Inside passage or glacier bay...are they a must? Very confused!

I can get anywhere in the Caribbean but I am an Alaskan dummy! Looking for help!

 

Trying to plan for next summer, 4 adults & a 12 year old. I see some cruise lines go to the inside passage and some go to glacier bay. Which is a must? We usually sail Carnival but the times we can go, Carnival doesn't go to glacier bay. We love Carnival but I'm hearing Carnival is not the way to see Alaska & we are willing to try another.

 

Can anyone give me any input please? Which cruise line did you choose? Did you go through the inside passage? Go to glacier bay? Will my 12 year old be bored on Princess? Thank you!

It is very commonly discussed (but it is personal opinion) on this board that if possible, Glacier Bay should be high on your priority list. I would put a true (sailing to/from Vancouver) Inside Passage route as second priority.

Holland America sails via the Inside Passage and to Glacier Bay for cruises leaving Vancouver. Sailings out of Seattle expose the ship to the open ocean and potentially much rougher seas.

I've done Alaska twice and still haven't seen Glacier Bay. I loved seeing Hubbard Glacier though (both times) and the inside passage is beautiful.

 

I would suggest you get a book like Frommer's Alaska Ports of Call. It will give you information on all the ports, what there is to do in each, best time of year to go depending on what you want to see, which cruise lines go there and which cruise line might best suit your family.

 

Everyone here will have their own (very valid) opinion on where to go and when and with which line, but you will still be confused because you will just end up with a lot of different opinions. I've found the ports-of-call guide books to be very helpful when I'm planning my cruises, and I just get them from the library.

Another vote to look for a ship to Glacier Bay.

 

Note.... There are two parts to the inside passage. Most of us talk about the Northern Alaska segment. The Southern Canadian segment needs a ship that goes to/from Vancouver.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Passage

 

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Holland America sails via the Inside Passage and to Glacier Bay for cruises leaving Vancouver. Sailings out of Seattle expose the ship to the open ocean and potentially much rougher seas.

 

And that drove our decision about which itinerary we are going to take next year.

 

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This is a very personal question & you will hear a lot of different answers. (Round trip, 1 way, Seattle, Vancouver, etc.)

 

Caveat: Since I live fairly close to Baltimore, I have sailed on Carnival quite a few times, I know & like their product.

 

When we decided to sail to Alaska, I looked at all of the major brands in my price category & took into account all of the different itineraries.

 

For us Glacier Bay was a must & I say that it should be for first timers to Alaska. It is a National Park & a World Heritage Site for a reason.

 

Seeing glaciers was our main reason to go to Alaska. Glacier Bay is guaranteed glacier viewing.

 

(I Used to say, going on an Alaskan cruise & not visiting Glacier Bay was like going to Paris & not seeing the Eiffel Tower - but some one on Cruise Critic did go to Paris & didn't see the Eiffel Tower. I feel that that person was there for the art not as a tourist. As with all other pieces of advice from random strangers take it with a pinch of salt.)

 

I will say though that my 8.5 year old is incredulous that our 14-night AK cruise does not include Glacier Bay.

 

As for the boredom, my son has never been bored on a cruise on any of the cruise lines on which we have sailed & most of ours have been off season (aka not a lot of kids). I suppose he knows that sitting at home instead of being on a cruise is really boring.

FWIW All of the cruises cruise the Inside Passage. Ketchikan, Skagway, & Juneau are all in the Inside Passage.

After much research 10+ years ago we chose Princess. I am not a cruise line loyalist - this is actually the only place we have cruised with Princess. Also, look at the port times. Some cruise lines have a much shorter time in port. Our kids were teens at the time and loved the ship. Our son was not much into glacier bay, but loved the cruise. He did think it was neat playing basketball amongst the glaciers. (LOL). He will still say it was his favorite cruise. They have all the things for teens/preteens that you will find on your Caribbean cruise. We are taking my dad this time and feel glacier bay is a must stop. I also feel a one way trip is the way to go to see more of Alaska and glacier bay is a must stop.

Up until now, all our cruises have been on Carnival.

 

After perusing this board, we followed the majority and chose itinerary first followed by cruise line that fits our logistics - we decided we had to visit Glacier Bay.

 

Carnival did have one itinerary that visited there but the Tuesday to Tuesday itinerary didn't work for us so we chose HAL

I have been planning my Alaska cruise since mid 2015. For most people, I believe that itinerary really drives your decisions. The biggest question you should ask yourself is whether you want to do a round-trip cruise, or one way. If you do a one-way cruise, then you have time either at the beginning or end of the cruise to do some touring inland. There are many places to spend more time, such as Denali National Park. Most of the cruise lines will offer a packaged tour along with the cruise, or you can tour on your own. One-way cruises generally offer slightly longer port days, since they don't have to make the full round trip.

