Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Alaska Cruise Basics

thecruiserofships

By thecruiserofships,
in Alaska

 Share

Recommended Posts

thecruiserofships

thecruiserofships

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
Thank you everyone! We are going, but moving it until May 2015. We thought we could do Alaska at the end of August this year until I looked at air from Boston. We have a repo at the end of October. I am just waiting for Princess to open up bookings for 2015 which will be March 11th. The end of May 2015 is my choice. ;)

 

After reading a post on my roll call I found out Princess does a transfer from SeaTac to Vancouver which I am pleased about also. after all these years I still find a wealth of information on CC.

 

Yea! Excited for you! Let me know if you have any questions! I will try my best to answer them!

Edited by thecruiserofships
Link to comment
Share on other sites
thecruiserofships

thecruiserofships

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Hi!

I read your section on balconies (thanks for that, BTW!), and still can't make up my mind on which cabins for June 2015. I'm planning to surprise my mom with an Alaskan cruise for her birthday, so I will need to get 2 rooms for four of us: Me, hubby, my mom, and my 8-year-old. I'm torn between 2 aft balconies or 2 "bowling alley" balconies on the Carnival Miracle. Which would be our best bet?

 

Pros of aft balconies:

- Better view (correct?)

- Quieter hallway

- Partial covering on deck 4

- No lifeboats below

 

Cons of aft balconies:

- The dividers between the balconies do not open.

- The Carnival Miracle layout has only 2-person and 3-person cabins adjacent. I would be booking my mom and daughter in one cabin and me and hubby in another to avoid the "singles' penalty."

- More expensive: about $400 per person more!

- Farther from the elevators. (My mom has mobility issues and can't walk long distances.)

 

Pros of "bowling alley balcony"

- HUGE balcony!

- One is handicap accessible (so my mom doesn't have to deal with a heavy balcony door)

- Less expensive than an aft balcony

- Divider between the 2 balconies can be opened

- More seating

- Closer to elevators

 

Cons of "bowling alley balcony"

- Located only on the port side of the ship

- Recessed area of the ship

- They hold a max of 2 people each, so if by some chance, my mom refuses to go, we will have to scramble for a "good" cabin for three 2-3 months after our initial booking.

- Noisier than aft balcony cabins

- Lifeboats below

 

Thoughts?

 

I am sorry that I missed your question and for this delayed response. Please forgive me.

 

Personally I would choose the Aft Balcony because you said there are no lifeboats below. By now you have already chosen, but if no go with what you think is right for you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lady_Jag

Lady_Jag

Posted
Posted
I am sorry that I missed your question and for this delayed response. Please forgive me.

 

Personally I would choose the Aft Balcony because you said there are no lifeboats below. By now you have already chosen, but if no go with what you think is right for you.

 

No worries! The rates for 2015 haven't opened yet, so I haven't booked anything. After careful consideration, I think aft balcony will be my second choice, as it's a lot more expensive (especially when buying 2 cabins) and the "bowling alley" balcony is handicap accessible, which would be ideal for my mom.

 

Thanks for the insight! Aft is really, REALLY tempting, but I need to consider my mom in regards to accessibility. (The heavy balcony door and high threshold are potentially dangerous for her.)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
thecruiserofships

thecruiserofships

Posted
  • Author
Posted
No worries! The rates for 2015 haven't opened yet, so I haven't booked anything. After careful consideration, I think aft balcony will be my second choice, as it's a lot more expensive (especially when buying 2 cabins) and the "bowling alley" balcony is handicap accessible, which would be ideal for my mom.

 

Thanks for the insight! Aft is really, REALLY tempting, but I need to consider my mom in regards to accessibility. (The heavy balcony door and high threshold are potentially dangerous for her.)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I think the choice you are making is good especially since you are keeping your mother's accessibility needs in mind. That should be the major deciding factor when choosing rooms.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
thecruiserofships

thecruiserofships

Posted
  • Author
Posted
try to book your flights really far in advance. I booked my flights for this june 2014 back in October of 2013. I just checked the price on my flight for this june and they have doubled in price.

 

I agree. Booking flights needs to be done in advance because price can change and seating on flights is limited!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
funcruiser1234

funcruiser1234

Posted
Posted
Last year (2013) I got to cruise to Alaska for the first time and I enjoyed the scenery and the ports.

 

Since then I (mostly me) and a close family member have spent time writing Alaska tips and posting them on my blog.

 

I thought I would share this here instead of the typical blog/website section because the information I share pertains to people here. I try to give tips that can be applied to any cruise line or itinerary, but I also give some itinerary specific information too!

 

http://www.embarkandaway.com/alaska.html

 

Please enjoy and ask questions!

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions write away! :)

 

The new layout looks great!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Trevoli

Trevoli

Posted
Posted

In my 20+ years of cruising, I have never heard the term 'bowling alley' when it comes to cabin location. What is that?

 

I haven't looked at the blog yet, but plan to. In June, I'm doing my first Alaskan cruise, so I'm sure I'll find a wealth of information there.

