Why anywhere else but Alaska?

[bkk1057]

Seeing how this forum is frequented by people who love Alaska, I have a question for you guys: why would anyone cruise to anywhere else but Alaska? Ports of call in places like the Caribbean and Mexico seem to me to be either fake cruise company beaches or touristy parts of a port town the interiors of which are inhabited by people living in less than ideal conditions. Hawaii maybe an exception except that it is expensive getting there and we would spend more time and money doing land tours than the cruise itself. The same goes for Europe or Australia. Alaska, for some reason seem to me to have the ideal mix of open sea time and port times. Just the phrase Inner Passage stirs something in my soul.

Part of my perspective comes from my having emigrated to the USA from a warm and tropical country. To me palm trees are not exotic, fjords and leaves changing color are. To add some context, I have been to only one RT cruise from Seattle to Alaska and am looking forward to going on a DIY land tour plus cruise in the near future. I will not offended if you tell me that I know nothing and that I am speaking out of turn. Thanks for listening.

[mek]

I love Alaska, but the cruise season there is short and I live in an area that has crappy winters, so I hate to give up too much of my nice summers for a cooler weather vacation. We travel more Oct - March and love going to the Caribbean or a warm weather destination during that time.

 

We're leaving next week for an Alaskan cruise tour, but that will probably be our last trip up there until I go up some year in March for the Iditarod. Just too many other places I want to go to keep going back to the same place.

[SilvertoGold]

Why, indeed! We LOVE Alaska and do the 14 day at least once a year, but.....

 

You might give the Antarctic a try. It is sensational and a more majestic experience than Alaska.

 

Europe doesn't have enough sea days for me, so we always do a Transatlantic as well. Wonderful ports, many very walkable and the small ports are a dream.

 

China, Korea and Japan show a completely different culture. Japan especially is a very lovely place with many easy to see ports.

 

South America, especially the west coast is a favourite, too, for the many small, interesting ports and a decent number of sea days. The Amazon is a sensational cruise and even for someone who doesn't like heat hugely worthwhile.

[diane.in.ny]

You might give the Antarctic a try. It is sensational and a more majestic experience than Alaska.

 

 

Having just returned from Alaska, and also done Antarctica, I agree with this statement but with Alaska being an extremely close second.

[portiemom]

I agree with you to an extent. DH wanted to cruise for years, but I wasn't interested. No interest in the Caribbean or Mexico, for sure. I don't want to go where its hot. Always wanted to go to Alaska, though. So we finally went on a cruise to Alaska. To my surprise, I loved the ship, too. Second cruise will also be Alaska.

 

But now my perspective is changing somewhat, and I can see myself getting hooked on cruising. Would consider seeing the Panama Canal on a cruise, and maybe other destinations, as well. Might even go to (horrors :p) the Caribbean, just to try it.:rolleyes: Because sailing there is easy from the east coast and the winters are long here. So maybe. Maybe.

 

But, yeah, I think cruising to Alaska will always be best.

[stargate fan]

Seeing how this forum is frequented by people who love Alaska, I have a question for you guys: why would anyone cruise to anywhere else but Alaska? Ports of call in places like the Caribbean and Mexico seem to me to be either fake cruise company beaches or touristy parts of a port town the interiors of which are inhabited by people living in less than ideal conditions. Hawaii maybe an exception except that it is expensive getting there and we would spend more time and money doing land tours than the cruise itself. The same goes for Europe or Australia. Alaska, for some reason seem to me to have the ideal mix of open sea time and port times. Just the phrase Inner Passage stirs something in my soul.

Part of my perspective comes from my having emigrated to the USA from a warm and tropical country. To me palm trees are not exotic, fjords and leaves changing color are. To add some context, I have been to only one RT cruise from Seattle to Alaska and am looking forward to going on a DIY land tour plus cruise in the near future. I will not offended if you tell me that I know nothing and that I am speaking out of turn. Thanks for listening.

 

We live in New England, where we experience cold and snow from late October to early April. (We hit -13F for a couple of days this year and had over 6 feet of snow fall, starting in late November.) Since we only have about 18 miles of coastline, and the ocean temps warm to a whopping 64F in mid-August, "fake cruise company beaches" are wonderful to us.

 

We watch Caribbean Life with longing, hoping that maybe some day we can permanently leave behind the "leaves changing color."

[Assateague Island Princes]

I'm a beach girl from way back - nothing finer than sun, sand and surf.....well, until 2006 when a group of friends sailing to Alaska drug me kicking and screaming onto the HAL Oosterdam for my very first cruise. Wow! That first trip all those years ago was all it took. All told, I've taken two 7-day cruises, three 14 day cruises, and one 17 day land only trip to Alaska, with a 12 day land only trip to AK planned for this September. I have NO desire to cruise anywhere else. Alaska has become my 'heart home' - it captured my soul from the first moment I laid eyes on the majestic scenery. Love it so much, that we're hoping to retire to the Homer area one day;).

