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Persuade Me Towards an Alaskan Cruise


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I am looking to book a cruise for August 2018. I can't help but feeling like I will only hit, at most, 1-2 new places if I do another cruise through the Caribbean. So, I am considering spreading my wings, which has brought me here, pondering an Alaskan cruise. For those that have done one, or several, can you persuade me into booking one? What are your favorite Alaskan ports/cruising experiences (because I know some itineraries cruise through Glacier Bay and such, not dock)? What are your favorite Alaskan cruise memories? What makes Alaskan cruises stand out?

 

Thank you to anyone who provides information, I'm hoping this thread will help me, as well as all future Alaskan first-time cruisers in either booking or planning their trip! :)

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I can not wait for my cruise to Alaska in August/September. Search around for those who have written long reviews about their adventures and you would be hook as we are. We are doing a land tour first and everyone that I read said to do that first and then take the cruise southward. I am a planner so I have so much information because of those who have already done this. If possible do a land tour too.

Good luck with your search. We leave on August 26th in Fairbanks for the land cruise and then board the ship on August 31st for the ship cruise.

Kay

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Alaska Is Fantastic!

 

We have taken three Alaska cruises, all were in August, and all three were on different cruise lines. There are links below my signature to my wife's website where you can see her photo journals of our cruises. Seeing pictures might help you make a more informed decision.

 

My comments below are about our experience on Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas.

 

In mid-August of 2012, we sailed on the southbound route from Anchorage Alaska to Vancouver, Canada. We loved it! We had four ports of call, Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway and Icy Strait Point located in the Alaskan town of Hoonah.

 

When we booked the cruise, we arranged to have transfers through RC and I'm glad we did. We didn't have any trouble at all.

 

When we flew into Anchorage. At the airport, we asked for the RC representative. We were directed to a kiosk where the friendly RC staff checked us off her list, and then told us when the next bus was leaving for Seward. I think we had about a one hour wait.

 

We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the food court, then went back to the waiting area at the RC desk. When the bus arrived, we got in along with several other people and the driver loaded up all the baggage.

 

I'm not sure how long the drive was but it seemed to pass quickly. The scenery was fantastic and the driver gave information about what we were seeing from time to time.

 

Before we knew it, we had arrived at the Seward terminal. The Radiance was the only ship there! Check in at the terminal was a breeze. We walked right in,went up to the counter to check in, and went right on to the ship!

 

The quickest embarkation we have ever had.

 

The ship is fantastic and the cruise was the wonderful. The itinerary includes 4 ports of call. Icy Strait Point was and still is our favorite. We went on the Bear and Whale watch combo excursion through RC. We saw two bears catching Salmon and countless whales! It was amazing!

 

When we went through the Hubbard Glacier area, we witnessed numerous"calving" which is when great chunks of ice break off with loud cracking and rumbling then fall into the water.

 

At the end of the cruise, going through the Vancouver terminal was no trouble at all. We also had a transfer through the cruise line that took us to the Vancouver airport.

 

Here is a link to the page where you will see slideshows about the different ports of call as well as the ship.

 

2012 RC Radiance of the Seas ~ Alaska Southbound

HAPPY SAILING! It's a great way to explore the world!

Edited by JimAOk1945
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I am looking to book a cruise for August 2018. I can't help but feeling like I will only hit, at most, 1-2 new places if I do another cruise through the Caribbean. So, I am considering spreading my wings, which has brought me here, pondering an Alaskan cruise. For those that have done one, or several, can you persuade me into booking one? What are your favorite Alaskan ports/cruising experiences (because I know some itineraries cruise through Glacier Bay and such, not dock)? What are your favorite Alaskan cruise memories? What makes Alaskan cruises stand out?

 

Thank you to anyone who provides information, I'm hoping this thread will help me, as well as all future Alaskan first-time cruisers in either booking or planning their trip! :)

 

We did a trip with HAL ,7 days land and 7 days sea .It was a wonderful experience.The highlight of the trip was visiting Denali National Park .We took a tour,the guide was a History Professor from Oregon who was a tour guide for 4 months in Alaska .He gave everyone free books about Denali and other places in Alaska.

On the land portion we toured by train and bus.

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Done four, all with Princess. Alaska is all about the scenery, not the onboard activities like the megaships. Totally different than the Caribbean. Small boat surrounded by orca, chunks of ice half the size of a ship falling off a 200' glacier, eagles, rivers of ice, rugged mountains, seven mile wide Hubbard Glacier.

 

Be aware that Royal doesn't visit Glacier Bay, so if you want to sail there you need a different line. Most folks do a one way sailing between Alaska and Vancouver, but you can also sail a closed loop from Seattle if you want to avoid an Alaska flight.

