Alaska Cruise -need a jump start from the experts

Thinking of a 2015 Alaska Cruise. Have only done carirbbean cruises. Have been reading and starting some research but need some expert help to start me down the path. Am thinking late May-maybe not as many people/kids that time of year but is it really too cold? How best to decide the cruise/land portion? Know we want the denali experience for a few days and in my initial research looks like with the land plus sea you typically leave from one port and fly home from say Anchorage, does this add alot to the overall price of this type of cruise. And finally since we are usually only sun seekers, if crusing in May to this destination, I assume there will be no deck chairs or loungers put to use? Any and all help is appreciated as always from this incredible resource of knowledge! Thanks in advance!

I think all your assumptions are correct. Cold weather is differnt for everybody but if you looking to sit out in the sun you maybe doing it with a blanket in your lap. You will get some great help from people here.

Your best bet is to read past reviews during the May timeline to find out what to expect. Alaska is beautiful you really love the cruise.

Thinking of a 2015 Alaska Cruise. Have only done carirbbean cruises. Have been reading and starting some research but need some expert help to start me down the path. Am thinking late May-maybe not as many people/kids that time of year but is it really too cold? How best to decide the cruise/land portion? Know we want the denali experience for a few days and in my initial research looks like with the land plus sea you typically leave from one port and fly home from say Anchorage, does this add alot to the overall price of this type of cruise. And finally since we are usually only sun seekers, if crusing in May to this destination, I assume there will be no deck chairs or loungers put to use? Any and all help is appreciated as always from this incredible resource of knowledge! Thanks in advance!

Late May or early June is a good time to go and fares are a lot lower than summer and even September . If you want to do a land portion I would start with Denali and finish with the cruise . If a cruise tour is to expensive with then consider a 14 Rtn from Seattle or Vancouver.

I would compare airfares on

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

Use the multi city function. Enter your home airport to Anchorage for the first leg . The second leg will be Vancouver back to your home airport .Cruise tours do not sail to/from Seattle because of US government regulations (PVSA & Jone's Act)

The do the same for a round trip to Seattle or Vancouver . Then you'll have what the extra airfare cost for a cruise tour will be.

@bustersmom,

We did the May 29th, 2013 Southbound sailing. For the most part, the weather cooperated. We did have fog on our day in Glacier Bay (bummer)

I am from Alaska and probably more accustomed to "chilly" weather than most. There were deck chairs and a few days that were nice enough to sun yourself there. This is not a cruise you select to work on your tan. Weather in Alaska is fickle but May/June are generally drier than later in the summer..... but probably cooler too. I spent a fair amount of time at the pool/hot tub.

As for air fares, we in Alaska are used to paying through the nose. It can be quite spendy to fly to/from Alaska. However, a number of new carriers have been entering the market and it does promote some decent fare battles. Routes and fares are generally available 11 months in advance. We make use of the Alaska Airlines Visa card issued by BofA. It does carry an annual fee but you get a free once-a-year companion fare when you buy a ticket on Alaska Airlines. (Not exactly free... you pay the taxes so plan on $90 - $100)

Anyway, depending on where you are flying to, this might be an attractive option. (Just as an example, we are using this promotion to fly from Anchorage to Ft Lauderdale in June. The total for two of us was about $750. This was based on buying 11 months in advance)

Oh yeah, I don't remember there being a lot of kids on that sailing either. ;)

Hope this helps,

Brian

Thank you all so much already, I did not realize (duh) we could do the denali part first (could this be arranged thru the cruise line)? that is really what I would have wanted so have learned something already, and the info the airfares etc is great! Again many thanks, you know I will have a ton more questions-oh and as to the weather we will be traveling from Upstate NY so yeah no work on my non-tan on this cruise, ha! I think any weather would seem mild after this brutal winter so many of us went thru!

It's less expensive (much) to arrange your own trip into Denali. Go to the Ports of Call/Alaska board. Great information on doing your own land travel. Tips on hotels, transportation into Denali and then how to get to the cruise terminal. I've been to Alaska four times and would love to go again and again. Beautiful state!

Oh, forgot to mention that your time is better spent planning your own trip!

If you prefer that someone else arranges everything then go with cruise tour. It all depends on your comfort level with doing it on your own.

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Especially if choosing late May or early June for the cruise portion, make certain you know what you want to do in Denali Nat'l. Park and WHEN you can do it. If the park is a high priority, you do not want an early cruise with the land portion first. http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Thinking of a 2015 Alaska Cruise. Have only done carirbbean cruises. Have been reading and starting some research but need some expert help to start me down the path. Am thinking late May-maybe not as many people/kids that time of year but is it really too cold? How best to decide the cruise/land portion? Know we want the denali experience for a few days and in my initial research looks like with the land plus sea you typically leave from one port and fly home from say Anchorage, does this add alot to the overall price of this type of cruise. And finally since we are usually only sun seekers, if crusing in May to this destination, I assume there will be no deck chairs or loungers put to use? Any and all help is appreciated as always from this incredible resource of knowledge! Thanks in advance!

