Alaska . . . is it really that great?

[Mickey of the Villages]

My wife wants to go to Alaska but I'm not sure I get it. I understand that there is beautiful scenery: mountains, waterfalls, and some wildlife - a glacier. But only while you are looking, right? I've been in the mountains before and after a while it can sort of begin to look like wallpaper - you don't even notice it anymore. The ports also seem to be purely tourist stops. Charming and beautiful tourist stops but still. What am I missing? My wife and I are in our late 40s, we've cruised 8 times with DCL. We have two boys but they would likely not join us on this trip (unless someone says this is a fun trip for tweens/teens).

 

[Pens Fan]

Everyone's different and we all enjoy different things. I'd take one Alaskan cruise over multiple Caribbean ones, but that's because the scenery and the ports are much more our taste. Yes, the towns are touristy, but so are the ones in the Caribbean - even more so IMHO. At least the Alaskan ones have charm and no-one is harassing you in the street to buy things or trying to sell you drugs (yes, has happened multiple times to us in the Bahamas and Caribbean). To fully enjoy Alaska, I always recommend getting out of the port towns and into the wilderness. Go whale watching, bear watching, hiking, ATV'ing, flight seeing, fishing, or enjoy a meal at a remote mountain lodge - the options are endless. You will see and experience things most people can only dream about.

But then, I can honestly say I've never in all of our trips to various mountainous regions equated them to "wallpaper" and stopped noticing them - even for a second. If that's how you actually feel, maybe Alaska isn't for you. That's OK - as I stated at the beginning of my post: We all enjoy different things.

 

[Geomom]

DCL Alaska was our first cruise with DD's then 12 and 16. We all loved it. Sailing the inside passage is scenic. But it's true, you won't notice it if you're not looking at it. I majored in Geology--so it was fantastic for me to see the glaciers before they melt away. The previous 'glaciers' I had seen were the tiny ones in Glacier National Park--there is no comparison to the Alaska glaciers, especially on 'glacier' day. It was also great to see Bald Eagles in the wild (in Juneau).

The ports are what you make of them. Skagway we booked through Chilkoot Charters--Yukon bus and Rail with dogcart ride--highlight of our trip...the chance to say we'd been to the Yukon, stop at many scenic vistas for pictures, visit Caribou Crossing Trading post for lunch, dogcart ride, puppies (oldest DD's one request), and the White Pass Scenic Railway back. We also stopped in the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park in Skagway before we went back on the ship. Juneau we did the Glacier shuttle, walked some trails at Mendenhall Glacier, went through the visitor center, etc, and then did the touristy shopping back in town--it is nice to have 1 stop to get some cheap souvenirs that will remind you of the trip. Ketchikan we did the DCL excursion of Saxman Native Village and Lumberjack show--both were fun in completely different ways.

Lol, and of course, you can get pics of the characters in their Alaska costumes...where else can that happen?

Our second cruise was the Baltic one this past August--we loved it as well, but we did miss the nature aspect that we got on the Alaska cruise.

 

[iivye]

We loved Alaska. We opted to go with NCL instead of DCL for Glacier Bay. My teen loved it because of the excursions we did. We did a helicopter ride to a glacier, a speed boat nature ride, and off road karts. One of our favorite trips!

 

[tankin]

I'd do AK 10 times before I'd do another Caribbean. The ports are no worse, and I'd say a lot better, than what you get on any of the Caribbean itineraries. I would definitely take the kids. My teen enjoyed it and our tweens (they were 9) can't wait to go back!

 

[Kirsty_Lou]

I did Alaska last year and when I kept on about how amazing it was my friend asked me to go again this year! I've done Bahamas, Caribbean, Mediterranean and Northern Europe cruises. My favourites for sure were Norway and Alaska....kind of similar in terms that they both felt so much more relaxed and the scenery for both are amazing! I'd do Alaska again and again if I could afford it

 

[Quellman]

I've been in mountains before, Rockies, Appalachian, Alps. Something just inspiring about Alaska, could be that along the coast the mountains just rise from the sea. Could be that Alaska is just so untamed and unpopulated. As far as wildlife... we kayaked with seals saw bears and eagles, pods of orca. I mean if these things don't inspire you or if you don't want to know more about it, then Alaska might not be for you, and thats fine. Some people just prefer the beach or other destinations. It's your vacation.

While in Alaska, you are literally cruising in between land, you are naturally drawn to looking, seeing what is around the next bend, using your binoculars (hope you brought them!). What cruise port isn't a touristy place? But if you want to see some nature excursions whisk you away from those touristy areas. Take a train ride, rent a jeep, see a glacier by boat, or sea plane. Try your luck at fishing or fly by helicopter and walk on a glacier.

You know your family best, but if you like hiking, exploring, why wouldn't you take the kids. If cost is an issue (and it is/was with us) don't sail Disney. We went with carnival, still had a wonderful time. Saving money on the boat let us take in some amazing excursions.

 

[SamFaniam]

Yes, Alaska is that great. That being said, I would not cruise Disney again to Alaska. We had a great time but did not feel the premium price was worth it. Our favorite port is Alaska is Sitka. Since you are traveling without kids, I would look at Celebrity and Holland America.

