MommaTravelsToo

1 minute ago, Oakman58 said:

I recommended the Coral and Grand because they are smaller ships than the Royal.  I prefer smaller ships while some folks would much rather be on the larger ships.  Just wanted to give you more options.  Coral gave you some excellent advice.

 

To be honest I don't think it matters which cruise ship you choose, Alaska is awesome no matter what ports and glaciers you visit so there is no wrong choice.  You mentioned the possibility of a group going with you so remember, you can't please everyone.  My wife and I had 14 other people join us on our cruise last June.  One couple wasn't mpressed with Alaska (sad), and one couple didn't like the ship we were on, the rest of our group had an amazing time.  Once you make a decision don't second guess yourself, just go and enjoy.

How do I type the sound of applause LOL Thank you!!  You're right! I guess I am so deep in the weeds and I just need to take a step back. We have an aft FV reserved on Millenium and a MS reserved on Royal. Both on the "Land Side" of the ship based on which direction it's going. I'm leaning Celebrity because our balcony is huge and we can have fellow cruising friends come hang with us. Like you said, it's ALASKA, the pictures are breathtaking, I can't imagine how incredible it will be in real life!!

5 minutes ago, Coral said:

 

 

Not the person you asked but thought I would share my thoughts.

I'm not picky! I love all of the info! Any thoughts on Celebrity? If we take Princess it will be Northbound so I'll keep that great nugget of info in mind!

1 hour ago, Oakman58 said:

 

I would pick a cruise that visits Glacier Bay National Park.  Along with the Royal Princess have you looked at north and south bound cruises on the Coral Princess and the Grand Princess?

Thank you! Okay the Royal Princess visits Glacier Bay. Have you ever been on the Coral or the Grand? Also, would you recommend Northbound or Southbound?

On 11/27/2019 at 10:28 AM, Anita Latte said:

 

This. Surprise trips are tricky. What I'm wondering is how you are going to inform him of the surprise? If this is something he has always wanted to do...then I would think that he should definitely be getting involved in the planning at some stage in the game. Maybe you book the cruise...but definitely get him involved for the excursions. OR maybe he gets involved from the very beginning but you don't mention anything about inviting everyone else and then when they are there, THAT can be the total surprise.

 

 

That's the plan! He will find out over a year in advance so he can plan excursions, then I'll take all his planning and share it with everyone who is joining us. Then whoever shows up will be a surprise but then whoever is on his excursions will be too! 

 

You have all be so wonderful and extremely informative! I'm down to two- Celebrity Millennium or Royal Princess. I've decided on the one way. One is northbound and the other is southbound. I'm leaning Millennium but would love more input!

And thank you SO MUCH for replying, I really do appreciate it!

15 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

Have you cruised before? Alaska is completely different than the Caribbean.

I would actually look at Princess. They've done Alaska longer, and hold most of the permits for Glacier Bay.

Okay see I thought Celebrity held the permits...hmmmm

I'm also reading lots about cabins. Some say you should get an aft balcony so you can see everything but others say it's a) too loud, b) you get soot on the balcony (and any food you bring out there) and c) it's loud because of the engines...

We have cruised the Caribbean before, this is a dream trip for the hubs 🙂

57 minutes ago, Anita Latte said:

SO...I know this sounds really sarcastic to ask, but with an earnest heart, I ask you...why do you want to cruise to Alaska? What do you want to see? Anything in particular? This is normally the driving factor behind the decision to choose one itinerary over another. The ship is usually secondary to the itinerary...unless it isn't for you and you really don't care where you go so long as you have a nice ship to see whatever you see. And whatever you see is fine.

 

One of the main questions is usually...do you want to see Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay? Or ideally both? Or are you satisfied with the idea of Tracy Arm?, I think it's called.

 

What has you leaning toward Celebrity? You like the ports and the port times? Time in port is generally another factor that people really look at.

 

Also is there anything in particular you want to do? Like...When I think of going to Alaska, THIS is what I think of and so I really want to do THAT. My family's visit was driven by glaciers and fishing...so...we made a lot of decisions based on that.

 

I think knowing what you really want to see would be very helpful in picking out what cruise lines and itineraries would be a good fit.

YES! Nooo, hand over all the sarcasm haha, I'm down for it. I will take any and all advice. It's a surprise trip for my hubby who has always wanted to go so it's hard to narrow it down without his input. I am inviting a slew of family/friends to join us as well so I want to be sure it's not full up up-charges (I heard the bliss makes you pay for the go kart track etc) I definitely want Glacier Bay and Hubbard is a close second. We also need ALL the king crab legs so Tracey's Crab Shack in Juneau is very appealing (unless someone has a better one!) I am leaning Celebrity because I read that they have been doing it the longest and have the best boats to get into the smaller areas. If I am wrong on any of this please tell me, I'm here to learn!

Hi everyone! I am working on planning an Alaskan Cruise for the first week of July in 2021. I feel as if I have read and researched so much that I can't remember the differences anymore. So, if you are so inclined, can you help? There will be 4 in my cabin but a potential of 12 additional cabins to be booked with us. 

1. I'd ideally like to go out of Seattle or Vancouver. Round trip airfare with nearby hotels would be great from the east coast.

2. I'd like a veranda but not opposed to a suite if the price was right.

3. Food. My family is gonna tell me ALL about it if the food isn't good.

4. Hidden fees/charges- who is the most upfront?

5. Alaska-which cruise line does it best? I'm leaning towards Celebrity right now- Solstice or Eclipse- but I can't settle on a cabin. 

6. There will be kids on board so a kids club helps but isn't a deal breaker.

7. Newer the better- I know NCL has that massive ship but there are so may upcharges that I'm not interested in. A smaller but newer ship that can head into the smaller areas would be perfect.

Any help would be SO APPRECIATED! 

Thank you!!