 

I'm blessed in that I've cruised many other regions, but Alaska seems to be a whole different 'animal', so I need all the help I can get. Will be hard to not overpack, what with needing all the layers. Know I will travel in my bulky clothes (hiking boots, raincoat, etc. Not exactly airport-friendly, but better than packing them.). I'm not afraid to wear items more than once, but even with that, it'll be difficult.

 

Question: we will do one formal night, but only because the dining room is the only place I know of to get lobster and/or escargot. Are either of those served anywhere else? We'll be on Radiance of the Seas.

 

TIA

Link to comment
Share on other sites
varoo

varoo

Posted
Posted (edited)
In my 20+ years of cruising, I have never heard the term 'bowling alley' when it comes to cabin location. What is that?

I have heard it used to describe balconies that are long and deep, much deeper than they are wide.

It feels somewhat like walking through a jetway or bowling alley to get from the cabin out to the railing.

 

On some ships, "bowling alley" balconies are found on the cabins at the stern, overlooking the wake, and on others they are on the sides of the ship.

 

 

 

When we were on Royal Caribbean cruises, you could only have the dinner from the main dining room menu delivered to your cabin if you were in a suite, while Celebrity would do it whatever type of cabin you had.

 

.

Edited by varoo
Link to comment
Share on other sites
thecruiserofships

thecruiserofships

Posted
  • Author
Posted
In my 20+ years of cruising, I have never heard the term 'bowling alley' when it comes to cabin location. What is that?

 

I haven't looked at the blog yet, but plan to. In June, I'm doing my first Alaskan cruise, so I'm sure I'll find a wealth of information there.

 

I'm blessed in that I've cruised many other regions, but Alaska seems to be a whole different 'animal', so I need all the help I can get. Will be hard to not overpack, what with needing all the layers. Know I will travel in my bulky clothes (hiking boots, raincoat, etc. Not exactly airport-friendly, but better than packing them.). I'm not afraid to wear items more than once, but even with that, it'll be difficult.

 

Question: we will do one formal night, but only because the dining room is the only place I know of to get lobster and/or escargot. Are either of those served anywhere else? We'll be on Radiance of the Seas.

 

TIA

 

It is hard not to overpack. I recommend being prepared for cold and hot weather. Maybe have a few t-shirts in case the weather is not as cold as expected.

 

For your question about the Radiance of the Seas you should post it on the Royal Caribbean part of the forums.

 

I hope you enjoyed the blog and let me know if you have any questions!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
nightfire

nightfire

Posted
Posted

We have been cruising for the last 15 years but have never been to Alaska since we prefer the sand and warm water. We are in the initial stages of figuring out which RCL itinerary to take in 2015 and I've got to say that I am feeling overwhelmed by this task. We would like to spend a few days post cruise touring Alaska but need to work out whether or not to do a cruisetour package or go independent. Either way, I can see this is going to take a lot of time to hammer out. I'll keep scouring this board for information. I am always appreciative of the time people take to write their reviews and suggestions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
thecruiserofships

thecruiserofships

Posted
  • Author
Posted
We have been cruising for the last 15 years but have never been to Alaska since we prefer the sand and warm water. We are in the initial stages of figuring out which RCL itinerary to take in 2015 and I've got to say that I am feeling overwhelmed by this task. We would like to spend a few days post cruise touring Alaska but need to work out whether or not to do a cruisetour package or go independent. Either way, I can see this is going to take a lot of time to hammer out. I'll keep scouring this board for information. I am always appreciative of the time people take to write their reviews and suggestions.

 

I completely understand that planning for Alaska can be overwhelming!

 

Write down your ideas and prices. You might also want to create a budget if you are trying to monitor how much money you want to spend.

 

For some ports of call for the cruise try ordering free visitor's guides. Sometimes they offer some attraction ideas and maybe a map. Visitor centers in the ports are typically helpful and you can get a map and brochures for the town there too.

 

I hope this helps!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
thecruiserofships

thecruiserofships

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I have heard it used to describe balconies that are long and deep, much deeper than they are wide.

It feels somewhat like walking through a jetway or bowling alley to get from the cabin out to the railing.

 

On some ships, "bowling alley" balconies are found on the cabins at the stern, overlooking the wake, and on others they are on the sides of the ship.

 

 

 

When we were on Royal Caribbean cruises, you could only have the dinner from the main dining room menu delivered to your cabin if you were in a suite, while Celebrity would do it whatever type of cabin you had.

 

.

Thank you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
thecruiserofships

thecruiserofships

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I have heard it used to describe balconies that are long and deep, much deeper than they are wide.

It feels somewhat like walking through a jetway or bowling alley to get from the cabin out to the railing.

 

On some ships, "bowling alley" balconies are found on the cabins at the stern, overlooking the wake, and on others they are on the sides of the ship.

 

 

 

When we were on Royal Caribbean cruises, you could only have the dinner from the main dining room menu delivered to your cabin if you were in a suite, while Celebrity would do it whatever type of cabin you had.

 

.

Too bad you can't real have a bowling alley on your balcony!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...