Alaska Cruise

We are going to do an Alaska cruise August or September of 2016. What is the best cruise line for this type of cruise. So far I have looked at NCL, Carnival and RCL. What has been your experience?

Since you go for ALASKA, and not so much the cruise line...pick whichever suits your pocketbook and goes where you want to go!

An Alaskan cruise isn't like a Caribbean, where it's all about relaxation and ship activities....it's about seeing the fabulous land that IS Alaska....

I always suggest that people doing their first Alaskan cruise select one that includes Glacier Bay. Not all cruise lines get permits to go into there.

Also check the length of time you are in the various ports.

We are going to do an Alaska cruise August or September of 2016. What is the best cruise line for this type of cruise. So far I have looked at NCL, Carnival and RCL. What has been your experience?

Don't forget about Princess and Holland America . They usually have the most ships in Alaska . Celebrity also does Alaska as well.When looking go to your local library and read up on Alaska . I usually suggest reading Anne Vipond or Fodor's book on Alaskan Ports. Then decide how much time you want to spend for the cruise . You also should decide what is important for you to seen and done. Alaska is about ports , not like the Caribbean which is sun and beach.

We have always sailed from Vancouver on either HAL or Princess . We have always done the 14 day return from Vancouver . We live a short 5 hour drive away from the port.

Princess and HAL have been cruising Alaska far longer than the others mentioned. TA's are also permitted to discount their rates.

The itinerary is the draw more than the ship for Alaska.

Princess and HAL have been cruising Alaska far longer than the others mentioned. TA's are also permitted to discount their rates.

The itinerary is the draw more than the ship for Alaska.

Princess does Glacier bay on almost all of their cruises .

Glacier Bay is a must on your cruise to Alaska. I would start by seeing which choices go there.

Thanks for the quick responses. Appreciate it.

Don't forget about Princess and Holland America . They usually have the most ships in Alaska . Celebrity also does Alaska as well.When looking go to your local library and read up on Alaska . I usually suggest reading Anne Vipond or Fodor's book on Alaskan Ports. Then decide how much time you want to spend for the cruise . You also should decide what is important for you to seen and done. Alaska is about ports , not like the Caribbean which is sun and beach.

We have always sailed from Vancouver on either HAL or Princess . We have always done the 14 day return from Vancouver . We live a short 5 hour drive away from the port.

With a TA who is an Oceania top producing preferred partner and the right Alaska dates, you could sail on Regatta for about the same daily cost as an upper level mass market line like HAL or Celebrity. That TA may have access to additional O shipboard credit as well as O incentive discounts for new O passengers. Figuring in the value of included items like beverages and specialty restaurants AND the included airfare (or air credit) plus the TA's own OBC makes O a great bargain.

Folks on CC who say the ship doesn't matter on port intensive cruises seem to forget that where you sleep, eat and occupy yourself while not on shore can make or break a vacation. O has the best food at sea, unequaled bedding and toiletries, no nickle/dimming, no art shows, no photographers, etc. Their smoking prohibitions are among the toughest of any cruise line. And particularly important for Alaska, the small ship size (Regatta holds about 700 passengers) means getting "up close and personal" with glaciers.

Another vote for a cruise that offers Glacier Bay....

LyOFAKRjcpo Hj5GcyeWsuk

Things to consider...

• on some HAL/Princess itineries... there's a mid-ocean transfer to Tracy arm, you can fit in Sawyer with your Glacier Bay trip. This saves you big time in not retracing 50 miles in a small boat from Juneau.
  
• do you want a 7 day round trip? 7 day one-way? HAL offers a partial trips to Skagway where you get off to go over land to Anchorage to return on a different ship.
  
• you might find there's not enough port time.... being in Cascadia, you might find yourself making multiple trips in the near future to catch up on the things missed.
  
• look for combo tours that maximizes your port time with more than one attraction
  
• August will cost more than September... but the seas are calmer and it will be dryer than in September. Some attractions end their season the first week of September.
  
