Recommendations for Alaska

[umbluemusic]

Hi everyone,

 

My parents are planning on taking their dream cruise to Alaska this summer - and I'm trying to assist them with the planning. However, I've only gone on 1 cruise, and my second is coming up shortly but I'm not familiar with the Alaska routes.

 

I think their plan was to take one of the Inside Passage routes roundtrip from Seattle. I'm not exactly sure what the differences between the Inside Passage routes and the Voyage of the Glaciers routes are...can anyone explain it to me in a way that is simple enough to pass onto my even more limited cruising parents?

 

They haven't taken a vacation in years, and I'm so excited that they are going to do this, but I want them to get the best trip possible. They have limited time as my mother will be finishing her summer semester right before they leave. They haven't taken a vacation in years and I'm also planning on getting them an Ultimate Balcony Dinner (between me and my brother, I want to surprise them).

 

Also - I've read that a lot of people seem to prefer the aft balcony locations, but my mother and I on our short Caribbean cruise did get a bit of seasickness. I don't think my father is really prone to motion sickness in general, but should I steer them midship? I would think since there seems to be more protection as opposed to open water on the Alaska route, it might not be as bad...I, on the other hand, am perfectly midship on my Panama Canal cruise coming up. :-)

 

Anyway, any advice you can send my way I would appreciate. I'm so excited that both my parents and I are crossing something off our bucket list this summer!

[Den53]

Our first and so far only cruise was to Alaska. We LOVED it. We did the Glaciers but you have to fly back from Alaska, The R/T from Seattle will give you the same Alaskan ports. So now it depends on what they want to see. We had a balcony facing the shoreline, it was wonderful. The cruise is scenic because it "hugs" the shoreline so you are not in open water like the Caribbean.

[Putterdude]

Another major difference between an itinerary out of Seattle and that out of Vancouver is that the ships out of Seattle do not enter the Inside Passage until they are north of Vancouver Island so there is the best part of a day in either direction where there is no scenery. Plus sailing on the west side of Vancouver Island you are in the Pacific where you are subject to much rougher waters. Some of the best scenery lies between Vancouver Island and the mainland.

The Star out of Seattle does do Glacier Bay whereas the Golden out of Seattle sails Tracy Arm. The port calls are the same with either ship.

The Voyage of the Glaciers out of Vancouver does Glacier Bay and College Fjord but out of Whittier the ships visit both Glacier Bay and the Hubbard Glacier and this itinerary tends to be more popular of these two.

I have noticed that Sapphire and the Island will be doing a 7 day return from Vancouver this year both of which call in Glacier Bay but both itineraries are in mid to late Sept. when the weather is getting a bit iffy.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Do they have enough time that they could do a land tour in addition to the cruise...the land is just as amazing. princess does a great job with the tours as well, but for these it requires flying into Anchorage or Vancouver as the cruise goes one way, northbound or southbound.

[sassyredhat]

I agree with the others. We have sailed 2 AK cruises, both Inside Passage.

I think the IP itin has calmer seas because Seattle will have to sail in open ocean.

Personally, that is the one I would book for first timers.

We had balconies near the aft elevators, and had no problem with motion. But I did have my trusty wrist bands just in case.:) :)

Pat

[CruisinChris]

My personal recommendation would be to make sure that their itinerary includes Glacier Bay, minimum. That said, the Voyage of the Glaciers itineraries (Vanouver to Whittier or reverse) are preferred because they get you deeper into the "real" Alaska plus the day in College Fjord is incredible. The Inside Passage cruises only go through SouthEast Alaska and while there are some mountains, you miss out on the majesty of the bigger mountains like the Wrangell Range.

 

The comment about cruises out of Seattle going around Victoria Island is important. Those cruises go through open water and on the way north are going against the currents, therefore can be more bumpy. Coming out of Vancouver, you're on the sheltered side of the island, and scenery is interesting and pretty. (look at a map and you'll see what we're talking about).

[umbluemusic]

Thanks! I think I found an itinerary that fits perfectly doing the Voyage of the Glaciers, so I'm going to work the numbers on flights for them and go over their options with them. How are the balcony cabins aft on the emerald deck of the Island Princess? Specifically I was looking at E723. It looks like the balcony can connect and they may have another couple coming too. Are these balconies covered?

[iceleven]

It has just come to my attention there are no aft FACING cabins on the Island Princess. My personal experience (three times to Alaska) is that an aft-facing cabin is preferred to avoid cold, wind, rain which is quite often part of the Alaskan experience while on board. That's just my personal preference and I am sure many people still have a wonderful time wherever their cabin is.

