Bucket List : Alaska

[FireStation46]

This is in my retirement bucket list for 2019.

 

We have never been to Alaska and likely a once and done adventure.

 

A few questions on best time to cruise for either:

 

Whale watching or Nothern Lights? What seasons to go? I am leaning to northern kights, should I or go for thevwhale deal?

 

I love to hit the pool on cruises so does my Whale and or Nothern Lights limit that option?

 

 

Looks like we have to fly to Seattle from from the east coast. Not sure if adding extra days to see Seattle is worth it. I was in Portland once and not impressed

 

 

We are RCL and will stay with Celebrity. I see some cruise for 9 days, not sure if there are are longer Celberity cruises. No booking available for 2019 yet so your feedback is appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[Budget Queen]

You are looking at a round trip Seattle cruise? Although aurora is rare to see from cruise ships, you'd need to consider end of August and later. Depends on you if any interest in Seattle? I happen to enjoy the touring there. Perhaps take a look at a visitor guide and see what is offered?

[xlxo]

I'll add..... you want minimal daylight for the Northern Lights. Thus the last sailings of the season in September. However, September is the peak of the Alaskan wet season. So most nights are likely overcast.

 

Hmm..... not sure you want to be cruising the Alaskan ferry in December.

[FireStation46]

Thanks all. Sounds like Northern Lights are out due to weather potential issues. When does the whale watching period start? We want to maximize time around Alaska as this is a bucket list we can do 9 days to 2 week cruise if there are any. Flying across from NYC will be a pain. So, Seattle or some port in Alaska is fine but we are not too interested in seeing Seattle. I saw one return cruise map where you cruise way offshore to/from Alaska. I don't think there is much to see during that leg so , if possible, we would want to see more of the mountains etc. of Alaska in lieu of open ocean.

[Gardyloo]

If you want to see the northern lights there are places closer and easier to get to from NYC than Alaska. Take a midwinter break, even a long weekend, in Iceland with less time on the plane and more time on the ground than you'd have visiting Alaska.

 

If you have two weeks (or more) then a one-way cruise between Vancouver and Seward or Whittier (or v.v.) coupled with a week or more land touring southcentral and interior Alaska is the way to go. There are various whale chasing options during the cruise, or during day cruises around Prince William Sound, or if you want to spend extra time in the Vancouver/Seattle area there are numerous options to see orcas on day trips from Victoria, the San Juan Islands, or the Olympic Peninsula.

 

Generally, the words "pool" and "Alaska" don't go together in the same sentence. ;)

[FireStation46]

Got it thanks. We will non-pool Alaska:eek: as the state is in our bucket list. Iceland to Ireland is inexpensive out of JKF so we can stop in Iceland and stay to see the Northern lights when we think of going back to visit family in Ireland.

 

We will cuise, i don't see us doing much treking ashore in Alaska.

 

Alaska and Hawa'i are the bucket list.

 

Too much time at sea getting to and back from to Hawai'i so we will fly to the Big Island, see Pearl Harbor and take short flights to the other islands. I am not a fan of flying vs cruising but that us the way our bucket list has to go.:D

 

Thanks for your outline!

[mapleleaves]

if you want fewer sea days and only have one week for this trip, look at RT from Vancouver. Ships travel between Vancouver Island and the BC mainland so it's more scenic and generally calmer waters. Seattle departures travel on the west side of Vancouver Island so it's basically open ocean.

You can fly into Vancouver or you might find it cheaper to fly into SeaTac and take the scenic train to Vancouver. Vancouver is a beautiful city ... lots to see and do so well worth a day or 2 pre and post cruise.

[FireStation46]

if you want fewer sea days and only have one week for this trip, look at RT from Vancouver. Ships travel between Vancouver Island and the BC mainland so it's more scenic and generally calmer waters. Seattle departures travel on the west side of Vancouver Island so it's basically open ocean.

You can fly into Vancouver or you might find it cheaper to fly into SeaTac and take the scenic train to Vancouver. Vancouver is a beautiful city ... lots to see and do so well worth a day or 2 pre and post cruise.

Thanks, i will keep that in my notes.

Any 9+ day cruiese around Alaska you recommend. As a bucket list it is once and done but we dont want to be too brief.

What is SeaTac?

Visiting a Canadian city sounds good.

[mapleleaves]

SeaTac is Seattle's airport, about 3 hrs south of Vancouver. People often fly into Seatac, then travel by train, bus, or rental car to Vancouver.

There aren't as many RT Vancouver cruises to choose from. Have a look at past trip reports (posted above) to get some ideas. This was an unusual early season cruise, Vancouver - Seattle for 8 days:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2362618&goto=nextnewest

[epixx]

Thanks, i will keep that in my notes.

