Alaska Cruise Or Not?

[Harley52]

We already cruised the Norwegian fjords but now looking forward to the Alaska cruise on Cunard Line.  Maybe it will be disappointing for us as we live in Newfoundland and Labrador and having icebergs, moose and eagles in our backyard.   Are we wasting our money?  What will we see in Alaska that we didn't see in Norway or don't see in Newfoundland and Labrador.  Comments please.  Thank you

[Shmoo here]

12 minutes ago, Harley52 said:

What will we see in Alaska that we didn't see in Norway or don't see in Newfoundland and Labrador

Alaska. 

 

I don't find it disappointing to visit places I've never been, even if it's supposed to be the "same" as where I live.  Every place is different.

[Harley52]

Just now, Shmoo here said:

Alaska. 

 

I don't find it disappointing to visit places I've never been, even if it's supposed to be the "same" as where I live.  Every place is different.

Thank you for the prompt response.  I value your comment.

[clo]

Wow, so you've already booked that Alaska cruise?  Considering where you live and the Norwegian fjords I wouldn't go to be honest.  If you go to Alaska I'd do land tours.  Our experience (just one I admit) was that the ports are small towns and a cruise ship just overwhelms them.  I didn't feel any local 'flavor.'  But we did a side trip to Denali and that was incredible.  We did a Norwegian coastal cruise in March on a small Hurtigruten ship and we adored that.  Here's a photo.  Just my (never) humble opinion.

[Harley52]

8 minutes ago, clo said:

Wow, so you've already booked that Alaska cruise?  Considering where you live and the Norwegian fjords I wouldn't go to be honest.  If you go to Alaska I'd do land tours.  Our experience (just one I admit) was that the ports are small towns and a cruise ship just overwhelms them.  I didn't feel any local 'flavor.'  But we did a side trip to Denali and that was incredible.  We did a Norwegian coastal cruise in March on a small Hurtigruten ship and we adored that.  Here's a photo.  Just my (never) humble opinion.

Thanks for your prompt response, I value your opinion.  Did you do the 7 or 14 day cruise on the Hurtigruten out of Bergen?  What ship were you on?  Thanks again...

[DRS/NC]

I've cruised in Alaska 4 x & plan to go again in 2020.  I did a 15-day cruise in Norway (beyond the Arctic Circle) in 2018. Norway was beautiful, but I find Alaska more majestic!  The mts. are higher, more rugged, more commanding.  I enjoyed Norway, but I have no urge to return.  Alaska, however, calls me back.

 

I haven't been to Newfoundland yet; I'll be there in Sept.  I'm really looking forward to that visit.

[clo]

44 minutes ago, Harley52 said:

Thanks for your prompt response, I value your opinion.  Did you do the 7 or 14 day cruise on the Hurtigruten out of Bergen?  What ship were you on?  Thanks again...

We did the roundtrip, Bergen to Kirkenes and back.  We were on Lofoten, only about 100 pax.  They have day passengers and cargo.  Some of their larger ships take cars on also.  Here's the part of CC that covers Hurtigruten:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/663-hurtigruten/

We loved it so much that we're doing the northbound only next spring in conjunction with other Scandinavian 'stuff.' 🙂  

Here's a photo that to me expresses the  sense of this ship.

 

[clo]

5 minutes ago, DRS/NC said:

I've cruised in Alaska 4 x & plan to go again in 2020.  I did a 15-day cruise in Norway (beyond the Arctic Circle) in 2018. Norway was beautiful, but I find Alaska more majestic!  The mts. are higher, more rugged, more commanding.  I enjoyed Norway, but I have no urge to return.  Alaska, however, calls me back.

 

I haven't been to Newfoundland yet; I'll be there in Sept.  I'm really looking forward to that visit.

Were you off on land tours?  I agree with you if so.  I just found the ports so crowded.

[Texas Tillie]

My experience with 5 Alaska cruises and one Norwegian  (all the way up to Nordkapp and back down to Bergen with about 5 or 6 stops) is that they are totally different experiences. I have been to western Newfoundland (Corner Brook) in the early fall and didn't see anything there remotely resembling Alaska, but eastern Newfoundland might be different. I always suggest combining a cruise with a land trip, going at least as far north in Alaska as Denali National Park.

