Scenic Cruising

[BunnyHatgis]

I have now booked my first cruise to Alaska for next July and I am starting to plan my time onboard in earnest. I will be on the Northbound Noordam in late July, with the following stops:

 

- Vancouver leaving at 4pm

- Inside Passage 

- Ketchikan 7am-3pm

- Juneau 10am-10pm

- Skagway 7am-8pm

- Glacier Bay 7am-4pm

- College Fjord 6pm-8pm

- Whittier 

 

Based on this itinerary, what parts would you advise were the most scenic ones on this trip? Glacier Bay and College Fjord for sure but what else?

 

We will have an inside cabin and plan to spend most of our time on the inside and outside decks, admiring and photographing the scenery as that's the primary reason we cruise. However, we also have to eat and sleep at some point. 😝 In order to book speciality dining and plan other activities on board, which parts of this cruise would be particularly scenic and not to miss? For example, would the first night of the cruise be good for speciality dining (we have one dinner included in the price) and if so, would it be better to have an early dinner or does the scenery get super nice right after leaving Vancouver..?

 

Thanks in advance for those in the know.

[CruiserBruce]

The Inside Passage. One of the frequently discussed most important reasons to book starting or ending at Vancouver.

 

The College Fjord is going to most interfere with dinner/scenic viewing. Book Caneletto for that night.

[BunnyHatgis]

Excuse my ignorance but does the Inside Passage start right after Vancouver? Is the first night of the cruise going to be very scenic already?

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, BunnyHatgis said:

Excuse my ignorance but does the Inside Passage start right after Vancouver? Is the first night of the cruise going to be very scenic already?

They time the Inside Passage sailing so that the best stuff is during the day. Sailing out of Vancouver, under the bridge, is neat. After that, its pretty, but not critical.

[BunnyHatgis]

Thank you! In that case, I am tempted to book my speciality dinner for the first night of the cruise.

 

Any particular scenic places or stretches later in the cruise that I should factor in (outside Inside Passage and the glaciers)?

[CruiserBruce]

21 minutes ago, BunnyHatgis said:

Thank you! In that case, I am tempted to book my speciality dinner for the first night of the cruise.

 

Any particular scenic places or stretches later in the cruise that I should factor in (outside Inside Passage and the glaciers)?

Beyond those, scenery is neat all over Alaska. But you will be sailing mostly at night. So,  other than arriving or departing a port, you have identified the key times and locations. 

[Anita Latte]

I sat on the aft bar on Millennium for hours for the sailing out of Skagway. OMG...I couldn't leave. It was so gorgeous. I advise taking a look at a map...there are hanging glaciers, Eldred Rock Lighthouse, etc. It was misty...saw beautiful double rainbow. I was tired, as our whole group was, and they all left for nap time before dinner but I just couldn't leave the view. The passage is narrow enough, you can easily see both sides for a long time. I would never miss the sailaway from Skagway.

 

It naturally follows that if the sailaway is great...the sailing into could be as well. I would go for that as well now because the angle of the sun should alter the appearance of the whole landscape...however...IDK if it is practical to do both, especially if there isn't a comfy place to sit and observe on the bow. If aft on your ship has a nice place...then I would go for the sailaway viewing for sure.

[BunnyHatgis]

Excellent, thank you. I will include sailing out of Skagway on my list. 👍

[Eileen G]

I think the best night for a specialty restaurant would be the second night. The ship is still pretty far off the coast so you don't see much. The rest of the trip the scenery is beautiful and you may see wildlife.

[Crew News]

Note the times for arriving in each port is the time that passengers are allowed to leave the ship.  That means that arriving will take place at least an hour before that time.  Be on deck at 6:00 AM for 7:00 AM passenger disembarking times to get photos of the port with perfect sun angles.

 

You will pass under the Lionsgate Bridge about 45 minutes after leaving the Vancouver terminal.  By 6:00 PM the scenery on the Inside Passage will be the same until nightfall making the first night a great time to book your free Specialty Restaurant. 

 

The second night will be Gala Night with an updated Main Dining Room menu.  FWIW Glacier Bay will be the second Gala Night. 

 

Next night for booking Specialty Restaurant IMHO would be Ketchikan.

 

The train ride in Skagway provides some great photo opportunities but only if you stand on the platform between the cars as the windows cause to much glare if you remain inside.

 

[BunnyHatgis]

Thanks so much for the excellent advice! This is exactly what I was looking for.

 

I’ve been on the fence about taking the train in Skagway but your photo may have finally convinced me. Is it usually easy to go between the cars to take photos or does it get very crowded? Would you recommend doing the train just one way and taking a bus the other way? I don’t fancy just doing a loop on the train without getting off it at all.

[Crew News]

The platform area between cars will hold four people on each side taking photos which means to get out there a soon as you are allowed. Being on the jerking platforms is not as  comfortable as being seated but worth it to capture glare-free photos.

 

The bus-train combo has a stop at Caribou Crossing for lunch that offers playing with sled dogs and visiting a museum that includes stuffed Alaskan animals.  The bus stops periodically for photos and MAY spot some mountain goats if you keep looking up into the hills.  A good part of the train ride back to Skagway will have a a rock wall on the left side so be seated on the right side of the train car when you are not outside. Seating on the bus would be best on the right side going up into the Yukon but then you will miss the possible mountain goats.

 

 

 

 

My favorite train excursion is a roundtrip train to Lake Bennett.  The train has an excellent box lunch and stops at Lake Bennett for about 45 minutes to let passengers walk around and take photos before returning to Skagway.  The excursion will be in a private train car with tables and usually 50% occupancy.  This mean little competition for those valuable platforms between cars.