SMALLER SHIPS

[gullcruiser]

Hello,

A group of friends are talking about taking an Alaskan cruise next year. Some in the group have difficulty with walking and are looking to go on a smaller ship. Would any of you out there in Cruise Critic land no of a smaller ship that cruises to the ports in Alaska?

 I would appreciate any help you can offer me!
 

[gullcruiser]

1 minute ago, gullcruiser said:

Hello,

A group of friends are talking about taking an Alaskan cruise next year. Some in the group have difficulty with walking and are looking to go on a smaller ship. Would any of you out there in Cruise Critic land no of a smaller ship that cruises to the ports in Alaska?

 I would appreciate any help you can offer me!
 

know not no!!!😏

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, gullcruiser said:

Hello,

A group of friends are talking about taking an Alaskan cruise next year. Some in the group have difficulty with walking and are looking to go on a smaller ship. Would any of you out there in Cruise Critic land no of a smaller ship that cruises to the ports in Alaska?

 I would appreciate any help you can offer me!
 

 

Smaller ship can mean many things to different people. Personally, I use about 1,000 pax as being a determining factor for smaller ship.

 

This would limit your choices to one of the premium/luxury lines, or one of the small ship US flagged ships. Check out Viking, Oceania, Seabourn, Silverseas, to see which have ships sailing in Alaska. Don't follow US flagged options, so can't help there.

[AKStafford]

By small, do you mean something like this: https://www.alaskandreamcruises.com/

 

Or maybe something like this: https://www.aqvoyages.com/expedition-cruises/alaska-british-columbia/vancouver-to-sitka/?v=ov&d=2024-05-03

[wolfie11]

I would not recommend Alaska Dream Cruises for someone with mobility issues.  I would look at Viking or Oceania.  

[roupa]

Do your homework/inquiries.

In my opinion, smaller doesn’t necessarily mean more accessible than a larger ship. In most, if not all, cruise ships there are accessible staterooms and seating in venues, ramps, elevators, handrails, wide doors,  helpful staff.   I have even watched staff assist guests to get in and out of a pool with a specially designed lift/safety equipment!

There are threads on CC that describe experiences of  successful “challenging “ experiences.

Hope you will get out there and enjoy!

[roupa]

… but yes, a small ship for Alaska may be a better choice for an itinerary that visits smaller ports/glacier etc.

[GTJ]

On 10/12/2023 at 10:57 AM, gullcruiser said:

Some in the group have difficulty with walking and are looking to go on a smaller ship.

Is the concern that large vessels require more walking while at sea, having to walk from forward to aft, and vice versa, many times during the day? A smaller vessel would reduces such a concern because it simply does not have as many public spaces to visit, and the main dining room is within just a few steps from all staterooms. Thus, there would be much less walking throughout the day while on the vessel. Keep in mind, however, that as consequence there will be fewer services available (though the services that are available will likely be more personal). Some vessels are smaller because they visit more remote regions, and accessibility from the vessel to the places visited may adverturous compared to large vessel port visits. To this end, consider the following lines and vessels, all of which provide service in Alaska using relatively small vessels, all fewer than 300 passengers. Click on each vessel name for more details.

 

Alaska Marine Highway - Tustumena (160 passengers)

Alaskan Dream Cruises - Admiralty Dream (49 passengers)

Alaskan Dream Cruises - Baranof Dream (49 passengers)

Alaskan Dream Cruises - Chichagof Dream (76 passengers)

Alaskan Dream Cruises - Kruzof Explorer (12 passengers)

American Cruise Line - American Constellation (170 passengers)

American Queen Voyages - Ocean Victory (186 passengers)

Discovery Voyages - Discovery (12 passengers)

Lindblad Expeditions - National Geographic Sea Bird (62 passengers)

Lindblad Expeditions - National Geographic Sea Lion (62 passengers)

Lindblad Expeditions - National Geographic Quest (100 passengers)

Lindblad Expeditions - National Geographic Venture (100 passengers)

Ponant - Le Soléal (264 passengers)

UnCruise Adventures - Safari Endeavour (84 passengers)

UnCruise Adventures - Safari Explorer (36 passengers)

UnCruise Adventures - Safari Quest (22 passengers)

UnCruise Adventures - Wilderness Discoverer (76 passengers)

UnCruise Adventures - Wilderness Explorer (74 passengers)

UnCruise Adventures - Wilderness Legacy (86 passengers)

 

Slightly larger in size, from 300 to 1,000 passengers, are vessels operated by Alaska Marine Highway (Columbia, Kennicott), Crystal Cruises (Crystal Serenity), Hurtigruten (Fridtjof Nansen, Roald Amundsen), Oceania Cruises (Regatta), Regent Seven Seas Cruises (Seven Seas Explorer), Seabourn Cruise Line (Seabourn Odyssey), Silversea Cruises (Silver Muse, Silver Nova, Silver Shadow), Viking Ocean Cruises (Viking Orion).

[Coral]

On 10/12/2023 at 4:12 PM, wolfie11 said:

I would not recommend Alaska Dream Cruises for someone with mobility issues.  I would look at Viking or Oceania.  

I think American Cruise Lines would be good for someone with mobility issues also.

Edited October 14, 2023 by Coral

[Glaciers]

Be careful with those small ship lines, many don’t have elevators and have stairs to viewing decks and cabins like UnCruise & Alaskan Dream, although they are exceptional. Good cabin selection will help on any ship. Choose a cabin near the venues you’ll be frequenting more often.

[gullcruiser]

Thanks to all who responded with those wonderful suggestions!  I now have tons  of ideas to go over and with all of your insight be able to find the right cruise!

Maris