Alaska question...we live at the base of the Rocky Mountains...

[colbybug]

So we have an Alaskan cruise booked for the end of July....done several Carribean cruises which we have loved. It's ironic that the beach and water feels like home but I live in Utah where it's cold and snowy. Brrr! So huge mountains and snow are not that mind blowing to me. Will we still be thrilled by the sights in Alaska? The pics I have seen of the terrain on the train in Skagway looks kind of like home... Can anyone who is in the same boat (pun intended! ) share their experience with me? This cruise is costing twice what a Carribean has in the past but we figured we should try this once and it works with our sons school schedule. I talked with one family on our last cruise from Denver and they loved it so that planted the seed for us. Please share positivity...no flames.

Thanks in advance!
Kathy

 

[jdb in AZ]

Not many glaciers in Utah. Or whales either. How many bald eagles have you seen in the wild? Have you ever ridden on a dog sled or flown in a float plane that buzzes over mountain goats then lands on a glacial lake?

 

[dcassetta]

My parents live in the mountains of New Mexico and love Alaska, especially sailing into the glacier regions. There is also wildlife that is not as common in their home area.

 

[jenf22]

We live in Denver (Aurora really) and we were totally wow'ed by Alaska. The ice in the water, the glaciers, the sled dogs, orcas, humpback whales, bears, and even the Skagway train was impressive to us. We loved it all. A friend is cruising Alaska this summer and I'm beyond jealous! I really want to go back!

 

[Tiguron]

My family grew up in northern Canada. We had lots of eagles, bears, deer, etc. Also sled dogs, fly in fishing on float planes, and other things. We didn't have whales or glaciers. I have not been on an Alaska cruise (yet), but my father has. He says it is the best cruise he has every been on.

 

[jdb in AZ]

OP, since you're going the end of July, the salmon will be swimming upstream, climbing the fish ladders at the hatchery in Juneau near the Mendenhall Glacier -- that's definitely not something you'll see in the "lower 48" states.

The port towns in Alaska are picturesque. Sure, they sell lots of fudge and caramel corn and Lladro and trinkets, but we've never seen panhandlers like the ones in Jamaica and other Caribbean towns.

 

[saxmangeoff]

Yes, you will love it. I lived in Pocatello for many years, and the Wasatch Front is nice, but it's got nothing on Alaska.

 

[Disneyteachers]

We are going to Alaska this summer on a DCL cruise. We live in New England so the terrain will be unique, but some things I wouldn't pay to do as an excursion. Bears for example, lumber around our yard regularly -- not going to pay to see bears, even a different kind of bear. We are doing a whale watch in Vancouver because there's a better chance of seeing Orcas which we can't see on a whale watch here (seals for example are cute, but when my daughter surfs in the summer they are sometimes swimming and watching her so I'm not paying for something like that.) So, I think it'll be different and if some excursions are too much like home to be worth it, do something different. For us, we want to see the land, salmon, etc...keeping it simple and hoping it'll wow us!

 

[rwhistler92]

I live in Utah. While Utah is beautiful it is nothing compared to Alaska.
We had an amazing time whale watching and got up close to orcas and whales.
I fell in love and can't wait to go back.

 

[TeaBee]

So we have an Alaskan cruise booked for the end of July....done several Carribean cruises which we have loved. It's ironic that the beach and water feels like home but I live in Utah where it's cold and snowy. Brrr! So huge mountains and snow are not that mind blowing to me. Will we still be thrilled by the sights in Alaska? The pics I have seen of the terrain on the train in Skagway looks kind of like home... Can anyone who is in the same boat (pun intended! ) share their experience with me? This cruise is costing twice what a Carribean has in the past but we figured we should try this once and it works with our sons school schedule. I talked with one family on our last cruise from Denver and they loved it so that planted the seed for us. Please share positivity...no flames.

Thanks in advance!
Kathy

We live in the Pacific Northwest (so very similar terrain) and loved our Alaska cruise. One of my favorite cruise experiences ever was sitting in the sauna (on NCL - the sauna has windows that overlook the water) and seeing an orca with her calf right outside the window. We rented a car in Skagway and drove up into the Yukon and it was some of the most interesting scenery I've ever seen. I also loved the opportunity to see the glaciers.

 

[Jk125]

I grew up in Northern BC and have been to Alaska a few times, not on a cruise just a ferry. I have seen several glaciers heck even hiked on one and honestly i much more prefer the Caribbean.

If you want to see and iceberg put an ice cube in a glass of water, you will get idea.

I am sure many people will disagree me with but like you said you see snow and mountains all the time.

 

[colbybug]

Thanks so much for the replies...I'm feeling better about our decision now. We've been to Jackson Hole/Yellowstone and seen bears and eagles and whales in Hawaii and we recently went to Seattle and everyone was in awe of Mt. Rainer - which, don't get me wrong, was beautiful but the Rockies are better (and in my opinion, more impressive) but it's all relative and perspective, right? I just wanted some reassurance from people who live near the mountains. I've never heard anyone say that an Alaskan cruise disappointed them so I thought we'd be fine but then doubt crept in so thanks for your comments. I think it will be great!

 

[saxmangeoff]

You've no doubt looked at pictures, but here's one of my favorites from Tracy Arm. Literally hours of just watching this sort of scenery float by. Probably my favorite day on the cruise.

