Need help picking Alaska Itinerary

[Jeeden]

So some friends and I want to take an Alaska cruise on RCCL next summer (July, August) and I'm having a hard time handling all the options. We know we want a cruisetour trip (cruise and train). There are just so many different departures and we know nothing about that part of the country other than what we have read. Are there any recommendations?

 

We are pretty settled on RCCL at this point, we thought about HAL (which I was on a long time ago), but the RCCL is more familar to us at this point and seems a little more our style right now.

 

I know it's a very open question, search just returned more options.

 

Thanks for your help!

[NancyIL]

In April I booked our first Alaska cruise for June 2007 - a southbound on Radiance, preceded by a few days of independent touring. I liked my previous RCI cruises, and liked Radiance's itinerary well enough...but kept reading that HAL and Princess do Alaska better. Naturally, Princess and HAL were the last two major cruiselines to come out with their 2007 Alaska itineraries. After seeing what both cruiselines had to offer (each will have 8 ships sailing in Alaska in 2007), the northbound itinerary of the Pacific Princess stood out - with 3 port towns and 3 glaciers: Ketchikan, Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway, Hubbard Glacier, and College Fjord. The Pacific Princess is also a much smaller ship than most that sail in Alaska - with 670 passengers. I switched our reservation from Radiance to the northbound Pacifc Princess, and now we'll spend a week after our cruise with a rental car, driving around the interior of Alaska. If only I could settle on an itinerary!

 

There are options for taking the train besides doing an RCI cruisetour. Alaska Tour and Travel has gotten good reviews here at CC for their very flexible pre- and post-cruise packages: http://www.alaskatourandtravel.com

[NancyIL]

If RCI is what you want - you have three options: roundtrip from Seattle on Vision (NOT a good itinerary, in my opinion), roundtrip out of Vancouver (decent itinerary), and one-way between Vancouver and Seward on Radiance - the best itinerary of the 3, in my opinion. Celebrity also has 3 ships in Alaska doing those same itineraries, with a slightly higher pricetag.

[SharkCruiser24]

Well I have been to Alaska only on NCL out of Vancouver (I wish it were RCI). I would probably do the roundtrip Seatle, just because it works out to be cheaper. The one way airfare to Seward\ Anchorage is the same price as the round trip to Seatle, but then again I live in FL. So your situation is probably different. The Vancouver itinerary wasn't bad though.

[Bri0815]

Hi there Jeeden!

My DH and I just got off the Celebrity Summit 7-night Northbound trip from Vancouver to Seward. While it's not exactly the same as what RCCL offers, I can tell you that some of the ports are the same. Our itinerary was as follows - Vancouver-sea day-Juneau-Skagway-Sitka-Icy Straight-Sea Day-Seward.

We arrived a few days earlier in Vancouver, but did not take a Cruise tour--we booked last minute and they were sold-out. However, everyone we talked to raved about it and we were completely jealous! Vancouver is a beautiful city with lots to do and great food--a little pricey but we were staying on the water where things are more expensive. Be sure to see Gas Town as it is a VERY nice section of town with many shops, restaurants, and venues for live music (they're very big on Jazz).

 

Juneau--Very nice. Unfortunately, our combination Helicopter-Dog sled tour was cancelled due to bad weather. We made due by taking the cable car to the national park that is on a peak above Juneau. We hiked in the rain and saw the bald eagle they had in their small "raptor house".

 

Skagway--Very small but very quaint. This was by far our favorite day. We got to take our helicopter tour to the dogsled camp. It was well worth the wait and the getting up at 6am to sign up at the helicopter company. Originally we had booked through the ship for Juneau, but once it was cancelled they were no longer selling these tours. The difference in price was minimal, and I would recommend buying through the ship for the tour is guaranteed. In addition to this we took a short excursion to the Yukon Territory called "To the Summit." It was scenic, but there are many tours offered here that you may like better. We wanted something short as we had the other excursion so it worked fine.

 

Sitka-- We walked to the national park and went to the Raptor center on the other side of the river. The Raptor Center is nice, but it can be done on your own in 45 minutes rather than taking the 3 hour tour. You get to see plenty of bald eagles, falcons, owls etc. We also hiked to a spot on the river where there were hundreds of salmon jumping in effort to swim upstream. On your way back, stop at the aquarium...be sure to ask about when the "feeding time" is for the salmon out back. Many people didn't know about this, but the man who feeds the salmon gave us a lot of information on hatcheries and raising salmon.

 

Icy Straight-- For this port we did the whale watch. It was fantastic and we saw 13 whales all feeding together-- breaching, waving, spouting etc. It was amazing, but if your tour is crowded you must hold your ground in order to get a good view. The rest of the port was a total tourist trap with all the typical souvenirs etc. There was a small town about 2 miles away called "Hoonah," but it wasn't anything spectacular...Skagway and Sitka were much nicer.

 

Seward- I can't give you an honest opinion on this town as we did not stay long. We took a bus to Anchorage where we spent the day before our flight. I would recommend a trip to Denali if you are doing a cruise tour!!

