I've Been Reading About Alaska.......

[sail7seas]

I'm Doing Some Reading About Alaska......

I am 'humoring' DH and am reading about Alaska cruises.

As many years as we have sailed HAL and as many years as I've

been around CC, Alaska cruises have never interested me. I've read the reviews that appear here on HAL section but never in the Review Section of CC, I look at the pretty pictures but nothing has 'sunk in' because it was never on my 'interested' list.

 

So......

 

Can anyone tell me what is good or not so wonderful about the 14 Day Alaskan Explorer Cruise via Tracy Arm and Hubbard Glacier Seatle to Seattle cruise on Amsterdam. IF, and that is a HUGE If, I were to agree to this cruise, is it a good choice? I absolutely, postively will not do a land tour. That is out of the question, for me.

 

The other one I am looking at is Volendam, 7 Day Inside Passage, Vancouver to Vancouver. With this cruise, I am most particularly concerned about inconvience, travel from Vancouver to Seattle to east coast. Is it a royal pain to get off the ship in Vancouver and fly home to Boston? What is the best method of transportation to Seattle to catch flights home? HAL's bus? How long is the ride?

 

Anyone have any comments to help me decide if I can talk myself into this voyage?

 

Thanks if you're willing to help an Alaskan cruise know nothing person. :o

[CowPrincess]

Volendam, 7 Day Inside Passage, Vancouver to Vancouver. With this cruise, I am most particularly concerned about inconvience, travel from Vancouver to Seattle to east coast.

 

You might want to think about adding a day or two post-cruise and seeing some of Vancouver. If inconvenience is your biggest concern, as opposed to cost, you could fly Vcr -> Boston with one connection. It would be a shame to miss all the Vancouver and area has, IMHO.

 

Again, JMHO, but you've never struck me as someone who would enjoy most of the things that Alaska has to offer, especially on the off-the-beaten-path 14 day itin.

[mountainmare]

I am also a person who has no interest in Alaska. Although I have seen whales, grizzly bears, moose etc. and walked on glaciers on other land trips.

I have heard from some friends that it is the trip of a lifetime...and from others that at least they can now check off Alaska and wouldn't go again.

 

It sounds like you are not interested in the hiking, outdoorsy activities and probably would not be thrilled with the toursity stops. It sounds like your DH has a want to see Alaska wish.

The only reason that I can see for you going is to do something nice for your DH, and remember that you will be spending time on a wonderful HAL ship.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Oh Sail, DO give it a try! Step out of your "comfort zone" and I promise you will be wowed by the spectacular scenery, amazing wildlife, and awesome glaciers. The 14 day itinerary is really fantastic and will take you to some little visited ports, which in my opinion are charming and perfect just the way they are. Comb the Alaska boards, borrow some Alaska travel books from the library and read up on what each port has to offer. If you enjoy whale watching, ISP is perfect for that! Go during the salmon run and take a floatplane excursion to Neets Bay (HAL's excursion was perfect!) to see those bears feeding in the streams, up close and personal. Rent a car in several of the ports and do your own thing - get away from the hustle and bustle of the ports and the touristy aspect that may turn you off. Get out there and see the REAL Alaska. It has captured my heart, as you can probably tell. I think you may be surprised how much you enjoy this fantastic itinerary. I've done it twice and would not hesitate to do it again....and again....and again....;).

 

Give it a shot, you'll never know if it is for you unless you try. C'mon Sail, be adventurous!:D

[sail7seas]

THANK YOU, CowPrincess, Mountainmare. You are both totally correct. You will not see me hiking trails and flying helicopters over glaciers. I will be the one in the trinket stores, looking for a place for seafood lunch (I love salmon) and my greatest enjoyment will be on the ship........ and sadly, Amsterdam is not my favorite HAL ship. (Don't get me wrong; she's fine but not Noordam or Maasdam for ME.)

 

If it rains the whole trip, DH may be sorry we decided to come. :eek:

 

I would lilke to see Vancouver and appreciate the suggestion to stay a day or two there. I haven't looked at flights but if we can fly with only one stop, on a somewhat convenient flight, maybe the seven day Volendam cruise makes more sense.

 

Helpful comments.

Thanks.

[baggal]

For me, a 7 day Alaska cruise is enough. IMO, the 14 day cruise is for people who love Alaska and want to do more outdoor activities.

 

I would recommend that whatever cruise you select, make sure that it goes to Glacier Bay. There's nothing else like it.