The most common places to depart from, other than the Alaska ports themselves (for one-way southbound cruises), are Seattle and Vancouver. Vancouver cruises generally sail through the inside passage, which is calmer and tends to be more scenic. Seattle cruises sail through the Gulf of Alaska, which is open waters and more vulnerable to inclement weather. I have found that most commonly, the round-trip cruises leave from Seattle, and the one-way cruises leave from Vancouver.

From the research I have done, I decided that cruising through glacier Bay was a "must" for me. There are, of course, other places to see glaciers. Depending on the time of year and weather, access to these areas may not be available during your cruise.

I would just urge you to spend some time considering, along with your family, what your priorities are for this cruise.

 

 

 

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A google search of the internet produced this article on the Inside Passage:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Passage

 

From Skagway to Ketchikan, all of Southeast Alaska is part of the Inside Passage.

FWIW All of the cruises cruise the Inside Passage. Ketchikan, Skagway, & Juneau are all in the Inside Passage.

That's just an indication of how much confusion can stem from the casual usage of words.

 

When folks say that they factor into their decision about which Alaska itinerary to select whether the itinerary includes the Inside Passage, what they typically mean is whether the itinerary sails to the east of Vancouver Island, to the west of Vancouver Island, or "both" (to the east one way and to the west on the other way). As you so correctly point out, all of the cruises cruise other portions of the Inside Passage and so it is only this southern portion of the itinerary that would be different, with regard to this aspect. (Cruising east of Vancouver Island is the more common preference expressed.)

 

Generally speaking, cruises with Vancouver embarkation and/or disembarkation cruise to the easy of Vancouver Island.

FWIW All of the cruises cruise the Inside Passage. Ketchikan, Skagway, & Juneau are all in the Inside Passage.

 

FWIW - the 'inside passage' really has two parts - the Canadian (southern part) and the Alaskan (northern part). Many Alaskan cruises only sail the northern section, using the ocean side of Vancouver island for speed in the itinerary.

Both are a beautiful sailing experience!

I personally loved the southern part of the inside passage AND Glacier Bay. If I had to choose GB would be my first priority. Have done both Carnival out of Seattle and Princess southbound and enjoyed the Princess itinerary more because I loved the sail through the southern inside passage-just beautiful.

 

And there is confusion as to what the inside passage refers to so thinking of it as two parts helps me sort it out- Carnival said inside passage and meant the more northern part and I was very disappointed. But I should have looked at their map more carefully.

I find it "interesting" as always, the strong claims of choices and the skewed reasons why. I don't find any of the above posters, having SAILED all the glacier areas to compare and support their "claims", they "won't sail" etc etc. Add to the mix, some seem to think these areas are "Disney" and remain the same for all visits. Couldn't be further from the truth, I've had very different experience in each of the glacier sailing areas Glacier Bay, Hubbard, College Fjords, South Sawyers, Endicott- multiple trips EACH I have experienced.

 

You don't see people with their cruise reviews, when they get back, saying "What a mistake", " I had a crappy trip" because they didn't go to Glacier Bay etc etc - no- you will see raves, "best" trip etc .

Don't say, but they don't know what they are missing, that is my point.

It's a disservice to make it sound like any other is a sloppy second. I can assure others, EVERY trip I have taken has been greatly enjoyed, and never do I have regrets for my choices.

 

I also have sailed Carnival in Alaska, multiple times, again, not one poster above has? Carnival does a very good job in Alaska, their Tracy Arm itinerary is a nice feature for splitting the days away from a Juneau port. They also have whom I consider one of the top 3 ship naturalists sailing Alaska. Can really enhance a trip.

 

So, go ahead flame away, I'll continue to sail my trips and sail the multiple scenic areas. I'm headed there in a week and will be on the superb NCL sailing which is going to all 3 glacier areas- Hubbard, Tracy Arm and Hubbard, which more need to take. :) I'm then getting on the Radiance.

 

Enjoy the time in Alaska, no matter what you choose, it's a gift.

BQ as always raises some good points from a very experienced position - unless you visit each option you'll never know what your personal favourite glacier sailing will be, and unless you visit multiple times and experience a range of weather you won't even know if you've seen a particular place at it's best or worst. Factor in things like calving - did it happen, were you looking, was it on the wrong side of the ship or did you get a perfect video of the entire event - and even two people at the same glacier on the same day can come away with 'best ever!' and 'totes underwhelmed' experiences...

