Clueless and planning Alaska cruise for this September - HELP!

[glorialagos]

We are two couples celebrating our 25th wedding anniversaries.

 

We have cruised lots but I, personally, have little desire to see Alaska. I am a Caribbean type and love beaches and hot weather! Anyway, I know I will see beautiful sites and will enjoy it. A cruise is a cruise, right?

 

Anyway, I have been put in charge of finding this cruise!

 

One does not have a passport so we must leave and return from a US port.

 

We are past Disney, Carnival and Norwegian cruisers (I know, I know but they do the beach cruises well!)

 

I have found a cruise on Royal Caribbean and one on Holland that will fit the requirements. I have not even considered stops, excursions, etc. (only dates, departure port and price)

 

It must be end of August or September.

 

Any suggestions for us? Any words of caution, things to avoid?

 

Thanks so much.

[Mercruiser]

Traveling without a passport is technically possible but is very restrictive concerning the residency and citizenship of the traveler and the itinerary of the cruise. Get it wrong and this person could be denied boarding at the start of the cruise. All these problems go away if the person simply gets a passport. My recommendation is that you agree to plan the cruise if the other person agrees to get a passport.

 

Also, a passport is required for some of the Skagway excursions into Canada.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7

Edited June 3, 2015 by Mercruiser

[zqvol]

We are two couples celebrating our 25th wedding anniversaries.

 

We have cruised lots but I, personally, have little desire to see Alaska. I am a Caribbean type and love beaches and hot weather! Anyway, I know I will see beautiful sites and will enjoy it. A cruise is a cruise, right?

 

Anyway, I have been put in charge of finding this cruise!

 

One does not have a passport so we must leave and return from a US port.

 

We are past Disney, Carnival and Norwegian cruisers (I know, I know but they do the beach cruises well!)

 

I have found a cruise on Royal Caribbean and one on Holland that will fit the requirements. I have not even considered stops, excursions, etc. (only dates, departure port and price)

 

It must be end of August or September.

 

Any suggestions for us? Any words of caution, things to avoid?

 

Thanks so much.

 

All of this is based on your criteria mentioned above.

 

I think that either would be fine for you. The ports are probably the same for both lines. If one goes to Glacier Bay as a stop that is the better option. If you don't have Glacier Bay your next best bet will be Tracey Arm Fjord. If you go to Tracey Arm, be sure and take the small boat excursion from your ship.

 

People tend to go overboard on planning Alaskan excursions. They tend to be rather pricey, but if you avoid float planes, and helicopters you can still see a lot of scenery. The one excursion to try to arrange is a whale watching trip, usually in Juneau.

 

Other than these things you can treat it just like a Caribbean trip and do things as you go along.

 

Traveling without a passport is technically possible but is very restrictive concerning the residency and citizenship of the traveler and the itinerary of the cruise. Get it wrong and this person will be denied boarding at the start of the cruise. All these problems go away if the person simply gets a passport. My recommendation is that you agree to plan the cruise if the other person agrees to get a passport.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7

 

The OP clearly knows that the travel can be done, and they a closed loop cruise is needed. A closed loop AK cruise is the safest of all because if an emergency occurs no passport is needed to get home. OP clearly knows the situation and telling her to have a friend get a passport adds nothing to the discussion, other than to push your agenda. A passport is NOT need and traveling without one is not restrictive at all.

[Mercruiser]

OP clearly knows the situation and telling her to have a friend get a passport adds nothing to the discussion, other than to push your agenda.

 

Thank you for enlightening me on this issue. I didn't even know I had an agenda until you pointed this out. And I'm still not sure what that agenda is.

 

 

Sent from my Nexus 7

Edited June 3, 2015 by Mercruiser

[Mrs.Gosse]

We did Alaska on Princess round trip from Seattle. We got a passport but apparently we didn't need it? Especially I guess if you don't get off in Canada? But sounds like you don't need it for Canada either. You will love the Alaska cruise.

[sherryf]

We did Alaska on Princess round trip from Seattle. We got a passport but apparently we didn't need it? Especially I guess if you don't get off in Canada? But sounds like you don't need it for Canada either. You will love the Alaska cruise.

