Sell me on Alaska??

[Katems75]

My extended family wants to take an Alaskan cruise, which has never appealed to me.  I understand it's beautiful and all, but the thought of taking a coat and hat and mittens on a CRUISE is depressing to me.

 

So what are Alaskan cruises REALLY like?  How is the weather and what would be the warmest time of year?  Are you still in coats during the warmest time?  Which ships are best for cold weather?  Are people standing around on their balconies shivering?

 

If you don't book excursions, can you still see the beauty of Alaska, or are excursions necessary?

 

Most importantly...would there be ducks hidden on the ship??? 😉

[OCSC Mike]

Very long review of our 2018 Alaska trip in my signature if you’re interested. We did 10 days on land then a 7-night cruise southbound.

 

There’s WAY more to do than just look at how pretty it is. Yes, you want to do excursions. Sailing the Caribbean is for enjoying the ship. Go to Alaska to see & do things unique to Alaska. TBH, I’d just as soon do it again without the cruise, but of course cruising is a pretty affordable way to see places.

 

Look up historical weather for June-August. It gets much warmer than you have in your head. I’ll leave you with one example… we crossed the arctic circle after arriving in Fairbanks (nowhere near where you’d cruise)… and it was 60-65 in June.

Edited June 13, 2023 by OCSC Mike

[twangster]

I used to think like you.  Bikinis > Parkas.  

 

Then I did an Alaskan cruise.  Why did I keep putting it off?  So I did five more Alaska cruises.  

 

Weather is highly variable in Alaska.  There can be great weeks and not so great weeks during the entire Alaska cruise season. 

 

All ships current ships for Royal in Alaska are good for cold climates.  Radiance class and Quantum class both have enclosed solariums and lots of glass to look out from warm areas of the ship.  

 

No one can sell you on Alaska.  Decide for yourself.  

[OCSC Mike]

9 minutes ago, twangster said:

Then I did an Alaskan cruise.  Why did I keep putting it off?  So I did five more Alaska cruises.

I never even considered Alaska, it was 100% my wife’s idea & she spent a year planning it with the aid of an outside company (since it was a very special 18-day vacation for us). I’ve been thanking her for 5 years.

[smokeybandit]

It's Alaska.

 

Sold.

[seashells]

We did Alaska but not on a cruise ship the month of July.

We did the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry System.

This is the way that locals use.

Loved meeting them and stories they told.

We stopped at many towns not even allowed by cruise ships. Rented a car in Juneau and put it on the Row Row to get to Haines where we traveled for 3 weeks going in and out of Canada because of Roads.

The hugeness of Alaska is stunning....with beauty and California, Texas and Montana ....FIT...In Alaska.

 

Would do it all in a heartbeat...EXACTLY the same.

[pspercy]

If you cruise, don’t do it on  mega ship. They’re too big for the regular docks so special berths have been created out of town (Sitka, Ketchikan) with the joy of shuttle buses!

We did it on NCL Bliss last year, ship was fun, just too big.

 

In 2010 we did it on Celebrity Millennium, equivalent to Royal’s Radiance class, which was an excellent fit all around.

[Orange jeep]

My thoughts on Alaska 

 

I cruised Alaska for the first time last June of 2022…I love warm weather too and majority of my cruises have been to warm climates.

 

While  the experience was different on an Alaskan cruise than Caribbean cruise, I’m glad we did the cruise but probably wouldn’t do another one to Alaska. 

 

First I would never travel thru Vancouver again, it was a nightmare for us… took way too long at port/customs. I would go thru Seattle.
 

Yes,  it was cold (it’s Alaska) but dress warm.  A couple of ports it was lower 70’s.   The scenery was beautiful and reminded me of Colorado.  The fun part of this cruise was the preparation leading up to the cruise, deciding what clothes to bring, watching videos of Alaska, 

 

What no one mentions on the forums is you have to get up very early (say 6:00-6:30) when you go thru the fjords (I think that is what it is called) or you will miss going thru it and miss the beauty of the landscape. We just took a nap afterwards.
 

