Questions for 1st time Alaskan Cruise

[Bindery]

My wife and I would like to do an Alaskan Cruise in 2014. We have done 4 Caribbean cruises and in May we did a 12 day Mediterranean Cruise, and we loved them all.

We live in Tampa, FL and I cant take more than 2 weeks off of work.

I have used Cruise Critic message boards to plan my cruises in the past and everyone has always been so helpful.

I have started my research and it seems lately the more I research I do the more confused I get (just like when I wanted to buy a new TV and upgrade our cell phones).

 

Things we would like to see during the cruise are glaciers and wildlife. Here are some of the questions I could use help with.

Best time to go-seems like offseason is May and September. But the best time to see wildlife is July-August. Is this correct?

Cruise line-we have taken multiple cruises on Carnival, and have had great experiences. They have an 8 day cruise leaving September 10th with this itinerary:

Seattle, WA

Fun Day at Sea

Juneau, AK

Cruise Glacier Bay

Skagway, AK

Sitka, AK

Ketchikan, AK

Fun Day at Sea

Vancouver, BC, Canada

Would this be too late to see wildlife?

This one does Cruise Glacier Bay. I guess the way to see wildlife is to arrange shore excursions in the Ports.

 

So bottom line is this a cruise that would do what we would like or should I consider something else?

 

Thank you for your help

[peety3]

We did our first Alaska cruise September 4-11, 2010, northbound on the Coral Princess. We had fantastic weather throughout the week. See our photos here:

 

We did our second Alaska cruise August 11-18, 2012, northbound on the Sapphire Princess. We had some spotty rain on the day-at-sea, enough "weather" that our boat-to-Misty-Fjords&plane back excursion got cancelled, though not until we were halfway out on the boat so we had a decent freebie mini-excursion. Killer-good whale watching in Juneau (though not as good of a boat). In Skagway, the weather got "warm" (upper 60s), causing many of us to get sleepy on the tail end of our Bennett Lake train tour. Fine weather for Glacier Bay and College Fjord. See our photos here:

 

Also on our second cruise, I put a camera on our balcony divider and shot a series of time-lapse videos:

 

Our next cruise is July of next year, round-trip Seattle on Grand Princess 7/20-27. Hope at least some nugget of the above is helpful.

[gayla59]

We just booked our Alaska cruise for Sept 6 of next year and your cruise for a similiar time seemed to go well. I hope we are as lucky!

[Budget Queen]

Wildlife is plentiful in Alaska BUT, you have to be in the areas it's at and have plenty of time and luck.

 

For the true "wildlife" priority, then you need to use your two weeks for a cruise and getting to mainland Alaska for Denali Park and Kenai Fjords- 2 wildlife jackpots. On the inside passage, then you need to look at a whale watch, and bear tours. May isn't the peak time for theses, unless you cruise north at the end of May and are Denali Park June 1 or later.

 

You, MUST have a big budget for wildlife tours. No way around it. Denali Park is the bargain, but also involves costs of lodging, transportation and time- 3 day min.

 

With a glacier priority, then it's a "must" to take a boat tour of Prince William Sound out of Whittier, works out excellent with some one way cruises. Adding a stop at Exit Glacier, Portage Glacier visitor center and a trek on Matanuska Glacier.

 

The more touring, tours, exposure- the more you see, what's Alaska is all about.

[Bindery]

Princess Cruise Line does a Alaska Cruise & Denali Package that includes

- Transfer from Seattle to Vancouver*

- A 7 nt. Northbound Alaska Cruise

(Vancouver, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, College Fjord, Whittier)

- Motorcoach From Whittier to Denali

- 1 nt. Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

- Transfer via Rail from Denali to Talkeetna

- 2 nt. McKinley Princess Lodge

- Motorcoach from McKinley to Anchorage Airport

- Flight from Anchorage to Seattle

- 1 nt. Seattle Airport Hotel

 

The price seems right and would be easy to do.

Or I was thinking to do a 7 night northern cruise like the one above, rent a car and drive or take the train to Denali, get a place to stay for 2-3 days and go back to Anchorage and fly home from there.

I am now thinking later August or early September to see animals.

Any thoughts on this?

[LaurieCM]

We really enjoyed being up-close to wild herds of muskox while we were going through the Brooks Range in northern Alaska. We started the land portion of our cruise tour in mid August and got off the ship in early September. We had great weather that year and saw lots of wildlife.

[Budget Queen]

Princess Cruise Line does a Alaska Cruise & Denali Package that includes

- Transfer from Seattle to Vancouver*

- A 7 nt. Northbound Alaska Cruise

(Vancouver, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, College Fjord, Whittier)

- Motorcoach From Whittier to Denali

- 1 nt. Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

- Transfer via Rail from Denali to Talkeetna

- 2 nt. McKinley Princess Lodge

- Motorcoach from McKinley to Anchorage Airport

- Flight from Anchorage to Seattle

- 1 nt. Seattle Airport Hotel

 

The price seems right and would be easy to do.

