please share Alaska Cruise tips

[simplelife]

DH and I along with another couple want to do an Alaska Cruise Summer 2018. Because of vacation schedules and geographic location, we are looking at a 7 day out of Seattle or Vancouver. Please share your recommendations and experiences with various lines. etc. Many thanks.

[xlxo]

Thoughts....

• Vancouver has lots of activities for a 3 or more day stay. $50 for a shuttle to Seattle. Have you considered flying into Vancouver for the cruise and then catching a shuttle to Seattle afterwards for sightseeing there. Then fly out from Seattle a few days later.
  
• Glacier Bay is a must include itinerary for many first time cruisers. Holland America and Princess offers the most sailings.
  
• for those with young kids.... Disney has the Wonder for Alaska.
  
• Summer? I recommend late July for dry weather and wildlife opportunities.
  

 

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[simplelife]

Thanks for the tips, especially the shuttle from Vancouver to Seattle. We won't have any kids along just two couples early fifties to mid sixties.

[rjgdjg]

Hi-

We did a roundtrip out of Seattle on Princess a few years ago and I highly recommend it:

 

* Getting to the port in Seattle was easy. Trip out of the port on the way to Alaska was gorgeous--snow capped mountains all the way

 

* One of Princess' specialties is Alaska, so it really did a great job. The highlight, as others have said, is Glacier Bay, which is a one-of-a-kind type of experience. It feels like another planet--remote, silent, eerie and altogether memorable with towering blue glaciers and seas dotted with ice

 

* We had a naturalist giving very interesting and informative lectures throughout the week, as well as narrating the trip through Glacier Bay over the PA. Other special shipboard events: the first female winner of the Iditarod gave a talk, a salmon buffet

 

* We stopped in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria--all excellent stops

 

It really was a terrific and very different kind of trip. Fyi, this was our first time on Princess (after just sailing with Celebrity and HAL) and we were so taken with the experience that we went on to cruise with Princess again and again. - Musing About Cruising

[tree.star]

I just got back from a 10 day Alaska cruise with Norwegian, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I would definitely sail with NCL again.

 

However, what I have learned is that the most important consideration for an Alaska cruise is itinerary. Almost all are likely to sail to Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria, but there are other stops along the way that might interest you. Since ours was a little longer than the typical 7 day, we also got stops in Sitka and Icy Strait Point, both of which I really enjoyed and would love to visit again. As already mentioned, Glacier Bay is a true highlight of the trip, so choosing a line and itinerary that goes there would be most important to me. Park rangers come on all of the cruise ships to give narration throughout the day.

 

You will also want to consider whether or not you want to just do a cruise or do a cruise and land tour combined.

 

For our cruise we sailed out of Vancouver and arrived in Seattle. This worked well for us because we really wanted to explore Vancouver, but airfare was much cheaper from Seattle. So, we got the best of both worlds. For a roundtrip, I would want to sail out of Vancouver again because it is really a great city to spend time in (and this is coming from someone who is NOT a city girl), and sailing through the Inside Passage is quite scenic.

 

Really, no matter what line you choose I don't think you can go wrong with an Alaska cruise. It's different from other cruises in that it's truly all about the ports, wildlife, and natural beauty around you, not so much about which amenities are available on your particular ship. We only had two days at sea, and we spent almost all of those out on the deck whale watching, so the ship's entertainment offerings made little impact on us! However one reason I would stick with NCL in the future is because I really like their freestyle dining, so if there is some particular aspect like that that is really important to you, of course take that into consideration.

[simplelife]

Thanks for the tips. Will we need to purchase excursions, or is there enough to see and do "for free"?

[tortoisegirl]

I think (good) excursions make a cruise into a real experience. Our best vacation memories are from excursions that get us a bit out of our element and have us really see the area. Just getting off the ship and walking around you don't really see much. For example, many stores are owned by cruise lines and sell the same stuff. There are some that are more affordable than others though. If you don't think you'll be back to Alaska, it may be worth it to save up for longer. Some folks recommend at least one splurge excursion.

 

Holland America and Princess have the most Alaska experience, Glacier Bay permits, and on ship naturalists. With a round trip out of Seattle or Vancouver you don't make it as far North, but they are more affordable and convenient. We live in Seattle so both Alaska cruises we've opted for round trip Seattle. Vancouver has a slightly better chance of smooth sailing (where the greatest chance is the sea day after leaving Seattle), but there is always the chance for rough seas, so you are better taking precautions either way.