[sail7seas]

Oh Sail, DO give it a try! Step out of your "comfort zone" and I promise you will be wowed by the spectacular scenery, amazing wildlife, and awesome glaciers. The 14 day itinerary is really fantastic and will take you to some little visited ports, which in my opinion are charming and perfect just the way they are. Comb the Alaska boards, borrow some Alaska travel books from the library and read up on what each port has to offer. If you enjoy whale watching, ISP is perfect for that! Go during the salmon run and take a floatplane excursion to Neets Bay (HAL's excursion was perfect!) to see those bears feeding in the streams, up close and personal. Rent a car in several of the ports and do your own thing - get away from the hustle and bustle of the ports and the touristy aspect that may turn you off. Get out there and see the REAL Alaska. It has captured my heart, as you can probably tell. I think you may be surprised how much you enjoy this fantastic itinerary. I've done it twice and would not hesitate to do it again....and again....and again....;).

 

Give it a shot, you'll never know if it is for you unless you try. C'mon Sail, be adventurous!:D

 

 

 

Your post is REALLY helpful to me.

FLOATPLANE? Me??? Nope, no way. Never will happen I'd get on one of those things. :eek:

We have whale watching available right from home so that is not an attraction to make me fly across the country.

 

You said it..... 'comfort zone'. :D

 

I'm just trying to find a reason to go other than because DH really seems to be interested. Hate to admit it but he does 'have rights, too'. :D And because any HAL ship is special.

[mamaofami]

I never wanted to go to Alaska either, but wound up doing so when DH was working on HAL. We were very lucky weather wise (although in June they had a heat spell and it was 90 degrees everyday for the two weeks we were there) and no excursions were canceled because of fog.

Alaska is very beautiful and it's great seeing the glaciers. I amazed myself by taking a helicopter ride and landing on a glacier and then going dog sledding. Also did the float plane ride and it was beautiful when we landed in the middle of the water; so peaceful.It was amazing, but I'm not sure I would do that helicopter ride today. We took lots of excursions and I enjoyed all of them, but wouldn't go back since once was enough. Also, Alaska is very weather related. If it's foggy, you can't see the glaciers even from the ship and many things are canceled because of bad weather. If you do go, I would stick to the 7 day cruise and don't go very early or late in the season since it will be cold.

 

Along the street in one of the cities there were really beautiful furs in the stores, and of course a Diamond International. Not much in the way of trinkets though.

 

Judy, why do you have to go from Vancouver to Seattle to fly home? We flew directly from Vancouver, which is a beautiful city and worth a few day's visit.

 

Good luck with this decision.

 

 

[sapete]

I would lilke to see Vancouver and appreciate the suggestion to stay a day or two there. I haven't looked at flights but if we can fly with only one stop, on a somewhat convenient flight, maybe the seven day Volendam cruise makes more sense.

 

Helpful comments.

Thanks.

 

Vancouver is a definite city to see. There are many different one-stop itineraries on American, Delta, United, US Airways, and Air Canada. Returning Immigration and Customs is easy as you pre-clear in Vancouver, making your connection back an easy doemstic connection.

[maxout]

Sail, since it's unlikely you will opt for the Float Plane trip ;) here is a view from one to enjoy.

 

 

[CowPrincess]

Looked at the Volendam itin and I think (but am not certain) you might have the opportunity to do a catamaran shorex into Tracy Arm, which IMHO is worth EVERY PENNY of the trip :)

 

Ketchikan has many artists and artisans selling their wares. You could easily spend a full day shopping there. And hit the Totem Heritage Center, a place where recovered and rescued VERY OLD totems are housed. One of my favorite spots.

 

Juneau has some interesting shops along Franklin. There is The Twisted Fish restaurant down by the aerial tram to the top of the mountain. Or the Hangar on the Wharf very near the Franklin Street Dock.

 

Your husband deserves a trip to Alaska. There are enough of us here with experience in Alaska to help you find things you will consider doing.

 

I think Skagway offers a Gardens and Lunching tour through the ship. Or you could take the fast ferry to Haines :eek: and walk to the Bamboo Curtain Cafe (I'm kidding!!!)

[sail7seas]

CowPrincess......

 

You so have 'my number'. You have mentioned things that truly appeal to me. I love totem poles and seeing artists work displayed for me to browse would be wonderful!!! Gardens and lunch...... Yup. I can do that~!!!

Thank you for helping me out here. Obviously, I'm struggling to do this for DH and I'm trying hard to find a way for us to both enjoy it.

 

Maxout... Thank you so much for the photo. You know what I see when I look at it?

Clouds, grey, rainy day........ That is part of what turns me off to Alaska. The risk of miserable weather in the middle of summer.

We live in Boston and we have plenty of ice and snow and I have no desire to see it in summer on glaciers.

 

This thread is really helpful. Big thanks.

 

 

[mamaofami]

I totally forgot about the totem poles. They were beautiful.

