Alaska Cruise Itineraries Advised Please?

[bren789]

I am planning to take Alaska cruise with RCI - Rhapsody of the Seas between August & September. They have 2 itineraries, and I don't know which one is better than the other. Departing & Arriving location is fine with me.

The difference between the two is Itinerary # 1 stops at Ketchikan & Itinerary # 2 stops at Victoria ports.

I would appreciate if you could give me an advise on which route is better in term of what to see.

Itinerary # 1:

Friday, September 10, 2010 Seattle, Washington

Saturday, September 11, 2010 Cruising

Sunday, September 12, 2010 Juneau, Alaska

Monday, September 13, 2010 Skagway, Alaska

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska

Wednesday, September 15, 2010 Ketchikan, Alaska

Thursday, September 16, 2010 Inside Passage (cruising)

Friday, September 17, 2010 Vancouver, British Columbia

 

Itinerary # 2:

Friday, August 27, 2010 Seattle, Washington

Saturday, August 28, 2010 Cruising

Sunday, August 29, 2010 Alaska Inside Passage

Sunday, August 29, 2010 Juneau, Alaska

Monday, August 30, 2010 Skagway, Alaska

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska

Wednesday, September 1, 2010 Cruising

Thursday, September 2, 2010 Victoria, British Columbia

Friday, September 3, 2010 Seattle, Washington

[alpal1993]

I would go with itinerary 1.Ketichikan is a wonderful Port.Great for totem poles.We will be stopping at Victoria as our foreign port and are doing ships tour to Butchart Gardens as it is a short stay

[MercedMike]

There is a lot of information on this board about both these ports. Read a bit.

 

Ketchikan is more quintessentially Alaska, and is a prime center for Totem Poles.

 

Victoria is a more charming classical city, and the Butchart Gardens are famous.

 

Either one is nice, it just depends on what you would like to do.

 

HOWEVER, the big comment I would make about your cruise is that Tracy Arm is a beautiful scenic place but the glacier viewing is very limited. Your cruise does not go either to Hubbard Glacier or to Glacier Bay. You might want to give serious thought to this.

 

I have made a page about Alaska glacier experiences since this is asked so often. Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/alaskaglaciers.html

 

You will also find reports of several trips to Ketchikan and Victoria on different Alaska cruises at http://www.bully4.us/cruising.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[bren789]

Hi MercedMike, the pictures are beautifull. After seeing it, I did a look at trip to gracier.

 

Can you please give a feedback on below itinerary? & how long it takes from Alaska airport to the port?

 

Friday, August 20, 2010 Seward, Alaska

Saturday, August 21, 2010 Hubbard Glacier (cruising)

Sunday, August 22, 2010 Juneau, Alaska

Monday, August 23, 2010 Skagway, Alaska

Tuesday, August 24, 2010 Icy Strait Point, Alaska

Wednesday, August 25, 2010 Ketchikan, Alaska

Thursday, August 26, 2010 Inside Passage (cruising)

Friday, August 27, 2010 Vancouver, British Columbia

 

Regards,

brent

[mytime53]

All other things being equal, you might want to think about the departure dates of the cruises based on length of daylight and probability of better/warmer weather.

[Yukon]

Brent, your latest choice, sailing out of Seward, is by far the best for several reasons. It's about 120 miles from the airport to Seward, but consider coming in early - there's a LOT to see and do in that area. Taking a motorcoach or train to Seward are the easiest methods - car rental drops are very expensive.

[Budget Queen]

If you are open for the one way AND can add even a few more days, then, by far, that is the better of the choices you have.

[c-cruise]

I agree that one way Radiance itinerary is far superior to either of those first two options. Better ship, better glacier viewing, better port times, etc. Royal Caribbean's round trip Seattle itinerary is pretty poor. It spends a full day in Victoria in lieu of visiting a 3rd Alaska port, does Tracy Arm instead of Hubbard. That Seattle to Vancouver itinerary is better, but it is at the very end of the Alaska season.

[bren789]

After reviewing all valuable feedback, we decide to pick the one way from Radiance Itinerary. There is a choice to pick either departing from Seward or Vancouver.

 

Is there any advantage to departing one port over another?

 

Thanks so much for all feedback provided

[negc]

After reviewing all valuable feedback, we decide to pick the one way from Radiance Itinerary. There is a choice to pick either departing from Seward or Vancouver.

 

Is there any advantage to departing one port over another?

 

Thanks so much for all feedback provided

 

If you are including an inland tour as part of your trip, many seem to favor the southbound cruise over the northbound for at least two reasons: 1) getting the longer flight over at the beginning of your trip with a shorter flight home at the end of the cruise, and 2) the land tour can be very busy and tiring and sailing afterwards gives you time on the ship to rest and recover. Prices for the southbound may be higher than the northbound, if cost is a factor. Whichever you choose, I also recommend including a few days in beautiful Vancouver - again if you have the time and the money.:)

[MercedMike]

Hi MercedMike, the pictures are beautifull. After seeing it, I did a look at trip to gracier.

 

Can you please give a feedback on below itinerary? & how long it takes from Alaska airport to the port?

 

Friday, August 20, 2010 Seward, Alaska

Saturday, August 21, 2010 Hubbard Glacier (cruising)

Sunday, August 22, 2010 Juneau, Alaska

Monday, August 23, 2010 Skagway, Alaska

Tuesday, August 24, 2010 Icy Strait Point, Alaska

Wednesday, August 25, 2010 Ketchikan, Alaska

Thursday, August 26, 2010 Inside Passage (cruising)

Friday, August 27, 2010 Vancouver, British Columbia

 

Regards,

brent

 

That is an itinerary that I would much prefer. The only thing about it is that it is port intensive and does not have the extra day at sea that I prefer. What ship is that on? Is that the Radiance? She is a beautiful ship.

 

In ISP we loved our bear watching with Keith from Teckk Tours. Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/volendam.html

 

From Anchorage to Seward is at least a two hour trip. Really, the cruise line transfers are the only way to go.

 

From Vancouver cruise port to the airport is half an hour to an hour depending on traffic, unless they have improved the roads. I do not know if they have the US Direct program working or not. That involved getting on a bus which was sealed by immigration and going direct to the airport without ever actually being "officially" in Canada. It is a good deal. In any case the ship transfers are also a good idea here.

[Budget Queen]

 

From Anchorage to Seward is at least a two hour trip. Really, the cruise line transfers are the only way to go.

 

From Vancouver cruise port to the airport is half an hour to an hour depending on traffic, unless they have improved the roads. I do not know if they have the US Direct program working or not. That involved getting on a bus which was sealed by immigration and going direct to the airport without ever actually being "officially" in Canada. It is a good deal. In any case the ship transfers are also a good idea here.

 

 

 

You need to allow 3 hours for Anchorage/Seward, and the Alaska RR, and independent transfers are excellent. Cruiseline transfers are not the "only" way to go in my opinion.

 

There is the light rail to consider which is direct and easy, going from the Waterfront station to Vancouver airport.