The excursions are expensive so plan on that too.  We did a lot of walking at ports which was nice.

 

On the ship almost no one was at outdoor pool.  
 

A lot of people sat around whale watching during sea days…which we only saw a tail of a whale.

 

Enjoy your family and the experience of trying something different.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[A&L_Ont]

The simple sale.

 

Been 3 times. Will go again. Worth it. 

[SteelCityCruiser10]

on radiance now.  If i lived closer to an alaskan port i’d sail alaska every year.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bucfan2]

Alaska sells itself.  If it doesn't for you, pick another destination.

 

And they have real ducks.  Save the money and effort if you want the plastic ones and go to dollar general - they have plenty.

Edited June 13, 2023 by bucfan2

[Cruise a holic]

9 hours ago, Katems75 said:

My extended family wants to take an Alaskan cruise, which has never appealed to me.  I understand it's beautiful and all, but the thought of taking a coat and hat and mittens on a CRUISE is depressing to me.

 

So what are Alaskan cruises REALLY like?  How is the weather and what would be the warmest time of year?  Are you still in coats during the warmest time?  Which ships are best for cold weather?  Are people standing around on their balconies shivering?

 

If you don't book excursions, can you still see the beauty of Alaska, or are excursions necessary?

 

Most importantly...would there be ducks hidden on the ship??? 😉

We went on a cruise to alaska in August many years ago.  It was wonderful.  Actually very warm except when we went to the glaciers.  Wore light spring clothes.  I purchased winter gear from a sporting goods store, never used it!   I want to go again as because of global warming the glaciers are now much smaller then before.  Many interesting excursions .  You should go.

Edited June 13, 2023 by Cruise a holic

[Jam0610]

We went last September on the Ovation. The weather was perfect. 70's every day. Took all the items you mentioned never used one. Gloves, boots, rain suits, and hats all remained unused. 

Got off the ship in ports to find people in shorts.

Great cruise plenty to do and see.

Planning to visit again September 2024.

 

[welshrich]

We did a b2b on Radiance last June out of Vancouver.  We were meant to do a landtour but I got the dreaded Covid and as the prices had shot up we did the cruise instead.  Glad we did as the weather was not great the first week, misty and some rain and our helicopter tour was cancelled, the second week was amazing weather.   We hiked in Skagway one week and did the train the next, did sledding with dogs on the glacier.  Saw some amazing scenery and would really recommend.   Planning a return trip for my birthday to hopefully do that land tour!  The other thing that might appeal to you is that the cruise was really casual, although they had 'formal' nights everyone seemed to be relaxed about it as it was the most tiring cruise I'd been on.

[Weluv2cruise2gether]

I didn’t think I would enjoy Alaska because I hate being cold. Did Alaska last week of July into August 2019 for DH. Did I enjoy it and would I go back? Absolutely and definitely! Next time will be a land and sea package. The scenery, wildlife and seafood are some of the best. The blue coloration in the chunks of ice we past was the most vibrant blue I’ve ever seen. And who needs to pay for whale watching when I seen soooo many just from the cruise ship. It’s definitely something a person should see and do at least once in their lives!

[mo&fran]

On YouTube Chris Wong     , a casino host on Ovation, did a bunch of videos in the ports while he was working there.  Gives you an idea of the weather and activities that the crew does, along with the weather variables you might encounter.    

[colesc15]

Just a few reasons. And we had nice weather out of Seattle 

[LEMJMcC]

2 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

I want to go again as because of global warming the glaciers are now much smaller then before.

Too funny!😅

[OCSC Mike]

6 minutes ago, LEMJMcC said:

Too funny!😅

 

It's actually not funny. My wife saw the glacier we hiked on in 2018 via the tour company's social media for the next year or two and it was sad to see how much smaller it had gotten.

Edited June 13, 2023 by OCSC Mike

[Cruise a holic]

36 minutes ago, LEMJMcC said:

Too funny!😅

?????

