Alaska help

[Smleonard5]

Want to suprise my hubby with our first alaska cruise. Which ship and what month should we go. We have only been on 2 cruises and both to the caribbean and both on Carnival.

Thanks.

[jstducky]

i think you should also consider the itinerary. in my opinion, glacier bay national park is the most spectacular part of a trip to alaska. you get to spend an hour or so up close at marjerie glacier, and see the grand pacific glacier right next door. plus you get a pretty good view of john hopkin's glacier and john hopkin's inlet, as well as a few other glaciers along the way. the only problem with glacier bay is that since it is a national park, they only permit a limited number of cruise ships to enter the park (i think its no more than 1 per day). if i'm not mistaken, currently RCI does not go to Glacier Bay. if you want a cruise line that goes to Glacier Bay, you are better off with HAL. almost all, if not all, HAL cruises go to Glacier Bay.

An alternative to Glacier Bay is Hubbard Glacier, which is where most RCI ships go. Hubbard Glacier is one of the most active glaciers in Alaska, and can be seen clearly as long as the weather is good.

If you want to go with RCI, your best bet is the Radiance class ships, Radiance and Serenade, which both sail Alaska.

Since this is your first cruise to Alaska, probably try going with the rountrip itinerary rather than the one way.

Also if you want good weather, lots of wildlife, and a good mix of age groups on board, try the end of June - beginning of August. Of course this is also the peak traveling months, so airfare and cruise fare may be a bit higher.

either way, enjoy!

jstducky!
-----------------
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00bfff&cdt=2004;9;11;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
...til 9/04 - Jewel of the Seas - Canada / New England

====================================
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00bfff&cdt=2004;7;10;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
...til 7/04 - Zuiderdam - Western Caribbean

=====================================
7/03 - Zaandam - Alaska
4/03 - Norweigan Star - Hawaii
7/96 - Noordam - Alaska
7/96 - Golden Princess - Alaska
8/94 - Jubilee - Mexican Riviera

<center>
<a href="http://www.escati.com/counter98/free_time_codes.htm">
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/logos/time98.gif[/img]</center>

[sally r]

We have done Alaska twice and are going again in August on the Serenade. We have done both Glacier bay and Hubbard. Both have certain merits. I honestly think the Serenade currently has one of the best itineraries offered right now. I love the Misty Fjords!
We have gone in early June when the sun never sets and the bays are full of ice..very interesting! We have also gone in September when there are not so many kids and you can get real close to the glaciers as the ice has subsided. It's a toss up! Jstducky gave you some great info!
A balcony is a must have in Alaska and I would stongly suggest a Radiance class ship. Email me as I am going to have to give up my great aft cabin soon. Decided to take the grandson so need to book a bigger cabin!

Sally
NCL Sky 9/00
RCCL 3/01,5/01,5/02,6/02, 9/02,10/02,4/03,8/03,11/03,
4/04,8/04
HAL 9/04 b2b
NCL Sun 4/05 b2b
Schooner Bar rules!

[MaryT]

I am also considering an Alaskan cruise. My birthday is in Sept. so I'm thinking of booking for then. What type of weather could I expect at that time? Thanks in advance for your help!

~~~Mary~~~

Explorer - 1/5/02
Golden Princess - 12/26/04

[Florida Beach]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by sally r:
A balcony is a must have in Alaska and I would stongly suggest a Radiance class ship. Email me as I am going to have to give up my great aft cabin soon. Decided to take the grandson so need to book a bigger cabin!

Sally
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sally,

We are looking at the Radiance/Serenade (Alaska) for July travel, give and take a month. It would be nice if we can book an aft balcony this late. Which cabin do you plan to give up? I can't see your email from the Public Member Profile. Please advice.

Thanks in advance. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

March 28, 2004 - Mariner of the Seas

[sally r]

Florida beach, I have #1104 for the 8/22/04 Serenade. It is a D, superior oceanview on deck ten. It is a long story but I also have two E1 cabins on the "bump". Had a bunch of people going with us but as some backed out, we just held on to the bookings. Will be giving them up on 6/13 if no one wants them. My email is [email]queenofvenus@hotmail.com[/email].
Mary, we had glorious weather in September. We were able to use the outdoor pool even. Had some mist in Juneau and wanted a jacket most mornings. The worst part was that the crew was rather surly. They are mostly from warmer climes and were really tired of the cooler Alaska weather. In September you can get right up to the glaciers and it is awesome. Hope this helps.

Sally
NCL Sky 9/00
RCCL 3/01,5/01,5/02,6/02, 9/02,10/02,4/03,8/03,11/03,
4/04,8/04
HAL 9/04 b2b
NCL Sun 4/05 b2b
Schooner Bar rules!

[Florida Beach]

Sally,

Thanks for the info. I will go check the cabin and email as soon as I can [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img].

I have your email written down. You can edit your post and remove it if you wish [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img].

Thanks,

March 28, 2004 - Mariner of the Seas