 

Yes, you can do a closed-loop cruise from Seattle without a passport. You can even get off the ship in Victoria (Canada) without a passport. The thing you cannot do is to go into Canada on any excursions out of Skagway. Those do require passports. There is a difference between going into a Canadian port on a closed-loop cruise vs crossing into Canada by land.

[mapleleaves]

I have not even considered stops, excursions, etc. (only dates, departure port and price)

 

Yet, most travelers will tell you that the ITINERARY is the most important factor. Go to ports you want to visit, and ensure that you're in port long enough and at the right time of day to enjoy planned activities. If you want to enjoy glacier viewing, choose an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay.

 

I would go sooner than later .... if a Fall storm hits it can be miserable. And you've got 1 person w/o a passport so you're stuck with a Seattle cruise which has more open seas than a Vancouver departure.

 

I think your group needs to do some research. Alaska cruising is totally different to the Caribbean. There are a couple of books specific to Alaska cruises - Ann Vipond's Alaska by Cruiseship and Fodor's Alaska Ports of Call. Borrow from your library or buy. The books discuss ships, itineraries, ports, glaciers, activities, excursions. etc. The more you know, the better your trip will be. Figure out what your priorities are, then choose an itinerary that supports those interests.

 

p.s. there are at least 60 trip reports from last summer in the STICKY above. Many are detailed photojournals. They are another resource for you.

[donaldsc]

Traveling without a passport is technically possible but is very restrictive concerning the residency and citizenship of the traveler and the itinerary of the cruise. Get it wrong and this person could be denied boarding at the start of the cruise. All these problems go away if the person simply gets a passport. My recommendation is that you agree to plan the cruise if the other person agrees to get a passport.

 

Also, a passport is required for some of the Skagway excursions into Canada.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7

 

I totally agree on the passport issue. This may sound harsh but if the passportless person is either unwilling or too cheap to get a passport, I would go without them. Why should they be allowed to define your trip because of their stubbornness?

 

DON

[RaiderCruiser]

Don't want to sound rude, but this has the makings of being the cruise from @&^$. The planner has "little interest" and one of the participants doesn't have a passport (and seems unwilling to get one)! Good Luck.

[glorialagos]

Don't want to sound rude, but this has the makings of being the cruise from @&^$. The planner has "little interest" and one of the participants doesn't have a passport (and seems unwilling to get one)! Good Luck.

 

Ha ha!!! You seriously have me laughing, and I am the OP. You forgot "clueless"! :) And you are absolutely right.

 

Not only do I have "little interest" but the other three are the ones that actually want to go on an Alaskan cruise yet I am the one that gets stuck planning it! Why? I am a teacher and not employed so I have time. Time does not equal desire.

 

So, thank you all for being so helpful. It is certainly not your fault that I have little desire and our friend has no passport. I appreciate you attempting to help. I have actually put a cruise on hold. It is a Holland cruise, 7 days out of Seattle. I think once we book something I might be able to get excited about researching where we will be stopping. And then I will have many more questions for all of you.

 

I guess we will find out if this is the cruise from &^*(. There certainly is that possibility. :)

[Shooshoo]

GLORIALAGOS

I was exactly the same way. I am a Caribbean cruiser... love the beaches and warm weather. My husband had to talk forever to get me to go on an Alaskan cruise with him. Well... I loved it!!!! We leave this weekend for our third Alaskan Cruise This time we are doing it a little different. We usually fly into Anchorage and take the train to Whittier to board the ship; then fly back home out of Vancouver. This time we are flying to Seattle and taking the ship out from there; returning to Seattle the next weekend. We are going to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, B.C. (I think we have to have our passports in Victoria; however, we are only there from 7:00 P.M. to Midnight. I know a lot of people won't event get off the boat in Victoria.) Alaska is beautiful... most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. And the people are so nice. Would highly recommend you trying it. You will love it. And it is not that cold. In fact, the two previous times we have gone in the more southern ports we were in our shorts. We have always gone the first or second week in June and the weather has been perfect. In Ketchikan you can just walk through town... so much to see. In Skagway, take the train tour. And in Juneau you have to go out on a whale tour. We saw so many whales!! It was amazing. Try it at least once. Having said all that, I understand that September is not the best time to go. Evidently the bugs are out then, which most say are very annoying.

