Has Anyone Else Cancelled Caribbean Cruises After Sailing Alaska?

I love the Caribbean- I was stationed there for several years. I have always yearned to go back. So when I discovered cruising I was elated. Problem- we cruised Alaska last year. I have cancelled the three Carib cruises we had booked just to get back to Alaska. Has anyone else experienced this cancel Carib to cruise Alaska phenomenon?

We haven't been lucky enough to make it to Alaska yet, but I keep pestering my husband about it. He feels that he is "Caribbeaned out" and doesn't really have an interest in cruising the Caribbean again. We did a Baltic cruise a few years ago which he loved. He loves to see things, and I love to relax. But I'm dying to see Alaska. I figure if the photos I see here are breath taking, imagine what it would be like to see those sights in person.

I love the Caribbean, but Alaska blew me away too. It will be the first cruise venue I repeat, either 2017 or 2018. It's funny how people all say how amazing Alaska cruises are, but you just have to experience it to understand how amazing it is, kind of like photos of beautiful places that can't really impart what it's like to be there in person.

I was a bit over the Caribbean before Alaska but then I went on an Alaskan and was really over the Caribbean. I've been on one Caribbean since and leave another in a week but I only booked those at the last minute as they were too cheap to pass up. I just got back from a Med cruise to Italy, Turkey, Israel and Greece and on that cruise I booked a cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong via Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Living in Florida I don't think giving up the Caribbean is a possibility as I get too many last minute deals, but when planning a trip I no longer look for trips from my backyard.

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I feel the same way. After Alaska I lost interest in the Caribbean. I always loved the beach and snorkeling, but now I go to Alaska almost every year instead.

My husband begged to cruise the Caribbean but I won and we cruised Alaska. It was my first cruise so I feel I set the bar way too high. It was amazing and I can't wait to go back!! (He won and were cruising Caribbean in Feb!)

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I love the Caribbean- I was stationed there for several years. I have always yearned to go back. So when I discovered cruising I was elated. Problem- we cruised Alaska last year. I have cancelled the three Carib cruises we had booked just to get back to Alaska. Has anyone else experienced this cancel Carib to cruise Alaska phenomenon?

Didn't need Alaska to cross the Caribbean off our "return to" list.

Alaska is world's apart and far more interesting than any collection of Caribbean cruise ports. But, once you've had enough of the calving glaciers (perhaps even earlier than that), give some thought to Hawaii -particularly the island of Kauai and its NaPali coastline.

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We have gone on 5 different cruises to Alaska! 1 around Hawaii. The Caribbean is on our "to do" list. We love Alaska and would go again. But would like to experience the Caribbean. Work schedules have limited us so far but eventually we will get to the Caribbean, Mexico, Baltic, New England and if I win the lotto Antarctica:D!

The Caribbean is just not all that interesting to us. We've been to French Polynesia, so Hawaii isn't a huge draw--we both agree about the only reason to go is the Arizona.

We'd like to cruise Alaska, but we'd rather go to Antarctica instead, and expect that trip will likely come first.

But yeah, we'd pretty much rather go anywhere but the Caribbean.

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I did in 2014. I made the mistake of booking a flight to San Juan on Southwest and when they cancelled my flight, the only alternative offered was from Baltimore. I refused driving through the blizzard and so lost the cruise. This time I'm going to Southern Caribbean from Newark to San Juan and it will, literally be cancelled over my dead body.

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Living 30 minutes from Ft Lauderdale means we'll always cruise the Caribbean. An hour after leaving the house, we're on vacation. There are places where we don't bother getting off the ship, i.e. Labadee, Falmouth, Cozumel. Been there done that. We go on Caribbean cruises to unwind & relax. Frankly the sites are boring to us. We have cruised Alaska from Seattle at the tail end of a tour of the Canadian Rockies. Best trip we've ever been on.

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We want to tread lightly since we do understand that many folks are limited in their vacation/cruising time and budget. But why do folks have to focus their cruise life on a single cruise line or region? There are many different cruise lines (we have been on 14) and cruises go to all 7 Continents and hundreds of islands all over the world. So the OP talks about canceling the Caribbean because of Alaska? I guess we could cancel Europe because of Asia? Just makes no sense. If you like Alaska certainly return. The same with the Caribbean. And perhaps add the Med, Australia, and even Vanautu! It is a huge world and cruise lovers can enjoy cruising while seeing an awful lot of fascinating places. Tunnel vision is just that!

