Which Alaskan Cruise?

[Gopher40]

Right now my wife and I are booked on the Encore for next April 28 - May 5. Departing from Seattle with stops in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Victoria, and back to Seattle. We will have passports. After reading more on Alaskan cruises on here I am wondering if a different cruise leaving out of Vancouver stopping in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, then ending in Seward, and I'm guessing we would fly out of Anchorage. This is roughly the same time frame. We are all about scenery, and Seward looks pretty gook. Trip price is pretty much a wash, so that is no issue. With the Jewel being a smaller ship I hear that can be desirable. Both trips sound amazing. Just was wondering what you cruise veterans think?

Oh, and I did ask Norwegian, we wouldn't be losing any of our deposit money, that's something I was concerned about.

[www3traveler]

I am booking the May 11th Encore cruise. 

 

The Jewel is a wonderful much smaller ship with less entertainment and restuarant options.  I have sailed on Her a number of times both from Seattle and Vancouver.  The cruise terminal in Vancouver can be extremely confusing especially if they are boarding more than one cruise ship.  In Seattle only Norwegian ships use Pier 66--one ship at a time.  From Seward it is either a several hours train or bus ride to Anchorage.  Not sure what the airline options are once you reach the Anchorage Airport.  You still may have to fly to either Vancouver, British Columbia or Seattle to make connections in order to reach your home.

 

Either way, enjoy your cruise

 

 

[laudergayle]

I agree that the arrival/departure for the cruises out of Seattle are logistically easier than the Vancouver/Seward/Anchorage cruise.

 

IMO, the Vancouver to Seward has an amazing itinerary…Inside Passage (the Canadian passage),  full 8+ hours in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier.

 

The last two ports on the Seattle itineraries are short, with Ketchikan being half day  morning and a shuttle ride to town.  Victoria is an evening stop, and while Victoria is a beautiful city, the amount of time doesn’t allow you to fully enjoy it. However, the Encore offers more to enjoy onboard.

 

We cruised out of Seattle in May 2022 and we are seriously thinking about the Vancouver/Seward in May 2024.  
 

Whichever you choose, you will be sure to enjoy.

 

 

[quack2]

One-way to/from Vancouver itineraries are generally much better than Seattle round trips.  My ideal Alaska cruise is a one-way southbound from Seward to Vancouver.  Fly to Anchorage, take the next day 6:45 a.m.. train to Seward.  Then take a small boat tour of Kenai Fjords that leaves at 11:30 and returns around 5:30.  Then board your ship and start your cruise.  I also like port stops in Icy Strait and Sitka. 

 

Your best scenery and wildlife viewing of the entire trip will likely be on the Kenai.  BTW, you check your big bags in Anchorage and they will be waiting for you in your stateroom on the ship. 

[RD64]

Agreed - the North / South bound Vancouver to Seward is the best itinerary. As my father said several years ago, if we are going to go to Alaska, we might as well go all the way to Alaska - and he was right.

[Gopher40]

Reading more and more about the Vancouver terminal is a bit of a nightmare.

[zqvol]

We don't find the Vancouver terminal to be a nightmare, it's just different because you have to clear US customs before boarding the ship. IMO the Vancouver - Seward trip is the way to go for scenery. The inside passage alone makes this trip superior than a Seattle round-trip.

[v3cruiser]

We are doing the Seward to Vancouver on Jewel next year. Liked the amount of time in port, the cruise inside passage as well. I've second guess myself a few times wanting to change to more convenient Seattle round trip itinerary but keeping what I chose. 

 

 

we may be flying into Seward three days early to explore. We've sailed the jewel.earlier this year and were very happy. Hopefully same captain and crew are on it next year but I doubt it. The captain on the jewel was a prior c suite exec at Star cruises which bought a ncl back in 2000. That ship was in great shape. 

[www3traveler]

At the moment just because a cruise sails from Vancouver, it DOES NOT guarantee that you will sail the Lower Inside Passage.  At this for this cruise season, the Canadian government has restricted how many ships a day will be allowed through the Lower Passage.  I doubt that you would know whether you are sailing up the West coast of Vancouver Island or the Lower Inside Passage, until your ship begins to sail.  At the moment there are 8 or 9 different cruise ship companies sailing out of the Port of Vancouver-- all out of the downtown cruise port.

[www3traveler]

2 minutes ago, v3cruiser said:

We are doing the Seward to Vancouver on Jewel next year. Liked the amount of time in port, the cruise inside passage as well. I've second guess myself a few times wanting to change to more convenient Seattle round trip itinerary but keeping what I chose. 

