Alaska Cruise 2014 - itineraries? excursions? weather? food?

[sundancekid79]

My brother-in-law and myself are starting to plan an Alaska cruise for our 10 year anniversaries next year. Trying to coordinate sitters, schedules and school has been a struggle and we'd like to shoot for early June leaving from Seattle.

 

Does anyone have any experience cruising to Alaska in June? Still pretty wet and cold? Not worth splurging on the balcony?

 

A lot of the threads I've read say "it's more about the itinerary than the ship?" Is this really the case? What itinerary/excursions would you suggest for people looking to have a fun & memorable time. We're all pretty adventuresome and in good physical condition for activities. We enjoy photography, hiking and avoiding crowds.

 

Lastly, food is a matter of great importance. On previous cruises we've enjoyed quantity of course but are more interested in quality without the extra cost. We most likely won't delve into specialty restaurants but you never know. Which cruise line would you suggest for great included food?

 

Thanks for your help and ideas!

[mapleleaves]

Yes, itinerary is most important. You want to visit ports that will support your interests and you want to ensure the ship is in port long enough and at the right time for you to enjoy the activity.

Also, Vancouver RT's are superior over Seattle RT's. The Vanc sailings travel between Vanc Island and the mainland which is more scenic and has calm water. Seattle sailings go on the west side of Vanc Island which is open sea and can be rough, plus not as scenic.

If you have specific activities in mind, like bear viewing or fishing, there are specific windows of time at each location that you will need to be aware of.

Buy or borrow from the library Ann Viponds 'Alaska by Cruiseship' and Fodors "Alaska, Ports of Call'. The books discuss the cruiselines, ships, ports, itineraries, excursions, sights, activities, etc. There are less than a dozen ports, so take the time to do a little research. A few hours of research will greatly enhance your trip.

[sundancekid79]

Thanks for the input, I'm looking for those books now ... We've been leaning towards leaving from Seattle for the convenience, we live on the Kitsap peninsula which is an hour ferry ride from downtown Seattle. Eliminates further travel time, hotel, etc. However we'll look into options to get to Vancouver, Kenmore Air, Clipper, Amtrak etc.

 

Any thoughts on balcony state rooms to Alaska? We had a balcony in the Caribbean and can't imagine not having it, but after living in Seattle most of my life I could imagine weather putting a damper on my balcony breakfast each morning.

 

Thanks again

[elisemburton]

We are booked for Alaska in may 2014 in a balcony. I will be interested to hear about the experiences of seasoned cruisers. We are doing rt from Seattle since we live nearby as well.

[tangerinebunny]

Celebrity has the reputation for the best food in the mid-price lines. We've done HAL five times and the food is adequate, but not memorable.

 

A balcony is great if you can afford it. Weather's unpredictable, but it's usually a good place to spend part of glacier viewing day.

 

If you asked me the best seven day for 2014 I'd say the HAL cruises that do Glacier Bay and allow passengers to do the small boat excursions on Tracy Arm. But they sail from Vancouver.

 

Most ships offer pretty much the same excursions, so I'd find a ship that we could afford, spring for a balcony if I could, and read up on which ports/activities we enjoy. Two of our favorites are the Allen Marine Sea Otter boat trip in Sitka and the Island Wings flights over Misty Fjord. But there's lot more adventurous activities out there.

[sundancekid79]

So I found both books on Amazon, pretty cheap, and was about to order but I noticed these books were published over 5 years ago. Do you know of anything more recent?

[sundancekid79]

Right now I'm leaning towards the Celebrity on the Solistice for early June next year. I've heard the food and the service is amazing. There is a sailing out of Seattle with stops or cruising by Ketchikan, Juneau, Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska's inside passage, Skagway & Victoria BC. Anyone have an opinion on this itinerary, ship, cruise line? Any excursion favorites at these places?

[elisemburton]

I'm on that sailing but for May 29, 2014!

 

 

~Elise

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[bonvoyagie]

Take a look at www.cruiseportinsider.com for ideas on what to do in the AK ports.

 

As for your glacier viewing - you can't really beat Glacier Bay so you are limited to HAL, NCL, and Princess as they have the majority of the permits to enter there.

 

Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glacier is also a must see but not necessarily for the glacier, but for the twists and turns of the narrow fjord. In a cruise ship you really wonder how you are going to make some of the turns. The small boat excursions are also a must do. The NCL Jewel has the best itinerary for this as it visits Tracy Arm right after Juneau so you are able to get the full excursion time in Juneau and then catch the small boat to Tracy Arm ahead of the Jewel - you then board the Jewel back by the glacier and ride back out of the fjord on the cruise ship. The HAL trip where they drop you off to do the small boat excursion is probably the second best - you do lose some tour time in Juneau as the small boat returns there long after the ship docks.

 

As far as dining - the best bet for AK is to find a ship with anytime dining as the fixed times usually don't work well with the long port stays and tours. AK is very much more about excursions than the cruise ship itself. You will find that as soon as you enter the protected waters heading to either Juneau or Ketchikan your sea days will turn into see days.

 

enjoy your planning and hopefully your cruise.

 

BTW I agree that both of the books that come "highly recommended" are indeed out of date - esp Ann Vipond's.

 

As for a balcony they are a nice thing to have - the public areas can get crowded during glacier days and it is nice to have your own perch. For Glacier Bay I recommend a Port side as most of the viewing on the way in is on that side - once you get in front of the glaciers the captain usually turns the ship around several times so all can have a view. Also you can still use the balcony even if it is cool - your only problem will be if it is wet :D

[MagnoliaBlossom]

We have done AK four times, three in June and one just two weeks ago. We were very lucky each time on weather. Cool, a bit drizzly once inKetchikan but otherwise fine.

 

Our favorite itinerary was a northbound on Princess when we saw the College Fjords. That coupled with Glacier Bay was phenominal.

 

Double dittos to the Island Air tour of the Misty Fjords - a truly awe inspiring excursion. Be sure to see some part of AK by air or you will never appreciate the vastness of the area.

 

AK is the time to splurge on a balcony! Also, if you happen to sail an NCL ship with a spa pass, it is a great idea to buy a spa pass for glacier viewing days. There are comfy, even heated loungers, it is quiet and gives you a birds eye view.

[Keith1010]

Itinerary is important but then once you figure it out the ship and cruise line are key; at least to me.

 

Keith

[bertrande]

We are on Celebrity Solstice too! Booked for July 2014. Did the Vancouver RT in 2005 on Radiance and chose to go with Solstice this time because we loved the Equinox and because the Radiance does not offer RT sailings next year, which is important for us as we are flying in from Asia. Is it too early to e-mail the helicopter companies on excursions in Juneau given that they are barely into their 2013 season? I don't want to miss out but don't want to come across as a pest either.