Alaskan Cruise help

[redcardms]

My wife and I will be celebrating our 30th next year 2017. We are looking into an Alaskan cruise and right now are considering Princess but not locked into them.

 

- What is the best time to cruise, weather wise or scenery?

- Is a balcony a must?

- Is their an itinerary that is best?

- Which ship may be the best?

 

This will be our 5th cruise so we are aware of a lot of information but they have all been Caribbean cruises.

 

We are just in the preliminary stages right now, but looking forward to a great time.

 

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

[neverbeenhere]

Cruise in Aug or Sep for weather.

Balcony is nice but the best views could be on either side of the ship.

Hubbard Glacier Itin.

Any ship you can book is nice.

[WisCruiser2]

If you can swing it, include one of the landtours!

[gatorguy56]

We have been on an Alaskan cruise three times with Princess.

- What is the best time to cruise, weather wise or scenery?

We found that they was much more salmon and whale activity in late July/early August. We went during the summer the solstice which was fun to experience so much daylight but the wildlife wasn't as good.

- Is a balcony a must?

For an Alaskan cruise I would say yes, definitely! We enjoyed just watching the scenery from our room rather than having to get dressed to go to a common area.

- Is their an itinerary that is best?

If you polled everyone you would probably get more people that like Glacier Bay. We however are in the other camp, we loved Tracy Arm Fjord. We've been that route twice and had a blast getting off the ship in the Fjord and boarding a small boat that took us to both Sawyer Glaciers (most people don't know there are two and they are vastly different). We also did a northbound out of Vancouver to Whittier. We loved the inside passage out of Vancouver (prettier route than out of Seattle), but flying out of Anchorage was a pain (very long flight and $$$).

- Which ship may be the best?

We've been on Star, Sapphire, Grand and Golden and loved them all. We especially liked that Sapphire and Grand had Alfredo's Pizzeria.

 

No matter what you decide, I think you'll love it!

[craftygrandma]

just booked our 6th AK cruise with a land tour on Princess. But if you can only do a cruise, I would recommend Celebrity, because of their naturalist on board. Balcony no, you have a very limited view and it could be too cold to use. If you are not taking kids, I would suggest late May or Sept. I have seen on each cruise and a bear on the end of May cruise. Have fun AK is a great cruise.

[moki'smommy]

We cruised at the end of August which was perfect. We were warned that it would rain--it didn't. The weather was in the high 60s and low 70s during the day and of course cooled off at night.

 

Wildlife was great. We saw everything except one that was on my daughter's wish list. Bears were walking down the side of the road, salmon in the streams, whales (2 types), eagles, wolves, etc. The scenery was great. The standard "this is the farthest we've been able to go in this season" announcement is cruise line hype--of course as things warm up, they can go farther down the various passages.

 

Balcony--you'll see a lot more from the open decks where you can get the 360 panoramic view. From your balcony, the view will be a lot more limited. However, if you are mobility challenged or will otherwise have issues with being on the open deck, a balcony is certainly better than no view. If I had a choice, I'd put the money toward the very costly excursions and skip the balcony.

 

Port...you waste time going out of Seattle, but it is less costly to fly to Seattle and easier getting back home. Flights from some Alaskan ports are difficult. If you can swing it, you could consider doing a B2B so you can do a round trip flight from Vancouver or Seattle. It is easy to get to Vancouver from Seattle by train or bus if the Seattle flights are a lot better.

 

We viewed this as a "once in a lifetime" trip although we cruise regularly. For that reason, we did some bigger, nicer excursions. I'd highly recommend these. Whale watching is a must. There are many private companies that do great excursions rather than doing the huge cruise line groups.

 

Ships....I'm not sure it matters. Princess. Celebrity, and others are good. This is a cruise where you are there for the scenery, the ports, etc. The food on Celebrity a few years ago was better than the 2016 food on Princess.

[towhee]

My wife and I will be celebrating our 30th next year 2017. We are looking into an Alaskan cruise and right now are considering Princess but not locked into them.

 

- What is the best time to cruise, weather wise or scenery?

- Is a balcony a must?

- Is their an itinerary that is best?

- Which ship may be the best?

 

This will be our 5th cruise so we are aware of a lot of information but they have all been Caribbean cruises.

 

We are just in the preliminary stages right now, but looking forward to a great time.

 

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

 

We usually sail in May and have great weather most of the time, but we've also sailed in June and August. There's a lot more animal activity in June and July (the bears are out, the salmon is running, the whales have arrived from Hawaii and Mexico).

 

We love sitting on the balcony and watching the world go by, but the ships have so many open areas, that a balcony isn't a "must" in our opinion.

