ALASKA Questions!

[cruisinfanatic]

Considering the inside passage on Explorer next year, Jewel did the itinerary this year. Was anyone on it?

Itinerary is:

 

Day 1 Seattle

Day 2 At Sea

Day 3 Cruising Alaska's Inside Passage

Juneau, United States Arrive: 12:00 pm Depart: 9:00 pm

Day 4 Skagway, United States Arrive: 7:00 am Depart: 8:30 pm

Day 5 Tracy Arm Fjord Arrive: 7:00 am Depart: 12:00 pm

Day 6 At Sea

Day 7 Victoria, Canada Arrive: 9:00 am Depart: 6:00 pm

Day 8 Seattle

 

Wondering what there is to do on sea days? Is there usually good scenery on those days?

Best side for balcony cabin?

Best excursions?

Can you do them outside of ships?

Any help would be very valuable, thanks

Edited October 11, 2015 by SeaUs

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Alaska is the cruise that I feel really requires the most research.

 

I would spend some quality time on the Alaska destination board. I wish I had more research. I would have done my post cruise DIY. Live and learn. :)

 

 

Also, there is some good information on this link:

 

http://www.cruiseportinsider.com/juneau.html#.Vhq5SPlViko

 

Not trying to ignore your questions. but, there is so much good information on the Alaska board that goes into lots of detail.

 

Your AK plans really depend on your interests. PS-- We only had one true sea day. We were up early each day and on the shore. During our free time we "chilled."

Edited October 11, 2015 by DragonOfTheSeas

[cruisinfanatic]

Alaska is the cruise that I feel really requires the most research.

 

I would spend some quality time on the Alaska destination board. I wish I had more research. I would have done my post cruise DIY. Live and learn. :)

 

 

Also, there is some good information on this link:

 

http://www.cruiseportinsider.com/juneau.html#.Vhq5SPlViko

 

Not trying to ignore your questions. but, there is so much good information on the Alaska board that goes into lots of detail.

 

Your AK plans really depend on your interests. PS-- We only had one true sea day. We were up early each day and on the shore. During our free time we "chilled."

Thanks, I'll look into this

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Although the Explorer itinerary is good, I highly recommend the one way sailings from Vancouver to Seward if possible. You get to see so much more of Alaska. Vancouver is a wonderful place to visit too. Many people say that a post-cruise stay is needed, but if there are time constraints, it is very nice to just take a train from Seward to Anchorage (4 hours) and then just fly home (this is what we did). That's just my two cents, and I'm not trying to stop you from booking the Explorer, I just wanted to put my opinion out there. Sorry for not answering your questions. :o

[cruisinfanatic]

Although the Explorer itinerary is good, I highly recommend the one way sailings from Vancouver to Seward if possible. You get to see so much more of Alaska. Vancouver is a wonderful place to visit too. Many people say that a post-cruise stay is needed, but if there are time constraints, it is very nice to just take a train from Seward to Anchorage (4 hours) and then just fly home (this is what we did). That's just my two cents, and I'm not trying to stop you from booking the Explorer, I just wanted to put my opinion out there. Sorry for not answering your questions. :o

the one way would be ideal for seeing more, but the long flight with wife's bad back can't happen

[Diplomacy]

the one way would be ideal for seeing more, but the long flight with wife's bad back can't happen

 

*que evil laughter, heh heh heh...

 

Sounds like an excellent excuse to book the one way cruise and then to book it again as it retraces it's steps on the homeward voyage. they usually b2b into a very nice 2 week cruise, and what's more, the price per day is usually slightly better on the one-ways... not saying that it will save you money or anything, buuuut, I think it's definitely worth considering.

Edited October 11, 2015 by Diplomacy

[vrock]

Our alaska cruises remain our favorites. Beautiful scenery it was so nice to have coffee on our balcony. In Juneau we booked harv and marv whale watching on our own it was the highlight of our trip. We booked the train ride in Skagway through the ship it was a lot of fun. We have a personal preference for the starboard side of the ship. Have a great trip.

[kc320]

Considering the inside passage on Explorer next year, Jewel did the itinerary this year. Was anyone on it?

Itinerary is:

 

Day 1 Seattle

Day 2 At Sea

Day 3 Cruising Alaska's Inside Passage

Juneau, United States Arrive: 12:00 pm Depart: 9:00 pm

Day 4 Skagway, United States Arrive: 7:00 am Depart: 8:30 pm

Day 5 Tracy Arm Fjord Arrive: 7:00 am Depart: 12:00 pm

Day 6 At Sea

Day 7 Victoria, Canada Arrive: 9:00 am Depart: 6:00 pm

Day 8 Seattle

 

Wondering what there is to do on sea days? Is there usually good scenery on those days?

Best side for balcony cabin?

Best excursions?

Can you do them outside of ships?

Any help would be very valuable, thanks

 

We did this just last month on the Jewel...although since our's was the last Alaska sailing we ended in Vancouver...

 

It was my 1st trip to Alaska so I thought the scenery was amazing!! I had a balcony cabin on the starboard side & saw whales spouting from the balcony...

 

In Juneau & Victoria we were traveling with a friend who rented a car & gave us a private tour...Victoria included a visit to the Burchart Gardens...really pretty!!

In Skagway we took the shuttle into town & booked a tour to White Pass from there...it was $35pp for a 4 hr tour...very interesting..

 

On the sea days there were lots of activities & demonstrations in the Centrum

[kalliekae]

Our favorite excursion in Alaska was a float plane ride out of Juneau. We first took a boat ride for a couple of hours and saw whales, seals, etc. and then the boat docked and we switched over to the plane. The plane ride was about an hour and the scenery was gorgeous. It remains one of our favorite excursions of all our cruises.