Cruising Alaska

[serene56]

Now that my honey is retiring I can start my search on Alaska.    Its just the begining    (I thought 2025    but have to push it out to 2026_)    giving me lots of time to see what I want and when I want it.    I always wanted to do alaska   but to cruise alaska I want to do it right and that means extended vacation time- which neither of us had while still working,.

 

Coming from the east coast I want a day to two to get acclimated to the time change

 

and I want to stay a few days after.   -  to do this am i to take a cruise from Vancover?  I dont see land tours from Seattle to get me to the land tours.    Or am i not looking at it correct?

 

I am thinking August.     and via Princess    (as i always said when i do alaska I want to do Princess as they are the ones who started it all) 

its gotta be the bigger sails as i dont think the smaller ships like coral can do me justice.

 

We have sailed carnival,. Royal,  Princess and Celebrity.

 

This cruise is a one and done-- so its gotta be perfect.

Can you help make my dreams spectacular?   

 

 

[Oakman58]

If you are doing a one and done, then be sure to pick a cruise that does Glacier Bay National Park.

 

BTW, Holland began Alaska cruises in 1967 and Princess began 1969.

 

Bring a good pair of binoculars that are fog proof and waterproof.

[donaldsc]

If you are certain that this will be one-and-done and most one-and-dones end up being one-of-many remember that the until they finish the bridge construction inside Denali you will not be able to go very far into the park.

 

DON

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, serene56 said:

and I want to stay a few days after.   -  to do this am i to take a cruise from Vancover?  I dont see land tours from Seattle to get me to the land tours.    Or am i not looking at it correct?

That is because the land tours start in Seward or Whittier, and you can't sail from Seattle to either of those ports...it would be a violation of the PVSA. So you would have to sail from Vancouver.

 

I agree with the many recommendations you will get (you have 2 now) to include Glacier Bay, and if possible, Hubbard Glacier. Those are common recommendations on every "What is the best" thread here.

[Paula_MacFan]

52 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

If you are certain that this will be one-and-done and most one-and-dones end up being one-of-many remember that the until they finish the bridge construction inside Denali you will not be able to go very far into the park.

 

DON

We were in Denali last week on an 8 day land tour prior to our 7 day cruise, which we are on now. During the Tundra Wilderness Tour we were told the bridge completion date is now 2027 or later. The construction season is extremely short and the project is very complicated due to the remote area, permafrost issues, etc. I wouldn't plan your vacation around that date. We booked our trip 2 years ago and at that time the projected end date was 2024 - 2025. We are so glad we didn't put the trip off any longer based solely on the Denali bridge. The TWT goes to mile 43. Our tour took 6 hours and we saw moose, grizzly, caribou, fox, sheep, and birds. We had a wonderful guide who did a great job.

 

There is so much to see in Alaska -- come when it makes sense for your schedule. The Denali bridge may not be complete for many years to come.

[serene56]

2 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

you would have to sail from Vancouver.

 

perfect information for me    thank you 

[serene56]

to sail:  include Glacier Bay, and if possible, Hubbard Glacier.     what kind of cruise am i looking at?   Inside passage?  One way?  

 

 

 

7 day southbound  gets me both 

5 Ports: Anchorage (Whittier), AlaskaHubbard Glacier (Scenic Cruising), AlaskaGlacier Bay National Park (Scenic Cruising), AlaskaSkagway, AlaskaJuneau, AlaskaKetchikan, AlaskaVancouver, Canada

[cruisetonowhere10]

Vancouver is an awesome city and I did a fabulous orca watch boat trip there so don’t discount time there if the ship begins or ends there. I flew into Seattle (this was several years ago) and took the train to Vancouver and honestly seeing the northern Washington coastline was awesome.

[CruiserBruce]

20 minutes ago, serene56 said:

to sail:  include Glacier Bay, and if possible, Hubbard Glacier.     what kind of cruise am i looking at?   Inside passage?  One way?  

 

 

 

7 day southbound  gets me both 

5 Ports: Anchorage (Whittier), AlaskaHubbard Glacier (Scenic Cruising), AlaskaGlacier Bay National Park (Scenic Cruising), AlaskaSkagway, AlaskaJuneau, AlaskaKetchikan, AlaskaVancouver, Canada

Yes, a cruise from Whittier to Vancouver is commonly referred to as Inside Passage. It will be one way, and could go northbound as well.