 

[mousefan73]

Never been, but from my research here, people say how great it is, usually when commenting on how great the dog slegging was, whale watching boat trips, heli trips etc... Keep in mind these are great experiences but with a high cost.. I get your comment that mountains seem like wallpaper, I live near the alps and after a while I just want a beach.

 

[Mickey of the Villages]

We loved Alaska. We opted to go with NCL instead of DCL for Glacier Bay. My teen loved it because of the excursions we did. We did a helicopter ride to a glacier, a speed boat nature ride, and off road karts. One of our favorite trips!

If you don't mind me asking what made you chose NCL? What did you think?

 

[DLgal]

It's worth doing once, but that was enough for me. Nature isn't really my thing, though. I suspect Alaska cruises are like camping. The people who love one love the other as well. For me, vacation is warm weather, beaches, swimming...hard to do those on an Alaska cruise. To me, the ports just seemed like any other small town in America just with more tourist trap shops. YMMV.

 

[ashley0139]

For me Alaska was one and done. At least for cruising. I did it as a teen, enjoyed it, and probably would not choose to do another cruise there. But for me, I cruise for the ship. If I want to see places on land then I just travel there. Same reason I wouldn't do a Europe cruise. The scenery in Alaska is indeed stunning.

 

[DLgal]

For me Alaska was one and done. At least for cruising. I did it as a teen, enjoyed it, and probably would not choose to do another cruise there. But for me, I cruise for the ship. If I want to see places on land then I just travel there. Same reason I wouldn't do a Europe cruise. The scenery in Alaska is indeed stunning.

Agree on all points. I was also a teen (15), and I was really blown away by the scenery and the helicopter ride and Mendenhall glacier walk was awesome, but I have no desire to do another one. For me, it seems like cruise lines put some of their most boring and older ships on those itineraries.

 

[jdb in AZ]

OP -- you don't say where you live, whether or not your summers are hot or relatively cool, or whether you have enough snow in the winters that you don't want to see snow-capped mountains in the summer. Since we live in the Phoenix area, Alaska is our favorite place to cool off from the desert heat. We've cruised Alaska six times and still want to go back. Caribbean is too hot and sticky. Actually, Hawaii is a bit much in the summer too.

What kind of activities do you enjoy? We're very laid back and enjoy unwinding, but not at the beach. So many choices for your travel $$$$$ -- do what appeals to you -- and your wife. If it's her turn to choose, will her vote override yours?

 

[fredandkell]

I love Alaska - it's been one of my favorite trips. I don't love it enough to justify the DCL markup, though - I would take another cruise line. It's so port intensive that it makes it OK to do that. (Now in the Caribbean I'm not doing any other line but DCL. Nope.) Of course, if it's not calling your name, then spend your vacation money elsewhere, but the husband and I had a great time there on a couples' trip. Yes, the ports are touristy, but they're still incredibly fun.

 

[bcwife76]

We're doing it for the second time this summer and in a few years I want to do a one-way between Vancouver and Seward to go further north. So yeah, we think it's worth it It's pretty darn amazing

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

YMMV, but I've literally been around the world. All the continents save Antarctic,a and yet Alaska still blew me away. Rockies? Yep. Andes? Yep. Rain forests of S. America, Asia and Africa? Yep.

Alaska topped them all.

 

[Pens Fan]

If you don't mind me asking what made you chose NCL? What did you think?

I'm not the one you quoted, but we have sailed on both Disney and NCL in Alaska. We actually preferred NCL, due to their itinerary. We did a one way cruise from Vancouver to Seward which included both Glacier Bay (DCL doesn't go there) and Hubbard Glacier (DCL has on very rare occasions gone there). Debarking in Seward allowed us to spend a week on land in Alaska which was spectacular.

While you obviously don't get the Disney touches on NCL or any other cruise line, we really didn't miss them. But then, for us, the destination was what was important, not the ship. We were on the NCL Sun which is a small, older ship but it was in great shape, very beautiful and we had a blast. We preferred NCL's food over DCL and love their Freestyle dining model (no set dining times and locations). Princess is kind of the big dog, though, in Alaska and I've heard an awful lot of good things about their cruises there. We just wanted to try a more laid back, less formal atmosphere and it worked perfectly for us.

Honestly, I've not heard too many complaints about any cruise line in Alaska. I'd just find an itinerary, time and price that works best for you and your family if you decide it's somewhere you want to explore.

 

[mcd2745]

I thought it was "that great" (we did it on DCL in Aug 2017). I had wanted to do Alaska for a while, and then after we booked it and as it was approaching, I started getting apprehensive about it and thinking maybe it was a mistake and that I was going to miss the Islands and the beaches, etc. Well, I consider that cruise my favorite of the 11 cruises we've done (the other 10 beings Bahamas and/or Caribbean), and will absolutely do it again...someday. Being on the east coast, it's quite a trip (in every way, including financially), so not one you can do regularly.

 

[AnnaS]

Everyone that I know who has done the Alaska cruise say it is one of their best trips. We are finally booked on one next year June 2020 on the Royal Princess. (Tour 2 nights in Anchorage first).

We are definitely looking forward to it. Even if I/we love it, I can see it being a one time trip. I don't like flying and it is a long flight. I also like to go swimming/see the ocean - but we shall see.