Alaska Cruise Questions

[hisfirstm8]

We are looking at booking an Alaska cruise in 2015. Can't decide between RCL and Celebrity. We have cruised many times and always cruise on either RCL or Celebrity. I am not familiar with the Alaskan ports, so I don't know what I am looking at in comparing the 2 cruise lines. Would you recommend combining this with a land tour or would you just book a longer cruise? Thanks for all you help.Barbara

[cheriooo]

We are looking at booking an Alaska cruise in 2015. Can't decide between RCL and Celebrity. We have cruised many times and always cruise on either RCL or Celebrity. I am not familiar with the Alaskan ports, so I don't know what I am looking at in comparing the 2 cruise lines. Would you recommend combining this with a land tour or would you just book a longer cruise? Thanks for all you help.Barbara

 

We were RCCL cruisers before switching to Celebrity. We were at the point of booking an Alaskan cruise and we tried a Celebrity cruise to see if we liked it before booking Alaska. We found the Celebrity to be more sophisticated, a bit older, better food. RCCL will beat Celebrity on entertainment and kids activities. The itineraries are basically the same. On our Alaskan Cruise we independently flew to Juneau and took the Alaskan Rail road to Fairbanks to meet the cruise tour. The train ride was beautiful and a bit long. (If you do the cruise tour you will ride partway on the RR I believe). The land tour hit alot of the major sites (Denali is a must see) and it was not very strenuous. The cruise itself is a must do. Depending upon when you go you will see different animals. The highlights of our trip was 1) going on one tour and going out and seeing whales and 2) seeing and hearing the glaciers calf right infront of the boat. The colors of the ice and sounds as the crack were amazing. Our one disappointment was that our tour to go dog sledding on a glacier was canceled twice because of weather. There were quite a few families on our cruise which I think was in August. The main benefit of the cruise tour vice independently doing a similar itinerary is that they handle all your luggage from hotel to hotel to boat. That is a big plus. When do it again I think we would do an independent tour seeing more of the northern wilderness and then meet up with the ship.

[wvufan]

I would talk to WVU fan.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[hisfirstm8]

Bob,

We will try to call tonight.

Barb

[Northern Aurora]

On our Alaskan Cruise we independently flew to Juneau and took the Alaskan Rail road to Fairbanks to meet the cruise tour.

 

Just a point of clarification -- since the Alaska Railroad extends from Seward to Fairbanks (with no lines in Southeast Alaska) cherioo clearly flew into Anchorage.

 

The first step in planning a trip to Alaska starts with some research. The Alaska Cruise Critic forum has a great amount of information. Spend some time both in a local library and on the internet researching what YOU want to see and do. For example, if whale watching is a priority you may not find Denali a must do.

 

In terms of a land tour, as long as someone does not have mobility issues, Alaska is very easy to do on your own. There is a bias on the Alaska CC forum toward the DIY land tours, and I must admit that I share that bias.

 

The three major Alaskan cruise ports are Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway, with one way (either north or southbound) ending or starting in either Seward or Whittier. Hoonah (Icy Strait Point) and Sitka are more "off the beaten path," as are Homer and Kodiak (neither of which would be in a 7 day Celebrity or RC cruise).

[Turtles06]

I second the advice to head over to the Alaska forum, where you'll find much more info.

 

I will also say that we spent ten days driving around the interior of Alaska before getting on a one-week cruise, and, as beautiful as what we saw on the cruise was, the land part of the trip was more amazing and interesting by far. (We did this all on our own. Very easy to do, as Northern Aurora says above. There are not that many roads in Alaska!) I would pick a cruise not by cruise line but by itinerary and whether it offered the chance to spend at least some time in the state pre- or post-cruise. Obviously, the best itineraries for this are one-way cruises that start or end in Alaska.

 

In Seward, for example, you can take a small boat into Kenai Fjords National Park and really get up close and personal with marine wildlife and glaciers. From Anchorage or Fairbanks, you can head off to Denali. We also ventured east into Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Alaska is gorgeous and fascinating, and a cruise doesn't begin to do it justice.

Edited January 25, 2014 by Turtles06

[Syrreal]

We were on the Southbound several years back. The cruise was great and we had a blast.