[CowPrincess]

In Vancouver there is an installation of totem poles at UBC, and totem poles throughout Stanley Park. There is a private art gallery of Bill Reid pieces in downtown Vancouver on Hornby Street. The Vancouver Art Gallery often has limited time exhibits in addition to their permanent collection.

 

IMHO the two things most important for you are:

1. find things that will interest you that will help get you excited about the trip, even though what you want from Alaska is far, far different than what most people want from Alaska

2. identify and invest in some good-quality layering pieces of clothing that will help you manage the weather, regardless of whether it is warm or cold. Eg, silk long johns, a good North Face fleecy top, a good wool/silk blend sock.

[sail7seas]

We're 'walkers' and walk most nights after dinner all year round so I have North Face in various weights; Wintersilks long johns are priceless but I'll have to order some wool/silk socks. I've been wearing knee highs with sneaker socks if I need an extra layer.

 

I can send DH off on his excursions and I'll happily seek out the exhibits and galleries. Look how much fun we'll have at dinner comparing what we each did all day. :)

CowPrincess...... You are actually getting me a little enthused.

 

DH thanks you in advance though it is far from time for me to agree to a booking. :o At least I'm getting a bit interested which I wasn't when I started this thread.

 

[northernphoenix]

I so understand your original point of view, but We were on the Volendam Inside Passage, and even tho we did whale watching with Harv n Marv, and the train into Carcross with Dyea Dan, we would have been bitten by the Alaska bug in Glacier Bay. I am not a religious person, but the grandeur of this wonderful state moved me. The experience becomes very personal, and as you have read, everyone is very positive about their own experience. The trip is one that I intend to repeat,

Marilyn

[Himself]

I have done the fourteen days cruise on the AMSTERDAM and I just loved it. I would like to do it again someday. I have also done the inside passage on the Volendam and loved it very much. When going on the Volendam, I usually fly into Seattle and get the Quick Shuttle up to Vancouver and catch it right in the Cruise Ship terminal at Canada Place. It does take four our five hours because we must go through customs at the border.

[CowPrincess]

http://www.invisibleworld.com/ -- alpaca clothing in Juneau

 

http://www.glaciersmoothie.com/ -- Juneau, locally made soap

 

http://g.normanjackson.com/ -- Ketchikan artist with a studio on Creek Street

 

http://www.capefoxlodge.com/ -- Ketchikan hotel with totems on display

 

http://www.trollart.com/home.html and http://store.trollart.com/T-Shirts/ -- Ketchikan artist with a quirky sense of humor

 

http://www.scanlongallery.com/ -- great art gallery/shop in Ketchikan

 

http://jewellgardens.com/ -- gardens in Skagway

 

Just a sample of some of the places I can recall

[cruz chic]

Looked at the Volendam itin and I think (but am not certain) you might have the opportunity to do a catamaran shorex into Tracy Arm, which IMHO is worth EVERY PENNY of the trip :)

 

Cow Princess sort of talked me into doing the Catamaran ;) and OMG, I think that is the most beautiful place and shorex I've ever done. I'm NOT an Alaska person because I hate the cold but I loved my cruise there this summer.

[CowPrincess]

Sept 2010 sunny days in Juneau, Sitka, Tracy Arm Fjord and Ketchikan.

[CowPrincess]

lorekauf, you have NO idea how relieved I was to hear that you enjoyed Tracy Arm :D

 

(we were so very fortunate to be able to cruise it, instead of taking the add-on shorex)

[sail7seas]

http://www.invisibleworld.com/ -- alpaca clothing in Juneau

 

http://www.glaciersmoothie.com/ -- Juneau, locally made soap

 

http://g.normanjackson.com/ -- Ketchikan artist with a studio on Creek Street

 

http://www.capefoxlodge.com/ -- Ketchikan hotel with totems on display

 

http://www.trollart.com/home.html and http://store.trollart.com/T-Shirts/ -- Ketchikan artist with a quirky sense of humor

 

http://www.scanlongallery.com/ -- great art gallery/shop in Ketchikan

 

http://jewellgardens.com/ -- gardens in Skagway

 

Just a sample of some of the places I can recall

 

Cow Princess sort of talked me into doing the Catamaran ;) and OMG, I think that is the most beautiful place and shorex I've ever done. I'm NOT an Alaska person because I hate the cold but I loved my cruise there this summer.

 

Sept 2010 sunny days in Juneau, Sitka, Tracy Arm Fjord and Ketchikan.

 

 

 

You are a treasure trove of information and the photos are gorgeous.

I am not yet mentioning anything to DH until I give this some serious thought. I am very glad I started this thread and am hugely appreciative for everyone's help.

Really, a very sincere thank you.

