Alaskan Cruise in July 2009

[Two from Virginia]

My husband and I are looking at taking a cruise in July to Alaska. We are considering either Princess or HAL. We plan on a round trip from Seattle but from what I have read it is better to go out of Vancouver.

 

All experienced Alaskan cruisers - which line would you recommend? Which port is the better of the two? What is the cost of transportation (train) from Seattle to Vancouver? How much time should be allowed to go from Seattle to Vancouver?

 

We are not planning on doing a land tour/cruise at this time. Would appreciate any advice you can provide.

[Budget Queen]

IF you stay with a round trip Seattle, then, by far HAL is your better choice, if you are looking at a Glacier Bay Sitka itinerary. Princess does not do 7 day round trip Vancouver sailings.

 

You do need an extra day on each side, if you fly into Seattle and sail out of Vancouver. Check for current prices with Amtrak. Only one train/day, for 2008. Quick Shuttle runs buses, and there is one way car rentals. Allow at least 4 hours for the transfer. For return flights home out of Seattle, the overnights work best, or I don't recommend anything booked before 3pm, for cruise disembarkment day.

 

Round trip Vancouver is significantly more scenic sailing. But you would be best looking at itineraries as well. Ports, time in ports, glacier, routing, price. Round trip Seattle is the roughest sailing potential. With Princess, you also have a very slim chance of the full transit of Tracy Arm for glacier Viewing. IF a priority for glaciers, then be sure to book some type of glacier tour.

[Two from Virginia]

Thanks for the info Budget Queen. Does Holland America do round trip Vancouver? Which ship do you recommend?

[vbmom87]

Thanks for the info Budget Queen. Does Holland America do round trip Vancouver? Which ship do you recommend?

 

I am not BQ, but take a look at this thread for some info:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=891233

[Two from Virginia]

VB Mom - Thanks for the link. Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday season.

[Budget Queen]

Thanks for the info Budget Queen. Does Holland America do round trip Vancouver? Which ship do you recommend?

 

Yes HAL has some superb round trip Vancouver itineraries.

[c-cruise]

I know I am in the minority here, but I actually prefer HAL's round trip Seattle itineraries for a few reasons.

 

- I much prefer Sitka to Skagway, much less crowded and touristy then the other Alaska ports.

- You get an "extra" stop in Victoria which is a really neat town.

- If you want to see Hubbard Glacier on a round trip itinerary, HAL only does this out of Seattle (Amsterdam).

- Generally cheaper flight options for folks into SEA than YVR.

- No four hour Amtrak train/bus ride and border crossing each way to Vancouver (assuming you are flying into SEA).

 

The downside is of course that you cruise around the outside on Vancouver Island and miss that scenery which is spectacular in its own right. The HAL Vancouver itineraries tend to hit both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm. Tracy arm is worth seeing, but wouldn't make it the deciding factor on my itinerary choice. Train from Seattle to Vancouver is cheap (just did it in Sept.) around $30pp or so each way.

 

As far as what ship, if you are looking at HAL and want a balcony or higher I would go with Westerdam out of Seattle or Zuiderdam out of Vancouver. Reason being these ships have far more balconies and suites than the smaller HAL ships and the prices for those rooms will normally be less than on the smaller ships with fewer balcony cabins.

 

Enjoy your trip whatever you decide!

[Two from Virginia]

Has anyone flown from Seattle to Vancouver? Is it cost prohibitive? I checked Air Canada and it seems their prices are comparable to Amtrak.

[wannacruisemore]

Has anyone taken the shuttle from Seattle to Vancouver? We are thinking about renting a car and driving from San Diego to Vancouver.......Any ideas???

[Budget Queen]

Has anyone taken the shuttle from Seattle to Vancouver? We are thinking about renting a car and driving from San Diego to Vancouver.......Any ideas???

 

Yes, I've taken Quick Shuttle a couple times. No problem and "door to door".

 

Compare rental costs of a one way drop to Seattle and Vancouver. It may be a significant difference??

[Yukon]

We've taken QuickShuttle 3 times and twice had coach breakdowns (and on one of those the driver could barely drive a stick-shift - a few of us were cringing and expecting the transmission to drop out on the ground!). We fly now - only a handful of dollars more and hugely more convenient.

[fleckle]

Has anyone flown from Seattle to Vancouver? Is it cost prohibitive? I checked Air Canada and it seems their prices are comparable to Amtrak.

We did. It was like getting an additional bonus sightseeing excursion to begin our vacation, a scenic flight along the coastline in a small commuter prop plane.