Or I was thinking to do a 7 night northern cruise like the one above, rent a car and drive or take the train to Denali, get a place to stay for 2-3 days and go back to Anchorage and fly home from there.

I am now thinking later August or early September to see animals.

Any thoughts on this?

 

It appears to me, you are missing some important points. You are listing Princess as the right price and "easy". BUT do you understand WHAT the inclusions are? You make NO mention of HOW far you are getting INTO Denali? Finally, do you really want 2 nights at the McKinley Princess and only 1 at the Denali Princess? Are you aware of the VERY important differences? Have you looked at a map, know the time and distances.

 

IT is way more than just a look at the "nice" sounding, Princess reading.

[keiko618]

My wife and I would like to do an Alaskan Cruise in 2014. We have done 4 Caribbean cruises and in May we did a 12 day Mediterranean Cruise, and we loved them all.

We live in Tampa, FL and I cant take more than 2 weeks off of work.

I have used Cruise Critic message boards to plan my cruises in the past and everyone has always been so helpful.

I have started my research and it seems lately the more I research I do the more confused I get (just like when I wanted to buy a new TV and upgrade our cell phones).

 

Things we would like to see during the cruise are glaciers and wildlife. Here are some of the questions I could use help with.

Best time to go-seems like offseason is May and September. But the best time to see wildlife is July-August. Is this correct?

Cruise line-we have taken multiple cruises on Carnival, and have had great experiences. They have an 8 day cruise leaving September 10th with this itinerary:

Seattle, WA

Fun Day at Sea

Juneau, AK

Cruise Glacier Bay

Skagway, AK

Sitka, AK

Ketchikan, AK

Fun Day at Sea

Vancouver, BC, Canada

Would this be too late to see wildlife?

This one does Cruise Glacier Bay. I guess the way to see wildlife is to arrange shore excursions in the Ports.

 

So bottom line is this a cruise that would do what we would like or should I consider something else?

 

Thank you for your help

Do the cruise above, I am. Part of the wildlife will be ocean based which I enjoy or do excursions inland and hope for some sightings. Hope to see you up on deck! :D Go on over to roll call and check it out.

[LEtue]

Princess Cruise Line does a Alaska Cruise & Denali Package that includes

- Transfer from Seattle to Vancouver*

- A 7 nt. Northbound Alaska Cruise

(Vancouver, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, College Fjord, Whittier)

- Motorcoach From Whittier to Denali

- 1 nt. Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

- Transfer via Rail from Denali to Talkeetna

- 2 nt. McKinley Princess Lodge

- Motorcoach from McKinley to Anchorage Airport

- Flight from Anchorage to Seattle

- 1 nt. Seattle Airport Hotel

 

The price seems right and would be easy to do.

Or I was thinking to do a 7 night northern cruise like the one above, rent a car and drive or take the train to Denali, get a place to stay for 2-3 days and go back to Anchorage and fly home from there.

I am now thinking later August or early September to see animals.

Any thoughts on this?

 

I think a one way cruise is a great option - either north or south bound. Then you can easily add a rail package through Princess (separately from the cruise) or book directly with the Alaska RR. Both offer RT train from Anchorage and stays in Denali. I would recommend 2 nights and a Park shuttle bus to Eielson Visitor Center.

 

If you pre-cruise first and do a southbound voyage you will have a shorter flight home (which I prefer). Do some research and see if this works for you and have a great trip!

[grgsuch]

We are limited on time also, which is bad when going to Alaska. We just made up our minds that we would go back. We are doing a northbound from Vancouver. Flying in early to spend two nights there and going on RC for a seven night. Spending two nights in Seward area post cruise. Times worked out better for us doing it this way as we don't fly home until 10pm that night. Going in July. Good luck there is so much knowledge on cruise critic. Alot of research still to do.

[Bindery]

I emailed a travel agent I am considering using and he said you can adjust with Princess to have 2 nights in Denali. I believe we are going to go in late August. Its hard for me to ask for timeoff at work until January, so I am planning to book then.

[Budget Queen]

I emailed a travel agent I am considering using and he said you can adjust with Princess to have 2 nights in Denali. I believe we are going to go in late August. Its hard for me to ask for timeoff at work until January, so I am planning to book then.

