Help on Alaska cruise

[dallen10]

Which is the best Alaska cruise itinerary? The inside passage, northbound or southbound?? This has probably been asked before but I couldn't find it.

 

Thanks!!

[NancyIL]

How much time do you have? Ideally, my preference is for a one-way cruise plus a land trip. If you have 2 weeks but don't like the high airfares to/from Anchorage - you could do a northbound + a southbound cruise on different ships to see a variety of ports/glaciers, or a 14-night roundtrip on the Pacific Princess from Seattle. With limited time and money, a roundtrip from Vancouver or Seattle would be my recommendation.

 

I've done two northbound cruises plus 9-day independent land trips by rental car. In 2009 I'm doing a roundtrip cruise from Seattle due to cheap cruise prices and much less expensive airfare.

[poolwife]

This is a personal preference decision. I prefer flying to Anchorage and doing an independent land tour on our own by renting a car and then sailing southbound from either Whittier or Seward depending on which cruise line you pick. Both of my southbound trips have been out of Seward which is a great little fishing village and very picturesque. Great kenai fjords boat tours also go out of there where you can see whales, puffins and sea lions and glaciers. Don't take a shorter than 6 hour trip though.

 

I like doing all the running around on land first (cause you change where you stay every couple of nights) and then settle in to staying in the same place on the ship for 7 whole days. That is my favorite but everyone has their own preference.