 

We prefer itineraries that include Glacier Bay and/or Hubbard Glacier. We've had poor luck with Tracy Arm and not all ships that go to Tracy arm have the optional close-up excursion. Endicott Glacier is a great alternative for the Sawyer Glaciers, if the captain chooses to go there. If you have the time, I highly recommend taking a land tour in conjunction with your cruise. You'll have to fly either to or from Anchorage, which is quite pricey, but the tour is well worth the extra time and cost.

 

Choose the itinerary and then choose the ship that does that itinerary. We prefer the smaller ships, but some people prefer the larger ships. There are pluses and minuses to both.

[LeeW]

Personal preference, either Island or Coral Princess. Indoor swimming pool with lots of nicely padded loungers are MUCH better than watching from a balcony and gives you quick access to both sides of the ship. Hubbard Glacier is pretty spectacular (nine miles wide) but generally only on the southbound trips.

 

Do take a land trip with your cruise - the train and Princess Lodges are well worth doing. See the Alaska board for general information on the land part.

 

We now have four trips, all in September. Generally weather has been great for us. Expect some rain - get a hooded water resistant jacket. Last was up and back with some rain on sea days and one foggy day in port (messed up our glacier helicopter tour) and roughly 72 degrees most days. Glacier days will be cold - hat and gloves needed.

 

Budget for your shore excursions - expensive in Alaska. September prices in gift shops generally half off, but last stop in Ketchikan they had removed those signs because we had four ships in port.

[Coral]

I would go over to the Alaska boards - there is more information over there......

 

I prefer mid-May and June. Statistically, those are the dryer months.

 

I strongly recommend Glaicer Bay - It is never missed. Tracy Arm was missed for most of this season and Hubbard is often missed also.

 

September has the potential for the most unpredictable weather.

 

Celebrity does have a great naturalist but they don't have the permits to get into Glacier Bay.

Edited September 19, 2016 by Coral

[Alaskan Joe]

We sailed to Alaska in may it was a nice trip weather wise in fact so nice that when we were in Ketchikan we witness a rare event, it did NOT rain:eek:. A balcony I believe is a MUST however the next Alaskan trip I want to get aft balcony for the panoramic view you could see both sides when in the inside passage. In May when we were at our farthest northern spot (Skagway) it did get cold especially at night but that was when you could see daylight at 3am way cool if your not use to it:D. One thing to look forward to is the great views, and the great views are pretty much the entire cruise:D. I know a lot of people like to do the excursions on smaller boats and go do whale watching. We opt. not to do that excursion and glad we did because on one of our sea days (cruising) we ran in to a pod of whales and they gave us a show...way cool, and did not have to spend the money. I also must point out that we sailed with NCL not a fan of that cruise line however the Alaskan trip was great in fact this was our favorite out of 4 cruises. Right now our #1 cruise line is RCCL over NCL and Carnival have never been on Princess going in December on the Ruby. I sure hope this helps you in your quest but no matter which cruise line you choose or what month you go I'm sure you will have a great time HAVE FUN!

[cruisinAllie]

I just got off the Crown, on Saturday. There was a naturalist onboard- Michael Modzelewski - he was so great! Tune in your TV and listen to him live from the bridge while you enjoy your balcony (a must!)

He would point out whales, and seals and otters! And talk about the different areas we passed. Incredible.

 

We did Glacier bay and it was amazing. Absolutely breathtaking. I like Ruby or Crown in Alaska because they are a little bit bigger of a ship. If you do Alaska, you have to splurge and do the balcony. Get coffee delivered to your stateroom every morning, and take the beauty in.

[TravelingEA]

I would go over to the Alaska boards - there is more information over there......

 

I prefer mid-May and June. Statistically, those are the dryer months.

 

I strongly recommend Glaicer Bay - It is never missed. Tracy Arm was missed for most of this season and Hubbard is often missed also.

 

September has the potential for the most unpredictable weather.

 

Celebrity does have a great naturalist but they don't have the permits to get into Glacier Bay.

 

We went to to Tracy Arm in May - was able to take the small ship, so Tracy Arm was not missed this year.

[Coral]

We went to to Tracy Arm in May - was able to take the small ship, so Tracy Arm was not missed this year.

 

If you head to the Alaska boards, very few ships have made it to Tracy Arm this summer. Even the small boats didn't make it all the time. This year was an awful year for Tracy Arm.

 

I have attempted Tracy Arm 2x in small boat in May and missed it both times (though not this year).

 

Consider yourself very lucky! Most were directed to Endicott Arm. I am sure AdventureBound had a much higher success rate compared to the rest.

