Cruise north or south

[natvtxn]

We are wanting to take an Alaskan cruise in July/August. (last minute trip, kinda). Anyway, I need some basic info to even get started. We want to see whales, ride a train if it is worth it, hike some, favorite ship from past cruisers, and to leave Seattle/Vancouver and go north or leave Alaska and go south. Thoughts? Thanks!

[nothriver]

We wanted to spend some extra time in Alaska, and because we wanted to fly in a day or two early anyway, it made sense for us to go southbound.

 

On the other hand, the scenery is progressively impressive as you go north, which is a very compelling reason to go northbound!

 

I think it is a matter of personal preference, you can't go wrong either way!

[Murrumba]

Do North and South!!:)

[Budget Queen]

I have sailed both routes several times. There are benefits to both, so pick one. I highly recommend you consider extra time out of Anchorage for some interior Alaska touring, ask yourself how often you are going to get there- take advantage. :)

 

No one ways out of Seattle, it will be Vancouver/Seward or Whittier.

[oduphd]

The advantage of southbound is you can do all of the land activities and then enjoy the luxury of the cruise. If you cruise first, the land accomodations and food choices can be quite disappointing after spending a week on a cruise ship.

[Grannycb]

Check the times in each port. There was a significant difference when we did b2b on the Island Princess. You won't have time to do some tours, such as the Sawyer Glacier tour in Juneau, one way but there is enough time going the other way.

[Texas Tillie]

A south bound also allows you to get the longest flight out of the way first when (in theory!) you're still "fresh".

[CruisinMama7]

We're sailing on our first Alaskan cruise tour on Monday and I've researched this trip for the past three years. There are definite advantages to going southbound...long flight over with, the sometimes grueling land portion behind you with the relaxing cruise ahead, etc. But, for my first time (and we're coming from Texas going all the way north to Barrow), I want the adventure of heading north as the scenery gets progressively better. So, it's northbound for us, baby!!!!:cool:

 

Enjoy your search...it's part of the trip!:)

 

Cruisin'Mama

[tetleytea]

All things equal (and they usually are), I'd pick northbound before the summer solstice (June 21), and southbound after the summer solstice. Of course, I just did a southbound in May, and price was the overriding factor.

 

I'd actually rather have the return flight be the long one, because I'm so dog tired by the end of it that I could sleep through the whole thing. I like to take advantage of every hour of daylight. And it's all daylight.

[negc]

We did southbound the last time and will do so again. We liked the fact that our longest flight was at the start of our trip, and we could experience Anchorage, Denali and Fairbanks when we were still fresh and having that first day at sea to recover from what was a very busy land tour was a true blessing. Ending our trip in the beautiful city of Vancouver with so much to see and do (loved Victoria and Butchart Gardens) and a shorter flight home confirmed, for us at least, the wisdom of doing the southbound itinerary. I'm not sure there is a wrong way to do this trip, so compare all the particulars and then choose whichever one best meets your requirements.:)

[chachi]

I'd actually rather have the return flight be the long one, because I'm so dog tired by the end of it that I could sleep through the whole thing.

 

I agree. I have never been to Alaska, but in all of my travels, the flight home goes by faster because I can usually sleep. On the way there I am so excited that it seems to take forever. I am doing a northbound cruise because I have heard that the scenery gets better as you go north. I also wanted to spend a few days before in Vancouver since I have never been there.

[tetleytea]

Alaska's a little different because of all the daylight. Not very conducive to sleeping--not necessarily because you can't, but because you don't want to.

[Jana White]

We have done both the southbound (1 time) and the northbound (3 times). We think it is so much more dramatic going north, you leave the cruise on such a natural high.

[vbmom87]

I agree with checking out times in port for the activities you might be interested in taking part in in the ports. You want to be able to do the things you have the most interest in. I went NB and we loved it. I likely would have loved SB too. It just worked best for our group of 5 with some staying on in the interior for a land tour and others going straight home after the cruise. This way we all flew out together, spent a few days together in Vancouver, cruised together and then went our separate ways. It just seemed the least complicated for our situation.