[glorialagos]

GLORIALAGOS

I was exactly the same way. I am a Caribbean cruiser... love the beaches and warm weather. My husband had to talk forever to get me to go on an Alaskan cruise with him. Well... I loved it!!!! We leave this weekend for our third Alaskan Cruise This time we are doing it a little different. We usually fly into Anchorage and take the train to Whittier to board the ship; then fly back home out of Vancouver. This time we are flying to Seattle and taking the ship out from there; returning to Seattle the next weekend. We are going to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, B.C. (I think we have to have our passports in Victoria; however, we are only there from 7:00 P.M. to Midnight. I know a lot of people won't event get off the boat in Victoria.) Alaska is beautiful... most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. And the people are so nice. Would highly recommend you trying it. You will love it. And it is not that cold. In fact, the two previous times we have gone in the more southern ports we were in our shorts. We have always gone the first or second week in June and the weather has been perfect. In Ketchikan you can just walk through town... so much to see. In Skagway, take the train tour. And in Juneau you have to go out on a whale tour. We saw so many whales!! It was amazing. Try it at least once. Having said all that, I understand that September is not the best time to go. Evidently the bugs are out then, which most say are very annoying.

 

Thank you Shooshoo! This is exactly what I needed to read. Unfortunately, I do not have any control over the timing of the cruise so I will need to deal with the weather and bugs. :( You have given me hope!

 

One thing that IS on my bucket list is whale watching. I have always had the timing wrong in Spain and Mexico so hopefully this trip will be different. I am very excited about that!

 

The daunting research to actually correctly plan is something I just wasn't up for. Once the actual cruise is planned, I will take the given itinerary and be excited about discovering what to do. If I discovered we have booked the wrong cruise, then we will just have to do another for our 50th anniversary, right?

 

If we finalize the cruise we have on hold, it will be Holland America and will stop at Tracy Arm, Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria. Thanks again to all the helpful replies! I will try hard to not make this the cruise from *&()!

[eclue]

We are also " big time" beach cruisers.....anywhere there is a beach we will find it, but having said that we love the Alaska cruises..in August we are going on our third Alaska cruise and already planning one for next year.

the scenery is amazing and if you are lucky , you might be able to sit out by the pool and catch the sun....we did on one cruise where the weather was gorgeous. Alaska is really something to see. You will love it!!

eclue:rolleyes:

[donaldsc]

 

If we finalize the cruise we have on hold, it will be Holland America and will stop at Tracy Arm, Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria. Thanks again to all the helpful replies! I will try hard to not make this the cruise from *&()!

 

Before you finalize, check on a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay instead of Tracy Arm. Also remember that since you are doing all the work, you get to make all the final choices. If your friends do not like the choices you make - tough on them.

 

DON

[Shooshoo]

Go and have a wonderful time!!!!

[TATraveler]

We are two couples celebrating our 25th wedding anniversaries.

 

We have cruised lots but I, personally, have little desire to see Alaska. I am a Caribbean type and love beaches and hot weather! Anyway, I know I will see beautiful sites and will enjoy it. A cruise is a cruise, right?

 

Anyway, I have been put in charge of finding this cruise!

 

One does not have a passport so we must leave and return from a US port.

 

We are past Disney, Carnival and Norwegian cruisers (I know, I know but they do the beach cruises well!)

 

I have found a cruise on Royal Caribbean and one on Holland that will fit the requirements. I have not even considered stops, excursions, etc. (only dates, departure port and price)

 

It must be end of August or September.

 

Any suggestions for us? Any words of caution, things to avoid?

 

Thanks so much.

 

A tip, checking weather history, of the time period in which cruise ships go to Alaska, September is the rainiest season and the shortest day season. August is a better bet (although rain-ier too). I would postpone until May, especially since you're a "Caribbean person". May is statistically the least rainy and has 19 hour days.

[bonvoyagie]

For some Alaska is a acquired taste - maybe you will like it - maybe you won't. Being from the Pacific Northwest - I found Alaska weather to be an extension of what I was used to - rain, sun, mist, fog - all in a 1hr time span :D

 

You are a teacher - right - some of the best teachers I had brought their personal experiences into the classroom. Learning world history from a teacher who did a summer trip to Europe - complete with a slide show was awesome. You could do the same with this trip - Alaska is full of wildlife, native culture, and gold rush history as well as US History - find a way to bring this back to your students.

