Inside Passage Question

[firstplacechef]

A question for those that have cruised the inside passage? On the days at sea do you see land and possible wildlife on and off shore or is it mainly ocean view only? Thanks in advance. Less than 3 weeks to go! Scott

[boston1733]

Firstplacechef, You might want to post your Alaska ?'s on Ports of Call lots of great Alaska info overthere. What line are you doing?

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It really depends on the route that the Captain or pilot ends up taking. If you are truly sailing in the Inside Passage, then you will see the shore and islands and any wildlife that may be there. Sometimes (perhaps for speed and time) the ship may stay further west and you will not see as much shore.

Jubilee 1991 Solar Eclipse
Century FO 1996 E Carib
Mercury FO 1998 W Carib
Galaxy SS 2000 Alaska IP
Infinity FV 2002 S Carib
Horizon HS 3/05 W Carib

[CelebrityMan]

If you are on a true Inside Passage itinerary, and not a Gulf of Alaska segment, you'll see nothing but terrain and wildlife.

Cruising the Inside Passage is, basically, like cruising along a large river (say, for instance, the majestic Columbia River Gorge between WA & OR). You will see mountains, forests, villages, wildlife, and quite possibly Orca whales that love to 'play' in the ships' wakes.

We've done Alaska on Mercury and loved it. One day in the Passage had dense fog for part of the time. Galaxy was shadowing us, and in the dense fog nothing could be seen, but we could certainly hear the two vessels sounding each other (and any other watercraft) with their fog horns!

[MSBYRDY]

We did Mercury Inside Passage and yes, it was like river cruising with land on both sides of the ship. You will be able to see many things. Enjoy, wish we were going again.
Marilyn

[firstplacechef]

Thanks! We are on Mercury for the 6/11 out of Seattle! Scott

[high seas gal]

Firstplacechef,
We've done four inside passage cruises to Alaska ... the scenery is incredible! And not only do you see wildlife and islands, you'll also see some remote cabins, lighthouses, a few fishing boats, and sometimes another cruise ship along the inside passage. It's spectacular. (Which is why we've done it four times!) Enjoy ... take good binoculars too!

High Seas Gal
Northern California

Celebrity Mercury - October 13, 2004 - Mexico!
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NCL Sky Jun. 2000 (ALASKA)
NCL Sky Aug. 2001 (ALASKA)
Princess Regal Princess Jul. 2002 (ALASKA)
NCL Sun Sep. 2003 (ALASKA)

[Budget Queen]

Wildlife is NOT all that common. It requires luck and a great deal of time best out on a front open deck with a good pair of binoculars. Inside passage sailing is less on Celebrity- look at their route map- they do outside passage sailing until Icy Strait then go to Juneau/Skagway. ships are sailing more and more outside passage compared to a few years ago.

[trcori]

FWIW on Infinity last August it was Inside Passage in both directions, although at least in the daylight hours, the trip UP was the most "inside," including stunning Grenville Channel (which in some spots seems barely wide enough for the ship). Wildlife sightings from the ship were pretty rare during the trip, though ... a whale here and there ... a few seals here and there ... and trust me, I looked and looked. Was especially surprised not to see anything in Yakutat Bay (Hubbard Glacier). The scenery is still mega-spectacular, however (and we weren't expecting to be as impressed as we were, since we live in the gorgeous-all-by-itself NW).

TR
Millennium 12/12/04
****
Mercury MX 4/04, Infinity AK 8/03, Century WC 3/03 & EC 9/02

[LovetheSea]

Good Luck on the weather! Have a great cruise. We have been on the Mercury twice to Alaska. Annabelle's in Ketchikan has wonderful seafood chowder and herb bread. The Duck Boats are fantastic! A good tour of Ketchikan on land and in the water! The Red Dog in Juneau is a lot of fun, when the show is going on. So many cool things to do up there http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
TAKE BINOCULARS!

[jezzdogg]

We did Summit in Alaska last summer, I can only agreed with past poster make sure you take good binoculars- there is wildlife to be seen. Go the Red Dog and also the saloonin skagway that once was a brothel- its loads of fun

norm

[mromoff]

On the Infinity last August, we did see a pod of Orcas swimming in the wake. Scenery is amazing on and off the ship.

Please click on "Review" in my signature below and you can read my Infinity review. In the review there is a link to some of the pictures that I took. I think it will give you a good idea of what to expect.

Have an amazing trip!! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Mindi

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Constellation - Southern Caribbean

Infinity to Alaska 8-03 Review (http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=147097554&m=8233026937)
Millennium to Eastern Carribbean 11-02