[Texas Tillie]

2 hours ago, clo said:

Wow, so you've already booked that Alaska cruise?  Considering where you live and the Norwegian fjords I wouldn't go to be honest.  If you go to Alaska I'd do land tours.  Our experience (just one I admit) was that the ports are small towns and a cruise ship just overwhelms them.  I didn't feel any local 'flavor.'  But we did a side trip to Denali and that was incredible.  We did a Norwegian coastal cruise in March on a small Hurtigruten ship and we adored that.  Here's a photo.  Just my (never) humble opinion.

 

If you didn't get out of the towns on your Alaska cruise, why did you even bother going? You've got to go to Misty Fjord (float plane preferably, but also boat excursions) out of Ketchikan, a whale watching excursion out of Juneau, the White Pass Railroad out of Skagway. Yes, you can see some wonderful scenery from the cruise ship between ports, but there is so much to see and do in the ports if you drag yourself away from the jewelry and tee shirt shops.

[clo]

2 minutes ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

If you didn't get out of the towns on your Alaska cruise, why did you even bother going? You've got to go to Misty Fjord (float plane preferably, but also boat excursions) out of Ketchikan, a whale watching excursion out of Juneau, the White Pass Railroad out of Skagway. Yes, you can see some wonderful scenery from the cruise ship between ports, but there is so much to see and do in the ports if you drag yourself away from the jewelry and tee shirt shops.

If we went back to Alaska I think we'd fly in 'somewhere' and take the Alaska State Ferry.  And then do on and off.  Those ports were so ...oh, dang, I'll say it...insanely overbooked .  Of the few cruises we've done I'd say the Alaska one was the most disappointing.

[clo]

8 minutes ago, Texas Tillie said:

If you didn't get out of the towns on your Alaska cruise, why did you even bother going?

You hit the nail on the head.  Travel in Alaska but not on a cruise would be my recommendation.  If we return, as I mentioned, we'd likely do the Alaska State Ferry and get one and off.

[Shmoo here]

17 minutes ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

If you didn't get out of the towns on your Alaska cruise, why did you even bother going? You've got to go to Misty Fjord (float plane preferably, but also boat excursions) out of Ketchikan, a whale watching excursion out of Juneau, the White Pass Railroad out of Skagway. Yes, you can see some wonderful scenery from the cruise ship between ports, but there is so much to see and do in the ports if you drag yourself away from the jewelry and tee shirt shops.

It's possible that's all some people can do.

 

Our first cruise was just a 7 night round trip out of Vancouver.  We picked that because I was sure I'd never "do" Alaska again, and it included both Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay.

 

I was wrong.

 

Then we did a 19 night cruise/tour that included the Yukon.  And last summer we did a 2 month RV trip through Alaska, British Columbia, and the Yukon.

 

You never know.  Some people just want to be able to say "I've been to Alaska" and are good with that.  Their choice and I'm not going to judge them for it.

 

 

[clo]

20 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

It's possible that's all some people can do.

 

Our first cruise was just a 7 night round trip out of Vancouver.  We picked that because I was sure I'd never "do" Alaska again, and it included both Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay.

 

I was wrong.

 

Then we did a 19 night cruise/tour that included the Yukon.  And last summer we did a 2 month RV trip through Alaska, British Columbia, andYour the Yukon.

 

You never know.  Some people just want to be able to say "I've been to Alaska" and are good with that.  Their choice and I'm not going to judge them for it.

 

 

Your trip sounds glorious.

[yorkshirephil]

We recently cruised Alaska on Cunard Queen Elizabeth, we had a brilliant cruise and visited some amazing places and will be going back. The scenery is amazing plus we love whale watching and were very lucky with sightings, We really enjoyed the ports visited as we thought they were a good mix of small cities while being in the wilderness. We have cruised the Fjords several times and still love it, it is also very convenient for us in the UK. We will be visiting Newfoundland and Canada's east coast in September.

[Harley52]

10 hours ago, DRS/NC said:

I've cruised in Alaska 4 x & plan to go again in 2020.  I did a 15-day cruise in Norway (beyond the Arctic Circle) in 2018. Norway was beautiful, but I find Alaska more majestic!  The mts. are higher, more rugged, more commanding.  I enjoyed Norway, but I have no urge to return.  Alaska, however, calls me back.

 

I haven't been to Newfoundland yet; I'll be there in Sept.  I'm really looking forward to that visit.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my comment, it is greatly appreciated and I value your opinion.  Fair winds and following seas.