 

I would be certain of this. It isn't just a simple matter of getting 2 days at the Denali Princess, IF your cruisetour does NOT include it. I have never heard of this option being available from Princess. It is likely you are going to have to make sure the cruise tour you select HAS 2 nights there, not assume you are just going to be easily able to change it because you want it. Book the right tour to begin with. The next factor to be sure to do, is to get a refund of ANY included Denali Park bus= the book YOURSELF. There is NO need to involve anyone else. Direct online is available to you. http://www.reservedenali.com AFTER you determine how you wish to enter and how far.

[hollon]

We did our first Alaska cruise September 4-11, 2010, northbound on the Coral Princess. We had fantastic weather throughout the week. See our photos here:

 

We did our second Alaska cruise August 11-18, 2012, northbound on the Sapphire Princess. We had some spotty rain on the day-at-sea, enough "weather" that our boat-to-Misty-Fjords&plane back excursion got cancelled, though not until we were halfway out on the boat so we had a decent freebie mini-excursion. Killer-good whale watching in Juneau (though not as good of a boat). In Skagway, the weather got "warm" (upper 60s), causing many of us to get sleepy on the tail end of our Bennett Lake train tour. Fine weather for Glacier Bay and College Fjord. See our photos here:

 

Also on our second cruise, I put a camera on our balcony divider and shot a series of time-lapse videos:

 

Our next cruise is July of next year, round-trip Seattle on Grand Princess 7/20-27. Hope at least some nugget of the above is helpful.

 

which cruiseship did you like better coral/sapphaire?

[VermeulT]

Also on our second cruise, I put a camera on our balcony divider and shot a series of time-lapse videos:

 

Our next cruise is July of next year, round-trip Seattle on Grand Princess 7/20-27. Hope at least some nugget of the above is helpful.

 

 

Peevy - I LOVE LOVE LOVE your time lapse videos. What camera/ setting did you use (1 shot per min ?)

Thanks for the inspiration!

[peety3]

Peevy - I LOVE LOVE LOVE your time lapse videos. What camera/ setting did you use (1 shot per min ?)

Thanks for the inspiration!

Canon 40D with the EF-S 10-22mm lens, zoomed out to 10mm. ISO 100, aperture priority, f/22 for maximum depth-of-field but "safety shift" was enabled which meant once the light got dim enough that the shutter speed was at the upper limit of 30 seconds, it would open up the aperture as needed until it couldn't open any further. I shot in small JPEG (remember: HD video is actually only 2 megapixel) to minimize storage and "babysitting" needs, manual focus, daylight white balance. Timer remote would fire once per minute.

 

I used this to mount the camera: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/581220-REG/Manfrotto_155_Double_Ball_Joint.html Plus I tied the neck strap to the balcony somehow.

 

I should have used a UV filter due to the rain spray. I think I should have gone with ISO 400 (still quite reasonable noise for this camera) to minimize the shutter speed for part of the night, thereby saving battery power somewhat. I had two batteries in the grip and two indoors to recharge, but only one charger.

 

Apple QuickTime Pro ($30) to crunch the video down. Be ready for a painfully long upload to YouTube.

[peety3]

which cruiseship did you like better coral/sapphire?

We liked coral better, but part of that was merely a poor understanding of how the anytime dining rooms worked on Sapphire until we got on board, and another key part was probably a difference in cabin location.

 

On Coral, we were in B223: very close to the forward lifts, but they only go down to 7. Great for access to the promenade for whale sightings, but we'd then walk aft to another lift for dinner. Easy access to buffet though.

 

On Sapphire, we were in E725: very close to the aft lifts, but that only goes to the breakfast/lunch DR and maybe the buffet (I forget). Anytime dining involved walking forward to the center lifts, then heading down. We finally figured out the secret to the dining rooms after a while. Each room has a signature dish to match the theme and decor, available every night, not found on the menu. You can easily ask each room what it's dish is the first night. Otherwise, all four rooms serve the same dinner menu.

 

Next time, our TA found us a great upgrade to a midships minisuite, so we're close to the central lifts. We gave up a forward MS, so I'm hoping I don't regret the longer walk to the bow for whale sightings while schlepping lots of camera gear. The Grand should be similar design concepts as Sapphire, but two larger anytime dining rooms instead of the four "half-sized" rooms. Better specialty dining choices though, as the Sapphire would convert part of the buffet seating area into a specialty restaurant nightly, which didn't "feel" as special.

[mapleleaves]

The price seems right and would be easy to do.

Or I was thinking to do a 7 night northern cruise like the one above, rent a car and drive or take the train to Denali, get a place to stay for 2-3 days and go back to Anchorage and fly home from there.

I am now thinking later August or early September to see animals.

Any thoughts on this?

 

Or do the land tour first in order to get that long flight behind you.

If you purchase a cruisetour, be very mindful of the details. ie what will you do for 2 nites stuck at McKinley Princess ? how long are the train and bus trips? has your TA ever been to Alaska?

