Ketchikan dropped and Campbell River added ~ would you consider changing lines?

My wife and I sailed on Regent's Baltic cruise. We certainly like Regent so we used them when we signed up for Alaska. Here it is 3 months before the cruise and Ketchikan is dropped and Campbell River is added. I have gone to the web and it certainly appears as this is for Regent's reasons and not passenger's reasons.

Having never been to Alaska, would you at this late date start searching for better itinerary? If so, which other luxury line does a one way inside passages. Thanks!

We are sailing from Seward to Vancouver on the June 13 Mariner. I noticed the change several weeks before final payment. Regent also sent a letter to my travel agent. We have sailed the inside passage before and won't particularly miss Ketchikan. The scenery outside of town is very nice byt Ketchikan itself is very crowded and very touristy. Hopefully Campbell River will offer new experiences and be free of the huge ships. Anyway it will be a new experience. HAL offers some of the same ports but the ships and the food are more mass market. ( We sailed on the Ryndam in 2005 )

I agree that Ketchican is nothing that special. Also, if you want a cruise experience similar to what you had on Regent, you have only three line choices: Regent, Seabourn, and Silversea. Of these, Regent, I believe, is the only one that goes to Alaska.

Thanks,

Richard

It looks like Regent is substituting Campbell River for Ketchikan on the southbound passages; our northbound on June 20 still lists Ketchikan as a port.

I have been to Ketchikan but not Campbell River, and would agree with the comments made so far. Also, Ketchikan is one of the rainiest places in Alaska, with rain two days out of every three. Maybe the tourist nature of Ketchikan added to the likely weather has something to do with the decision to try Campbell River - which has far fewer tourists and weather more like Vancouver and Victoria.

I would probably consider this a change to a more favorable itinerary.

This is the first year that we in Campbell River are welcoming cruise ships as our new port is now completed. Campbell River is a city of nearly 30,000 people and we have been known for many years for salmon fishing. It is very easy to get a guide and go fishing for a few hours. June is a wonderful time to visit. Our weather is usually excellent during the late spring as we are in a "rain shadow" - you can actually rent a boat and guide to visit a desert island which is also a bird sanctuary. The local first nations people will welcome you with native dancing and our beautiful museum has many native artifacts as well as excellent displays of early days on the coast. You may also enjoy a wild life tour to see bears and whales. We have some of the worlds best waters for SCUBA diving. Or you may enjoy "swimming with the salmon" in the Campbell River. We have several golf courses or you can go skining or hiking the alpine areas.

And no, I am not with the Chamber of Commerce :D. I just really love our city and am anxious to see you visit.

Sandy

I just really love our city and am anxious to see you visit.

 

Sandy

Thanks for your good write-up... Sounds like a win win for RSSC. Gets their ship into a port with less mega ships. :)

WOW ~ glad I asked this question and thanks for very helpful replies. My wife and I are looking forward to our visit to Campbell River.

I'll second the comments about everything usually getting rained out in Ketchican. It happened just that way on our RSSC cruise. That's the only reason this port wasn't crowded, as there were several other cruise ships in port. Were it me, I would rather just "sit tight" and take my chances on Campbell River. It sounds better, and will probably not be crowded at all.

Thanks,

Richard

The most interesting thing about Ketchikan is it's name. Unless you like lots of tourist shops, you won't miss much at all.

It was our least favorite port on the Alaska cruise.

Have fun.

The topic of this thread was also raised at the Cruise Convention earlier this month, which really is: Passengers regularly claim they want new ports and destinations, but when we provide them they complain.

As these boards attest, many people really don't like the unknown and try to increase their comfort level by not having any surprises. New ports are surprises. That is a good thing for my type of travel, yet upsetting for others.

I think it is great that Regent (whose itineraries are generally the most ordinary of the ultra-premium or luxury lines) made the change. Hopefully there will be more.

I'd definitely stick with Regent. If you change lines there's no guarantee the new line won't have an itinerary change.

We've been on ships that have made itinerary changes just before sailiing and even while sailing. They have the right to do that, it's in the fine print, and it's almost always for a good reason.

PLUS, Campbell River sounds like a neat stop.

Have a wonderful cruise.

I agree that Ketchican is nothing that special. Also, if you want a cruise experience similar to what you had on Regent, you have only three line choices: Regent, Seabourn, and Silversea. Of these, Regent, I believe, is the only one that goes to Alaska.

 

Thanks,

Richard

Silversea does Alaska, and does a superb jo.b

We've cruised Alaska twice, first on Princess and last year on Regent's Mariner. Loved both trips. But Mariner was in a different league. Stick with Mariner!

I like Ketchican as a port stop. Did it both times. There are lots of tour options offered there. But it is usually very crowded. Several very large ships in port daily. And rain is always a strong possibility. It was raining both times we were there. Last year, our bear watching flight was canceled due to rain.

