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Which cruise line for Alaska cruise


Newmrsvega
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I am starting to look at planning my husband and I May 2020? Alaska cruise. Neither of us have ever been...

 

1. Best time of year to cruise to Alaska (in your opinion)?

2. Best cruise line to cruise from?

3. Any ports that should NOT be missed.... or any excursions that are must do for a rookie??

4. Any other things I should know as I am planning, researching.. etc. I know people have mentioned about Canada and ANY convictions. What if my DH was arrested, but never convicted (actually all charges dropped).

5.

 

Looking forward to hearing lots of great information.

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I am starting to look at planning my husband and I May 2020? Alaska cruise. Neither of us have ever been...

 

1. Best time of year to cruise to Alaska (in your opinion)?

2. Best cruise line to cruise from?

3. Any ports that should NOT be missed.... or any excursions that are must do for a rookie??

4. Any other things I should know as I am planning, researching.. etc. I know people have mentioned about Canada and ANY convictions. What if my DH was arrested, but never convicted (actually all charges dropped).

5.

 

Looking forward to hearing lots of great information.

1. June or July for best weather and Denali Park is fully open. But it will cost more than May or September.

2. Princess Cruises

3. Glacier Bay

4. There is so much to see in Alaska that is awesome. Highly recommend doing a 15-day Princess connoisseur escorted cruise tour. You see so much and with no hassles as Princess takes care of nearly every detail---transportation by coach and rail as well as ship---- Luggage handling----breakfasts dinners and some lunches on land and some excursions are included in the fare.

No worries if no convictions.

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1. June or July for best weather and Denali Park is fully open. But it will cost more than May or September.

2. Princess Cruises

3. Glacier Bay

4. There is so much to see in Alaska that is awesome. Highly recommend doing a 15-day Princess connoisseur escorted cruise tour. You see so much and with no hassles as Princess takes care of nearly every detail---transportation by coach and rail as well as ship---- Luggage handling----breakfasts dinners and some lunches on land and some excursions are included in the fare.

No worries if no convictions.

 

Nuke subsailor .. first of all .. Thank you for your service!!!

 

2nd thank you so much for the great info

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There's no "best" cruise line for everybody - there are cruise lines, and indeed ships, to suit everyone's specific wants.

 

In Southeast Alaska, May and early June are the driest period, and I love the snow that's still on the mountains.

 

Some people think that the itinerary is the most important thing, but the ship itself is huge to me. After 13 Alaska cruises and a few in other regions, I've settled on Celebrity, and preferably Solstice-class ships. HAL comes in a close second, and I've loved all of their ships I've been on.

 

Some people think that Glacier Bay must be on an itinerary, but I think they must not have seen Hubbard Glacier.

 

If at all possible, take a flight somewhere - my favourite is Misty Fjords out of Ketchikan.

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:eek::confused:So many things to think about lol ! Best get me a whole notebook some coffee (and wine lol) and get to work ...

 

I love the idea of the full sea and land ... never had heard of this so not exactly sure what I am comparing or what I should be looking for ...

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As you read past trip reports you won't find many complaints about the ships .... the major cruiselines are more alike than different. Do you need a covered pool? do you need a good kids' club? a great spa? several specialty dining choices?

 

The biggest complaint is port times so make sure you're in port long enough and at the right time of day for any planned activity. ie ketchikan 7a-1:30p can be a problem

 

There are a few books specific to Alaska cruises. Perhaps your library has them. Ann Vipond has Alaska by Cruiseship, and Fodor has Alaska Ports of Call. Both provide information on ships, itineraries, excursions, etc.

 

Have fun with your research !

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May I suggest that you, as a new Alaska cruiser, might do well to find yourself a well qualified Travel Agent who specializes in Alaska. Choose one who has actually been to many areas of the state (more than once hopefully), and has sailed on several cruise lines so they will be able to provide information on the unique differences among the several most popular lines. The services of an agent are generally free to you (some charge...ask!), and they do not have to be doing business in your town. I live in Alaska and my agent is in Ohio.

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  • 2 weeks later...

1. July. You should have the best weather--and you will have the longest days--but of course weather changes on a minute by minute basis, so really no time of year is a guarantee for good (or bad) weather.

 

2. We've done Celebrity and Holland America in Alaska. Holland was hands down the winner, but that's because we value itinerary/port days FAR far far more than we care about the actual ship. I of course argue that Alaska is one of the cruise destinations where itinerary matters the most--why GO to AK if you aren't there to see the natural beauty? But some people like the ship experience. In that case, Celebrity or Princess. If you are traveling with young children, the new monstrosity of a Norwegian ship--the Bliss--might be a good fit. You'll note I'm calling it a monstrosity; it has a freaking go kart track on the top deck. For me that's a HARD NO, and for others that's a HECK YEAH. So first figure out what is important to you, and then we can all help you more effectively. :-)

 

3. We've done the majority of port stops in AK (minus Seward and Whittier, though we drove out from Anchorage and I can say the entire Kenai Peninsula is worth doing.) But none of the land portion (so no Denali). And I can honestly say--each and every port was worthwhile. As for the scenic cruising days, some will argue over the relative benefits of Glacier Bay vs. Hubbard Glacier vs. Tracy Arm Fjord. They were all beautiful, though Tracy Arm was my personal favorite. You really can't go wrong, so I'd say book the trip with the MOST port stops/cruising days. We did the 14 day sea-only sailing on HAL this summer and it was one of the best trips we've ever taken (and we travel A LOT.)

 

4. Consider the cost of lodging in whichever city you are leaving from and/or returning to (assuming a round trip; there are also northbound/southbound options which have you flying into one city and out of another.) These cities are typically Seattle or Vancouver, Canada. Both are VERY very very expensive hotel-wise. Budget that in (we didn't and I ended up needing to spend ALLLLL of my Marriott points to cover just 3 nights in Seattle; it would have been over $1200 otherwise.)

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