1st Timers to Alaska

[rcymmolly]

So my 70 year old mom has decided to make a check on her bucket list and wants to cruise Alaska and go see Denali National Park.

 

She has said that she will pay for my 13 year old daughter and I to go with her if I do all the planning.

 

None of us have ever been on a cruise before.

None of us has ever been to Alaska before.

 

I need help.

 

We would like to go in July.

We are on a budget.

 

Can you please share with us any tips you have, including:

1. Meals. Are they included? Do you need to bring nice clothes?

2. Rooms. Can 3 of us share a room, or will we need to get 2 rooms?

3. Will a teenager die from boredom of having her mom and grandmother as the only people she knows before we sail? Or will I go insane from her telling me this was the worst idea ever? What is there to do for teens on board?

4. Costs. From what I have read sodas, alcohol are extra. Can you bring your own on board? Are there "refillable" soda mugs or something of the like? Are the tips included?

5. Excursions. Book it with the ship or go in town? If you have been to Alaska, what do you recommend? Approx costs?

6. Land portion. My mom read about riding the train into Denali and is thrilled with the idea. Book it with the cruise or on our own? What do you recommend to do in Denali?

 

Thank yall in advance for helping a newbie out.:)

[klfrodo]

Research a combo cruise/land vacation with Princess. They own a lodge in Denali that is used as part of the package.

However, for what you are wanting, I don't think you can use the word "budget"' :)

[gdisney]

Lots of questions to tackle here..lol.

1. Meals - are included in the cruise fare. There is a dress code in the main dining room, no shorts or jeans at dinner (most lines will allow this at breakfast or lunch). You don't HAVE to eat in the MDR - there's always the buffet and some ships have other dining options (including some specialty ones that DO cost money). There's normally at least one 'formal' night where people tend to dress up in cocktail dresses and suits or tuxes. But again, you don't HAVE to participate. You can have room service delivered, though usually it's a limited menu and most people tip for the service.

[chipmaster]

Welcome to CC,

 

Check the threads here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

July is a good time for a newbie

 

 

1) Meals are included including nice sit downs for all three meals, well worth it IMHO. On many cruise lines "nice" is expected. But depends on what you mean "nice"

2) There are rooms for 3, rooms are tight so don't expect hotel like accomidations. You do save a lot. If on a budget go inside cabin to save more. There is lot of free deck space so you get all the views without the price of private views.

3) Go in summer and the major lines should have lots of kids and kids club where kids of the same age can mingle and do things togther. My kids were never bored on the multiple cruises thru different ages.

4) Soda and adult drinks are extra, they make money from that :D Bringing your own is the subject of much debate here :eek:

5) Excursion of every kind are offered by the ship, private and also limited availability in port. Do research, figure out what you want to do ahead of time. Decide if you want to do it thru the cruise or inpdendent. IMHO the cost difference is small, but the experience is different. Cost can run from free for walking the town to $500+ per person for the most exclusive bear watching.

6) Land is and add on that you can book with cruise thru TA or seperate. Never done it want to someday. Go to Alaska threads and ask more questions or just read to learn.

 

Oh, most important pick a ship/line that sails Glacier Bay or Hubbard!

 

Happy planning!

 

So my 70 year old mom has decided to make a check on her bucket list and wants to cruise Alaska and go see Denali National Park.

 

She has said that she will pay for my 13 year old daughter and I to go with her if I do all the planning.

 

None of us have ever been on a cruise before.

None of us has ever been to Alaska before.

 

I need help.

 

We would like to go in July.

We are on a budget.

 

Can you please share with us any tips you have, including:

1. Meals. Are they included? Do you need to bring nice clothes?

2. Rooms. Can 3 of us share a room, or will we need to get 2 rooms?

3. Will a teenager die from boredom of having her mom and grandmother as the only people she knows before we sail? Or will I go insane from her telling me this was the worst idea ever? What is there to do for teens on board?

4. Costs. From what I have read sodas, alcohol are extra. Can you bring your own on board? Are there "refillable" soda mugs or something of the like? Are the tips included?

5. Excursions. Book it with the ship or go in town? If you have been to Alaska, what do you recommend? Approx costs?

6. Land portion. My mom read about riding the train into Denali and is thrilled with the idea. Book it with the cruise or on our own? What do you recommend to do in Denali?

