Northbound Glacier Route vs Southbound Glacier Route

[UGA Fan]

I am considering the Northbound Glacier route from Vancouver to Whittier on the Carnival Spirit for August, 2007. I would like to know if any of you have a preference on going on the Northbound or the Southbound. They go to the same places but I just wondered if one would have a better view than the other going out.

I would be flying out of Atlanta, Ga. so I am not sure if one port is cheaper than the other to fly into to help make a decision as to which one.

Also, what is the best way to get from Whittier to Anchorage if we aren't doing the Carnival's air package?

Thanks.:)

[poolwife]

You can get from Whittier to Anchorage via the Alaska Railroad. You can look up their number via www.akrr.com

 

We have cruised southbound Alaska from Seward to Vancouver twice doing a land excursion before each cruise. If you are doing a land portion I would always recommend doing it first and then cruising southbound. Because when you are doing a land portion, you are doing a lot of travelling and changing hotels every one to two nights and it is so nice to be done with all of that and then get on the cruise ship afterwards and not have to unpack again for 7 days. And although you are seeing several ports, it is still not as tiring as the pre-cruise travelling.

 

Hope this helps. I have not cruised on the Carnival Spirit but none-the-less have cruised southbound twice. Train ride from Anchorage to Whittier or Seward is simply gorgeous. From/or to Seward is a longer ride than Whittier. I know Carnival and Princess both come in and out of Whittier. I prefer Seward where Holland America and Celebrity sail out of, but that is only a personal opinion. Whittier is still very picturesque but it is not a town per-se at all. The only real building there is not a hotel like you think it is when you see it but is a tall building that houses all the workers for Whittier. Whereas Seward is a cute and very scenic fishing village. Hopefully, even if you sail into or out of Whittier you will have time to visit Seward and the Kenai Peninsula and maybe even over to Homer. We loved Homer but then we hit great weather there also. Clear blue skies showed the majesty of the stately mountains across Kachemak Bay. Just awesome!

[UGA Fan]

Thank you so much for your reply. We haven't booked our cruise yet but I was looking at the Carnival Spirit. I think I will have to check out Holland and Celebrity cruislines to see what the best deal I can find. We usually cruise on RCCL and have cruise on the Carnival Conquest once. I am open to suggestions. I really appreciate your input. The train ride may be a good option to consider on getting to the airport to the port. However, what do you do with your luggage? Can you have a carry-on on the train? I am going to have to really check out the website that you mentioned. Hopefully, some of the 10 million questions that I have will be listed.

We will only be able to fly out 2 days before we cruise and afterwards so landtours would probably not work for us with spending the nights here and there before we cruise. I wish we could have more time to do that but not this time.

Again, thanks for your suggestions.

If you or anyone else can think of anything else that can help me to decide on which way and what cruise ship to go, I would appreciate it.:)

[NancyIL]

I haven't been to Alaska yet, but this is what I booked: a northbound cruise on the Coral Princess followed by 9 days on land. There are advantages to going either direction, especially if you're not doing a land trip. I wanted the "wow factor" of the scenery getting better and better going north, and the amount of daylight also increases as you go that direction. Others prefer southbound because they want the longer flight(s) to Anchorage on the front end of the trip. Good luck with your decision!

[ghouck2532]

Without time for an independent landtour, I would do a roundtrip from Vancouver that included Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm, and 3 ports. Holland has permits for Glacier Bay and does a Vancouver roundtrip. You can easily spend 3 days in and around Vancouver.

 

You'd save on airfare and avoid a long plane ride to or from Anchorage. You could fly into Seattle and drive up. You could save your one way for when you have more time.

[agabbymama]

Not really sure why Southbound are more expensive, but they are. I'm heading Northbound on HAL Cruise/tour, and it was about $400 pp less expensive than to do the Southbound. We did the Inside Passage Southbound in 2000. I don't really see the big difference. However, some on this board have suggested the land tour first then relax on the cruise South, but the cruise portion will be just as hectic with all the port stops, so that doesn't make sense to me. I selected the Northbound HAL because I wanted to do the Yukon/Alaska land portion this time. The Inside Passage is beautiful and I loved Sitka and Ketchikan, but wanted to see more of inland Alaska and the Yukon this time. Then when I saw the Southbound was more expensive decided I could use that $400 for excursions so booked the Northbound back in September. It's about $200 more pp now than when I booked. I also check the airfare, then if the cruiseline offers it for close to what I could get it for, I book with them and that way transfers are all taken care of too. The airfare from LA to Vancouver then from Anchorage back to LA was only $579 and that includes transfers, so I just booked everything with HAL. Less hassel or headache for me, I hope. The first time went smoothly, so I'm hoping this time does too. Have a great cruise no matter what you decide. Alaska is beautiful.:D

[UGA Fan]

I haven't been to Alaska yet, but this is what I booked: a northbound cruise on the Coral Princess followed by 9 days on land. There are advantages to going either direction, especially if you're not doing a land trip. I wanted the "wow factor" of the scenery getting better and better going north, and the amount of daylight also increases as you go that direction. Others prefer southbound because they want the longer flight(s) to Anchorage on the front end of the trip. Good luck with your decision!

