Alaska questions

[randy98mtu]

My wife and I are planning a 10th anniversary cruise for summer 2016. In looking at itineraries, I see 2 options that appeal to me. Hubbard Glacier on Infinity or Tracy Arm Fjord on Solstice. I'm really into photography as a hobby, so that is a big interest for me.

 

My wife and I were on Millennium in the Med for our honeymoon in 2006. In 2008 we were on Infinity through the Panama Canal. We recently went on Norwegian Dawn with our children in the Caribbean. I think we will be going back to Celebrity and getting a fairly nice room for this trip.

 

Once I nail down a ship, I'll start obsessing over rooms. Looking at Infinity I was looking between 6131/6132 or 6145/6146. If I switch to Solstice I'll have a whole new ship to learn about. I'm interested in booking in the next week to get the 123go deal. Is this a deal that is regularly renewed month to month?

 

Thanks for any tips!

[Jane2357]

Before you get to obsessing about those particular cabins - have you tried a mock booking to be sure any of them are even available right now? Both of those S1's would be very desirable - 1 being connected to the P.H. and the other with an oversized balcony. Also if you are traveling north the starboard side will be the most popular choice - going south the port side. 2016 Alaska opened for bookings November 18, 2014 - I know because that is when I booked for May of '16 :D so if you find the cabin you want - book it now.

 

[randy98mtu]

Before you get to obsessing about those particular cabins - have you tried a mock booking to be sure any of them are even available right now? Both of those S1's would be very desirable - 1 being connected to the P.H. and the other with an oversized balcony. Also if you are traveling north the starboard side will be the most popular choice - going south the port side. 2016 Alaska opened for bookings November 18, 2014 - I know because that is when I booked for May of '16 :D so if you find the cabin you want - book it now.

 

 

Yes they are still open on at least a few of the dates. I have a 24 hour hold on 2 right now. ;) The trips I am looking at are round trips out of Seattle or Vancouver, so I'm thinking the side of the ship should be somewhat neutralized. The cabins connected to the PH sound nicer, but I'm wondering if the larger balcony with a slightly wider view forward might be a better option on this trip?

 

Thanks for your reply!

[Jane2357]

6146 & 6145 will be finished nicer as they are fitted to match with the Penthouses - but for taking lots of photos the angled balcony 6131/6132 I would guess might be better. Tough choice - don't ya hate that. ;)

 

I'm heading north from Vancouver one way to Seward and then on into Alaska from there. 2016 seems so far away. Have fun planning!

[mgatc]

If you take the Solstice, they have an excursion listed under Juneau for Tracy Arm Fjord where you get off of the ship onto a smaller boat to get closer to the glacier which is absolutely breathtaking. This would be an excellent excursion for photography. You then meet the Solstice in Juneau. Worth looking into.

[alcpa1]

Have you even considered an aft on either ship? Even if you have to drop down a category or two on the M class ships you will get a spectacular view sailing through the glacial bay or fjord. Although I am smitten by the deck 11 Aqua aft cabins your better view would be the deck 9 and lower afts. If you are a party of 5 you can book, if available, an FV corner aft which would provide your best view of both the aft and either port or starboard view. The FV's have great space and a wonderful balcony. You do have to call or have a TA book those unlisted cabins.

I am not as familiar with the S class ships but any aft cabin in either class is what I would recommend for Alaska.

I'd also ask you to consider the enhanced itinerary on any Vancouver or Seward sailing. I'd opt for either of those ports even if you have to drop categories to cover the potential cost differential of flying into Vancouver or Anchorage. The southbound Seward sailings will bring you into Hubbard Glacier during optimum viewing time. There is less fog later in the day and the sunlight will definitely make your photographic memories spectacular.

I hope I haven't made a mess of your plans but these are other points to contemplate.

[Tricia724]

For information and opinions on itineraries, you might want to hop on over to the Alaska Board under Ports of Call. There are a lot of knowledgeable posters there who will give you plenty of food for thought. I'm guessing you'll find that most of them prefer the north/southbound sailings out of Seward or Vancouver rather than Seattle for the scenery.

 

I've done Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier, and Tracy Arm at one time or another. My personal favorite is Hubbard Glacier....something about that big wall of blue that is very impressive. I enjoyed Tracy Arm more as an excursion in a small boat because you can get much closer.

 

Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary. A cruise to Alaska is a wonderful way to celebrate.

[chrismakris]

If I might make a suggestion and that would be to take the sailing out of Vancouver. You would be visiting one of the most beautiful cities in the world(Yes, I'm being biased) and there is so much to do within the downtown core and just outside nature wise for photography.(My wife is a photographer so she gets out and take lots of photos herself outdoors)

 

Also(I'm assuming you are from the US), another thing to think about is that your dollar will travel much further up here right now. You would be essentially getting a 25% discount on everything with how the American dollar is doing right now against our dollar.

[randy98mtu]

Great thoughts. Definitely lots to think about. A bit more background on how we got to where we are:

 

On our first cruise together (my first, but my wife had been on several with her family before) we had a balcony. It was early November, so most of the trip it was a bit unnecessary. But the sailing into Venice made it worth it. Next trip through Panama Canal we got an ocean view (the odd shaped but larger 6019) This was a good choice for this trip, though a balcony might have been nice. On our most recent cruise, we went with my in-laws and our 4 kids in 2 inside cabins. The whole trip my wife and I were talking about our upcoming anniversary trip and saying "never again" to the inside cabin. We were also noting the differences between NCL and Celebrity. For me the biggest difference was the food. We both prefer the traditional seating where to get to know some people. The quality of the food was also not very good in my opinion on NCL.

