Alaska Northbound Question

Hi everyone, we are on the star princess northbound up to Anchorage. My question is we have a balcony on the starboard side of the ship so the coastline should be seen from our balcony. Is this a safe place to sit while cruising to be able to see the coastline, scenery and glaciers or should we plan to go topside? It appears that we should have a straight site line to everything on the coastline all the way up to Anchorage. Or does the ship stop and rotate at times? Our hope is we can skip the crowds topside and enjoy the sites from our balcony. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

As you sail through the inside passage, the coastline will be on both sides of the ship so it really doesn't matter which side you are on.

These photos were taken from our port side balcony on the first sea day as we left Vancouver and shows just how close we were to land on that side.

And if you are visiting Glacier Bay, then the port side is actually better because what you will be seeing will match the naturalist's narration. (We followed along on the map to keep track of what we were seeing and what was being described.) The ship will rotate once you reach Margarie Glacier, but there will be no narration as the starboard side faces the glaciers on the way out of the bay.

This photo is actually a reflection on our balcony door (on the port side) that again shows how close we were to land in Glacier Bay.

Regardless of whichever side you are facing you will have a great view. I am convinced that Alaska is one of the most beautiful places on earth!

Thank you so much. This is very helpful.

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As you sail through the inside passage, the coastline will be on both sides of the ship so it really doesn't matter which side you are on.

Thanks bUU. We are looking forward to the adventure too.

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You will probably want to go topside for 360 views instead of just the potion allowed on your balcony.

In the major viewing areas, the ships turn.

For most of the inside passage cruising the balcony will be fine. The view either way is about the same most of the time since low clouds will sit pretty equally on the hills on each side. Facing east might have a chance to see higher peaks with snow on them beyond the foothills but that is rare and often those coastal hills (small mountains) will be high enough to block the view of taller peaks farther inland. Then when you get to glacier areas the ship will turn so both sides get a view but, as noted, you would want to be up on a top deck anyway to enjoy the view longer.

We enjoyed the northbound aspect a lot due to the scenery building and building and the psychological aspect of "going TO" Alaska.

Thanks TheCalicoCat and Sequim88. Very helpful.

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A few years ago we sailed the Oosterdam. Going into Glacier Bay, the bow of the ship (usually closed to passengers) was opened for passengers to gather to observe our sailing into the bay and soup & hot chocolate were served topside. It was amazing how close we got to the glacier (we could actually hear the ice breaking and falling into the water). As we were leaving, we went back to our cabin to enjoy the remainder of the glacier on our balcony. However, seeing it from our balcony did not compare to our experience topside.

Thanks Funkat. This is helpful.

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