Hank

Alaska and the Caribbean are certainly not mutually exclusive. In fact, depending upon the time of year in question, there is often very little choice. From October through April Alaska is not even an option - while that is precisely when the Caribbean is at its most desirable as an escape from winter.

After visiting those islands a couple of times there is very little draw: Alaska, the Northeast coast, the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Antarctica, the Pacific, etc. all outclass the Caribbean for variety and interest.

Still, for many of us with just a week or so to get away on a limited budget, the Caribbean remains an option.

I agree that these destinations are not mutually exclusive. Alaska is a summer destination. The Caribbean offers a respite from blustery winter weather.

Lots of other cruise and land travel options around the world. The only limits are your time, money and health. If you have all three, travel to the more remote locations first. Most young bodies can take long flights, bus rides, lower category hotels much better than older bodies.

I love the Caribbean- I was stationed there for several years. I have always yearned to go back. So when I discovered cruising I was elated. Problem- we cruised Alaska last year. I have cancelled the three Carib cruises we had booked just to get back to Alaska. Has anyone else experienced this cancel Carib to cruise Alaska phenomenon?

Hi there

Short answer is NO.

Loved Alaska, love Caribbean, Love Hawaii, Love Europe, even love visiting the rest of the USA .

Would I give up going to the Caribbean just to go to Alaska more often...never. Swimming in the Caribbean sea is priceless. You just can't do that in Alaska. Apples and oranges.

sorry

I feel the same way. After Alaska I lost interest in the Caribbean. I always loved the beach and snorkeling, but now I go to Alaska almost every year instead.

My husband snorkeled in Ketchikan and loved it :-)

My husband snorkeled in Ketchikan and loved it :-)

Hi there

I went swimming this summer in PEI, the water temp. was about 66F. Very refreshing and wonderful. The water temp. in Ketchikan the water temp. would have been at least 10 degrees colder than that. You can't swim in water that cold comfortably without protection.

I rest my case. No comparison. I grew up swimming in the north Atlantic, and swimming in the Caribbean Sea is priceless.

Sometimes the choices are more basic - though we really enjoyed snorkeling in the bathtub-warm Hawaiian and Caribbean waters, we're not lay out in the sun folks. Perhaps this is because we've always lived in Southern California (and avoided the sun for 60 plus years..)

So our cruising choices are NOT about sunshine and bathing suits, but about being pampered / unpacking once/ AND interesting ports that we can explore with walking / hiking/ exploration. But someone who loves the beach / sunbathing / etc. will have other choices.

They are entirely different things....Alaska is about the Scenery and ports. The Caribbean is about relaxing, and warm weather and cold drinks. A totally different "feel" to each trip.

It's all about what's good for YOU!

My husband snorkeled in Ketchikan and loved it :-)

I suppose it can be done - with a wet suit - but water temps in the mid 50's, where the water lacks the clarity of the 80+ degree Caribbean, is more an endurance effort than anything else.

To me Alaska and Caribbean are so totally different there just isn't a way to compare them.

We did all of our Caribbean travel by airplane and resort, so have no interest in cruising Caribbean.

We had a cruise to Alaska in 2014. It was 7 night South to North, Vancouver to Seward, on Radiance Of The Seas followed by DIY, about three weeks traveling on Alaska Rail. We both enjoyed the Alaska Rail travel more than the cruise.

For those in love with Alaska cruising, if you have some extra time try a few days on Alaska Rail before or after your cruise.

https://www.alaskarailroad.com/

I have done many Caribbean cruises and one Alaskan cruise. I have not cancelled the Caribbean cruises in order to do another Alaskan cruise, but I can truly say that the Alaska cruise was my favourite cruise so far. My family is planning to go back for another Alaskan cruise next year some time. They do tend to be more expensive than Caribbean cruises, so we still like to get a good deal and go to the Caribbean. Also, we live in Canada, where our winter tends to be long, so the Caribbean is sometimes a necessity to escape the cold.

Alaska is our favorite, but we sail the Carribbean now and then for a cheap getaway. Sally seems to find really good deals.

Burt

It seems that many more posters have had multiple Caribbean cruises than Alaska itineraries. I suspect that, after a dozen or so of each, they would both start to elicit a been there, done that reaction.

The two are very different form each other. We've done an Alaska cruise twice, but we've done a winter Caribbean cruise every year for the past 30. We're from the Northeast, and a winter get away where it's 80 degrees and sunny and you can go swimming everyday is just what the Dr ordered. A 10-12 Caribbean cruise is far less $$$ than flying to an island and staying for 10-12 days and at this point we rarely even get off the ship.