 

We made our own tour by getting to Anchorage a few days before and visiting a few sights. We then took the train to Seward two days before the cruise and went kayaking in the Kenai fjords. Amazing sights!

 

We then ended the trip with a few days playing in Vancouver

Edited January 26, 2014 by Syrreal

[varoo]

For some of us the ideal way to do it, if you can get away for around 3 weeks, is

 

1 - a northbound cruise,

2 - then a land tour up to Denali and possibly also around the Kenai Peninsula, if time permits,

3 - then a southbound cruise on a different ship with an itinerary that includes different glacier viewing and at least one different port.

 

It is even better if you can combine a northbound cruise to Seward with a southbound cruise from Whittier, or the reverse.

That way you can include a great Kenai Fjords excursion from Seward and Prince William Sound/College Fjord from Whittier.

 

You can book round-trip Vancouver airline flights, and hopefully get to spend a few extra days enjoying Vancouver before or after.

 

Or, if time and budget permit, you can add on a land tour across the Canadian Rockies and fly back from Calgary instead.

 

 

[kathynorth]

As posted previously, be sure to visit the Ports of call, Alaska page. We've taken 2 Alaskan cruises: 1 land/cruise with celebrity and 1 round trip on HA. IMO if you're able to take the time to include a land portion then that's preferable. Decide on how much time you can take, then whether just cruise or to include land potion, then consider ports of preference, and then match these to ship itineraries.

[Cruise Raider]

While I really enjoy Royal Caribbean, for Alaska, I think Celebrity wins hands down. It is usually an older demographic and not very many children, but I've always gone in May or Sept so maybe just my timing.

We've sailed on Alaska cruises 7 times and have number 8 booked on Celebrity for later this summer. Celebrity usually has some awesome itineraries up north -- so would recommend the 11-12 night itinerary --mostly because of my love of Icy Strait Point and Sitka. If they still have one of the S-class ships sailing up there in 2015, those ships are quite lovely and perfect for Alaska.

[SPacificbound]

Here is Alaska board http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

We will be on our first Alaska cruise in late August on Radiance of the Sea going South to North, Vancouver to Seward. After the cruise we will spend two weeks on our own DIY land tour.

 

I recommend going to the above link for Alaska and just start reading. We booked this cruise last spring and I was really quite disconnected from it until about two weeks ago when I did exactly what I am recommending for you. It was quite helpful and gave us the info to finalize the land portion of the trip.

 

Have fun!! :)

[alcpa1]

We have taken both RCI and Celebrity cruises to Alaska.

A few thoughts..

If you can only choose a week's cruise start in Alaska and cruise down through the Inland Passage. Anchorage is 1300 miles north of Vancouver. Think of your trip home.

Sail an Inland Passage itinerary from either Vancouver or Seward. The Seattle departures waste time (sea days) at sea, and not all within the passage. There is just too much to see in Alaska.

The absolute best viewing while onboard is an aft cabin. There are more on the RCI ships. There are awesome views unimpeded by the throngs in an aft especially when sailing through Hubbard Glacier and Icy Straits,

Another advantage of a southern itinerary is sailing through Hubbard Glacier. The sailing takes place in the afternoon which is less likely to encounter fog.

Another option for a longer sail is a repositioning cruise. We took one from Vancouver, sailed to Alaska and then along the Pacific coast to a hidden jewel at Astoria, Oregon in lieu of Seattle, and to San Francisco with disembarkation in San Diego.

With either itinerary you will most likely have to spend at least one day in or near (Anchorage) your port. If you have not been to Vancouver it's a glorious city.

When you make your final decision after comparing itineraries, time in each port, date, etc. be sure to join your Roll Call. It's the best way to plan your first cruise to Alaska.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

We chose Celebrity for our 3rd cruise, thinking that the tranquility would match the views and ambiance of Alaska. Our next Alaskan cruise will be HAL Yukon tour, which seems to be better bang per buck seeing the interior and much more extensive.

