First trip to Alaska-Cruise and Land Tour Pkg

[BudNBailey]

Hi to everyone on the board. I just found this forum last week while searching around the internet on my lunch break. :D

 

My husband and I are heading to Alaska for a cruise and land tour package.

We depart Vancouver Sept 3 on RCCL Vision of the Seas. We will get off in Seward on Sept 10 and then go to Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, and Wrangell.

 

We would love some input/advice on our 2 week trip. My husband has NEVER been on a cruise and this is our FIRST time to Alaska. We are 29, childless, and live in Key West, FL.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thank you in advance. :)

[caufields]

Hi,

 

My family and I just came back from our first cruise. It wasn't to Alaska, it was to the Caribbean. We sailed on Mariner of the Seas to the Western Caribbean. We are thinking of the Alaska Cruise for next year.

 

We had a blast on our first cruise. There is so much to do and so, so much to eat. You really can't get bored, and you will have the added advantage of breathtaking scenery. In fact, you will probably have to be pulled away from all the actitivities to look at the scenery.

 

We met some great people at our dinner table and ended up going to a lot of the shows and activities together. My husband and I are 50ish and our twin 17 year old daughters were with us. They also had fun doing all the teen activites.

 

I am sure you will have a memorable experience. I'll be interested in hearing our your trip was and how the ship was.

 

Good luck

[Budget Queen]

Have all reservations and plans in place for shore touring in ports before you leave. Time is too short to decide later. Look over your shore excursion list and narrow down your interests. Budget FULLY you get only half a trip without them. Budget 50% more than at home for meals on your land portion- this will give you a good cushion. Be CERTAIN you have the Tundra Wilderness tour at Denali Park and NOT the Natural History tour- big difference in wildlife- virtually none on the later and distance in 16 vs 53 miles. Spend some time and read these boards, most everything has been asked at one time or the other, but it will also focus YOUR questions for quick accurate answers. The more specific the better- usually. :)

[jcc_math_prof]

My husband and I returned 1 week ago from the VOS Northbound with a shorter land tour. What you have been told so far is correct.

 

The ship is great for sailing to Alaska. Almost every public room has a view and there is so much to see.

 

Day 1, my husband was saying "Big deal" this looks like the Adirondacks. By day 3, even he was in awe of the view. The most narrow part of the inside passage was awesome as was Hubbard Glacier.

 

Since this is your first cruise everything will be amazing. Get ready to eat and eat and eat!!

 

I found it quite helpful to read these boards and I bought an Alaska book to read up a bit. We have been on several cruises (never before Alaska) so we pick and choose excursions. In Ketchikan we did our souvenier and gift shopping which was quite convenient. -- Pick up the Alaska book as you arrive in Vancouver. It has good info and tons of coupons to stores in each port. We also did the walking tour - brochure available in the Visitor Info Office at the dock.

 

Skagway - we bucked the trend (most people take a tour on the railroad) and took the Experiencing the Yukon tour. It was very nice. We saw some of the Yukon as well as 2 brown bears and a moose.

 

Juneau - We took the Glacier Express bus from the pier (not an excursion) to Mendenhall Glacier. This was the way to do the visit as we had all the time we wanted and did a 6 mile hike around the glacier.

 

Icy Point - We had the salmon bake which was very good.

 

We had the early seating for dinner which was sort of a pain as some of the greatest sights were just before or just after our dinner.

 

On the land portion, expect to pay $10 - $15 per person for breakfast and at least $25 per person for dinner if you want sit down dinners. We did our best to eat in towns and saved quite a bit. If you are not much of a breakfast eater, you might consider sticking instant oatmeal, cups and spoons to make your own as it was almost $6 a serving.

 

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.

[mark-martha]

Hi BudNBailey!

 

We're going to be on the same cruise as you (with a different land tour). We signed up for mix and mingle, but were the first (and only) two. It's our first cruise and we've never been to Alaska. We're 29 also (maybe add a decade or two). "BJ" is trying to ID others on the cruise - see the message board below:

 

Cruise Critic Message Boards > ROLL CALLS > ROLL CALLS - Royal Caribbean "Meet & Mingle" VISION of the SEA 9/3/04

-Martha-

[BudNBailey]

Mark-Martha,

 

Thanks for the reply. Look forward to meeting some new people.

I tried to sign up for the Meet and Mingle, but my registration # isn't working. Could be b/c I booked through a TA and they don't have the same numbering as Royal Caribbean. I'll try again later when I can access the info from Royal Caribbean.

 

As of now, I'll be preparing for a hurricane! They are saying that Hurricane Charley will make landfall on our tiny island in the Keys. Must go buy water...

 

Can't wait to meet you guys. Send us an email if you want, mhclose@earthlink.net

 

Thanks!

Holly