Is a cruise the most affordable option for visiting Alaska?

[rnorwo1]

Hi,
We take a trip every other year with my inlaws (10 of us altogether, 3 families), and for the next one (2013) we're thinking about Alaska. My MIL and FIL took a cruise there a few years ago and loved Alaska but hated the cruise, and they're wary to take another one (even though we know lots of people who have taken them and loved them.)

I looked at a few cruise options (Disney & Norwegian) and played around with some dates, and it will be between $10-12k for just my family of 5, not including airfare, which is out of our budget. I also tried to figure out how to plan a non-cruise trip, fly there and rent vehicles, but I'm having a hard time getting ideas of where to start regarding an itinerary so I can estimate the cost for comparison to the cruise. During my research, though, I've come across horror stories of people breaking down and being stranded, the high costs of hotels and food, etc. So maybe the $10k for the all-inclusive cruise isn't so bad after all.

So I don't know where to start to make this decision/get more info....Does anyone have any tips about an itinerary if we were to do the non-cruise option (best place to fly into, ideas for nice but reasonably priced hotels, etc...) or can share their own experiences with doing this? Cruise info/experiences would be great too. Thanks!!

 

[jsmith]

First look at other cruise lines-Royal Carribbean and Celebrity will both be less expensive than disney and provide different and many say better service than Norwegian ( i have not sailed on Norwegian so can not give first person info). also remember that a cruise is not "all inclusive". You pay additionally for alcohol if you drink, speciality resturants, and shore excursions-and those-especially if purchased thru the ship can be quiet expensive. I suggest the crusie critic message boards for more info on lines, excursions and costs.
As to wether it will be less expensive to fly up and rent a car-its possible but unlikely-round trip airfare from Denver to Anchorage this june would eat more than half your budget for 10 people-and you would need two rental cars. You would need to decide what of alaska you wanted to see based on the time you have-distances are pretty vast in alaska and its unlikely in a 7 to 10 day driving trip that you could see both the whittier/denali area and the skagway,juneau/whitepass area like you can on a cruise. Also with a cruise you would not have to travel to anchorage since most alaska bound cruises orginate in seattle or Vancouver BC.
If i were doing it-and i have done-i would fly to anchorage-rent a car and go to Denali-then come back down to kenai and take the motor ferry from Valdez down to Cordoba and back -that lets you see sea life and the glaciers and such -its an overnight trip and not cruise ship luxery but fun. That still going to take a couple of weeks and probably cost more than you want to spend unforunately. You could also look at drivng up the ALCAN hyway and seeing canada and alaska-but that will take more than standard vacation time.

 

[jenedpey]

I don't think a cruise ship visit to Alaska is the same as visiting Alaska by land. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. If you have the time (multiple weeks to multiple months), I would recommend traveling by land. However, most of us don't have the time.

If looking to book with DCL, rather than putting all 5 people in a single room, look at booking with 1A and 1 Child in 1 room, and 1 A and 2 Children in a different room. It will lower the price by multiple thousands of dollars for 2 inside rooms. You can go with inside connecting rooms, or some people will go with an Ocean View or Verandah for the parents and have the children across the hall. It must be booked with an Adult in each room, but room keys can be changed to arrange sleeping purposes as you desire. If your children are younger, connecting rooms will work out better.

 

[Forevryoung]

We did a 14 day land/sea package with Princess a few years ago (land first). There were 11 of us ranging in age from 4 to 79.

Alaska is HUGE and it would be a mind blowing amount of land traveling. We started in Fairbanks and all of us agree that we should have started further south (Denali probably).

You would probably miss a lot traveling by land unless you fly to the larger 3 port cities that are usually seen on cruises. Furthermore, you will miss much of the glacier activity that was the highlight of our trip (Glacier Bay!)

Check out Princess, I know it was expensive but we all had a great time

 

[rigs32]

I can't imagine a land-based trip in Alaska with 3 families. You're talking about at least 2 vehicles, so a caravan across the state. To get from place to place isn't always easy, either. Some places just aren't accessible by road or the route goes way out and around. If time is a concern, a week won't get you very far.

