Alaskan cruise for seniors?

[gone_cruisin]

I want to book my parents on an Alaskan cruise. This would be their first cruise. My father has a small disability that restricts his mobility and breathing. Here are some things I am looking for on this cruise.....

 

1. Cruises from either San Francisco or Seattle and returns to the same?

 

2. Best time of year to avoid children?

 

3. A balcony room that might be able to accomodate a wheelchair (he may not actually bring a wheelchair, but will want to plan just in case)?

 

4. Good itinerary for first time cruisers?

 

5. OK I am just going to be honest on this one........

They are just not tux and evening gown people. They don't mind wearing a suit and dress pants, but there is no way I am going to be able to get them to get all glitzed up.

 

Because of my father illness, this will probably be his only cruise and I want to make sure he can enjoy this to the fullest.

 

Any recommendations on which cruiseline or intinerary would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[Coral]

1. Cruises from either San Francisco or Seattle and returns to the same?

 

2. Best time of year to avoid children?

 

3. A balcony room that might be able to accomodate a wheelchair (he may not actually bring a wheelchair, but will want to plan just in case)?

 

4. Good itinerary for first time cruisers?

 

5. OK I am just going to be honest on this one........

They are just not tux and evening gown people. They don't mind wearing a suit and dress pants, but there is no way I am going to be able to get them to get all glitzed up.

Any recommendations on which cruiseline or intinerary would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Hi,

 

First of all - I would also consider Holland America in addition to Princess in Alaska. Holland America has some good RT itineraries from Vancouver and Seattle I believe.

 

If this is going to be their only cruise - I probably would not consider the Princess sailings from Seattle. I think there are better itineraries and times in port for other sailings/cruiselines. I would also look into trying to get to Glacier Bay if possible. The San Francisco sailing of Regal would probably be a good choice for your parents (10 day).

 

Some other answers.

 

Children are not a real large problem in Alaska. If you want to avoid kids - just avoid RCCL in Alaska. Though I will also add that end of May and first of June are excellent times to sail Alaska (less rain in May and June compared to July and August).

 

If there is a chance that your dad will need to use a wheelchair on the balcony or on the ship - definitely pick your cruise and date soon and get a wheelchair accessible cabin. There are very few cabins on the ships and in Alaska, they go quickly.

 

Itinerary - I would aim for something with Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier. Though I do like the 10 day out of San Francisco. Just some ideas.

 

If your parents are willing to wear a suite and a nice dress, they will be fine. On my cruises to Alaska, they have been less formal then my Caribbean cruise. I wouldn't worry about tuxes and gowns...

 

Good luck in your research. The Alaska board on CC is very good. You may want to venture over there for some research.

[mtaylor04]

We took a round trip from Seattle to Alaska at the end of May and really enjoyed the trip.

 

If your dad is willing to wear a suit he will not look out of place in the dining room.

 

I doubt that a regular room will allow someone to ride in a wheel chair through the balacony door.

 

San Francisco is a ten day which would be great also.

 

You just can't go wrong with a trip to Alaska.

 

Are you going with them???

[Druke I]

I'm partial to sailings from San Francisco - truly a thrill to glide under the Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco is a beautiful harbor.

 

Early in the season, or better yet, last cruise of the season, less crowded in Alaska, and probability of children less.

 

Suit and tie is fine for formal nights, absent a tux.

[custompcsys]

We did a R/T from Seattle this past July on the Diamond with my SO's parents as part of the group. They are in their mid 70s, but very active other than a mild heart condition and some knee problems. We kept the excursions towards the low impact side and they were fine.

 

July was an excellent time weather-wise, although it is the most popular time for Alaska and therefore the most crowded. We had no issues with kids at all. They were there, but not a ton of them and to be honest, you barely noticed them. I would be sure to book far enough in advance to request an accessible cabin. Although we had an inside cabin on the Baja deck, I did get to see one of the balcony cabins, and I must agree with the poster that said you probably would not be able to get a wheelchair out to the balcony.

 

As far as I'm concerned, you can't go wrong with Alaska. It was a fantastic, memorable cruise that all of us enjoyed immensely. We will, however, go back and do a northbound rather than an inside passage so we can catch the things we didn't see, like Glacier Bay. If you can deal with a non-R/T itinerary this would be worth considering if you really feel this would be their only cruise. The Diamond is doing northbound/southbound runs this season, and I would have no hesitations recommending her as your ship of choice.