 

Thank yall in advance for helping a newbie out.:)

[gdisney]

4. Sodas and alcohol are extra, though they have soda packages at a set cost for the entire trip which allows unlimited soda. Some lines also have packages which include specialty coffee or things like milkshakes and non-alcoholic mixed drinks. You can bring soda on board. On some lines you can bring wine on board. There's lots of posts on these forums about people smuggling other drinks on board... Tips are extra; these are automatically added to extra drinks you buy at the point of sale, but every guest is normally billed a certain amount of tips per day for the waitstaff and room stewards (usually around $11 a day per person). These are often automatically added on to your final bill, though technically you can ask to have them removed (lots of debates on these forums about tips!) It used to be on some lines they didn't bill them automatically and they gave envelopes on the last night for you to hand deliver tips to your waiters and room stewards. i don't know if anyone still does this...

[gdisney]

2. You can have 3 to a room usually, but bear in mind unless you're springing for some sort of suite it will like have two TWIN beds (convertible to one queen). Some ships may have upper/lower berths (think bunk beds...). But this is not common it seems anymore. The lowest category cabins are pretty small for three people usually, but if you're just sleeping there it may be all right. There's often jokes about how small the bathrooms are...things like how you can sit on the toilet, brush your teeth at the sink, and take a shower at the same time. That's exaggerating...but only slightly :D

[Jana60]

1) Meals are included

2) There are rooms for 3, rooms are tight so don't expect hotel like accomidations but since prices are based on double occupancy rather than per room it can save $$$ to put all three in 1 room. If you put one person in a separate room you will pay as much for that one person if you did for the other two together. If you can afford a balcony, thats the way to go but is much more expensive.

3) I've been told the best times to go to Alaska are June and July due to the weather. Kids always have a great time on a cruise.

4) Soda and Alcohol drinks are extra. If your daughter normally drinks alot of soda get her a soda card, but these usually cost about $7-8 per day where sodas cost about $2 per can so if you are not going to drink more than 3 cans every day don't bother with the card. Only cruise line that I am aware of that allows you to bring soda is Carnival. Carnival allows 1 twelve pack of soda brought on by each person and allows 1 bottle of wine to be brought on by each adult.

5) Excursion of every kind are offered by the ship, private and also limited availability in port. We are going to Alaska in June. In most ports we are keeping the price low. We plan to take the Blue Glacier to the Mendenhal glacier $16/person round trip + $3 pp for the museum admission. Go to the lumbarjack show in Ketchikan $40 per person. But in Skagway we are doing the Train to the summit, then liarsville gold rush camp for Gold panning and a Salmon Bake then an old time saloon tour. The Skagway tour will take all day and cost $229 per person. You can book the components separately and save about $59 BUT it would be very hard to coordinate and if your late back to the ship it does NOT wait for you. You can get more tour Ideas in the Port section of cruise critic.

6) About half the people I know, who have been to Alaska, told me to be sure to go to Glacier Bay. The other half said to make sure we go to the Hubbard Glacier. Princess is the only Cruise line that goes to both on a single cruise. Princess' southern route Whittier to Vancouver goes to BOTH Glacier Bay AND Hubbard Glacier. Land tours are additional and can be booked with cruise or separate. The additional charge for pre or post land tours seems pretty reasonable although we elected to just do the cruise.

[sparky-elpaso]

So my 70 year old mom has decided to make a check on her bucket list and wants to cruise Alaska and go see Denali National Park.

 

She has said that she will pay for my 13 year old daughter and I to go with her if I do all the planning.

 

None of us have ever been on a cruise before.

None of us has ever been to Alaska before.

 

I need help.

 

We would like to go in July.

We are on a budget. Like others have said - Alaska & budget don't always go together. Since you have never cruised before I would find a TA that specializes in cruises - preferably one with an office where you can talk face to face.

 

Can you please share with us any tips you have, including:

1. Meals. Are they included? Yes - except for specialty restaurants which aren't necessary. Do you need to bring nice clothes? You can always go to the buffet on formal nights (usually 2 for a 7 day cruise).

2. Rooms. Can 3 of us share a room, or will we need to get 2 rooms? Yes. Again, check the different cruise lines to see what their rooms are like.

3. Will a teenager die from boredom of having her mom and grandmother as the only people she knows before we sail? Not if she's at all sociable - in the summer there should be kids on board. Or will I go insane from her telling me this was the worst idea ever? What is there to do for teens on board? Alaska is very port intensive so on-board stuff isn't that important. Again, what there is to do for kids depends on the cruise line.

4. Costs. From what I have read sodas, alcohol are extra. Yes Can you bring your own on board? On most lines, no Are there "refillable" soda mugs or something of the like? Yes. Are the tips included? No. The average is $12 or so a day, per person. That covers your cabin steward, wait staff (in the main dining room and all other food venues) even though the description will only mention the dining room.