If you're willing to just get a taste of Alaska, you can do a 7 day cruise that leaves from and returns to Seattle. That airfare should be a lot less than flying into Anchorage and out from Vancouver or Seattle. You'll visit three cities and likely have a day sailing past glaciers.

Make sure your trip includes a stop at Glacier Bay. They only allow 2 cruise ships a day, so not all cruises go there.

 

[mobesfamily]

DH and I did a10 day Alaskan cruise out of Seattle back in 2004 and it was fantastic!!! Our neighbors did a 14 day land (train?) & sea trip at the same time (our cruises actually met up in Skagway). They saw a lot more but said the land part was really tough because they constantly had to pack/unpack. We had stops in Ketchikan, Juneau (only accessible by air or sea) and Skagway (awesome small town) plus a stop by a glacier (really cool). We flew from Philly, spent one night in Seattle (got a special on the hotel), did a few excursions and spent about $4000 total.
It is unbelievably beautiful with clean, fresh air and lots of wildlife. Personally I think a cruise would be your best bet with that many people. Something for everyone on a cruise.
However you do it, you will love it!

 

[powelweb]

what did your in-laws NOT like about their cruise?

was it the ship, the itinerary, or the other passenger/ activities?

 

[girli565]

Look at lower cost cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival. They cruise for much less than Disney and Norweigan.

Also, I've seen some that leave out of LA, and flights there are very affordable on some of the lower cost airlines.

 

[dhardawa]

Those numbers seem WAY too high. I did the NCL Alaskan cruise a few years ago and it was extremely nice. What we always did with a larger party was book one room with an ocean view and another inside cabin across the hall from each other. Then, we just wandered back and forth. For your group, I come up with about $4500 doing that. Unfortunately, you end up paying the full second person price for a child, but I don't see a way around it unless one of your kids is a baby and wouldn't care about going and could stay with grandparents bringing your party down to four.

 

[MAD4EEYORE]

I have been to Alaska once with another cruise booked in June. I found a deal with the 3rd and 4th passenger fares are free. All I have to pay is the 117. in taxes and port fees for them. We booked an inside room to save money. We don't spend much time in our room anyways. We would rather see the scenery from the upper decks.

The cruise season is June, July and August the first few weeks in June are cheaper as is May and September (shoulder season). Cruising a roundtrip fro Seattle or Vancouver are your cheapest. Flying into Seattle is cheaper than Vancouver. If you are leaving from Vancouver but flying into Seattle you can can take a train to/from Vancouver. This is what we are doing. I found airfare on SW for 161 round trip. What did your Inlaws not like about their cruise?

Did you want to see the interior(anchorage area) or the inside passage(lower Alaska area? You could do a land tour in both areas but it depends on how much time you want to spend there. Hotels run about 150 to well over 200 a night. They only include 2 people so any additional will be at a charge. I would suggest looking into renting a cabin. You would be able to have breakfast there, pack a lunch and then have dinner out. You could also look into camping if your family is into that. They have several rental companies in Alaska.

I was looking into a one way cruise from Vancouver to Seward, Ak. Then we were going to rent a car and tour for about a week to 10 days. Some of the cities we were going to visit are Seward, Homer, Girwood, Anchorage, Talkeenta, Healey, and Faibanks. I can give you a list of what our activities and sights to see were as well. We one day hope to be able to do a landtour just wasn't in the cards for my family this year. I wanted to take my Daughter on an Alaskan cruise first.

Let me know if I can help!You can also look up cruisecritic. The have a wealth of information about Alaska cruises and land tours. Look under the Ports of Call board. Alaska is so beautiful and like nothing I have ever seen before.

 

[crjack]

Those numbers seem WAY too high. I did the NCL Alaskan cruise a few years ago and it was extremely nice. What we always did with a larger party was book one room with an ocean view and another inside cabin across the hall from each other. Then, we just wandered back and forth. For your group, I come up with about $4500 doing that. Unfortunately, you end up paying the full second person price for a child, but I don't see a way around it unless one of your kids is a baby and wouldn't care about going and could stay with grandparents bringing your party down to four.

I thought that price sounded very high too.....especially without airfare.

In Aug. 2009 we went on the Norwegian Pearl to Alaska and we loved it. We are on the east coast so also had airfare to Seattle. I did a lot of research and although I would have loved to have done Alaska via land it took far more time & money than we wanted to dedicate so for us it was a perfect way to get our first look and we hope to go back some day.