 

Best of luck and enjoy sharing your time! :)

[spongerob]

I second the possible choice of the 10-day RT from San Francisco. There are a lot of sea days, which makes it a little easier for someone who doesn't get around too well.

[Tinknock50]

If you are wanting a handicap balcony cabin, I definitely would not be waiting too long to decide on a cruise. They are very scarce and hard to get and the ships are filling fast.

[gone_cruisin]

Thanks everyone! My father is not bound to a wheelchair (as a matter of fact, he doesn't own one). He still walks around on his own with the assistance of a cane. We just wondered if we decided to rent one for him, if the rooms would accomodate a fold up chair. To be very honest, he's very stubborn so it would be doubtful he would willingly use the chair anyways. So we could probably go without the handicapped room.

 

As far as the excursions........he has only one good lung which makes him tire out very quickly. We would have to see how strenuous they would be before letting him go.

 

I really hadn't thought about going with my parents. I guess that would be up to my mother if she decided she couldn't handle him by herself. Then we would be 3 adults in one room.....or 4 if my husband goes and we get a room (that can get costly!).

 

I read on some post that the intineraries are better out of Vancouver. How close is Vancouver to Seattle? I would more than likely, have to fly them into Seattle. My father really can't handle long lay-overs, so we would need something direct from Ontario, CA (can't go wrong with Alaska Airlines).

[custompcsys]

Seattle - Vancouver isn't too far...about 140 miles, so 2 to 2 1/2 hours depending on how heavy a foot you have :) You can also take the train (Amtrak) or I believe Princess offers a transfer service. If flying to Seattle is significantly cheaper or more convenient, its certainly doable.

[gone_cruisin]

I know this is going to be an odd question........but what's the mosquito situation like in Alaska in May? When is the best time to avoid them?

[DesrtDrmr]

We had no mosquitos in May when we cruised the Inside Passage. The weather was good and sunny. It was sweatshirt and windbreaker weather except for Glacier Bay. Glacier Bay was COLD and we needed hats, gloves, and layers to keep warm.

If your Dad has mobility issues, it would be good if you could talk him into having a folding chair available, except that it will be hard for your Mom to push, over acres of carpeting. It would be REALLY good if you could talk him into renting a scooter.........he wouldn't be alone, many people with mobility issues use them on a ship. The difference is that unless he rented a narrow scooter, he would need a handicapped cabin to get it through the door. Handicapped cabins also have flat floors into the bathroom instead of a step up like the regular cabins, a fold down bench in the shower, a shower curtain on three sides of the flat floored shower, and almost no storage in the bathroom. They are built that way so wheelchairs can be taken into the shower. It will have grab bars around the toilet and shower, and a pull down rack in the closet. The room would also have a ramp out to the balcony, if a balcony cabin, and room to turn the scooter around.

If they go to Skagway, the Railway car comes almost to the ship to pick up passengers. In Ketchikan, the trolley tour comes to the ship, but one does have to climb up into the trolley. Alaska is a lot more ADA friendly than many other places one could cruise.

You would probably also want to study the deck plan of the ship you were interested in and find a cabin close to elevators near the restaurants, so they wouldn't have to walk too far if he was just using his cane. Halls on board ship are long and narrow, and almost always have linen carts parked along them, it is hard to get by with a scooter or chair if you are not near the elevators. HAL stewards use baskets I think, so they dont have this problem.

Hope your folks have a great cruise.......we loved going in May, and Alaska is such a beautiful place.

[jlp20]

>5. OK I am just going to be honest on this one........

They are just not tux and evening gown people. They don't mind wearing a suit and dress pants, but there is no way I am going to be able to get them to get all glitzed up.

 

For whatever reason, hundreds did not dress or even show up for dinner

[gone_cruisin]

Thank you so much everyone for all your advice.

 

I passed everything along to them. From what I gather, it looks like NCL may fit them best for multiple reasons. They opted to choose something out of Seattle so they could visit friends before the cruise and they liked the free-style dining idea.

 

They aren't set in stone with NCL, but I explained to them that if they went on Princess/Celebrity, they could just skip the formal nights and eat at the buffet (but that the food is well worth getting dressed up for)......so we will continue to search.

 

I also did explain the differences between the cruiselines and itineraries. The only cruiseline I told them to definitely avoid was Carnival.

 

Again, thanks so much for all your input.:D