5. Excursions. Depends on how comfortable you are with handling travel. We booked some of our excursions ourselves and a couple through the cruise line (Royal Caribbean) Book it with the ship or go in town? If you have been to Alaska, what do you recommend? Depends on what you like to do - wildlife - scenery, etc. Approx costs? Anywhere from $50 per person to $300 + per person (for things like flightseeing).

6. Land portion. My mom read about riding the train into Denali and is thrilled with the idea. Book it with the cruise or on our own? Unless you're comfortable with renting a car, etc. through the cruise line. We did a 5 day land tour that went to Denali among other places - incredible. Started in Fairbanks and ended in Seward where we boarded the ship. What do you recommend to do in Denali? The Tundra Wilderness Tour (the long one) which was included in our tour. Bear in mind that's 6 to 8 hours on a school bus.

 

Thank yall in advance for helping a newbie out.:)

 

Remember you also have to factor in the flights to and from Alaska - I didn't notice where you're from. From where we live in Texas that wasn't cheap.

 

And food isn't always included in the land tour - and food in Alaska is about 50% higher than most places in the lower 48.

 

The link to my photos is in my signature if you would like a peek at what it's like. The scenery is breathtaking.

[klfrodo]

Just an FYI regarding "Budget"

In the summer,, a Motel 6 room can go for over $200 a night. :eek:

[rcymmolly]

Yall, this is helping so much. Please keep all the ideas coming. Thank you!:D

[gdisney]

Since you're on a budget, I'm thinking you'll probably want a round trip versus a one way, since it will likely be cheaper to get to and from the departure port with a round trip ticket versus two one-way tickets. Not sure where you're from...but for us it's cheaper to go out of Seattle versus Vancouver simply for travel costs. Since you've never been to Alaska, I can't imagine you'd be disappointed in any itinerary..

 

Actually, from where we're at, it's almost cheaper to do the 10-day out of San Francisco as opposed to a 7 day out of either of those ports....

[Jana60]

Since you're on a budget, I'm thinking you'll probably want a round trip versus a one way, since it will likely be cheaper to get to and from the departure port with a round trip ticket versus two one-way tickets. Not sure where you're from...but for us it's cheaper to go out of Seattle versus Vancouver simply for travel costs. Since you've never been to Alaska, I can't imagine you'd be disappointed in any itinerary..

Actually, from where we're at, it's almost cheaper to do the 10-day out of San Francisco as opposed to a 7 day out of either of those ports....

 

Flights are definitely a budget consideration. I just checked Kayak to see how much flights would run for our cruise in June from OK to Anchorage and then Anchorage to Vancouver if we had booked today for 3 people instead of 2 as are in our group and it would have run over $2500 ($844/pp). Prices do get a little higher as you get closer to the date. I paid less than $700 pp when I booked months ago.

[CruisinEars]

You will want to look at what is called a Cruisetour. Princess, HAL and RCCL all offer them. This will give you a one way cruise between either Seattle or Vancouver to Alaska. You can choose either Southbound and do the cruise tour before or Northbound and do the cruisetour after. The northbound will be the cheaper option since most want to do the land portion first. The land tour portion usually ranges from 3-8 days depending on which one you choose. As someone mentioned, food is included on the cruise but not on the land portion.

 

I know on Princess, all the tours do at least 1 day at Denali Princess Lodge which is at the entrance to Denali park. For the actual park tour, it is on a park service school style bus. Those are the only vehicles allowed into the park. They do a bathroom stop, but no bathroom on the bus like the fancy tour coaches. Also, not all of the land tour itineraries include the train, so if that is important, be sure to look for the train option otherwise it will be a coach (the nice kind).

[indigosails]

I didn't read everyone's responses, so my apologies if I've repeated anyone's input.

 

So my 70 year old mom has decided to make a check on her bucket list and wants to cruise Alaska and go see Denali National Park.

 

She has said that she will pay for my 13 year old daughter and I to go with her if I do all the planning.

 

Lucky you!

 

None of us have ever been on a cruise before.

None of us has ever been to Alaska before.

 

I need help.

 

We would like to go in July.

We are on a budget.

 

Can you please share with us any tips you have, including:

1. Meals. Are they included? Do you need to bring nice clothes?

 

Meals on the ship are included, and you should bring nice clothes for two nights. You can wear the same one more than once. Tea and coffee are free. Specialty coffees, soft drinks, and alcohol cost.