[SirTomster]

Check out this thread.  It is of someone who started in March of 2023 for their May 2024 cruise that they just finished.  Has lots of discussions on options and excursions.

 

 

[Aquahound]

A Princess cruise out of Vancouver is a great start.  However, do not pick one of their newer Royal Class ships.  Despite their advertising, these ships are not able to cruise the Canadian Inside Passage.  They will go out and around Vancouver Island.  

 

Have you looked at HAL Koningsdam?  She's a beautiful ship and I actually recommend this ship over any Princess ship.  She sails Inside Passage out of Vancouver and last I checked, she went to both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier.

[Stevepcb64]

We just got back from a land and see with Princess. It sounds like we had most of the same wishes as you. We did the JB5 cruise tour. We flew from FL to Seattle and stayed there 2 days to get acclimated and explore Seattle. We then flew to Fairbanks to start out cruise tour. It included overnight stays in Fairbanks, Denali, Mt McKinley/Talkeetna and Anchorage. They then bused us to Whittier with a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Refuge to get on the Cruise. Cruise stops included Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Juneau, Icy Straight Point, Ketchikan and ended in Vancouver. We also stayed 2 days in Vancouver to explore there as well. We then flew home from Vancouver. It was an amazing trip. I did a ton of research and a lot of people said to do the land part first so we did and it worked great for us. The first 2 cruise days are basically sea/Glacier days so it gave us a chance to relax and recharge before the port days. I'd be happy to share additional details and answer any questions.

[hmcrn]

19 hours ago, Stevepcb64 said:

We just got back from a land and see with Princess. It sounds like we had most of the same wishes as you. We did the JB5 cruise tour. We flew from FL to Seattle and stayed there 2 days to get acclimated and explore Seattle. We then flew to Fairbanks to start out cruise tour. It included overnight stays in Fairbanks, Denali, Mt McKinley/Talkeetna and Anchorage. 

 

Hi there @Stevepcb64!  We are doing a similar cruisetour in 2025.  Can you tell me if you spent any time in Talkeetna?  Did Princess give you plenty of options to fill your "own" time or did you feel like you needed to book things in advance?  

Thanks in advance for any and all info!

[Stevepcb64]

On 6/9/2024 at 11:26 AM, hmcrn said:

 

Hi there @Stevepcb64!  We are doing a similar cruisetour in 2025.  Can you tell me if you spent any time in Talkeetna?  Did Princess give you plenty of options to fill your "own" time or did you feel like you needed to book things in advance?  

Thanks in advance for any and all info!

We did spend a few hours in Talkeetna. On our tour we took the train from Denali to Talkeetna. We arrived in Talkeetna around 2pm. We had the option to take the shuttle bus to Mt. McKinnly or stay in Talkeetna and take a later shuttle. We chose to stay in town and just do a little shopping and grab a bite to eat. It's a pretty small village town with some cute shops but it only took us an hour or two to see everything. Had a realy great meal at Homestead Kitchen and then caught the shuttle to the lodge. There are plenty of excursions that can be purchased from Princess. We did a couple but we like to do our own thing sometimes just exploring or private booked excursions.

[hmcrn]

20 hours ago, Stevepcb64 said:

We did spend a few hours in Talkeetna. On our tour we took the train from Denali to Talkeetna. We arrived in Talkeetna around 2pm. We had the option to take the shuttle bus to Mt. McKinnly or stay in Talkeetna and take a later shuttle. We chose to stay in town and just do a little shopping and grab a bite to eat. It's a pretty small village town with some cute shops but it only took us an hour or two to see everything. Had a realy great meal at Homestead Kitchen and then caught the shuttle to the lodge. There are plenty of excursions that can be purchased from Princess. We did a couple but we like to do our own thing sometimes just exploring or private booked excursions.

 

Good to know that we could hand in Talkeetna a bit.  Thanks!

What were the things that you did on your own on the land portion?  

Trying to figure out what to do during the "on your own" time.  

Thanks again!