We've cruised Alaska 5 times, from May 7 - 20, 2007 (San Francisco to Vancouver), June 11 - 25, 2009 (Roundtrip Seattle), June 25 - July 2, 2012 (Vancouver-Whittier), July 7 - 14, 2012 (Whittier-Vancouver), & July 20 - Aug 1, 2005 (Roundtrip Seattle). Our worst weather was from June 25 to July 14. But YMMV. For us, the other cruises, the weather was excellent but we are from the Pacific Northwest so sunny and 60 is excellent weather. We did a land cruise between the two cruises we did in June-July (it rained almost every day). On our land tour weather was great though Denali in the evening was cool even for our standards. If you want to do a land tour BEFORE your cruise then May is probably out as the road into Denali (more than the first 17 miles) does not open until early June (not sure exact date but others will chime in). You really won't have an idea of the weather until just before your cruise. As far as added cost, it depends on the type of land tour and length you choose, not the tour stops. You have "On Your Own", "Denali Explorer", "Off the Beaten Path" and "Connoisseur", Connoisseur being the most expensive will add several thousands to your cost. Deck chairs around the pool will more likely be in use on port days if it's sunny though you always have hearty souls who will lay out on cool days if there is some sun. Next year I'm planning to cruise northbound, take a land tour to Fairbanks, another land tour to Whittier and then cruise southbound.

Check the Denali National Park site. If you go too early you may well find that you can't get very far into the park due to road closure.

http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm

shukapaws assessment of May/June is what I recall. We have May 13 on Pacific booked and are looking forward to it. My first Alaska cruise (other than Pilotage runs on the old Matanuska) but I ran a ship in those waters a number of years ago. We loved May/June as it was drier. Cooler, yes, but do not fear weather like you see on Deadliest Catch.:eek: The Inside Passage is mostly well protected waters. Besides, you want Alaska to be chilly, right? Just like you expect the Caribbean to be warm. Besides the already mentioned benefits of a bit smaller crowds and fewer children, the people running the shore excursions, shopkeepers, bar/restaurant persons are looking forward to you and your business in May/June. By September, they are looking forward to getting back to Alaska themselves. :D

We did a northbound Princess cruise tour leaving Vancouver on June 1, 2013. weather was chilly but dry. we then did the Princess land part with stays at the Denali lodge and the McKinley lodge and Anchorage. we loved the trip. We recommend upgrading to the tundra wilderness tour in Denali.

Northbound was less expensive than southbound.

In 2010 we did land tour in Alaska followed by southbound cruise. we had rain and overcast on land in that trip. but weather can be variable anytime of the year.

The weather in Alaska is a crap shoot even in the summer months. Our first trip was the end of June and we had a few really cold days, then we went in September four years ago and had warm weather. You just never know, so if price is important, then I would go when the fares are best.

Whatever cruise you book MUST include Glacier Bay. Don't be fooled by itineraries listed as Inside Passage or Sawyer Glacier/Tracy Arm. The channel to that glacier is often too icy for passage and it would be a shame to miss the glacier experience.

Our July cruise was every bit as cold as our May cruise and definitely rainier. We loved the cold weather in May because the foothills we cruised by still had snow and the mountain the White Pass railroad goes up was covered in snow, with beautiful blue pools of melting water.

Cruises later in the season are during the salmon runs and it's fun to see all those salmon fighting their way upstream, trying to get past the sea lions and bears.

Some of the land portion parts of the cruise begin/end in Fairbanks so that gives you another option over ending/beginning in Anchorage/Whittier.

Other options, if booking through the cruiseline are whether you get to Denali via bus or train. For example, you could take the train to Denali and then the bus to Fairbanks. One of the options is called Direct to the Wilderness that whisks you from the ship straight to Denali and skips Anchorage.

So many options, so little time. Don't forget your binoculars!

You'll hopefully get lots of good advice from people who have cruised Alaska many times. When I went, I broke the trip up into two different segments ~ 10 days touring on land followed by the cruise. I flew into Anchorage, picked up a car & immediately hit the road racking up more than 2,000 mile before it was all over, trekking down to Homer and all the way up to Fairbanks. Picked up another travelling companion in Anchorage & then back north to Denali. You should figure out the places you really want to visit; research & then make it happen. I did extensive research & had an awesome trip & booked everything myself. Denali is a must & think you should do any land touring first and then relax on the cruise. Glad I structured it that way ~ especially after driving 2000+ miles!:eek: Enjoy. One trip I can't wait to repeat!

