again, but so glad I did it.

 

3. In my first two trip to the Great Land, I spend double the cruise fare on excursions, but would not change anything we did. Add the cost of the kids and others I have gone with and it was expensive but memorial.

 

4. Did the fishing trip out of Ketchican. Caught a 450 pound halibut! This was in the old days when they packed it and delivered it to the ship for freezing. They don't let you do it anymore, but getting off the plane in Los Angeles with the fresh/frozen fish was great. Had a BBQ that night and fed the neighborhood. BIL caught a 75 pound salmon and flew back to Hawaii with it. Wowed his family.

 

Moral of the story, don't forget to factor in the excursions which can be budget busting or you may regret not spending the money to really experience some bucket list opportunities.

[Nelie]

Hey so you sound a bit like me. I knew I wanted to go to Alaska. I didn’t know why or what I wanted to see I just wanted to go. So it made it really hard to narrow it down.

 

In the end it came down to dates. We were doing a bus tour on the West Coast of USA and needed a cruise to line up with those date with out to many wasted days in between.

 

I have found that cruises are for everybody. You will find a mix of people no matter what cruise line. I find I get along with alot of different from people of different ages. However I have been on a few bus tours when I was the youngest person there. I got along with everyone but I still wanted to be around people my own age. I think your best bet is to pick your cruise line and then go on their board and ask where the best place to meet people your age is. I was travelling with my mum so I was in desperate need for people my age. I went to participate in games and trivia. Went to comedy shows and karaoke but didn’t sing. Then of course I went to the bars and looked out for theme nights.

 

As you have said the return cruises all generally have the same itinerary in regards to ports its which glaciers they visits that changes. From what I have heard if you go to early some of the channels are iced over to much and the ships cant get down them. Just something to consider. You might want to look at how many land ours each cruise line spends in each port. However more isn’t necessarily better if there isnt much to do in that port

 

You might want to let budget dictate which cruise line. You have said you want to go for an outside room. Well an outside room on one cruise line could be just as expensive as a suite on another. So....

 

Or you could pick the cruise line based on what type of experience you want to have. Are you the sort to want to have a set dinner? Want to dress up every night? That sort of thing.

 

Let us know if you need more help

[SilkySal]

We are first time Alaska cruisers and have chosen RCCL's Radiance of the Seas, leaving from Fairbanks (farthest north for 3-day land tour), heading southbound to ship in Seward, including Anchorage and Denali park, then sailing southbound from Seward, ending in Vancouver for overnight post-cruise, then taking train to Seattle for another overnight, then fly home to Indy. Chose the Radiance because the ship has glass windows everywhere, so you can see the outside from most places on board!:cool: Definitely sail from Seward to Vancouver or vice-versa vs. Seattle to Seattle in order to sail the inside passage instead of the open ocean, farther away from the beautiful scenery on land!;) We also love the RCCL line for the excellent service on and off the ships!:D Whatever you choose, enjoy your Alaskan cruise!

[Nelie]

We are first time Alaska cruisers and have chosen RCCL's Radiance of the Seas, leaving from Fairbanks (farthest north for 3-day land tour), heading southbound to ship in Seward, including Anchorage and Denali park, then sailing southbound from Seward, ending in Vancouver for overnight post-cruise, then taking train to Seattle for another overnight, then fly home to Indy. Chose the Radiance because the ship has glass windows everywhere, so you can see the outside from most places on board!:cool: Definitely sail from Seward to Vancouver or vice-versa vs. Seattle to Seattle in order to sail the inside passage instead of the open ocean, farther away from the beautiful scenery on land!;) We also love the RCCL line for the excellent service on and off the ships!:D Whatever you choose, enjoy your Alaskan cruise!

 

Oh really better scenery. I may have to remember that for my next cruise. i did a round out of Seattle. Then again I met up with an online friend for the first time who lived so that was a plus for me doing the round out of Seattle.

 

I did see some nice scenery while leaving Seattle but then i think i got to cold and went inside. Or i was to busy doing activities on board. so i am not sure even if i did pick to do a one way and there was scenery to see if i would actually go out and see it LOL. I did usually got out up on board when we sailed into ports and Glacier bay but apart from that I stayed indoors.

 

MMM something for me to think about too.

