Back to back cruise?

[emmysmom]

We are in the early planning stages for a 2011 cruise on Princess. :confused: Either a back to back out of Vancouver or a one way cruise with a land tour.

We have done the round trip out of Seattle ~ but would like to do something different since we will be celebrating our 20 year anniversary and leaving the kids home this time! ;)

Would love to hear from cruisers who have done a back to back out of Vancouver and how it works.

[AlanAllyn]

Have you considered the 14-day round trip Seattle on Princess (if they still have it in 2011) or on HAL? I do b2b in the caribbean when one is western and the other is eastern. But b2b in Alaska is usually a repeat of the same ports.

[Italy52]

Have you considered the 14-day round trip Seattle on Princess (if they still have it in 2011) or on HAL? I do b2b in the caribbean when one is western and the other is eastern. But b2b in Alaska is usually a repeat of the same ports.

 

The Princess 2011 Alaska itineraries were just released and I didn't see any mention of the 14-day cruise --- I believe it has been eliminated. Agree, HAL does have a great itinerary.

[Travalot]

We did a back to back in 2007. I didn't mind the duplicate ports (only Ketchikan and Juneau because we had Haines one week and Skagway the next) and I LOVED having two opportunities for glacier calving and wildlife in Glacier Bay and College Fjord since conditions vary so much from day to day. The biggest downside, in my opinion, is the entertainment, although we had a comedian ventriloquist both weeks who was fantastic and we were glad to see his shows twice.

 

I do agree that the 14 day roundtrip itinerary is a nice alternative, which is why we booked it this year!

[emmysmom]

I would love to have more glacier viewings ~ plus more time visiting the ports. Especially Ketchikan, our times there are have always been so short. And more time to relax on the ship! :)

[emmysmom]

Does anyone know if you have to get off the ship when the first cruise ends?

[Travalot]

We were required to get off the ship in Vancouver to go through immigration (we did the back to back out of Seward), but could immediately reboard the ship. I don't believe you would have to get off the ship in Seward, but then you would be missing one of the best excursions EVER - a wildlife and glacier boat trip in Kenai Fjords National Park.

[emmysmom]

We were required to get off the ship in Vancouver to go through immigration (we did the back to back out of Seward), but could immediately reboard the ship. I don't believe you would have to get off the ship in Seward, but then you would be missing one of the best excursions EVER - a wildlife and glacier boat trip in Kenai Fjords National Park.

 

Oh ~ that sounds like a great excursion. Maybe we would like to get off the ship for that one! :)

[rjm11]

You might also consider a NB/SB on two different lines.... thereby increasing the variation in ports, shows, menus, and overall experience....

I'm thinking of putting one together that included a day or two inbetween to spend in Seward/Whittier. Say a Friday-Friday, and then a Monday to Monday with Friday-Monday in between to do a mini land tour. Saves on airfare since you only need RT to Vancouver.

[emmysmom]

You might also consider a NB/SB on two different lines.... thereby increasing the variation in ports, shows, menus, and overall experience....

I'm thinking of putting one together that included a day or two inbetween to spend in Seward/Whittier. Say a Friday-Friday, and then a Monday to Monday with Friday-Monday in between to do a mini land tour. Saves on airfare since you only need RT to Vancouver.

 

We may have to do some research on this too! :rolleyes: One of the reasons for leaving from Vancouver is we would not have to fly ~ we could drive.

[queenofdnile]

I have been thinking of doing this. My husband wants to fish and I like to paint. A few days "inland" would be great.

[rjm11]

From my preliminary research, it seemed that Princess and HAL had pretty similar NB/SB itineraries, but combining one of those with Celebrity or Royal Caribbean added in some new ports. I think Celebrity pretty routinely goes to Icy Straight, whereas the others don't... and I've heard it is really nice. Celebrity and RCCL don't go to Glacier Bay, but if you had that on the opposite leg, maybe it would be OK....

[Assateague Island Princes]

Consider HAL's 14 day RT Seattle which has no duplicate ports and includes two glacier sailing days - Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier.

[emmysmom]

I'm not sure if DH would go for that ~ we were leaning toward the Diamond Princess. Our first cruise was on the Diamond. :rolleyes:

[Minoushka]

WE did BTB last year on Spirit When we got to Whittier went on a GLacier tour with Emerald Seas It was a wonferful tour .We changed cabins in Am Got our new seapass cards Took it easy before our cruise Stewards helped me move Our tour departed at noon Bought tickets on site in Whittier short walk from pier.Whittier is TEENIE TINY

Came back in the early evening

The Glaciers were Amazing It was a GORGEOUS DAY Saw calving and waterfalls seals and otters

Had a margarita with Glacial ice ...LOVED IT

Loved the opportunity to see same places but did different things on both and visited different areas

DO NOT MISS THE YUKON FROM SKAGWAY ..WOW

Enjoy

[Italy52]

From my preliminary research, it seemed that Princess and HAL had pretty similar NB/SB itineraries, but combining one of those with Celebrity or Royal Caribbean added in some new ports. I think Celebrity pretty routinely goes to Icy Straight, whereas the others don't... and I've heard it is really nice. Celebrity and RCCL don't go to Glacier Bay, but if you had that on the opposite leg, maybe it would be OK....