• Vancouver departure to check out that bonus port.
  

e_eMbvWq8lU F4PEcfMK1eY mjOwP2OAuPU [YOUTUBE]OMzReVZn__M[/YOUTUBE]

I always suggest that people doing their first Alaskan cruise select one that includes Glacier Bay. Not all cruise lines get permits to go into there.

Also check the length of time you are in the various ports.

+1 Should look at HAL and Princess as they are the big two there. They cost a bit more but have lots of Glacier Bay sailings!

I did an Alaska cruise once with Princess. I definitely recommend a balcony room, especially if you go through Tracey Arm. The sights where absolutely gorgeous.

We are doing Celebrity May '16. Vancouver northbound to Seward and then a 6 night post cruise tour. Depending on your ages and lifestyles - Celebrity may be a great choice for you. There is NO smoking inside the ship and limited smoking outside - so if you are a non smoker this may interest you. A 7 night cruise will have 2 formal evenings - which we love. Just a more upscale vibe without all the gimmicks of flow riders, rock walls, etc of some other lines.

Another factor is where do you want to leave from and return to. If you don't have a passport (please take that argument elsewhere) then a round trip from Seattle might limit your choices. Also September should be cheaper than Aug. I did mine in Sept 2013 (the next to last one of the season) and it was (after all was said and done including airfare and pre cruise hotel) almost half what one in June/Jul would have been.

Another factor is where do you want to leave from and return to. If you don't have a passport (please take that argument elsewhere) then a round trip from Seattle might limit your choices. Also September should be cheaper than Aug. I did mine in Sept 2013 (the next to last one of the season) and it was (after all was said and done including airfare and pre cruise hotel) almost half what one in June/Jul would have been.

Good suggestion. Only problem many tour companies start to reduce operations due to weather and lower demand. For a first cruise I would suggest mid June or mid August.

Sent from my SGH-I317M using Forums mobile app

Good suggestion. Only problem many tour companies start to reduce operations due to weather and lower demand. For a first cruise I would suggest mid June or mid August.

 

Sent from my SGH-I317M using Forums mobile app

That was actually one of the main reasons I didn't pick the last turn of the year. The next to last was actually perfect, as far as i know all the tours were avail and with the bonus being many of the stores in AK were having big end of season sales to move the souvenirs. I picked up some little things for half off. (I'm not a big shopper as most of my "souvenirs" are the hundreds of pictures I took). The cruise also had more older folks as school had already started and there were not as many kids on board. (if that matters to someone)

We are doing our second cruise tour on Royal next year again on the Radiance out of Vancouver BC. We loved it the first time and can't wait to do another one!! If you go to Anchorage go to the Glacier Brew House for lunch or dinner, great food!! Alaska is truly the last frontier!!!!!!

We did the Inside Passage, RT from Seattle and loved it. We went on the last cruise of the season (End of Sept) and scored a corner suite on the back of the ship. It was amazing. I had the greatest views everywhere, all the time. If you over night in Seattle, I highly recommend Inn at the Market. Great place with a wonderful view of The Public market and a quick walk to all the great places to eat and shop.

Don't miss the crab legs at Tracy's Crab Shak. TO DIE FOR.

I can't remember which port stop this was but we took a Photography tour and had the most amazing experience. Part of it was on foot and the other part was on a boat to try to see whales. At first they were every where we weren't. We kept chasing them. Then it all changed and we had quite the show. There were some seal's bugging a pod of whales and the whale was trying to scare it off by slapping it's tale at it. These whales were so close to our little boat I almost couldn't get them because my lens was for long distance. In a couple other photos you will see the Killer Whales...those I captured from my balcony while sailing

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152121021975114.905500.676650113&type=1&l=b25e914af9

Thanks so much for the information. There are so many decisions to make when planning an Alaska cruise along with the land trip we want to take. All advice and comments are certainly welcome and will help in our decision making process.:)