 

That said, there are some objectively verifiable facts - e.g. that sailing through the BC Inside passage is infinitely more attractive than sailing outside the island, because you get to see SOMETHING instead of a big fat heap of nothing but water and perhaps a few other vessels. Odds are that it will be on average a smoother sailing too - but if choosing a Vancouver departure over Seattle means you have to spend more money on airfare or trains or buses, likely more on the actual cruise fare too as there are fewer RTs so a little less competition, have to spend an extra hour or more waiting in immigration queues that aren't a factor from Seattle, or have a recent DUI that means you simply can't go to Vancouver at all without buying a pardon... perhaps the superiority of the route is not your MAIN factor in making the decision. Cruising outside the island certainly won't suck, you're still cruising and have all the same bars and entertainment etc, to enjoy, so unless you actually spend time on deck watching the scenery pass by you may be paying extra for a better route but not actually getting any value from it!

 

Glacier Bay - well, the big thing is you will basically always see glaciers, plural. So for a first-timer, I'm inclined to recommend it over the other main options just because it's a lock, especially if you were considering a cruise in the first chunk of the season May/June - though even August it seems there's no guarantee that Tracy Arm will play ball! After you fall in love with cruising Alaska and come back over and over like BQ, you'd be silly NOT to start doing all the itineraries, but for the first time it does seem reasonable to aim conservatively and meet expectations rather than choose a riskier option. If you can't see Tracy, Endicott seems to be the default backup - and frankly there's a lot of gorgeous coastline around so there really are no BAD choices - but you know yourself best.

 

Are you the kind of person who can go with the flow, and as long as an alternative is available be happy, or will you always have that niggling regret? I know that when we visited Crete for the what was supposed to be the first of many trips and our scheduled hike of Samaria Gorge was bumped for Imbros Gorge, I was fine - still gorgeous (pardon the pun...) and I had a great day, but at the time I was already thinking "We'll be back here in maybe 3-4 years, I'll do Samaria then" and then life happened, we moved to Canada, our annual Greek trips stopped and now I'm far too out of shape to enjoy ~18km over rocky terrain so realistically it's very unlikely I'll ever do it now. Once in a while I regret having missed Samaria - but just for a moment. If I never make it into Tracy Arm I'll survive just fine too!

 

I also agree with BQ in terms of 'Must Do' things. Eiffel Tower? Multiple Paris trips, never been, no interest in going, it's seeing the tower on the skyline that makes a Parisian view for me and when you're up it you can't see it! I feel the same way about Space Needle, CN Tower etc. - the latter I've visited many times while guiding folks and every time it's the same, the view from it just feels wrong. If you listen to other people you're doing THEIR Must Do items, and unless you know they have similar taste to you, you could be missing out on something better - for YOU!

 

As to your 12yr old - unless they hate the outdoors with a burning passion I can't imagine anyone being bored in Alaska. Even HAL, with their rep as the fogey's cruise line, seem to have plenty of stuff going on for kids so I think you'll be fine with Princess even if they don't seem as "whoop-whoop!" as Carnival.

Wow, Martincath, you write so beautifully. I always enjoy reading your posts.

 

Twelve years ago, I took my family on a cruise to Alaska for the first time. We tried to do it all, the helicopter to the top of the glaciers, the "best" overall glacier experience, the "best" whale watch, the "best" bear watch, the "best" flight seeing, etc etc. And I realized, I'll never, no how, ever see it all in one lifetime, but I'm going to try to see as much as I can with the time allotted to me. So I've been back to Alaska every year since then, and I have miles to go before I ever catch up with Budget Queen, if I ever do. I've enjoyed every Alaskan experience I've had, in rain or shine (well, maybe not some of the rough seas, hahaha. I can laugh about that afterwards;)). It's all so very spectacular, and unique, and I'm thankful my eyes have been filled with the beauty of Alaska.

I am in the Glacier Bay camp as one should do this glacier first.

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My rationale is that Glacier Bay doesn't seem to be missed. I have read one account from 15 plus years ago about a ship missing it. The vast majority of people visiting Alaska will only do this once. Many people are not cruisers but do cruise to Alaska as that is the best way to see certain ports and glaciers. These people will never return. If they miss a glacier, they will have traveled a long distance and missed it.

 

Many people on this board go to Alaska frequently and have seen all the glaciers and if they don't see it, they have another opportunity to see it again. This does not match the vast majority of travelers to Alaska. The majority of people go just 1x.

 

I missed Hubbard on my first cruise (I think Hubbard glacier was closed to most if not all cruise ships that year). Almost everyone I encountered on the ship, this was their first trip and they were not returning. I was disappointed and they were also! Last year, Tracy Arm was not very accessible to the majority of cruise ships either. Again, if Alaska was your one time trip to Alaska and you missed your only glacier, you will never know what you missed.

