Which cruise of Alaska is best?

[LounVal]

I'm researching a first cruise of Alaska and was wondering which is the better cruise. There are cruises leaving out of Washington,Vancouver,and Alaska.

Which itinerary do you think is best?:confused:

[JCrewz]

Seattle may be easier to get to as far as affordable fares are concerned. I've sailed out of both Vancouver and Seattle and Vancouver is a little bit smoother cruise since it is protected from the open ocean more often.

 

We recently sailed on The Norwegian Pearl with NCL from Seattle and just loved it. I think any family that wants to pack a little lighter (no suits or dresses) and wants to be free to eat in one of five different restaurants any time you want (free style cruising) would love NCL.

 

Of course, there will be a ton of debate about those preferences. I'll bet all the lines provide a great experience. Your budget and preferences will obviously play a huge role in the line you choose.

[eh2zed]

Ship or cruise line aside you should consider an Inside Passage for the great scenery. You generally get this out of or into Vancouver. Scenic cruising in Glacier Bay is a bonus.

[moondoggie21536]

I am doing the Land and Sea package on Princess in September. Never been on Princess but my TA said if we were doing Alaska, Princess was the best. I'll let you know!

[Wanderbug]

Any Alaska cruise is amazing, so regardless of what you choose, you should have a wonderful time. It's hard to advise you without knowing your available time and budget.

 

My personal preference is either a northbound or southbound beginning or ending in Vancouver. Typically, you will be able to stop at 1 more port than most round-trip cruises. Also, you will get to sail the inside passage near Vancouver which is beautiful. However, the flights and transportation from Anchorage are more expensive and take more time than if you cruise round-trip.

[fann1sh]

"Best" can depend on what you want to see. Everyone is awed by the scenery...but will your family be more interested in wildlife? Glaciers?

 

For my first trip, I'll be visiting Hubbard Glacier twice. For next year, I have my eye on a 7 day cruise, round trip Vancouver - HAL Zuiderdam - that visits the 2 other most common glacier sight seeings spots, Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glacier. The Saturday to Saturday itinerary is friendly to families that can only take a week off.

[jer_l]

So far, we've cruised 7 days R/T out of Vancouver, 7 days southbound Seward to Vancouver, 11 Days R/T out of San Francisco, 14 days R/T out of Vancouver. We've cruised 4 days out of Seattle up to BC. Our best cruise was the one out of San Francisco, but part of that was the outstanding entertainment and the picture perfect weather. There was at least one day of pretty rough seas going north.

 

Both Vancouver and Seattle are beautiful ports to sail from. Flights are usually cheaper into Seattle, but you can fly to Seattle and then drive or take Amtrak to Vancouver. (The Amtrak ride is beautiful.) If you choose Seattle I would select a cruise that sails the BC portion of the Inside Passage at least one direction for the sheer beauty of that sea day. Most Alaska cruises visit either Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay, but a few do not. I would choose a cruise that visits one of those to experience the awesomeness of the tidewater glaciers. The three main ports in Alaska are Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway and they are also the most crowded. While they are all wonderful ports, Sitka, Icy Strait Point (Hoonah) and Haines usually offer a less crowded port day so you might want to consider a cruise that goes to one of those ports.

 

Unless you consider this a once-in-a-lifetime trip, don't stress too much with choosing which ship/itinerary. Choose one you think you'll enjoy and the chances are pretty good you will have an amazing time. We'll be going to Alaska this summer for the fifth time since our first cruise in 2000. It is definitely our favorite cruise and vacation destination.