Alaska Itineraries?

As a first time visitor to Alaska, for a taster, which 7 day cruise on which ship would be recommended to get a decent taste of what Alaska has to offer?

I was looking at the Tracey Arm Fjord as a possibility, or is there something else I should consider?

The absolute best itinerary right now on Celebrity is on Millennium, followed by Infinity, with Solstice bringing up the rear. That is based on itinerary only. Millennium and Infinity are M class ships, and Solstice is S class. I personally prefer the M class, but some feel that because they are older and smaller they are not as nice. I love them, but to each their own.

I should also add, if you choose Millennium you can add a pre or post visit to Denali National Park for a few days - AMAZING place.

No matter which ship you ultimately select, if affordable take the time to couple your cruise with a land package (through Celebrity or otherwise). There is so much to see away from the ship in Alaska.

If you decide, or have decided to include a land tour portion, I strongly recommend Princess. Also, for the cruise portion only, Princes is allowed to sail into Glacier Bay, often called the most spectacular of all. (X is not licensed to sail GB).

You might want to do a search on this thread. There have been many discussions about the Alaska itineraries.

We are mostly loyal to X, but would plan our next AK trip with Princess for the wide variety they offer, and Glacier Bay.

As a first time visitor to Alaska, for a taster, which 7 day cruise on which ship would be recommended to get a decent taste of what Alaska has to offer?

 

I was looking at the Tracey Arm Fjord as a possibility, or is there something else I should consider?

We did Millie SB last year and it was fantastic! Despite not going into GB, there is still a great deal of beauty to behold throughout.

We did our own thing on land, before the cruise, to Denali while friends did an independent land excursion and they thought it was great as well. We all met up in Denali for a few days. We drove back to Anchorage and they trained it down...

From Anc we all took the train to Seward.... beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

You may want to consider checking out the Alaska board here on CC for some ideas as well on what to do before, during or after any sailing you choose.

bon voyage

Of one is possibly only going to AK once in their lives I cannot imagine going without cruising Glacier Bay. It's iconic. To not go there would be like going to NYC and never even seeing the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty.

With a FEW exceptions, that means Princess or HAL. Both have been doing this for the longest time and do it very well.

Just my opinion.

We've been to Alaska three times and have never been to Glacier Bay. While we do plan to do that next year on HAL, I can say that regardless of which route you take, Alaska is amazingly beautiful and you will likely not be disappointed. We went on Millennium last trip and it was our favorite!

As a first time visitor to Alaska, for a taster, which 7 day cruise on which ship would be recommended to get a decent taste of what Alaska has to offer?

 

I was looking at the Tracey Arm Fjord as a possibility, or is there something else I should consider?

We too are booked first time for Alaska in June 2019. My DW and Sister in law were the prime reason to try Alaska. It was a tough decision on cruise lines and itineraries. I used the CC Boards and Trip Advisor etc. for background in making the decision. We finally ended up with a mid June 19 RT from Vancouver going to Hubbard Glacier. . Here is the order of decision making we did:

1. When: June is considered dryer and still wildlife intensive. A little, very little, cheaper than July Aug too.

2. Cruise line: We opted for Celebrity because we were transferring from a booked Caribbean cruise primarily and were not opting for a land portion for this first trip. Alaskan cruises and shore excursions are pricy. We like the Eclipse too.

3. Itinerary: We opted for a RT with Hubbard with Icy Strait Point. It is the best compromise for wildlife which is what my Sis in law wants to see. Her fellow workmates gave her some scoops on their past experiences to nail this down. RT also provides better airfare pricing.

I made my "Once in a lifetime" cruise to Alaska in 2003. We did two weeks of independent travel from Fairbanks to Seward over two weeks and then took the inside passage cruise from Seward to Vancouver. I cannot stress enough how much better your trip will be if you alot time for land touring. Worst case scenario, pick a cruise that either starts or ends in Seward. Whittier is a ghost town. When in Seward it is a must that you take a 6 hour cruise on either of the major sightseeing vessels into the Kenai Fjords National park. I have done that trip 7 times and never once have I not seen; Humpbacks, Orcas, Puffins and calving glaciers. Princess does have the Rep for the best land tours. However, it is really easy to see Alaska on your own using either the train or a car.

By the way, after our "once in a lifetime" trip to Alaska in 2003 we decided to move here from Florida in 2005.

We did the northbound from Vancouver on the Millennium to get more Alaska on our cruise. Post cruise we did 3 days on our own going from Seward to Anchorage to Denali. The Seward to Anchorage portion was a tour/transfer with 907 tours that took us all over the Kenai Peninsula before going into Anchorage. In Anchorage we picked up a rental car and drove out to the Denali. We really enjoyed being on our own and not confined to buses and trains and schedules. The only regret, we should have allowed more time around Denali. There is just so much to see. The other two are round trips so there is not really an option for a pre/post cruise land tour.

Some great help here, thank you everyone, I appreciate it.

Of one is possibly only going to AK once in their lives I cannot imagine going without cruising Glacier Bay. It's iconic. To not go there would be like going to NYC and never even seeing the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty.

 

With a FEW exceptions, that means Princess or HAL. Both have been doing this for the longest time and do it very well.

 

Just my opinion.

Yes I agree. Glacier ntl park has rangers come on board to narrate. Also the cruise up and down has nice scenery.

The entrance or exit depending on direction has lots of whales too. So Eurodam out of Seattle also does Sitka too

Which ship would you recommend for Glacier Bay National Park?

