Alaskan Cruise

[antmaril]

I want to encourage you to consider inside cabins when planning your Alaskan cruise. People will tell you that you MUST have a balcony on a cruise to Alaska in order to really enjoy it. Not true. When I cruised with my friends (mentioned in an earlier post), they shared a cabin and I was alone in my cabin. Because it was just me, I had to pay the single supplement. Therefore, the cost of my cabin was approximately 160%. Verandah cabins on Holland America are pricey and the only way I could afford the cruise was to book an inside cabin. It was fine. The cabin was spacious and I was on the Promenade Deck which meant that I could be outside on the rails in less than a minute.

If booking an inside cabin is the only way you can afford the trip, do it! You won't regret it.

 

[TLuvsD]

We've done two Alaska cruises, loved it. We sailed with Holland America (even the second time with our then 7 year old--she had a blast). I've sailed with Royal Caribbean, too, great line.
Do your research at cruisecritic.com for shore excursions, you can save a LOT of money. I book with the ship when it's a long distance from the ship, but if it's fairly local I book the shore excursions directly. I saved a lot of money this way on our recent trip (I didn't know I could do this until recently--love cruisecritic!). Be sure and pack clothes that can be layered. It can be warm, it can be cold, it can rain. Layers make all of this comfortable. Extra socks help, too. And those inexpensive, stretchy gloves from the $1 bin at Target.
Have a great trip!

 

[tink20]

This is the one I am looking at right now.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/finda...Senior=&hasMilitary=&hasFireandPolice=&state=

Like I said, price and timing play into it. If I could, I would pick the Princess one, I liked it the best. Holland seems great, but I wouldn't want to go on it with the kids (5, 7, 8 ) I would think others chose that cruise to "not" be around kids, and I wouldn't want ours ruining the mood LOL. DH vacation might be June 4- 13.(it has not been approved yet) But I talked to my sister last night, and we have a big problem now. She can't go at that time. She is a teacher, and I was just assuming her whole summer was free, but she has something (some kind of job) that exact time So, I don't know what to do now. Only option is we all go, and DH doesn't (I don't think he would like that option) or my family goes and sis and her 2 kids don't (DS wouldn't like that) I ask DH if he could put in for a different vacay request, but that is not a very easy thing to do (he is a firefighter)

So I don't know. I want to postpone until 2012, but my mom was diagnosed with Parkinsons, and it has really scared her. She doesn't want to wait to do anything, she wants to do things asap. She is afraid she won't be able to do these trips in a few years.

Our only hope, is DH doesn't get his time requested, and he gets something in July. Plannig these extended family trips are so difficult.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Thanks for the further info!

Okay, I know you will pick a cruise by lots of criteria... Trying to pick one that is best for your family. But, in all seriousness, just trying to be helpful, Glacier Bay really seems to be a 'must'. (see the earlier post, where one posted mentioned how one of their cruises seemed better than the other.. and Glacier Bay seems to be the kicker.

It might be worth it to double check and see if you can find any other round trip itineraries from Seattle or Vancouver (just a one hour transfer from Seattle airport) that includes Glacier Bay.

 

[tink20]

Thanks for the further info!

Okay, I know you will pick a cruise by lots of criteria... Trying to pick one that is best for your family. But, in all seriousness, just trying to be helpful, Glacier Bay really seems to be a 'must'. (see the earlier post, where one posted mentioned how one of their cruises seemed better than the other.. and Glacier Bay seems to be the kicker.

It might be worth it to double check and see if you can find any other round trip itineraries from Seattle or Vancouver (just a one hour transfer from Seattle airport) that includes Glacier Bay.

Thank you, I will definitly go back and look, and make sure I find one with Glacier Bay. I don't want us to travel that far, and spend all that money, and not get the best trip possible. That's why I really would want to do the Princess land tour/cruise trip, its just seems awesome.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Happy Planning!!!!

I am not sure about all cruise lines, but I think that they do pay a premium for access to Glacier Bay.... From the cruises I have looked at, just the fact that Glacier Bay is on the itinerary seems to mean an increase in price..... (plus, I think they know that cruisers will pay more for that.)

