Stephens Passage Ms Amsterdam R/T Alaska from Seattle June 2018

Has anyone cruised this passage on an Alaska Cruise ? We have done 4 previous Alaska Cruises mainly on HAL ships and have never seen this on any itinerary.

Would appreciate knowing if it is worth taking a cruise with this as a full day of cruising. Am concerned that for this 7 day cruise three of them will basically be at sea (unless this stretch is truly scenic).

Has anyone cruised this passage on an Alaska Cruise ? We have done 4 previous Alaska Cruises mainly on HAL ships and have never seen this on any itinerary.

Would appreciate knowing if it is worth taking a cruise with this as a full day of cruising. Am concerned that for this 7 day cruise three of them will basically be at sea (unless this stretch is truly scenic).

We went through Stephens Passage on HAL getting in to Juneau. It was not advertised on the itinerary. Captain Bos did make an announcement about it, and I did follow along on the charts. We saw lots of whales. And it was very scenic.

I think it is come-on. Almost all Alaska ships cruise through this section en route to Juneau. It is the area in which the Humpback Whales linger in the summer months and where all of the Whale Watching tours go out of Juneau. But the ships have to pass through it to get to Juneau. -Curt.

HAL Amsterdam is doing Hubbard Glacier this Season. That part is truly scenic!

I think it is come-on. Almost all Alaska ships cruise through this section en route to Juneau. It is the area in which the Humpback Whales linger in the summer months and where all of the Whale Watching tours go out of Juneau. But the ships have to pass through it to get to Juneau. -Curt.

By that criteria, is going through the Panama Canal also a come-on since that is the only way to get from the Caribbean to the Pacific. And the Inside Passage is just way to get to Alaska from Vancouver and has no stand-alone value on its own? Or is HAL simply noting this is a scenic area so passengers can appreciate this added value for that particular cruise choice.

HAL Amsterdam is doing Hubbard Glacier this Season. That part is truly scenic!

I agree the sail-in through Yakutat Bay is fabulous when the visibility is decent. We've had a couple of cloudy and/or foggy days making it difficult to view the scenery.

By that criteria, is going through the Panama Canal also a come-on since that is the only way to get from the Caribbean to the Pacific. And the Inside Passage is just way to get to Alaska from Vancouver and has no stand-alone value on its own? Or is HAL simply noting this is a scenic area so passengers can appreciate this added value for that particular cruise choice.

The latter...It is trying to say we will sail through a scenic area. My point is that they all do!

Similarly, HAL started advertising that since all HALships departing Seattle sail on the WEST side of Vancouver Island, rather then the more scenic (and more difficult to navigate) EAST side of Vancouver Island, that we will enjoy "Scenic Cruising of Puget Sound". Well, as expected, all Seattle Cruise Ships have to navigate through this area. Go figure!