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Who has booked Alaska for a 2008 cruise?

brunolvr

By brunolvr,
in Alaska

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vbmom87

vbmom87

Posted
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This is our very first cruise. We would like a 7 day cruise for July 2008 with 4-5 days land excursion. We've heard so many conflicting reports on various cruise lines. I tend to get seasick easily so I am a bit worried.

 

From your experiences how would you compare the three cruise lines for Alaskan cruise tours? Thanks for any information.

 

Fstptchmom

 

Actually there are more than three cruise lines. Just what you need, more confusion!!!

 

We have not yet travelled either. However we have picked our cruise and made most of our hotel reservations for the land part (June 2008). We are doing the land on our own.

 

First thing I did was spend a lot of time reading this board and tripadvisor.com. I did searches for things I wanted to know, and posted questions. Before we picked our cruiseline, I decided what glaciers I wanted to see. That was a tough one because many prefer the Hubbard and many preferred Glacier Bay. After reading many posts on the subject (I did a search and found threads comparing the two) we decided we would like to see Glacier Bay. That eliminated most of the cruise lines. We were then down to Holland and Princess. My husband basically decided to go with Holland because he knew many people who had travelled with Holland and loved their experience. I also liked the size of the ship for our itinerary. It has about 1400 people. I did not want to cruise on a megaship of 3000+

 

Next we had to decide cruisetour or cruise, and land on our own. This was another very difficult decision. My husband wanted a cruisetour so we had no planning to do, and I wanted to do it on our own so we could see more and see it at the pace we wanted. DH did finally agree with me. I must say it has been a lot of work trying to find reasonable lodging, but if you start early, at least you know you will have a place to stay. I am happy because we will see so much more than what you would see on a cruise tour. However, there were days when I was ready to throw in the towel and sign up for the cruisetour. I know we will be happy with our choice in the end, but it is a lot of work.

 

Another decision is NB or SB. Most seem to think that SB is better. We decided to try NB. We figured it would be better to adjust to the time changes. The last two days of NB are cruising days when we figure we can relax. Since we are doing the land on our own, we don't have to be rushed once we get on the land. Many claim the land part is so exhausting that they like to do the cruise after.

 

Of course, we also had to decide on a month. We chose June because historically, June is less rainy. We are playing the odds here. Of course June is also the peak mosquito season. Another reason we chose NB, was so we would get to Denali in time to make sure the rode to Wonder Lake was open. AFter reading these boards it seems like most people say you should take the 11 hour shuttle trip that takes you all the way into Denali Park. Most on this board say you should not sign up for a cruisetour unless it includes two nights in Denali. That way you can usually choose the 11 hour shuttle trip on your full day in Denali. Your cruistetour may include a shorter one, but from what I understand, you can cancel that and your tour company will refund you some money. Just make sure you reserve the trip you want. I understand they get booked well in advance.

 

We also had to decide on Travel Insurance, which ended up taking a lot of research. THere are many good threads that discuss this issue.

 

As you can see, a lot of research went into making our decision, but it will worth it.

 

As I have pointed out on many threads, we did a Europe tour and so many people had no idea what was included in their tours. I had read everything that the tour company provided, so there were no surprises. I was stumped that people were complaining about what extras they had to pay for when everything was clearly spelled out in the documents. So, whatever you choose to do, make sure you read thoroughly, so you know what to expect. Spend a lot of time on this board and I think you will have the vacation of a lifetime.

 

Good luck!! I hope I didnt' overwhelm you.

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LaRue1975

LaRue1975

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Carnival Spirit Northbound 7/16/2008. We are spending three days pre-cruise on Vancouver Island and four days post cruise on the Kenai Peninsula. :)

 

We are traveling with friends and it seems the hubbies want to do some fishin'. I am hoping to see some bears and orcas, oh my! :eek:

 

I absolutely can not wait for this trip!!!! :D

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mgasaway

mgasaway

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We just booked the Star Princess round trip Seattle for Sept 14, 2008. It's our 1st Alaskan cruise (all the others have been to the Carribbean) and my gift to DH for his 55th birthday. Wasn't it sooo nice of me to get him a birthday present that I can enjoy too! We're really looking forward to it and some friends are seriously considering booking also for their first cruise. Only 366 days to wait.

