Alaskan Cruises

[Ga Dawg]

There are two Alaskan cruises one 12 day out of San Frisco and a 14 day out of Vancouver. One is with Celebrity Infinity and the other NCL Sun. They are close in price and I have never cruised either. I would really appreciate any suggestions. The NCL goes to Seward and cruises the Hubbard Glacier and the Celebrity goes as far north as Sitka and cruises the Twin Sawyer Glacier. Thanks!!

[caribsun]

It you have 12-14 days I would do a Princess or Holland cruise that includes 3-4 days on land. This will give you one of the best Alaskan experiences.

[Ga Dawg]

It you have 12-14 days I would do a Princess or Holland cruise that includes 3-4 days on land. This will give you one of the best Alaskan experiences.

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I will check those out.

[CowPrincess]

There are two Alaskan cruises one 12 day out of San Frisco and a 14 day out of Vancouver. One is with Celebrity Infinity and the other NCL Sun. They are close in price and I have never cruised either. I would really appreciate any suggestions. The NCL goes to Seward and cruises the Hubbard Glacier and the Celebrity goes as far north as Sitka and cruises the Twin Sawyer Glacier. Thanks!!

 

If you start your cruise in Vancouver, you will be spending more time in Alaska, I suspect. If you start in SF you have to cruise up the coast past Vancouver. So less time cruising in Alaska, right?

 

For the Twin Sawyer Glacier, that'd be Tracy Arm Fjord, I guess. Know that often the cruise ships don't get to good viewing points for those glaciers because of ice conditions in the fjord.

 

IMHO do some reading on the Alaska forum here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

Also compare ports and length of time in each port and what there is that appeals to you in each port. There are so many factors to consider when picking an Alaska cruise. The more you know, the better the chances that you will make the right choice for you. :)

[Illyria]

There are two Alaskan cruises one 12 day out of San Frisco and a 14 day out of Vancouver. One is with Celebrity Infinity and the other NCL Sun. They are close in price and I have never cruised either. I would really appreciate any suggestions. The NCL goes to Seward and cruises the Hubbard Glacier and the Celebrity goes as far north as Sitka and cruises the Twin Sawyer Glacier. Thanks!!

 

Normally I'd pick Celebrity over NCL any day. But I looked at the itineraries - neither one is ideal but you get a better Alaska experience with NCL Sun. So if you have your heart set on either one of those two - I think for a first-time Alaska cruiser you'd be better off going with NCL.

 

- Celebrity spends 2 days at sea before it ever gets to Alaska, they don't give you either Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier (which are big highlights of any Alaska cruise), and to me 2 days in BC are a bit of a waste.

- NCL starts out further north, so you spend less time actually getting to Alaska...and they give you a whopping 4 days of different glacier cruising (not to mention 2 days at each town - so you can really go crazy with the excursions, it's like having 2 back-to-back Alaska cruises).

[Ga Dawg]

Normally I'd pick Celebrity over NCL any day. But I looked at the itineraries - neither one is ideal but you get a better Alaska experience with NCL Sun. So if you have your heart set on either one of those two - I think for a first-time Alaska cruiser you'd be better off going with NCL.

 

- Celebrity spends 2 days at sea before it ever gets to Alaska, they don't give you either Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier (which are big highlights of any Alaska cruise), and to me 2 days in BC are a bit of a waste.

- NCL starts out further north, so you spend less time actually getting to Alaska...and they give you a whopping 4 days of different glacier cruising (not to mention 2 days at each town - so you can really go crazy with the excursions, it's like having 2 back-to-back Alaska cruises).

Wow, thank you for going to all the trouble of looking them both up. I was totally leaning toward the Sun but a friend went on it and had very little good to say. I really want to go to Sitka or it would be a slam dunk. I really appreciate you taking the time to look up the itineraries. I think you are right, we will definitely see more of Alaska. Thank you again!!

[Ga Dawg]

If you start your cruise in Vancouver, you will be spending more time in Alaska, I suspect. If you start in SF you have to cruise up the coast past Vancouver. So less time cruising in Alaska, right?

 

For the Twin Sawyer Glacier, that'd be Tracy Arm Fjord, I guess. Know that often the cruise ships don't get to good viewing points for those glaciers because of ice conditions in the fjord.

 

IMHO do some reading on the Alaska forum here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

Also compare ports and length of time in each port and what there is that appeals to you in each port. There are so many factors to consider when picking an Alaska cruise. The more you know, the better the chances that you will make the right choice for you. :)

I am really glad I posted this. I had no idea I would even get a reply. I think we are going to do the Sun. Thanks again for your reply.

[Flatbush Flyer]

I am really glad I posted this. I had no idea I would even get a reply. I think we are going to do the Sun. Thanks again for your reply.

 

 

You may want to look at Oceania Regatta out of Vancouver or Seattle - an unparalleled experience. Only do an SF departure if you plan to spend a few days beforehand. America's favorite city, it is 49 square miles surrounded by reality.

 

But, whatever you end up doing, please don't refer to SF as Frisco. At the least, vendors may charge you double for anything you buy :-)

Also, don't bother asking about cheap hotels, hotel deals with cruise parking, or pretty much anything "cheap" - really hard to find and you won't like what you get.

Edited March 30, 2015 by Flatbush Flyer

[CptSticky]

One thing to consider if you sail out of SF is the seas tend to be rough off the coast of Oregon/Washington. There are other cruise lines also sailing Alaska. I've heard good things about Princess (sailed them but not to Alaska). We have been to Alaska 5 times (all on Royal). Not all glaciers are created equal. Some are ho-hum, some are Hubbard!)

Sounds like you really need some good research. I'd recommend a "good" travel agent (that's a whole new thread!).

[Lerin]

I second the suggestion to do a 7 day on Princess and a land tour to Denali.

[zqvol]

There are two Alaskan cruises one 12 day out of San Frisco and a 14 day out of Vancouver. One is with Celebrity Infinity and the other NCL Sun. They are close in price and I have never cruised either. I would really appreciate any suggestions. The NCL goes to Seward and cruises the Hubbard Glacier and the Celebrity goes as far north as Sitka and cruises the Twin Sawyer Glacier. Thanks!!

 

 

The NCL cruise is really a back to back north and south bound inside passage and will have a minimal number of sea days.

 

The other will have multiple sea days both ways and a lot less time in Alaska.