 

I just don't buy the typical arguments for SB over NB. One is that if you are touring on land it is better to do it first and then relax on the cruise ship. We planned our land tour independently and I have to say that it was far less exhausting than the cruise part. My DH wholeheartedly agreed. Now, if you are on a cruisetour where you are up early every day on your land tour and driving long drives each day, it may be more accurate that you should do the land first. I also don't buy the bit of getting the longer flight out of the way first. I am sorry, but what difference is an hour? In the end both of our flights were basically the same time, since we were on the runway about an hour before we took off for the shorter leg. I did not consider flights times for our first trip to Alaska, and I will not consider them for any subsequent trips. To me, it is a non-issue. JMHO

 

If you want to see whales, Icy Strait and Juneau are the two ports typically recommended for that activity. Many people love Sitka. They speak highly of the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest. Those who have enough time in Juneau, really like the Adventure Bound trip to Tracy Arm Fjord. Other favorite activities in Juneau are the whale watches and helicopter tours to a glacier, with or without a dogsled ride. For trains, you would want to do that in Skagway. If you love scenery, yes, it is definitely worth it. The combo train in one direction and mini-bus in the other is the preferred way to do this trip. Although some scenery is shared, some is different. You get the whole package that way. The train ride in Skagway is often listed in the top 10 best train rides in the world. The train between Seward and Anchorage is also a great scenic tour. The Skagway train ride is considered the most scenic stretch of railroad in all of Alaska. The stretch between Anchorage and Seward is the second most scenic stretch in all of Alaska. We did both and were glad we did. However, we are scenery buffs. Some, I am sure, would be bored, but not us. I can't get enough of this beautiful world we live in!! For hiking, you can do some trails in Skagway. In Seward you could hike the Harding Icefields. Others may offer you other ideas. I know some do a trek on the Manatuska Glacier outside of Anchorage with mica guides.

 

Although some may have a favorite ship, most say that for Alaska itinerary should be your priority if you are taking this trip to see Alaska. If you are taking the trip with the priority of cruising and Alaska is secondary, then you would choose differently. In all my research it seems most people enjoy whatever cruiseline they are on in Alaska.

 

Good luck with your choices and let us know what you decide.

[Budget Queen]

I too find this north/south choice a nonissue. :) None of my trips are "hectic" on the land or cruise portion- I don't "relax" on either segment either, but I certainly know how to plan, which a lot of people do not, and purchase poor itineraries. A far bigger concern, in my opinion.

 

Consider the overall, trip planning and what works best for your priorities. There is no one "perfect" trip, that some people seem to want to find. :)

[leelee9878]

I just got off my first Alaska cruise last week and it was a Northbound cruise. I picked NB after research on these boards and I thought it would be better to have the scenary get better and better as the cruise went on.

[pcl_cruiser]

Ok now everyone has me confused. I am in the beginning stages of planning our AK cruise. I had my heart set on sb but now I am not so sure. I am leading toward using Celebrity but I am not so sure on that either. Also what room to get, man this is a lot harder than planning for all of our other cruises.

[vbmom87]

Ok now everyone has me confused. I am in the beginning stages of planning our AK cruise. I had my heart set on sb but now I am not so sure. I am leading toward using Celebrity but I am not so sure on that either. Also what room to get, man this is a lot harder than planning for all of our other cruises.

 

Southbound is great. Northbound is great. You can't go wrong!!! You are seeing the same ports and scenery. Perhaps you will be passing by at different times of the day, so what you see in the day in one direction, might be night in the other. However, you will have a great cruise either way.

 

From my point of view, the best way to pick a cruise is to do some research on glaciers and ports. Find out about all the different ports and glaciers the cruiselines visit. Then decide which seem to be a priority for you. Once you know what you want to see, then start looking at which cruiselines go to the ports and glaciers you have decided are your priority. Way too many people just pick a cruise because their travel agent, neighbor or aquaintance recommended it. You need to do a little research yourself and then pick what interests you. One "mistake" people seem to make a lot is pick a cruise first, then research, only to find out they aren't in port long enough to do what they want to do. So, take your time to read a lot and then make your decision. Perhaps the time in ports will help you decide if NB or SB is better for you.

 

If you are someone who is likely to return to Alaska many times, it may not be that important to pick the "perfect" cruise. However, for those who believe they will only get to Alaska once, it is imperative to do your homework.

[tetleytea]

However, for those who believe they will only get to Alaska once, it is imperative to do your homework.

 

Even then...we've been multiple times, but we'd like to see "everything" in Alaska so we can be free to go to other places, like the Med or Europe or Antarctica.

[springfire]

Coming from Florida, we decided to take the Northbound cruise on the Sapphire Princess. We figured everyday of our cruise we were going furthur from home, makes each day special. We didn't like the idea of heading home on the cruise and getting closer each day. I think they both are great, I have spoken to many people and it is really all about choice.

[bimmermom]

I personally found the scenery equally beautiful all along the cruise route, whether in the north or the south. Neither was more dramatic than the other to me, just different. Port times are more important to me when deciding between SB and NB.

[cruzin4us]

If you are on a tight budget, check out all the prices (specifically taxes) before you decide. We found flying into Fairbanks was cheaper than flying into Anchorage (at least the rental cars were WAY cheaper).....

 

Also, the cruises seem to be cheaper if you leave from Alaska (at least they were on the trips I was considering).

 

The tax rate in Anchorage is something like 29% (don't quote me on this).