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pcc

pcc

Posted
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My DH and myself booked the Spirit rountrip from Vancouver because we wanted to cruise Glacier Bay. Does anyone have any good tips for Vancouver precruise? We need a nice hotel downtown and we want to ride the trolley and get a feel for the town.:D

Hi Teaach,

Check out http://www.tourismvancouver.com. You can find lots of informations there. Make sure you bring your raingear. We have lots of rain here in April.

 

pcc

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cruisepal48

cruisepal48

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I booked today for our trip. the 2008 trips are going fast so we figured we needed to book. This is our 2nd trip to Alaska. We loved NCL Spirit and the cruise. I was disapointed in Sawyer Glacier as you could hardly see it. DH wants to go to Sitka and I want to go to Glacier Bay so that was the factor in our choice

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greatmom

greatmom

Posted
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Let's hear what you've got planned! Will this be your first cruise to Alaska?

 

Yes, this is our first cruise to Alaska.

Juneau we are doing the Dogsledding on Mendenhall Glacier via helicopter, my son will love it.

 

Skagway: Yukon Territory Scenic Drive.

 

Ketchikan: Take our son to the Totem Bight Park and to see the Lumber Jack Show. Then if we have enough time I hear there is some good shopping on Creek Street.

 

Victoria: I'm not quite sure about yet, probably the Craigdarroch Castle and Victorian Highlights.

 

All of our other cruises have to the Caribbean so this will be an experience we will probably never forget. We are all excited.

 

GM

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kellywhitehills

kellywhitehills

Posted
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Planning a cruisetour southbound, and are narrowing down the choices for the second half of July.

 

kellywhitehills! I hugged the Stanley Cup on Tuesday!

 

 

Carrie

First time to Alaska July 2008

 

I hate you in a good way..:)..How did you manage that??

 

 

You are going to love Alaska..I wish we had enough time to take a land tour also!

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brunolvr

brunolvr

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Yes, this is our first cruise to Alaska.

Juneau we are doing the Dogsledding on Mendenhall Glacier via helicopter, my son will love it.

 

Skagway: Yukon Territory Scenic Drive.

 

Ketchikan: Take our son to the Totem Bight Park and to see the Lumber Jack Show. Then if we have enough time I hear there is some good shopping on Creek Street.

 

Victoria: I'm not quite sure about yet, probably the Craigdarroch Castle and Victorian Highlights.

 

All of our other cruises have to the Caribbean so this will be an experience we will probably never forget. We are all excited.

 

GM

 

Looks like you've got everything pretty well planned! Now the long wait until the Alaska cruise season starts up next year!

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gipper77

gipper77

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Booked for May 3, 2008 Repo Golden Princess Repo cruise from San Pedro to Vancouver and then Cruise Tour on the Diamond Princess May 12 from Fairbanks , ending in Vancouver May 24. Overnight in Vancouver and then two extra days in Fairbanks. We will be a group of 6.:)

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midwestsolo

midwestsolo

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Well, the plus is being able to travel a lot. The minus is I work a bit while I travel and I work a lot before/after the trip - like being in the office today. But the plane fare for all the flying in May and July will come to about $300. Thanks to a great deal for May combining Anchorage, New York and Minneapolis and frequent flyer miles for most everything else.

 

John

 

Can I ask for more information about your flight, namely the carrier and where you are leaving from? My son and I will be going to Alaska next May, probably on the Sapphire Princess. Minneapolis is the best place for us to leave, as it is only a 4 hour drive from my home. Thanks for your information.

 

Pam

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LaRue1975

LaRue1975

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Were in. CCL Spirit

Sept 3, 2008 with a 4-night pre tour beginning Aug 30, 2008

Cabin 6329....first wrap.

Mike/Cheryl out of Omaha

 

We will be in the wrap on the port side for our Northbound cruise July 16th. Our friends will be sailing in your cabin and I am sure they will take good care of it for you. :)

 

You will absolutely love your aft wrap cabin!!! We sailed in our first on the Legend last May and I don't think we will ever go back to a regular cabin. The fact that it will be our first cruise to Alaska is just icing on the cake, we plan to spend a ton of time out on that beautiful balcony enjoying the sites. Also, you'll love the Spirit Class ships, my favorite so far.

 

Have a wonderful cruise, I am sooo excited for ours but I think that is pretty obvious. Hey, at least I'm under 300 days now, yippie!! :D

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