 

 

we may be flying into Seward three days early to explore. We've sailed the jewel.earlier this year and were very happy. Hopefully same captain and crew are on it next year but I doubt it. The captain on the jewel was a prior c suite exec at Star cruises which bought a ncl back in 2000. That ship was in great shape. 

Steven Jacobsen is no longer the Jewel's General Manager

[zqvol]

9 minutes ago, v3cruiser said:

We are doing the Seward to Vancouver on Jewel next year. Liked the amount of time in port, the cruise inside passage as well. I've second guess myself a few times wanting to change to more convenient Seattle round trip itinerary but keeping what I chose. 

 

 

we may be flying into Seward three days early to explore. We've sailed the jewel.earlier this year and were very happy. Hopefully same captain and crew are on it next year but I doubt it. The captain on the jewel was a prior c suite exec at Star cruises which bought a ncl back in 2000. That ship was in great shape. 

Just an FYI you will fly into Anchorage and then transfer by road or rail to Seward. The train ride down is very scenic.

[GORDONCHICK]

IMO, a one-way is always the better option.  Better yet if you can spend a few days in AK on your own.  We did this in 2015.  Added 9 more days to the trip.  We took the bus excursion to the airport that included a stop at a wonderful wildlife park.  All the flights leave in the evening, and usually late evening.  We picked up our rental car at the airport and off we went.  Had a blast!  If you can take the extra time, you absolutely won't regret it.

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, Gopher40 said:

Right now my wife and I are booked on the Encore for next April 28 - May 5. Departing from Seattle with stops in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Victoria, and back to Seattle. We will have passports. After reading more on Alaskan cruises on here I am wondering if a different cruise leaving out of Vancouver stopping in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, then ending in Seward, and I'm guessing we would fly out of Anchorage. This is roughly the same time frame. We are all about scenery, and Seward looks pretty gook. Trip price is pretty much a wash, so that is no issue. With the Jewel being a smaller ship I hear that can be desirable. Both trips sound amazing. Just was wondering what you cruise veterans think?

Oh, and I did ask Norwegian, we wouldn't be losing any of our deposit money, that's something I was concerned about.

We sail Alaska every year. You want a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay. Both of the cruises you list probably call there. 
 

I would pick the Seattle R/T on the Encore. It is a new, big ship and purpose built for the Alaskan itineraries. We are actually on the Encore next month for this year’s trip. 
 

Whittier is nowhere near anchorage. It is a long, but scenic train ride (you want to book the dome train) from the port to the airport. For us, it is many hours waiting at the anchorage airport and a red eye home, chewing up another full day. 
 

While the Canadian inside passage is pretty, almost no one spends the day out on deck to fully get its benefit. Most people are inside enjoying their cruise. Inside, you have a small, old ship. 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, v3cruiser said:

We are doing the Seward to Vancouver on Jewel next year. Liked the amount of time in port, the cruise inside passage as well. I've second guess myself a few times wanting to change to more convenient Seattle round trip itinerary but keeping what I chose. 

 

 

we may be flying into Seward three days early to explore. We've sailed the jewel.earlier this year and were very happy. Hopefully same captain and crew are on it next year but I doubt it. The captain on the jewel was a prior c suite exec at Star cruises which bought a ncl back in 2000. That ship was in great shape. 

Check your itinerary. If you do not call in glacier bay, you may want to reconsider. Normally, the northbound itineraries call there. 

[zqvol]

27 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

We sail Alaska every year. You want a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay. Both of the cruises you list probably call there. 
 

I would pick the Seattle R/T on the Encore. It is a new, big ship and purpose built for the Alaskan itineraries. We are actually on the Encore next month for this year’s trip. 
 

Whittier is nowhere near anchorage. It is a long, but scenic train ride (you want to book the dome train) from the port to the airport. For us, it is many hours waiting at the anchorage airport and a red eye home, chewing up another full day. 
 

While the Canadian inside passage is pretty, almost no one spends the day out on deck to fully get its benefit. Most people are inside enjoying their cruise. Inside, you have a small, old ship. 

what does Whittier have to do with a cruise sailing into Seward? OP is better off on the smaller ship. the only people who spend the inside passage day inside the ship are the ones who came to AK for the wrong reason. AK is all about scenery and the place to see it is outside. Wise people are outside enjoying the cruise not inside he ship.

 

op should book the one way and plan on renting a car in Anchorage and staying at least a night or two exploring the area.