Alaska Recommendations

[doubleosix]

I am looking for some recommendations as to which itinerary I should choose for an Alaskan cruise.

Are there any ports of call / excursions that you have experienced that you like more than others?

Have you been more than once? Is there something you always look forward to or particular highlight that should not be missed?

This will be our first trip to Alaska and on a non Disney cruise.
Thank you

 

[CynBeth]

We went with Royal Caribbean on an Alaskan cruise a number of years ago and loved it. We did a 7 day cruise and 3 day land tour out of Vancouver through the inside passage to Seward. We flew to Vancouver a day early to have time to sightsee. On the cruise we visited Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Icy Straight Point. I believe in Juneau we saw the Mendenhall Glacier and some gardens. In Ketchikan we did the lumberjack show and went somewhere there were totem poles. Might have been one other thing. At Skagway did the train but can’t recall if there was anything else. For ISP did whale watching. For the land portion we spent a little time in Anchorage before heading to the Denali area. We got a choice of an excursion for the night and stayed in a hotel there. We chose where you saw a sled dog exhibition and a talk by a former Iditarod champion. Got to hold puppies as we first got off the bus. We went around Memorial Day so only part of Denali National Park was open and the next day toured there before taking the train that had a domed roof to Fairbanks. I only remember a riverboat and panning for gold but know there was more we did.

 

[doubleosix]

Sounds like a beautiful trip I’ve been looking through the excursion listings so I suppose I could choose based on which ones are most interesting. Thank you for taking the time to share your adventure.

 

[OKW Lover]

We've sailed to Alaska from Seattle twice on Royal. Enjoyed both trips. I don't think you can go wrong whichever itinerary you pick as the stops in Alaska are just so beautiful. We especially enjoyed the White Pass & Yukon Railway excursion in Skagway.

 

[doubleosix]

We've sailed to Alaska from Seattle twice on Royal. Enjoyed both trips. I don't think you can go wrong whichever itinerary you pick as the stops in Alaska are just so beautiful. We especially enjoyed the White Pass & Yukon Railway excursion in Skagway.

I’m so glad to hear that!! I wasn’t sure about the itinerary and stops but this helps a lot! Thank you both for your input.

I booked the NCL Encore 7 day -
Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan & Victoria for ports of call.

 

[sethschroeder]

I booked the NCL Encore 7 day -
Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan & Victoria for ports of call.

Juneau - if you are in to hiking you can hike up to the tram stop on the mountain and then ride the tram down)
Skagway - they have the train there which is the "must do"
Ketchikan - is hit or miss, has lots of shops, has totems, and has the crabfeast/lumber jack show
Victoria - Not sure

We were on the Encore this year and it was a great ship but we were in the Haven so I can't really speak for a standard cruise. The observation area with glass windows is fairly big though.

Glacier Bay I think you really "need" to be out on the ship deck. So dress in a bunch of layers as we were up there from like 8am to 12pm the whole time we were in Glacier. Caving just is so much better outside since you hear it.

 

[Carolynleanne]

If you're going to Victoria, the Royal BC Museum is fantastic. We love it. Bug Zoo is fun for kids. People seem to love Miniature World but I think it's a waste of money. Whale Watching on a zodiac is a lot of fun!