Alaska: Can I ask 'ya?

[loge23]

My wife and I have considered a summer cruise in Alaska for years now. But everytime we do we end up choosing something else. The closest we came was several years ago when we chose a Canadian Rockies land tour instead, which was one of the best vacations we ever had.

We cruise every winter in the Caribbean on Princess and love cruising. It's just that the travel (transcontinental flight)+cost of Alaska never seems to match up well against Europe or elsewhere. This year the stakes are higher. It's a HUGE anniversary and we really want to get it right. So... What is it about Alaska anyway?

If you have taken the cruise and the train, lodge, etc., and really loved it, please share. Basically, did you think it was worth it compared to other places that you could've visited on the same budget?

Thank you in advance for your replies!

[CruisinLynette]

This will be my first Alaskan Cruise. I spent two weeks in Alaska back when I was 13. Just a couple years okay mind you!!! I thought it was gorgeous then!! My parents also spent two different summers traveling around the state in the RV. I still LOVE watching their videos!!! It has been a draw for me to go back and see it as an adult!!! I get my wish on the Sun princess leaving Seattle on Sept 16, 2007! and i cant wait!!!!!!

[spongerob]

An Alaskan cruise is great and has a much different flavor than Caribbean or even European cruises. As far as seeing Alaska goes, it's probably not the best way unless you also find a way to spend some time visiting the interior of the state.

 

My own complaint about Alaska cruise offerings from Princess is the heavy emphasis on 7-day cruises.

 

I'm also curious about if and when the recent ballot initiative in Alaska to greatly increase taxes on cruise lines and cruise passengers will be implemented, and in what form. Ultimately cruise passengers will bear all of those costs, which really amounts to onerous taxation just for the privilege of visiting. Cruise costs to Alaska are already high enough, it is an expensive place to visit compared to other US destinations, and the expense just to get there already makes an Alaskan cruise a pricey vacation option in spite of some good deals that occasionally are available on short notice.

[MilliesMom]

You might also want to post this on the Alaska forum

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

My first cruise to Alaska was 20 years ago on Princess. The main feature was leaving from Seattle (a first for Princess) on the original Pacific Princess and spending two full days at the World Expo in Vancouver and then cruising to Ketchikan and Victoria and back to Seattle. It was a wonderful cruise, much to see and do (and the best part is that I met my husband the first morning at breakfast and got married to him 3 months later).

 

We have cruised 8 other times since but all to Mexico. Since we are celebrating 20 years of meeting and marriage we decided it was time to head back to Alaska.

 

We just got back a week ago from a roundtrip from Seattle to Juneau, SKagway, Ketchikan, Tracy Arm and Victoria. It was on the Dawn Princess. Oh my gosh, the scenary was unbelieveable. We loved all the ports and enjoyed the cruise tremendously.

 

We got home and immediately started talking about another cruise to Alaska.

[NAS-KARR]

Worth every damn nickle and then some (to us anyway)!

 

Going back again after we get a couple more cruises under our belts of other parts of the world.

 

CIAO,

[ladysheri]

:D

 

After many years of talking about it, I finally convinced my husband in 2005 that we should cruise to Alaska. He wasn't sure cruising was for him nor was he all that psyched about visiting Alaska. He lives in the Pacific Northwest--isn't that beautiful enough??? :D So, off we went. Although on that trip, we only did a roundtrip out of Seattle (missing Glacier Bay and the interior), we fell in love with cruising and Alaska (and not necessarily in that order!) Within 3 weeks of returning, our TA told us about a great deal on one of the one-way Glacier cruises and we booked it for the following May. We also did a few days in the interior on that trip. If you think you may only make it up there once, I highly recommend that you take spongerob's advice and do not only the cruise, but at least a week in the interior, if at all possible.

 

Alaska is magnificient, beautiful, and awe inspiring. The glaciers are indescribable. Not only are they beautiful in their uniqueness and mammoth size, but the sounds of the glaciers moving as you watch them "sit" there are ones you will never forget. Add in waterfalls, stunning sunsets, eagles, birds of all sorts, seals, otters, whales, mountain goats, bears, and much, much more and you get an incredible setting for a vacation, especially a special anniversary! I have traveled throughout the majority of the United States and all over the world and consider Alaska (along with Switzerland) one of the most beautiful places on earth.

