Alaskan Cruise

[tink20]

Has any of you guys did an Alaskan cruise? I am planning a trip for 5 adults, 1 teenager and 3 children HELP.
I was looking at Royal Carribean (can't do Disney)
We will be flying out of Mobile, AL (a first for us), I just think the more knowledge I have, it will be less stressful.

Do the cruise ships have airport shuttles? I was thinking of flying out the day before the cruise departs (it departs at 4pm) and maybe going to the Space Needle.

For the onshore excursions: I was looking at the train ride in Juneau, Alaska and some garden tour in British Columbia (do we need passports?)

I don't know anything about flying (the do's an don'ts) I am planning this for my parents and I want to have everything covered.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. TIA

 

[C.Ann]

No advice, but I wanted to tell you that I know of two different couples that took Alaskan cruises and they absolutely loved it!! And the photos they brought back were gorgeous..

Hope you get the help you need and have a wonderful trip..

 

[Wishing on a star]

Are you really set on taking a round trip out of Seattle.
Would you be considering transferring to Vancouver? This would open up a lot of options.

Many agree that the best itineraries are the one-way cruises. Because, going halfway up the inside passage and then turning around really limits what you will be able to see/experience.

Blasphemy here, I know... but the Disney itinerary is just not good... and i am assuming is high priced.

If we are able to cruise Alaska anytime in the near future, I want to do the Princess cruise, southbound from Anchorage to Vancouver, because you get to cruise both Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay. Along with Juneau, Skagway, and Kechikan, of course.

HAL (Holland America) I believe also has a few good itineraries.
But, personally, I don't think that they are the cruise line for me.
They are known for a much older demographic in the passengers onboard.

If you are not already researching on cruisecritic.com, you need to check that out ASAP!

You can find out a lot on their cruise boards. (one for each cruise line, and a board for 'Alaska'.)

I have also done searches on TripAdvisor, and general searches for photos and video that will bring up pictures and video from places like webshots and youtube.

We have next years vacation planned (at the beach) and we truly cannot afford Alaska right now... I am really hoping for 2012!!!!

 

[C.Ann]

Forgot to mention that neither couple did Disney..

 

[scdak]

I have been on 2 Alaskan cruises and 18 Caribbean ones....and I would love to go to Alaska for every cruise! The scenery is unbelievable......this coming from a person that doesn't ohhh and ahhh about scenery. Every port is different from each other, its seems like the Caribbean ones just start blending together to me now, they all seem the same.

I can't answer your specific questions as I always travel with Carnival but going the day before the cruise is great, I have stayed in Seattle and toured the area the day I flew there before being bussed to Vancouver to board the ship and also stayed in Vancouver for 2 days before the 2nd cruise. I know that alot of cruise lines are going directly out of Seattle now and I would love to go there again. I am not sure where you are coming from but if time changes are involved plus with possible delays flying, I would opt for going a day early if at all possible, it cuts down on traveling stress.

Feel free to PM me and I can try to give you some answers to your many questions, and others that you will think of, trust me, its not a small undertaking to plan an Alaskan cruise but it is SO worth it!

 

[Wishing on a star]

PS: Yes, I believe you will need passports... I wouldn't want to leave land here in the domestic US without one.

I know that there are wonderful exursions that go all the way into the Canadian Yukon.. and there is a border checkpoint. I am not sure if other good 'documentation' would suffice for Canada. But, I would suggest you go ahead and plan on getting passports. My guess is that the cruise line might require them.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

We LOVED our Alaska cruise on Holland America. I honestly feel that if you go up there you might just as well add the land tour as well. We flew into Fairbanks. There for a couple of days. At that point Holland America's tour started. We took a train to Denali and spent the night in Denali at the Holland America McKinley Chalet. You can't go to Alaska and not see that Natl Park. We live in Colorado and it's mtns are beautiful here no doubt but Alaska is so different. The colors in the Park is just unbelievable. We were even able to see Mt McKinley on a tour that took us 8 hours through the Park. We then boarded the train to Anchorage the next day. Loved the views. Stayed the night in Anchorage Hilton and the next day we took a bus to Seward. That bus ride was beautiful. We boarded the ship in Seward. Went to College Fjord, Glacier, Haynes, Juneau and Ketchican. Disembarked in Vancouver. We saw so much and without the land tour that Holland America has, it wouldn't have been as spectacular. I can't believe how many people they shuffle with these tours without a glitch. If you watch their websites, they have 50% off sales and that is how we did it.

 

[bumbershoot]

Since you'll be stopping in Canada, I do think you'll need the passport.