We were only a family of four but definitely look at all cabin options as listed above.

We specifically wanted to see Glacier Bay and not all ships are allowed there so we chose a ship that had that on their itinerary. We also chose Norwegian for it's overall value and felt it was a better fit for us since we had two teens. We liked the freestyle dining and more casual atmosphere. There were lots of families on board and activities like a bowling alley on the ship that appealed to my children.

Alaska is so big and has so much to see that there really isnt one easy way to see it all. Think about what you like to do and consider excursions that best line up with your interests.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I can't imagine a land-based trip in Alaska with 3 families. You're talking about at least 2 vehicles, so a caravan across the state. To get from place to place isn't always easy, either. Some places just aren't accessible by road or the route goes way out and around. If time is a concern, a week won't get you very far.

Why would you have to drive across the state? You would not be doing this in Alaska!

OP - No need to visit Alaska on a cruise! You need to get a good guide book and decide where you would like to go. I suggest flying into Anchorage and making it your home base. From there you can travel north to Denali (either using rental cars or on an organized tour) for a day or two, and also travel south on the Seward Highway (fantastic views) to Seward, stopping at the Portage Glacier. All easily reached by major roads.

Just those two trips plus exploring Anchorage (tons of things to do there) will give you plenty of activities which will appeal to all ages for a week or so.

 

[furb & dez]

One plus when traveling via cruise - if something were to go wrong, the cruiseline is liable (to a point) for your safety.

If you go on a tour organized by the cruiseline and something goes wrong the ship will hold for you. If you're driving on your own with a rented car, good luck getting help...

 

[rnorwo1]

Thanks so much for all the information! I don't know if my connection is acting up or the site is slow tonight, but I can't quote and respond to specifics for some reason, keeps crashing. Anyway, I've taken lots of notes, thanks!

Many of the cons y'all have listed about the land travel are what have me worried. Love my in-laws, but we're a mixed bag of personalities and these trips have to go smoothly or it gets ugly. My youngest will be 3 or 4, depending on when we go, seems like the cruise may be easier with him too. Lost*in* cyberspace, thanks so much for the specific suggestions, I've been so overwhelmed with where to even start for land travel. I will get a guidebook and look at your suggestions... I think if we do go by land then we will need to keep it relatively simple. As far as what we want to do, the glaciers are a must, and I'd love to visit some smaller towns, but I'm honestly not sure beyond that. I have lots of research to do.

I was hesitant to write why my FIL and MIL HATED the cruise, because it's so ridiculous and potentially offensive Basically, these two senior citizens, who are normally delightful people, complained that the entire ship was full of so many "old" people that they couldn't walk anywhere without being runover by little rascals or hit with canes, the food was disgusting (she swears they served stewed prunes!), it took forever to get off the ship b/c of the elderly people, just on and on. I know dozens of people who have taken alaskan cruises and none of them had bad experiences, but they are pretty adamant about not taking another one. Theirs was Carnival, so that's why I was looking at the other lines. If I have any hope at all about changing their minds, it would have to be a different line. So thanks for all the recommendations on which lines you've liked, and especially about putting one of my kids in their room, I never would have thought about that. Every penny saved helps us.

Y'all have given me many directions to go in for more research, I really appreciate it!

 

[iheartdisney]

Dh and I took our first (and only so far) cruise to Alaska in 2010. We took the 10 day round trip cruise from San Fran on the Sea Princess. It is a smaller ship- around 1,800 max passengers.

As soon as we got home, we set up the change jar so we can go again!

One thing I have learned from researching cruises- DCL will cost at least twice as much!

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

Why would you have to drive across the state? You would not be doing this in Alaska!

OP - No need to visit Alaska on a cruise! You need to get a good guide book and decide where you would like to go. I suggest flying into Anchorage and making it your home base. From there you can travel north to Denali (either using rental cars or on an organized tour) for a day or two, and also travel south on the Seward Highway (fantastic views) to Seward, stopping at the Portage Glacier. All easily reached by major roads.

Just those two trips plus exploring Anchorage (tons of things to do there) will give you plenty of activities which will appeal to all ages for a week or so.