It sounds like you are on the right track!
I remember how daunting it was the first time I started looking into Alaska cruises.

Your Alaskan Cruise with your family sounds like it will be just wonderful!

 

[Starbrite]

This is the one I am looking at right now.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/finda...Senior=&hasMilitary=&hasFireandPolice=&state=

I was on this exact same intinerary this past August. Except ours was on the Carnival Spirit. We had a big group, including my kids 8 & 13. I think it's a great starter cruise for Alaska. It was enough to give me a good feel for it & yet enough to make me want to go back and get the full Glacier Bay experience.

My advice....if you think this is the only time in your life you will ever cruise Alaska, you need to do the one-way Glacier Bay route. I dream of it now, can't wait to get there. If you think you might get back someday, go for this one. It's a great cruise, and perfect for the whole family.


I can tell you that I paid much less than that price, however August is really the "end of season" so we were one of the last cruises. I also booked ours more than 18 months in advance - so we got a great bargain on it!

We spent 2 days in Seattle. Got the Grand Hyatt on priceline for something like $78. It was a perfect location - we walked & rode the tram everywhere. We went to Pikes Market, walked around the city, walked the Waterfront, the Space Needle (I suggest getting the day & night pass so you can see both views), and we spent hours at the International Fountain.

Since there were so many of us, we split up on our excursions. Juneau - Whale Watching & Mendenhall Glacier; Skagway - I just walked town but the train was a big hit with the rest of the family; Ketchikan - walked town & Creek Street; Victoria - we went to the Buchart Gardens. We also took the special Tracy Arm excursion where you get on a little boat & they take you up close to the Sawyer Glaciers....worth every penny, I highly recommend this!!!!

Let me know if you have any specific questions!!

 

[arminnie]

I just did an Alaskan cruise in September. I thought it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen (and I've traveled a lot).

A friend planned all of it. There were 8 of us all together. We did Carnival since it was the most reasonable. Honestly I was not that impressed with the cruise services/food - but it was a beautiful ship and everything was immaculate. We were there to see the scenery not for gourmet meals.

The food was not bad, nor was the service - but not great either. It was okay. But I'd rather go on this cheap trip and see the beautiful scenery than not go at all. We had a balcony but rarely used it. We were out and about looking at the scenery from on deck.

I also loved the half day train trip we took. I think a lot of the excursions are pretty expensive and weren't that worth it to me. But it might be for you. I'm not a huge salmon fan so a salmon bake that was expensive was easy for me to skip.

I am not an experienced cruiser at all. So my opinions may not be worth that much. But I do know that wow is it beautiful there!

 

[Syrreal]

We did an Alaskan cruise a few years back with the ILs. It was AWESOME!!
We flew into Anchorage and stayed there a few days before taking a train down to Seward where we stayed two days before we caught the Celebrity ship. I think it was the Summit. In Seward, DH and I booked a kayaking tour to a glacier in the Kenai Fjord Natl Park. That was just all kinds of amazing. We even had lunch on a little beach next to the glacier. On our way back from the glacier we saw Finn whales (2nd largest in the world), sea lions, puffins, and all kinds of other creatures. Seward also had an excellent fish & chips shops that we ate at quite a few times.
Once we boarded the ship, we hit (not in this order, but right now I can't remember the exact itinerary) Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and two other ports that escape me right now. We also saw that huge popular glacier (Hubbard?). We de-shipped in Vancouver, BC and spent a couple of days there before flying back. (We did need our passports)
We did have a cabin with a balcony and there was not one time that we were outside when we didn't see a whale.
The food was very good and the service on teh cruise was excellent. They were also great at meeting any special requests. For example, DFIL is a total meat and potatoes type guy and the only appetizer he ever ate on the ship was shrimp cocktail (which was only on the actual menu on one day), by the end of the trip, our entire section of tables was eating shrimp cocktails every night! They also made DH an etire plain cheesecake, just for him.
Do you remember the old commercials for Celebrity where all these people are dissatisfied with their normal lives after going on a Celebrity cruise? We all totally felt that way!!!