We went on Radiance from BC, a 7 day roundtrip cruise. Very lovely!

Only booked one official excursion, tea at Jewell Gardens in Skagway. The rest of the time we just wandered around town or took a tourist bus for MUCH cheaper than being charged by the cruiseship, or, frankly, lost interest and went back to the ship (that was in Ketchikan).

No matter where you leave from, definitely get there a day early, to make sure any normal delays don't prevent you from getting on the ship.

 

[wvdisluv2]

We did the Carnival Southbound Cruise in Aug. 2009 and we absolutely LOVED it

We flew into Anchorage and took a cruise shuttle to Whittier~some of our best pictures were taken from the bus on that journey

We took the most amazing pictures at the College Fjords~the glaciers were simply stunning.

My husband did a raft trip in Sitka and he loved it.

We took a Jeep excursion in Skagway that took us to the Yukon in Canada and we had to have passports. Beautiful views and we enjoyed it. We wanted to take the White Pass train tour but didn't get a chance
The town was really unique/fun! The Red Onion Brothel was really fun

If anyone is a beer drinker, the Alaskan Summer Ale is a wonderful brew

We would recommend a Whale Watching Tour in Juneau~we used an outside vendor and they were much more economical. We did make sure we had plenty of time to get back to the ship though. We really loved the shops/atmosphere of this town~lots of shopping and photo ops. Be sure to visit the Red Dog Saloon~hilarious!

It was pouring the rain while we were docked in Ketchikan so we didn't venture far Saw Santa at the Christmas Store and wished we'd have gone further into town. I think we'll have to go back to check this out further

This was our first cruise and we really enjoyed Carnival. We went with my parents, my sis/brother-in-law, and 7 other couples. Pretty sure we will be going back

Please feel free to pm me with any questions or if you'd like to see photos~we were glad we took the "good camera"

 

[cybrkitn]

DH and I went in June/July of 2001 with the Couple's Club from our church on RCL's Vision of the Seas and loved it. We went out of Vancouver, CAN, so we definately needed the passports. The ship did the inside passage from Vancouver, CAN up to Hubbard's Glacier and back.

On July 4th in Skagway, I needed a somewhat heavy jacket as it was very windy and that day (and yes, I felt just like that Smiley, lol). We did the White Pass Scenic Railway and loved it. The smell of the pine trees and the crisp, clean air was so refreshing. I just wasn't used to seeing snow on the 4th of July.

We weren't financially able to do many of the shore excursions that we wanted to and stuck to the very inexpensive ones. But we still have a wonderful time.

 

[antmaril]

My friends and I took an Alaskan Cruise roundtrip out of Seattle on Holland America in August, 2009. We LOVED it! Spent two nights in Seattle prior to the cruise and one night after. Seattle is a great city.

We enjoyed our cruise on Holland America very much, but it is definitely an older crowd. I am 59, my friend is 75 and her daughter is 53. The older demographic was fine for us, but it might not be for everyone.

Our itinerary was Juneau, Glacier Bay (spectacular), Sitka (loved it), Ketchikan and Victoria, British Columbia. Service on HAL is fantastic. Food was excellent and we loved everything about it. I don't know what else to say about Alaska other than it is spectacular. I would take that cruise again in a heartbeat.

We did need our passports.

Good luck with your planning.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Be sure to check the prices and schedules for Princess. The are known to basically "own" the Alaskan cruise market and have more ships going there than any other company. They travel out of Seattle, Vancouver and San Francisco and have various itineraries. I would also suggest going to Cruisecritic.com and checking out their boards. You will find tons of information and recommendations there.

 

[tvguy]

Be sure to check the prices and schedules for Princess. The are known to basically "own" the Alaskan cruise market and have more ships going there than any other company. They travel out of Seattle, Vancouver and San Francisco and have various itineraries. I would also suggest going to Cruisecritic.com and checking out their boards. You will find tons of information and recommendations there.

Actually Holland America owns Alaska when it comes to cruising. Been cruising there longer than anyone, have the best permits. More isn't always better.

 

[antmaril]

Actually Holland America owns Alaska when it comes to cruising. Been cruising there longer than anyone, have the best permits. More isn't always better.

This is my understanding, as well.

 

[rie'smom]

Celebrity Infinity is what my dad recommends. He and mom have been on several Alaskan cruises on different ships. The thing he really likes is that the Infinity leaves from Seattle( also from Vancouver). Dad says it's easier. He and mom are in their early-mid 70s so easy is good. Mom went on about how beautiful the ship was too.