That does make sense that going Northbound would help to "build the excitement" so to speak! I think that we might do that instead of the Southbound one. I just hope that I can find a good deal on the Northbound one and with the flights to and from Atlanta! I know that if I could find a round-trip cruise that the flight expense might be better but I had rather try for the one way ones.

Thanks for your suggestions and I appreciate any other ones that you and anybody else can think of to help me with booking a cruise.:)

[NancyIL]

Not really sure why Southbound are more expensive, but they are.

 

Because more people prefer southbound.

[agabbymama]

Because more people prefer southbound.

 

Yeah but WHY? I don't see any difference?:p

[NancyIL]

Yeah but WHY? I don't see any difference?:p

 

Why do more people prefer southbound? Because they prefer to do the land trip first and/or get the longer flight out of the way on the front end. And that translates to supply and demand.

[cjnky]

Southbound is preferred by many so they can relax after the land portion of the trip. But, I'm with Nancy on this one - NORTHBOUND - and planning on 10 - 14 days with an RV post cruise to go at our own pace with no rush! :)

[Chat Noir]

For me, it's six of one, half a dozen of the other. I have slight preferences in both, due to better lighthouse viewing on the inside passage during my normal waking hours one way, and the change in scenery going the other.

I don't find the cruise to be any more 'relaxing' than the land portion. There's still too much to see and do! I don't like the Anchorage/home flight at the end. Flights out of Anchorage are typically not at optimum times, but necessary in order to connect with lower 48 flights. I do so hate those red-eye flights out of Anchorage! Makes RT's seem the best of the three!

None of the above is a make or break... best value will be a major determining factor from now on.:)

[NancyIL]

I don't find the cruise to be any more 'relaxing' than the land portion. There's still too much to see and do! I

 

I haven't done this cruise, yet - but arrival times in Ketchikan at 6:30 a.m., Juneau at 8, Skagway at 7, and Glacier Bay at 6 a.m. ....those are NOT relaxing port times! At least I'll be able to sleep a little later on the land trip afterwards. :)

[Chat Noir]

I haven't done this cruise, yet - but arrival times in Ketchikan at 6:30 a.m., Juneau at 8, Skagway at 7, and Glacier Bay at 6 a.m. ....those are NOT relaxing port times! At least I'll be able to sleep a little later on the land trip afterwards. :)

 

 

Personal opinion, land or sea, Alaska isn't for relaxing if one's on a limited time schedule. As stated, I don't find one to be any more relaxing than the other. If I lived there, then I'd relax! Otherwise, it's go, go, go, see, see, see, do, do, do!:)

 

Don't forget:

If you're going NB, and live in CDT, those hours for port arrival shouldn't be a problem if you're normally up in the morning. You'll not've had time to adjust to more western time zones. Unless you're spending a few days in Seattle/Vancouver prior to sailing.

 

There is beautiful sailing going into Juneau. We enjoy being up front as we enter the waterway toward Juneau, watching the town as it goes from just being a speck in the distance until we are upon it. Juneau is surrounded by beautiful mountains, and we like scanning the landscape for nearly hidden cabins and homes well before arrival in Juneau. It's also a beautiful port to be on deck looking ahead when sailing out. Very rugged mountains.

 

Same for Skagway. The canal is beautiful sailing...

 

Sailing into/out of Ketchikan is great for spotting eagles. Lovely scenery, also.

 

If you're up early enough going into Glacier Bay, it's kinda fun to watch the rangers approach and begin boarding the ship.

 

Rest well before you leave! You may find it's hard to sleep knowing the Alaska scenery is just outside and you're inside!;)

[NancyIL]

Personal opinion, land or sea, Alaska isn't for relaxing if one's on a limited time schedule. As stated, I don't find one to be any more relaxing than the other. If I lived there, then I'd relax! Otherwise, it's go, go, go, see, see, see, do, do, do!:)

 

Don't forget:

If you're going NB, and live in CDT, those hours for port arrival shouldn't be a problem if you're normally up in the morning. You'll not've had time to adjust to more western time zones. Unless you're spending a few days in Seattle/Vancouver prior to sailing.