  Heidi

[Sea Hag]

On 6/6/2024 at 12:51 PM, serene56 said:

to sail:  include Glacier Bay, and if possible, Hubbard Glacier.     what kind of cruise am i looking at?   Inside passage?  One way?  

 

 

 

7 day southbound  gets me both 

5 Ports: Anchorage (Whittier), AlaskaHubbard Glacier (Scenic Cruising), AlaskaGlacier Bay National Park (Scenic Cruising), AlaskaSkagway, AlaskaJuneau, AlaskaKetchikan, AlaskaVancouver, Canada

I'm on this one the week before, sailing on the 7th. This is a one-way, from Whittier to Vancouver. You would fly into Anchorage and go from there to Whittier, Princess bus or other. I'm doing it as part of the 9 day cruisetour with bear viewing at Brooks. This cruise is a good choice, since it hits both Hubbard and Glacier Bay. It's possible to get rain and/or fog in either place, but having both on the same cruise gives you two chances for a spectacular glacier viewing.

[Stevepcb64]

3 hours ago, hmcrn said:

 

Good to know that we could hand in Talkeetna a bit.  Thanks!

What were the things that you did on your own on the land portion?  

Trying to figure out what to do during the "on your own" time.  

Thanks again!

  Heidi

In Fairbanks we rented a car for the day. We did Gold Dredge 8, drove to North Pole, AK just to check in on FB, take some pics and check out the Santa Claus House, spent a little time at Pioneer Park and had a great dinner at Pump House Resturant.

 

In Denali the first afternoon we just explored the lodge and did some shopping across the street from the lodge. On the 2nd day we did the included Nature Tour followed by the Fat Truck Excursion through Princess. We were concerned about the time frame so we booked through Princess to make sure we made it in time after the 1st tour.

 

Talkeetna covered above.

 

Anchorage, had a great lunch at Humpy's. Then did an Anchrage City Tour that included a couple of food tasting store type stops. Then had dinner at Glacier Brewhouse. It was excellent but make a reservation as it was very busy.

[hmcrn]

48 minutes ago, Stevepcb64 said:

In Fairbanks we rented a car for the day. We did Gold Dredge 8, drove to North Pole, AK just to check in on FB, take some pics and check out the Santa Claus House, spent a little time at Pioneer Park and had a great dinner at Pump House Resturant.

 

In Denali the first afternoon we just explored the lodge and did some shopping across the street from the lodge. On the 2nd day we did the included Nature Tour followed by the Fat Truck Excursion through Princess. We were concerned about the time frame so we booked through Princess to make sure we made it in time after the 1st tour.

 

Talkeetna covered above.

 

Anchorage, had a great lunch at Humpy's. Then did an Anchrage City Tour that included a couple of food tasting store type stops. Then had dinner at Glacier Brewhouse. It was excellent but make a reservation as it was very busy.

 

This is great - thank you!

[Northern Aurora]

4 hours ago, hmcrn said:

 

Good to know that we could hand in Talkeetna a bit.  Thanks!

What were the things that you did on your own on the land portion?  

Trying to figure out what to do during the "on your own" time.  

Thanks again!

  Heidi

 

 

In Talkeetna consider booking a Mahay's jet boat tour.  Use goggle to find their website.

 

In Fairbanks I would consider the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum and the Museum of the North (located on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus).  Depending on the day of the week the Tanana Valley Farmer's Market (includes crafts -- not just veggies) is a nice option and has food vendors for fast meals too.  The Chena Hot Springs Resort is about a ninety minute drive.

[serene56]

On 6/12/2024 at 4:27 PM, Stevepcb64 said:

In Fairbanks we rented a car for the day. We did Gold Dredge 8, drove to North Pole, AK just to check in on FB, take some pics and check out the Santa Claus House, spent a little time at Pioneer Park and had a great dinner at Pump House Resturant.

 

 

Thank you for this--  I woulda never thought to add the north pole to my trip ticket. 

 

[NWA395]

We are doing an Northbound from Vancouver later this year disembarking in Whittier followed by 11 nights DIY land portion.  Picking up a car rental in Anchorage.  Planning has not been difficult but is has been time consuming.  Don't let the research overwhelm you.