 

[SharonN]

I’m one of those that love Alaska having just taken my 4th trip there in Sept to show my new husband my favorite place (lucky for me he loved it too). We loved the 14 day Amsterdam trip and especially the smaller ports which I’d never been to before. Here are my suggestions for things you might like in the ports. I hope we convince you to go and that you surprise yourself and enjoy it!

 

My previous trips were all 1 ways to/from Vancouver/ Anchorage with land tours (which I loved) but I have to admit it was really nice to have the easy flights to/from Seattle this year.

 

We really enjoyed the smaller ports that are only available from the Amsterdam. Icy Strait Point is very small but the village looked very cute when we drove thru it on my wildlife tour. Homer was probably our favorite. We took a tour which traveled by boat to Seldovia which is a small fishing village. We had a couple of hours on the island where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch (the fresh halibut was wonderful) at a small restaurant then walked around town viewing the small Russian Church, the carved wooden statues from their yearly tournament, and enjoyed the few small shops there. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable day. We did get a special treat on the way back with some unexpected whale watching but they said that was unusual.

 

In Kodiak we did a short tour of the town that included a Russian Tea that was very nice. It was held in a small room of one of the churches while a group of locals played Balalaika’s and sang.

 

Ketchikan and Juneau have gotten much more commercial since my first trip there 25 years ago but even if you don’t want to get out of town on a tour there are lots of shops, museums, Mt. Roberts Cable Car, etc that should provide you a few hours of off-the-ship time.

 

Both of my times to Sitka I’ve spent my time on wildlife tours so haven’t spent much time in town. But a lot of the people we talked to that night said it was their favorite town for just walking around.

 

There are lots of choices for longer tours in Anchorage but if you’re not into that there are certainly lots of shops and museums there and the ship runs shuttles into downtown which is very close to the port.

 

The best part of an Alaska cruise is the scenery while you’re cruising. You can still do all the normal shipboard things but it’s always nice to look out the windows when eating or walking around the ship.

[LindaM]

We were on the 14 day itinerary in 2011. Alaska was at the bottom of our bucket list---at least mine. I knew we would go someday, because DH wanted to. We had just seen a movie that supposedly took place in Sitka, so that influenced me--and we were too late to book a Baltic cruise. I am glad we chose this rather than a 7 day, because it went to some unusual ports. We were also very lucky that the weather cooperated.

 

I can't imagine that you wouldn't like this cruise. We may never go back, because we aren't Alaska people. But, I am very happy that we did go.

 

Here is my advise.....get a balcony. I would have loved to have that expanse of scenery 24/7. I sat on the promenade deck covered in a blanket...I could have done that on my balcony, if I had one. Sure you can leave your cabin and go out on deck, but the luxury of always being able to look out and see beauty, to me, would have been priceless. Those little windows above the beds in the OV cabins just aren't the same.

[sail7seas]

We were on the 14 day itinerary in 2011. Alaska was at the bottom of our bucket list---at least mine. I knew we would go someday, because DH wanted to. We had just seen a movie that supposedly took place in Sitka, so that influenced me--and we were too late to book a Baltic cruise. I am glad we chose this rather than a 7 day, because it went to some unusual ports. We were also very lucky that the weather cooperated.

 

I can't imagine that you wouldn't like this cruise. We may never go back, because we aren't Alaska people. But, I am very happy that we did go.

 

Here is my advise.....get a balcony. I would have loved to have that expanse of scenery 24/7. I sat on the promenade deck covered in a blanket...I could have done that on my balcony, if I had one. Sure you can leave your cabin and go out on deck, but the luxury of always being able to look out and see beauty, to me, would have been priceless. Those little windows above the beds in the OV cabins just aren't the same.

 

 

 

Ahhh, the movie in Sitka. :) Is this the one?

 

The Proposal with Sandra Bullock. We loved that movie. Some of the lines were hysterical.

 

My 'deal' is I really have no interest in the excursions to glaciers, the whale watching, the 'see the bears and eagles' things....... DH probably wants to do those. I don't want to be cold and wet and wearing gloves and hats and scraves in the middle of summer. :eek: We live in Boston and my winter coats get plenty of use many months a year. I just don't want to do all those things that people go to Alaska to do. CowPrincess found things that appeal to me way more. :)

 

To watch us glide by beautiful scenery while we are comfortably on the ship works for me. To trudge through rain and mud, doesn't appeal. There's no eagle I want to see that badly. :eek:

 

I really don't want to be the least offensive to the hugely large majority that adore these cruises. I totally respect that and understand..... it's just not for me, I don't think.

 

I'm trying to find a way to be a good sport and go along so DH can see it and enjoy it the way he wants but find some way for me to substantiate travel from Boston cross continent and the expense etc And we all know, if wife isn't having fun, DH is not going to have a great time either. :o