[SilkySal]

Oh really better scenery. I may have to remember that for my next cruise. i did a round out of Seattle. Then again I met up with an online friend for the first time who lived so that was a plus for me doing the round out of Seattle.

 

I did see some nice scenery while leaving Seattle but then i think i got to cold and went inside. Or i was to busy doing activities on board. so i am not sure even if i did pick to do a one way and there was scenery to see if i would actually go out and see it LOL. I did usually got out up on board when we sailed into ports and Glacier bay but apart from that I stayed indoors.

 

MMM something for me to think about too.

 

That's just what I've heard from all of my research. We also picked a port side balcony cabin, since the ship is southbound, so we can see more of the shoreline while cruising. We booked the cabin directly behind the glass elevators. It has a larger balcony and DH figures that the glass elevator will block some of that cold wind you were talking about, so maybe we can enjoy more time out there, sipping hot cocoa!:p I see you are from Australia. I am trying to convince DH to take me on an Australia/New Zealand cruise in 2015! Some friends told us that Australia is wonderful and the NZ countryside is beautiful! Anyway, hope to make it over the rainbow someday!!:cool:

[MermaidWatcher]

Hello, my wife and I were looking into an Alaska cruise for next year and have no idea where to start. We are in our late 20's and have no children. Would one or another of the cruise lines be more oriented toward our demographic or will it be mostly older people and families with kids regardless of what we do? We're trying to keep on a budget but would like to go for an oceanview room. Does anyone have advice on the merits of one-way versus round-trip 7-day cruises? Seattle vs. Vancouver? How do you plan your airline connections? We would likely be looking into a cruise in late-May/early-June as that's when we'd be best able to fit it into our schedules.Thanks in advance,

 

Remember that all advice is purely subjective to the adviser's personal expectations, so just about every opinion will be different, and in the end only you know what your expectations are.

IMO, start with the obvious by deciding whether you want inside passage RT or one way, then make a list of the sailings that fit your time frame and budget. If your budget does not permit an additional land tour package I don't know if the additional air fare for the one way is worth it.

I think many schools are out by then, so you will have a mix of ages, but obviously not the amount of kids on a Caribbean trip. What you read about Holland having a bit older demographic appears to be true from my limited trips with them, but the ships are not "nursing homes" as I see some describe them. But they are a quieter, more relaxed atmosphere, so if constant overly loud deck music and belly flop contests are your thing, you will be disappointed most likely. We sailed Vancouver RT based on not wanting to miss the scenery at the lower end of the passage. The Seattle RT goes out to sea, does not get into the inside passage until after the northern tip of the island, and sails pretty far offshore so you can't even see the Pacific coast of Vancouver Island. Our other consideration was the protected lower route , as opposed to being at the mercy of the open Pacific seas.

Don't know where you are flying from, but most we talked to on board had flown in the day before, due to lack of choices.

We stayed overnight in Seattle and took the Amtrak Cascades train the next am. We booked business class seats for a few dollars more, and they were quite comfortable, also had a bit more lenient change/cancellation policy. Similar lack of convenient flts on return, so we flew to Vegas , spent the night and most of next day there ,and still got home earlier than we would have from the nest day Seattle flts. With a few exceptions, it is much cheaper to fly into Seattle than Vancouver. The only thing I can tell you that is not opinion is that you will not even come close to seeing the tiniest portion of available places, so enjoy what you can do on your time and budget. The scale of Alaska is more immense than most imagine. There is plenty of info in the Ports of Call, Alaska board. Also plenty of opinions on the reviews at Trip Advisor..

[MermaidWatcher]

Hello, my wife and I were looking into an Alaska cruise for next year and have no idea where to start. We are in our late 20's and have no children. Would one or another of the cruise lines be more oriented toward our demographic or will it be mostly older people and families with kids regardless of what we do? We're trying to keep on a budget but would like to go for an oceanview room. Does anyone have advice on the merits of one-way versus round-trip 7-day cruises? Seattle vs. Vancouver? How do you plan your airline connections? We would likely be looking into a cruise in late-May/early-June as that's when we'd be best able to fit it into our schedules.Thanks in advance,

 

Remember that all advice is purely subjective to the adviser's personal expectations, so just about every opinion will be different, and in the end only you know what your expectations are.

