LEtue

I will just continue to monitor the 2 R/T sailings out of Vancouver on HAL. I can't handle the solo price or I would book one now.

I booked the Ruby because port times are important to me and most sailings out of SEA don't offer a full day in Ketchikan and I need that for my Anan Creek bear fly in.

I haven't done the Tracy Arm Glacier Discovery add-on before so I'm really looking forward to that too :D

Sailing one ship from Vancouver is not an issue for HAL or Celebrity and I would much rather sail on Princess.

Airfare is not an issue for a lot of us since options between Vancouver and Seattle are reasonable and require very little extra time. You may not agree but that shouldn't prevent one of the leaders in Alaska from offering more options! Besides the Coral sails mid week so coordinating a port schedule can't be a major issue.....

The Coral Princess is doing only one R/T sailing from Vancouver on May 6, 2015. This itinerary is absolutely perfect and I wish it was offered at least a few times a year! Anyone else agree?

05/06 Vancouver

(Depart 04:30 PM)

05/07 At Sea

05/08 Juneau

(01:00 PM - 10:00 PM)

05/09 Skagway

(06:00 AM - 08:15 PM)

05/10 Glacier Bay

(06:00 AM - 03:00 PM)

05/11 Ketchikan

(10:00 AM - 06:00 PM)

05/12 At Sea

05/13 Vancouver

(Arrive 07:30 AM)

It picks up directly off the ship up in Tracy Arm at around 8am and arrives back in Juneau at around 2pm.That's this year 2014 I don't know if it will be the same in 2015.

Thank you so much! That is what I was expecting and it means it has been the same for 2013 and 2014.....and it is helpful when planning for the rest of the day in Juneau :)

Can anyone that is booked on a Princess ship to Alaska this year tell me what time is offered for this excursion from Tracy Arm? I would like to book this for next year and would like to know when the tour leaves from the ship and then the arrival time in Juneau.

If possible I would like to schedule a trip with Harv & Marv to whale watch for the afternoon if possible. Otherwise, I can try and book the Evening Whale Watch through the ship?

The itinerary states:

Tracy Arm 5am - 9am

Juneau 12:30pm - 10pm

No question - take the Canon with zoom lens. You will be really sorry that you didn't. You don't have to carry it everywhere but you are going to want it along.

Enjoy your cruise :D

Only one of my previous Alaska cruises was R/T cruise from Seattle and the seas were smooth out of Seattle and all the way to Juneau. So, it can rough or smooth.

However, on this same cruise we had very rough seas going from Hubbard Glacier to Sitka. I got seasick then as did a lot of people on board. That cruise was in late May.....

I am planning to cruise solo for the first time next year to Alaska and have been watching the pricing for 2014. Pick a couple of cruises that you are interested in and simulate a few bookings for this summer on one of the large cruise only sites. That should give you a good idea of what to expect.

I ended up booking an inside cabin on Princess because they have a low single supplement. I have been receiving email for months so I am confident that the price I have now will go down before I make final payment. :) HAL is also know to start high and drop later so either may work for you.

To get the really low pricing you may have to book late - after final payments are due. I don't have that much flexibility since I am planning to use FF tickets to cover airfare and scheduling time off work can be a problem.....

I was in R403 on the Ruby Princess. The stateroom is spacious (by inside standards). Part of it is the sideways orientation; it provides a bigger sense of openness. Still, it is larger by any measure. There is more closet space (including what I'd call his / hers closets; his is smaller, hers is about twice the size).

 

I would take one of these again in a heartbeat. Part of it was the upper deck as well; I just walked up for the buffet or the pool / hot tub. Same with the movie.

Did you find this location a problem with the pool deck above? I am considering one of these for an Alaska cruise so I don't expect as much activity up there - compared to a Caribbean itinerary.

Any recent experiences about this trip?

We will be in Alaska with Princess first week of September.

 

I'm considering doing this trip.

Is it still Beak Creek Outfitters they're going with. Their website says they fly to Admirality?

There are actually 2 tours listed on the website. One under bear viewing which has a similar description to the cruise line tour. So, I am guessing that is the one that they have contracted with Princess.

http://www.juneauflyfishing.com/bear_viewing.html

There is also a Pack Creek Tour and it is longer and pricier.

http://www.juneauflyfishing.com/packcreek.html

I hope this is helpful.

