Alaska . . . is it really that great?

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.


We were on NCL's Bliss back in February. It was built for Alaska. The huge Observation Lounge they have is an incredible space and has to be great while in Alaska. I'm sure people are going up there early in the morning and claiming spaces like they do pool chairs in the Caribbean. I would not hesitate to book Alaska on that ship.
 
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).

What is it that YOU like to do when you're cruising? Because if it's go to beach, you might not enjoy it. I get what you're saying - I can take nature in small doses (unless it's wildlife...and I'm talking safari wildlife). I've been on 3 Alaskan cruises - each with different people and at different times in my life. I think ALL cruise ports are the same as the one you were at "yesterday" whether you're in the Caribbean or Alaska.

What's made our Alaskan cruises are the excursions we do in each port. We've done seaplanes 3x (twice to - successfully - see bears), whale-watching twice, driven out into the Yukon twice, gone in a helicopter once doing a Pilot's Choice double glacier landing and once dog-sledding. We always had a great time. (We booked everything on our own - nothing through the cruise line.) I also haven't cruised to Alaska with DCL - once with Celebrity, once with RC, and once with NCL. I always said that I wouldn't pay Disney prices for a port intensive cruise but last August on the NCL Bliss was the first time that I was on another ship that I actually wished I was on Disney! So it all goes back to what you want/need/like from a cruise. (By the way first time I cruised Alaska was with my 16 yr old son. This last time was with my 9 yr old daughter. Neither goes in the kids' clubs and they had a great time. Swimming was not fun though...too cold!)
 
I have been on a land trip all over the big part of Alaska. Hated pretty much every moment of it. Just wasn't my thing. My DD11 has convinced me to book an Alaskan cruise. We were supposed to be leaving in 7 days, but had to move it to next year as this year just didn't work out. I'm hoping I like the cruise better. 1. We will be in a different part of Alaska than I've been, 2. I will be seeing Alaska from the water instead of on the land, 3. I will be on my favorite DCL ship so if I hate Alaska, I can enjoy the ship, 4. I'm originally from the Pacific Northwest, so I can hopefully get some yummy salmon and crab.
 
For us it’s been the WOW trip of our lives and we are back on the Wonder in 12 weeks for another go.
It really did it for us but we all love the outdoors and being busy while on holiday. Don’t get me wrong I love the warm
Weather as well but Alaska offers something no where else can - I think it’s the rustic charm and wonder and mystery of the last frontier!! Haha - I would definitely do it again after this trip - and when our daughter is a little older we would like to explore further north aswell.
 


Everyone is different, but I compare your feeling to what my mother experienced when going on a trip to South Africa. The trip included several safaris. On the first safari seeing a group of elephants was amazing. On the second safari, it was still a nice experience. But on the third and fourth safari when someone told the group 'Elephants to your right', my mother shrugged and tried to see if there were other animals.
 
We took Alaska cruise with kids last summer, and they loved it so much that we decided to repeat the experience. I would have preferred a different itinerary, with visits to Hubbard and Glacier Bay, so I initially started looking at NCL Jewel (that is the ship which now sails 7-night one-way Vancouver to Seward itinerary). Having done my share of cruising on NCL in the past (with a few trips on Jewel as well), this would have been an easy decision - however, the rest of the family refused to even consider that option. In the end, we are doing Alaska on DCL again this summer.

If you don't have any family members spoiled by DCL, just go and see Alaska on another cruise line. It's amazing.
 
We took Alaska cruise with kids last summer, and they loved it so much that we decided to repeat the experience. I would have preferred a different itinerary, with visits to Hubbard and Glacier Bay, so I initially started looking at NCL Jewel (that is the ship which now sails 7-night one-way Vancouver to Seward itinerary). Having done my share of cruising on NCL in the past (with a few trips on Jewel as well), this would have been an easy decision - however, the rest of the family refused to even consider that option. In the end, we are doing Alaska on DCL again this summer.

If you don't have any family members spoiled by DCL, just go and see Alaska on another cruise line. It's amazing.


I tend to agree with this. We aren't beach types for a vacation, so the opportunity to get to more difficult locations in Alaska via cruise was a good match. We loved the experience and while we thought it was a once in a lifetime trip, we talked about doing it again "someday". And when we do, I think we will choose another line simply to get a different itinerary as mentioned above.

The other thing that I think doesn't get enough mention is the opportunity to see Vancouver and/or Victoria as part of an Alaskan itinerary. Both were great places to visit that we don't get to from the east coast without a specific plan. And while the cruise industry has invaded those Alaska ports, it has not invaded Victoria or Vancouver.
 


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

We chose NCL because we wanted to go to Glacier Bay which the Disney ships do not do. It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. We also liked that we could do a round trip cruise from Seattle. I will admit that after doing 6 DCL cruises I didn't enjoy the NCL ship as much as I do the DCL ships. Alaska was more about the destination whereas the Caribbean for me is more about what ship you are on.
 
On the first safari seeing a group of elephants was amazing. On the second safari, it was still a nice experience. But on the third and fourth safari when someone told the group 'Elephants to your right', my mother shrugged and tried to see if there were other animals.

This is how we felt about the bald eagles in Alaska. The first time you saw one it was wow! Then you noticed they were everywhere.
 