 

If you can't afford June/July/August, I think May is a better choice than September (longer days, less chance of rain, etc, although both miss salmon/bear season). In addition to ports and prices and such, compare the times and hours in each port; sometimes there are big differences. Best wishes.

[TheCalicoCat]

DH and I along with another couple want to do an Alaska Cruise Summer 2018. Because of vacation schedules and geographic location, we are looking at a 7 day out of Seattle or Vancouver. Please share your recommendations and experiences with various lines. etc. Many thanks.

 

Choose an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay. (If there is an excursion to Tracy Arm - take it & book it well in advance. That tour regularly sells out.)

[Wishing on a star]

Thanks for the tips. Will we need to purchase excursions, or is there enough to see and do "for free"?

 

Just back.. Yes, definitely, the excursions really MAKE the trip.

That is what really gets you 'out there' to see Alaska!

 

You are getting some good advice here.

I would recommend a North or Southbound on Princess or HAL.

 

Glacier Bay should probably be a 'must' for a first time, or possibly 'only' cruise to Alaska.

 

We were able to see all the major sites/glaciers, EXCEPT Tracy Arm Fjord on our Southbound itinerary.

[kjpabl]

If you can - I highly recommend the Volendam Glacier Bay Cruise for several reasons. Vancouver is a wonderful city to spend some time n Pre or Past Cruise. The main advantage (I feel) is that the Volendam departs on a Wednesday which means few other cruise ships are in port with you at Juneau, Ketchikan or Skagway. Many find it expensive to fly into Vancouver, so fly into Seattle and if you possibly can take the Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver. The trip is relaxing and the scenery is wonderful. It's not expensive to take a cab from the station in Vancouver to a hotel (if you have time for a few days sightseeing) or to the Cruise terminal. If time is limited I would suggest taking the train up at least 1 day prior to the cruise. Vancouver is definitely worth the time!! Use the cruise transfers to return to Seattle and fly home. You'll love Alaska! I know I can't wait to return.

[Alberta Quilter]

I recommend cruising from Vancouver because the ship sails through the Canadian Inside Passage which is stunning. Cruises departing from Seattle cruise on the west side of Vancouver Island and have little scenery compared to the Vancouver departures.

 

The other thing that I highly recommend is that even if you book a verandah cabin, go out on the top most deck of the ship and take in the views! If you stay on your verandah , you will only see the views from that side of the ship. In Alaska, one needs to get out and about the outside decks to see the spectacular views.

[bkerber]

Just returned last night from Alaska cruise on Carnival. It was stunning. We booked a private whale watching tour in Juneau which was great and we rented a car in Skagway and drove to Emerald Lake. There were sooo many places to stop and take pictures and we saw the tour buses and vans just drive by. I do agree that from Seattle to Juneau on our sea day was a bit of a waste of time however for us having points on Southwest, flying in to Seattle was our option. We did see Glacier Bay and it was magnificent. Saw many many whales from our balcony on the way up and back. The naturalist is really great letting you know what areas to look. If you have any specific questions, just ask.

On a side note, we had NO rain the entire trip. We got very lucky

Edited June 1, 2016 by bkerber

[lawgirl86]

We sailed last week out of Vancouver on Norwegian. I was hesitant to book a round trip that included Tracy Arm rather than a one way, but it turned out to be a perfect cruise and we wouldn't have picked anything different!

[rnrcruzin]

You are getting some really good advice. An Alaskan cruise is pretty laid back. So dressing to the nine's is not required. When you go on your excursions you want to dress in layers. Smartwool is your friend. Have a good rain jacket as your outer layer. Get a good set of binoculars - there's lots of postings here to help with that. Don't worry about port side or starboard side of the ship. You want to be outside.

 

Hope this helps.

[VennDiagram]

Thanks for the tips. Will we need to purchase excursions, or is there enough to see and do "for free"?

 

If you can afford excursions, definitely consider them. (Excursions in Ala$ka can be $pendy, so you may need to really think about which one or ones you want to do.) Every port has low-cost alternatives. Only you can decide if that will be the "Alaska experience" that you want.

 

My DH's favorite time on shore in Alaska was playing with the dogs we met. Different strokes for different folks, whatever floats your boat, your mileage may vary....

 

I've taken several trips to Alaska and usually do a mix. It really depends on what is important to you. For me, a whale watch is a necessity. Those aren't free :) But then, I can have a lovely day finding an easy hike, or a self-guided walk in another port.

