Inside or OV for Alaska and what ship would you pick

[NOSaints1]

Why is a north or south better than a RT? Is it more of the scenery than anything elsewhere

[NOSaints1]

Else?

[AryMay]

Why is a north or south better than a RT? Is it more of the scenery than anything elsewhere

 

Obviously you will see more on a one-way cruise than a round trip. One other reason is the route that the ships take. Compare the maps of a one-way cruise (north or south) to that of a RT from Seattle.

 

 

 

Cruises that leave from Seattle go on the outside of Vancouver Island, one-way cruises (or those that are RT from Vancouver) go between Vancouver Island and the mainland. Much more to see when sailing so close to land and calmer waters.

 

I know most posters on this thread are suggesting an inside cabin to save money, but when I realized that the ship sails so close to land, I was glad we had a balcony. I enjoyed the passing scenery from the cabin (both from inside and on the balcony) from the time I opened my eyes at morning until we fell into bed at night. There is no way I would have seen so much if I had to be up on deck for a view.

 

Here is a photo I took of the reflection in our balcony door...shows just how close we were sailing to the shore.

 

 

And one more of my DH on the balcony around midnight...still enough daylight to enjoy the view!!

 

 

If an inside cabin is the only way you can afford to do an Alaska cruise, then by all means do it. For us, we considered the additional cost of the balcony almost like paying for an excursion. On our north-bound route, we had 3 full days of "scenic cruising" and we took full advantage of the balcony.

[Morgsmom]

Thank you for the pics; my DH would be crazy if I posted a picture of him shirtless... (then again, you might not want to see it! :rolleyes:)

[NOSaints1]

My DW is on disability and I'm the only one who works, is it cheaper to go from Alaska, to BC or vice versa.

[AryMay]

Thank you for the pics; my DH would be crazy if I posted a picture of him shirtless... (then again, you might not want to see it! :rolleyes:)

 

The trick is that he doesn't KNOW that I posted the picture!! ;)

 

If you (or anyone else following this thread) want to get an idea of how spectacular an Alaska cruise really is, check out my blog. I have posted a TON of photos that show off the natural beauty of Alaska. Here is the link to the blog:

 

My Souvenir Memories Blog (Alaska cruise posts)

 

My DW is on disability and I'm the only one who works, is it cheaper to go from Alaska, to BC or vice versa.

 

The northbound cruises tend to be a bit cheaper, but it depends more on when you go. The early summer and late summer cruises are slightly less. We chose to go north because the scenery just keeps getting more spectacular as you go. BUT...the downside is that then you have the really long flight home from Alaska at the end. Most of the flights out of Anchorage leave around midnight which makes for an exhausting end to your vacation.

 

A southbound cruise would let you get the long flight over with at the beginning. If you are going to add any days for a land vacation in Alaska then you need to decide if you want to do that first or last and then book the cruise accordingly.

[schlogee]

I thought the balcony was completely worth it for Alaska. Like AryMay said - you are soooo close to the scenery its nice to be able to just relax on your own deck and enjoy it. Plus you're closer to the surface of the water, so we saw sea otters and seals from a much closer view than you would from the top! I rode in to Glacier Bay up top to get the 360 view, but all the people crowding around and holding their giant ipads in the air to take pictures was extremely annoying and blocking the view (seriously, if you're going on an Alaskan cruise you can't bring a real camera?!). When you're at the major glaciers the ship turns and spends equal time on each side, so the view from the balcony is so much nicer! Plus the sound the glaciers make when they are cracking and breaking apart is amazing - I don't think you would hear it as well with all the people around.

[CalLuvsCrusingToo]

We did Alaska, Vancouver RT late May this year, OV cabin.

There was a Big Price JUMP from OV to Balcony, so we took OV & it was Fine.

Weather was 70 degrees.

It was cooler on the ship cruising, than it was onshore.

We didn't need jackets.

 

If there is a big disparity in Price between OV & Balcony? Take OV.

 

Doubt I would go Inside, because I would want at least a window.

 

For me, I didn't mind a window for Alaska cuz we were up on deck so much.

 

We are going again mid-May 2016, RT Seattle, OV again. And saved alot of money NOT getting Balcony.

[hllwdcruiser]

I cast another vote for the Coral. Take a look at aft cabins E732 or E733 for an amazing OV - two steps and you are on an outside viewing deck that are rarely used by other passengers. I believe the same holds true for B728 and B731. The aft interiors on Baja, Caribe, Dolphin and Emerald also offer the easy access to the viewing decks.

 

The interior staterooms all the way forward afford you just as easy access to the forward viewing decks.

 

However, I also cast another vote for a balcony. We were on a southbound voyage of the glaciers and were in Cabin E736. (Northbound - E737) When available, we listened to the naturalist through the TV while we were in our cabin and would dash outside whenever anything exciting was spotted. I absolutely loved that stateroom and wouldn't hesitate to book it again.

[denatravels]

Glad to hear people are rating the coral high-- I was on the star for a cruisetour and recently cancelled for the coral with a different land tour.

[donswife]

We had a stern facing balcony on our last Alaska cruise (deck 4 on the Westerdam), and I spent hours out there with my binoculars watching wildlife and the wake. It was worth it to me.

[SadieN]

My DW is on disability and I'm the only one who works, is it cheaper to go from Alaska, to BC or vice versa.

 

 

Need to add in all costs, including hotel the night before.

[cruzsnooze]

I wouldn't sail in an inside stateroom, I'd rather stay home, that is my opinion YMMV.