Why Cruise to ALASKA ????

We like cruising to warm places in the Caribbean. We enjoy Florida for short trips when a cheap airfare presents itself last minute. Some of the ports are starting to get OLD.....after a few stops, kinda dull seeing the same stuff. Have to reach out soon......

So while we haven't done Alaskan cruise yet.....somehow just can't seem to understand how a cruise ship matches up with such a COLD.....or at very least UNWARM environment.

Balcony without swimsuits ? Wearing coats/jackets/sweaters? No jumping into water ? Looking at glaciers, snow, ice ? Have seen Alaska with whales, ice, etc on Geographic Channel documentaries several times.

So can't figure out...really.....what's the attraction of a less than tanning cruise on a cruise ship ? Brrrrrrrrrrrr.

It's not so cold as you think.. not a hot climate for bathing suits and swimming, but it's more of a scenic cruise. When we first cruised to Alaska it was like a nice spring time day most of the time, with the occasional cool day with mist or rain sprinkles at times. Beautiful if you ask us, but then some people prefer hardcore hot sun. We don't.

And it's nothing of what you've seen on TV. So much to be seen that just a single camera lens doesn't provide the true beauty of what you'll see from your own balcony. It's nothing like what you see on TV. Use Vegas as an example... Vegas in person is nothing like the huge marvel you see on TV. In person is grundgy and small. Quite the opposite for Alaska.

We like cruising to warm places in the Caribbean. We enjoy Florida for short trips when a cheap airfare presents itself last minute. Some of the ports are starting to get OLD.....after a few stops, kinda dull seeing the same stuff. Have to reach out soon......

 

So while we haven't done Alaskan cruise yet.....somehow just can't seem to understand how a cruise ship matches up with such a COLD.....or at very least UNWARM environment.

 

Balcony without swimsuits ? Wearing coats/jackets/sweaters? No jumping into water ? Looking at glaciers, snow, ice ? Have seen Alaska with whales, ice, etc on Geographic Channel documentaries several times.

 

So can't figure out...really.....what's the attraction of a less than tanning cruise on a cruise ship ? Brrrrrrrrrrrr.

Alaska is beautiful and most of the state is only accessible by water or air.

NOT HUMID. I had trouble breathing the first day in St Thomas on a land trip in July. That's never happened in Hawaii during the same time of year.

We've done two Alaskan cruises. The first it was tshirt and shorts weather. The second it was 40F and raining. DH took the girls snorkeling the second time figuring it was the same in or out of the water.:p

Definetly depends on where you are coming from. ;)

On both cruises many were enjoying the hot tubs.

We like cruising to warm places in the Caribbean. We enjoy Florida for short trips when a cheap airfare presents itself last minute. Some of the ports are starting to get OLD.....after a few stops, kinda dull seeing the same stuff. Have to reach out soon......

 

So while we haven't done Alaskan cruise yet.....somehow just can't seem to understand how a cruise ship matches up with such a COLD.....or at very least UNWARM environment.

 

Balcony without swimsuits ? Wearing coats/jackets/sweaters? No jumping into water ? Looking at glaciers, snow, ice ? Have seen Alaska with whales, ice, etc on Geographic Channel documentaries several times.

 

So can't figure out...really.....what's the attraction of a less than tanning cruise on a cruise ship ? Brrrrrrrrrrrr.

Have sailed on 16 Caribbean cruises up until my recent Alaska cruise back in July...all I have to say is AMAZING...the scenery is like nothing I have seen...oh and video and pictures dont do justice.

I would agree its not something I would want to do over and over but its something that should be seen at least once

-Matt

Most people that cruise to Alaska seem to agree that it's one of the best cruises of their lives. We'll find out in a few more months! :)

Cruising only in the Caribbean seems a bit limited. There are so many places in the world to explore, and thankfully you can reach many of these places by water!

Be open to new options, even if they take you away from your comfort zone. In addition to discovering the glaciers of Alaska, you could also discover Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, Australia, the South Pacific, South America, Asia, and more. ALL accessible on a cruise ship! :)

We cruised to Alaska for the scenery. I prefer the warm weather, but we had a fantastic time. I would even do it again, so much to see. We didn't do a cruise/land vacation because we would have had to take too much time off work, but when we retire I am going to do that one too!

We LOVE the Caribbean, but after we took our first Alaskan cruise & a few days on land pre-cruise, my recomendation is everyone should experience that at least once in their lives. It was AMAZING. And worth every penny. We did a one-way southbound cruise from Anchorage to Vancouver in June, hitting Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau, & Ketchikan. We spent a couple days in Denali Natl Park pre-cruise.

