Best Alaska cruise

[denatravels]

Summer 2016. Three adults (me with parents)- no kids. I've never been to Alaska. They did a cruise 25 years ago.

Jewel, sun, or pearl?

[Debala715]

My husband and I just booked on the Jewel for July 2016 yesterday. This trip will celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary and my birthday. This cruise has been on both of our bucket lists for many years. We booked so far in advance for two reasons, to make sure we get an aft balcony and more time to pay it off.

[Carnac767]

Which of the three has the best itinerary or has the longest sailing? Which port is cheaper for you to travel to? All three are great ships. Pearl and Jewel are same class, Sun is a bit smaller. Suites on Jewel class are terrific. Both Vancouver and Seattle are great cities to visit, pre or post cruise.

[www3traveler]

Which is better for you: Round trip from Seattle?

Jewel leaves on Saturday

Pearl leaves on Sunday

 

The Sun is ONE way from Vancouver, British Columbia to either Whittier or Seward, Alaska. Or those two cities to Vancouver.

 

All three would be great trips. If you can plan to either come a few days early or stay a very days and enjoy the cities.

[GORDONCHICK]

Best really is relative. What would be best for me and my family may not be what you would consider best.

 

Factors would include budget, time (how long can you be gone) and interests in either things to see or do in ports and matching up with the time in each port along with the time of day in port.

 

We've done a couple different AK cruises in the past. First was X in September of 2007. Departed Vancouver but returned to Seattle (last AK cruise of the season for that ship, so it was a slight repo). That one went to Hubbard Glacier, which is jaw-dropping, IMO. Second was RT from Seattle on HAL. We chose that one because our son sailed free and it was the only mainstream line going to Sitka, which is very cool. In May, we finally get to do a one-way from Vancouver to Seward, and are spending 8 nights on our own in AK, with 3 of those nights at Denali. This has been DH's dream AK trip for many years. It will cost twice as much as the others - in time and money!

 

So, it really depends on what you want out of the trip.

[fishin' musician]

I've done 3 Alaska cruises, first was round trip from Seattle followed by a northbound and last year a southbound on the Sun. All were exceptional and I'd do any of them again. I do believe if you do a northbound or southbound you would be remiss if you did not devote several days to explore.

 

The link below Mickey Mouse is a pictorial of our first one.

 

Last year's Sun cruise also included the Authentic Alaska cruisetour. Here is a link to an extensive review with lots of pics:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2089424

[Guindalf]

We were on the Pearl (Seattle r/t) in May of 2009. It was outstanding! Not a bad port and the views are incredible. This still remains as our best vacation ever!!

 

Having said that, we were really lucky with the weather. It was 65 and sun every day. We were able to go up into the Yukon, ride the train, whale-watch and everything else we wanted to do without worrying about getting cold or rained on.

[denatravels]

We have family in Seattle, so slightly leaning towards that option. But I don't want that to be the deciding factor.

Parents are retired and I'm a teacher-- so days to depart in July are pretty much irrelevant. I want to see as much as possible and don't want to feel as though I missed something (although, I guess that's what repeat cruises are for!)

[fishin' musician]

We have family in Seattle, so slightly leaning towards that option. But I don't want that to be the deciding factor.

Parents are retired and I'm a teacher-- so days to depart in July are pretty much irrelevant. I want to see as much as possible and don't want to feel as though I missed something (although, I guess that's what repeat cruises are for!)

 

Many (most?) cruisers fly to Seattle for both round trip and Vancouver (northbound) departures. There are many economic options for transportation to Vancouver including shuttles and Amtrak.

[GORDONCHICK]

We LOVED the Amtrak Cascades train up to Vancouver! Fantastic way to travel and the easiest border crossing/going through customs ever! And spending time in Vancouver is incredible also.

[shealea]

The Pearl and Jewel are both round trip from Seattle. The Pearl does Glacier Bay. The Jewel goes to Sawyer Glacier. Most folks say that if you need to choose, choose the Pearl since it does Glacier Bay. Most people think that you do not want to miss seeing Glacier Bay if you think you will only be doing an Alaska cruise once.

 

I've done both. I loved both, so you will not go wrong with either. With Glacier Bay, you are cruising through a wider, more open area. You pass a couple of other glaciers along the way, if I remember right. I remember seeing outstanding calving of a glacier along the way to the end of Glacier Bay.

 

With Glacier Bay, naturalist/rangers come aboard for the Glacier Bay day. They do a presentation in the main theater. They speak over the intercom, dictating and explaining what you are seeing along the way. There is a naturalist on deck to answer any questions along the way. It's wonderful.

 

The trip through Glacier Bay starts very early in the morning. You have to get up pretty early. Gosh, I think I'm remembering you start heading in at 6 am. You want to view the entire trip through. The trip in to Sawyer Glacier starts in early afternoon.

 

Sawyer Glacier is awesome, also. The trip through is narrow. You wind back and forth through the fjords. It was amazing to me that we would turn left around a corner, then turn right. Steep walls heading up high on each side. Beautiful. I actually think I liked Sawyer Glacier a bit more. But most folks would say Glacier Bay is better.

 

With Sawyer Glacier you have a bigger risk of the cruise ship not being able to go in due to too much ice. On our two Sawyer Glacier cruises, one time we could not go in and we went to Endicot Glacier route. Or if the ice is bad, the cruise ships try to get in, but may not be able to get very far in.

 

I've done each Glacier trip twice. The Jewel and the Pearl ships are pretty much the same, with just a few differences.

 

I've been working on a review of my 4 cruises to Alaska. Includes tips and do not miss ideas for the ships. Also, a bit about what we did in each port. I'm not done yet, as I've gotten side-tracked doing my income taxes. Yuk!!!!! So, you can search for it if you want.

 

Oh, also, I'm from Seattle area. It's a great city to visit. There really is so much to do here, so it's a good city to explore pre or post cruise.

[shealea]

Also, I've never been on the Sun, but both the Jewel and Pearl have a wide range of ages onboard. At least when we cruised.

 

I think both you and your parents will be pleased with the choice of activities and entertainment.

[bonvoyagie]

Where did your parents go on their cruise 25 yrs ago? Did they see Glacier Bay? Hubbard Glacier? Sawyer Glacier?

 

Our first AK cruise was in 2002 and we went back in 03 and again in 12 - things have changed a lot in 10 yrs - I can't imagine what a difference 25 yrs made. :eek:.

 

Perhaps they would like to be able to retrace their cruise - maybe not.

 

There are some trade-offs between all three ships.

 

If they don't care then I would look at how much time and $$ you have for vacation - IMHO a one way cruise is a waste of time unless you spend some time on the AK side to see the interior. To me it only makes sense to spend at least 6 or 7 days touring the Kenai, Anchorage, Denali, and Fairbanks areas. Going NCL I would do the NB Sun to see Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. One advantage of all one way cruises is that you usually spent more time in each port - an example is Juneau - the Jewel and Pearl each spend 1/2 day there - the Sun 10hrs

 

The Jewel also spends more time in Victoria.

 

The Pearl visits Glacier Bay

The Jewel visits Tracy Arm Fjord/Sawyer Glacier - optional small boat tour is a must do - the extra cost of it is about the same as the extra for the Pearl and Glacier Bay.

 

Pearl and Jewel are sister ships - the Sun is smaller and older.

 

If it were me - I would either do the NB Sun and a DIY land tour for 7 more days.

 

My second choice would be the Pearl.