 

As for the ship, I understand that you prefer RCCL over Celebrity. I've sailed both and the 2 differences between the two are activities offered and demographic. Honestly, we were looking for alone time and I'm pregnant, so the activity level was good for us. However, if you want "night life," and a younger crowd RCCL is the better choice. This itinerary is very port intensive and this also affects the crowd. If you are with a group, there is always the option to make your own fun. I wouldn't exclude Celebrity right off the bat if they offer a more suitable itinerary to your taste, but I think we would have been very happy with RCCL also.

Happy cruising! :D

[NancyIL]

Hi there Jeeden!

My DH and I just got off the Celebrity Summit 7-night Northbound trip from Vancouver to Seward. While it's not exactly the same as what RCCL offers, I can tell you that some of the ports are the same. Our itinerary was as follows - Vancouver-sea day-Juneau-Skagway-Sitka-Icy Straight-Sea Day-Seward.

 

Didn't your ship go to Hubbard Glacier, too? Actually - RCI and Celebrity have identical itineraries on their one-way cruises. I really like the northbound itinerary you had this summer, and was hoping the Summit/Radiance would have the same northbound itinerary for 2007. Unfortunately they dropped Sitka, and that made it easier for me to choose a different itinerary/cruiseline.

[ksjserv]

We flew from Houston to Vancouver and spent a few days there prior to our cruise. The Vancouver port is very well organized and convenient. We sailed on the Vision of the Seas and had a balcony suite. A balcony suite is great for this type of cruise because depending on when you leave and the weather, you can go in and out at your convenience. Especially when going thru the glaciers. It gets a little cold. We had some rain also and it was great just to go into the suite and warm up and then to go out on the balcony again. Our ports were Skagway (my favorite), Juneau & Ketchikan. We went thru the glaciers and the Fjords. Some fantastic & awesome experience. Our cruise departed the first week of June so the weather was pretty good. If I understand correctly, Alaskan cruises sail from June thru September. After that it gets too cold. You will love it. I can't wait to go back.

 

Be sure to order a Hot Chocolate with Amaretto when you are cruising the glaciers. The glaciers are absolutely breathtaking and no one can explain how beautiful it is. You must see it for yourself.

[Jeeden]

Wow, thanks for all the advice. Sounds like Vancouver is the place to depart from. I was going to ask about the balconies. We had a balcony on Explorer of the Seas. We used it more than we thought and loved it, I wasn't very sure about the balcony in a colder climate, but I guess it depends on your luck with the weather.

 

I've looked at the ship layouts and the travel channcel 'Great Cruises: R of the Seas' and I don't see a promenade. If it doesn't have one (which I suspect), where are shops, etc? They must have severly limited the shops and other things on board, just curious.

[Bri0815]

I would recommend the balcony but if you are going with a group, it might not be necessary. We liked our breakfast served every morning on the balcony and bundling up in blankets watching the scenery--We saw all kinds of whales, seals etc. right from the room. Be aware that this is not the Caribbean but it is a rain forest--the likelyhood of cold weather and rain is very high. However, there may be a wonderful week where it's 75 and gorgeous the whole time.

As for the promenade, no the ships going to Alaska won't have them. Yes, the shops and pubs are not as abundant as on a Voyager/Freedom class ship, but there are plenty of places to hang out. Believe me, this itinerary does not need a large ship. The theater, spa, shops, lounges, disco, dining rooms etc are more than sufficient. Instead of a promenade There are usually 2 or 3 decks dedicated to entertainment that have lounges, bars, restaurants, casinos etc. There are also some lounges on the upper levels of the ship...A smaller ship is a different experience. No better, no worse. I worked for 7 months on an R class ship (684 pax-300 crew) and had a blast! You make your own fun, flowriders and climbing walls are not necessary-especially in Alaska. ;)

[wandb]

If your heart is not absolutely set on RCL, do check out the HAL options. They really do a wonderful job in Alaska. We did a 2 week cruise/tour last year that was just fantastic. I do recommend that you do the land tour first, since you will be packing and unpacking each night. Then when you unpack on the ship, you can really relax for the rest of the week. We did the train all the way from Fairbanks (our starting point) to Denali, to Anchorage, and on to Seward where we boarded our ship (the beautiful Ryndam). The scenery was spectacular---the route was suggested by a poster on TripAdvisor.com who happened to work for Alaska railways. We took the HAL train, but it travels the same route, as it uses Alaska Railways tracks. The train trip allows you to see areas that you cannot see by car or by bus. The tracks cut through the mountains, and you even get to see some glaciers along the way. We didn't expect much in Fairbanks, and had all decided that it would probably be just a wasted day. Wow, were we wrong. We all loved it. Denali is so beautiful that it is hard to find words to describe the experience. We hated to leave, and were all thrilled on the train ride to Anchorage when the clouds lifted and we were able to get one last unforgetable view of the mountain. The atmosphere in that rail car was electric! Laughter, tears, everyone helping everyone else to see, everyone taking pictures. The train even slowed down to a crawl during that window of opportunity of seeing The Great One (less than 20% of visitors get to actually SEE the mountain because of surrounding clouds). We ended in Vancouver---another plus. It is a beautiful city, and you could spend lots of time there (and in Victoria) post cruise---if time and money allowed.

