minniemom2009

Thank you all so very much! This is all incredibly helpful 🙂 I've asked my dad numerous times for his input, but I think he's just so excited to finally go that he keeps saying he's fine with whatever, which should make it easier for me, but in some ways it makes it more stressful. I want to be sure I am planning the best trip for him! It sounds like Vancouver is definitely the best port to cruise in/out of. I've been to Victoria in the past and absolutely loved it, but he has never been to western Canada and I'm sure he would love it. Just knowing the best port to leave from definitely helps to narrow things down. Again, I appreciate all the input!

Hi All! While I have cruised before many times before (Disney, RCCL, NCL, Carnival), I have only ever gone to the Caribbean. I am trying to plan a trip for my father to cross Alaska off his bucket list and I am getting completely overwhelmed with all of the options!! There will be 8 of us on this trip - ages 18, 22, 23, 24, 46, 49, 68 and 69. I'm trying to figure out - first of all - which ports are best to include in the trip and then of course activities to do at each. I'm also questioning which port is best to leave from. I personally do get seasick and although I initially thought it would be easiest to leave from Seattle (thinking flights would be easier to get there from the East Coast), I'm now reconsidering that since I've read the waters can be rougher leaving from Seattle. So I was thinking Vancouver might be a better option. I then just saw there are a few cruises that leave from San Francisco. The younger ones on the trip would LOVE to see San Francisco. Admittedly, none of them are crazy about Alaska and have really only agreed to this trip to make their grandfather happy, so it would be nice to throw a little something in there for them - even though I do think they'll like Alaska once we get there. I'm assuming the waters may be rought leaving from San Fran as well though - any input on that? It also leaves less time for ports in Alaska. We're all very much interested in seeing wildlife. Some of us are avid hikers and like some adventure. My parents will probably want easier, not strenuous activities at the ports. We definitely have to travel in July. I will only be getting home from another trip on July 5th, so I would preferably like to leave at least a week after that. We also must return by August 8th because some of the kids will be heading back to college. With all that being said, can anyone give me a few pointers or maybe some things to definitely focus on and things to leave out just to try to narrow down the scope of what I'm looking for? Several of us must eat a gluten free diet, so if anyone has input on that and which cruise line is best, that would be appreciated as well. From what I'm reading, each cruise line has it's good and bad when it comes to accommodating special dietary needs. As far as budget goes, we certainly have one, but I haven't exactly put a number on it yet because I just don't know what to expect! I'm thinking we'd like to stay below $15k for just the cruise part of the trip. Thanks so much for any input at all!