Edited September 19, 2016 by Coral

[cdngrl]

i've been in every month i think and the weather is always unpredictable. there's been a heat wave in skagway (30C) as well as snow. i've gotten a sunburn at glacier bay and i've gotten soaked in juneau one week and beautiful the next.

 

i too haven't made it to tracy arm with 2 tries (and no small boat excursion available). i prefer glacier bay and we also had a wonderful naturalist.

 

a balcony isn't a must for me as i want to see it all and out on the open deck i can look around all i want.

 

i agree with saving money for great excursions. a private excursion in juneau gave me the up close and personal look at humpbacks i've been wanting. this year has been a stellar year for whale sightings--humpbacks and orcas all up and down the coast.

 

i'd choose an inside passage route as its prettier. i'm not a fan of the big ships but you'll see gorgeous sights no matter which you choose.

 

how exciting to be planning this wonderful anniversary trip!

[Pierlesscruisers]

If you can swing it' date=' you could consider doing a B2B so you can do a round trip flight from Vancouver or Seattle. It is easy to get to Vancouver from Seattle by train or bus if the Seattle flights are a lot better.[/quote']

 

Fail to see what scheduling a B2B has to do with round trip flights, at least if you're talking about Seattle cruises to Alaska as all of them around round trips. There may be a couple out of Vancouver that aren't, never looked into that, but all of the ones out of Seattle would have to be round trips to comply with the PVSA, I believe. That being the case, a B2B would be useless, other than making it a much longer cruise! ;)

 

Tom

[Thrak]

Connoisseur Cruise Tour. 13 - 15 days. Whatever you can do. I highly recommend it. :)

[moki'smommy]

Fail to see what scheduling a B2B has to do with round trip flights, at least if you're talking about Seattle cruises to Alaska as all of them around round trips. There may be a couple out of Vancouver that aren't, never looked into that, but all of the ones out of Seattle would have to be round trips to comply with the PVSA, I believe. That being the case, a B2B would be useless, other than making it a much longer cruise! ;)

 

Tom

 

Some of the cruises out of Vancouver are not--they do things like starting in Vancouver and ending in Anchorage. Flights in and out of Anchorage are expensive and sometimes inconvenient and if you do the cruise in one direction only you are arriving and departing from different ports which can further increase costs. If you do a B2B you will travel in each direction and can do a round trip from Vancouver.....or can opt to fly to/from Seattle and use ground transportation to Vancouver.

[4cats4me]

My wife and I will be celebrating our 30th next year 2017. We are looking into an Alaskan cruise and right now are considering Princess but not locked into them.

 

 

 

- What is the best time to cruise, weather wise or scenery?

 

- Is a balcony a must?

 

- Is their an itinerary that is best?

 

- Which ship may be the best?

 

 

 

This will be our 5th cruise so we are aware of a lot of information but they have all been Caribbean cruises.

 

 

 

We are just in the preliminary stages right now, but looking forward to a great time.

 

 

 

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

 

 

 

We've lucked out thrice with great weather in late June/early July with maybe one rainy, cold day once. In late August we had horrible weather, ie, foggy and rainy most of the trip. I know people who have had fantastic weather in Aug though.

We liked the itinerary that started in Whittier and went southbound, ending in Vancouver, reason being we didn't have as long of a flight at the end of the trip. We also enjoyed Seattle round trip as it was easier flight wise. I would recommend any itinerary that includes glacier bay, and you can get glacier bay itineraries when sailing Seattle round trip

Instead of picking the ship, I would pick itinerary. My preference is always for the ship which carries the least amount of passengers, ie, I would pick Goden Grand over Ruby due to Ruby having too many passengers. Vi don't even know which ships are gong to Alaska anymore. Last time i checked it was Ruby, Crown, Coral Island, Grand round trip San Francisco

And no, a balcony is not a must, and we are always balcony people in the Caribbean. We much prefer to be up on deck with the panorama that Alaska scenery offers. Being in a balcony would be too confining in AK. We had a balcony once in Alaska, and it was an upgrade, but we rarely used it. Some people think a balcony in AK is a must have. We beg to differ. We never miss it. Most of our friends who've had balconies to Alaska have said the same thing, they would never pay for a balcony again since it was unusable most of the trip, especially from San Francisco

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Lucky TGO]

Cruise in Aug or Sep for weather.

Balcony is nice but the best views could be on either side of the ship.

Hubbard Glacier Itin.

Any ship you can book is nice.

Good advice I agree :D

Tony

[SadieN]

An opposing view about balconies---

We've sailed to Alaska twice (on HAL). First cruise was in an OV, second took an upsell to a Neptune Suite.

From these two cruises we figured out we like being on the public decks, with the other passengers. Don't need a balcony, just some natural light.

Everyone's different, need to figure out what's good for you.

