First Time Alaska Cruiser

[cruisingbajan]

My wife and I along with our 16 year old daughter are planning on cruising Alaska sometime next year.

 

Any recommendations for a first time Alaskan cruiser? Any and all tips/suggestions are welcome.

 

We are from the Caribbean so Alaska is really a bucket list item for us.

 

Thanks in advance.:)

[TheCalicoCat]

Choose an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay.

 

Other than that, decide what it is in AK that you want to see/experience & try to narrow your choice down by that.

[cruisingbajan]

Choose an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay.

 

Other than that, decide what it is in AK that you want to see/experience & try to narrow your choice down by that.

 

Thanks....we would like to see as much as possible.

 

I will be doing some research over the next few months but as always will seek advice from my learned cruise critic colleagues.

[CowPrincess]

If you have the time and the budget ability, and if this is a once-only trip, never going back to Alaska, consider adding on a land portion.

 

As for which itinerary, there are so many factors that no one can recommend what is best for you. One-way northbound, one-way southbound, 7 or 14 day round-trip.

 

Whatever you decide on, you need to realize you will most likely be missing something else. Even on our 14-day round-trip, we didn't get to Skagway or to Glacier Bay. But we did get to Hubbard Glacier and Tracy Arm, and Sitka, Homer, Kodiak, Anchorage.

 

Seriously, you will likely have to make some difficult decisions. People here can share their experiences and preferences, but ultimately you are the one(s) who are going to have to make the choices about what to miss.

 

Enjoy the planning and research, and keep asking questions :)

[xlxo]

Choose an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay.

Agreed....

 

Other thoughts/tips...

• how much time do you want to be in Alaska? 7 days or more?
  
• how far do you want to go, most go for 7 day returns to Cascadia (Vancouver/Seattle). While others prefer one way trips that take you further in Alaska (Northbound vs Southbound).
  
• Holland America offers a unique opportunity where you go halfway, then over land to the Yukon to rejoin another boat in Anchorage to return to Cascadia.
  
• some say balconies are a must, but for a few hours of glacier viewing..... others are happy with economical oceanviews and inside cabins.
  
• research and think about what excursions interest you in each port.
  
• some only look at the cruise.... but your ship starts/ends in Cascadia. Do consider extra days there to take advantage of the bonus port. Cascadia ports are bigger than all of Alaska ports combined. Whistler? Victoria? Vancouver Island?
  
• to make your adventure bigger, some will fly to/from Edmonton/Calgary to explore the Rocky Mountains before/after boarding their cruise ship. Do the trip one way to save time on round trips.
  
• think about your Cascadia hotel. In Vancouver, hotels adjacent to the cruise terminal are premium priced.... but a looking a few blocks away offer significant savings.
  

 

In addition to itinery... have you thought about which month/week?

• May and September is cheaper, but colder and some excursions are not running
  
• May can mean ice congestion to some glacier viewing sites like Tracy Arm/Sawyer
  
• May to July is dryer in Alaska, August will see more rain and September will be wettest. If too stormy to dock.... cruise ships will skip the port.
  
• July to August will be dryer in Cascadia
  
• May to August will give you more day light
  
• August and September offer better wildlife opportunities
  
• I like late-July for weather compromise and wildlife. It's also priced higher.
  
• some ports offer season opportunities like fireworks and pride celebrations, but can also mean congestion.
  
• http://www.alaska.org/advice/best-time-to-visit-alaska => it recommends mid-June to mid-July!
  

Alaskan mosquitos are Zika free!

 

[YOUTUBE]LyOFAKRjcpo[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]NHqJf6Un5-U[/YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE]CZzl0LOjRvY[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]vIvtsz1b60Q[/YOUTUBE]

Edited February 6, 2016 by xlxo

[mapleleaves]

There are books specific to Alaska cruises. They discuss ships, itineraries, ports, sights, activities, excursions, etc. Buy or borrow from your library : Ann Vipond's 'Alaska by Cruiseship' or Fodor's 'Alaska Ports of Call '.

 

There are numerous photojournals in the trip report STICKYs near the top of the page. Read thru several to get a feel for the various itineraries, experiences and family activities.

 

Have fun planning!

[cruisingbajan]

Wow...you guys have given me quite a bit of information to assimilate:). Not to worry though planning is what makes the trip even more exciting for me.:D

 

xlxo...good one LMAO.