 

If you have the time, take a cruise that combines with a land tour. This lets you see a bit of the interior of Alaska.

 

Tours in Alaska are very expensive, especially those that involve float planes or helicopters. Plan ahead. The Alaska board has lots of information on things to do in the various ports. Also have a backup plan because planes/copters can get cancelled due to weather in Ketchikan and Juneau.

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Best endorsement I can give is out of a Panama Canal cruise, a Baltic cruise, a New Zealand cruise and Mediterranean cruise, all of which were fantastic, the Alaska cruise is still my favorite. If at all possible, make it a land and sea cruisetour.

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We loved our AK cruise. The highlight, to us, was standing on the upper deck all day, every day, enjoying the scenery all around us. The ports were fine, but secondary to that.

I see you are in Annapolis. Have you ever done a Canada/New England cruise from Baltimore? I enjoyed those as much as AK, and much more convenient. Both are way ahead of Caribbean cruises, IMO!

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An Alaskan cruise is a TOTALLY different "feel" from a Caribbean vacation. It's all about ALASKA...not the laid-back feel of tropical breezes and gorgeous, turquoise waters.... It's about the land that is Alaska....the glaciers, the mountains, the rugged life....is that up your alley?

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Alaska has been our favorite vacation so far - cruise or not cruise!! And you have to go to Denali so you need to do the cruise tour first. We've talked to people who have done it going south and going north and everyone agrees you should sail south. The interior cruise tour is much more active so then when you get on the ship it's nice to relax a little and be pampered. We went on Celebrity and each port was amazing - you have to see the Hubbard Glacier! We did a float plane in Juneau, the alpine railway in Skagway, and more bald eagles and whales in Hoonah than I could count! It was absolutely majestic and can't wait to go back with our adult children!

 

 

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Thank you all for your help! I am finding some good cruise options, some closed loop, some one-way. I just read through a photo review and have been watching YouTube videos, and I'm getting a Switzerland vibe, and I absolutely loved Switzerland. I think I would love an Alaskan cruise! However, prices are kind of high, and a cross-country flight would have to be considered, plus excursion money, I may have to wait until Summer 2019 and catch an earlybird rate when they're released in the spring. But, it is definitely something that I would want to do! Any more pictures, videos, or photo reviews? I'm liking what I'm seeing :D

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I've sailed twice to Alaska, once on a small ship that got into places other ships couldn't, and second time was on RCCL. Before my first trip, I read Michener's Alaska and that made me appreciate what I was seeing even more. First trip was 14 day and 2nd was 7 day, both round trips out of Vancouver. The wildlife we saw was fantastic and scenery spectacular, especially Glacier Bay. Most of both cruises was spent on deck to ensure I wasn't missing something. Now that I'm retired and have time to cruise, Alaska is on my list for a third visit and I think I'd opt for another small ship! And based on the excursions I took, would highly recommend float plane out of Juneau. Once you pop up over the mountains, all you can see are glaciers...it's breathtaking and awe-inspiring.

 

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We loved our AK cruise. The highlight, to us, was standing on the upper deck all day, every day, enjoying the scenery all around us. The ports were fine, but secondary to that.

I see you are in Annapolis. Have you ever done a Canada/New England cruise from Baltimore? I enjoyed those as much as AK, and much more convenient. Both are way ahead of Caribbean cruises, IMO!

 

I have done a 4 night to Saint John and a 5 night to Saint John and Halifax from New York City, both on Carnival. Those cruises were very nice, both cheap getaways with my friends, and the stops were very cool. I have not done a Canadian cruise out of Baltimore, but I think if I were to do it again, I would probably do a one-way between Boston and Quebec City, or just cruise from Boston, to get further north. I have only done Bahamas cruises from Baltimore, my first 3 cruises, and I have not cruised from Baltimore since 2012. All three had extremely choppy rides down the coast, and it was not very hot in the Bahamas, and by the third time, it was repetitive. Then, I realized I could fly to Florida, change uo my islands, and be very hot for the whole cruise for the same price as a 7 night from Baltimore, and I have done that ever since. I do, however, want to try Bermuda sometime soon, as I would love to get onboard Anthem in Cape Liberty.

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Everyone should do Alaska once. It is a totally different cruise from any other one we have done. This cruise is about the land and wildlife. We began in Vancouver and ended in Anchorage on a 7 day cruise aboard a HAL ship. We enjoyed a beautiful 2 hour float plane excursion out of Juneau, saw orcas right by our tour boat, watched bears eating salmon, walked on Mendenhall Glacier, took the train in Skagway, and saw plenty of eagles and seals. I would like to do another Alaskan cruise in the future and take a land tour with the cruise. A friend of mine returned from her Alaskan cruise in Sept and it was sad to see her pics of how small the Mendenhall Glacier is now compared to when we were there a few years ago. You won't regret seeing Alaska.