Any 9+ day cruiese around Alaska you recommend. As a bucket list it is once and done but we dont want to be too brief.

.

 

Yeah, I recommend HAL's 14 day round trip itinerary, which we did twice. As an added bonus for you, we pool people spent just about every day in the pool, because the ship had a retracting roof over the main pool.

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/details?webItineraryIdForAudit=A7L14Y&fromSearchVacation=true&guestsCount=2&voyageCode=A729&selectedMeta=Interior&shipId=AM

[Budget Queen]

 

We will cuise, i don't see us doing much treking ashore in Alaska.

 

Alaska and Hawa'i are the bucket list.

 

Too much time at sea getting to and back from to Hawai'i so we will fly to the Big Island, see Pearl Harbor and take short flights to the other islands. I am not a fan of flying vs cruising but that us the way our bucket list has to go.:D

 

Thanks for your outline!

 

Are you saying you aren't going to do any shore touring? Just sitting on the cruise ship?

 

NCL is the winner for Hawaii, 7 day round trip Honolulu cruise. Superb itinerary. I'm in Maui tomorrow, but when I go to Hawaii, I find my preference is to only do one inter Island flight, so to have time enjoying where you are. My trips are 3+ weeks if I do the cruise. This time I'm all landing touring.

[TheCalicoCat]

For a bucket list retirement cruise, unless you are getting Super Duper perks with Celebrity, you are unnecessarily limiting your Alaska Cruise experience...

 

The whales will be there all season long.

 

I second the opinion that going to Iceland would be a better Northern Lights option from NYC. (The odds of seeing them from a cruise ship in Alaska are low.)

[Sequim88]

(The odds of seeing them from a cruise ship in Alaska are low.)

Compounded by the next few years being at the solar minimum for activity.

 

Although the Vancouver routes are "inside" of Vancouver Is. and closer to shore on each side a lot of that transit happens at night when it is too dark to see anyway. So that "at sea" factor is minimized somewhat.

 

A lot of people (especially Alaskans) will say just doing SE isn't seeing the "real Alaska" but having done both SE will be impressive enough - especially if visiting Glacier Bay. Sitka and Skagway are the most history intensive (but generally mutually exclusive on itineraries, one or the other) and Skagway offers a chance to get a little into the interior via the train - a definite bucket list worthy excursion.

 

Seattle is well worth exploring and unlike Portland has Puget Sound waterfront as well as many more things to see and do. It was also the jumping off place for the Gold Rush which fits with a lot of the historical aspects of an Alaska cruise.

[smrtypnts]

Got it thanks. We will non-pool Alaska:eek: as the state is in our bucket list. Iceland to Ireland is inexpensive out of JKF so we can stop in Iceland and stay to see the Northern lights when we think of going back to visit family in Ireland.

 

We will cuise, i don't see us doing much treking ashore in Alaska.

 

Alaska and Hawa'i are the bucket list.

 

Too much time at sea getting to and back from to Hawai'i so we will fly to the Big Island, see Pearl Harbor and take short flights to the other islands. I am not a fan of flying vs cruising but that us the way our bucket list has to go.:D

 

Thanks for your outline!

 

We did Hawaii a few years ago. A) The Big Island is not the same Island as Pearl Harbor. We did a cruise and it was hands down the best way to go. NCL does a cruise around the islands. You fly into Ohau, pick up the cruise there and then spend 2 days in Maui, 2 days on the Big Island and 2 days in Kauai. We went in 3 days early and stayed 2 days afterwards so we got to see everything in Oahu as well (including but not limited to Pearl Harbor) It was great! I highly recommend it especially if you think you'll only go once. I too am from the NYC area.

 

As for Alaska--we opted for a one-way cruise with added land nights through Princess. We fly into Seattle spend a day and then fly up to Fairbanks where we begin our vacation. We pick up the cruise 3 days later in Whittier, spend 7 days...ending in Vancouver and then fly back to Seattle and spend a few more nights. (the Seattle part I wouldn't do except that my son moved there this past summer, so it's a chance for us to visit. Plus, we've already visited Seattle summer 2015 for a week.)

[FireStation46]

Are you saying you aren't going to do any shore touring? Just sitting on the cruise ship?

 

NCL is the winner for Hawaii, 7 day round trip Honolulu cruise. Superb itinerary. I'm in Maui tomorrow, but when I go to Hawaii, I find my preference is to only do one inter Island flight, so to have time enjoying where you are. My trips are 3+ weeks if I do the cruise. This time I'm all landing touring.

