First cruise to Alaska, questions!

[RubySlippers102]

Hi all, I'm planning our first cruise for our 5th anniversary. I've cross posted some of these questions in the Celebrity Cruises forum. I have so many questions I hardly know where to start. Planning for late August 2017. My first set of questions is regarding which ship/itinerary to go for. These are the two I've narrowed it down to:

 

Solstice - roundtrip from Seattle - Ketchikan, Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway, Inside Passage southbound, Victoria BC.

 

Infinity - roundtrip from Vancouver - Inside Passage, Icy Strait, Hubbard glacier, Juneau, Ketchikan, Inside Passage.

 

Basically itinerary wise I'm choosing between seeing Skagway/Tracy Arm and the Icy Strait/Hubbard glacier. Opinions?

 

Which side/area of the ship should I be looking to reserve for best views?

 

As far as excursions, number one on the list is dog sled, which is the best? Also looking for recommendations for other excursions...we're into beautiful views, wildlife, food...pretty much everything. Do we need a specific excursion to see whales or will we probably see them from the ship?

 

Thanks so much for all your help, if you've gotten this far!

[mondello]

We saw a lot of whales from the cruise ship. The naturalist onboard announces wildlife sightings. Also saw a bear, caribou, eagles, seals and a porcupine on various excursions.

 

I would definitely recommend a small boat excursion for a more enjoyable and much closer viewing of the glacier. This is one excursion that nearly everyone loves.

 

Welcome to CC.

Edited August 3, 2016 by mondello

[CruiserBruce]

The "best views" are all around you. There isn't one magic spot you need to be.

[TheCalicoCat]

These are the two I've narrowed it down to:

 

Solstice - roundtrip from Seattle - Ketchikan, Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway, Inside Passage southbound, Victoria BC.

 

Infinity - roundtrip from Vancouver - Inside Passage, Icy Strait, Hubbard glacier, Juneau, Ketchikan, Inside Passage.

 

Which side/area of the ship should I be looking to reserve for best views?

 

 

Since neither one includes Glacier Bay, I wouldn't settle for either...

 

Best views - up top or out front on the bow.

 

But the ship does turn around.

[Budget Queen]

Hi all, I'm planning our first cruise for our 5th anniversary. I've cross posted some of these questions in the Celebrity Cruises forum. I have so many questions I hardly know where to start. Planning for late August 2017. My first set of questions is regarding which ship/itinerary to go for. These are the two I've narrowed it down to:

 

Solstice - roundtrip from Seattle - Ketchikan, Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway, Inside Passage southbound, Victoria BC.

 

Infinity - roundtrip from Vancouver - Inside Passage, Icy Strait, Hubbard glacier, Juneau, Ketchikan, Inside Passage.

 

Basically itinerary wise I'm choosing between seeing Skagway/Tracy Arm and the Icy Strait/Hubbard glacier. Opinions?

 

Which side/area of the ship should I be looking to reserve for best views?

 

As far as excursions, number one on the list is dog sled, which is the best? Also looking for recommendations for other excursions...we're into beautiful views, wildlife, food...pretty much everything. Do we need a specific excursion to see whales or will we probably see them from the ship?

 

Thanks so much for all your help, if you've gotten this far!

 

All those choices are equally excellent. What ever you choose you are missing the other. :) So, you are best to take a look at the shore excurison list and visitor websites and find out the differences. With Tracy Arm- it is grossly superior to purchase the add on ship tour, far better chance for glacier viewing.

 

Dog sledding tours are out of Skagway and Juneau. Frankly "best" is going to be more real with a glacier landing and riding on snow. Available out of Skagway and Juneau. IF you are willing to invest time, - hours looking for whales, you can see them from the cruise ship. Up to YOU, how much you want to see them? Tours are grossly superior. With cruise ship viewing, you have to be happy with hours of whale "waiting" for 30 seconds of view. :)

[CCJack]

Can't go wrong with either ! We have been on the Solstice (although in the Caribbean) and really loved that ship.

 

As for right vs. left, there was very little advantage one side or the other on our recent Alaska cruise.

 

Are you staying a couple nights before your cruise? Maybe Seattle vs. Vancouver is something to consider if you have not been to one. Vancouver is really a beautiful city.

 

Our experience was very few whale sighting from the ship and lots of whales very close up on our whale excursion, but we may have gotten lucky with the excursion, might not be typical.

[newmilford]

After having experienced it, sailing out of Vancouver to/from via the Inside Passage can't be ignored. Also The Infinity has MickeyLive contracted for 2017 again to do the Alaska experience narration etc. Hubbard was amazing and Icy Strait provides great whale watching options.

