Trying to decide based on itinerary: Celebrity Infinity or HA Noordam?

[aj925]

Noordam visits Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm while the Infinity goes to icy Strait Point and the Hubbard Glacier. The other ports are basically the same. The only must do for me is the helicopter/dog sledding tour in Juneau which both cruises stop at. Btw, I didn't see any age restriction on that tour. Does anyone know if there is one? So the deciding factor seems to be Hubbard Glacier vs Glacier Bay. Any thoughts as to which cruise would be better? Trying to book ASAP but tearing my hair out trying to decide. TIA.

[CruiserBruce]

Take HAL with Glacier Bay.

[aj925]

Thanks CruiserBruce. Have you been on any of the tours out of Juneau? I was just trying to figure out if our ship arrives at 1pm, how much time I should allow to get to meeting point for the dog sledding tour.

[CruiserBruce]

Dog sledding tour thru HAL or on your own? If thru the ship, the excursion will be scheduled based on your arrival.

[Northern Aurora]

aj925: I suspect that you realize that the cruise lines you are considering have dramatically different smoking policies but thought I would mention it just in case.

[sammiedawg]

Glacier Bay is the coveted Alaska attraction, entry by permit only with Princess and Holland America controlling the permits. I don't know if Celebrity has any. For itinerary I would select the Noordam. We've heard helicopter dog sledding trips are frequently canceled for weather.

Edited January 16, 2015 by sammiedawg

[aj925]

We were planning on booking the heli/dog sledding trip with Coastal directly.

The cruise is in August so hopefully there won't be as many cancellations of the tour do to weather but if so, they do give you a refund.

[timbom]

Thought this might help

 

Here's a detailed look at the five factors to consider when booking an Alaska cruise or cruise tour.

 

Price

Discounts are available right now on virtually every departure for the entire Alaska season, which runs from May to September. Shipboard credits and other free amenities also are available on many sailings. In general, you'll find the lowest rates on departures early and late in the season.

 

There are a few situations in which you should call us and lock in your rate as soon as you can, while there still are cabins that will accommodate your needs on nearly every ship. They are: if you want to sail on specific ship on a specific date, if you require a cabin that accommodates three or more people or a passenger with special needs, or if you need two adjacent or adjoining cabins or more than four cabins on a single sailing.

 

However, if you are flexible about date and ship, I recommend waiting until about 90 days prior to departure to book an Alaska cruise, as rates for many cabins are likely to be reduced at about that stage.

 

There's a chance that well-timed connecting flights could sell out if you wait, but I'd personally take that risk in order to wait for a terrific late-breaking deal to emerge.

 

As with all last-minute cruise deals, we will have them first on our site, and we will sell out many of the departures before most other travel agencies even hear about them.

 

Itinerary

There are two types of itineraries for Alaska cruises: Inside Passage cruises that sail round trip from Vancouver, Seattle or San Francisco; and Gulf of Alaska cruises that sail one way between Vancouver and Seward or Whittier (gateways to Anchorage and the interior city of Fairbanks). The Gulf of Alaska cruises include several days in the Inside Passage.

 

The round-trip cruises offer two advantages: 1) You can book closer to departure because there are many flights daily into, and out of, Vancouver, Seattle and San Francisco, and 2) They require less expensive airfare because no long flight to (or from) Anchorage or Fairbanks is involved.

 

Air into (and out of) Anchorage and Fairbanks is quite limited and flights fill early with cruise and cruise tour passengers, which makes it more risky to wait for a last-minute deal on a one-way Gulf of Alaska cruise.

 

The biggest advantage of one-way cruises is that they allow the opportunity to explore the interior of Alaska on a pre- or post-cruise land tour. Between one-third and one-half of all Alaska cruisers opt to extend their cruise with a tour of inland Alaska (out of Anchorage or Fairbanks) or British Columbia or the Canadian Rockies (out of Vancouver).

 

If you are leaning toward one of these cruise tours, keep in mind that tour buses, railcars and lodges in Alaska are very limited in supply and can sell out early. I recommend booking cruise tours no later than the end of February to ensure availability.

 

Weather

Alaska weather is delightfully unpredictable, but in general, you'll find the warmest temperatures in July and August, when average highs are in the low to mid-60s. Precipitation can rise a bit in late August and early September, but I personally would not avoid that time for that reason.

 

One of my fondest Alaska memories is of sipping coffee on our balcony as the scenery melted away and the ship slowed to a crawl in dense fog in the Inside Passage, our foghorn echoing off the mountains on either side, warning fishermen of our approach. On another day, we hiked a trail to an alpine lake for a canoe ride to the face of a glacier, in a driving rain. Invigorating does not begin to describe it. Weather is part of the experience in Alaska.

 

Click here for a list of Alaska ports, and then click a port name to see the weather details for that location.

 

Wildlife

Wildlife is one of the big attractions of Alaska, and different species are active at various times during the cruising season. Humpback and killer whales are seen throughout the summer in large sounds and straits along the coast, as they migrate between their winter homes in the south and their summer homes in the north. Brown and black bears can be spotted in grassy tidal flats starting in May and near salmon streams and berry patches in July and August. Moose and caribou begin calving in May, so look for cow moose and their young near thickets along roadsides and rivers in May and June.

 

Bald eagles are plentiful and can be viewed at the water's edge through the summer, particularly near salmon-spawning streams. Tufted puffins and other seabirds begin nesting colonies on coastal islands in May. Shorebird-watching is popular in August and September as various species begin their migrations south for the winter.

 

Harbor seals are visible throughout the season and can be seen with their pups on and around the icebergs of Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay during the month of June. Sea lions start to become visible in September.

 

Fishermen will be happy to know that at least one variety of salmon -- the prized king salmon -- runs from May through August. Late May through June is the best time for saltwater king salmon fishing, and July through August is best for freshwater king salmon fishing. Sockeye (red) salmon fill freshwater streams and rivers on their spawning run from late June through July.

 

Saltwater fishing for chum and pink salmon is best in July and August, and freshwater fishing for these species is at its peak in August. Coho (silver) salmon can be found in saltwater areas from late July through early September and are abundant in freshwater areas during September and October. Halibut is most plentiful in saltwater areas from late June through August.

[donaldsc]

I have done both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. They are both completely different but also both are great. I do not know if it is at all possible to do them both in one cruise but I would do is go to a TA and pick up some brochures and see if you can find a cruise that hits both of them.

 

Glacier Bay has lots and lots glaciers. Hubbard has one very large glacier that you get very close to.

 

DON