I am looking at the same option for July 2015 and may book the Gold Star Service (Dome Car) just to have access to a viewing platform. I can't find info anywhere that says the Adventure Class offers the same.

Anyone know?

Wow..I hear so many people saying DONT MISS THE WHALES. My friends dream is to take the helicopter and dog sledding and we booked that but we are not there long enough to do both. Any suggestions???

Have never done that but I'm sure it will be awesome too. And if that is your friend's dream than that matters :)

How about kayaking in Ketchikan. Some trips may offer the possibility of whale sightings?

I have often spotted whales from on board but it requires a lot of time on deck. Whale watching tours in Juneau are superior to anything you will see from the ship. It may be worth changing your plans in Juneau :)

You may also want to consider RCCL. I have cruised on the HAL Oosterdam once and with Princess 3 times in Alaska, the Island (NB), Sapphire (SB) and Golden (RT SEA) and loved them all.

On some of their 2015 itineraries the port times weren't long enough for my liking though. So, I took advantage of the great pricing on the Radiance OTS. You won't get to Glacier Bay - just Hubbard Glacier but it is still worth looking at. I needed a full day in Ketchikan to do the Anan Creek bear trip with Island Wings so the choices became very limited.....

Consider what you want to do in the ports and decide what works best for you. For me port times are very important but if cruising and scenery is your priority - then your choice may be different. You can't go wrong on Princess either. Have fun choosing and planning :D

Travel agent was canceling our transfers through Princess since we are renting a large vehicle to drive pre-cruise and to Whittier. Daughter (Denali resident) will drive back to anchorage and return vehicle to airport.

 

Princess asked TA to caution us that it was difficult to get there if not on chartered transport. Really???? Is that just hype or true?

 

I know about tunnel being one way on a schedule.

Told TA I would check with CC posters because I know you will have the correct info.

I took this totally different. The Princess agent was trying to be helpful and didn't know that you were aware. If you didn't know about the tunnel it would have been helpful to be told - so you could prepare.

Have a great cruise :)

I book way ahead because I like to get first pick of the cabins. I wanted a hump room and was able to get it. Also, the tour I most wanted to do (Anan Creek Bear Tour) only allows 40 permits/day. I wanted to make sure I was able to get this tour by booking it early.

I just booked a cabin this morning on this sailing and was hoping it wasn't too late in the season for Anan Creek. Do you have a confirmation and at what time?

Rule #1 with RCI. If you see a good price do not wait to book as it can be gone very quickly.

I'm a believer now. I put a courtesy hold on a cabin just this morning and sometime today the price went up by $407. I just processed my deposit so I got in under the wire.....

Whew!

See answers above.

Thanks so much! You are awesome!

So glad I found this thread but boy it is so confusing.

Can someone tell me about 10643, 10645 and 10647 on the Oasis?

We are booked to go with Cosol at the end of May. I have two questions: 1) Do they serve you lunch or is it just food sampling along the way? If so, what does the lunch consist of. 2) Does anyone have information about catching a speedboat back to the ship instead of taking the van?

I am curious about the boat back too. We're not booked until February 2015 so I'm still researching.....

Hi there we are going in june on aos and was wandering if someone could tell me what type of plugs are used on board are they american or european thanks

They will be like those found in the U.S. :)

Never had a problem either with flights after 11am. I haven't sailed with Carnival from there but I'm sure they have early walk off with your luggage. If so, you can be off the ship early - then just take a cab over. You should have plenty of time since you will beat the ship transfer and any crowd.

I fly Jet Blue from FL to San Juan and am also waiting for the schedule to open up for February. You can't beat the price or service on board. :D

I would agree. If you are going to be at sea for the whole cruise you will enjoy the balcony more than the $50 :D

Yes, I always enjoy my balcony cabins - especially in the Caribbean and Alaska but....for the Med I would much rather take a longer cruise. The flights over and back are long and for the price difference you can pay for a pre-cruise stay.

I did a 12 Med cruise on the Splendour and am booked on a 9 night Serenade cruise this fall - in an inside cabin again. I will be up on deck when we arrive in ports but at the end of the day I won't miss the balcony at all.

Go for the longer cruise and enjoy the ports :D