Alaska questions - new to HAL

[VitaminSea53]

I have mostly recently cruised with Celebrity but have tried several other lines over the past 30 years.  I want to go to Alaska and see Glacier Bay specifically so HAL is a logical choice.  What are your suggestions on other ‘must see’ ports in Alaska?  Do you have a suggestion on which ship os best?

[OlsSalt]

The classic three 7-Day cruise ports are the most impacted, and over time have become more heavily tourist shopping oriented- hello Diamonds International vs. true "Made in Alaska" - Ketchikan-Skagway- Juneau.

 

Yet these three ports  still all have plenty to see and do outside a more generic and crowd impacted tourist experience, as well as excursions (ship or DIY) out into the more remote countryside and water tours. 

 

After several cruises to Alaska, our preference is now to find the itineraries that offer more northern and less visited ports where it feels more "real" Alaska, without the tourism concentration. Sitka, Kodiak, Homer, Nome, Dutch Harbor, Icy Straights, Anchorage - much rarer to find, but do show up from time to time. 

 

We thought Hubbard Glacier was equally, if not even more spectacular, so it is not a loss if one does not get to Glacier Bay.  Bottom line, you almost can't go wrong with any Alaska experience - depends on how much you want to do or see and explore beyond the obvious port attractions -some are busier and more tourist, others are sedate and offer more insights into daily life in Alaska. 

 

Try looking for a longer cruise - 14 days - if you can find one, and have it all. Otherwise, the more standard 7 day classic Alaska will still give you enough of a taste of this highly scenic state, and perhaps whet your appetite to keep coming back for more.

[knittinggirl]

We prefer the Vista of Signature Class of ship because they have the signature suites.  Signature suites offer separate showers, so you don't have to worry about falling when climbing into those scary tubs.

 

We've been to Tracy Arm Fjord, Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay.    But not on the same cruise.   Some compare Tracy Arm favorability to the Norwegian Fjords.    Sometimes, they'll substitute Tracy Arm for Dawes Glacier that is also much worth seeing.   The last time, we did Dawes glacier, we took an small ship close to Dawes then back to Juneau.    If memory serves, we left our ship, and returned to the ship in Juneau.

 

The Rotterdam Class ships may be able to get into a tender port.   But I think there is red tape involved.    We were able to dock in our first cruise to Isaforger, Iceland, but not any other times on the Vista Class.

 

We also were on a cruise where they turned a docking port into an anchor port in Canada.

 

Ketchikan offers Misty Fjords Cruise EXC

Juneau offers the whale watching

Skagway offers the train (I've already booked the legacy car)

 

We were not thrilled with Icy Strait Point, but since it went from Anchor to dock, it may have improved.   I don't know if all ships dock or just the Royal Caribbean.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 5, 2023 by knittinggirl
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[OlsSalt]

Speaking of Icy Straights, indeed a very low key port, we thought our port times on our upcoming Eurodam cruise were odd since, it will be late afternoon into the evening.

 

Then I thought, since this is a mid-September cruise - what better place and time to perhaps see the Northern Lights - we are reaching the sun-spot maximum in the 11 year cycle, plus not much of moon on those dates, plus there is zero ambient light in this remote port to interfere, so perhaps  we will will get lucky if all forces align to give us a light show. 

 

We enjoyed learning about the former fishing industry at their museum, and always pick up some very good canned salmon at this stop. I do believe the transport link from port to settlement is now open. Most memorable sight were the trees full of white-headed bald eagles.

 

We did the kayak tour and did see whales breaching, after paddling all the way down to Hoonah and back. (In the intermittent cold and the rain, but we were paddling hard enough, we did not really notice it ----much.)

[SilvertoGold]

I would suggest the 14 day on the Noordam or N Amsterdam. A better overview of Alaska  That or the back-to-back 7+7 day on either ship: this gives you double dockings at the ports so you can you have two chances to see it all.

[OlsSalt]

Time of the year can matter too when choosing an Alaska cruise - each part of the Alaska season has pros and cons.  Early, mid or late summer. Animal sightings, bugs, rain, daylight hours, number of ships and tourists.

[knittinggirl]

We prefer Whittier to Seward.   Most of Whittier is covered to the train.    We got off Princess and walked through a covered walkway right up to the train for our 7+6 cruisetour.    Seward is uncovered to the ship, with no covered gangplank.  Not quite true, they have a building available for checking in, but quite a walk to the ship. We saw a man in a wheelchair sitting in the rain.   A surprise for an embarkation port.  That trip, we did a 7+7 B2B round trip Vancouver, on Royal Caribbean.   

Edited March 5, 2023 by knittinggirl

[knittinggirl]

Wanted to add that HAL has a great laundry service!   We paid extra for it on our second cruise, and when you reach 4 star, it's one of the perks!    You can do by the bag, or daily.

[oaktreerb]

2 hours ago, VitaminSea53 said:

I have mostly recently cruised with Celebrity but have tried several other lines over the past 30 years.  I want to go to Alaska and see Glacier Bay specifically so HAL is a logical choice.  What are your suggestions on other ‘must see’ ports in Alaska?  Do you have a suggestion on which ship os best?

