Has anyone taken an Alaska Cruise?

[SamRoc]

Am thinking of going with dh, dd and ds this August since both kids are out of college. My ds and dh have become so interested in Alaska since they saw Richard Proennekes story Alone in the Wilderness. Where should we cruise from and what places are a must see? Also any info about the railroad would be great too. Have been searching alot online, but would like to get some info from someone thats been there. thanks!

 

[Starbrite]

Not yet....but I already have an Alaska cruise booked for next year


Have you been to CruiseCritic.com? Excellent site for info!

 

[Blueeyes101817]

I went on my first Alaskan cruise last May--we were on Royal Caribbeans Serenade of the Seas. I was not sure I would like it (i love the caribbean). It was very different but it was amazing! I am actually leaving for my 2nd alaskan cruise in 2 weeks (again on Royal Caribbean). The first cruise, we sailed out of Vancouver and went to Icy Strait Point, Skagway, and Juneau and went to teh Hubbard Glacier. this cruise, we are leaving out of Seattle and going to Skagway, Juneau, and Victoria and I believe we are crusing through the inside passage.
Our first cruise, we had a group of us from my brother and his friend (22 years), me (24), my parents and my grandmother (in her seventies). We all had a blast! I will never forget getting ready for formal night and i saw whales outside of my balcony. I went dog sledding and saw humpback whales right near a whale watching boat. The glaciers were amazing!
Please let me know if you have any more specific questions!

 

[tigercat]

We cruised the inside passage on Princess. It was my dh and I with my dm and df as well as another couple. We would love to go back. We saw Juneau, Skagway and Sitka. We didn't end up taking the railroad we found a private company that took 4 couples out to the Yukon. We stopped at various places and also had lunch. The other 2 places we stayed right in the town except my dh who went on bike tours. I felt I couldn't leave the other couple so I stayed with them. Next time I want to go and see more.
tigercat

 

[SamRoc]

Thank you everyone for the great info. Starbrite I will be sure to check out www.cruisecritic.com. Blueeyes101817 my kids are 20 and 24, what do you think they would like to do the best. They are interested in everything, but we have to make some choices that will fit in 7 days. tigercat where did your cruise on the inside passage leave from? thanks again.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

Blueeyes101817 my kids are 20 and 24, what do you think they would like to do the best. They are interested in everything, but we have to make some choices that will fit in 7 days. .

In Icy Strait point, my brother and his friend did kayaking and loved it..they got some great pictures. In Skagway, my brother, his friend and I all did dogsledding. we took a 30 min van ride and saw some great scenery. We got on a dog sled (on wheels, no snow in May) and got pulled for a couple of miles. We then heard from someone that has their dog sled team and races. Then we got to play with the puppies, which was great. In Juneau, my mom and I did a whale watching tour. It was alot more fun tahn I thought and we saw a lot of whales, eagles, etc. i cannot remember what the guys did but ill find out. i think this trip, we are going to do ziplining.

 

[antmaril]

I haven't cruised Alaska yet, but I will be on the Zaandam (Holland America) in August. We will stop in Juneau, Glacier Bay (cruising), Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria, British Columbia. Can't wait!

I agree with the others - cruisecritic.com is very helpful!

 

[crjack]

We are going on our first Alaskan Cruise this August. Family of four with two young teens and we are on the Norwegian Pearl leaving out of Seattle for a one week cruise. We'll be coming from Boston so we are spending a little time before and after the cruise exploring Seattle.

Our itinerary includes Glacier Bay, which is why we chose the Pearl. We go to Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway and Victoria, BC during the week.

Cruise Critic has been very helpful. Much like the Dis but everything cruising.

We are going on a whale whatch in Juneau and renting a car to go to Emerald Lake in Skagway.

It certainly isnt going to be our cheapest vacation but we have been planning it for a while and I really think it will be an amazing trip.

Best of luck.

 

[joviroxx]

I did the trip last year on the NCL Pearl roundtrip out of Seattle. LOVED IT.. Went to Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Glacier Bay and Victoria. We went whale watching in Juneau, Helicopter dog sledding in Skagway, then instead of the train, we rented a car and drove up the Yukon Highway into BC to Emerald Lake (LOVED IT!), in Ketchikan we just went walking around and Victoria just enjoyed the quaint city.

I loved the trip, my kids loved it. Im looking to hopefully go back but not on a cruise. I want to rent a car and get more into the interior of Alaska

Like others have said cruisecritic.com is the best place to get information. I did all our excursions privately and got all our recommendations from cruisecritic...

 

[Meriweather]

I've been twice.
June 2004 and Sept. 2008.
First one with Holland line left from Seattle.....inside passage, DH and myself. Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Victoria, BC, Glacier Bay. LOVED it!!
Sitka was a lot of fun and interesting. June's weather was great!
Glacier Bay was amazing!!!!

Last Sept. went with a friend on Royal Carribean also left from Seattle and cruised the inside passage stopping at Juneau, Skagway, Prince Rupert.
Saw Sawyer Glacier, which was very disappointing after Glacier Bay.....again that was AMAZING!! Sept's weather was not the best. Rained almost every day.