 

I'll definitely take those Alaskan mosquitoes any day of the week then.:D:p

[cruisingbajan]

If you have the time and the budget ability, and if this is a once-only trip, never going back to Alaska, consider adding on a land portion.

 

As for which itinerary, there are so many factors that no one can recommend what is best for you. One-way northbound, one-way southbound, 7 or 14 day round-trip.

 

Whatever you decide on, you need to realize you will most likely be missing something else. Even on our 14-day round-trip, we didn't get to Skagway or to Glacier Bay. But we did get to Hubbard Glacier and Tracy Arm, and Sitka, Homer, Kodiak, Anchorage.

 

Seriously, you will likely have to make some difficult decisions. People here can share their experiences and preferences, but ultimately you are the one(s) who are going to have to make the choices about what to miss.

 

Enjoy the planning and research, and keep asking questions :)

 

I have now started the planning process and am already seeing some difficult decisions ahead:eek:

 

We are considering a 7 day but will have to discuss if RT/One Way from Vancouver or Seattle. Airfare will definitely play a big part in our decision making process.

 

I will definitely keep the questions coming.:)

Edited February 6, 2016 by Bajan Keith

[cruisingbajan]

Agreed....

 

Other thoughts/tips...

• how much time do you want to be in Alaska? 7 days or more?
  
• how far do you want to go, most go for 7 day returns to Cascadia (Vancouver/Seattle). While others prefer one way trips that take you further in Alaska (Northbound vs Southbound).
  
• Holland America offers a unique opportunity where you go halfway, then over land to the Yukon to rejoin another boat in Anchorage to return to Cascadia.
  
• some say balconies are a must, but for a few hours of glacier viewing..... others are happy with economical oceanviews and inside cabins.
  
• research and think about what excursions interest you in each port.
  
• some only look at the cruise.... but your ship starts/ends in Cascadia. Do consider extra days there to take advantage of the bonus port. Cascadia ports are bigger than all of Alaska ports combined. Whistler? Victoria? Vancouver Island?
  
• to make your adventure bigger, some will fly to/from Edmonton/Calgary to explore the Rocky Mountains before/after boarding their cruise ship. Do the trip one way to save time on round trips.
  
• think about your Cascadia hotel. In Vancouver, hotels adjacent to the cruise terminal are premium priced.... but a looking a few blocks away offer significant savings.
  

 

In addition to itinery... have you thought about which month/week?

• May and September is cheaper, but colder and some excursions are not running
  
• May can mean ice congestion to some glacier viewing sites like Tracy Arm/Sawyer
  
• May to July is dryer in Alaska, August will see more rain and September will be wettest. If too stormy to dock.... cruise ships will skip the port.
  
• July to August will be dryer in Cascadia
  
• May to August will give you more day light
  
• August and September offer better wildlife opportunities
  
• I like late-July for weather compromise and wildlife. It's also priced higher.
  
• some ports offer season opportunities like fireworks and pride celebrations, but can also mean congestion.
  
• http://www.alaska.org/advice/best-time-to-visit-alaska => it recommends mid-June to mid-July!
  

Alaskan mosquitos are Zika free!

 

 

Thank you for the wealth of information and the videos...you have certainly given me quite a bit to consider (and a good laugh:D)

Edited February 6, 2016 by Bajan Keith

[4774Papa]

Many have advised me that the best cruise to take is a one way, not round trip. Also, if going North, depart from Vancouver is best.

 

We are booked on NCL, but other lines have great cruises to Alaska.

 

We booked a land tour from Seward that includes Denali. Check out the link below:

 

 

Alaska Tour & Travel

Box 221011, Anchorage AK 99522

(800)208-0200 toll free | (907)245-0200 direct | (907)245-0400 fax

http://www.alaskatravel.com | info@alaskatravel.com

[Nhsaltshaker]

My wife and I along with our 16 year old daughter are planning on cruising Alaska sometime next year.

 

Any recommendations for a first time Alaskan cruiser? Any and all tips/suggestions are welcome.

 

We are from the Caribbean so Alaska is really a bucket list item for us.

 

Thanks in advance.:)

 

My tip is also to spend time on land along with a one-way cruise. It is cheaper to go north on a cruise and then do a possible land tour. Reason being, there is a lot of packing-unpacking plus travel on the land portion. Therefore, most people prefer to get some of the more 'stressful' part of the trip out of the way first.