 

[JLTraveling]

You're going to love Alaska! But I cannot stress this enough: If you are traveling all that way and spending all that money--spend some actual time IN Alaska!! You don't need to sign up for the expensive Cruisetour--it's way cheaper and just as fun to go it alone!

We did the Celebrity Millennium northbound last summer, Vancouver to Seward. This was our itinerary. We flew to Seattle and spent the night (if you can swing two nights, do it, it's a fabulous city!). Next morning we hopped an Amtrak train to Vancouver. We did need passports, but border crossing on the train couldn't have been simpler. Arrived in plenty of time to board the ship.

In Skagway, we took a free historic walking tour from the National Park Service and saw the "Days of '98 Show with Soapy Smith." In Juneau, we did a bus tour that included Mendenhall Glacier (nice flat walkway to Photo Point, very close to the glacier). We also stopped in Icy Strait Point, which is a tourist spot with beautiful easy hiking trails, a rocky beach where we stuck our hands in the freezing water, and a nice fishing museum. The best was Ketchikan though. Have you seen Deadliest Catch? There's a Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour on the Aleutian Ballad, the boat that took a rogue wave on camera in Season 2. All the tour guides are former Bering Sea crab fishermen, and they show you all the equipment and tell stories of their adventures. We also cruised past the Hubbard Glacier.

Is anybody in your group a veteran? We got a fantastic military rate last year, good for anyone with 2 years service and an honorable discharge. We paid just $299 per person for an inside cabin! I agree with the poster above who said you really don't need more than that. We were only in the room to sleep and shower, otherwise we were out on deck. Celebrity's a wonderful line for all ages...we usually prefer Carnival, but this was just slightly upgraded without being snooty or boring.

When the ship docked in Seward, most people immediately hopped a train for Anchorage and flew home the same day! We stayed in Seward for over a week, then spent two more weeks in Anchorage. We meant to get further into interior Alaska, but we were having too much fun where we were. We're driving back with our RV next summer though, so we knew it wasn't a once in a lifetime trip.

Even if you can only squeeze out a few days, do it. The Seward to Anchorage train is one of the most scenic in the world, and interior Alaska is so different from the port towns.

The single best piece of advice I can give you: Buy the Great Alaskan TourSaver. It's $100 by mail order (also sold a couple of places in Alaska) and it saved us literally thousands. The book's full of 2 for 1 deals on everything from train tours to hotels to RV rentals to tourist attractions. Just plan on one for every two people in your group, because the coupon has to be attached to the book when you present it--so you can't tear out two coupons and give them to different parties that are splitting off. Seriously worthwhile though.

Here's the first in an article series I wrote about our cruise--hope you find something worthwhile in there!

 

[crjack]

OP, our family (Me, DH and two teens) did our first Alaskan cruise last summer and I did a lot of planning. We chose NCL Pearl for several reasons and # 1 was the itinerary included Glacier Bay. # 2 was great pricing, # 3 was the option for anytime, casual dining and finally it was filled with other families.

On cruise critic website be sure to check out the NCL boards too to give yourself a fair comparison.

We did r/t out of Seattle for 7 days and while I would have loved to have done a one way itinerary the cost for flights back is huge. Flying into Seattle from Boston we had flight options of Delta, Jet Blue, etc. Doing a one way gave us very few flight options and the cost was huge!! Perhaps if we lived on the West Coast but for us it was a great first cruise and taste of Alaska. We know we will go back.

We stopped in all the same ports as Princess & Holland America and the Pearl is a very new ship with lots of activities for families and children.

Also, with a more casual dress code, we could pack a little less which is a factor for families, particularly with the size of any cabin. Alaska's summer weather really varies so you'll need to bring a fair amount already.....decide if more formal attire is really right for you.

You will need a passport so plan for that but it really doesnt take long to get them.

Every cruise line has it's fans but we really weren't locked into any particular line. I'm glad we chose NCL and our day at Glacier Bay was the highlight of our cruise.