We mostly did excursions that gave us info about the towns since we can whale watch and do all those things here at home.
DH did take a float plane ride over Mendenhall Glacier and really enjoyed that.
We also did the gold mine tour in Juneau. Very interesting.

 

[Ilivetogo]

SOOO excited!!! We're going on our first cruise ever ... to Alaska (inside passage) this August on the Norwegian Star. CAN'T WAIT.

I'm on Cruise Critic also.

 

[Keggy]

We are going on an Alaska Cruise next year. We booked RCL out of Seattle. We are going in May because that is suppossed to be Whale season. We are going with my in laws who have gone previously.

We love RCL. I believe my inlaws went on NCL previously, I think. We have done 2 cruises on RCL previously though (the rest have been through Disney) and we have been really happy with RCL and that is why we went with them.

I am really excited!

 

[dennis99ss]

Have been twice. Once in 95 and again last summer. Both were on Princess and both were Vancouver to Anchorage/Seward itineraries.

they are some of the most memorable trips we have taken. The first time was before kids, and the second time kids were 8 and 10.

Alaska is one of the most beautiful places in the world. You will love it. Go to Barnes Noble and get some travel books for some help in what to do. If you are a fisherman, book a smaller excurision, i.e. in a small flat boat with a guide, or go inland to fly fish, rather than trolling for salmon.

 

[LindaM]

We went last August with Royal Caribbean, Serenade of the Seas. We loved the ports and loved the ship. In Icy Straight Point I would suggest the Zipline, especially for your kid's age, it was a blast. We did the WhitePass train in Skagway, there is some breathtaking views from there, we also did a salmon bake/gold panning in Skagway, best Salmon we had, and it was fun. I have lots of pictures, pm me and I can send you some. Hubbard Glacier was amazing, but I think RCI changed their itneray this year and it doesn't include Hubbard. Juneau we didn't do any excursions as we just wanted to walk around. I fun, we are planning on doing this cruise again next year.

 

[MM27]

I've been on two Alaskan cruises and I can't wait to go back again. First time we did a cruise out of Vancouver. The second one we decided to do a 15 night land/sea tour. We started in Fairbanks and worked our way south to Seward where we got on the ship and we ended in Vancouver. Both were amazing. There is always a good view on an Alaskan cruise.

I would highly recommend the dogsledding, but if budget allows, do the one where they fly you to the glacier to do it. I went in July and it was so neat to be on the snow/ice in the middle of the summer. We used TEMSCO tours in Skagway for that excursion. It was one of my favorites.

Another great excursion was also in Skagway (did this on my first trip). We took the Whitepass RR up and biked down. It was so much fun. There is only a little stretch of uphill bike riding. Most of it is downhill.

 

[castleview]

We honeymooned on an Inside Passage tour on Holland America. Keep in mind that Holland America attracts an elderly crowd, in case that matters to you. It didn't to DH and I.

What I would do differently is take the tour that goes from Vancouver up to Anchorage. Take the two week tour so you can see Denali and more of Alaska's interior. Don't get me wrong, the inside passage is great and Ketchikan is now one of my favorite places. But try and see more of Alaska!

 

[NCRedding]

We went in 2003; the scenery was awesome. We did a round trip from Vancouver on the RCCL Radiance. If we go back, we plan on doing a one way, and spending some time at exploring Denali.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We've cruised to Alaska twice, both time on Princess. In 1994 (before we had kids), we did a 7-day cruise from Vancouver, BC. We stopped in Ketchican, Juneau and Skagway. We spent a day cruising Glacier Bay and another cruising the College Fjords (a passageway with a series of glaciers named after Ivy League Colleges). The cruise ended in Seward, Alaska and Princess bussed us about 4 hours to the Anchorage airport.

Just last June, we did a 10-day cruise with our boys (ages 12 and 9 at the time). This one was round-trip from San Francisco which was great since we only live an hour away. We did the same 3 ports and also stopped in Victoria, BC.

If you're interested in the Yukon & White Pass Railroad, make sure you choose a cruise that stops in Skagway. Some itineraries stop in Sitka instead since Skagway has limited space for ships in port. The train boards right in front of the cruise dock and takes you up the mountain pass and into Canada. The views are spectacular. On our first cruise, we walked into town after the train ride. This time, it was freezing cold and raining. My oldest is a train freak so he and his dad braved the cold to go to town and shop at the depot store. The youngest and I opted for the warmth of the afternoon snack buffet!

I would recommend Princess. We've been on 3 cruises with them and we are impressed with their service and their ships.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

We have on RCC...loved it. The glaciers were amazing & we even took a helicopter to a glacier to learn how to dog sled!!!

We went in June when all the animals had their offspring...eagles, otters, bears & whales.
Amazing trip!!!

 

[Simba's Mom]

I would recommend Princess. We've been on 3 cruises with them and we are impressed with their service and their ships.

Good to hear! DS just got a job on the Princess cruise line to Alaska (Coral Princess?) I'd love to go on an Alaskan cruise, so I'm hoping he can get me a discount.