[luv4cruises]

We are looking at booking an Alaska cruise in 2015. Can't decide between RCL and Celebrity. We have cruised many times and always cruise on either RCL or Celebrity. I am not familiar with the Alaskan ports, so I don't know what I am looking at in comparing the 2 cruise lines. Would you recommend combining this with a land tour or would you just book a longer cruise? Thanks for all you help.Barbara

 

Go with Princess or HAL. They, especially Princess, have the most permits to enter Glacier Bay. In fact Princess has a sailing that enters both Glacier and Hubbard bays on the same sailing. I don't believe you will find that on any other large cruise line. When cruising Alaska it is not just about a favorite cruise line or loyalty perks. The itinerary is the thing! Compare the itineraries on various lines! You will see limited offerings or none entering Glacier Bay. Glacier Bay is not to be missed!

 

My TA says that Princess and HAL have been cruising Alaska so long that they have the most infrastructure in Alaska!

 

Good luck planning.

Edited January 26, 2014 by luv4cruises

[luv4cruises]

We are looking at booking an Alaska cruise in 2015. Can't decide between RCL and Celebrity. We have cruised many times and always cruise on either RCL or Celebrity. I am not familiar with the Alaskan ports, so I don't know what I am looking at in comparing the 2 cruise lines. Would you recommend combining this with a land tour or would you just book a longer cruise? Thanks for all you help.Barbara

 

Go with Princess or HAL. They, especially Princess, have the most permits to enter Glacier Bay. In fact Princess has a sailing that enters both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier on the same sailing. I don't believe you will find that on any other large cruise line. When cruising Alaska it is not just about a favorite cruise line or loyalty perks. The itinerary is the thing! When one thinks of Alaska for the first time the glaciers come to mind, not the towns. The ports are interesting, but Mother Nature shows herself in all her glory in the summertime! Compare the itineraries on various lines! You will see limited offerings or none entering Glacier Bay. Glacier Bay is not to be missed.

 

My TA says that Princess and HAL have been cruising Alaska so long that they have the most infrastructure in Alaska!

 

Good luck planning.

Edited January 26, 2014 by luv4cruises

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Go with Princess or HAL. They, especially Princess, have the most permits to enter Glacier Bay.

 

I talked to my HAL representative today, and seeing Glacier Bay is going to be our criteria for the next Alaskan cruise. When we do the land portion of a Yukon tour first, we'll hit Glacier Bay after leaving Skagway.

[greydog]

We chose Celebrity for our 3rd cruise, thinking that the tranquility would match the views and ambiance of Alaska. Our next Alaskan cruise will be HAL Yukon tour, which seems to be better bang per buck seeing the interior and much more extensive.

 

If thats the 4-day cruise, then several days thru interior, I also thought the itinerary was attractive BUT I looked closely at the traveling (mostly coach) and the many bus hours were a turnoff (especially first long day over mountains). I've done coach-heavy cruisetour and will only do train-heavy connections in future. Train sceni-car was like 1st class air compared to motor coach. Good Luck

[Pushka]

Go with Princess or HAL. They, especially Princess, have the most permits to enter Glacier Bay. In fact Princess has a sailing that enters both Glacier and Hubbard bays on the same sailing. I don't believe you will find that on any other large cruise line. When cruising Alaska it is not just about a favorite cruise line or loyalty perks. The itinerary is the thing! Compare the itineraries on various lines! You will see limited offerings or none entering Glacier Bay. Glacier Bay is not to be missed!

 

My TA says that Princess and HAL have been cruising Alaska so long that they have the most infrastructure in Alaska!

 

Good luck planning.

 

 

 

That was going to be my question. From my research Glacier Bay seems a priority. I'm not a HAL fan but am going with Princess if Celebrity doesn't have the permit to enter.

[kathynorth]

While all of Alaska is wonderful, I have to say the Hubbard Glacier far surpasses Glacier bay. There is more variability with Hubbard, but, the sheer size dwarfs Glacier bay. It is much colder at Hubbard--that much ice affects the local temps. But, if seeing an immense glacier that calves frequently is your goal, Hubbard it is. We have been to Alaska twice, once on a Celebrity cruise tour stopping in front of Hubbard for at least one and maybe two hours (btw the HA ship could not get nearly as close as we did--we were about 1/4 mile from the glacier--the HA ship was about 1/2 mile back, entered after us and left before we did). We cruised Glacier Bay with HA--nice, but NOTHING like Hubbard. Now I know conditions up there change frequently and we were there several years ago--Glacier bay glaciers were receding back then and Hubbard was actually expanding! There has been extreme snow and cold up there this winter. Check out how that has affected the glacier viewing.