 

We had been waiting at Seatac airport, intending to catch the Quick Shuttle bus to Vancouver, when we happened to look up at the departure monitor and noticed a flight to Vancouver was scheduled to leave even before the bus. So, on impulse, we walked over to the ticket counter to ask if there were any empty seats on the flight. They sold us tickets for about the same price as the bus ticket would have cost.

 

If you do it, try to get window seats on the left side of the plane. It flew low the whole way and the views were wonderful.

 

[Yukon]

If you do it, try to get window seats on the left side of the plane. It flew low the whole way and the views were wonderful.

 

Here's the view from the Dash 8 that is used on the YVR-SEA run - http://www.youralaskacruise.com/reviews/2007/4220-san_juan_islands.html :)

[Two from Virginia]

What are the trade-offs of choosing one itinerary over the other and/or one ship over the other? The first is on Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas and the other on Holland America's Zuiderdam.

 

 

DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART SatJul4Vancouver, BC, Canada 5:00pmSunJul5Inside Passage (Cruising)MonJul6Icy Strait Point, AK 10:00am5:00pmTueJul7Tracy Arm Fjord, AK (Cruising)11:00am5:00pmWedJul8Skagway, AK 7:00am8:30pmThuJul9Juneau, AK 7:00am3:00pmFriJul10At SeaSatJul11Vancouver, BC, Canada 7:00am

 

OR

 

DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART SatJul4Vancouver, BC, Canada 5:00pmSunJul5At SeaMonJul6Tracy Arm Fjord, AK (Cruising)8:00amNoonMonJul6Juneau, AK 2:30pm10:30pmTueJul7Skagway, AK 7:00am9:00pmWedJul8Glacier Bay National Park, AK (Cruising)7:00am4:00pmThuJul9Ketchikan, AK 10:00am6:00pmFriJul10At SeaSatJul11Vancouver, BC, Canada 7:00am

[Yukon]

What are the trade-offs of choosing one itinerary over the other and/or one ship over the other?

 

The Serenade itinerary has no glacier viewing, which immediately eliminates it for us.

[Two from Virginia]

Thanks. I did not even notice that. Have you sailed on the HAL Zuiderdam?

[Yukon]

Thanks. I did not even notice that. Have you sailed on the HAL Zuiderdam?

 

No, but we were on the Amsterdam last year. A beautiful ship with a high level of service.

[EileenN]

We are sailing on the NCL Pearl out of Seattle, round trip on July 12th. It might be worth a look.

[vbmom87]

Thanks. I did not even notice that. Have you sailed on the HAL Zuiderdam?

 

Did you check out the Volendam out of Vancouver. It is a nice smaller ship...about 1400 passengers. It has the same itinerary as the Zuiderdam. We were on it last summer and loved its size and beautiful viewing areas.

[c-cruise]

Thanks. I did not even notice that. Have you sailed on the HAL Zuiderdam?

 

Serenade of the Seas goes to Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm Fjord. Not as spectacular as Glacier Bay or Hubbard, but it does certainly constitute Glacier viewing. In that itinerary there is also the option of Mendenhall Glacier which is a popular shore excursion from Juneau.

 

We have been on Zuiderdam and her sister ships many times including to Alaska. Very nice mid-sized ships with lots of balconies and deck space. Zuiderdam visits Glacier Bay in addition to Tracy Arm so you would get to see both.

[Two from Virginia]

Thanks for all your suggestions. Before I put a down payment, what do you think of this itinerary?

 

SatJul4Vancouver, BC, Canada 5:00pmSunJul5At SeaMonJul6Tracy Arm Fjord, AK (Cruising)8:00amNoonMonJul6Juneau, AK 2:30pm10:30pmTueJul7Skagway, AK 7:00am9:00pmWedJul8Glacier Bay National Park, AK (Cruising)7:00am4:00pmThuJul9Ketchikan, AK 10:00am6:00pmFriJul10At SeaSatJul11Vancouver, BC, Canada 7:00am

[Yukon]

The only downside to that excellent itinerary is the late-afternoon time in Juneau. You can make good use of it, though, by doing a whale-watch and Mendenhall Glacier trip when you arrive and then going up Mt. Roberts when the city lights come on. I'd have no hesitation booking that.

[Budget Queen]

I agree, this is an excellent itinerary. :)

[milkmade]

My husband and I are sailing July 10th with Celebrity Millennium. It is a Northbound cruise out of Vancouver to Seward. I am very excited. This is our first trip to Alaska and would love any input on shore excursions....

[Budget Queen]

My husband and I are sailing July 10th with Celebrity Millennium. It is a Northbound cruise out of Vancouver to Seward. I am very excited. This is our first trip to Alaska and would love any input on shore excursions....

 

You need to do your homework first. Look over a shore excursion list and narrow down your interests. There are 100's of excellent tours to consider.