 

As far as planning - here is a link that might help http://www.cruiseportinsider.com

(don't look at the other areas - go only to Alaska Ports :D) Go through the ports and find the ones that interest you the most - then find a cruise that visits those ports and finally narrow the choice by how much time is spent in the ports you find to be most interesting.

 

As far as cruise lines go - Princess, HAL, and NCL all do AK well and all offer RT cruises out of Seattle. I would either pick one that goes to Glacier Bay - or that offers a small boat tour of Tracy Arm (I believe that HAL offers a cruise that does both - the ship stops at the entrance to Tracy Arm and drops off the pax onto the small boat which goes up Tracy Arm while the ship continues on to Juneau. The small boat tour ends up in Juneau about 6hr later - Yes you miss some time in Juneau - but you will get to see both Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay:))

 

I have cruised NCL out of Seattle - there is only one ship at a time on the pier - less confusion easier boarding etc. All of the others use the newer double ship pier just up the road - and yes they do board two ships at a time. It will also cost you more for the transportation to that pier (the van service we used wanted 5.00 more to go there)

 

As others have mentioned the one person w/o a passport will not be able to travel into Canada from Skagway - that is OK there is lots to do without going into the Yukon.

 

You have found a good resource for cruising in Alaska - come back often as your research continues.

[JennyT]

Just a quick note on passports. I just booked a cruise (round trip Seattle) in September with HAL, and I was told I needed to get a passport for my son (adult). Even though Canada will accept a valid ID and birth certificate for ground or sea border crossings, HAL would not. You might want to check with the cruise line first so no one gets denied boarding in Seattle. That would be too sad!

[Illyria]

I understand that September is not the best time to go. Evidently the bugs are out then, which most say are very annoying.

It's likely to rain in September but no bugs, it's too late in the season for them. I was in Alaska last September, didn't see a single mosquito - and I was traveling inland (Denali).

[JennyT]

It's likely to rain in September but no bugs, it's too late in the season for them. I was in Alaska last September, didn't see a single mosquito - and I was traveling inland (Denali).

 

I'm SO VERY glad to hear that! Thank you. Rain I can deal with - but bugs are troublesome for me!

[Mrs.Gosse]

I might have missed it. Did anyone mention just getting the passport card which is way cheaper

[glorialagos]

I'm SO VERY glad to hear that! Thank you. Rain I can deal with - but bugs are troublesome for me!

 

Couldn't agree more!

 

All of you have been so helpful. I really appreciate all the help. I will definitely check on the passport situation before it gets too late to get one.

 

I have used Cruise Critic for many years. The wealth of information and the willingness to help out others, even when they are self-admitted "clueless" and have little desire, is so greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you all.

[Spunky946]

We did the 7 day out of Seattle on the Westerdam and went to Glacier bay and it was amazing. Alaska is a great place.

 

We were in between the one we did and the one that did Tracy arm and my father in law who has done both said we should do glacier bay and I'm so glad we did.

 

One of my favor shore excursions was in Ketchican and was the tour on the Aleutian ballad. The guys wer awesome and it was fun to see how they caught fish.

 

Hope you have a great time.

 

Oh and we travelled with passports and pretty sure you have to have one.

[Working 2 Cruise]

We are in a reverse position... my husband's the one who doesn't want to go to Alaska, but going, he is. We're going with the Crown Princess out of Seattle. It does go to Glacier Bay. In addition of getting a terrific fare, we got an upsell offer (upgrade for a small fee) to a balcony cabin. I'm thrilled!

 

My husband also doesn't have a passport... don't let the naysayers get to you. It's okay to go without one.

 

I hope you have a fantastic cruise!

[glorialagos]

I did check with HAL to make sure there was no problem with a passenger not having a passport. I knew he could board (well, I was pretty sure) but wanted to make sure he would be able to disembark at the Canada stop. I was told there were no ports and no excursions that would be excluded due to no passport.

 

As it stands, we will go with the one booked which is the Tracy Arm. Since we have never seen Glacier Bay, we will have no idea we are not seeing the "best" one and then when/if we take another, we will "upgrade" to Glacier Bay.

 

Again, I appreciate the help. I am sure this will be an awesome cruise even if it wasn't my first choice!