12 Day Alaska Cruise - Roundtrip out of Los Angeles

My husband and I have just booked the late April 2019 - 12 day Alaska Inside Passage cruise which is roundtrip out of Los Angeles. I am wondering if anyone has done this cruise in past years. We love sea days and that’s what makes this cruise appealing but we arrive at our first Alaskan port on May 1st, is this too early in the season to enjoy Alaska? What is the typical weather this early in the season? Will port shopping and attractions be open and ready for tourists? We have never cruised to Alaska and we hear that Alaska cruises typically have a lot of kids. Is this a good time to go if we want to avoid a lot of kids on the ship? Looking forward to hearing from anyone who has done this cruise round trip out of Los Angeles. Thank you!!!

What ship? We are about to go on our first in 3 days. I’ve heard the opposite and that they are usually an older crowd. In April I think there will be very few kids though.

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What ship? We are about to go on our first in 3 days. I’ve heard the opposite and that they are usually an older crowd. In April I think there will be very few kids though.

 

 

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Thank you for replying. Ship is STAR.

We did this exact cruise this past April. The only place it rained like mad was Ketchikan and even then it cleared up by the later afternoon. The Alaska cruising season begins in April and everything will be open and ready for your business.

 

I'm editing to say there were very, very few kids on that cruise. School is still in session in April/May.

 

I've attached one of the many, many photos I took of that trip.

 

Excellent photo. Thank you for replying, sounds like this will be a good time to go. Now I will be hoping for your good weather.

Why would anyone do an AK cruise out of LA. You spend more time getting to and from AK than actually being in LA. I guess that the "different strokes" rule applies.

DON

We arrived this year in Whittier on a trans-Pacific from Japan on May 12. It was snowing.

Why would anyone do an AK cruise out of LA. You spend more time getting to and from AK than actually being in LA. I guess that the "different strokes" rule applies.

 

 

 

DON

Because it’s just as much fun making the journey as it is at the destination. We are doing a 10 day out of SF and I am really looking forward to the sea days as much as each port we will visit. We live a hectic life working, commuting, etc. and the idea of not flying to a port first is so appealing to me!

We have a transatlantic booked for next year and I am so excited about the 7 days in a row at sea!

It’s all about the journey! [emoji6]

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Why would anyone do an AK cruise out of LA. You spend more time getting to and from AK than actually being in LA. I guess that the "different strokes" rule applies.

 

DON

Ummmm... If one lives in LA that's the port to cruise from. They already get way too much time in LA. For us that same cruise would be only 10 days as SF is the nearest port for us - about a 3 hour drive. I don't want to live in LA but extra days at sea sound great to me. :D

Because it’s just as much fun making the journey as it is at the destination. We are doing a 10 day out of SF and I am really looking forward to the sea days as much as each port we will visit. We live a hectic life working, commuting, etc. and the idea of not flying to a port first is so appealing to me!

 

We have a transatlantic booked for next year and I am so excited about the 7 days in a row at sea!

 

It’s all about the journey! [emoji6]

 

 

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Couldn’t have said it better myself. We will have a few days at sea to chill out and unwind from our hectic everyday lives before arriving in Alaska.

ummmm... If one lives in la that's the port to cruise from. They already get way too much time in la. For us that same cruise would be only 10 days as sf is the nearest port for us - about a 3 hour drive. I don't want to live in la but extra days at sea sound great to me. :d

we love our sea days!!!!!

For those who live in the LA area, it means NO FLYING.

May means very few kids. They are still in school.

We all choose our cruises for different reasons. If your goal is time in Alaska, this is probably not the best choice. If your goal is to enjoy the sea days, avoid flights, and have a great vacation.....looks like a good cruise to me.

Why would anyone do an AK cruise out of LA. You spend more time getting to and from AK than actually being in LA. I guess that the "different strokes" rule applies.

 

DON

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Why would anyone do an AK cruise out of LA. You spend more time getting to and from AK than actually being in LA. I guess that the "different strokes" rule applies.

 

DON

We would do this cruise also because it is a short drive to the port of San Pedro World Cruise Center ,1.5 hours_:D. We park at the hotel we stay the night before for the duration of the cruise . So much easier than flying both ways :p:p

My husband and I have just booked the late April 2019 - 12 day Alaska Inside Passage cruise which is roundtrip out of Los Angeles. I am wondering if anyone has done this cruise in past years. We love sea days and that’s what makes this cruise appealing but we arrive at our first Alaskan port on May 1st, is this too early in the season to enjoy Alaska? What is the typical weather this early in the season? Will port shopping and attractions be open and ready for tourists? We have never cruised to Alaska and we hear that Alaska cruises typically have a lot of kids. Is this a good time to go if we want to avoid a lot of kids on the ship? Looking forward to hearing from anyone who has done this cruise round trip out of Los Angeles. Thank you!!!