 

Royal Caribbean goes to Icy Strait Point --- I am going there twice on my B-2-B in May/June 2010.

[Coral]

I have done 2 (B2B)s on Princess starting in Vancouver (turn around in Whittier). On the first cruise, they told us to just leave the ship at our convenience and get our pictures taken with our new cruise cards. You don't have to do customs/immigration here as you do it in Vancouver.

 

On the second cruise, we had a huge norovirus outbreak and Princess wanted us off the ship so they booked all of us (about 100 of us) on a Prince William Sound tour (free for us) and kicked us off the ship while the ship was sanitized.

 

Piece of cake! Though, on my first cruise I had to switch cabins but besides that, it was fine. They deliver your new cruise cards to you the night or two before along with a letter with instructions and they tell you what dining room is open for meals and they gave us a green "in transit" (I think that was the term) card to carry around at all times that day while on the ship.

 

If you do this, book one of the prince william sound tours.

[emmysmom]

Thanks for all the replies and info! We still haven't decided for sure what we want to do ~ :confused: one day it's the back to back and the next it's a cruise and land tour. I guess we still have plenty of time to make our final decision. :)

[want2retire]

We did a B2B on the Diamond Princess out of Vancouver last July. We flew into Seattle and took Quick Shuttle up to Vancouver. Very easy, quick and efficient. We stayed the night pre-cruise in Vancouver. There is so much to do in each port, that going there twice was a bonus! On the last night of the first cruise we got our new cards in our room. In the morning we were instructed to go to the purser's desk area where we slipped our cards into the slot and got new photos attached. We did not have to leave the ship. We chose to leave the ship and took the Prince William Sound boat tour. This was fabulous! You are brought very close to the glaciers and they provide a nice lunch. Upon return to the ship you go thru a very quick line for those who already have their ship cards. We would do this again. This year we are trying Holland America's 14 day Amsterdam because it goes to ports we have not been to. Enjoy!

[vbmom87]

Yes, you have plenty of time. Don't rush into any decision making. You have plenty of time to plan the best trip you can for you and your priorities.

 

If you do decide to go with a one way, do consider doing the land tour on your own. It is easy to plan and you will be on your own schedule seeing what you want and for how long you want. The cruisetours are good options for some and may be a good option for you. Study up on them though before you make a decision.

 

I am one who would not choose a B2B on the same cruise line. If not doing a land tour, I would chose one line going NB and another to go SB, or I would choose the 14 day HAL cruise out of Seattle. (This cruise goes to some ports the round trips and one ways do not visit) Alaska is so vast and there is so much to see. For me, I would rather get a taste of as much as I could, rather than return to the same ports. Others will feel differently, which is why you need to spend a good amount of time researching so you know what will be best for you. It is easy to get caught up on these forums with what people say about the "best" way to do things. There is no best way. It is what is best for you. It is good to ask questions and read the responses. Eventually you will gravitate toward something that feels right for you.

[NancyIL]

I'm not sure if DH would go for that ~ we were leaning toward the Diamond Princess. Our first cruise was on the Diamo d. :rolleyes:

 

I wouldn't rule out HAL just because you liked the Diamond Princess. I booked the 14-night Amsterdam for 2011 because of the great itinerary. I've also done two one-way cruises plus independent land trips, and a roundtrip from Seattle.

 

I agree with vbmom87 about not doing a b2b on the same ship. Instead I would suggest a NB cruise on Celebrity or RCI on Friday (for Icy Strait Point and Hubbard Glacier), spend a night or more in Seward and/or Anchorage, and then a SB on HAL on Sunday (for College Fjord, Glacier Bay, Haines) or Princess on Saturday or Monday (for Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier).

 

If you have 3 weeks available you could reverse the itinerary: NB on Saturday on the Diamond Princess (for Glacier Bay and College Fjord), spend 6 days touring Alaska with a rental car (Denali National Park, Kenai Peninsula), then southbound on Friday on RCI or Celebrity (for Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait Point).

 

*Now that I see you have already cruised to Alaska 4 times - I would suggest a one-way cruise plus the longest land trip you can afford! And one more thought: skip the cruise and just do a two-week land trip. There will still be much that you don't have time to see. :)

[emmysmom]

So many great ideas! Thanks for all the input ~ they are very much appreciated. ;) Two weeks is the most vacation time I can take at one time from work. We did buy two future cruise deposits when we were on the Golden last year. Loved that ship too! :)