 

Sure, I'm still a big fan of sun, sand and surf - we visit Assateague Island, MD for our vacations and many long weekend trips every year, and that will always continue - our family grew up camping in that area and we DO love it.....but, there is no interest in cruising to warm weather destinations. Nope, I lost my heart to Alaska and I'll keep going back to 'search for it' every chance I get:D.

[sherryf]

Good question! (See my cruise list in my signature! ;) )

 

If I was going to go somewhere tropical, I'd rather do an all-inclusive.

 

There are a few places I'd like to visit and would consider a cruise, such as Panama Canal and British Isles, but my budget and vacation time do not allow for those now, so I just keep going back to Alaska.

[Lois R]

Hi, I just sailed to Alaska and loved it but there are lots of places

I enjoy.:)...oh, it was my 4th cruise to Alaska:).

 

Not offended by your post at all.....everyone has likes and dislikes.

It is a big world out there with lots of places to visit that are not

fake. And there are also times I cruise for just a week of relaxtion

and the ship is my destination.:D

Edited June 9, 2015 by Lois R

[donaldsc]

Don't get me wrong - we have been to AK many times in different ways - large cruise ships, very small 50 passenger cruise ships, AK Marine Highway, and a 2 1/2 month driving trip. I have been there during the summer, during the fall for eagle photography, and during the winter for aurora photography. I have even driven the haul road out past Atigun Pass. I love the place. The only major place that we have not been to is out on the Aleutian Islands and would love to do that some day.

 

That said, Alaska has only maybe 8 or 10 major cruise ship destinations. Once you have been to Sitka 2 times or Homer once or Haines twice, you have basically done all that there is to do.

 

There are too many other places in the world that I have not been to for me to do an Alaska cruise over and over again some people do. The ships are essentially the same and are basically a big bus to get me to the places I want to see from the water or to the places on land I want to visit.

 

I just do not get that people will take multiple essentially identical cruises to anywhere - Alaska, the Caribbean or anywhere else in the world. We have a friend who has done a cruise through the Panama Canal at least 6 or 7 times because he does not like to fly from Florida to the West Coast. I don't get it.

 

DON

[Lois R]

I get it:)....there are times I want to cruise and can only afford

certain ones.....I love cruising for many reasons and one of them

is for a week of relaxation and pampering. I have done the Caribbean

many, many times......sometimes I don't even get off the ship. It

is so relaxing and I can just sit and watch the wake, eating, drinking,

not concerned with "real life" for a week......it is all good....same

itinerary or not.......;)

 

As for your friend who has done the Panama Canal numerous times?

I think it is great if it makes them happy:).....I get it.

[bonvoyagie]

I take cruise vacations as a treat - I have only done 4 since 02 - but three of them were to AK. I enjoy AK for the wildlife and ever-changing scenery - along with all of the things to do in port. I really have no desire to do a Caribbean cruise - I did one on the POA and found that the tropics are not my cup of tea. I will admit that packing was easier - swim trunks, tank tops shorts and sandals :D

 

Perhaps if I lived in a place that had harder winters, I might find the tropics more inviting - if even just for a week.

 

Meanwhile I am checking off my cruise destinations one at a time - next up will be another cool one - Canada and New England - this time I could not make up my mind on which one way to do - so I made it a 14 day RT :D

 

To the OP - I agree that AK is great :cool:

[diane.in.ny]

I am also a beach person but having just returned from out second cruise to Alaska (and our first land tour) I have to say this type of trip would be hard to beat.

 

Yes, give me a nice warm sandy beach but for scenery and wildlife, I think the only place that beat Alaska was our cruise to Antarctica.

 

Of course we were very lucky and beautiful sunny weather both trips. And as much as I'd love to return some time in the future, not sure I'd want to push my weather-luck. :D

[rpcv77]

I'm leaving for my first Alaska cruise on Saturday. I know it will be beautiful, but there is a whole world out there. I'm a former Pan Am flight attendant, as well as a former Peace Corps volunteer, so I have traveled extensively, but the world is like a buffet and I'm always ready to try more. Yes, Alaska will be wonderful, but I could never forsake the rest of the world.

[Pushka]

Clearly you need to experience the Mediterranean then.

