Alaska inside/OV and ship of choice?

[NOSaints1]

I feel like I'm gonna get a lot of heat for this, but what's your opinion on doing either stateroom to save money on one and spend on another. If you've done these staterooms how was it and was it worth it? What ship would you choose, we live outside of Toronto so you would think YVR would be our pick between Sea and YVR, for the ship, staterooms, dining, intenerary and price?

[dkjretired]

I feel like I'm gonna get a lot of heat for this, but what's your opinion on doing either stateroom to save money on one and spend on another. If you've done these staterooms how was it and was it worth it? What ship would you choose, we live outside of Toronto so you would think YVR would be our pick between Sea and YVR, for the ship, staterooms, dining, intenerary and price?

 

For the ship, do Solstice out of Seattle for the itinerary do one of the M class ships.

[NOSaints1]

What was your favourite about Alaska and was it easier sailing out of Sea or YVR?

[dkjretired]

Never sailed out of Vancouver but did out of Seattle. I enjoyed sailing up Icy Strait Point to Sawyer Glacier. Celebrity has a naturalist Brent Nixon on board who is phenomenal. He gives a running lecture during the trip put to Sawyer glacier, definitely be outside in a position where you can see both sides of the ship. When we got to Sawyer glacier we took an excursion by Catamaran off the ship which took us to other areas of Sawyer glacier that the ship could not go to. We also did some active excursions such as Zip lines, Duck Boats, etc.

[koolforkatz]

I would definitely pick the ship that sails out of Vancouver. If you sail out of Seattle you miss the inside passage which is stunning.

[NOSaints1]

Were not the type of people to dress up and don't drink, maybe on occasion do you find that on X that people tend to dress up more

[hapicruisin]

Have done 3 Alaskan cruises and was advised to book either inside or OV, mainly because one needs to move around the deck rather than be confined to a balcony. The views are too good to miss sitting on a balcony, unless one has trouble moving about with ease.

 

We have only been on M class ships to Alaska. All three trips were before S class ships came along. And all were a wonderful experience.

 

Have a great time whatever you decide.

 

Hapicruisin

[NOSaints1]

Which intenary did you pick and what Was your favourite

[sleepless]

Have done 3 Alaskan cruises and was advised to book either inside or OV, mainly because one needs to move around the deck rather than be confined to a balcony. The views are too good to miss sitting on a balcony, unless one has trouble moving about with ease.

 

We have only been on M class ships to Alaska. All three trips were before S class ships came along. And all were a wonderful experience.

 

Have a great time whatever you decide.

 

Hapicruisin

 

 

I would suggest a balcony. Yes, during the important viewing events I would recommend being on an outside upper deck so that you could get the full benefit of the views.

 

There is no rule that states that because you have a balcony, you need to be confined to your stateroom all day. You could be out and about most of the day taking in views from where ever you want to. However, with a balcony, you can see the views first thing in the morning, and last thing at night - in your pj's.

 

Also, for Alaska - what if it were raining? Would not be pleasant experience standing out in the cold rain. If you have a balcony, you could at least have some cover from the rain.

[hapicruisin]

I would suggest a balcony. Yes, during the important viewing events I would recommend being on an outside upper deck so that you could get the full benefit of the views.

 

There is no rule that states that because you have a balcony, you need to be confined to your stateroom all day. You could be out and about most of the day taking in views from where ever you want to. However, with a balcony, you can see the views first thing in the morning, and last thing at night - in your pj's.

 

Also, for Alaska - what if it were raining? Would not be pleasant experience standing out in the cold rain. If you have a balcony, you could at least have some cover from the rain.

 

The OP was asking about saving money. I answered her question. With the prices for Celebrity now, that is certainly the best way to go if one wants to save money .

 

Hapicruisin

[az_tchr]

Wow - an interesting thread.

 

Dressing up. Alaska cruises have always tended to have a younger more family group and more casual. That said I have never ever worn a tux on board a ship. I do wear a coat and tie going to specialty restaurant, just as I would do to a fine restaurant at home.

 

Which cruise - Absolutely no contest unless you can get on one of the 11 to 14 day cruises. Take Seward to Vancouver or vice versa. You get the inside passage and a whole day at Hubbard Glacier plus can spend a day in Seward - rent a house for a day or two and then explore Alaska in a car a bit on your own.

 

Seattle or Vancouver airports - no difference really except a couple companies offer good van service to the cruiseport.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I would get an Inside on Coral Princess, which sails from (or to) Vancouver and goes into Glacier Bay, which Celebrity doesn't do. Coral also does Hubbard Glacier, so you get all the best glaciers on one cruise. Also Coral has the most public viewing areas of any ship I know (full Promenade Deck plus public balconies fore and aft on several decks). And Whittier (the other end of the cruise) allows a small-boat trip to the glaciers in Prince William Sound. Alaska is all about the scenery, so even if you still feel Celebrity is a cut above Princess I would still argue for Coral Princess for this trip.

[NOSaints1]

What's special about Glacier Bay or Hubbard glacier? What's different about X and Princess for Alaska, what does each do differently beside the intenary or Naturalist?

[dkjretired]

Wow - an interesting thread.

 

Dressing up. Alaska cruises have always tended to have a younger more family group and more casual. That said I have never ever worn a tux on board a ship. I do wear a coat and tie going to specialty restaurant, just as I would do to a fine restaurant at home.

 

Which cruise - Absolutely no contest unless you can get on one of the 11 to 14 day cruises. Take Seward to Vancouver or vice versa. You get the inside passage and a whole day at Hubbard Glacier plus can spend a day in Seward - rent a house for a day or two and then explore Alaska in a car a bit on your own.

 

Seattle or Vancouver airports - no difference really except a couple companies offer good van service to the cruiseport.