Tracy Arm Fjord by Geoff Allen, on Flickr

 

[Naomi Collison]

Our mountains are a bit harsher than the Rockies, with lots of cliffs. You are almost guaranteed to see see Sea Lions, Otters, Whales, Puffins, Porpoises, and Eagles. A little harder to see but not out of the norm will be Bears and Moose. If you are really lucky you will see wolves and Lynx. While you may have seen bears, seeing bears fish for salmon in the running streams is pretty impressive. The area is vast. The community is a bit odd, but if you get beyond the typical "tourist" section, Alaska as a whole has a very small town feel. If you get the chance to go fishing, you can catch Halibut up to 300+ lbs. I highly recommend visiting Alaska at least once by cruise, and once without so you can actually see a small fraction of the rest of the state.

 

[Ofinn]

Thanks so much for the replies...I'm feeling better about our decision now. We've been to Jackson Hole/Yellowstone and seen bears and eagles and whales in Hawaii and we recently went to Seattle and everyone was in awe of Mt. Rainer - which, don't get me wrong, was beautiful but the Rockies are better (and in my opinion, more impressive) but it's all relative and perspective, right? I just wanted some reassurance from people who live near the mountains. I've never heard anyone say that an Alaskan cruise disappointed them so I thought we'd be fine but then doubt crept in so thanks for your comments. I think it will be great!

I get it. We live in a place where 8 out of 10 homes have a pool. Our weather forecasts consists of mostly Sunny, Sunny, Sunnier, Sunniest .....you get the picture. I still love warm weather cruises. I love seeing different beaches and swimming in different oceans. I haven't been to Alaska yet, but I think you'll love it.

 

[jahber]

I get it. We live in a place where 8 out of 10 homes have a pool. Our weather forecasts consists of mostly Sunny, Sunny, Sunnier, Sunniest .....you get the picture. I still love warm weather cruises. I love seeing different beaches and swimming in different oceans. I haven't been to Alaska yet, but I think you'll love it.

I was just about to say the same thing. We live in Florida (always have), but we still love taking cruises down south. There's always something new and beautiful to see. That said, I absolutely LOVED Alaska. I've visited several different mountain ranges, but Alaska is unique--just like all the islands and beaches I visit technically are very similar to Florida, but have their own unique beauty. OP, you're going to love it!

 

[colbybug]

I was just about to say the same thing. We live in Florida (always have), but we still love taking cruises down south. There's always something new and beautiful to see. That said, I absolutely LOVED Alaska. I've visited several different mountain ranges, but Alaska is unique--just like all the islands and beaches I visit technically are very similar to Florida, but have their own unique beauty. OP, you're going to love it!

Your comment made me grin because for me, Florida is heaven on earth! On a cruise several years ago, our tablemates were from Merritt Island (just by Port Canaveral) and we became fast friends. They have picked us up from the Orlando airport several times since and we stay at their place for a day or so pre or post cruise. The ironic thing is that being at their home is like being on vacation...I would pay to stay there!! And they get to live there every day!!! (And they dream of visiting Jackson and Yellowstone because they want to see the mountains and the snow, funny huh?) The blue water, waves, palm trees and tropical-ness, just speaks to my soul. It's ironic too because i definitely don't have a beach body either but I am so drawn to the beach. We are hoping to retire in Florida some day... (it would be awesome to have access to THREE cruise ports and not have to spend a day flying or paying for several flights!)

 

[jahber]

Your comment made me grin because for me, Florida is heaven on earth! On a cruise several years ago, our tablemates were from Merritt Island (just by Port Canaveral) and we became fast friends. They have picked us up from the Orlando airport several times since and we stay at their place for a day or so pre or post cruise. The ironic thing is that being at their home is like being on vacation...I would pay to stay there!! And they get to live there every day!!! (And they dream of visiting Jackson and Yellowstone because they want to see the mountains and the snow, funny huh?) The blue water, waves, palm trees and tropical-ness, just speaks to my soul. It's ironic too because i definitely don't have a beach body either but I am so drawn to the beach. We are hoping to retire in Florida some day... (it would be awesome to have access to THREE cruise ports and not have to spend a day flying or paying for several flights!)

It's definitely convenient. We live 45 minutes from port Canaveral right off of 528...so we think about cruising all the time . And my brother lives 5 minutes from the port, so we usually park our van there. But it's so true, we love love love visiting the mountains. North Carolina, Montana, Colorado...and then we come back to boring old flat Florida. It's the best of both worlds, though, because it's so darn easy to live in Florida. But when we want snow or something different, we can visit those too.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

We live right at the foothills in the Denver area. We are in the mountains a lot. Colorado has such beauty but it doesn't even compare to Alaska. I actually had that conversation with a salesperson in a store in Alaska. She was surprised we even had an interest because we live where we do.

 

[wl1117]

Thanks so much for the replies...I'm feeling better about our decision now. We've been to Jackson Hole/Yellowstone and seen bears and eagles and whales in Hawaii and we recently went to Seattle and everyone was in awe of Mt. Rainer - which, don't get me wrong, was beautiful but the Rockies are better (and in my opinion, more impressive) but it's all relative and perspective, right? I just wanted some reassurance from people who live near the mountains. I've never heard anyone say that an Alaskan cruise disappointed them so I thought we'd be fine but then doubt crept in so thanks for your comments. I think it will be great!

We live in Jackson, WY and are headed on our 1st Alaskan cruise in August. Even though we live in the mountains (and hubby grew up in Alberta), we are looking forward to this cruise a lot. We cannot get enough of spectacular scenery and BONUS, we already own plenty of layers.