Enjoy.

 

[tink20]

Thank you, thank you! You guys are great! All this advice is wonderful. That is why I love the DIS, so many nice helpful people. I appreciate you guys taking time to tell me your stories. I have learned sooooooo much these past two days.

 

[TLuvsD]

Any chance your DH can plead extreme circumstances and change his request? With your mom's situation it seems like that might be possible. Completely understandable that you don't want your private information spread around, but this is a special situation......
Whenever you go you will have a great time!

 

[joviroxx]

We did the NCL Pearl and loved every minute of it. We did book a balcony and was so glad I did. There was nothing like walking out with your morning coffee and seeing the Eagles flying above!

A couple of things: When you go will make a difference to what you can see. End of May/Early June tends to be cheaper (which is when we went). We were able to do the snow dog sledding then. Going later, there is not enough snow.
But, going this early, you will miss out on more bear activity and the salmon running. Salmon doesnt start running til July. But July/August also might have more rain.

I also recommend an itinerary with Glacier Bay if you can make it. We didnt do any ship sponsored tours, we booked all our own. In Juneau we did Whale Watching with a private outfit as was so glad we did. It was cheaper and much more personal and intimate. There were only 6 of us compared with the Ship tour boats that looked packed.

In Skagway we did the helicopter/dog sled , which was expensive, but amazing. We also opted to rent a car (there is an Avis there) and drove up the highway through Yukon instead of taking the train. Drove up to Emerald Lake. It was the most amazing drive and we were able to stop when we wanted to and enjoy it at our leisure.

Alaska is amazing and Im still trying to get back. Next time I want to fly and rent a car and really explore the interior and all it has to offer. Before taking a land tour, really do some research and see about doing it on your own. I don't like the speed, hustle and bustle of the Ship sponsored landtours but I know others prefer it. I just like to do things ourselves without the limitations that the landtours might have.

 

[tink20]

Any chance your DH can plead extreme circumstances and change his request? With your mom's situation it seems like that might be possible. Completely understandable that you don't want your private information spread around, but this is a special situation......
Whenever you go you will have a great time!

I asked him if he could put in a different request. He can't request the last two weeks in June, because his Captain is going to be off, and he will be acting (as captain). Then I ask about July, he said it is extremely hard to get off in July. (He has only been a driver for two years, so there are lots of guys ahead of him, that would get what they wanted first) So, I don't know. I did mention to him about just me, my sis and the kids going, and he really wants to go (once is a lifetime thing) but if it came down to it, he would do it for my mom. I told him, she is the one dead set on going. My sister and I haven't told her, yet about the vacay problem. I want to go, but if they went with just my sister that would be okay with me too, I just want them to get to go, but they difinitely need someone to go with them. I guess it will all work out the way its meant to.

 

[crjack]

We did the NCL Pearl and loved every minute of it. We did book a balcony and was so glad I did. There was nothing like walking out with your morning coffee and seeing the Eagles flying above!

A couple of things: When you go will make a difference to what you can see. End of May/Early June tends to be cheaper (which is when we went). We were able to do the snow dog sledding then. Going later, there is not enough snow.
But, going this early, you will miss out on more bear activity and the salmon running. Salmon doesnt start running til July. But July/August also might have more rain.

I also recommend an itinerary with Glacier Bay if you can make it. We didnt do any ship sponsored tours, we booked all our own. In Juneau we did Whale Watching with a private outfit as was so glad we did. It was cheaper and much more personal and intimate. There were only 6 of us compared with the Ship tour boats that looked packed.

In Skagway we did the helicopter/dog sled , which was expensive, but amazing. We also opted to rent a car (there is an Avis there) and drove up the highway through Yukon instead of taking the train. Drove up to Emerald Lake. It was the most amazing drive and we were able to stop when we wanted to and enjoy it at our leisure.

Alaska is amazing and Im still trying to get back. Next time I want to fly and rent a car and really explore the interior and all it has to offer. Before taking a land tour, really do some research and see about doing it on your own. I don't like the speed, hustle and bustle of the Ship sponsored landtours but I know others prefer it. I just like to do things ourselves without the limitations that the landtours might have.