[WWWLJZ]

Is this a plane or car shuttle.

[Glaciers]

Thanks for the tips. Will we need to purchase excursions, or is there enough to see and do "for free"?

 

Check out your ship excursions. A rental car can be a bargain and many of those ship excursions can be done with a rental on your own. There are certainly many that can’t be done on your own but there’s enough to do in each port without spending a lot of money. In addition to looking at the ship excursions, go to TripAdvisor and see what activities there are in each port and which ones are highly rated.

 

In Ketchikan the city bus is $1. It goes to both Totem Bight and Saxman Village. We leave next week and looking at what our line offers, its $180 per person to do both venues on two separate excursions.

 

It takes more work to plan a DIY but there can be big savings and it actually adds flexibility to go where and when you want. Also, you may regret it if you don’t do some organized tours that you can’t do on your own, the point is that there is always enough to do in port without spending a ton of money.

 

Whatever you decide, try to get out of town. Few of the cruise ports are those quaint fishing villages we used to have 20+ years ago. They’re filled with tourist retail shops that have nothing to do with the real Alaska you see in brochures, unless you’re looking at a Diamonds International brochure.

[atc1344]

Some very interesting advice here. Hope you don't mind if i ask some questions too

 

I've just booked a 7 day Oceania Alaska cruise for 30 June 17 which has a bit of a different itinerary than what seems usual. We are visiting Ketchikan, Sitka and Prince Rupert BC and cruising Tracy Arm and Sawyer glacier. The sole reason for booking this was to tie in with an 11 day Rockies self drive tour from Calgary to Vancouver so the timing was just right.

 

I've already booked the Misty Fjords floatplane with Island Wings as that seems too good to miss. Also want to do a whale watch trip and from what I've read Prince Rupert seems to be a good choice for this, but there's very little excursions that i can find. Anyone have any experience of this or can suggest an alternative for a whale watch excursion.

 

There was a comment above about Inside Passage cruising from Vancouver and if you depart from Seattle you go west of Vancouver Island. Is this still classed as inside passage as my itinerary shows inside passage cruising but we depart from Seattle. Apologies for my geographical ignorance, I am from Wales and have no experience of this part of N America.

Thank you for any advice you can provide

John

Edited June 3, 2016 by atc1344

[jimsig]

Some very interesting advice here. Hope you don't mind if i ask some questions too

 

I've just booked a 7 day Oceania Alaska cruise for 30 June 17 which has a bit of a different itinerary than what seems usual. We are visiting Ketchikan, Sitka and Prince Rupert BC and cruising Tracy Arm and Sawyer glacier. The sole reason for booking this was to tie in with an 11 day Rockies self drive tour from Calgary to Vancouver so the timing was just right.......

 

......There was a comment above about Inside Passage cruising from Vancouver and if you depart from Seattle you go west of Vancouver Island. Is this still classed as inside passage as my itinerary shows inside passage cruising but we depart from Seattle. Apologies for my geographical ignorance, I am from Wales and have no experience of this part of N America.

Thank you for any advice you can provide

John

 

Most if not all cruises to/from Seattle go west of Vancouver Island and those going to/from Vancouver go east of the island. However geographically the Inside Passage does include Alaska. So going to those Alaskan ports you mentioned you are cruising the Inside Passage.

 

Hope that helps

Edited June 3, 2016 by jimsig

[Ravekid]

My wife and I's cruise is just around the corner, our first to Alaska. From everything I researched, Alaska cruises are mostly about sightseeing and/or activities. I'm an explorer, where as my wife could just sit somewhere and relax for hours. With that, I can't stand too many days at sea unless the ship offers numerous free or low-cost options on board. We aren't into shows, or gambling, so we focus on fitness centers, pools, and other fitness type things (rock climbing walls, water slides, surf pools, etc.).

 

With all that, I wanted a ship that visited the most places, one way (we are doing our own land vacation afterwards), in our price range. I found that Royal and Norwegian both visit Icy Strait Point where other cruise ships skipped it and had a third day at sea.

Edited June 3, 2016 by Ravekid

[Bimmie Girl]

We sail in August and I started reading these boards a couple years ago trying to decide how to plan our Alaska cruise. I am going to mention a few things I gathered from my notes when reading about planning.

 

1) Port side for South bound and Starboard for North bound.

