Alaska 2017 Cruise

Thinking of an Alaskan cruise for June 2017- maybe on SB or SS from Vancouver to Seward.

Hoping to find the "best" itinerary. Any recommendations/suggestions of what to look for. Or, do the shore excursions make the difference? Hoping to drive to Denali for a few days afterwards. Have little less than 2 weeks for vacation.

Thanks,

Kathy

Thinking of an Alaskan cruise for June 2017- maybe on SB or SS from Vancouver to Seward.

Hoping to find the "best" itinerary. Any recommendations/suggestions of what to look for. Or, do the shore excursions make the difference? Hoping to drive to Denali for a few days afterwards. Have little less than 2 weeks for vacation.

Thanks,

Kathy

Most cruise lines visit the same ports. There are 3 major ports and two smaller ones. Read about Alaska and decide what is important for you. Alaska is about the port and not the ship. Ship is just a floating hotel traveling thru Alaska.

First let me say I am by no means an expert when it comes to Alaska. But I have noted that Seabourn appears to be the only cruise line that offers a 14 day cruise Seward to Vancouver (and vice versa) cruise.The others either offer a 14 day Roundtrip or 7-10 day one way. To me that difference is huge in that it includes more ports and a more relaxing schedule. The one big negative in my calculation is SB (unlike sister company HAL) does not have any Glacier Bay slots -- a real shame. But we have gone ahead and booked for the maiden season in July Seward to Vancouver anyway.

And to those who say Alaska is all about the ports and not the ship - well that is certainly one opinion but not one we share. We have been wanting to go to Alaska for years but were waiting until we could do it on Seabourn which is like a second home to us. Each cruiser needs to figure out what matter most. Oh, and as a added bonus for Seabourn they will be using their highly respected Antarctica expedition team on their Alaska cruises -- that certainly is worth something when weighting the pros and cons of which line to book.

Totally agree, the ship and crew along with the itineraries make the experience. Also glad to see Seabourn doing Alaska. Now have to plan which cruise to take.

There is no best itinerary for Alaska. I say this having sailed Alaska many times. Of course there is no best itinerary anywhere. Remember we all define best in different ways.

Yes, to appreciate Alaska you need to carefully research what to do in each port. If you just stay in the immediate area of some of the larger ports (Juneau, Ketchikan, etc.) you will get the wrong impression if you are visiting in July and August. During these months the downtown areas have become a bit like the Caribbean where by late morning they are very crowded as typically three or more ships are in port and the downtown areas now have many of the jewelry stores that you find in the Caribbean. It's quite a bit different than our first visit in the mid-1990's. I see that this itinerary begins on June 1 so that is a plus.

If you like nature there is lots to do and see in each port from viewing Glaciers, to Whale Watching to even walking Rain Forests.

I have just looked at the Seabourn Vancouver to Seward Itinerary (I assume you are looking at the eleven day itinerary) and the Seabourn itinerary (I assume you are looking at the seven day itinerary). From a itinerary perspective only I would go with the 11 day itinerary. You will have more time in some of the ports, some pleasant days of scenic cruising and a few ports that far fewer cruise ships visit.

People choose to sail Alaska or any itinerary based on a range of criteria. Yes for some sailing Alaska is all about the ports. For others the driver is the ship/cruise line. And for many it is a combination of ports and the ship/cruise line. Like most things no right nor wrong.

If it was me I would now with Seabourn assuming I am looking at the itineraries that you are considering.

Keith

Keith

I am happy to see Seabourn re visiting Alaska. I agree with the above that there is no one perfect way to see Alaska. Probably why so many go back for re visits. I have a few thoughts based on my time running a cargo ship in that part of the world back in the '80s. We also have sailed on a cruise to Alaska recently. Based on my time up there I can say that May is usually the driest month. Having said that, Alaska weather is notoriously changeable but overall, the "best" month weather wise is consistently May. Later in the summer it is warmer but who wants warm in Alaska? Warmer can mean fog and fog thick enough to not even see land. Warm is for the Caribbean.:D Back to topic. In the later summer months the infamous Alaska mosquito can become a bit of a distraction as can the massive crowds all wanting July/August slots. Finally, in May the locals are eager to see you after a long winter of reduced income and can take better care of you than when the crowds get there in mass. By September most are ready for us to leave them alone again. Alaska is a stunning place to be and a ship is, imho, the best way to see it. These of course are just my thoughts and your mileage may vary. :D