 

2. Rooms. Can 3 of us share a room, or will we need to get 2 rooms?

 

There are rooms for 3. Not saying it won't be tight, but you don't have to get two rooms.

 

3. Will a teenager die from boredom of having her mom and grandmother as the only people she knows before we sail? Or will I go insane from her telling me this was the worst idea ever? What is there to do for teens on board?

 

Your teenager will have a great time! There will be so much for her to do! The fact that people have kids is not lost on the cruise lines--they cater to the kids and keep them busy all day so you can have a life of your own.

4. Costs. From what I have read sodas, alcohol are extra. Can you bring your own on board? Are there "refillable" soda mugs or something of the like? Are the tips included?

 

Tips are included. Sodas are treated much like alcohol drinks, in that you have to order them one at a time from a waiter. You can get a soda card that will save you some money.

 

5. Excursions. Book it with the ship or go in town? If you have been to Alaska, what do you recommend? Approx costs?

 

Read up on excursions in the Alaska boards. Ship's excursions are notoriously more expensive than private companies. In most ports, there will be people on shore trying to sell you a tour. Oftentimes it's the same tour the ship takes, only cheaper. Can't speak to the cost, it depends on the excursion. Things that involve planes and helicopters are more expensive than a coach tour. Time, fuel costs all enter into it. I can't recommend anything specific because it depends on what gets your mom excited. Let her pick one, you pick one, then your daughter pick one. Then go find the best deal. You'll find a wealth of information on the Alaska board.

 

6. Land portion. My mom read about riding the train into Denali and is thrilled with the idea. Book it with the cruise or on our own? What do you recommend to do in Denali?

 

We did this tour and loved it. Take a plane ride around McKinley. Pricey, but something you'll all remember for the rest of your lives. Book it with the cruise so you'll get the Princess hotels and your luggage will be handled. Yes, Princess has the hotels there and they are great. One-stop shopping, you might say.

 

Thank yall in advance for helping a newbie out.:)

 

You'll have a great time. Welcome to Cruise Critic!

[Steve_Red_Dog]

We did an Alaskan Cruisetour with Princess in '08. Absolutely fantastic. If it was going to be just you and your mother I'd recommend Holland America (HAL) because it's a nicer on board experience, however, with a 13yo, go Princess or Celebrity as both cater to a younger crowd.

 

The train to Denali and Fairbanks is a very worthwhile extension to your cruise. Both Princess & Celebrity offer the cruisetour using their own customized sightseeing cars running behind an Alaskan RR engine. All the major cruise lines run behind the same engine one right behind the other.

 

In Fairbanks the gold panning & river boat are kind of hokey, but fun and memorable. Do not miss the whale watching in Juneau. Your and daughter would probably enjoy the rafting trip available just outside Denali. We did it with my wife's 67 year old brother in law and had a great time, so if your Mom is healthy take her too. :)

 

Bring a good pair of binos for everyone (you will not want to share), and a good camera with optical zoom and fast shutter speed.

[ddoyel]

We have scheduled our own cruise tour. We fly into Vancouver a day early and sail 1 way on Celebrity. From Seward we have bus transportation for $49 ea to Anchorage. Pick up rental car and drive to Denali. We purchased Alaska tour saver book and got 2 nights for the price of 1 at Princess Denali lodge. The last night we spend at Moose den B&B in Anchorage and then fly home to So Cal. We have costs of less than $3000.00 excluding excursions for 2 adults. I have been to Alaska before, but never cruised. We have free airfare with

Alaska airlines credit card rewards. Flights from so Cal are as cheap as $360 round trip to Anchorage.

[clc216]

Haven't done it, but a friend of mine emailed me that the Holland America Line is "the only tour company that has the glass-topped train cars .... you feel like you're sitting on top of the world with this incredible panorama around you ... and the train moves at about 30 mph so you can leisurely take in the scenery." She is still raving about it 5 years later! Since you mother likes the train idea, it is definitely considering.

[sparky-elpaso]

Haven't done it, but a friend of mine emailed me that the Holland America Line is "the only tour company that has the glass-topped train cars .... you feel like you're sitting on top of the world with this incredible panorama around you ... and the train moves at about 30 mph so you can leisurely take in the scenery." She is still raving about it 5 years later! Since you mother likes the train idea, it is definitely considering.

 

Actually Royal Caribbean also has the panoramic train cars - incredible scenery. Not sure about Princess - they also have their own cars that go on the end of the train. I think on our cruise tour there were 2 Royal Caribbean cars, 2 Holland America, and a Princess.

[indigosails]

Princess has them too--you can see them in their brochures. Maybe everyone is subcontracting the same train.