 

There is beautiful sailing going into Juneau. We enjoy being up front as we enter the waterway toward Juneau, watching the town as it goes from just being a speck in the distance until we are upon it. Juneau is surrounded by beautiful mountains, and we like scanning the landscape for nearly hidden cabins and homes well before arrival in Juneau. It's also a beautiful port to be on deck looking ahead when sailing out. Very rugged mountains.

 

Same for Skagway. The canal is beautiful sailing...

 

Sailing into/out of Ketchikan is great for spotting eagles. Lovely scenery, also.

 

If you're up early enough going into Glacier Bay, it's kinda fun to watch the rangers approach and begin boarding the ship.

 

Rest well before you leave! You may find it's hard to sleep knowing the Alaska scenery is just outside and you're inside!;)

 

I may have to switch to bedtime showering in order to get up at the crack of dawn each morning! Our inside cabin is quite far forward on the baja deck of the Coral Princess - so we're just a few feet away from the "secret balcony." I will do my best to be out on deck as we enter and exit each port/glacier.

[Budget Queen]

Another significant factor for me, is daylight sailing of Vancouver Island, on southbound, at night on the north. I also disagree on the "hectic" reference to land touring, this is a big problem on a lot of cruisetours since they schedule too tightly, but my independent trips are NEVER with this description. Although I get blasted, time is essential in my opinion with some people underestimating it greatly.

[ghouck2532]

Which portion of Vancouver Island is sailed during the daytime on southbound cruises that are sailed at night northbound. On both cruises, some portion of Vancouver Island is sailed at night. Southbound the last 8 hours are sailed at night. Northbound the first 4 or 5 hours are sailed in the evening (depending on the time of year). The next 8 hours or so are sailed overnight, then daylight for another 14 or 15 hours.

 

I'm trying to get a sense of we miss by cruising northbound.

 

Thanks.

[agabbymama]

Which portion of Vancouver Island is sailed during the daytime on southbound cruises that are sailed at night northbound. On both cruises, some portion of Vancouver Island is sailed at night. Southbound the last 8 hours are sailed at night. Northbound the first 4 or 5 hours are sailed in the evening (depending on the time of year). The next 8 hours or so are sailed overnight, then daylight for another 14 or 15 hours.

 

I'm trying to get a sense of we miss by cruising northbound.

 

Thanks.

 

Thank you, you voiced my opinion exactly. Everyone is saying the land tour is so hectic it should be first, then cruise Southbound to relax. But to me, you are going to see beautiful scenery whether you are sailing Northbound or Southbound, and the port days and things to do on the ship are just as busy as the land tours will be. My first trip to Alaska I didn't do a land portion at all, just cruised Southbound from Anchorage through the Inside Passage, and was actually bored by the three at sea days (so guess that could be considered relaxing by some). While the scenery is beautiful, you can only walk the decks, sit and read, or stare at the land through binoculars for so long. I was anxious to start making port stops to see some of Alaska up close. So for my cruise/tour next year, I wanted to see some of the Yukon (as I considered part of Alaska from years gone by) as well as more of inland Alaska. I booked the Northbound because it was about $400 pp cheaper than a Southbound. So the price/demand for Southbound is definitely apparent, although not to me. I'm just happy to be planning another visit to Alaska. I do wish one of the smaller ships would have been available, but will settle for the Zuiderdam. Everyone says she is a beautiful ship. And I do love HAL's promenade deck that goes completely around the ship. And the wooden deck chairs on the promenade deck, sure do make the plastic chairs on other cruiselines less than elegant.:D

[Budget Queen]

Which portion of Vancouver Island is sailed during the daytime on southbound cruises that are sailed at night northbound. On both cruises, some portion of Vancouver Island is sailed at night. Southbound the last 8 hours are sailed at night. Northbound the first 4 or 5 hours are sailed in the evening (depending on the time of year). The next 8 hours or so are sailed overnight, then daylight for another 14 or 15 hours.

 

I'm trying to get a sense of we miss by cruising northbound.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Never on my cruises, even with me getting up before dawn on a northbound already has me almost out of Vancouver Island. Coming south, I have gone past Campbell River before dusk, Big difference. Are you sure you know your landmarks??? The Queen Charlotte Islands are sailed by the first sailing day out of Vancouver, past the end of Vancouver Island, which is also scenic sailing. Robson Bight- never have I sailed past there during the daytime on a northbound.

 

On several southbounds- I have also sailed completely all the way back to Vancouver, you can see the lights in the distance as the ship stalls it's way overnight.