[RubySlippers102]

Thanks everyone! I'm now second-guessing the line I had narrowed it down to (Celebrity). Holland and NCL have some more extensive itineraries including Glacier Bay and Skagway, but I'm concerned the majority of passengers will be much older than us or the ship itself won't be very nice. We're a young couple in our 30s and would really prefer to choose a cruise that doesn't cater to a more mature group. Also would prefer a ship that's not showing its age too badly...I've read some off-putting reviews. I know visiting Alaska is all about nature and the beauty of the state, but it is rather important to us to enjoy our time in our room and exploring the ship as well. Decisions decisions.

[gpb11]

Do remember to take reviews with a big grain of salt. I've been on ships for which I'd read reviews at each end of the spectrum. Oftentimes people find what they're looking for...

 

On the Noordam in early June this year there certainly were plenty of folks in their 60s and above, but also plenty in their 50s and 40s and 30s. Even a fair number of children were present, but obviously not to the extent you see on a four day florida cruise. The ship was in fine shape as far as I could discern.

 

From what I could see while in the ports the demographics didn't seem substantially different on the other ships in port on the same days. Disney of course attracts a different demographic.

 

With that said - what do you consider "catering towards a more mature group" that you wish to avoid? I mean it's not like the dining room closed at 6pm after the 4:30pm rush or that they turned off all the lights around the ship at 8pm. I didn't see a single episode of Matlock on the tv either. :)

Edited August 4, 2016 by gpb11

[RubySlippers102]

Do remember to take reviews with a big grain of salt. I've been on ships for which I'd read reviews at each end of the spectrum. Oftentimes people find what they're looking for...

 

On the Noordam in early June this year there certainly were plenty of folks in their 60s and above, but also plenty in their 50s and 40s and 30s. Even a fair number of children were present, but obviously not to the extent you see on a four day florida cruise. The ship was in fine shape as far as I could discern.

 

From what I could see while in the ports the demographics didn't seem substantially different on the other ships in port on the same days. Disney of course attracts a different demographic.

 

With that said - what do you consider "catering towards a more mature group" that you wish to avoid? I mean it's not like the dining room closed at 6pm after the 4:30pm rush or that they turned off all the lights around the ship at 8pm. I didn't see a single episode of Matlock on the tv either. :)

 

Lol! I really just mean who we have the opporortunity to connect with...what I've read is that Holland attracts more mature passengers because they stick to traditional cruise standard with high tea, formal nights, etc. We'd like a ship that has a little bit of nightlife, a lounge with some current music, etc.

[SuperCrewBear]

I just took my first cruise and first trip to Alaska back in May - I spent much time figuring out what I wanted to do and which cruise I wanted to take. We took the NCL Pearl from Vancouver in May for 10 days and returned to Seattle. I'd never been to Seattle or Vancouver before - we spent an extra night before and after the cruise to see each city. I came away thinking I don't care much for Seattle and loved Vancouver. That's my personal opinion. There was so many aggressive vagrants most anywhere a tourist might go in Seattle that I won't put myself through that again. Vancouver was the exact opposite.

 

I also spent a lot of time pondering which side of the ship to be on. I ultimately chose the starboard side (right side looking towards the front of the ship...) but it probably wouldn't have matter much in the long run. There is so much to see and you most likely won't stay in your cabin as much as you might think. Our best site seeing day from the ship was Glacier Bay (I can't talk about Tracy Arm or Hubbard Glacier...) and I spent the majority of my time on the bow of the ship that was opened that one day. They would park this ship in front of a glacier than have it revolve around so everyone has a good view no matter where they are - I have no idea if other ships will do that. (I'm not an expert by any stretch.) Glacier Bay was very spectacular so I would personally want a cruise that included it - neither of your two do.

 

Skagway was another of my favorite stops. We took a Dyea Dave tour from town to Emerald Lake and back to Frasier - from Frasier we took the train back to Skagway. In my hunting down information taking the train on the way back in the latter part of the day you're more likely to have nice weather. Mornings are often foggy and cloudy - it burns off later in the day. I give Dave very high marks - nice people, not a huge crowd on the bus, the ability to be more flexible with stops, etc.

