First Time Alaska Cruise for Previous Cruiser

[Clarebear333]

Hi Everyone,

First time on this board. I've done several cruises, 2 with Royal Caribbean, 1 with Norwegian Cruise, and I want to take a cruise to Alaska either in the fall 2019 or next fall 2020. I'm not sure if I will be traveling solo, depends on costs. My fiance wants to see Denali State Park, and have been told that the Southbound cruises are a good deal, but don't know which to choose.. Not sure about which cruise line is best. I'm a foodie, and love amenities like comedy shows, movies, broadway, music, spa, gym, cooking lessons, wine tasting. My fiance wants to relax and enjoy the scenery.  I've checked out Princess, but beyond that not much more information about other cruise lines. It would be cool if Vancouver B.C. is on the itinerary.  Any cruise lines to avoid? All input about  Alaska is most welcome!

[Shmoo here]

16 minutes ago, Clarebear333 said:

Hi Everyone,

First time on this board. I've done several cruises, 2 with Royal Caribbean, 1 with Norwegian Cruise, and I want to take a cruise to Alaska either in the fall 2019 or next fall 2020. I'm not sure if I will be traveling solo, depends on costs. My fiance wants to see Denali State Park, and have been told that the Southbound cruises are a good deal, but don't know which to choose.. Not sure about which cruise line is best. I'm a foodie, and love amenities like comedy shows, movies, broadway, music, spa, gym, cooking lessons, wine tasting. My fiance wants to relax and enjoy the scenery.  I've checked out Princess, but beyond that not much more information about other cruise lines. It would be cool if Vancouver B.C. is on the itinerary.  Any cruise lines to avoid? All input about  Alaska is most welcome!

Holland America & Princess have been doing Alaska the longest, and, IMO, have the best itineraries.  There are other cruise lines that also visit Alaska, so you need to look at the itineraries and figure out what's important to you to see.

 

If you want to include a trip to Denali National Park, you might look into a cruise/tour.  That's a land package with a cruise.

 

I think that Princess might fit the bill best for you, at least entertainment-wise. HAL has recently scaled back a bit on their shows, limiting them to mostly individual entertainers and not any real production shows.  And I found the food on Princess, generally, to be better than what we've had on HAL.

Edited June 3, 2019 by Shmoo here

[Texas Tillie]

4 hours ago, Clarebear333 said:

Hi Everyone,

First time on this board. I've done several cruises, 2 with Royal Caribbean, 1 with Norwegian Cruise, and I want to take a cruise to Alaska either in the fall 2019 or next fall 2020. I'm not sure if I will be traveling solo, depends on costs. My fiance wants to see Denali State Park, and have been told that the Southbound cruises are a good deal, but don't know which to choose.. Not sure about which cruise line is best. I'm a foodie, and love amenities like comedy shows, movies, broadway, music, spa, gym, cooking lessons, wine tasting. My fiance wants to relax and enjoy the scenery.  I've checked out Princess, but beyond that not much more information about other cruise lines. It would be cool if Vancouver B.C. is on the itinerary.  Any cruise lines to avoid? All input about  Alaska is most welcome!

 

Also, you mentioned wanting to go in the fall. September is the end of the Alaska cruise season and historically that will not be the best time to go for the weather. Also, be aware that you can't be guaranteed of getting very far into Denali National Park until June 1 as they must prepare the road and it depends on when the snow melts.

[flamomo]

While there might be a bit of a greater chance for rain at the end of the AK cruising season, I think it's a good time to go. Most kiddos are back in school, so not hordes to them onboard (No, I'm not anti-kids!). Because it's toward the end of the season, many of the shops in the ports are trying to get rid of inventory, so better prices on souvenirs and etc., ports less crowded, cruise fares seem to be a bit more reasonable as compared to what they are the height of the AK cruise season.

I've gone twice in early September and will be going again this year then, and will pack a waterproof hooded windbreaker and a few items that I can layer with if it's chilly, as well as a few warmer weather items in case Mother Nature is in a good mood, to make sure all my bases are covered. Last September it was warm and very pleasant every day and NO rain at all. But this year could be entirely different. But then, I love AK for it's beauty, no matter what the weather is.

Keep looking at Princess. They have done AK for a long time and do AK very well! (JMHO, as a long time Princess cruiser!)

[Markanddonna]

Might I suggest you stay open to all the major cruiselines. Just because Princess and HAL have been in Alaska longer doesn't mean they do it better. The excursions on land are run by the same folks and the private ones are usually superior. For example, you could go whale watching in Juneau with four other people or be on a small ship with people jockeying positions to view the whales.  The later is a sad sight...

 

Be prepared for chillier weather and also look for ships that go to Glacier Bay if possible.

[Heidi13]

Suggest reading through the topics on the Alaska Board

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/33-alaska/

[geoherb]

Look for an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay. We did a 12-day Princess cruise tour several years ago and loved it. The other thing you want to be sure of is that you have time to take the Tundra Wilderness Tour while you're staying at the Denali lodge. Princess includes the Natural History Tour--but if there's time, you can upgrade. 

[Texas Tillie]

9 hours ago, geoherb said:

Look for an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay. We did a 12-day Princess cruise tour several years ago and loved it. The other thing you want to be sure of is that you have time to take the Tundra Wilderness Tour while you're staying at the Denali lodge. Princess includes the Natural History Tour--but if there's time, you can upgrade. 

 

Yes, you must do the Tundra Wilderness Tour, even if you must pay extra. If you don't it's questionable why you would even bother to go all the way to Denali.

[Sea Hag]

If you want to get farther into the park at Denali, you might consider the park shuttle instead of a cruiseline tour. http://www.alaska.org/detail/denali-park-shuttle-bus