The weather is not that cold, just be prepared & you will be quite comfortable. Definitely book a balcony, consider other lines (Coral Princess was awesome), try to include Glacier Bay in the itinerary (WOW!), and spend a few days exploring the land. Alaska by land and by sea is simply beautiful.

We like cruising to warm places in the Caribbean. We enjoy Florida for short trips when a cheap airfare presents itself last minute. Some of the ports are starting to get OLD.....after a few stops, kinda dull seeing the same stuff. Have to reach out soon......

 

So while we haven't done Alaskan cruise yet.....somehow just can't seem to understand how a cruise ship matches up with such a COLD.....or at very least UNWARM environment.

 

Balcony without swimsuits ? Wearing coats/jackets/sweaters? No jumping into water ? Looking at glaciers, snow, ice ? Have seen Alaska with whales, ice, etc on Geographic Channel documentaries several times.

 

So can't figure out...really.....what's the attraction of a less than tanning cruise on a cruise ship ? Brrrrrrrrrrrr.

when i was young and ignorant, i used to say the same thing.

then a colleague went on one and filmed, i swear, almost her entire vacation.

and i watched the WHOLE thing.

i couldn't imagine such beauty, and have that one shelved when i can no longer wear a swimsuit nor sit in the sun.

Alaska was stunning to see from a cruise ship. There are places that you simply can not go to by car so the scenic cruising part was amazing. The outdoor pool was heated and the kids seemed to like it. We are going back next year.

Shocking as it might be Alaska in the summer can have very nice warm weather....but the weather is very unpredictable. Some weeks nice sunny weather; some weeks cold & rainy. On my cruise from Seward to Vancouver I had cold rainy weather until we reached Ketchikan where the weather became sunny and gorgeous. I only brought a light jacket for my August cruise, but I don't ever remember using the outdoor pool. The scenery is simply unbelievable. It would be hard to describe such beauty and the best way to see Alaska is via cruise ship. The towering ice capped mountains, the wild life, the glaciers, the forests and the ports are sort of interesting although you really have to take the shore tours to get the most our of an Alaskan cruise. No, you wouldn't go on an Alaska cruise for hot weather and/or beaches. But since many ships have indoor solarium pools you can still lay around the pool even though the weather outside might be poor. If you're worry about weather I'd go in months of July or Aug - of course those are the most expensive months to go because of the warmer weather. I know an Alaskan cruise seems counter intuitive to a cruise vacation, but the spectacular scenery is worth the money & time especially from your cabin's balcony.

I think everyone should go on an Alaskan cruise! Go in July or August and the weather was nice. Not shorts weather but beautiful. I would also recommend a balcony because there is so much to see. There were sea otters, whales, etc. They had a Naturalist onboard who would announce things. The scenery is unlike anything you have ever seen!

Alaska had always been on my bucket list. Last May, we were looking for an August vacation, and dh suggested we do something on my bucket list. I had always kind of put off this cruise, as I LOVE hot weather - think Las Vegas in August!! Well, this was one of the best cruises I have ever taken. It was so good, I would not hesitate going back to do different excursions. Yes, the weather could change in a minute - we had 80 degrees and sunny in Ketchikan, and 50-60's elsewhere- but pretty rainy. Spent a lot of time on our balcony just amazed at the scenery. Where else could we helicopter to the top of a glacier and go dog sledding? Certainly not in the Caribbean!:D

Not all cruises have to be about sun and beaches. Last year we took a Med cruise and there were no beaches for us. There was too much to see and do at the ports for us to even consider a beach.

I just booked for DH and I to go to Alaska next year and can't wait!! For me, August can't get here fast enough!!

I have also heard if you cruise later in the season you will see alot of wildlife. Those cruises tend to fill up quicker. I most definetly would like to do an alaskan cruise someday.

We are going to Alaska next June on Ncl ----cant wait --all the pics looks breathtaking

And we are are doing to sled dog excursion ---- mush !

Great place to go ...

We like cruising to warm places in the Caribbean. We enjoy Florida for short trips when a cheap airfare presents itself last minute. Some of the ports are starting to get OLD.....after a few stops, kinda dull seeing the same stuff. Have to reach out soon......

 

So while we haven't done Alaskan cruise yet.....somehow just can't seem to understand how a cruise ship matches up with such a COLD.....or at very least UNWARM environment.