 

How many times do we read on this board - "we will only go once to Alaska" - "what itinerary should I pick." I say Glacier Bay because unless there is a government shut down, they most likely will see glaciers from cruise ships if they go to Glacier Bay.

 

Having missed Hubbard Glacier and Tracy Arm on cruise ships and greatly disappointed (along with many others on the ship), I stand by my opinion. I have never been on a ship with disappointed Glacier Bay viewers as we have never missed it.

I agree Coral.....we chose a cruise line that went to Glacier as the only ones we looked at. I'm excited to see them whether it is a bright sun shiney day, or a cool, cloudy drizzly day.....I'll get to see Glaciers. This is our one and only trip to Alaska like so many others, and so we want to experience and see as much as we can. I just wish we had 2 more days and we would also get to Denali, but stupid work just gets in the way!

 

Even if the government shuts down....those Glaciers will still be there, and we'll still get to cruise the bay and see them, we just won't have anyone on board talking about them. I'm okay with that. We'll also see Taku Glacier, the Juneau Ice Field and multiple glaciers by air, Knik Glacier, Matanuska Glacier, and finally either the Holgate Glacier or the Aialik Glacier on the Kenai Fjords Tour.

 

We sail in 33 days.....it's getting real! :D

There are many Inside Passage cruises that include Glacier Bay. I'm familiar with Princess. They have a 7-night Inside Passage on the Ruby Princess (round-trip Seattle) that spends a day sailing Glacier Bay. I'm leaving on Saturday for that one! :D

 

All of Princess' cruises that include Glacier Bay also include the Inside Passage.

There are many Inside Passage cruises that include Glacier Bay. I'm familiar with Princess. They have a 7-night Inside Passage on the Ruby Princess (round-trip Seattle) that spends a day sailing Glacier Bay. ... All of Princess' cruises that include Glacier Bay also include the Inside Passage.

I was originally booked on that one, but switched because Ruby Princess doesn't take the Inside Passage all the way up. It only cruises the northern portion of the Inside Passage.

 

Nieuw Amsterdam on the left. Note how it basically travels the Inside Passage all the way. Ruby Princess on the right. Note how it barely travels any of the Inside Passage.

I prefer Glacier Bay. I have also missed Hubbard and Tracy Arm on cruises. For first time and only time cruisers I would suggest Glacier Bay.

I was originally booked on that one, but switched because Ruby Princess doesn't take the Inside Passage all the way up. It only cruises the northern portion of the Inside Passage.

 

Nieuw Amsterdam on the left. Note how it basically travels the Inside Passage all the way. Ruby Princess on the right. Note how it barely travels any of the Inside Passage.

 

 

Your claim is way too simplistic. ALL Alaska cruises sail the "inside passage:". You make it sound like there is only, one route based on a basic map. There isn't, there are multiple routes and distances that cpts can and do take. I've been on plenty of Vancouver sailings, and there can be big differences. From Vancouver Island, I've been all the way to the Queen Charolotte's by dawn, and just entering on the sound bound, when everyone is worried about dinner. VERY few people bother spending any time out. I've been multiple one way sailings with open ocean and only distant views of mainland. I haven't sailed any "coastal" s in years.

 

 

All Alaska cruises are going to have various routes and open ocean sailing. Extremely few people spend most of the sailing time looking at scenery. Far less are outside. Measure that by your Glacier Day, when decks are crowded, "camping" out early for a seat, lines everywhere, people dressed in jackets, hats, gloves. etc etc You don't see any of that the rest of the cruise.

 

 

So to make a cruise selection based on a map, I would think should be given a lot more consideration of other features.

Your claim is way too simplistic.

Not at all. It seems you didn't read my entire message:

ALL Alaska cruises sail the "inside passage:". You make it sound like there is only, one route based on a basic map.

Actually, I made it sound the opposite way. Right there in what you quoted you quoted me saying "It only cruises the northern portion of the Inside Passage." That clearly implies that there is more than one route, and moreover, that different routes include different "portions" of the Inside Passage.

 

Having said that, it is important that you be careful when helping folks understand something that you don't bowl them over with more detail than has been broached to that point in time. If you do that, you could very well end up not answering the OP's question - effectively getting into detail paralysis. (Indeed, you didn't provide an answer to the OP's question in your reply, but just raised questions for which you didn't provide an answer.) At the very least, you need to work up to it, starting out with the basics, and then building reply after reply, one order of detail at a time as you engage with the person asking the question, not jumping from a first order simple question to a fourth order complex answer.

 

So to make a cruise selection based on a map, I would think should be given a lot more consideration of other features.

And in another recent thread I actually did ask for that fourth order detailed answer, but again, that would be far too detailed in the context of the first order simple question being asked in this thread, at least at this point.