[GORDONCHICK]

So my 70 year old mom has decided to make a check on her bucket list and wants to cruise Alaska and go see Denali National Park.

 

She has said that she will pay for my 13 year old daughter and I to go with her if I do all the planning.

 

None of us have ever been on a cruise before.

None of us has ever been to Alaska before.

 

I need help.

 

We would like to go in July.

We are on a budget.

 

Can you please share with us any tips you have, including:

1. Meals. Are they included? Do you need to bring nice clothes?

2. Rooms. Can 3 of us share a room, or will we need to get 2 rooms?

3. Will a teenager die from boredom of having her mom and grandmother as the only people she knows before we sail? Or will I go insane from her telling me this was the worst idea ever? What is there to do for teens on board?

4. Costs. From what I have read sodas, alcohol are extra. Can you bring your own on board? Are there "refillable" soda mugs or something of the like? Are the tips included?

5. Excursions. Book it with the ship or go in town? If you have been to Alaska, what do you recommend? Approx costs?

6. Land portion. My mom read about riding the train into Denali and is thrilled with the idea. Book it with the cruise or on our own? What do you recommend to do in Denali?

 

Thank yall in advance for helping a newbie out.:)

 

 

First, if your mom wants to see Denali, you'll have to do a one-way cruise. I know RT cruises are cheaper (along with the airfare), but that's how you get to Denali. It will depend on the line you choose as far how much there is for teens to do. There will be tons of kids aboard in July, but the teen program on RCCL will be much more active than on HAL (just an example). NCL would be the least dressy line - no need for dressy clothing but they aren't doing one-ways. If Carnival is doing one-ways, they would be the next "less dressy". It is possible to not do the land tour through a cruiseline and do it on your own - and it would keep you out of feeling like you're in a cattle call. I advise booking excursions independently. Do a lot of research on the Alaska board. But know that whether you book these through the line or independently, they are expensive for the most part. My experience on independent tours and why we pick them over the ones from the ship is that they are almost always a lot smaller and more personalized. There are some great recommendations on the Alaska board. We've done the WPRR through Chilkoot instead of the ship and when I campared notes to those who went through the ship, they were very disappointed but we were ecstatic about what we got for about the same money. We've done whale watching with operators with small boats (6-12 passengers) - Harv & Marv in 2007 and Alaska Galore just last May. I would recommend both.

[Assateague Island Princes]

NCL does do northbound and southbound cruises.

[GORDONCHICK]

NCL does do northbound and southbound cruises.

 

That would be my pick then! Casual dress, dining any time you want, and those awesome pretzel rolls while enjoying Alaska scenery!

[Assateague Island Princes]

Thanx for that, Gordonchick. Normally, I wouldn't know anything about NCL for Alaska, because I've only cruised there on HAL. But while kicking around ideas for our fifth trip back to the Great Land next year, I'm now considering a southbound that includes ISP, a port I fell in love w/last year on the Amsterdam. DH didn't get to cruise w/me last year and has never been to ISP, so I was thinking that instead of the 2 week land vacation next May/June, we'd do one week on land and sail southbound on a cruiseline that does ISP. Viola! Research shows that only NCL, Celebrity, and RC do ISP on their one way trips. I'm hesitant about Celebrity because of their more stringent smoking policy (DH enjoys a smoke now and again, as do I) and not sold on RC for some reason (nothing in particular, just don't think its for us), so I'm leaning toward NCL Sun. The freestyling cruising is right up our alley - we NEVER eat in the MDR on HAL, always in the Lido. We love the laid back atmosphere of HAL, the Promenade deck and Crows Nest for great Alaska views, and the many "secret" aft decks that the smaller HAL ships seem to have.

 

So if you have experience w/NCL - do you think we can we get that same laid back, unformal sailing w/them? I'd really like your opinion if you don't mind sharing. I know nothing about NCL so I'm open to something new since my beloved HAL doesn't stop in ISP for their one-way cruises. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanx in advance!

[GORDONCHICK]

WE LOVE NCL! The officers and crew are wonderful. If you go to the meet & greet, you will meet the officers - and they love CCers. If you have questions, ask them. If you chat with them, they will remember you the rest of the cruise. You can eat in any of the dining rooms without formal clothing, though one may designate no jeans.

 

I've not been on the Sun (only the Pearl and Spirit) but I like the NCL product. Be sure to check out the pretzel rolls in the buffet!

[GORDONCHICK]

Also, if you book a full suite, NCL has the best suit perks afloat, but I only know that 2nd hand.