IMO, start with the obvious by deciding whether you want inside passage RT or one way, then make a list of the sailings that fit your time frame and budget. If your budget does not permit an additional land tour package I don't know if the additional air fare for the one way is worth it.

I think many schools are out by then, so you will have a mix of ages, but obviously not the amount of kids on a Caribbean trip. What you read about Holland having a bit older demographic appears to be true from my limited trips with them, but the ships are not "nursing homes" as I see some describe them. But they are a quieter, more relaxed atmosphere, so if constant overly loud deck music and belly flop contests are your thing, you will be disappointed most likely. We sailed Vancouver RT based on not wanting to miss the scenery at the lower end of the passage. The Seattle RT goes out to sea, does not get into the inside passage until after the northern tip of the island, and sails pretty far offshore so you can't even see the Pacific coast of Vancouver Island. Our other consideration was the protected lower route , as opposed to being at the mercy of the open Pacific seas.

Don't know where you are flying from, but most we talked to on board had flown in the day before, due to lack of choices.

We stayed overnight in Seattle and took the Amtrak Cascades train the next am. We booked business class seats for a few dollars more, and they were quite comfortable, also had a bit more lenient change/cancellation policy. Similar lack of convenient flts on return, so we flew to Vegas , spent the night and most of next day there ,and still got home earlier than we would have from the nest day Seattle flts. With a few exceptions, it is much cheaper to fly into Seattle than Vancouver. The only thing I can tell you that is not opinion is that you will not even come close to seeing the tiniest portion of available places, so enjoy what you can do on your time and budget. The scale of Alaska is more immense than most imagine. There is plenty of info in the Ports of Call, Alaska board. Also plenty of opinions on the reviews at Trip Advisor..

[JimAOk1945]

We have taken two Alaska cruises so far. Both times we were there in mid August. The first one in 2009 was a round trip from Seattle on the Star Princess. Our ports of call were Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway.

 

We had a great time but wanted to go back again, which we did last summer.

We sailed on the Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas last August on the southbound route. We loved it! We had four ports of call, Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway and Icy Strait Point located in the Alaskan town of Hoonah.

 

When we booked the cruise, we arranged to have transfers through RC and I'm glad we did. We didn't have any trouble at all.

 

When we flew into the Anchorage airport, we asked for the RC representative. We were directed to a kiosk where the friendly RC staff checked us off their list, and then told us when the next bus was leaving for Seward. I think we had about a one hour wait.

 

We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the food court, then went back to the waiting area at the RC desk. When the bus arrived, we got in along with several other people and the driver loaded up all the baggage.

 

I'm not sure how long the drive was but it seemed to pass quickly. The scenery was fantastic and the driver gave information about what we were seeing from time to time.

 

Before we knew it, we had arrived at the Seward terminal. The Radiance was the only ship there! Check in at the terminal was a breeze. We walked right in, went up to the counter to check in, and went right on to the ship!

 

The quickest embarkation we have ever had.

 

The ship is fantastic and the cruise was the best we have ever had. The itinerary includes 4 ports of call. Icy Strait Point was and still is our favorite. We went on the Bear and Whale watch combo excursion through RC. We saw two bears catching Salmon and countless whales! It was absolutely breathtaking!

 

When we went through the Hubbard Glacier area, we witnessed numerous "calving" which is when great chunks of ice break off with loud cracking and rumbling then fall into the water.

 

I could go on and on. As you can see, even now I get excited just thinking about it and trying to describe what we saw.

 

We went in August and had beautiful weather all week, even in Ketchikan where it usually rains so much. We had sunny weather all day!

 

At the end of the cruise, going through the Vancouver terminal was no trouble at all. We also had a transfer through the cruise line that took us to the Vancouver airport.

 

You might be interested in seeing my wife's picture slideshows. Here is a link to the page where you will see slideshows about the different ports of call as well as the ship. The slideshow will start when you click on the link, but you can also go through the pictures if you want to by clicking on the thumbnails one at a time.

 

2012 RC Radiance of the Seas ~ Alaska Southbound

 

2009 Star Princess Alaska Inside Passage Round Trip Seattle

 

HAPPY SAILING! It's a great way to explore the world!

[joecichlid]

Although I can't say one time of the year is better over the other or one cruise line is better over another I will share what I have done.