[RSWBADGER]

My wife and I have considered a summer cruise in Alaska for years now. But everytime we do we end up choosing something else. The closest we came was several years ago when we chose a Canadian Rockies land tour instead, which was one of the best vacations we ever had.

 

http://www.princess.com/destination/alaska/alaska-cruisetours-cruise.html

 

We just completed our 2nd Princess Cruise Tour to Alaska in July,

started 6/22/06

 

Arrived 12:30 P.M. in Anchorage, spent the day exploring and enjoying Anchorage. (1 Night Captain Cook)

 

Train to Denali National Park, arrives late afternoon. (2 Nights Denali Lodge) Many trips available.

 

Bus to McKinley Lodge (1 Night)

 

Train to Whittier

7 Day Cruise

 

If you have never experienced a cruise tour in Alaska you will be in for the time of your life, the scenery is spectacular.

 

You will see that Princess is the way to go in Alaska.:)

[JolleyRoger]

An Alaskan cruise is great and has a much different flavor than Caribbean or even European cruises. As far as seeing Alaska goes, it's probably not the best way unless you also find a way to spend some time visiting the interior of the state.

 

I've lived here in the interior of Alaska my entire life (41yrs) and while the "panhandle" is absolutely gorgeous, there is nothing like a journey to the interior. Denali Park is like a whole other world & should not be missed. Fairbanks is also very beautiful experiencing the midnight sun and the remoteness.

 

Most travelers are taken aback by the trip from Anchorage to Fairbanks. Not only are the views outstanding, but most of the 350 mile trip is uninhabited and as wild as it gets.

 

I'm also curious about if and when the recent ballot initiative in Alaska to greatly increase taxes on cruise lines and cruise passengers will be implemented, and in what form. Ultimately cruise passengers will bear all of those costs, which really amounts to onerous taxation just for the privilege of visiting. Cruise costs to Alaska are already high enough, it is an expensive place to visit compared to other US destinations, and the expense just to get there already makes an Alaskan cruise a pricey vacation option in spite of some good deals that occasionally are available on short notice.

 

I have to disagree here. I'm taking my first cruise next month to the Panama Canal and I would not balk at an additional $50 (the tax amount proposed) to have such an awesome experience.

 

Hey, I'd obviously rather spend that fifty bucks enhancing my cruise as opposed to going towards a tax... but I think it also needs to be put in proper perspective. Dinner at Red Lobster for two can easily encompass that $50... and a year later you'll forget 90% of it. A cruise on the other hand will stay with you in memories, photos, videos... for the rest of your life.

 

Understand... I'm not a proponent ot the tax... just trying to add in my two pennies.

[rebeccalouise]

I have cruised to Alaska 4 times. Twice on Princess and Twice on Norwegian. Of the ships I sailed I preferred the smaller ones than the larger ones. Can get more upclose and personal in Glacier Bay and College Fiords.

I did the Princess cruise from Vancouver to Seward. Then we did a nice one week land package to Fairbanks (via train), Denali (via Train) Nome(via Train) and Kotsebu (via Plane) and a little eskimo village via proplane- all in the span of a week. The best part was Fairbanks and the Princess double-decker train. The worst part was having very little free time and having to have bags in the hall by 4AM and up and at-um at 7AM! Boy did I miss the ship!

 

So my advice is don't do too many destinations on land. The train to Fairbanks and back was scenic and just lovely. Fairbanks is very far north with 22 hours of sunlight in the summer- the flowers were incredible! They were the size of cabbages from all the sunlight. We were the last to leave an outdoor restaurant at midnight and it was still strong daylight. very cool experience. Denali it rained and I was sick and didn't do the schoolbus type ride thru the National Park. It was a bust though. My parent's and son went and said the ride was long and uncomfortable and they saw one animal. I can't remember what it was. Very disappointed.

 

Alaska is fabulous and I don't think you can miss with any ship. Get a balcony stateroom- totally worth it.

[Bushido]

I had always wondered about just how good a cruise to Alaska would be myself. I can say without question it was the greatest single vacation of my life. It was totally life changing in everyway. The things that mattered to me before the cruise seemed so small and un-important after this experience. The sheer vastness of the lands, the untouched beauty, and the incredible ice formations, the wildlife all lead to a spiritual type of experience for me.