 

Correct, we are not for land excursions especially organized by a ship line, been disappointed with that in the past. Maybe with Viator but just one deal

 

Our next cruise we will stay aboard for Jamicia for example and would stay aboard if Nassau was on the agenda

 

I thought cruises had to start outside Hawai'i territory?

 

We don't want that long cruise from west coast to Hawai'i

 

We might try Alaska cruise if week one and fly to Hawai'i and island hop via plane

 

That would save schleping by plane account across the USA twice

[cruzeluvr]

FWIW, if you're interested, there is some excellent whale watching closer to home. We have gone whale watching in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, off the coast of Massachussetts, and saw a lot of whales. Several of them even came up alongside the boat. You can find a whale watching trip in the summer leaving from the Boston area.

[Budget Queen]

Correct, we are not for land excursions especially organized by a ship line, been disappointed with that in the past. Maybe with Viator but just one deal

 

Our next cruise we will stay aboard for Jamicia for example and would stay aboard if Nassau was on the agenda

 

I thought cruises had to start outside Hawai'i territory?

 

We don't want that long cruise from west coast to Hawai'i

 

We might try Alaska cruise if week one and fly to Hawai'i and island hop via plane

 

That would save schleping by plane account across the USA twice

 

No one is saying to use ship tours. There are hundreds of independent options. You are the one with the "bucket list" claim. sounds to me, like the bucket is going to be pretty empty. It' extremely minimal to just stay on a cruise ship.

 

As for Hawaii, being you are unaware, NCL has been sailing US registered ships for years, and offer the Pride of America round trip Honolulu Just a superb option. But again- this this port intensive, so, if your thinking of remaining on the ship and not doing anything. You will be staring at some pretty ugly working docks. Ships are in port all day and do most of the sailing at night.

[TheCalicoCat]

FWIW, if you're interested, there is some excellent whale watching closer to home. We have gone whale watching in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, off the coast of Massachussetts, and saw a lot of whales. Several of them even came up alongside the boat. You can find a whale watching trip in the summer leaving from the Boston area.

 

We did whale watching out of Newberryport (Sorry if spelled wrong.) & saw a lot of whales.

[FireStation46]

Thanks all! We prefer to relax aboard. Like to see the sight (mountains, glaciers, whales etc. ) from aboard ship. We can pass in schlepping inland. We dont get off at many ports on other cruises. Makes it fun to have less if a crowd aboard.

 

Simetimes, cacatiobs need to be less hectic!:D

[JT1962]

Thanks all! We prefer to relax aboard. Like to see the sight (mountains, glaciers, whales etc. ) from aboard ship. We can pass in schlepping inland. We dont get off at many ports on other cruises. Makes it fun to have less if a crowd aboard.

 

Simetimes, cacatiobs need to be less hectic!:D

Just curious what a "cacatiob" is.

 

Sent from my LGL31L using Forums mobile app

[NancyIL]

Thanks all! We prefer to relax aboard. Like to see the sight (mountains, glaciers, whales etc. ) from aboard ship. We can pass in schlepping inland. We dont get off at many ports on other cruises. Makes it fun to have less if a crowd aboard.

 

Simetimes, cacatiobs need to be less hectic!:D

Alaska cruises aren't like "other cruises"! It's your cruise and your money - but I can't imagine going all the way to Alaska just to "relax aboard" the ship. You can do that for a lot less money in the Caribbean.

 

By the way, I hadn't a clue what "cacatiobs" was until my autocorrect changed it to "vacations"! :D

[NancyIL]

Yeah, I recommend HAL's 14 day round trip itinerary, which we did twice. As an added bonus for you, we pool people spent just about every day in the pool, because the ship had a retracting roof over the main pool.

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/details?webItineraryIdForAudit=A7L14Y&fromSearchVacation=true&guestsCount=2&voyageCode=A729&selectedMeta=Interior&shipId=AM

I second this suggestion, as I also enjoyed HAL's 14-night Alaska cruise round trip from Seattle.

[NancyIL]

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Edited February 15, 2017 by NancyIL

[TheCalicoCat]

Thanks all! We prefer to relax aboard. Like to see the sight (mountains, glaciers, whales etc. ) from aboard ship. We can pass in schlepping inland. We dont get off at many ports on other cruises. Makes it fun to have less if a crowd aboard.

 

Simetimes, cacatiobs need to be less hectic!:D

 

 

I completely understand, we plan to just walk a little bit in Icy Strait Point & maybe just take the tram in Juneau, both of those plans are not given rave reviews, but we are also planning 2 flights, so we too need some relax & down time... (& cheap port time. :p)

 

 

Since you want less hectic, look into sailing Glacier Bay, it is a World Heritage Site for a reason. & it is guaranteed glacier viewing without anyone leaving the ship.

[FireStation46]

Thanks