 

Good luck! Go in with the idea that you will want to return. I'm planning 2017 at this time. :D

[CCJack]

I agree with gbp11, in our 10 or so cruises, I have found little difference in demographics. These ships are big and there will be kids, teens, young adults, adults and older adults on each one. I would expect the cruise line to have activities for all. Destination plays a bigger difference in demographics than cruise line (ie, European cruise has a different crowd than Alaska, etc.) I would much rather base a decision on ports, excursions or maybe quality of the ship or food, etc. We have sailed on Celebrity, RCI, and NCL and I would rank them in that order, in terms of quality - at least that is our experience.

[gpb11]

I've read is that Holland attracts more mature passengers because they stick to traditional cruise standard with high tea, formal nights, etc. We'd like a ship that has a little bit of nightlife, a lounge with some current music, etc.

While I've not sailed to the degree many here have, I have sailed on Carnival and NCL, and my wife has sailed RCCL. This was our first exposure to HAL.

 

So with that big grain of salt...

 

Yes, I think HAL *overall* probably draws an older crowd. Yet I suspect that has more to do with the itineraries than the ship decor/activities. HAL seems to offer a lot more two week and longer cruises, something I don't believe is feasible for most people in their 20s and 30s due jobs and finances. But we're talking Alaska here, which tends to level the field.

 

We never went to high tea on HAL or on Carnival (which they had on sea days). On Noordam we had a "gala" night not formal a night; and even NCL out of Tampa last fall had just "gala". Per HAL's docs a jacket is welcome on gala night but required. We were tired that day and didn't go to the MDR, but the following night I wore a bow tie and sport coat with khakis and was overdressed. Other night, slacks and a polo was pretty common in the dining room.

 

I can't really speak to what they played at the dance lounges in the late night. I remember there being stuff listed in the dailies, but not the specifics. We're from the East coast and normally are up at 5:30am weekdays. Translate that by four hours to Alaska time and even sleeping in didn't have us up very late.

 

So I guess what I'm saying is when you're reading reviews dig into them a bit and don't just go with the "conventional wisdom" -- and even so focus first on your itineraries and where you want to go.

 

Oh also - we sailed during the first week of June, when there are still a lot of places where school hasn't yet let out. Later in the summer there may have been more families and younger couples than our Memorial Day weekend sailing.

[jimsig]

We, myself, DW and 6yo DD, were on the NCL Pearl a month ago and loved it. The ages ranged widely from young kids to seniors and everything in between. For example we were told there were 400 kids on board, I believe they mean 18 and under not just say 10yo and under, for a ship that has a capacity of about 2400. We did not see that one age group dominated.

 

I have done a trip report that includes the dallies and the link is in my signature below if you want to check it out. That will give you an idea of what is offered on board. Hope it helps.

[torybruno]

We always pick our cruise by itinerary and availability on when we can travel. All the rest is fluff. I agree with some other posters, Alaska without Glacier Bay, just wouldn't have been the same experience.

[Budget Queen]

but I'm concerned the majority of passengers will be much older than us or the ship itself won't be very nice. We're a young couple in our 30s and would really prefer to choose a cruise that doesn't cater to a more mature group. Also would prefer a ship that's not showing its age too badly...I've read some off-putting reviews.

 

Frankly, face value, with your statement- don't sail Alaska. Sail the Caribbean- which has loads of young people sailing-= depending on lines.

 

Your assumptions are grossly inaccurate with HAL compared to other cruise lines- IN ALASKA. ALL have middle aged the bulk of the demographics- ALL have all ages sailing. There are no ships sailing there that are going to be hopping with deck hairy chest contests and pool deck bands and beach type activities.

 

You will have some "lectures", atrium music, music in bars, nightly usual show etc.

 

There are NOT the vast spread of differences with Alaska cruises between cruise lines. Far more similarities than differences.

[91fun]

We went on a land/sea from Holland that I highly reommend. I especially liked visiting Jeff King's home for dogsled. He is such a nice guy! There were new puppies which we held. There was a heicopter tour which we found delightful. Actually walked on a glacier during that one. And nice change of perspective from the ship. Juneau is nice!

[91fun]

Hi all, I'm planning our first cruise for our 5th anniversary. I've cross posted some of these questions in the Celebrity Cruises forum. I have so many questions I hardly know where to start. Planning for late August 2017. My first set of questions is regarding which ship/itinerary to go for. These are the two I've narrowed it down to:

 

Solstice - roundtrip from Seattle - Ketchikan, Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway, Inside Passage southbound, Victoria BC.

 

Infinity - roundtrip from Vancouver - Inside Passage, Icy Strait, Hubbard glacier, Juneau, Ketchikan, Inside Passage.