 

Nothing could compare to me the overall complete experience of going to Alaska had on my well-being. We are cruising Canada/New England this year and are about to book Alaska for next September for another trip. Included in that we are planning to utilize the Princess lodges and interior packages. I would say go all out on this one (especially being your anniversary).

 

Also a cruiser posted earlier to make sure you get the balcony cabins and I could not agree more. They are a must so you won't miss a second of this amazing journey.

[spongerob]

I hear you, JR. The $50 fee to replace individual port fees isn't such a big deal, but some of the other provisions might be. We'll see how it plays out. Just got back from an Alaskan cruise and it was tremendous, plus we met some great people in less touristy establishments while enjoying some Alaskan Pale.

[JolleyRoger]

Denali it rained and I was sick and didn't do the schoolbus type ride thru the National Park. It was a bust though. My parent's and son went and said the ride was long and uncomfortable and they saw one animal. I can't remember what it was. Very disappointed.

 

The bus ride into the park is a gamble. When the mountain is clear, it's an unbelievable sight and experience. OTH, when it's rainy and socked in, it can be a long, long trip.

 

Living here, we residents get a chance to enter our names into a lottery to have a chance at driving our own vehicles all the way to the end of the road inside the park. It's always in the fall and the foliage and animals are always a treat. One trip we saw 18 Grizzlies. In fact, we stopped for some pictures of a bruin who was ambling towards our vehicle. I got lost in the view finder of my camera and got yelled at by the Park Ranger who had stopped with us for security. My door was locked and I was stuck for a few moments yanking fruitlessly on the door handle while the big bear headed between our van and the vehicle in front of us. Me being a lifelong Alaskan outdoorsman, I felt like such a dork being caught like that... plus added embarressment was the window was open on my door and all I had to do was reach in and unlock the door. :rolleyes:

 

Anyway... when nice weather in the park matches up with a tour, it can be an incredible experience. Moose, Grizzlies, Wolves, Caribou... all the way down to the smaller creatures like Marmots & Ground Squirels can be seen in abundance.

[JolleyRoger]

I hear you, JR. The $50 fee to replace individual port fees isn't such a big deal, but some of the other provisions might be. We'll see how it plays out. Just got back from an Alaskan cruise and it was tremendous, plus we met some great people in less touristy establishments while enjoying some Alaskan Pale.

 

I hope the tax, which has passed, doesn't negatively impact a travelers ability to enjoy this great land... which IMO, it shouldn't. But, people can be oddly fickle about the smallest of charges.

 

Hey, if you liked the Alaskan Pale Ale... you might wanna try Siilver Gulch if you venture to the interior again. It's a local brewery which produces a nice beer.

 

Glad you liked visiting my home state.

 

http://www.ptialaska.net/~gbrady/pages/main.html

[LonghornKJK]

We took a ten-day trip to Southern Germany in July and a seven-day cruise to Alaska in August. As beautiful as Alaska is, I have to say that I enjoyed the trip to Germany more. But it depends on what you want from a vacation.

 

In Germany, there was very little "down time." We were always sightseeing or enjoying a great meal or going to a once-in-a-lifetime concert or cruising on the Rhine, etc., though it wasn't as exhausting as it sounds. We were touring with about 30 musicians and spouses and the trip was very well planned. We stayed at great hotels, rode in a comfortable bus, and had fantastic weather.

 

I have absolutely no complaints about our cruise on the Dawn Princess. Great food, accommodations and private excursions. We did spend more time reading or watching television because we don't gamble or go out to bars, etc.

 

In Germany, we saw the beautiful Alps, mountains lakes, waterfalls, flower-filled window boxes, and ancient castles and bridges. In Alaska, we saw beautiful mountains and waterfalls, much of it untouched by humans. The two trips were a contrast of old versus new. Germany was so much more beautiful than what we expected so that Alaska, though absolutely gorgeous, was almost anticlimactic.

 

I enjoy cruising but, to me, it's not the best way to visit another place. It's a little more superficial since you only spend a few hours here and there. On a cruise, the ship is part of the destination; we certainly did not feel that way about the plane that took us to Germany. :)

 

This is totally subjective, of course. We enjoyed both trips and feel lucky that we go to do both!