You want to choose an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay.  It is a national park and rangers will come onboard to narrate.  A 7 day cruise from Vancouver to Whittier or the reverse will have longer times in port.  If you start or end in Whittier you may want to rent a car and add a few more days to see more of Alaska on your own.  You can also cruise from Seattle or Vancouver round trip.  All of the Holland ships are built for scenic viewing with lots of windows and a walk around promenade deck.  They will let you out on the bow in Glacier Bay.  If you see that the ship has a service call at Tracy Arm, it will stop so people who signed up for the small ship excursion can transfer to the smaller vessel.  It’s a great excursion but will take up your Juneau day.  Much better than viewing Mendenhall glacier.  Juneau gets really crowded.

 

Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway or Haines, Sitka are most common.  Sitka is beautiful, Skagway is gold Rush history, Haines is non-touristy and has less activities but interesting, Ketchikan is old time Alaska and fishing.  It’s all good.  HAL has great docking locations in all Alaska ports.  

 

Late May through June still has plenty of snow in the mountains, beautifully scenic.  Daylight hours are almost endless.  July and August are prime tourist season and by September the days are getting shorter and the seas may be rougher.  Cruises out of Vancouver go through the Canadian inside passage and will be smoother sailing for the most part.  They all go up the Alaska inside passage.

[VitaminSea53]

2 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

Time of the year can matter too when choosing an Alaska cruise - each part of the Alaska season has pros and cons.  Early, mid or late summer. Animal sightings, bugs, rain, daylight hours, number of ships and tourists.

Is September too late?

[vicd1969]

3 minutes ago, VitaminSea53 said:

Is September too late?

My very first cruise was a Sept cruise in Alaska on the Zaandam. Really loved it and was lucky to have good weather most of the time. Had 80 degree in Juneau. A highlight was being able to see the Northern lights a bit one evening. But Alaska weather is a roll of the dice, regardless time of the year. 

[SilvertoGold]

20 minutes ago, VitaminSea53 said:

Is September too late?

No, great time to sail and you get too see Johns Hopkins close-up and enjoy the many seals.  This happens only after September 1.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Juneau is great for whale watching, but the port is getting ridiculous. Last fall our ship had to tender because there were so many ships in port, 5 or 6 including us. Tours were cancelled because vendors were overbooked. Ketchikan can be too crowded, too. 

 

Of the three "touristy" ports, I like Skagway best. It's a nice town to walk around in, and it celebrates its gold rush history well. 

 

I love Sitka. It's a real town. No Diamonds International, no Del Sol, no Effy. They have an independent bookshop! How often do you see that? A drugstore with counter service for ice cream treats. A food truck with fabulous fish and chips. Interesting places to see. An excellent raptor center that does good work rehabbing injured birds. I did a small-boat  whale watch in Sitka and it was good. We did see a whale breach and a few others dive. We also saw a sea otter colony. so cute!!!

 

I've done whale watching at Icy Strait Point, too. We saw humpback whales and orcas. 

 

Glacier Bay is a big deal because it's limited and you get the park ranger. Hubbard is good, too. I did an excursion there on a boat that got closer to the glacier than the ship did. Hubbard is an active calver, so that can be exciting. I've been to Tracy Arm, but the up-close boat ride was not offered on any of my cruises. 

[Windsailer]

5 hours ago, VitaminSea53 said:

Is September too late?

I don't think so. I've done May twice, June once and September twice. The ports are much less crowded in September. And more of a chance to see the Northern Lights. 

[OlsSalt]

3 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

......

 

I love Sitka. It's a real town. No Diamonds International, no Del Sol, no Effy. They have an independent bookshop! How often do you see that? A drugstore with counter service for ice cream treats. A food truck with fabulous fish and chips. Interesting places to see. An excellent raptor center that does good work rehabbing injured birds. I did a small-boat  whale watch in Sitka and it was good. We did see a whale breach and a few others dive. We also saw a sea otter colony. so cute!!!

 

 

3rdGen, may I please pass on your tips about Sitka to our Eurodam Roll Call?  Thanks.

[3rdGenCunarder]

8 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

 

3rdGen, may I please pass on your tips about Sitka to our Eurodam Roll Call?  Thanks.

 

Of course. The whale watch was a gray day, but I still got some good pics. I went with Baranoff Tours.

[lcand1923]

I consider Sitka the must see port in Alaska.  It is a lovely walking town and you get a good sense of the Russian influence in the settlement of Alaska.  

 

I would suggest that you look at Anne Vipond’s “Alaska by Cruise Ship” to get a decent overview of what is available at the various ports and help you make a decision.

 

I’ve just booked my sixth cruise because I still haven’t seen enough of this gorgeous state!

 

[terrydtx]

20 hours ago, knittinggirl said:

We prefer the Vista of Signature Class of ship because they have the signature suites.  Signature suites offer separate showers, so you don't have to worry about falling when climbing into those scary tubs.

Our first Alaska cruise was on the Noordam in 2019 with our oldest grandson and the Signature Suite was a perfect size for 3 of us with the huge bathroom and double sinks. We did the Vancouver to Seward trip followed by 5 land days. We are planning to do another in 2025 with our youngest grandson and will do it with HAL and if available in a Vista Signature Suite. HAL has the longest history of Alaska cruising among all mainstream cruise lines and they do a great job.