I am happy to see Seabourn re visiting Alaska. I agree with the above that there is no one perfect way to see Alaska. Probably why so many go back for re visits. I have a few thoughts based on my time running a cargo ship in that part of the world back in the '80s. We also have sailed on a cruise to Alaska recently. Based on my time up there I can say that May is usually the driest month. Having said that, Alaska weather is notoriously changeable but overall, the "best" month weather wise is consistently May. Later in the summer it is warmer but who wants warm in Alaska? Warmer can mean fog and fog thick enough to not even see land. Warm is for the Caribbean.:D Back to topic. In the later summer months the infamous Alaska mosquito can become a bit of a distraction as can the massive crowds all wanting July/August slots. Finally, in May the locals are eager to see you after a long winter of reduced income and can take better care of you than when the crowds get there in mass. By September most are ready for us to leave them alone again. Alaska is a stunning place to be and a ship is, imho, the best way to see it. These of course are just my thoughts and your mileage may vary. :D

Very useful - thanks for sharing

From the research I have done there are advantages and disadvantages to the various months to cruise Alaska. Each person will make their own trade off according to their interests and prime objective in visiting Alaska. For us the key is the animals -- especially the bears. At places such as Anan Creek where you can watch the bears catch the salmon from a blind the activity does not really pick up until July. So I will gladly trad off drier weather for the chance of optimum bear watching.

How true, every month is a compromise of sorts.

June is a nice time to visit and that is what the OP is looking at.

Ironically my best experience was in April. Yes it was cooler. However, we were the first ship of the season and ironically our cruising of Glacier Bay was one of those once a year experiences. I have been there many times in all months but we just lucked out that day.

It was picture perfect.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AqQs3TEBbcw/T4hXuRKXz2I/AAAAAAAAQqA/XoAXQVQwILM/s1600/DSC_4194.jpg

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I prefer going early in the season and to me June is still better than July and August when it is like the Caribbean with ships.

Again, if I understand the itineraries I would select Seabourn over Silversea.

Original Poster it would have been a good idea to have noted the dates and/or the specific itineraries but I think I found the correct ones.

Keith

Great pictures Keith.

Thanks, marci22.

Keith

Thinking of an Alaskan cruise for June 2017- maybe on SB or SS from Vancouver to Seward.

Hoping to find the "best" itinerary. Any recommendations/suggestions of what to look for. Or, do the shore excursions make the difference? Hoping to drive to Denali for a few days afterwards. Have little less than 2 weeks for vacation.

Thanks,

Kathy

My wife and I have cruised Seabourn previously and enjoyed it but ultimely gravitated to another line, primarily due to itineraries.

We've been to Alaska before but never on a cruise and our "line of choice"

didn't/doesn't have a very attractive itinerary in terms of length and ports of call, so we gave another look at Seabourn, which, as we understand, is returning to Alaska after a long absence.

We booked Voyage 5732, an 11-day cruise from Vancouver to Seward beginning 1 June 2017. It looks interesting and I'm sure we'll enjoy it.

Finally, getting to the bottom line of this post: today I noticed that our

accommodations on this cruise (V6 Veranda Suite) had been reduced by

$1,000 pp and called our travel agent who confirmed this price reduction

and has forwarded a revised (and reduced) cruise price invoice.

Perhaps others can take advantage of this opportunity as well.

Our TA already sent us the new invoice this morning. The change in price happened yesterday.

See you aboard!

Our TA already sent us the new invoice this morning. The change in price happened yesterday.

 

See you aboard!

We look forward to it.

As a novice in some respects, please tell me (anyone) how to

contact a travel agent that is aware of these price reduction

opportunies as opposed to me having to find them myself.

Thanks in advance.

email me at marazul167 at gmail dot com