[New2cruise1483]

This is a fair question. We just returned from an Alaskan cruise, and it is very beautiful, wild and rugged. However, for us anyway, it was very similar to the scenery we see at home everyday, except everything in Alaska is much bigger and has glaciers and whales, which we do not lol. We have similar wildlife ( deer, elk,moose, bears bobcats, Cougars and unfortunately, wolves ), and nice scenery. We actually enjoy the Caribbean a little more because it's something different for us, and change of scenery. We get to see and experience things there that we wouldn't get to here at home, such as beautiful sandy beaches, ocean waves and yes, we enjoy the palm trees lol. I'm not trying to take anything away from Alaska at all, I love how few people live on the outskirts of the towns, the jagged mountain peaks and unspoiled beauty of. I recommend anybody to go there at least once in their lifetime.We do get long, cold snowy winters here and very short summers, so for us, the Caribbean is a fun change of pace :D

Edited June 10, 2015 by New2cruise1483

[Greysandy]

I agree with Pushka - the Mediterranean is a must do.

 

Mexican Riviera - sucks just like you would expect

Alaska - amazing, so we are doing it again this year to see more ports on a 2 week cruise

Baltic - amazing destinations, ports are ugly though

Caribbean - fun and relaxing if you want beach time and snorkeling

Mediterranean - the absolute best cruise or vacation I have ever done! We got an amazing price after the Costa cruise ship sank and did 20 days. Pulling into each port is beautiful and rewarding in itself, so much to do, very few sea days so it is definitely an "active" vacation.

 

Sandy

[Gardyloo]

Well, it needn't be either beaches OR glaciers; a round-the-horn cruise in South America can offer both, e.g.

 

 

...followed by...

 

 

...and finally...

 

[mskaufman]

Clearly you need to experience the Mediterranean then.

 

Exactly. While I loved my Alaska cruise we also loved our two Med cruises. This year we are planning to try the Baltics.

[dividedsky]

So for those who love crusing to Alaska, what is the best time to go? Seems the months are limited for obvious reasons just wanted to get an idea of what the *prime* time to go is. Might have to put this on our radar once I can drag myself away from the Caribbean :D

[CrabbyPatti]

I love going to Alaska just got back in May from a 10 day cruise and would go again in a heartbeat! (if I was 20 years younger would seriously consider moving there) I have had 5 cruises to Alaska, 1 to Hawaii and hope to have many more to where ever I can afford! If you enjoy it return as often as you can! Or try a new destination. If I win the lotto I will go to Antarctica!:D

[Bruin Steve]

SERIOUSLY???

Look, Alaska is a nice cruise (and I'm leaving for one TOMORROW)...but it is NOWHERE near being the be-all and end-all of cruises...The scenery is outstanding...but, if you cruise for that kind of scenery, try Iceland sometimes..or New Zealand...or the Norwegian Fjords...

Past the scenery, Alaska can be a bit dull...not a lot of history, archaeology, art, culture, cuisine, architecture, etc. Every town is a repeat of the same tourist shops with the same t-shirts and ulu knives...

 

Look, we all cruise for different reasons...If glacial scenery and whale watching does it for you, maybe YOU look no further than Alaska...

 

For me, I'll do Alaska every now and then...and the Caribbean...and Mexico...and Australia /New Zealand...and Asia...and the Baltic...the British Isles...Norwegian Fjords...and the Med...There is so much to see all over...and each has its pluses and minuses...

 

But, to be completely on the level here, if I had to pick just ONE region to cruise, for ME, it's the Mediterranean...and Alaska isn't even close...

Why? History, Archaeology, Art, Architecture, culture, etc. And the ports vary so much from port to port on the same cruise....Big Ancient cities, small islands, Roman Empire, Greek Civilization, Biblical Israel, Egypt of the Pharaohs, Renaissance Art, Medieval fortresses, Castles, Palaces, Cathedrals, Museums...

 

IMHO, it is no contest...

Edited June 11, 2015 by Bruin Steve

[Budget Queen]

My experiences aren't typical. I do go to Alaska for several weeks every year. A cruise offers a wonderful experience with the scenic sailing days, then nice port stops added in. :) A great value with meals lodging and transportation. :)

 

But, I cruise often, and am diverse in my destinations. I find myself repeating my enjoyable areas, and realize I should be branching out more, but am quite happy as it is.

 

Last year, I traveled about 1/2 the year, with 10 weeks in Alaska, 3 in Europe, 2 cruises to Hawaii, 2 weeks New Orleans, South America cruise, I think 7 Caribbean Cruises?? the world is small when you don't pay for air. :)

 

I'm living in the fast lane and on borrowed time. :) :)

[diesel1973]

Never been on Alaska cruise but spend a lot of time up there. Started 15+ years ago snowmachining along Iditarod race for 2 weeks. I now spend 8 weeks there(2weeks winter,6 weeks summer)fishing. Just love it up there! I also try and do 2 week Car. cruise in spring,2 week European cruise in fall every year. Like the weather in Car.,history in Europe. Each area has its attractions.

[2red4u]

We cruised there the past 2 years and if I had my way we would live there. I'm kicking myself daily for discouraging my husband, when we newly married, to not pursing a law enforcement career there! BUT he is open to a summer cabin for retirement for us, at the right price.