Leave out of Seattle or Vancouver?

[cruisekimmy]

we are wanting to take another cruise..which port??

 

thanks

[edYYZ]

Are you looking to go on a one way cruise or two way?

[cruisekimmy]

I am looking to go on a one way.

[ocean.queen]

Do a northbound out of Vancouver or a southbound out of Anchorage. You will see a lot more of the inside passage than if you go out of Seattle. I've done both...northbound, round trip from Seattle and going August 9 for a southbound. Yes, the airfare is more costly but IMO it is more than worth it.

[edYYZ]

I am looking to go on a one way.

Most one way Alaskan cruises sail out of either Vancouver or Anchorage, as ocean.queen said. Seattle seem to generally be two way, so I'd go with Vancouver - you'll get more choices and you do go the "inside passage" route moreso than out of Seattle.

[Budget Queen]

Actually none sail out of Anchorage. The major lines use Seward or Whittier. and other end Vancouver. My opinion only- if you go on a one way- take advantage of the excellent touring opportunities and add enough time to tour interior Alaska at least 5 days independent, 7 add on with a cruise tour. I never consider one ways without College Fjords and give Seward a big edge- but AGAIN only if you take advantage of the great tours available. If you plan on just passing through- it won't make much difference. I prefer southbound for the excellent last sailing day that has excellent marine wildlife viewing opportunities. Be certain to budget fully for excursions- you get only half a trip without them. :)

[Gardyloo]

Just to confirm - there are no one-way cruise ships between Seattle and Alaska - prohibited by US law. Just round trips, all with a mandatory stop in Canada to meet the conditions imposed by the law. Probably someday soon we will see the same exception to the Passenger Services Act that NCL finagled in Hawaii apply to Seattle. I'm sure the Port of Seattle people are over Congress like a cheap suit trying to get it.

[ocean.queen]

Anchorage departure or arrival is a generalization only because that is where you fly in & out of for your cruise (whether it be Whittier or Seward)....that is where you need to check for airfare when you are considering a one-way cruise.

 

Last July on the Seattle round trip, we were out at sea most of the time except when we turned in to go into port. The sea day was literally "out to sea" no land in sight...not what I want on an Alaskan cruise. We didn't see much wildlife at all...very dissappointing. Our last one-way was northbound and included College Fjord & Hubbard Glacier....this time on our Southbound I made sure I picked an itinerary that included Glacier Bay. I've heard it's breathtaking!!

 

As Budget Queen said..add on some extra days for an interior adventure...didn't have time before and we were very sad to leave Alaska right after the cruise. This time we are doing 4 days pre-cruise on our own.

[cruisekimmy]

Thanks!

[mbisson]

I happen to agree with BQ when she often says that without doing some time touring the interior, an inside passage cruise can be as nice as a N/S cruise.

 

Don't expect to see much wildlife from the ship. Maybe an occasional whale (rare) or some dolphins (not so rare).

 

-Monte

[ocean.queen]

I didn't mean to be negative about the Seattle round-tip but I wanted to answer cruisekimmy's original question with my honest opinion. I definitely agree with Budget Queen about extending your cruise & saving for excursions. I also know which itinerary I enjoyed more & why. We saw much more wildlife from the ship on our one-way...even Puffins in College Fjord!

[cruisekimmy]

ok thanks everyone!