Does Oceania go to Alaska?

[gopackgo]

We are thinking about another cruise, maybe the summer of 2013. One place we would like to see again is Alaska. Went there on a Regent cruise in 2004 and really enjoyed it. Would like to try Oceania, after hearing so many good things about it. But I do not see Alaska on the upcoming cruises on their website.

 

Just wondering if O even goes there???

 

Thanks for any insight.

 

Ginny

[Mura]

They did last summer but it wasn't successful so it's no longer on the schedule.

[Benita]

We went with Oceania on their inaugural season to Alaska - they came a little late to the game and we had poor docking berths and strange port hours as all the ports were so crowded and other lines had earlier dibs. We had a great time because it was Oceania and we love the line, but I would have to suggest Regent for Alaska.

[sitraveler]

Don't know why you mentioned ports and times.

 

We sailed Anchorage to Vancouver, and except Juneau we were the only ships in port each day.

 

Without knowing more, O did wind up selling out all those sailings and were trying to buy their way out of oversold sailings.

[Benita]

I mentioned ports and times, because we had very late arrivals in most ports and were the only ships that had to tender in others, vs docking. There were about 6 ships with us in Juneau and more than that in Ketchikan. Also, the itinerary could not include Glacier Bay, as there were too many ships scheduled there that day, so we had a long ride to Hubbard Bay, where we were allowed only a short time to sail by the glacier. Luckily, we took an optional excursion when we sailed down to Juneau from Skagway to Tracy Arm, where we got up close to Sawyer Glacier, which was amazing. We had booked the cruise the day reservations opened and were delighted when Oceania lowered the prices by $500 a person and gave a $1000 a cabin shipboard credit. That was the clincher that sold out the ships and led to offers to move to other sailing dates. I guess it was more profitable to keep the ships elsewhere that time of year, but I am hoping they will go to Alaska again someday.

[Mura]

Benita,

 

Which sail date were you on? We were originally booked for a mid-August cruise (August 13th?) but ended up not taking that cruise because Oceania coerced us (we didn't fight too hard) into switching to an October cruise on MARINA -- we were upgraded to a Vista so it wasn't a hard decision.

 

But I had checked for our original cruise which ships would be in port when we were, and for our cruise we were usually the only ship in port. (OTOH, I have heard that our cruise had pretty much not so great weather.)

 

I'm just curious.

 

Mura

[Benita]

Mura - we were on the August 26 departure, roundtrip from San Francisco. Ours was the one where they wanted to change the itinerary a week earlier for routine engine maintenance, cutting out Victoria and halving our time in most of the other ports and we had a cruise critic revolt, resulting in an itinerary similar to the original. The weather was great most of the time, but the seas incredibly rough heading over to Hubbard Glacier. It was a two week cruise, and we really enjoyed ourselves, but everybody and their brother was sailing at the same time. We went to celebrate out 20th anniversary - we were on a cruise in Alaska for our honeymoon- it is still beautiful.

[Mura]

Got it, Benita. You were on the cruise after ours ... and I remember all the problems that developed.

 

I don't think our cruise had these kinds of problems -- at least I didn't hear of any and our TA was on that cruise.

 

It's true that the scenery there is incomparable! That's why we wanted to go back ... we were last there about the time you apparently got married ...

 

But if we're going to do an Alaska cruise, it evidently will NOT be on Oceania. Our first cruise was on Princess, and we had a porthole cabin with bunk beds! But since then I've gotten used to a PH on Oceania ...

 

Mura

[sitraveler]

My cruise was earlier, we were in Juneau on July 4th.

 

Although we didn't get to Skagway, we were generally the only ship in port.

 

I did notice in one of the inside passage cities, the shops closed while we were still in there.

[Aruba]

They did last summer but it wasn't successful so it's no longer on the schedule.

Does anyone know WHY Alaska itineraries were not successful for Oceania? At first I wondered if it was because the "typical" O passenger had already seen Alaska but that logic doesn't hold. Regent continues to do Alaska cruises with, apparently, great success. Our first trip to Alaska was on Regent Mariner. I would have loved to see Alaska again on Regatta -- should have done it when I had the chance. :o

[Mura]

My guess is that it has more to do with the fact that more established lines (i.e., those that have been sailing in Alaska for a long time) have the best slots. Also I read not long ago that the authorities only permit four lines to go to places like Glacier Bay -- they limit the number of people allowed there.