Given your desire to see glaciers and wildlife, a rental car is a great option. You have the flexibility to stop for wildlife sightings and scenery, detour to other places of interest and you have access to lodging options other than those near the depot.

It's an easy 5 hr drive from Anc to Denali. Once you leave the suburbs it's a 2 lane road all the way, so quite straightforward. The fall colors come in at Denali just after mid Aug and peak just after Labor Day. The moose start to rut about that same time so great chance of seeing them in and around Denali.

On your road trip you could detour to Matanuska Glacier for an ice trek, or take boat tour around the icebergs at Knik Glacier nr Palmer. An hour south of Anchorage you could visit the Wildlife Conservation Center, Alyeska Resort, do the Trail of Blue Ice near Portage Lake, visit Potters Marsh. So many options to explore if you have a car and a week.

Look at the SCENIC DRIVES in this link or any of the 'things' listed:

http://www.alaska.org/things-to-do

[hollon]

We did our first Alaska cruise September 4-11, 2010, northbound on the Coral Princess. We had fantastic weather throughout the week. See our photos here:

 

We did our second Alaska cruise August 11-18, 2012, northbound on the Sapphire Princess. We had some spotty rain on the day-at-sea, enough "weather" that our boat-to-Misty-Fjords&plane back excursion got cancelled, though not until we were halfway out on the boat so we had a decent freebie mini-excursion. Killer-good whale watching in Juneau (though not as good of a boat). In Skagway, the weather got "warm" (upper 60s), causing many of us to get sleepy on the tail end of our Bennett Lake train tour. Fine weather for Glacier Bay and College Fjord. See our photos here:

 

Also on our second cruise, I put a camera on our balcony divider and shot a series of time-lapse videos:

 

Our next cruise is July of next year, round-trip Seattle on Grand Princess 7/20-27. Hope at least some nugget of the above is helpful.

 

Where did you see the whales,there are so many of them, also did you go on a whale excursion?

[Bindery]

How easy is it to rent a car in Whittier?

I believe we would like to stay 2 nights in Denali, then I guess we would drive back to Anchorage and fly home from there?

[UPGrandma]

I would be certain of this. It isn't just a simple matter of getting 2 days at the Denali Princess, IF your cruisetour does NOT include it. I have never heard of this option being available from Princess. It is likely you are going to have to make sure the cruise tour you select HAS 2 nights there, not assume you are just going to be easily able to change it because you want it. Book the right tour to begin with. The next factor to be sure to do, is to get a refund of ANY included Denali Park bus= the book YOURSELF. There is NO need to involve anyone else. Direct online is available to you. http://www.reservedenali.com AFTER you determine how you wish to enter and how far.

 

 

Very true. You can also do your own land tour working with your own travel agent or internet.

[UPGrandma]

How easy is it to rent a car in Whittier?

I believe we would like to stay 2 nights in Denali, then I guess we would drive back to Anchorage and fly home from there?

 

Very easy per my travel agent. Avis is only choice but they are right across from the cruise port. Definitely reserve early. Can fly back from anchorage, or go on north from Denali and fly out of Fairbanks. May and Sept could mean snow in Denali. Possibility is to take train from Anchorage and back from Denali.

[Budget Queen]

How easy is it to rent a car in Whittier?

I believe we would like to stay 2 nights in Denali, then I guess we would drive back to Anchorage and fly home from there?

 

Simple, walk to Avis and pick up a car. :)

 

There are some alternatives to also consider. You can spend the day in Whittier, taking a superb glacier boat tour, then the Alaska RR to Anchorage.

 

For lower car rental costs, it may be advantageous to turn in the one way rental and pick up a round trip Anchorage car. With a rental car, spend your time enjoying the Arm. :)

[Budget Queen]

Very easy per my travel agent. Avis is only choice but they are right across from the cruise port. Definitely reserve early. Can fly back from anchorage, or go on north from Denali and fly out of Fairbanks. May and Sept could mean snow in Denali. Possibility is to take train from Anchorage and back from Denali.

 

Actually they are not "across" from the port. they are to the left of the cruise ships, (back to the cruise ship) across the bridge, Avis is located at the Harbor Store. Same side of the street as the cruise ships.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Budget Queen

[aussiecruzer]

/

 

Also on our second cruise, I put a camera on our balcony divider and shot a series of time-lapse videos:

 

Loved your time lapse videos, thanks for posting the link :)

[Budget Queen]

How easy is it to rent a car in Whittier?

I believe we would like to stay 2 nights in Denali, then I guess we would drive back to Anchorage and fly home from there?

 

Simple, get off the ship, turn left at the street. Cross the Bridge, on the left is the Harbor Store, with a big Avis sign. At most a slow 10 minute walk.