 

Basically itinerary wise I'm choosing between seeing Skagway/Tracy Arm and the Icy Strait/Hubbard glacier. Opinions?

 

Which side/area of the ship should I be looking to reserve for best views?

 

As far as excursions, number one on the list is dog sled, which is the best? Also looking for recommendations for other excursions...we're into beautiful views, wildlife, food...pretty much everything. Do we need a specific excursion to see whales or will we probably see them from the ship?

 

Thanks so much for all your help, if you've gotten this far!

P.S. We found plenty of nightlife on HAL. Dancing in the lounges , jazz etc. Lots of young Europeans aboard. Outstanding food. Def don't miss Glacier Bay regardless what line you pick.

[Bennettanddebbie]

First, the disclaimers: We love Celebrity, and we just booked the Solstice cruise out of Seattle for next summer. That will be our 4th Alaska cruise out of 30+ cruises.

 

My advice to you is to rethink the entire approach!!!

 

1. You will end up on sensory overload. First time cruising. First time in Alaska. First time on Celebrity, no less. I always recommend newbie cruisers start in the Caribbean. They are not real expensive, and there are a lot to choose from. That gives you a chance to learn the ins and outs of cruising.

 

2. Alaska is a big place. The better itineraries are the one way trips from Seward/Anchorage/Whittier to Seattle/Vancouver. Just consider that the round trips from the latter ports have to spend half the week going north, then the next half more or less retracing that route back to their starting point. Even better would be doing a cruise tour. You will be missing so much by trying to see Alaska only from the sea. Yes, it's takes more time and $$, but Denali and the Kenai peninsula aren't to be missed. I hate to say this on a Celebrity board, but I point people to Princess for Alaska cruisetours. They have a breadth of options, and all can be customized. Plus, they have their own lodges throughout the Alaska tours which are all very nice. They run their land portions as well as their cruises (2 of my Alaska cruises have been Princess cruisetours).

 

Good luck with your planning.

 

 

Bennett of BennettandDebbie

[44disney]

+1 on glacier bay. And a very strong recommendation to sail out of Vancouver. Having done both, I would NEVER again miss the inside passage for any reason (not cost, convenience, line preference, ship preference....). After a 7 year break to pursue other destinations (it's a big world out there!), we are planning our 4th Alaska cruise and 3rd with HAL. We did HAL with kids as young as 6 and echo the sentiments above that (i) most ships will have very similar demographics and (ii) it's all fluff!

[RubySlippers102]

Thanks all for your advice. We want to see Alaska, not the Caribbean, so that's not an option. I wasn't looking for a party cruise, just looking for some entertainment on the nights we're not exhausted from excursions. Decided to book with HAL after all, on a round trip from Vancouver (the itineraries for one way look amazing but budget-wise it was either spend extra money on a flight or do glacier dog sledding, and the latter easily won out). We'd love to do land/sea but at this point we just don't have the vacation time since we are doing Disney with the kids in January. Scored an aft balcony and already happily planning our excursions. It's going to be long year of anticipation. :D

[drneal]

Hi all, I'm planning our first cruise for our 5th anniversary. I've cross posted some of these questions in the Celebrity Cruises forum. I have so many questions I hardly know where to start. Planning for late August 2017. My first set of questions is regarding which ship/itinerary to go for. These are the two I've narrowed it down to:

 

Solstice - roundtrip from Seattle - Ketchikan, Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway, Inside Passage southbound, Victoria BC.

 

Infinity - roundtrip from Vancouver - Inside Passage, Icy Strait, Hubbard glacier, Juneau, Ketchikan, Inside Passage.

 

Basically itinerary wise I'm choosing between seeing Skagway/Tracy Arm and the Icy Strait/Hubbard glacier. Opinions?

 

Which side/area of the ship should I be looking to reserve for best views?

 

As far as excursions, number one on the list is dog sled, which is the best? Also looking for recommendations for other excursions...we're into beautiful views, wildlife, food...pretty much everything. Do we need a specific excursion to see whales or will we probably see them from the ship?

 

Thanks so much for all your help, if you've gotten this far!

 

I went with my family and friends and HIGHLY recommend the land tour. Denali is awesome.

I took an extra 3 or 4 days to do it and it was totally worth it.

As for the dogsled, 2 in our group went at the end of August and they were told they were the last group for the season.

As the temperatures rise the snow melts and you have to go to higher elevations.

The fog comes in and it becomes difficult for the helicopters to get you out.

 

Iceberg helicopter is great and you can do the dogsled as well.

 

consider the land tour!