 

The replies so far have basically covered one of my curiosities between an M class and an S class that there is no reason to pick an S over an M. As for a few of the specific suggestions, I had kind of leaned away from the north and south routes out of Seward due to flight costs being much higher. I started out looking at the aft C2 balconies, but after our cramped inside room I want to overshoot in the other direction this time. As for Vancouver vs Seattle, the wife and I were already leaning toward Vancouver and spending a few days before the cruise there.

 

So there you have it, I'm leaning towards the Vancouver/Infinity/Hubbard/6131-6132... That was my initial mindset starting this thread and you are all making me more comfortable with that choice. I will go check out the Alaska board. I haven't spent time on CC in a long time so I need to poke around a bit more.

 

Thanks for all the replies!

[atlgants]

Subbing!

[dkjretired]

If you take the Solstice, they have an excursion listed under Juneau for Tracy Arm Fjord where you get off of the ship onto a smaller boat to get closer to the glacier which is absolutely breathtaking. This would be an excellent excursion for photography. You then meet the Solstice in Juneau. Worth looking into.

 

I agree, we did Solstice last year and this excursion was fabulous, you get to see the other Sawyer glacier which you won't on the ship and we were lucky to have multiple whale sightings.

 

The real negative with the Solstice is because of its size, the first full day and the last day and a half you are basically cruising out in the Pacific Ocean whereas the ships leaving from Vancouver go up the inside passage.

 

I also would point out that the last day in Victoria is really a waste due to a lack of time and the time period that you get there.

[Jane2357]

Although I am smitten by the deck 11 Aqua aft cabins your better view would be the deck 9 and lower afts.

 

:eek: O.K. - I am in a deck 11 aft so now I'm wondering how much different the view would be from there?

[bbeltmom]

We are in 6146 on the Infinity in August 2015, so I can't comment on those cabins (yet). We chose 6146 over 6132 figuring it would be a little less windy while underway.

However, on S class ships (Solstice) we absolutely love the S1 corner aft suites with the wrap around balcony and the porthole side window.

[Deeliteful]

:eek: O.K. - I am in a deck 11 aft so now I'm wondering how much different the view would be from there?

 

Askng myself a similar question, I have splurged on an aft cabin 7206 on the Infinity for my Alaskan cruise from Vancouver in June, hoping this would give me great views!

 

Thoughts?

Edited February 24, 2015 by Deeliteful

[4774Papa]

We just booked our Alaskan cruise on the NCL Sun.

Celebrity is our first choice of cruiselines, but we do use NCL when itinerary and price are good.

There was a significant price difference and NCL had a special that 3rd person in cabin was free as well as free beverage package.

 

We are doing the one way Vancouver to Seward, which is better than a round trip.

[dkjretired]

Askng myself a similar question, I have splurged on an aft cabin 7206 on the Infinity for my Alaskan cruise from Vancouver in June, hoping this would give me great views!

 

Thoughts?

 

The cabins are nice for the views but I found most of my time was on one of the public decks to see both sides. Spectacular views both ways.

[miched]

Looking at the news today I seen that Alaska is legalizing pot. I think that will make Alaskan cruises one of the hottest ticket items in the next few years.

 

The biggest tour may be yet to come such as a visit to a pot farm, and etc. :D

 

Wonder how the crew will be after a day in the port, especially the musicians. :cool:

 

Happy cruisng 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[SupremeFlounder]

My husband and I are taking the Millenium out of Vancouver in May (first time cruisers!), and I found myself torn between those exact two cabins, for the reasons that you and others have mentioned.

 

We went with 6132 because of the balcony. He's a photographer and really didn't like the idea of being aft, but also shoots with a Hasselblad and wanted space to set up a tripod without being in the way (of me, or fellow passengers).

 

There are comments about this cabin in some of the threads (I swear I'm not telling you to use the search function, but if you did, you'll see some fine pictures/videos of the balcony on 6131/6132), but I figured for an Alaska cruise, the balcony was more important than what the inside of the cabin looked like.

[randy98mtu]

Just nailed down a great cabin for next year for a whopping $25 deposit! I was pleasantly surprised when that popped up! I can't wait now!

Edited February 24, 2015 by Host Walt
Minor correction at randy98mtu's request

[Deeliteful]

The cabins are nice for the views but I found most of my time was on one of the public decks to see both sides. Spectacular views both ways.

 

Thanks for that. I have searched forums on the Alaska ports of call and my mind has been put at rest. Looking forward to getting the most from my balcony but also getting around d the ship for different views.

 

Getting so excited already - 100 days to go :)

[squeeky336]

My wife and I are planning a 10th anniversary cruise for summer 2016. In looking at itineraries, I see 2 options that appeal to me. Hubbard Glacier on Infinity or Tracy Arm Fjord on Solstice. I'm really into photography as a hobby, so that is a big interest for me.

 

My wife and I were on Millennium in the Med for our honeymoon in 2006. In 2008 we were on Infinity through the Panama Canal. We recently went on Norwegian Dawn with our children in the Caribbean. I think we will be going back to Celebrity and getting a fairly nice room for this trip.

 

Once I nail down a ship, I'll start obsessing over rooms. Looking at Infinity I was looking between 6131/6132 or 6145/6146. If I switch to Solstice I'll have a whole new ship to learn about. I'm interested in booking in the next week to get the 123go deal. Is this a deal that is regularly renewed month to month?

 

Thanks for any tips!

 

I have seen that deal on and off for months.. as far back as February when I booked. I switched to a outside Guarantee to get the deal and it sold out the next day overnight.. Not sure why.. But I was glad I upgraded when I did. I would book the lowest you will be happy with and watch the price at least every Monday.. You can upgrade as you watch for it if it changes for he better