 

[tink20]

OP -HERE, thanks for all the help. I didn't even know some of these cruises exist. OMG, I found a cruise/tour for one of the Princess cruises. I would LOVE this one, but it is like $1,700 a person. Then we would have airfare on top of that, it is just too much. My parents are paying for the trip. It sounds so perfect. Maybe I'll will have to save, and do that one later. I want to save and go summer of 2012, but my mom is insisting going this summer and said its their treat. (we will pay something, whatever I can come up with).

It looks like the only one that will fit our price and time (DH's vacation time) is the Royal Carribean one. It is a little less than the others, or maybe I can find some wonderful discount somewhere! I wonder how far in advance I need to book, to be sure we get what we want, or do you get better prices closer to the trip date?

 

[rie'smom]

OP -HERE, thanks for all the help. I didn't even know some of these cruises exist. OMG, I found a cruise/tour for one of the Princess cruises. I would LOVE this one, but it is like $1,700 a person. Then we would have airfare on top of that, it is just too much. My parents are paying for the trip. It sounds so perfect. Maybe I'll will have to save, and do that one later. I want to save and go summer of 2012, but my mom is insisting going this summer and said its their treat. (we will pay something, whatever I can come up with).

It looks like the only one that will fit our price and time (DH's vacation time) is the Royal Carribean one. It is a little less than the others, or maybe I can find some wonderful discount somewhere! I wonder how far in advance I need to book, to be sure we get what we want, or do you get better prices closer to the trip date?

This site has great prices:
http://www.vacationstogo.com/?source=google&npm=c

You have to sign up for it but the prices make it worth the emails.

 

[Meriweather]

I've done 2 Alaska cruises.
First was in June 2005 with Holland out of Seattle....loved it. We stopped in Juneau, Sitka, Ketcikan and Victoria......Glacier Bay was the highlight. Spent the whole day up top enjoying the wonderful view.

Second was Sept. 2009 with Royal Caribbean, also leaving from Seattle. It was fun, but didn't compare to Holland. I think Glacier Bay was the difference.
We stopped in Juneau, Ketchican, Skagway and Port Rupert. It was a rainy season but we still had fun.

Alaska is beautiful.
We loved departing from Seattle because at that time we lived in the area....so nice not to have to deal with planes and suitcase restrictions.

 

[Wishing on a star]

It looks like the only one that will fit our price and time (DH's vacation time) is the Royal Carribean one. It is a little less than the others, or maybe I can find some wonderful discount somewhere! I wonder how far in advance I need to book, to be sure we get what we want, or do you get better prices closer to the trip date?

Okay, I would book as soon as you know that everyone is sure which cruise you will take.... If there are price-drops, I think most cruise lines will adjust your fare, up until the 'final payment date'.... (I know Princess will do this)

I know that on Princess there are different cabins/categories that are more desired.
For instance, we knew we wanted we wanted to be on Caribe Deck, as they have much larger balconies that are half-covered, have open to the sun.
Also, if you need cabins that sleep 3 or 4... want to have several cabins all together...
I am assuming that you all will want to dine together every evening in the set traditional early or late seating...
You will have no problem getting all of these little things that you want if you book earlier.

You can sometimes find discounted fares thru a travel agency.
There are some big online cruise agencies.
But, remember, if you book thru an agency, you can't then call the cruise line directly... Everything must be handled thru your agent. (including any possible price-drops)

I'm just so curious now!!!
What sites are covered on the RCCL cruise????
Which itinerary are you looking at???
Radiance is supposed to be a very nice ship!

PS: Yes, I believe that most cruise lines will offer transfers to the cruise terminal...

 

[Simba's Mom]

Has any of you guys did an Alaskan cruise? I am planning a trip for 5 adults, 1 teenager and 3 children HELP.
I was looking at Royal Carribean (can't do Disney)
We will be flying out of Mobile, AL (a first for us), I just think the more knowledge I have, it will be less stressful.

Do the cruise ships have airport shuttles? I was thinking of flying out the day before the cruise departs (it departs at 4pm) and maybe going to the Space Needle.

For the onshore excursions: I was looking at the train ride in Juneau, Alaska and some garden tour in British Columbia (do we need passports?)

I don't know anything about flying (the do's an don'ts) I am planning this for my parents and I want to have everything covered.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. TIA

You didn't say if you might be considering Princess, but if so, I may be able to find out some answers (although Princess has several ships that cruise to Alaska and I only know details of one). DS is a musician on one of the Princess ships and will be spending his third season cruising the Alaskan waters in 2011.