Family Vacation Assistance

[kidlessatsea]

We are looking at a 3 generation family (2 retired parents, 2 working adults and 2 kids ages 14 and 4) vacation sometime in 2015. We would like to take a 7 day ROUND TRIP cruise from Seattle to Alaska. Can anyone provide help on:

1. The best time to cruise to Alaska

2. Their preferred route and why

3. What is a good price to pay per person for an inside/outside cabin?

 

Also, any other tidbits you might have or know from experience would be helpful. We have to request vacation time in advance so we can pretty much go whenever, we are not limited by anything there.

 

Thank you very much!

[dexddd]

We are looking at a 3 generation family (2 retired parents, 2 working adults and 2 kids ages 14 and 4) vacation sometime in 2015. We would like to take a 7 day ROUND TRIP cruise from Seattle to Alaska. Can anyone provide help on:

1. The best time to cruise to Alaska

2. Their preferred route and why

3. What is a good price to pay per person for an inside/outside cabin?

 

Also, any other tidbits you might have or know from experience would be helpful. We have to request vacation time in advance so we can pretty much go whenever, we are not limited by anything there.

 

Thank you very much!

 

As far as prices, May or September will have lower prices typically.

 

As far as excursions and ports, go to the:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

[isaiahsnana]

Traveling with similar numbers as you (3 adults-3 kids), we have two ocean view rooms at a cost of just under 1000$ per person. We are sailing on the Pearl out of Seattle, have done this itinerary 12 years ago and love Glacier Bay, I feel it is a must for first timers. Remember that tips and excursions are not included in the price and must be considered when making a budget.

[www3traveler]

If you can add a couple of days in Seattle either before or after your cruise. It is a great place for kids of all ages. I will warn you that there are no inexpensive hotels in the downtown Seattle area. The cruise ship terminal that Norwegian uses is the only one downtown.

 

I always go to Alaska before Memorial Day. In most seasons by late May the glaciers have not broken off or melted very far. Glacier Bay and Skagway are always the highlights for me. Skagway is a very old originally a Russian community.

 

Have a wonderful time.

[mking8288]

OP, where is your home city in the US? How to you plan to get to SEA as you need to to factor in cost of travel to SEA and back for 6 of you, very IMPORTANT! We did Alaska back in Sept. 2008 and wanted to do early Spring or May - regardless, dress warmly in weatherproof layers as it is wet & rainy, not SUNNY as in those advertised pix. See post #32 here - pix taken while cruising the Fjord / Inner Passage on the NCL Star.

 

Tempted to grab some last minute bargains to see Alaskad next month (May) until we looked at airfares, about $600 p/p doing round-trip unless doing some creative routing & alternate airports - these fares are seasonally higher from late April to mid/late September.

 

The best location is see it - any open deck, unless you go for the $$$ AFT balcony or suite, as the best sights are often on the "opposite" side of your cabins. Dress warmly with extra layers, hoodies and/or hats to free the hands for camera, etc.

 

If you can/are driving to Seattle, consider sailing out of Vancouver, BC instead despite the hassles of border crossing and staying overnight before the cruise. Our strategy for our next Alaska cruise is to fly/drive to YVR, sail from there and return ahead of embarkation for a few days to enjoy the city, return to YVR (end of season cruises do sometimes disembark in SEA) and then fly eastbound home. As noted above, budget plenty of $$ for excurisons at each port with the limited time on shore - get the children involved & hand them each a huge "cookie jar", LOL - just kidding, but you get the ideas.

 

NCL started doing one-ways, either northbound for 7 days or southbound for 7 days - something that other cruiselines have been doing for years - haven't look into those, and probably more "challenging" to plan without doing "cruise-air" packages with NCL to make all the connections work.

[garycarla]

1 - Visit the PORT OF CALL boards and select ALASKA. Lots of great info ther.e

 

2 - Consider getting one balcony, and then insides across the hall. That cabin can be the central meeting place with outside access. Do NOT get a suite as only those in the suite get perks.

 

3 - Best time of year? You will get varied answers. If you go at the end of May you can take in a big NW Folk Festival in Seattle. Did that twice, for 2-3 days.

 

4 - Good price? You need to just start checking online to see what is happening. Per person can be all over the place depending on how many you put in each cabin.

 

5 - On future postings, try to make your subject line more informative.

 

We are off on our 3rd Alaska trip soon.

[gooch47]

Everyone has their own preferences, but we liked Glacier Bay better than Tracey Arm for scenic cruising. I don't know which or if both of these are offered by NCL. I do know Princess offers both and they seem to be having some special deals right now.