Edited September 20, 2016 by SadieN

[redcardms]

Thanks for a lot of great advice!

 

We are considering a North or South bound trip for now. I was leaning towards the balcony before, but reconsidering now. I would like the land tour but am not sure if we could get enough time off for that.

 

We are definitely taking this trip to see the wildlife. But the scenery and the glaciers are a plus.

[JimmyVWine]

If you can afford a balcony, then I would get one. If the price of the cruise is already pushing your budget and the only way to make it happen is to book a cabin without a balcony, then make that work. But I have to throw in my $0.02 that being outside in the public areas is "just as good if not better" than having a balcony. That might be true for much of the day. But early in the morning when you might not be presentable to the public and just want to throw on some sweats and drink your room service coffee, having a balcony is much better. And before dinner when one person is showering and getting dressed, it is nice for the other person to be sitting on the balcony with a glass of wine instead of being up on a public deck. And sometimes you just want to get away from the crowds, MUTS and live music and hang out in your own private part of the ship. The unvarnished truth is that one cannot be outside in public areas 24/7. It is either impractical or undesirable. There are times when you are going to be in your cabin, and when those times occur, having a balcony beats not having one. Again, can you live without a balcony? Sure. But if you have a balcony, will you find ample times and reasons to use it instead of being up top in public areas? Absolutely.

Edited September 20, 2016 by JimmyVWine

[sprint180]

We preferred our beginning of June cruise to our August cruise. Actually the weather was about the same for both cruises.. We went to glacier bay for both so I can't give an opinion on any other.

Balcony - not necessary but nice. I liked to lay in bed and leave the curtain open and watch the scenery go by.

[LoriPhil]

Love Princess for Alaska; many special programs (Naturalist on board for commentary, Park Ranger on board in Glacier Bay, Libby Riddles in Juneau giving a special program on her dog sledding days, and I hear there is now a special program in Ketchikan with a crab-fishing captain telling tails).

 

We prefer sailing out of Vancouver as you are in glorious scenery immediately heading up (or down) the inside passage. We have some pals who have booked a 7-day round-trip out of Vancouver next May and are interested in hearing about that - it does include Glacier Bay.

 

We always have a balcony. I've stood at the rail at 6 am and been treated to a full humpback breach, puffins, sea otters, and once in curlers with a glass of wine waiting for DH to prepare for dinner, saw dolphin zooming along in the waters directly below the cabin. Then there's that final sniff of sea-air before heading to bed in the evening. Basically - you never know what you will see, but you have a more intimate viewing platform at any time of the day to watch the world pass by.

 

Love Coral but will happily take any ship with the right itinerary.

 

Congratulations on your celebration and have a great cruise

[arlybest]

My wife and I will be celebrating our 30th next year 2017. We are looking into an Alaskan cruise and right now are considering Princess but not locked into them.

 

- What is the best time to cruise, weather wise or scenery?

- Is a balcony a must?

- Is their an itinerary that is best?

- Which ship may be the best?

 

This will be our 5th cruise so we are aware of a lot of information but they have all been Caribbean cruises.

 

We are just in the preliminary stages right now, but looking forward to a great time.

 

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

We just returned from our First Alaska cruise on the Island Princess. Our dates were 9/7-9/14-16 Southbound Whittier to Vancouver. Here are OUR thoughts:

1) Alaska is beautiful and shoulder season can bring iffy weather. Prepare for clear, cold sunny days to gloomy, cold rain (drizzly) days. The week before our cruise, we were told it was clear and sunny the whole week. We had lots of gray and rainy days; but some sunny days also. We are from FL - so for ME - it was a welcome relief, lol

2) Choose a different ship than the Island - although it was our first time w/Princess, we have read not so good reviews since the retrofit last year. I was not impressed with service, food, or friendliness of staff (Many could not speak or understand English well)

3) Don't spend the extra money for the Princess land tour - book your own fun. Alaska RR has trains that connect ANC or Fairbanks to Denali and you can find coupons in the NORTHERN LIGHTS entertainment books (buy online) GREAT SAVINGS for a lot of things in there! The Princess connection to the ship from Denali gets you in very late on day of embarkation. We got there at 1230 and had the ship almost to ourselves until about 5:30 PM! The train from ANC to Whittier is only about 2.5 hrs.

4) We had a balcony and liked it (when the weather was good) and when it was really COLD, all we had to do was step back into the cabin to warm up! Take binoculars! If you go during warmer weather, you may use it more. We had booked the Sanctuary Deck for our Glacier Bay day and it was shut down due to bad weather.

5) We also stayed over in Vancouver/Victoria a few days before flying back home. Feel free to email me for any questions!