 

As for the Ultimate dining, the weather changes quickly and there is no guarantee that it would be comfortable to dine on the balcony on any given evening. They will set this up in your cabin if the weather is not in your favor.

 

Also several cruise lines will use the term, "inside passage" but only those ships leaving Vancouver are truly an inside passage. It is not totally unknown for there to be rough waters in the inside passage due to a heavy storm, they will more likely have calmer waters than cruising out of Seattle or even San Francisco.

[uababs]

I can't help much, as my first Alaska cruise is 7 weeks away, but below is a link to Island Princess balconies. Found this on the Princess boards while doing some planning for a Panama Canal trip next year.

 

http://mysite.verizon.net/res76zxu/princessbalconies/index.html

[umbluemusic]

Hi All,

 

My father's vacation was finally able to be put in, so we booked their cruise today. They are doing the Voyage of the Glaciers on the Diamond on July 20th and have a Caribe deck forward balcony cabin (C220 I believe). The plan is to have the other couple buy one of the cabins next door.

 

I didn't see a note, so I'm assuming these balconies can't be connected?

 

Also, we are trying to figure out the best strategy for airfare.

 

If my parents book airfare through Princess and do the EZAir option, they would arrive in Vancouver by 1 pm. They would have one stop in Toronto (leaving from Pittsburgh). It is over $100 cheaper to fly out on the day of the cruise (the 20th) than to fly out the day before. What would you do? If they fly out the 19th, they probably won't do EZAir because I can find a cheaper rate via Kayak's comparisons. Also - are there ANY airlines that don't charge for a checked bag nowadays? Sheesh. I'm glad when I studied in New Zealand in 2007 the rules allowed me to check both of my (heavy) bags for free since I was traveling outside of the country.

 

I guess I'm just trying to figure out the best solution for them. This is a big special trip for them, and while I don't want them stressing out about making their plane, I would hope the weather in Pittsburgh, Toronto, and Vancouver wouldn't be horrendous in July. With only one layover, I don't know. Anyone have experiences with this and can give me advice so I can pass it on? I love this board; it has been so helpful and really helped me in planning my own vacation, and I can only aspire to have as many cruises under my belt as a lot of the posters here. :-)

 

They did purchase the regular vacation insurance as well.

[rachelfran]

I just signed up for a delta Amex card - one of the benefits is a free bag - I think for each member of your traveling party.

[RunnerGirl26.2]

Thanks! I think I found an itinerary that fits perfectly doing the Voyage of the Glaciers, so I'm going to work the numbers on flights for them and go over their options with them. How are the balcony cabins aft on the emerald deck of the Island Princess? Specifically I was looking at E723. It looks like the balcony can connect and they may have another couple coming too. Are these balconies covered?

 

Take E723! We were in E704 (port side) and loved it. Fully covered, larger balcony! We had four chairs and a small table. Great deck location at the top of the atrium stairs/elevators. Aft of the library (loved it) and the card room. Horizon court (buffet) is forward so great views. Also Island and her sister Coral have balconies near the bow and on the stern that are public space. Take a look at photos and deck plans.

 

We loved Island Princess--fewer passengers than most of the other Princess ships.

[umbluemusic]

Take E723! We were in E704 (port side) and loved it. Fully covered, larger balcony! We had four chairs and a small table. Great deck location at the top of the atrium stairs/elevators. Aft of the library (loved it) and the card room. Horizon court (buffet) is forward so great views. Also Island and her sister Coral have balconies near the bow and on the stern that are public space. Take a look at photos and deck plans.

 

We loved Island Princess--fewer passengers than most of the other Princess ships.

 

Unfortunately the Island's itinerary meant my father would have to take an extra day off of work as he wouldn't get back until Tuesday - the way his company puts in for vacation is weird, and he wanted to do a cruise leaving on a Saturday instead of a Monday. So now they are on the Diamond in C220. All the Emerald balconies looked like they were sold out, and my parents wanted to be on a deck where they could be close to their friends. Luckily there were a few cabins on the forward Caribe deck so I figured at least they'll have the larger balcony, right?

 

I am very excited to be going on the Island for my Panama Canal cruise in only 35 days though! I've heard nothing but great things about her. So excited :-)

[umbluemusic]

I just signed up for a delta Amex card - one of the benefits is a free bag - I think for each member of your traveling party.