 

It would benefit you to start investigating the usual travel sites and pick what best fits you and your budget. This process has helped me in determining what I want and how much it will cost.

 

I have postponed two bucket list trips for at least a year in order to save up some money to do what I really want to do. It paid off tremendously and made every penny worth it!

[Wishing on a star]

Bajan Keith, we are now finishing the final little details, excursions, etc.. of our first trip to Alaska. I can understand exactly where you are with all of this!

 

I knew I wanted to do a one way Southbound, so that we could experience as far North as Anchorage (Whittier).

 

Yes, there are some cheaper R/T itineraries, and budget is a huge consideration for us. We ended up choosing the Southbound, on the Coral Princess, that is so recommended. Yes, it costs us a bit more, especially since dates and itineraries were not working out for us for next year, and we went for it and booked kind of late for late May of THIS year.. We had tentatively booked a Celebrity, but when we realized we could book the Coral Princess for THIS year, with better dates and itinerary, that is what we did.

 

With some planning and gyrations, we actually found that our flights for this didn't not cost as much as we feared! We found a really great rate for our return flights from Vancouver. And then were able to garner enough miles to help with the flights up to Anchorage.

 

We wanted to travel early in the Season. Some want to travel later in the season. They hope it will be warmer??? And, I understand that excursions to see the bears and hopefully Salmon Run are later in the season.

 

I guess what I am advising is that, everyone's hopes and preferences for something like this can be different. I would look at all options, and not rule out an option, such as a one-way, to quickly. This is your first cruise to Alaska, and I am going to imagine that you won't be doing this again right away... so you want to make sure you see and do the highest priorities.

 

That can help make the decisions come along more quickly and easily.

 

Happy Planning!

Edited February 7, 2016 by Wishing on a star

[Mrs.Gosse]

Cost of land and sea and using the two airports involved with them will be pretty high. If finances are not an issue and it could be a once in a lifetime thing then go for it!

We did Alaska 7 day round trip from Seattle. We adore Seattle so that helps our decisions plus we can fly nonstop from Nashville.

 

Absolutely do an itinerary with Glacier Bay. It was the most amazing thing I have seen. In the United States anyway. To us a balcony was very important. And we really enjoyed the small private space to view Glacier Bay. It's very crowded on deck. Also on the inside passage you spend very little time with nothing to see. You will often see whales and little islands and forest. It's not like the Caribbean.

 

I recommend a whale watching tour, we had a blast and saw dozens and dozens of whales, hundreds of sea lions. Probably six Eagles and a dozen seals. Not to mention the landscape is just gorgeous. We were lucky to arrive as the full moon moon was rising.

 

Other than that I think once you decide the questions could be answered by reading the forums. To me those are the big points.

Let us know what you decide! People who love Alaska never get tired of talking about it!

[etoilefj]

For the basic cruise; we've done Alaska twice, once round trip from Vancouver and once Southbound from Whittier to Vancouver. In May we'll be doing Northbound Vancouver to Seward. The flights are relatively cheap for us (flight are why we don't get to the Caribbean as often as we would like).

 

I think the one way itineraries are better than round trip as you spend more time in each place. Our southbound was with Princess and it spent an entire day in Glacier Bay National Park, which was amazing and far more scenic than just the Tracy Arm Fjord we had seen previously (don't get me wrong, still beautiful). This time going north we stop at Icy Point, not quite going up into Glacier Bay so that will be interesting in comparison.

 

Good luck :)

[Budget Queen]

What you are going to find is- people rave about THEIR Alaska cruises. I find some of the above "must" claims short sighted, and clearly aren't "superior" choices for everyone. EVERY cruise will be a compromise of some sort. So, I'll caution away from the single thinking.

 

I suggest, using your library and online visitor web sites. IF you can try and get some Alaska Port of Call books, they are usually very concisely organized.

 

I suggest, a start is to look at each of the inside passage, Alaska ports, there are only 6. Find out about each one, what it is known for, what activities you would like to choose, then rank your favorites, that goes a long way toward narrowing down cruise choices. You need to determine- IF you can add time and do mainland touring? I recommend another week. :) Or is a round trip, a better choice for you? With the glacier choices, consider any cruise with Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glacier, needing to consider the added expense of a ship excursion= this is grossly superior to the cruise ship transit.

