Is a cruise the most affordable option for visiting Alaska?

[budbeerlady]

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!

Sorry, LOL! That is the 1st time I have ever heard that kind of complaint about Carnival!

I think for a group that size a cruise would be a nice way to start. You can always go back again but this would cover the area you wish to see. We sent a retired co-worked of mine on Princess and he loved it. Had the best time but I would expect them to have more of an advanced aged crowd than Disney.

 

[rnorwo1]

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.

I have been on two cruises before, one carnival and one DCL, and enjoyed them both and would like to do one again... however you make an excellent point, and I think for this trip I want as much of Alaska as possible. I don't know if/when we'll ever have the opportunity to go again, so I really want to maximize our experience.

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

Thanks so much for the tips! Before I posted I was trying to come up with an outline of a trip so I could do a cost comparison b/n this and the cruise, and I was just so overwhelmed and didn't know where to start. Looks like many of you recommend Anchorage as a safe base, so that helps considerably for me to get a plan.

Sorry, LOL! That is the 1st time I have ever heard that kind of complaint about Carnival!

I know I really love them dearly, but they can be characters. If I push the cruise I feel like they're going to be hyper-alert to any little thing and not be happy with it and I'll feel guilty. So now I can just get specifics on both options and have a family meeting and let everyone vote.

Oh, and I just looked at flights from New Orleans to Anchorage for a random week this summer, just to get an idea, and they were appx $800 each

 

[tasha99]

If what you want to see is southeast Alaska, cruising makes a lot of sense. Most of those towns are only accessible by air or water anyway, and a cruise is an economical way to get to several cities quickly. If you're interested in the kenai, south central, or the interior, I think driving makes much more sense. Or you could cruise up one way on a Vancouver to Whittier or Seward cruise, then rent a car to explore up here.

If you want to go to someplace far west or north, you're an adventurer, and cruising is probably not for you.

Someone earlier said there is a small window for cruises, but keep in mind that if you come up outside the cruise months, you'll be driving in an unfamiliar area on snowy/icy roads. Depending on where you're from, that may be no big deal, or it may make for many white knuckled drives.

 

[Eeyore98]

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.

Sorry, LOL! That is the 1st time I have ever heard that kind of complaint about Carnival!

Well, we didn't have any problems with "old" people/rascals/taking forever to debark, but DH and I just did a Carnival cruise to Cozumel over New Year's and it turned us off from cruising altogether, too! The food really WAS disgusting (seriously, I would rather eat at Electric Umbrella for every meal of a Disney trip than eat Carnival's food again!). The ship smelled like sewage, the bed was uncomfortable, the entertainment was lousy, and "just on and on". LOL! We liked our actual time in Cozumel, but that was about it.

 

[v.t.]

A cruise and a land trip are two very different experiences. As far as cost, I think they come in about the same. We have done both.

Cruise, 2 years ago with in-laws. We had 3 cabins for 11 people. The trip was very relaxing, food was great (RC lines) and we were able to spend as much time together as we wanted, but were able to split up as well. We took one excursion together (whale watching) and the other two we broke into families. We cruised out of Seattle which saved money on flying.

Land, last year with my family. We rented 2 RV's out of Anchorage. We drove to Seward and then back up to Denali. We saw so much more scenery and wildlife, it was amazing. The kids did a lot of fishing and hiking. But, we were always (I mean always) together and it was not relaxing for the maid, I mean Mom. A lot of cooking and cleaning.

I second trip advisor for research and I look at vacationstogo for cruise prices and schedules. If you have any questions, I would be happy to help. Good luck!