 

I had also heard (I can't say it's accurate information) that the itinerary just didn't sell well for Oceania.

 

Mura

[Hawaiidan]

Mura, et all

 

This year the national park service has allowed 2 ships per day in Glacier Bay and Preserve. The ships ust comform to rigid standards of pollution and policy

Fro this year the only lines to be given permission are Princess, Holland America , NCL

 

Regent, Oceaina, Celeb, Seabourn, Silverseas will not offer any Glacier Bay. trips in 2012.

 

Skagway is a serious port because of the Klondike Gold Rush National park and Chillicoot trail, not to mention the White pass Railroad.

 

See: Glacier bay cruise ship schedule 2012 on the net.

[gopackgo]

Thanks for the all the information and replies. It helps me to kind of understand why maybe Oceania does not have Alaska on its schedule for this year or next year. I would love to try O. I was hoping to go somewhere that left from the U.S. or Canada so we don't have to fly so far. (Not in the mindset for long flights anymore.)

 

And thought Alaska would be fun to go back to. Would like to try a cruise line other than Regent, just to make it a little more interesting.

 

Ginny

[LHT28]

I would love to try O. I was hoping to go somewhere that left from the U.S. or Canada so we don't have to fly so far. (Not in the mindset for long flights anymore.)

 

 

 

Ginny

Oceania does a few from Miami RT or west coast through Panama canal

Some Canada /New England cruises in the fall

[Mura]

Ginny,

 

Besides Lyn's suggestions, transatlantics leave from Miami ... then you can build a European vacation around that once you arrive.

 

But some of the North American itineraries have been very tempting to me ...

[fjdelrio]

I wouldn't assume that Oceania is not returning to Alaska in 2013- you should wait until mid-March when itineraries for summer 13' are released before making any decisions.

 

Although Oceania's 2011 Alaska sailings were virtually sold-out, the "problem", if there were any, was that we made the itineraries too long, primarily 12 and 14 day sailings with a handful of 10 day sailings. If there is a next time, they will be primarily 7 day sailings with a handful of 10's.

 

Should we return to Alaska in the summer of 2013?

FDR

[potterhill]

Absolutely. We were contemplating which cruise to take last summer when a dear friend announced her wedding and of course that event won out.

 

I must say we do prefer the 14 day cruises......don't think I'd want to do a 7 day.

 

Mo

[Mura]

My personal reaction is YES. But one thing I liked (as compared to the NCL itinerary we were looking at last summer in terms of taking my handicapped brother-in-law to Alaska) was the longer cruises. I certainly would not want less than 10 days and would prefer 12-14.

 

But I certainly could be in the minority as far as duration is concerned!

 

If it's a matter of O not returning versus returning with shorter cruises, I opt for returning with shorter cruises.

 

Mura

[neepawa]

FDR

 

While we prefer longer cruises, we would book a 7 day cruise to Alaska if it was on an Oceania ship.

 

Don

[Benita]

We took the 14 day sailing because it was roundtrip from San Francisco, which is only one flight from South Florida. However, in all honesty, it was too long a sailing for that area - the weather is not conducive to days at sea and we would have been better off with a shorter cruise and a land package. When we honeymooned in Alaska, 20 years ago, we spent a week traveling through the Canadian Rockies and then an inside passage cruise roundtrip from Vancouver for a week. I think either an itinerary like that or one that goes from Vancouver to Anchorage for a week, combined with a trip to Denali are the way to go.

[Oceans&Rivers]

We took the 14 day sailing because it was roundtrip from San Francisco, which is only one flight from South Florida. However, in all honesty, it was too long a sailing for that area - the weather is not conducive to days at sea and we would have been better off with a shorter cruise and a land package. When we honeymooned in Alaska, 20 years ago, we spent a week traveling through the Canadian Rockies and then an inside passage cruise roundtrip from Vancouver for a week. I think either an itinerary like that or one that goes from Vancouver to Anchorage for a week, combined with a trip to Denali are the way to go.

 

Hi Benita.