My first trip to Alaska was a round trip out of Seattle and it was fun but felt way more rushed than I would have liked. After that, I looked into things a bit more and found out that doing back to back cruises out of Vancouver offered more time (twice as many days in each more, twice the chances of great weather and such) and that became my favorite.

If time and budget allows I would say look into doing two cruise back to back, one North bound out of Vancouver then turning around and taking the second cruise from Seward back to Vancouver. Sometimes, this option can be close to the same price as cruising North or South alone plus the added airfare to or from Alaska.

In my four trips to Alaska, I have done the back to back thing three times and it has always been great. Usually I go early in the season (mid-May to early June) which offers better chances to spot wild life, bears coming out of hibernation, longer days bring lots of food to the areas for the whales to feed on, birds migrating back to the areas as well. The last two trips we made, Icy Strait Point was THE spot for whale watching, the tenders had to wait for them to get out of the way before going from ship to shore at times. We saw whales feeding right off the side of the ship!

As for which line to go with, I will say Royal Caribbean tends to draw a good amount of younger travelers and offer activities for those groups. No matter what line you go with though, you will find a pretty broad range of ages aboard the ship. In all honesty, meeting new friends is fun and all but with my interests in photography I tend to do things that will have me off on my own as much as possible, going to places most might not dare for the chance at that once in a lifetime photo. :) Feel free to check out some of the photos linked in my signature to get an idea of some of what you may see on your trip.

Keep in mind wild life is, well, wild. You don't see a lot of bears wearing watches so wild life spotting can be a hit or miss thing. To give you an idea, my first trip to Alaska I saw 18 bears in three days, the next three trips I think I may have seen five between all the trips. lol The weather can be pretty iffy at times during the early part of the season but rain or shine I always have a blast. My last trip we had weather ranging from sunny and 70 to snow and sleet. And that was in just one port! Weather changes and in Alaska it changes fast so be ready for it.

Since this is your first trip I have several tips that I follow and gladly share with others going to Alaska:

Dress in layers, I usually will have a long sleeved t-shirt, short sleeved t-shirt over that, fleece vest and rain jacket over that *gortex lined highly suggested* As the day warms up you can take off what is needed.

Carry a back pack! You are going to need someplace to put those clothes as you peal them off. And trust me the temp change during the day is enough you will wind up shedding a layer or two.

Keep a small, travel sized umberella with you. The day may start out clear and sunny but the weather can change at the drop of a hat. It is better to have a small umberella and not need it than to not have it and get nailed in a quick downpour.

Camera, keep it very handy! This time of the year is perfect for wildlife watching with all of the animals coming out of hybernation and migrating back into the area. Not a lot of things more frustrating than seeing a sow and her cubs while you fumble through your pockets looking for your camera. Keep your camera in hand, keep it turned on, make sure you have extra batteries in your bag, make sure you have plenty of memory for the camera as well.

Ziplock bags. It may sound like a weird thing to have with you but if you get a rain storm roll through you will want some place safe and dry to keep your batteries, memory for your camera as well as cell phones and such. A few cents worth of plastic bags can save hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of electronics.

Water bottle. With all the walking that can be had in the area it is a good idea to have a supply of water close at hand. There aren't always places to buy a bottle of water on some of the tours so it is a good idea to have at least a small (20 oz.) bottle of water in your bag.

Small towel. I can't count the number of times I have needed one and not had it. Everything from getting rain drops off your camera *or you* to getting rid of some sweat. If you are out on a hike or even walking around town and the temp is in the 50s or 60s you can still break out in a sweat. It is best to dry off if possible because when you start to cool down, your sweat can cause you to start chilling and that is no fun at all.

Well broken in shoes. It doesn't matter if you are just walking around town visiting the shops or out on a 6 mile hike, if you are in new shoes you very well may wind up with blisters and sore feet. Leave the new shoes at home and take those old ones you have been wearing for months and save you and your feet the pain.

Wool socks. I always carry an extra pair of wool socks in my backpack. even when wet the wool will keep your feet warm but you can still get wicked blisters. A fresh pair of dry socks can save you a lot of pain later on in the trip. This is where one of those ziplock bags comes in handy.

This all may sound like a bit much but when it comes to Alaska it is better to be a little over prepaired than under prepaired. If packed right this will take up very little space in your back pack and can save you a lot of headaches.