[cruiselvr04]

I think everyone should do Alaska at least once to see what the pictures show.  We too don’t like the cold but are doing a Cruisetour next month. 
 

One way airfare was super high.  Excursions are really expensive.  The Cruisetour wasn’t cheap either.  Packing seems hard as you want to be prepared for mild and cold weather. We will be packing a lot into our 16 nights and don’t expect it to be relaxing.  This is not our usual cruise.  
 

All that said, we are really looking forward to it, keeping our fingers crossed for good weather.  There are so many places to see in this world, it will probably be a one and done for us.

[luvbrady]

I am a beaches gal, but that said I was very happy to have done this cruise.  It was breathtaking in a totally different way.  We went mid July and had some days in the 70's with sunburns and other days were gray and rainy.  DEFINITLY want at a minimum a decent rain coat.  Mine was fairly light but easy to layer.  Think layers of clothes.  Might be cold in the AM but the sun can get strong enough to chase that away.

[KSprite01]

I lived in Alaska for a few years when I was about 10. I've lived in a lot of places, but Alaska is really quite special for the sheer natural beauty. 30 years later I still remember in detail:

- Hiking a mountain and walking on Mendenhall glacier (truly awe inspiring)

- Seeing 2000+ eagles roosting in Haines

- Salmon hatchery (surprisingly interesting)

- Motoring up incredibly close to seals so you felt like you could touch them

- Biking to the glacier 1-2 miles away with the next door neighbors on a whim

- Enjoying the views on the Alaskan state ferry 

- Racing down Alyeska & Eaglecrest (skiing), insane amounts of fresh powder, night skiing

- Watching mountain goats as we motored past

- A bear in someone's backyard cage (no idea why, only there briefly, but the entire bus stop went to go check it out)

- Close up views 10 feet from an eagle (family friend worked rescuing them) - those talons/beaks are scary up close!

 

And the food:

- Celebrating the 4th of July on the 3rd (not dark enough to see fireworks until after midnight) with 6 king crabs caught in the host's backyard enough to feed everyone

- Blueberry picking at the masses of bushes at school for fun (not excited to have to eat blueberries for days though - didn't occur to us mom would want to do that...)

- Eating *fresh* caught salmon/halibut someone dropped at our house on their way home because they caught too much (spoiled me for life on what fish ought to taste like)

 

Btw, you CAN swim if you want (we've got pictures of me swimming in glacier water)...but you go to see wildlife/nature. If those don't appeal, <shrug>, I'd stick with warm weather trips. I plan to take my kids/spouse there in a few years when they'll remember it.

[kfnesq]

I felt the same as the OP when my husband told us we were going on (our first) Alaskan cruise way back in 2011.  Yes, it's expensive.  Yes, it's one million percent worth it.  So much so that we went again in 2018, and frankly I'd go again in a heartbeat. The excursions and experiences there are unlike anywhere else - my advice to people is save up and spend ALL that you can afford on the excursions.  Caribbean you can do on the cheap and it's great, but Alaska I would not scrimp on.  You won't regret it.

[OCSC Mike]

58 minutes ago, cruiselvr04 said:

I think everyone should do Alaska at least once to see what the pictures show.  We too don’t like the cold but are doing a Cruisetour next month. 
 

One way airfare was super high.  Excursions are really expensive.  The Cruisetour wasn’t cheap either.  Packing seems hard as you want to be prepared for mild and cold weather. We will be packing a lot into our 16 nights and don’t expect it to be relaxing.  This is not our usual cruise.  
 

All that said, we are really looking forward to it, keeping our fingers crossed for good weather.  There are so many places to see in this world, it will probably be a one and done for us.

 

This sounds very similar to our 18-day 2018 trip. Our standard vacation until then was a last minute deal on a 7-night Caribbean cruise out of PC (a one-hour drive). "Splurge" doesn't do the cost and magnitude of that trip justice but it was 100% worth it.

 

Hope you have as amazing a time as we did!

Edited June 13, 2023 by OCSC Mike