Sounds like we had very similar trips! We also did our own excursions and did a whale watch in Juneau with Harv & Marv's....absolutely loved it! Fabulous to work with and a wonderful experience.

We also rented a car in Skagway and drove to Emerald Lake.

OP, cruise critic will give you a great deal of info on every aspect of your cruise.

Our TA found some great deals with NCL and we ended up with some large on-board credits that covered our service charges.

The Pearl had lots of families and activities that we really enjoyed when we were on the ship. (Bowling, wonderful shows, arcade,)

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Someone earlier mentioned that if you can't afford a balcony on a cruise to Alaska, don't worry about it. I agree. IMHO, the best place to view the glaciers is right up front. You get the whole spectacular full view. On a balcony, your vision is limited. An oceanview is nice because you can still look out. An inside room, you still have a short access to a viewing deck. We had an oceanview on our HAL Alaskan cruise. It was a 12 day cruise/land tour. We paid 1100.00 per person this past Aug including all transfers (train & bus), lodging on land, insurance and an extra day in Fairbanks.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Hey Tink....

I just went to Travelocity and pulled up Alaska, June 2011, 7 nights... round trip from Seattle or Vancouver...

These are offered by HAL and Princess.

Here are the ones I noticed.
They all include Glacier Bay, except for one that goes all the way to Hubbard Glacier and Sitka... two nice but more rare stops.

June 5 - HAL - Oosterdam - RT Seattle

June 1 - HAL - Volendam - RT Vancouver

June 4 - HAL - Zuirdam - RT Vancouver

June 4 - HAL - Westerdam - RT Seattle (Sitka, Hubbard Glacier)

June 4 - PRINCESS - Golden Princess - RT Seattle

You can also double check for other cruises that Royal Caribbean might offer.

Happy Planning!

 

[Syrreal]

IIRC, our cruise was very late in July (I'm thinking we left home around the 25th) and got back in early August. The temps were in the high 50's to high 60's. I remember we had to wear a fleece most days, but nothing warmer than that.

The kayak tour in Seward, we planned ourselves. We took it through, I believe, Liquid Adventures. It included a boat ride to the Natl Park where we got dropped off a few miles from the glacier. There were 4 of us, including the guide, from our group and about 10 people from another group. While we were kayaking a tour boat came full of people and all of a sudden you heard "..and on our right side, you'll see a few kayakers..." The tour boat actually listed right and all you could see were flashes. Who knows how many albums we are in and those people think we are so hard core! LOL

On the cruise itself, we only did two tours. One was a whale watching tour that included lunch. This one was expensive, but it was something DILs really wanted to do and they weren't sure about doing it "on our own." Luckily, that day the tour wasn't too crowded, but DH and I are so not joiners and would have liked a smaller setting.
The other tour was a snorkeling trip (I forget where) that was not crowded at all. Snorkeling just doesn't seem to be a big draw up there. It was also fairly inexpensive.
I believe DFIL and DBIL went salmon fishing at some point too.

I forget what town it was, it's the one who's big draw is that they have an ex-house-of-ill-repute that is now a saloon, (Skagway?) but we saw a little musical show that was really cute. It highlighted itself as a tourist trap, but was actually really good It was called the Days of '98 or something like that.

On a few of the ports DH and I just walked around and took pictures. We didn't even bother going to Icy Straight as it was raining and we didn't feel like taking the tender. We just weng to the spa. DILs went that day and they said it was ok but would have been nicer in better weather.

Both DH and I spent a pretty good amount of time at the Spa onboard.

 

[antmaril]

I think the weather in Alaska is always iffy. We went in late August, 2009 and had perfect weather. Almost no rain, mild temps and sunny skies. Our day at Glacier Bay, while cold (obviously), was nearly perfect. Beautiful blue skies and gorgeous.

I have a friend who went on an Alaskan cruise this summer in early July. They had rain and cold every day. While they loved Alaska, the weather was terrible.

You just never know.