 

Balcony without swimsuits ? Wearing coats/jackets/sweaters? No jumping into water ? Looking at glaciers, snow, ice ? Have seen Alaska with whales, ice, etc on Geographic Channel documentaries several times.

 

So can't figure out...really.....what's the attraction of a less than tanning cruise on a cruise ship ? Brrrrrrrrrrrr.

And here I was wondering why people always seem to head for the warm waters... :rolleyes:

To each his own but I believe the beautiful views, the chance to explore a place you may never see any other way for half the price of a land-based trip, the wildlife, the fresh salmon or crab, etc... Hot cocoa, a blanket, and some binoculars... this is why Alaska is on our sooner-than-later list!! Read some Alaska reviews on here... you will see why very soon! :)

The attraction is sailing a very pristine area of the world.

Alaska is very unique and it is an opportunity to see something that is quite unique and very special.

Life is short and we live on a beautiful planet and I would highly encourage you to expand your horizon.

Keith

We did a Alaskan cruise in August. It was warm and the guides said it was the driest they'd had in years so we got lucky. We stocked up on travel umbrellas and ponchos but didn't need them at all. The scenery and wildlife were incredibly beautiful.

Interesting thing to get used to was the long daylight. We had an ocean view but eye masks helped block some of the light.

I totally recommend an Alaska cruise just for a change of pace.

Sounds kind of like all the people who say they can't imagine taking kids anywhere but Disneyland. It's a great big amazing world. For us, we don't want to waste limited time/resources doing the Carib over and over again, but we spend very little time sitting by a pool on any vacation.

Best,

Mia

Well if you have to ask then you really don't want to know - so we will keep it a secret OK?:rolleyes:

Really it is because there is so much to see and do there that one cruise is hardly enough - I have been on three AK cruises now and still have only scratched the surface of the available sightseeing opportunities.:)

AK is to us West Coasters what the Bahamas and Carrib are to the East Coasters - a chance to not have to travel far to take a cruise:D

We need more West Coast based cruises :mad:

Watching glaciers and Alaska on the National Geographic channel is nothing compared to seeing it up close and personal so to speak.

Until you see that scenery, watch a glacier calve, walk on a glacier and do a float plane and helicoper tour -- you haven't done a unique vacation as this doesn't exist in the Caribbean.

We live in a cold and snowy place and that hasn't stopped us from cruising Alaska -- many times.

We always book a balcony/verandah cabin and we love going out there to view the glaciers. And we have enjoyed watching arrivals and departures from the ports -- and we certainly have had cocktails out there as we people watch.

Sure you have to dress in layers most of the time -- but it is well worth it to visit a beautiful place.

Wow. Lot's of enthusiasm.

Perhaps it might be worth a shot down the road. Thanks all for your response.

I never had any desire to cruise to Alaska. We had cruised a ton in the Caribbean and ended up with a free 7 night cruise and thought to ourselves "we would never pay to go to Alaska so let's use it there".

I think I have cruised Alaska 12x now (obviously I am paying to go there now) but can honestly tell you that I would take Alaska over the Caribbean any day! Alaska is just so beautiful!

I live in the midwest (and have to travel to either coast to cruise so Alaska doesn't win from that stand point as far as being closer). We have the hottest summers and coldest winters where I am at. I would live in Alaska in the summer if I could (to get away from our heat).

I never thought I would like Alaska.

Like Coral, I never had any desire to cruise to Alaska. I'm a beach girl, thru and thru (hence my screen name). But in Sept. of 2006, several friends had booked an AK cruise and asked us to come along. I must say, I went kicking and screaming, sure I wouldn't like it one bit.

What can I say? I fell in love with Alaska:o. It warms my heart, its a place I aspire to live someday, it wrapped itself around my soul and I think about going back every single day. In fact, I've been four times now and am currently planning our 2 1/2 week trip - longer if we can swing it (land only) to Alaska for next late May/early June. The first time was a 7 day cruise, as was the second time. Then the third and fourth time was HAL's magnificent 14 day itinerary to the Great Land. Even 14 days wasn't enough. We dream of retiring and taking an RV to Alaska to spend months on end exploring what we haven't gotten to yet, and finding our dream location to move to. Yes, it is THAT special.

Magnificent scenery, beautiful wildlife both on the land and in the water, spectacular glaciers, mountains that go on forever - what is not to like?

I say go for it, give it a chance, and maybe you too will lose your heart to Alaska?;)