Campbell River sounds to me like a good alternative to Ketchican. Plan to enjoy it in spite of the weather. It is a mistake to predicate your enjoyment of any Alaska cruise on good weather.

Patrick

We did Ketchikan last year on Regent, and our main thing there was to fish in skiffs with regular poles ( I don't like deepsea fishing). I thought it was pretty touristy otherwise. We lucked out with beautiful weather though.

I would like the chance to go to Campbell River. It sounds wonderful and not as touristy yet.

I've been to both Ketchikan and Campbell River. They are both good choices, just different. Campbell River has great salmon fishing, but we love to hike and there are good hiking places in this area. Ketchikan is way rainier, but the times I have been there it actually didn't rain, and we were able to hike up the mountain behind town which is very nice. Ketchikan is definitely more "touristy"--too many shops just the same as every other port in my opinion. The boat excursions to Misty Fjords are nice, but I would only do once.

In short, I would stick with Regent.

I have been to Alaska 7 or 8 times, and at this point I can certainly skip Ketchikan. But Ketchikan is an Alaskan institution - I would have hated to go to Alaska and still wonder what Ketchikan is all about.

I believe Campbell River will offer more of a genuine Alaska view - either way I think you are OK.

If you liked the little Renaissance ships keep in mind that Cruise West now runs the Oceanus in Alaska and does a fabulous job - it was the 110 suite Ren 5.

Well, keeping in mind that Campbell River isn't in Alaska, but in B.C. On Vancouver Island, actually.

I spoke to a Regent Rep b/c I wondered about this as well. She convinced me that this is for the better. This is our first trip to Alaska and I don't think I'll miss the traffic jammed seas or streets. The people in campbell river are so excited Im sure they'll make it a very special stop.

To what Carnival? NCL ? Princess? Celebrity? because of one port.

I, for one, appreciate it anytime a cruise line adds an off-the-beaten-path port to an itinerary. Even if a new port is not the most exciting, I still like it as you avoid the crowds and flea market atmosphere. On my current Pacific Northwest/Alaska cruise onboard the Mariner, two of my favorite ports have been Astoria, Oregon, and Prince Rupert, B.C., because they are quiet ports not overrun by ships and tourists. On the flip side, I hated Sitka and Juneau. And while we didn't visit Ketchikan on this trip, I have been several times - and once was more than enough. While you can have nice excursions in those ports, the towns are miserable now with sidewalks lined with t-shirts on racks and assorted crap. Not to mention the 6,000 cruise passengers from 5 ships that were suffocating the streets of Juneau yesterday. As the cruise industry continues to explode, cruise lines will need to test the waters with these "unknown" ports.

Michael

:cool: This is a great change because this changes the timing coming South and you will get to transit the Johnson Straits during daylight hours.....You will see much more of the "Inside Passage" this way......I think...Maybe.....Possibly...More GIN !!!...Rob.:D

Want to thank everybody for their input! During the Campbell River stop, we will be taking float plane to Read Island for a few hours. Looking forward to that since I am a private pilot (have a single engine Bonanza).

BILLP1 must have indigestion or a reading problem. I said in my original post that another "luxury line" would be considered.

We are getting excited ~ 3 weeks!

Anyone back from the May 30th cruise that had the maiden call at Campbell River? Just wondering how the port was.....

Michael

I'd like to hear about this first stop also. We had disembarked a ship in Vancouver and were in Campbell river salmon fishing on "the day", which the whole town was talking about. There was to be a special celebration with the mayor, etc.

Our boat passed the dock at 0700 on the way to "the hump" (where the fish are) and returned at 1000 ... no Mariner. Our guide said the ships have to wait for the slack tide to get through the narrows just north of Campbell river because it gets unpredictable on changing tides.

Having been to both, I would not have wanted to sacrifice Ketchikan in favor of Campbell River unless I had planned to go salmon fishing ... there isn't much there except for some native handicraft booths which appeared to be set-up in anticipation of the Mariner's arrival. The town, however, built a brand-new pier for the planned stops this season.

If one is planning salmon fishing, it would be really easy. The fishing dock is about 5 min north of the pier, and I would bet that the guides would come down to the pier to pick up fishermen. The typical fishing jaunt is 4-hours and they provide everything, including rain gear and boots. They clean and pack the fish for you, if you are lucky enough to land one or more.

Hi there,

I thought I would check in to see what reactions to the stop in Campbell River are, we live about 30 minutes South. You will not find it crowded here.

I am hoping that everyone who stop here will find people friendly and helpful. So to all you new visitors, WELCOME in advance and I hope you enjoy it here as much as I do.:)

If you have questions I`ll do my best to answer them.