 

Signing up for credit cards is not something they will/can/should do - family history, but they've turned things around and saved a lot and I know my mother will not go for opening any lines of credit.

 

The part I am most concerned about is whether they should pay a little less on airfare and fly out the day early and have to get a hotel, or book Princess' air option for about $100 more arriving on the day of their cruise. If they book Princess and bad luck strikes and they miss the ship they'll have next port protection or whatever, but that means they miss all of that inside passage, correct? From what I've read, that is a pretty spectacular part of the journey. I would hate for them to lose that. I just wanted to see if others were in their position, which option they would choose.

[Alaskanb]

It is best to book to arrive a day ahead of the cruise--just in case. Vancouver is a beautiful city! As it is their first cruise maybe Princess transfers/hotel package would be helpful for them.

[cruisequeen4ever]

ALWAYS fly in the day before a cruise! The risk of missing a cruise is not worth it! I recommend the Pan Pacific Hotel right ON the cruise terminal in Vancouver. It's gorgeous and overlooks the ships. They're going to love their cruise. The Diamond/Sapphire ships are my fav!

[Alaskanb]

ALWAYS fly in the day before a cruise! The risk of missing a cruise is not worth it! I recommend the Pan Pacific Hotel right ON the cruise terminal in Vancouver. It's gorgeous and overlooks the ships. They're going to love their cruise. The Diamond/Sapphire ships are my fav!

I second the hotel choice --lovely location and a short walk to the cruise terminal.

Now that they are booked introduce them to their roll call :)

[more cruises]

I would never fly in the day of a cruise - way too much stress. Even if everything goes as planned they will still be tired their first day on the ship.

 

We've had really good luck on Priceline bidding on 4 star hotels near the port. Also an easy walk to Robson St for shopping or a quick bus to Stanley park. Vancouver has become one of my favorite cities to visit. Getting around by bus or skytrain is super easy and the city is truly beautiful.

 

Sounds like you found a great itinerary. I would never recommend an Alaska cruise that didn't include a day at the glaciers (Sawyer Glacier doesn't count). Be sure they pack warm clothes for glacier viewing. We've done the cruise in July and really needed the warm coats/hats/gloves.

[bookmama22]

We did the Voyage of the Glaciers last June on the Diamond Princess and we loved it. I had always wanted to do an Alaskan cruise and my husband had a business trip to Vancouver. We were at the Hyatt which was great and an easy walk to the cruise terminal, not as easy as the Pan Pacific though. We absolutely loved Vancouver and had six days to explore the city including a full day tour to Victoria. It was a great trip!

[LoriPhil]

We love the voyage of the glaciers and the great viewing on the Coral, where we spend much of the day in glacier bay on the public viewing decks at the aft of the ship. after our b2b last year we decided that our next Alaska cruise will be Whittier south to Vancouver. Fly into Anchorage a day early and then a nice ride to Whittier the next day, and then a day or two in Vancouver at the end. We also noticed that with the southbound cruise we were closer to the coast as we sailed from Whittier to Hubbard Glacier, which was more interesting to us than the northbound cruise when we were much further away from shore as we sailed through the Gulf of Alaska. Even saw two moose and bear on the shore as we headed into the Hubbard Glacier area - wowsers! Either way though, we never had an Alaska cruise that we didn't love, so hope your folks have a wonderful time!

[BPoland]

While we have done many Princess cruises, Alaska this July will be a first for us.

Princess reservations says that yes, there will be 2 formal nights during our cruise portion, even though it is Alaska. True or not??? :confused:

[caribill]

While we have done many Princess cruises, Alaska this July will be a first for us.

Princess reservations says that yes, there will be 2 formal nights during our cruise portion, even though it is Alaska. True or not??? :confused:

 

True

 

Picture below shows how people were dressed on a formal night on an Alaska cruise last summer.

 

[BPoland]

:):):)

[sherryf]

While we have done many Princess cruises, Alaska this July will be a first for us.

Princess reservations says that yes, there will be 2 formal nights during our cruise portion, even though it is Alaska. True or not??? :confused:

 

Yes, of course there are. Why would Alaska make any difference?? :confused:

[drgrinch]

If they can afford it, I highly recommend flying tours of the Alaska scenery. Even if it's raining, the views are jaw-dropping! DW and I took the "Misty Fjords" tour out of Ketchikan and "Mt. McKinley" tour out of Anchorage last year. Alas, I don't think anyone is stopping at Anchorage this year - too bad, the airborne scenery around McKinley is a once in a lifetime experience (especially if the weather is clear).