 

Lots of choices. :) Take your time and find the right choice for you.

[SuperCrewBear]

I'm a pre-first time Alaska cruiser also. I'm also a pre-first time cruiser of any sort. I've been reading about Alaska and cruising there for several years. The 10-day Norwegian Pearl is what we are booked on for this coming May. Everything is personal but for me this cruise in particular hit my two top items: The month of May and a stop in Sitka. From what I understand May should be drier weather and have smaller crowds - it's still on the cooler side but that's Alaska and I don't mind. The less formal aspect (not having to dress up for dinner) is what attracted me to Norwegian - I'm there for a vacation and to relax, not dress up. I found a copy of the docking schedule for the season a few days ago and most of the ports where we stop we'll be the only ship there that day since it's early in the season. The Russian past of Sitka is what I find interesting there. As for the entire trip, I'm afraid I'm going to come home wanting to move to Alaska. :D

 

Good luck!

[RaiderCruiser]

Like so many have said there are a ton of choices and the best choice for some is not necessarily the best choice for you. The best advice is read opinions, research your choices and choose what sounds most like you.

One thing I truly disagree with is the flight information. Certainly in the past round trip airline tickets were significantly less expensive than one way, but in most cases, that is just not true today. Research on your own and don't ever take someone else "facts" as true.

It will be a great trip.

[cruisingbajan]

What itinerary gives us the best chance of seeing some wildlife..bears, whales etc. Also what is the best time of year to sail to see these things?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Budget Queen]

What itinerary gives us the best chance of seeing some wildlife..bears, whales etc. Also what is the best time of year to sail to see these things?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

To see wildlife, you need, time and tours. Are you doing a one way cruise with at least another week mainland Alaska? That is really the minimum in my opinion. Looking at July and later is going to give you good results for bears, on the inside passage, humpbacks are seen the entire season- again- tours are "necessary", for good, extended looks. :)

 

With mainland Alaska- the wildlife jackpot areas- with 100% success in each, is Denali- via shuttle bus to at least Eielson, and Kenai Fjords, on, at least a 6 hour boat tour.

[Keith1010]

The key is to take excursions that get you away from the port to see wildlife which is easily done.

 

If you can find a cruise that includes Glacier Bay that is always special.

 

Keith

[floss]

What itinerary gives us the best chance of seeing some wildlife..bears, whales etc. Also what is the best time of year to sail to see these things?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

You can't go wrong with cruise critic info. Like you I wanted to go and made it in September last year and plan do it again .Plans will take time .In my case we did Toronto/ Vancouver route. It depends on your schedule, I couldn't go earlier because of work but I hope to go earlier next time.

Had some rain but it clear quickly but a beautiful day in glacier bay. The scenery is a memory to keep so go for it. Plenty of whales and eagles on route.

[xlxo]

What itinerary gives us the best chance of seeing some wildlife..bears, whales etc. Also what is the best time of year to sail to see these things?

August is the magic month, but I prefer late-July for dryer weather.

 

Also include Vancouver as one of your ports. There is a bear breakfast program you might want to check out.

http://www.grousemountain.com/products/breakfast-with-the-bears

 

[YOUTUBE]RJZcYalXkPg[/YOUTUBE]

[Kosi]

The key is to take excursions that get you away from the port to see wildlife which is easily done.

 

If you can find a cruise that includes Glacier Bay that is always special.

 

Keith

 

When you all say Glacier Bay .. do you mean inside passage ..or is that different?

[Budget Queen]

When you all say Glacier Bay .. do you mean inside passage ..or is that different?

 

Glacier Bay is a specific place, listed. on some cruise itineraries. Other cruises would have Hubbard Glacier, Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glacier.

 

http://www.nps.gov/glba/index.htm

 

 

ALL Alaska cruises sail, "inside Passage", which is a very general term.

 

I suggest you try and get a copy of Viapond's Alaska By Cruiseship, along with Alaska Ports of Call books, try your library.

[etoilefj]

When you all say Glacier Bay .. do you mean inside passage ..or is that different?

 

It's a separate stop on some itineraries. We did Princess' voyage of the glaciers southbound and it spent a day going into Glacier Bay. Our upcoming cruise with Celebrity has a stop at Icy Point Straight, which is at the entrance to Glacier Bay, but doesn't actually go in. On our round trip cruise we just had a day in Tracey arm fjord.