As I expected, just the best information and help from everyone! I will do my research and thanks for the info regarding when Denali actually is open!

I will be doing a Conniseur Cruisetour in a little over 30 days. We are flying into Anchorage and spending a few days on our own first and then starting on the Cruisetour a few days later. I opted to do the Cruisetour because I wanted hubby to be able to enjoy the sights himself without the driving. Our tour does include two days at Denali. I'm fine with the options we chose. There is so much to research that it's overwhelming at first. I feel like I did so much more research on Alaska than I did when I planned our trip to Europe. I did use our miles to get our airfare. Now that it's almost time to go I'm getting really excited.

I will be doing a Conniseur Cruisetour in a little over 30 days.

My report on the tour part of an Alaska Conniseur Cruisetour.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858

We did a northbound Princess cruise tour leaving Vancouver on June 1, 2013. weather was chilly but dry. we then did the Princess land part with stays at the Denali lodge and the McKinley lodge and Anchorage. we loved the trip. We recommend upgrading to the tundra wilderness tour in Denali.

 

Northbound was less expensive than southbound.

 

In 2010 we did land tour in Alaska followed by southbound cruise. we had rain and overcast on land in that trip. but weather can be variable anytime of the year.

How did you upgrade to the Tundra tour? Was this option offered at the Tour Desk at the Lodge? I asked my TA but she said at that time to upgrade to tundra I need to pay the retail cost difference between both tours

Thinking of a 2015 Alaska Cruise. Have only done carirbbean cruises. Have been reading and starting some research but need some expert help to start me down the path. Am thinking late May-maybe not as many people/kids that time of year but is it really too cold? How best to decide the cruise/land portion? Know we want the denali experience for a few days and in my initial research looks like with the land plus sea you typically leave from one port and fly home from say Anchorage, does this add alot to the overall price of this type of cruise. And finally since we are usually only sun seekers, if crusing in May to this destination, I assume there will be no deck chairs or loungers put to use? Any and all help is appreciated as always from this incredible resource of knowledge! Thanks in advance!

Hey there,

I just did Alaska for the first time last September. One thing we noticed (and maybe it was just due to the time of year) was that the weather went from 40 and rainy one day to 80 and sunny the next. Be sure to pack layers and at least two sturdy pairs of shoes in case one gets wet. (Balled-up newspapers packed tightly into wet shoes will help to dry them overnight.)

Anyway, here's Cruise Critic's Alaska info page: http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/area.cfm?area=1. It's not pretty, but if you scroll down below the ad links at the top, you'll find everything from port profiles to packing suggestions. Have a GREAT time! :)

I will be doing a Conniseur Cruisetour in a little over 30 days. We are flying into Anchorage and spending a few days on our own first and then starting on the Cruisetour a few days later. I opted to do the Cruisetour because I wanted hubby to be able to enjoy the sights himself without the driving. Our tour does include two days at Denali. I'm fine with the options we chose. There is so much to research that it's overwhelming at first. I feel like I did so much more research on Alaska than I did when I planned our trip to Europe. I did use our miles to get our airfare. Now that it's almost time to go I'm getting really excited.

We are six family and friends doing the Connoisseur Cruisetour in August. It will be great to hear from you after you return - enjoy enjoy! and please write after you return. Have a great trip!

Eldridchapman, I have upgraded to the Tundra Wilderness Tour. I didn't use a TA for this trip but did call Princess directly. I did have to pay the difference between the two tours. As part of my Conniseur Cruisetour there was a dinner at a theater one night that didn't get great reviews so I had that removed and received a credit.

Ginger pepper, I will post my review.

We upgraded to the Tundra Wilderness tour by calling the Princess customer service people. We did have to pay the difference between the included tour and the Tundra Wilderness one. The Tundra one goes longer and deeper into Denali. We saw grizzlies, caribou, fox, wolf, dall sheep, mooose, golden eagle. Wildlife sighting is not guaranteed, but more likely deeper into Denali.

Eldridchapman, I have upgraded to the Tundra Wilderness Tour. I didn't use a TA for this trip but did call Princess directly. I did have to pay the difference between the two tours. As part of my Conniseur Cruisetour there was a dinner at a theater one night that didn't get great reviews so I had that removed and received a credit.

 

Ginger pepper, I will post my review.

Thanks in advance for posting your review! Just a note though - the Princess Connoisseur Cruisetour includes the Tundra Wilderness Tour in Denali - you don't need to pay anything additional if you are on the Connoisseur Tour - check your itinerary!