[RSWBADGER]

Hey, if you liked the Alaskan Pale Ale... you might wanna try Siilver Gulch if you venture to the interior again. It's a local brewery which produces a nice beer.

 

My favorite is Alaskan Summer Ale!!!!

 

[ATTACH]29213[/ATTACH]

[Tina G]

Alaska is my DH's favorite cruise. It is the only destination we have ever repeated. We've been all over the world, and Alaska is the best. Spend $$ on those shore excursions! You won't regret it. Bring a camera with lots of film/memory. You will want to go back and do it all over again.:D Happy Anniversary!

[FryGirl]

loge23

 

We did our Alaska cruise this past May 24, 2006.

Did a land and sea cruise. Started in Fairbanks 2 days.

Denali 1 ½ day. Mt. McKinley 1 ½ day. Anchorage 1 day.

Then we did 7 Days on the cruise on Coral Princess.

Had a mini suite A 416 spent a lot of time out on the balcony.

Loved the Train did it in 2 session didn’t want to do 11 Hours

in on day. Loved all the waterfalls, sunsets, eagles, seals, whales. Mountain goats, bears And any things else you can see. The Mountains,

Glaciers and all the other scenery is a wonder of life.

 

FryGirl :D

[Fuss]

I have been to Alaska 4 times. Twice cruise only and twice with the Fairbanks/Denali portion. Twice on Princess and twice on Holland. The most recent trip was August 05 on the Coral Princess and was the longest trip yet. It overall was the best, although I have a sentimental attachment to the 7 day Voyage of the Glaciers In 1999 on Holland. (it was a family cuise --all 21 of us, siblings, spouses and children and our then 75 yr old mother. In addition, it's the only trip I have made that we had SUNSHINE on Glacier Bay DAY.)

Last summer, we flew into Anchorage a couple days early and took the train ourselves, to Denali for a night before heading on by train to Fairbanks. In FAirbanks we met up with the cruise tour. We Subsequently went back to Denali and then onto the McKinley Princess for 2 nights, where we were blessed with seeing the Mountain 3 days in a row, each day better than the next. The Lodges were great--nothing fancy, but reminiscent of NP lodges.

By doing the cruisetour first, we made friends that we were able to spend time with once on board the ship. I really recommend that. Once on board it's hard to meet new people more than casually especially with anytime dining.

The cruise itself was enjoyable, the ship lovely.

Alaska is immense, amazing and breathtaking. You will see all weather. If you go into it knowing you will get rain, you won't be disappointed. Alaskans just keep going in all weather.

Denali was the highpoint of the trip. Not so much the NP tour, although I enjoyed ours, but the 2 days at The McKinley Princess were beyond anything I could hope for. It gave us multiple chances to see the mountain and were rewarded magnificently.

I have no doubt I will return, perhaps to experience one of the other cruisetour options. One little intersting tidbit--if you plan a trip to the interior on Princess--the Denali Princess/McKinley Princess over August 24th and 25th, you will be treated to a Christmas celebration. It is a NP tradition throughout the country and the lodges embrace it---Santa, decorations, carols etc. It was great fun and very memorable.

[fti]

I took a Princess cruise SB from Whittier to Vancouver and did a land tour on my own with our small group before the cruise. I would definitely include a land tour in your plans if you are cruising one way and I would strongly encourage you to consider doing the land tour independently. Seems like it gives you more flexibility and you don't feel like you are always moving around, leaving your bags outside your door the night before, etc. I am going back to AK next summer, but this time only land tour on my own, no cruise.

[JolleyRoger]

I took a Princess cruise SB from Whittier to Vancouver and did a land tour on my own with our small group before the cruise. I would definitely include a land tour in your plans if you are cruising one way and I would strongly encourage you to consider doing the land tour independently. Seems like it gives you more flexibility and you don't feel like you are always moving around, leaving your bags outside your door the night before, etc. I am going back to AK next summer, but this time only land tour on my own, no cruise.

 

I don't know if you were thinking of doing a land tour by bus, but I'd highly suggest renting a car and go it on your own.

 

Alaska is a great place to do this. There are so many pull offs to do a quick stop... awesome photo opportunities... so many off-the-path destinations to spend some time.

 

Book your hotels well in advance, think about renting a four wheel drive, and just hit the road. You'll love the freedom.