[Harley52]

8 hours ago, clo said:

Your trip sounds glorious.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my comment, it is greatly appreciated and I value your opinion.  Fair winds and following seas.

[Harley52]

8 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

It's possible that's all some people can do.

 

Our first cruise was just a 7 night round trip out of Vancouver.  We picked that because I was sure I'd never "do" Alaska again, and it included both Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay.

 

I was wrong.

 

Then we did a 19 night cruise/tour that included the Yukon.  And last summer we did a 2 month RV trip through Alaska, British Columbia, and the Yukon.

 

You never know.  Some people just want to be able to say "I've been to Alaska" and are good with that.  Their choice and I'm not going to judge them for it.

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my comment, it is greatly appreciated and I value your opinion.  Fair winds and following seas.

[Harley52]

51 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

We recently cruised Alaska on Cunard Queen Elizabeth, we had a brilliant cruise and visited some amazing places and will be going back. The scenery is amazing plus we love whale watching and were very lucky with sightings, We really enjoyed the ports visited as we thought they were a good mix of small cities while being in the wilderness. We have cruised the Fjords several times and still love it, it is also very convenient for us in the UK. We will be visiting Newfoundland and Canada's east coast in September.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my comment, it is greatly appreciated and I value your opinion.  Fair winds and following seas.

[Heidi13]

Have completed 2 full seasons working Alaska cruises and many B2B's as a passenger, I have no reservations recommending Alaska. Not sure what ports Cunard visit, as they have only recently returned to Alaska. While you will find some similarities, each of Noway, Alaska, New Zealand & Chile have something different to offer in way of scenery & wildlife.

 

In Alaska, try to visit more than the SE ports of Ketchikan, Juneau & Skagway, especially when multiple mega ships are in port. Sitka, Haines, Icy Strait Point, Valdez, Seward/Whittier, etc are options that some sailings visit. For Glaciers - Tracy Arm is impressive, but personally only made it to the end once, due to ice, Glacier Bay is exceptional, especially with the Rangers boarding and providing commentary. Hubbard is also impressive, but have experienced ice a couple of times preventing the ship from entering the bay.

 

Personally, I suggest a N'bd or S'bd cruise between Vancouver & Seward/Whittier, with a pre/post excursion to Denali/Kenai. These can be with the cruise line or private tours.

[DRS/NC]

15 hours ago, clo said:

Were you off on land tours?  I agree with you if so.  I just found the ports so crowded.

 

Yes, the towns (Skagway, Juneau & Ketchikan) were crowded.  They are small (as are most towns in Alaska, except Anchorage & Fairbanks.  Even they are small by most 'city' standards) & are swamped when 2-4 ships are in port.

 

But Alaska is outside those towns -- the mountains, the forests, the rivers, the bays!  I've done 4 cruises; 2 that included week-long land tours (fantastic!)  We've also done "nature" excursions outside the towns.  It only takes minutes to get "outside" the towns. We even rented a car in Skagway on our last cruise & drove into the Yukon for the day -- more than fantastic!

 

Even on a 7-day cruise, you're definitely not limited to the small towns (whale watch, hike, drive). Yes, it will be expensive -- that too is part of Alaska.

[Harley52]

5 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Have completed 2 full seasons working Alaska cruises and many B2B's as a passenger, I have no reservations recommending Alaska. Not sure what ports Cunard visit, as they have only recently returned to Alaska. While you will find some similarities, each of Noway, Alaska, New Zealand & Chile have something different to offer in way of scenery & wildlife.

 

In Alaska, try to visit more than the SE ports of Ketchikan, Juneau & Skagway, especially when multiple mega ships are in port. Sitka, Haines, Icy Strait Point, Valdez, Seward/Whittier, etc are options that some sailings visit. For Glaciers - Tracy Arm is impressive, but personally only made it to the end once, due to ice, Glacier Bay is exceptional, especially with the Rangers boarding and providing commentary. Hubbard is also impressive, but have experienced ice a couple of times preventing the ship from entering the bay.

 

Personally, I suggest a N'bd or S'bd cruise between Vancouver & Seward/Whittier, with a pre/post excursion to Denali/Kenai. These can be with the cruise line or private tours.

Thanks for your comments, greatly appreciated.