2) balcony closest to the water. want to be closer to the wildlife in the water. We chose deck 7 on Princess because not only did they just install these cabins, aft, during the refurbishing, but it is also the deck that is called Promenade and has a large outside deck where some of the naturalist will be giving talks, so we will get to them quickly, plus it increases out balcony views tremendously on that outside deck.

3) All cruise lines give a great Alaskan experience, but Princess has won more awards than any other and for the land portion (if you do that) they have many lodges associated with them.

 

there is so much great advice on this forum, you can't go wrong with whatever you do. enjoy your planning.

[tree.star]

My wife and I's cruise is just around the corner, our first to Alaska. From everything I researched, Alaska cruises are mostly about sightseeing and/or activities. I'm an explorer, where as my wife could just sit somewhere and relax for hours. With that, I can't stand too many days at sea unless the ship offers numerous free or low-cost options on board. We aren't into shows, or gambling, so we focus on fitness centers, pools, and other fitness type things (rock climbing walls, water slides, surf pools, etc.).

 

With all that, I wanted a ship that visited the most places, one way (we are doing our own land vacation afterwards), in our price range. I found that Royal and Norwegian both visit Icy Strait Point where other cruise ships skipped it and had a third day at sea.

 

Icy Strait Point was one of my favorite stops. It had a good museum, short rainforest walk, and the best whale watching I have ever seen - and we weren't even on a whale watching excursion, this was just from the cruise ship and walking along the waterfront! I also saw a kayak excursion that looked good, nice calm waters and up close to marine life. You will have a great time!

[Ravekid]

Icy Strait Point was one of my favorite stops. It had a good museum, short rainforest walk, and the best whale watching I have ever seen - and we weren't even on a whale watching excursion, this was just from the cruise ship and walking along the waterfront! I also saw a kayak excursion that looked good, nice calm waters and up close to marine life. You will have a great time!

 

Good to hear. I know ISP is somewhat of a stop that is being developed, or has been in recent years (from what I've read on-line). I know there are some trails but it seemed mostly geared toward getting people to spend money on non-shore excursion things anyway. I know they have a zip line which I might do depending on the price. Thanks for your information.

[martincath]

Is this a plane or car shuttle.

Neither - it's a bus (and a bus without WiFi, unlike Greyhound or Bolt). QuickShuttle does offer point-to-point convenience, but unless you're traveling solo it's cheaper to take a cab on both ends from airport/ship to bus station and bus station to airport/ship and use Bolt or Greyhound (or even better, Amtrak train if the times work for you - only two a day, early and late).

[Tom Paige]

Some very interesting advice here. Hope you don't mind if i ask some questions too

 

I've just booked a 7 day Oceania Alaska cruise for 30 June 17 which has a bit of a different itinerary than what seems usual. We are visiting Ketchikan, Sitka and Prince Rupert BC and cruising Tracy Arm and Sawyer glacier. The sole reason for booking this was to tie in with an 11 day Rockies self drive tour from Calgary to Vancouver so the timing was just right.

 

I've already booked the Misty Fjords floatplane with Island Wings as that seems too good to miss. Also want to do a whale watch trip and from what I've read Prince Rupert seems to be a good choice for this, but there's very little excursions that i can find. Anyone have any experience of this or can suggest an alternative for a whale watch excursion.

 

There was a comment above about Inside Passage cruising from Vancouver and if you depart from Seattle you go west of Vancouver Island. Is this still classed as inside passage as my itinerary shows inside passage cruising but we depart from Seattle. Apologies for my geographical ignorance, I am from Wales and have no experience of this part of N America.

Thank you for any advice you can provide

John

 

You will not be disappointed that you booked your flightseeing thru Island Wings. My wife and I flew with Michelle during our first Alaska cruise in 2014. She is a wonderful human being and a great pilot. Our glacial lake landing was beautiful. I even got pictures of another float plane taking off. Michelle's assistant Shona suggested a salmon fishing charter with a local captain while in Ketchikan on our upcoming cruise.

 

If you are in Juneau plan to eat at Tracy's Crab Shack. It's pricey but the food is delicious. As I remember, it's up the street from The Red Dog Saloon.

 

If in Icy Strait Point check out Misty Bay Lodge for either a whale watching or wildlife excursion. Owners Hope and Captain Dave gave us the thrill of a lifetime.

 

Enjoy and let me know how your cruise went. Happy Sails to You!!

 

Best regards,

 

Tom