This. I lived in Alaska for 15 years, in Anchorage and Fairbanks. Most of the places you would want to go are within a day trip of Anchorage. You could do a train trip, too. My parents brought 6 friends up and they rented an RV. I have never done a cruise, but I would think it would be a completely different experience.

 

[floridascgirl]

I suggest going to the Trip Advisor website and visiting the Alaska Forum. It's basically set up just like the DIS and everyone is extremely helpful.
We are taking our 1st trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons this summer, and there is no way I could have planned it without all of the wonderful people on that forum.

 

[MrsPete]

Do I understand correctly that your in-laws have cruised, but you have not? I've not cruised to Alaska, but I do know cruising; thus, I think you need to ask yourself this question: What kind of experience do you want?

Here's why I ask: A cruise to Alaska will be entirely different experience from a land-based vacation.

If you cruise, you'll check in once, sleep in the same bed every night -- nice for a group the size of yours, nice for the elderly folks. If you cruise, you'll enjoy long, lengthy dinners and evenings in the casinos or at the shows every evening. You can easily break up into small groups, yet know that everyone's safe and entertained. The kids can enjoy activities for their age groups. It'll be like being at a luxury resort. BUT you'll have very limited time on land to visit Alaska. Example: On Tuesday the ship'll arrive in port at 7:00 and you'll wait in line to exit (do not underestimate the lines for embarking/disembarking). You'll have perhaps 8 hours ashore, and you'll have to be back aboard prior to sailing. As such, you'll be limited to activiites close to port. You'll come home having a whole lot of cruise and a small taste of Alaska.

On the other hand, if you do the land based vacation, you'll have more time for visits to the national park, etc. You won't need to be concerned about the timing of your activities -- if you go out on a tour that doesn't get you back to the hotel 'til 9:00 at night, no problem. In the evenings, you'll be free to do something together as a group or to just hang out in your rooms. You'll see much more of Alaska if you choose this option. You may need to seek out entertainment for the kids in the evening. Would you move hotels halfway through, or would you stay in the same place and do day trips? If I were a member of your family, I'd want to know.

You began by asking about affordability. I know Alaska's expensive, but I agree with the others that your cruise quote sounds awfully high. However, you'll have to compare it against what you'd do on our own if you choose the land-based vacation. If you choose the cruise, it's nice that most things are pre-paid and you don't have to worry about food costs, etc. On the other hand, you have more control of your costs on land; that is, you can choose fancy meals several nights and rely on pizza for the rest.

Really, though, I think your first question should be, What experience are you looking to have?

As for your in-laws thinking the cruise was too crowded with kids, I suspect they went during prime-time. If you cruise, consider going off-season. Also, I think Alaskian cruises don't draw as many families as less-expensive Carribean cruises, so this is likely to be less of a problem. However, if they're going to grouse about it during every step of the planning and then bring a negative attitude, I'd consider whether it's worthwhile even to consider a cruise.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

MrsPete - that is excellent advice

In my opinion, you get a much better experience with a land based vacation in Alaska.

OP - Here are just some of the some fun places to visit if you decide to go to Anchorage as a home base:

http://www.muskoxfarm.org/

http://www.alaskanative.net/

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/chugach/home/?cid=stelprdb5251094

http://www.alaskasealife.org/

http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm

http://www.nps.gov/kefj/planyourvisit/exit-glacier.htm

 

[crjack]

A couple of things to consider with an Alaskan cruise is that there is a short window for sailings.....typically ships cruise between May through September so there really isn't an off season.

For us, coming from the east coast, there were lots of options for flights into Seattle & Vancouver. Flying to Alaska was much more limited and so much more expensive.

OP, I'm not sure where you live but at the time our airfare to Alaska was close to the individual cost of the entire cruise. Obviously that can vary a lot based on where you live and current rates but that made the choice of the cruise vs. a land vacation simple for our first visit.

For a family of various ages and interests a cruise can make the planning simpler and offer more options.

Call a TA or NCL direct and ask for quotes.....your pricing doesnt seem in line and you might be surprised at what you find for pricing.

Finally, Cruise Critic is a great website....the Disboards of cruises. You can get great info on Alaska and any cruise line or ship.