Which ship would you recommend for Glacier Bay National Park?

Holland America or Princess. From other threads, many here would agree with me - even those (like us) who prefer to sail on Celebrity.

Currently NOT booked but we are early in our research for our June 2019 trip to Alaska via cruise. I really love X but after reading others who are loyal to X suggest HAL and Princess it looks like I may need to go into this with an open mind. We were looking at the 21 June 19 sailing on X from Seattle but it doesn't go to GB. TAF looks promising though! I just love how modern X's ships are and find that I might have to sacrifice itinerary for a more modern ship or vice versa.

We did a cruise\tour with HAL. Best trip ever! I would strongly suggest including Skagway and taking the White Pass Yukon railroad trip! Mind blowing! Glacier Bay also is not to be missed. The Alaskan Railroad trip to Denali is memorable. We spent 3 nights in Denali, saw Grizzlies, Moose, Carribu, Dahl Sheep (from quite a distance, they stay high up the mountains), and an ultra clear view of Denali. A life changing experience to me. A visit to Jeff Kings musher camp is another enjoyable time. I highly recommend HAL if you are doing Alaska.

I have never been to Glacier Bay so cannot comment on it. I can tell you that we have been to Hubbard Glacier 4 times and it was outstanding. Lots and lots of calving and on 3 of the 4 cruises we were able to get very close in near the glacier (the other we were out a bit further). We did not have any park rangers onboard, but there was a naturalist who also described the sights very well. Misty Fjords was beautiful, but from the ship it had nowhere near the 'awesomeness' of Hubbard Glacier. So if you stick with Celebrity (better than Princess overall IMHO) make sure to pick an itinerary with the glacier if it is a once in a lifetime visit.

Wondering if those who have cruised both Hubbard and Glacier Bay can give an unbiased comparison of those for us? Is Glacier Bay really that much better than Hubbard that you would choose what many consider an inferior (if only slightly) product just to see it instead? Not saying yes or no just honestly wondering.

Also FYI, not sure if this is still possible, but when we sailed to Alaska for the first time in 2004, we booked our own post-cruise itinerary using an Alaska based travel agent. We were able to stay at one of the Princess owned resorts. We also booked Alaska railroad, and while there was not a designated car like there might be on Princess (not sure on that part), we had plenty of opportunity to sit up in the domed area of the train.

We’ve cruised Alaska twice. First time on millenium and second on HA Zandam. The Celebrity itinerary was way superior to the HA itinerary. Hubbard Glacier was awesome, way more impressive than Glacier Bay.

A general comment - itineraries that depart or terminate in Vancouver are generally preferable over those from Seattle. The reason is the Vancouver itineraries cruise INSIDE Vancouver Island, which is very scenic and generally very calm waters. Those from or to Seattle cruise OUTSIDE Vancouver Island, which is open ocean, less scenic, and potentially rougher waters. Sea conditions can always vary and are not predictable, but this seems to be a general consensus that it may be rougher outside Vancouver Island. Look at a map of the different Seattle vs. Vancouver itineraries, and you'll see what I mean about the route.

Also, for various reasons, Vancouver departures seem to have better (i.e., longer) port times. There are always exceptions, but this seems to be a general observation.

A general comment - itineraries that depart or terminate in Vancouver are generally preferable over those from Seattle. The reason is the Vancouver itineraries cruise INSIDE Vancouver Island, which is very scenic and generally very calm waters. Those from or to Seattle cruise OUTSIDE Vancouver Island, which is open ocean, less scenic, and potentially rougher waters. Sea conditions can always vary and are not predictable, but this seems to be a general consensus that it may be rougher outside Vancouver Island. Look at a map of the different Seattle vs. Vancouver itineraries, and you'll see what I mean about the route.

Also, for various reasons, Vancouver departures seem to have better (i.e., longer) port times. There are always exceptions, but this seems to be a general observation.

I am not sure that you are correct about that inside/outside thing.

A prior cruiser defined HAL and Princess as "an inferior Product." Not all would agree.

We would happily return to HAL if they offered the same perks as X. Specifically, gratuities and classic alcohol. We are price conscious and adding those to the basic cruise fare makes HAL a more expensive proposition.

Some HAL ships are smaller and that Can be appealing to many people.

Just to be clear - I am not talking about the specifics of the individual lines, perks, ships, onboard experience, etc, i.e., HAL vs. Princess vs. X vs any other.......

I am talking simply about the route. On almost all lines, Vancouver departures go inside Vancouver Island and Seattle departures go outside. Look at maps for the different departure or termination sites, you'll see what I mean. I've done it both ways. The Inside cruise is very scenic, protected, and usually very calm. The outside cruise is open ocean, and all that goes along with that. IMO, this is a much under-appreciated difference when choosing Alaska itineraries.

We've done two cruises on Celebrity, one NB and the other SB. The second time we did a 6 days land tour, including Fairbanks and Denali, just out of the world.

We're booked SB on the Millie again in July 2019, this time we'll go again to Denali and maybe Katmai pre-cruise. The six hour cruise in the Kenai Fjords Park sound wonderful, will definitely look into it. Can you please tell me which are the major sight seeing vessals StillLooking4Adventure? Thanks in advance.

I'm yet to sign up for our RC and even look at what we want to do, sometime over the next month or so I guess...:)

I would book Millie as it is a smaller ship. It goes to Hubbard Glacier and Icy Strait Point. Icy Strait Point has a zipline and Hubbard Glacier is just beautiful.