 

The reason we didn't have great weather in Alaska (but did have gorgeous weather in Vancouver, Victoria and Astoria) on our cruise is because it was at the tail end of the Alaska cruising season. It's a perfect time to visit the Pacific Northwest, but not the optimal time to visit Alaska.

 

During the middle of summer it is very possible to have bright, sunny, even hot days (not guaranteed, of course!) in Alaska, with clear blue skies. We have experienced good weather during most of our Alaska cruises (six or seven of them).

 

We loved that our Regatta cruise was 14 days instead of shorter and most of all that it was round trip San Francisco. Having said that, though, I would not again choose the earliest or latest cruises to Alaska.

 

We have already done the Gulf Coast, i.e. Anchorage to Vancouver, and you don't really see much more than with a round trip from the Pacific Northwest unless you specifically want to spend time in or around Anchorage/Denali/Fairbanks.

 

In our case, the only 7-night Alaska cruise we would want to do would be either round trip Vancouver or round trip Seattle and would be during midsummer. We would prefer Glacier Bay to Hubbard Glacier, in part because it does not require the time and fuel and possibly rough ride to get up to Hubbard on a 7-night round trip from either Vancouver or Seattle, but also because if you go into Glacier Bay, you spend much more time there than the amount of time ships stay at Hubbard Glacier.

 

Only two ships per day are allowed into Glacier Bay, however, so it is important to secure the permits well in advance.

 

We have never cruised on Regent to Alaska because all they offer are the one ways to or from San Francisco at the beginning and end of the season and then the Gulf Coast Vancouver to Anchorage and return. I really hope that Oceania will not duplicate the routes that Regent offers.

[Oceans&Rivers]

I wouldn't assume that Oceania is not returning to Alaska in 2013- you should wait until mid-March when itineraries for summer 13' are released before making any decisions.

 

Although Oceania's 2011 Alaska sailings were virtually sold-out, the "problem", if there were any, was that we made the itineraries too long, primarily 12 and 14 day sailings with a handful of 10 day sailings. If there is a next time, they will be primarily 7 day sailings with a handful of 10's.

 

Should we return to Alaska in the summer of 2013?

FDR

 

How nice to see you here!

 

I don't think the length of the cruises was the "problem". Crystal Cruises did a full season of round trips from San Francisco (all 12 nights) that no doubt siphoned off many of the passengers that might have liked to have cruised on Oceania round trip, just as Oceania siphoned off passengers from Crystal. Crystal had Glacier Bay permits. Crystal also did all of their cruises round trip San Francisco.

 

There is some overlap between people who cruise on Crystal and those who cruise on Oceania. I am seeing more and more Crystal passenger names show up on the Oceania board, and I think some of that new interest has to do with Oceania's new ships with four specialty restaurants, along with several other policies, such as Oceania's limited smoking.

 

We were originally booked on both Symphony and Regatta to Alaska. We considered doing both cruises, but in the end, you won in our household. :)

 

Crystal ships will be elsewhere in 2013, not Alaska, so I think it's a great time for you to come back to the West Coast.

 

Besides, w'd like to do a nice, long Panama Canal transit from San Francisco on Oceania in 2013 and an Alaska season would make that much more likely.

[sitraveler]

We were some of the earliest bookers on an Alaska itinerary.

Alaska is a terrific cruise region and would return again, but there is only so much you can do by sea.

[loum140]

Whenever anyone asked why we hadn't taken a cruise to Alaska, my response was "we'll go when Oceania sails there". So when those itineraries were announced we immediately booked the Anchorage/Vancouver 12-day, coupling the cruise with the Denali land package and staying on in Vancouver post-cruise. It was fantastic - we saw so much more than our friends did on their Princess cruise of the Inside Passage. When they got home, they told us that they had enjoyed it....."but it wasn't Oceania". Of course, we already knew that!

 

So I vote "yes", Oceania should return to Alaska and the West Coast. There's so much more I want to see and knowing Oceania's wonderfully unique itineraries............who knows - maybe continuing on across the Pacific?

[JimandStan]

who knows - maybe continuing on across the Pacific?

 

Didn't Hondorner win the Itinerary Contest with just such a suggestion?

 

I'd sell Stan to go on that Alaska Cruise.