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Forgot to mention - we saw humpback whales bubble net fishing and it was a sight I will never forget - one of my favorite travel memories of all time! Even the guides on the ship were jumping up and down and screaming as the whales did it over and over again right next to us! If you don't know what that is just google it and you will be amazed!

 

 

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65d857ff625c8de6d7dd7063bf5bd236.jpg

 

Glacier bay!

 

Alaska was awesome. I highly recommend an itinerary with both Glacier Bay and College Fjord.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

That's what I'm thinking. That is why I'm considering saving this for Summer 2019 so I can do a one-way cruise with both of them and then a land excursion either before or after the cruise. Nice photo! :hearteyes:

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If you think you might like a longer cruise, you may want to consider a 14 day round trip Alaska cruise out of Seattle offered by Holland America. We did it last August and it is a favorite itinerary so far.

 

Alaska is all about Alaska, the cruise line is secondary. This itinerary was beyond fantastic!

Seattle,Washington

Scenic cruising Vancouver Island

Ketchikan, Alaska

Scenic Cruising Tracy Arm - Sawyer Glacier

Juneau, Alaska

Icy Strait Point, Alaska

At Sea

Anchorage,Alaska

Homer, Alaska

Kodiak, Alaska

Scenic cruising Hubbard Glacier - inaccessible, went to Endicott Glacier instead

Sitka, Alaska

At Sea

Victoria,BC, Canada

Aug 15 Seattle,Washington

Here is a link to my wife's photo journal on her website. She took tons of pictures of all our shore excursions.

 

14 Day Alaska Cruise

 

Have fun planning!

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I am looking to book a cruise for August 2018. I can't help but feeling like I will only hit, at most, 1-2 new places if I do another cruise through the Caribbean. So, I am considering spreading my wings, which has brought me here, pondering an Alaskan cruise. For those that have done one, or several, can you persuade me into booking one? What are your favorite Alaskan ports/cruising experiences (because I know some itineraries cruise through Glacier Bay and such, not dock)? What are your favorite Alaskan cruise memories? What makes Alaskan cruises stand out?

 

Thank you to anyone who provides information, I'm hoping this thread will help me, as well as all future Alaskan first-time cruisers in either booking or planning their trip! :)

 

Alaska is very unique place of this world, worth to be visited, cruising the Glacier Bay was my favorite experience though I must say I loved every port we visited.

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Alaska was by a long way my favourite cruise so far. I have only done 4 cruises but Alaska stands out easily.

 

It was my second cruise on Radiance, and my second cruise ever.

 

My favourite ports were Ketchikan and Seward, although I really liked Juneau, and Skagway too, and we had an incredible whale watching trip at Icy Strait Point.

 

There were too many highlights to pick a single one.

 

I WILL go back to Alaska one day. Soon I hope.

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The scenary is unbelievable. The weather, gorgeous even in rainy times. I have been twice in 17 Cruises and it is the best Itinerary out there. The Mendenhall and Hubbard Glaciers truly keep you in awe of Gods Handiwork

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My wife and I went once and will never go back. Don't get me wrong we really enjoyed the cruise, once in a lifetime experience and we are so glad we went, once. But to do it again we found it to be too cold and too much like home to warrant the high cost.

 

If you are looking to try something different go for it.

 

If you want to see our trip here is a link to the live report I did.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2390859

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I am looking to book a cruise for August 2018. I can't help but feeling like I will only hit, at most, 1-2 new places if I do another cruise through the Caribbean. So, I am considering spreading my wings, which has brought me here, pondering an Alaskan cruise. For those that have done one, or several, can you persuade me into booking one? What are your favorite Alaskan ports/cruising experiences (because I know some itineraries cruise through Glacier Bay and such, not dock)? What are your favorite Alaskan cruise memories? What makes Alaskan cruises stand out?

 

Thank you to anyone who provides information, I'm hoping this thread will help me, as well as all future Alaskan first-time cruisers in either booking or planning their trip! :)

 

I see that you are from Annapolis, MD. We are in Silver Spring. We have cruised out of Baltimore on RC and Carnival. We have been to Alaska twice on RC once in June and just in August of 2017. The best part of an Alaskan tour is seeing a glacier from the ship. You can't get there any other way. By the way, Bermuda is great too. We are going out of NJ at Easter because they can handle a large ship and we don't have to fly.

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