 

And you have to think of packing since in Alaska you want to bring layered clothing. You could go to a glacier and it will be 35deg. and go into town a couple hours later and it is 70. Also, there can be loads of rain.

[NOSaints1]

What about on the ship, what do you normally wear around the ship. Is the dress code different?

[tangerinebunny]

Alaska is a port intensive cruise. We found that Celebrity cruisers tend to dress very casually and seem to go to their rooms early because most are tired from shore excursions.

 

And those shore excursions make or break a trip, imo. I'd save my money for that.

 

Glacier Bay is quite large and it's beautiful. Frankly, nothing compares as far as I'm concerned. Google some images and you'll see what we're talking about.

 

Solstice has a very popular naturalist. He provides a great deal of information (in, for me, a sometimes off putting too folksy manner). But I learned a lot from him. Our HAL cruises had naturalists but they weren't of the same caliber. Perhaps they've improved.

 

Don's right - Seattle for the 'luxury' ship experience, Vancouver for the Insde Passage.

 

Either way, it's a good cruise.

Edited December 21, 2015 by tangerinebunny

[NOSaints1]

How much do people spend on Shore Excursions, but we wouldn't do helicopter rides, just wouldn't be my DW thing.

[Host Jazzbeau]

If you do a land portion to Denali, it is absolutely worth it to take a flight seeing excursion to the mountain (best from Talkeetna, but also possible from Denali). [Not a helicopter, a small plane with skis that circles around the mountain and then lands on a glacier so you can have a snowball fight in July!] That was the high point of our entire trip. You can see some pictures via the link in my signature below. On the cruise itself, the best stuff is the view from the ship [free!]. But if you don't take a shore excursion, you will find most of the ports basically cold versions of the Caribbean [Diamonds International, EFFE, etc.]

Edited December 21, 2015 by Host Jazzbeau

[tangerinebunny]

Spending is so dependent on budget. We sometimes spend as much for shore excursions as we do the cruise, but that's not necessary in order to have a good time. Each time we fall into the trap of saying - perhaps we'll never make it back, so we go for Gold.

 

We did Solstice this summer. In Ketchikan we used a guide we found on tripadvisor.com. She's actually a native and gives great inexpensive tours around the area. She's Tracy Wolf and her tours are not expensive.

 

One year in Sitka on Westerdam we did an Allen Marine sea otter tour (through the ship) that was the highlight of that cruise. We think that ran about $100 each.

 

This year our Juneau whale watch was the best thing we've done. They were bubble feeding like crazy. That was a ship's excursion (again with Allen). We're not sure of that price, maybe around $100 each.

 

You can google prices or look at tripadvisor.

 

Flight seeing in Misty Fiords with Island Wings was the highlight of one trip. It runs about $200-250 a person.

 

I'd try to do at one special shore excursion. And read up on your ports since some, like Ketchikan and Sitka, are interesting on their own. I'd check out the ports and make that part of selecting the ship and route.

 

The Alaska board here is brimming with information. I learned a lot there.

[sleepless]

The OP was asking about saving money. I answered her question. With the prices for Celebrity now, that is certainly the best way to go if one wants to save money .

 

Hapicruisin

 

 

I recognize that the OP was asking about an inside vs ocean view. My comment was not directed to the OP, but to the reference of "being confined to a balcony" if one were to book a balcony cabin, in the statement I quoted. I simply stated that just because a person booked a balcony cabin, did not mean there were "confined to their balcony" cabin, and were free to roam the ship at their leisure. And, my statement still stands in reference to that situation.

[dkjretired]

How much do people spend on Shore Excursions, but we wouldn't do helicopter rides, just wouldn't be my DW thing.

 

Shore excursions in Alaska tend to be quite expensive. We did at least one per day and some day two, we were in excess of $1000 easily but they were well worth it.

[alcpa1]

Sailing south on Celebrity from Seward to Vancouver will place you in Hubbard Glacier in the afternoon when the morning fog has lifted. It is one of the true highlights of any Alaska cruise.

With your choice of inner cabin you will have more financial flexibility for the costly excursions.

Please study the Ports of Call boards for Alaska to get more detailed information about each port.

Once you book do join the Roll Call. Self booked excursions are abundant on the Roll Call for Alaska. Do note that some of the excursions need to be booked early particularly whale watching.

[NOSaints1]

Off topic where would you say X stands out? What would you recommend to a new X cruiser, your piece of advice. What deck is better

[WAVTAM]

To OP........If Canadian with Toronto address, I'm sure a direct flight to Vancouver would be much easier for you. Take Skytrain to Vancouver terminal. Jump on the Milly. See if you can swing a b2b cruise to end back in Vancouver.

We are from Portland OR and have done Alaska over 20+ times. Thou Elite plus , we always book a resident rate with inside room. (All the viewing is on deck.)

Very casual.

[LEtue]

Off topic where would you say X stands out? What would you recommend to a new X cruiser, your piece of advice. What deck is better

 

Seems you keep coming back to the cruise line. With all the great advise and posts on Cruise Critic I suggest you step back and read as much as you can before choosing. Look carefully at the itineraries (including time in ports) and what excursions you are interested in (this can be done by visiting the ports section or the cruise line websites).

 

Alaska is really about what is off the ship although good naturalists and on board lectures related to Alaska are a plus.

 

I never recommend a RT from Seattle either. I did that trip once with friends and it is just lacking in scenery and the port time in Ketchikan was too short. Transfers or train to and from Vancouver and easy or choose a one way trip as suggested.

 

I have booked an inside cabin on my last 2 trips and no longer spend any more money then I have to on a cabin. That way I have extra money in the budget for the adventures that I want to do :)