Things to do:

Juneau, Mendenhall and Salmon Bake is a fun one. You get to visit the glacier and if you are up for a fast paced hike you can make it to the waterfall. I took the time for the hike and it was WELL worth it, not many make that treck for a wonderful view. As far as I know it will also go to Gold Creek Camp Salmon Bake, which is a blast and you can return to the ship when you want as they have several buses running back to the ships during the day. Great salmon, a nice little hike to a small waterfall and even firepits for roasting marshmallows.

Icy Strait Point: I did a whale watching tour the last time I was there and all I can say is take a look through the photos from my Alaskan trips in my signature on here. At times we had 15 to 20 whales around our boat. Breaching, feeding and playing. From all that I have read the Icy Strait Point whale tours are some of the very best with lots of whales in the area. The whales migrate up to the area for feeding during the summer and are coming into the area from May to June (when the food is most plentiful) then leaving in September to run back to their southern birthing grounds. Very cool indeed and I am going to do that tour again if I can.

Helo tours: I hear that the ones out of Skagway are pretty darned good. Keep in mind there is an amazing train ride out of Skagway as well. If you work it right you might be able to do both. If you do one of the train rides, be sure to do one that includes a ride up to or back from the Yukon on a bus then the second half of the trip is on the train. LOTS of stops for photos and the train ride is always great for the views too. If you do a helo tour I would love to hear your review on it.

Lunches: Well worth the time to get OUTSIDE the port areas. Get alway from the touristy stuff. There are a lot of really great local places if you search for them.

Seward: If you have the time by all means do the Kenai Fjords Cruise with Lunch & Sealife Center. I got to see orka as close as five feet from me as I stood on deck for the tour. Lunch wasn't the main reason for this one and it kind of showed. It was ok but I was there for 8 hours of wild life watching and was NOT let down. The tour took us all the way out into open water where we saw several humpbacks as well. We were also able to visit some groups of sealions and saw more wildlife than you can imagine.

I tried to include a lot of photos from the tours in my album linked in my signature and feel I pretty well captured the spirit of Alaska in the images. If you have questions about any of the tours I did feel free to ask and I will answer them as best I can.

 

Joe W.

Edited December 27, 2013 by joecichlid

[travelglobetrotter]

We're sailing to Alaska for the 4th time in early May on Celebrity. We've sailed twice round trip San Francisco, and encountered some rough seas going north to Vancouver. These were 14 day cruises, one on Princess, the latest 4 years ago on Oceania. If you are sailing Tracy Arm, and if the excursion via pontoon boat is available, I highly recommend it, as it is an amazing journey up the fjord to Sawyer Glacier. We couldn't believe our captain was able to pilot us through all the ice chunks in the water, and we were so close to Sawyer Glacier as it calved that we could not only see it, hear it, but feel it. We stopped near a waterfall, and were able to rinse our hands in it, and on the ride back, we saw quite a few bears, lots of bald eagles, just lined up on a fallen tree, ready for their closeups. We didn't see a lot of whales, but there were a few. We thought it was one of the most memorable excursions ever, and a very good value for about a 6 hour tour. Snap it up if it's offered on your cruise.

[Dismomx5]

I tried to include a lot of photos from the tours in my album linked in my signature and feel I pretty well captured the spirit of Alaska in the images. If you have questions about any of the tours I did feel free to ask and I will answer them as best I can.

 

Joe W.

Awesome advice for the new-to-Alaska crowd. Thank you!

[vbmom87]

Joe, you provided great and worthwhile information, but for what it is worth, it is difficult to read posts without paragraph spacing. Please consider using spacing the next time you post. More people are sure to read it that way and benefit from all the wonderful information you share.

[joecichlid]

Awesome advice for the new-to-Alaska crowd. Thank you!

You are more than welcome. :)

 

Joe, you provided great and worthwhile information, but for what it is worth, it is difficult to read posts without paragraph spacing. Please consider using spacing the next time you post. More people are sure to read it that way and benefit from all the wonderful information you share.

The original post of mine that I copied it from had been spaced correctly but for some reason when I pasted it here the spacing didn't stay. I forgot to double check before hitting submit and closing out the page.

 

Joe W.