 

As you can tell, we loved the trip. The Ryndam was beautiful, the entertainment was great, the food was Fantastic!, and the service was superb. HAL has a program where you can prepay the gratuities, which we did. But all 10 of us decided that we wanted to do more. Not one glitch for the whole trip! The ONLY thing I'd change would be to do less ship excursions and more walking around the towns ourselves. We did that in Sitka, got off the beaten path (plus a few beaten paths!) and loved it.

 

However you go, enjoy!!

[wandb]

Forgot to mention that we've never in our lives slept as well as we did on the Ryndam. The beds!!!!!! We wanted to take them home with us!

[SanDiegoHeather]

I have been on Summit and Radiannce but took Coral Princess to Alaska. My parents are actually on Island Princess right now on the Aalska cruise (Vancouver to Whittier, which is by Seward). My favorite cruise line is Celebrity, but I also really like Royal Caribbean and I like Princess. (I have never been on HAL).

 

However, for Alaksa, I think you best bets are Princess and HAL for a couple of reasons: 1) Princess and HAL run most of the excursions in the smaller ports in Alaska and you get priority, 2) They teamed up for the railway that brings you up to Denali, etc. (which is great when you want to go onto McKinely, Denali and Fairbanks, 3) They have priority for the glaciers such as College Fjord - which is an entire serious of glaciers, 4) They have priority to dock at all of the ports - I saw some NCL ships that had to tender to some of the Ports (Juneau for example), because there wasn't enough room to port them.

 

The ports are pretty much the same - Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and sometimes Sitka for any of the cruises. I think it is which Glaciers you visit that matters the most, but that is my preference. If I only went to College Fjord on that trip, I would have been happy. So, I think that you definately want to do the one-way in Alaska, even though it is more trouble and cost than returning to Seattle or Vancouver, because that is how to get to the best Glaciers.

 

I think the things not to miss are College Fjord (glacier cruising) and Denali Park (land tour). I understand that the park service only lets two? ships per day visit College Fjord and that is a must. On Princess we also spent a day cruising Glacier Bay, which was nice, but I liked College Fjord Better because there were so many unique Glaciers! I don't know what other cruise lines do, but Princess boards park rangers onto the ship during the glacier days to describe the glaciers and the wildlife. They also pipe it into your room on TV...

 

Lastly - on our cruise we spent two full days just cruising around the glaciers. It was fantastic enough to spend hours each day just looking at the glaciers so keep that in mind when booking a cabin. Some people are fine to do this from public areas, but I needed the comfort of my room. (Of course we brough electric blankets to sit on the balcony since we went in May...)

 

Anyway have fun on your cruise,

Heather

[Once Upon A Time]

As someone who has cruised many different ships and itineraries to Alaska, I have just a couple of thoughts. Any ship is great as long as you have a balcony (low in the ship is best in Alaska.... you're closer to the water and icebergs!) The best glaciers in my estimation would be found in Glacier Bay and in College Fijord. Best waterfalls in Tracy Arm. Each port has it's own special feel and they are all interesting... my favorite is Juneau. Best time to travel is late May thru June.... weather usually cool, clear and dry. Later in the summer, you get warmer, rainier and there are fog and clouds. You can miss seeing alot of beautiful scenery and wildlife. This last May we sailed across the gulf of Alaska and the water was like glass.... no wind, no rough seas.. it was actually in the 70's in Anchorage on Memorial Day! In past years maybe not quite that warm, but always clear and smooth on the water. The Vision of the Seas would be my choice of ship for an Alaska cruise because of her many floor to ceiling windows. You almost have a feeling of being outdoors, inside that ship.

[SanDiegoHeather]

A couple of other things I forgot to mention and I apologize for being wordy:

 

1 - Vancouver is really nice, my husband and I stayed there for a couple of days after a Hawaii cruise. The Pan Pacific hotel is great and right at the cruise ship terminal. The Fairmont Hotel (there are two - the one near the port is new and I hear fantastic and the other one is a converted castle? and closer into town) is also great. We stayed at the castle one on accident once.

 

2 - When we went on the Alaksa cruise, to save money, I booked round-trip flights to Seattle. We then took the ships transfers from Seattle to Vancouver (I think it cost us about $60 pp or so, but it was much less money at the time than flying into Vancouver, it took 3+ hours though). I then booked one way flights from Anckorage to Seattle after we were done with our tour. It was a little bit of a risk and a little inconvenient since I had to allow enough time to get our bags and recheck them, but I actually booked the R/T and the one-way on the same airline and they checked our bags all of the way through without us having to pick them up and recheck them.

 

Heather

[RBOUR]

So some friends and I want to take an Alaska cruise on RCCL next summer (July, August) and I'm having a hard time handling all the options. We know we want a cruisetour trip (cruise and train). There are just so many different departures and we know nothing about that part of the country other than what we have read. Are there any recommendations?

 

We are pretty settled on RCCL at this point, we thought about HAL (which I was on a long time ago), but the RCCL is more familar to us at this point and seems a little more our style right now.

 

I know it's a very open question, search just returned more options.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

 

Jeeden

 

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