FYI. The 12-day cruise this past spring was the first to Alaska roundtrip.from Los Angeles.

FYI. The 12-day cruise this past spring was the first to Alaska roundtrip.from Los Angeles.

I saw a lot of posts here by people who were very happy Princess was going to start offering these cruises. They didn't like having to fly to San Francisco to do the round trip Alaska cruise. Hopefully Princess will continue to offer these cruises.

We were on the first one this past spring. I think we hit Alaska on 5/1 and everything was open.

Why would anyone do an AK cruise out of LA. You spend more time getting to and from AK than actually being in LA. I guess that the "different strokes" rule applies.

 

DON

Like others, we love sea days, so it was great. It was like two coastals with an Alaska in between.

FYI. The 12-day cruise this past spring was the first to Alaska roundtrip.from Los Angeles.

Oh okay, I didn’t realize that because this was the first time I really started researching Alaska cruises. Thank you!

We also did that first Alaska Itinerary in April this year. It was wonderful having those extra sea days, not having to fly, and just getting into my car after the cruise and drive home.

Booked it again for April 2019.

Have been to Alaska many times in July and August.

What I loved going early was ship less crowded(less families kids still in school).And there was still snow

on the mountains. We took an excursion into the Yukon and and enjoyed seeing all the snow still there.

Any cruise to Alaska, no matter when is a wonderful experience. Never get bored with the incredible scenery

,

I didn't realize the cruise lines were offering April cruises to Alaska! We've sailed there in May several times, most recently from SF (Star P, 2014). Surely you will need to bring some cool weather clothing, esp. if you plan to be on deck when the ship is moving. The avg hi in Juneau is 49 in April https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Alaska/Places/juneau-temperatures-by-month-average.php. We were there on May 16, 2014 and it was very warm--hi of 75 (historical avg listed as 57). Would suggest you look at expected temps in Juneau, Skagway, etc. before you pack. Guess there must be something to global warming ;-)

Enjoy your cruise.

 

It’s all about the journey! [emoji6]

Exactly !!! :cool:

I'm doing this exact 12 rt LA cruise on the Star next Wednesday 9/19

Srpilo

My husband and I have just booked the late April 2019 - 12 day Alaska Inside Passage cruise which is roundtrip out of Los Angeles. I am wondering if anyone has done this cruise in past years. We love sea days and that’s what makes this cruise appealing but we arrive at our first Alaskan port on May 1st, is this too early in the season to enjoy Alaska? What is the typical weather this early in the season? Will port shopping and attractions be open and ready for tourists? We have never cruised to Alaska and we hear that Alaska cruises typically have a lot of kids. Is this a good time to go if we want to avoid a lot of kids on the ship? Looking forward to hearing from anyone who has done this cruise round trip out of Los Angeles. Thank you!!!

Bring your coat.

We have gone out of Seattle twice, both in May. The first time was a game changer for us back in 2005. At embarkation we were amazed at the number of canes, crutches and wheelchairs. First thing we encounter on the ship was a mountain of oxygen tanks. Within hours of sail away, found about 20 drink runners sitting in a corner of Lido, seems no one was drinking. As far as age, I was 54 at the time, one of out table mates that first night had served under General MacArthur and retired while I was still in high school. While I'm sure there were a few children on the ship, I don't recall.

Why would anyone do an AK cruise out of LA. You spend more time getting to and from AK than actually being in LA. I guess that the "different strokes" rule applies.

 

 

 

DON

Because we live in San Pedro and it’s an $8 cab ride to the port [emoji41]. Plus, we love sea days !

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Because we live in San Pedro and it’s an $8 cab ride to the port [emoji41]. Plus, we love sea days !

 

 

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Not exactly the same but we're doing the 10 day out of San Francisco for similar reasons. 4 hour drive with 2 teens vs 4 day round trip drive to Seattle . . .No brainer. lol Would rather have the extra sea days than be stuck in a car.

We still get just as much, if not more, port time once we are actually IN Alaska, as if we went out of Seattle so we are looking forward to it!