Alaska-which route is best?

I'm searching for an Alaska cruise for next summer. Which route is best. Also which cruise line is recommended for that trip?:o :o :o

Go to the Alaskan board and you will find everything and more that you could ever use to plan a complete cruise including: routes, ports, clothing, weather, best time to travel, excursions, cruise lines and ships, etc. Alaska is awesome and a trip of a lifetime. gg

You will get many different opinions about which cruiseline/ship is the best for Alaska. I would start with the info that is on Cruise Critic under "Destinations": http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/area.cfm?area=1 Read especially the "Fun Facts." I have two book recommendations: Frommer's Alaska by Charles Wohlforth, and Alaska By Cruise Ship by Anne Vipond.

Best- has a wide range. :) What I consider to be one of the best routings is via HAL round trip Vancouver which include both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm. They do a great job in Alaska and overall have some of the best ship Cpts. Which having sailed several time, I find important.

For a one way- this line wins again, my opinion only. The sailings include College Fjords (a significant reason to sail a one way in my opinion- always try to include it) and either Hubbard or Glacier Bay. Bonus here is Seward- but way too many miss this gem completely- determine if you can budget the time to take advantage. If not- then either Princess or Carnival are good choices with Whittier. I myself, never consider any one ways without at least another week in interior Alaska. I am a strong advocate of taking advantage of being all the way there. It isn't a frequent trip for most. Determine why you are going there??? If for scenery and wildlife- consider adding the time. Otherwise round trip cruises offer plenty of packed scenic opportunties and great ports.

Do your homework, each port is unique and all very worthwhile for a visit. In your cruise selection- perhaps consider ports, time in ports, route, glacier, ship naturalist, price. Then select the ship. :) Budget fully for costly excursions, you get only half a trip without them- again my opinion only.

There are as many different answers for as many different reasons as there are posters here!:)

I like glacier viewing, so I would be hard pressed to choose less than 2 glacier viewing days. Some prefer ports and don't want to see 'just a bunch of ice'.

A great way to get started is to order the Alaskan brochures (free) from each cruiseline by calling their 800 number or ordering online. Having those 'hardcopy' in front of me always makes it easier to compare. They're also available from travel agencies.

You've hit upon one of the best assets right here, this board! Read, read, read, and utilize the search feature... a wonderful archive of information is available.

One important thing to remember ~ you can't see and do it all in one trip. Find your priority, and work around that.:)