Alaska is amazing. We've done two Alaskan cruises. Not better than a Caribbean cruise, just different. Amazing scenery, wildlife and towns. My wife prefers Caribbean cruises, but doesn't regret our Alaskan cruises.
 
I loved the whales and the towns. I am weird in that I didn't get the OMG!!!! thing over the glaciers. They are pretty I guess, but nothing I needed to spend all day looking at.
 
We took Alaska cruise with kids last summer, and they loved it so much that we decided to repeat the experience. I would have preferred a different itinerary, with visits to Hubbard and Glacier Bay, so I initially started looking at NCL Jewel (that is the ship which now sails 7-night one-way Vancouver to Seward itinerary). Having done my share of cruising on NCL in the past (with a few trips on Jewel as well), this would have been an easy decision - however, the rest of the family refused to even consider that option. In the end, we are doing Alaska on DCL again this summer.

If you don't have any family members spoiled by DCL, just go and see Alaska on another cruise line. It's amazing.
You mention being "spoiled by DCL." Would you mind elaborating on this? We've only sailed on DCL and recognize that its more expensive. We love it but I've always wondered if it was any "better." I mean the pictures of NCL are pretty. Any insight you can offer would be appreciated. :)
 
I'll be able to tell you more after our cruise which is in 6 days!! I think it may somewhat depend what you like and if you are used to mountains, etc. I live in flat IL so I am extremely excited for all of the mountain scenery, whale watching, etc and can't wait to sit on my verandah and absorb it all in!!!
 
The excursions are what make Alaska interesting. I wasn't wowed by the scenery. I didn't find it near as pretty as the pacific northwest, Wyoming or Montana. It's actually kind of barren. That being said I'd rather go to Alaska then the Caribbean.
 
We are sailing up to one of the glaciers right now.
upload_2019-5-21_7-55-51.jpeg

This stuff has been the view this past week. Yea, it might not be for everyone but it has been nice to see the different peaks, snow fields, glaciers, waterfalls, etc. You don’t even have to go to one location, the scenery just keeps coming.

We have done the Norway fjords/Iceland in the past and this is just different. We have seen more wildlife right from the ship than any other sailing. The excursion options are quite varied and can be exciting. I literally did a flip while zip lining over a small waterfall yesterday. An Alaskan cruise is what you make of it but it likely will be as much or more fun than any other cruise.

As a side note we are doing the 11 night sailing on Ovation with Royal Caribbean over DCL for this sailing.
 
We are sailing up to one of the glaciers right now.
View attachment 402093

This stuff has been the view this past week. Yea, it might not be for everyone but it has been nice to see the different peaks, snow fields, glaciers, waterfalls, etc. You don’t even have to go to one location, the scenery just keeps coming.

We have done the Norway fjords/Iceland in the past and this is just different. We have seen more wildlife right from the ship than any other sailing. The excursion options are quite varied and can be exciting. I literally did a flip while zip lining over a small waterfall yesterday. An Alaskan cruise is what you make of it but it likely will be as much or more fun than any other cruise.

As a side note we are doing the 11 night sailing on Ovation with Royal Caribbean over DCL for this sailing.
How does the Ovation compare to the Wonder (food, rooms, etc.)? I'd be curious to know your thoughts.
 
Alaska By Glacier.jpg
My short answer is yes, it is that great. My DD (age 15 at the time)picked the itinerary and chose mountains, bears and eagles over beaches, sun and tropics for that cruise. We thought it would be a bucket list trip, but after going, we all want to do it again one day. In fact, my DH says he wants to retire and work up there for cruise season.

My long answer: As other posters have said, it's not necessarily better than tropical cruises, just different. And gorgeous in a different way. You mentioned the scenery becoming like wallpaper... when you're on a tropical cruise, you're looking pretty much at sea the whole time. Sometimes rolling, but really, just sea. On an Alaskan cruise, you're looking at mountains and glaciers, where there are waterfalls and beautiful changing scenery constantly, along with some pretty cool wildlife.

The ports are, to me, more unique than most tropical ports. It's fascinating to see all of the different foliage there and it's really much less developed than most typical ports on tropical cruises.

My DD LOVED that cruise, so I think there is plenty for the teenage contingent to do.
 
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My first Alaska cruise was on the Coral Princess in June 2007 with my husband. I had been planning the cruise + land trip for about 18 months, and couldn't wait to go. It was everything I expected and more!

As soon as I returned home, I wanted to go back the next year, but my husband wasn't interested. So...I went with friends on HAL Veendam in July 2008. I repeated that twice more - each time with different friends (Golden Princess in May 2009 and HAL Amsterdam in August 2011).

My husband and I sailed on Radiance of the Sea's Honolulu to Vancouver repo cruise in May 2017. I wanted to stay on Radiance for the first 2 one-way Alaska cruises, but my husband still wasn't interested in returning to Alaska - even though it was 10 years after his first visit there. So...he flew home from Vancouver and I did the b2b Alaska cruises solo! :D

My point is - if you really don't want to cruise to Alaska, I hope your wife will still go - either with someone else or solo.
 
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).

"....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?......." BINGO!!!

We went to Alaska --- both not overwhelmed :sad2:

p.s. -- bus driver fell asleep during return trip from Emerald Lake to Ketchikan. :scared: Second row passenger jumped up, grabbed wheel. Since I am typing this, we didn't die. :worship:
 
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