Another Alaska Itinerary Question

[BM64]

So, we are out to dinner last night and my DH says I really want to do another cruise to Alaska next summer. Yippee!! Hurry up and pay the check because I can have this booked within the hour. So, he says I'm only going on HAL, also great no problem. Last time we went on Princess, I had no complaints he did. In two weeks, we leave on RCCL for Canada/New England and he's complaining already. So, it's pretty much HAL for Alaska.

 

Here's the question, We would like to go out of Vancouver, last trip was rt out of Seattle but the Ryndam and Statendam do the exact same itineray as we did on Princess with the exception of Glacier Bay. The Oosterdam and Westerdam out of Seattle go to Sitka and Hubbard Glacier ( I may have switched the galciers)which would be different and we would like to go to Sitka, is it worth it to cruise out of Seattle again? Everyone seems to think the rt out of Vancouver is so much better.

 

Thanks for the input in advance.

 

Brigitte

[photodoodle]

Is a round trip cruise a requirement? This year the Volendam had a Vancouver/Seward or reverse itinerary that included Hubbard and Sitka. I don't know the schedule for next year, but I imagine there will be something similar. I ended up taking the Statendam because it had Glacier Bay and my mom had never seen it.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We love the cruises that go from Vancouver to Seward. And then we always stay on to return to Vancouver.

 

Makes for a wonderful 14 days, back-to-back cruise.

[DougK]

Here's the question, We would like to go out of Vancouver, last trip was rt out of Seattle but the Ryndam and Statendam do the exact same itineray as we did on Princess with the exception of Glacier Bay. The Oosterdam and Westerdam out of Seattle go to Sitka and Hubbard Glacier ( I may have switched the galciers)which would be different and we would like to go to Sitka, is it worth it to cruise out of Seattle again? Everyone seems to think the rt out of Vancouver is so much better.

 

Unfortunately, there is no perfect itinerary. At least, perfect IMO. I personally would like a 10 or 11 day itinerary so I would hit all the good spots, rather than having to choose. But even within the confines of a 7 day trip, I'd opt for rt out of Vancouver, including Glacier Bay, Sitka, Skagway, and Juneau. I understand Ketchikan is almost required because of location, but I personally don't find it very interesting.

 

None of that actually answers your question, however. With the choices that do exist, I'd first rule out any itinerary that doesn't include either Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay -- I just can't imagine skipping what to me is the high point of an Alaska cruise, the immensity of the glaciers. That leaves Seattle/Sitka/Hubbard/Victoria, Seattle/Sitka/Glacier Bay/Victoria, and Vancouver/Skagway/Glacier Bay as your choices. While I enjoy Sitka more than Skagway, I'd still opt for the Vancouver trip, simply because you get the magnificent Inside Passage both ways. Out of Seattle, you spend a fair amount of time truly at sea, with no scenery, but out of Vancouver, there is almost always an opportunity to look for wildlife, both in the water and on shore. The trade-off is that you get a port stop in Victoria. For me, the scenery is a hands-down win over Victoria, but other people may disagree. And it's also complicated because Hubbard is more massively impressive than Glacier Bay, but Glacier Bay has more beautiful scenery for a longer period of time.

 

Having done both cruises a couple of times now, the upshot for me is that I'll always go from Vancouver in the future -- even though I live in Seattle, so the port here would be more convenient.

 

Doug

[garydm]

Suggest Vancouver departure and a trip that includes Tracy Arm.

 

Gary