 

Another point, Celebrity visited Icy Strait Point which is near Point Adolphus--the best whale watching area.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

If thats the 4-day cruise, then several days thru interior, I also thought the itinerary was attractive BUT I looked closely at the traveling (mostly coach) and the many bus hours were a turnoff (especially first long day over mountains). I've done coach-heavy cruisetour and will only do train-heavy connections in future. Train sceni-car was like 1st class air compared to motor coach. Good Luck

 

Then we better do it while we're young ;)

[packercruising]

We started both of our Alaska cruise/tours in Fairbanks, once with HAL and once with Princess. If at all possible, do a cruise/tour and do the land portion first. Choose whichever line has the best itinerary for your needs. We saw a moose on the tracks in Fairbanks! Just like Northern Exposure. :) You definitely want to have a couple days in Denali. we saw a lot more animal activity going end of May than when we went in August.

[az_tchr]

Great suggestion. Definately suggest doing a land tour. Easiest to do on your own. If you are NBound take a shuttle to Anchorage to get your car. Go north to Denali and fairbanks and loop back around to Anchorage. About 10 days is perfect. That way you have time to see what you want.

[kathynorth]

We started both of our Alaska cruise/tours in Fairbanks, once with HAL and once with Princess. If at all possible, do a cruise/tour and do the land portion first. Choose whichever line has the best itinerary for your needs. We saw a moose on the tracks in Fairbanks! Just like Northern Exposure. :) You definitely want to have a couple days in Denali. we saw a lot more animal activity going end of May than when we went in August.

 

You bring up a good point about taking the land portion first. Our cruisetour started with the cruise out of Vancouver and we were exhausted by the time we made it to Fairbanks. We still had an excellent time, but if you have a choice of which way to go then I'd go from north to south. The day light hours were longer the further north we went and there was so much to do that we crammed in more activity than we had originally planned for. If/when we do it in the future we'll start with land and finish by water.

[Onessa]

We've done multple AK cruises -- Glacier Bay, College Fjord, Hubbard, took the helos up to glaciers in Juneau.

 

While there is some "real" differences between veiwing Glacier Bay vs Hubbard, I think much of it is marketing by the various cruise lines. Since the government regulates traffic to the glacier areas, there are some cruises/lines who go to one and others who go to the other. Some lines try to generate hype to make it sound like "their" place is better than the other. Both are great - and if you can afford two AK cruises, be sure to do both :)!

Glacier Bay

is very pretty -- something like 16 separate glaciers. A bit more variety. Less calving means that your ship may get closer

(calving=icebergs, think Titanic)

 

Hubbard

is impressive (6 miles wide - and is about five times the size of the largest glacier in Glacier Bay; and like 30 stories high). It truely is "awesome". It is very "active" so there will be more calving and more dramatic calving

I evaluate AK cruises by ports visited. Ketichkan, Juneau, Skagway are the usual suspects. If I can find an itinerary with Sitka, that will generally be the front-runner. Partly because it is less visited by cruise ships, Sitka has been able to retain more of its charm -- it is historic (the center of the Russian settlement of AK and there are native historical spots), and it is scenic (the Russian Orthodox cathedral and Bishop's house, the Sitka National Historic Park - all within easy walking distance of the port, and the impressive Rapor Center)

 

If you can save some money on a cruise, put it toward an air glacier tour from one of the ports. A flyover is cool, a landing on a glacier is better, a landing with a dog sled tour is the ultimate. These high altitude glaciers are amazing!

[shofer]

We did the cruise only with Celebrity in 2003 and it was great but DH was very disappointed that we didn't see Glacier Bay.

 

Fast forward 10 years and this past year we did a land/sea trip with Princess precisely to see Glacier Bay. We arrived a day early in Anchorage and had a head start on our 4 day land tour. Highly recommend doing the land first as you are living out of a suitcase and moving almost daily.

 

Princess does have it down to a science when it comes to moving people around Alaska and I had no complaints about the service or the lodges. We prefer Celebrity for the cruise experience but had a good time on the Island Princess. (You're on a cruise!)

 

Sue