Help Planning Alaska Cruise

[laurac22]

Hi, You all we're so great in helping me plan my first Celebrity Cruise( Just back from 10 nights on Equinox, was AMAZING!) for my Anniversary. I was hoping you might give me some ideas for Alaska 2015. I know the schedule won't be out for a couple months, but just wanted advice if the ships and iteneraries stay pretty much the same. Which ship, best cabin(need an accessible balcony for my son) favorite Itenerary, anything else that would be good to know.

 

Also I would love to take advantage of the 123go promo. but since the dates aren't out yet, is there any way to to that? Anyone done this. Thanks again for helping me plan our last cruise, Fell in love with Celebrity!!

[bonedoc7]

Hi, You all we're so great in helping me plan my first Celebrity Cruise( Just back from 10 nights on Equinox, was AMAZING!) for my Anniversary. I was hoping you might give me some ideas for Alaska 2015. I know the schedule won't be out for a couple months, but just wanted advice if the ships and iteneraries stay pretty much the same. Which ship, best cabin(need an accessible balcony for my son) favorite Itenerary, anything else that would be good to know.

 

Also I would love to take advantage of the 123go promo. but since the dates aren't out yet, is there any way to to that? Anyone done this. Thanks again for helping me plan our last cruise, Fell in love with Celebrity!!

 

I booked our 2014 Alaskan cruise as soon as the dates became avail I knew exactly which stateroom/week/itinerary I wanted and checked every day to see if the dates had become avail. I ended up booking April of last year. When we booked there were no promotions happening. As promotions came up, I called celebrity to see if the price we had changed, and if it was worth re-booking. A very easy process since I booked directly with celebrity and it was me on hold, I didn't have to wait for a TA to call for me. I rebooked about 3 times, between the 5 rooms we booked. When the 123 Go finally came back, my stateroom had gone up by $1200 so not worth re-booking. My inlaws room on the other hand got the drink package added and their room had gone down by $600, so it was well worth the 30 min on hold to re-book.

 

We decided to do the land tour 5b prior to the cruise. I hear the land tour portion can be go go go and we wanted to have the second week to relax.

 

Have fun researching!!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I have loved all my trips to Alaska! I have only done one on Celebrity and really enjoyed it. It was roundtrip Seattle, which I think is much easier than doing a northbound or southbound voyage. Celebrity (rt Seattle) only goes to Tracy's Arm, which wasn't that incredible compared to Glacier Bay. That's the downside.

 

We disembarked in Victoria on day 6 of the cruise and stayed there for three nights. This was a wonderful way to end our trip- gave us plenty of time to enjoy the city and Butchart Gardens. Zipling in British Columbia was one of my favorite experiences and there were people 70 and over that did it (Adrena Line is the company) There are flights to Seattle out of Victoria and also there is a fast boat that will take you back to Seattle from Victoria. Alaska is gorgeous and Victoria is a favorite of many people- well worth a little extra time there. We stayed at a condo in the town, which was fabulous and reasonable. There are lots of charming B&B's there too.

 

The upside is that for the past few seasons, Brent Nixon has been on board the cruises that do roundtrip Seattle. This summer he is on the Solstice and hopefully he will be doing the roundtrip Seattle schedule again in 2015 (he probably will). Brent is a naturalist and does really fun informative talks about Alaskan Wildlife.

 

I saw more Orca's shouting at the End of May and first week of June than on my other sailings. So these weeks would be a good choice- plus most kids are still in school and the sailings are cheaper.

Edited January 28, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[patty1955]

Our must sees in Alaska are Hubbard glacier and Icy Strait Point, although we loved all the ports we've seen.

We seem to be among the minority when it comes to Brent Nixon. I couldn't even make it through one of his lectures.

[luv4cruises]

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.

[wave rider]

One thing to keep in mind is that cruising only allows you to see a small part of Alaska, especially if you sail and return to Seattle. We took an extra week at the front end so that we could drive up to Denali and Fairbanks. Several days in Denali and the drive to and from were spectacular. It is real wilderness and was great to see. I agree with an earlier post about Icy Strait Point. We did the sea kayak and had a whale broach about 50 feet from us. Very close but magnificent to see.

[Northern Aurora]

Our must sees in Alaska are Hubbard glacier and Icy Strait Point, although we loved all the ports we've seen.

We seem to be among the minority when it comes to Brent Nixon. I couldn't even make it through one of his lectures.

 

patty: I agree with you about Brent Nixon. Celebrity lured him away from Princess, and I don't see what all the fuss is about. But he certainly has his "groupies."

 

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.

 

 

As someone who lives in Alaska and has done three Alaska cruises, I think it is important to see a major glacier, but don't feel limited to Glacier Bay. The Glacier Bay ones are in retreat, while Hubbard is one of the few tidewater glaciers that is actually advancing (ie, becoming larger). And there is much more to Alaska than glaciers and bears.

 

The statement that Princess and HAL have the most infrastructure in the Alaska refers to the cruise-line owned hotels which they use during their cruise tours. Some of those hotels are strategically located so that the customers have limited options in purchasing non-cruise line tour options. For example, the McKinley Princess is miles from Talkeetna and any off-property dining options, as is the Copper River Princess. And the Cooper Landing Princess, located in a sport fishing area, doesn't allow non-Princess sanctioned fishing guides to pick up customers on their property.

 

waver runner is so correct -- a cruise will only allow someone to see a very limited portion of an incredibly large and diverse state.

[laurac22]

Thank you so much for your suggestions, Here are a few more questions if you don't mind.

 

Some info on us first... There will be four of us sailing Me, my DH, my MIL, and our 19 yr olg son. Our son is in a wheelchair and unable to walk. We were thinking of doing the round trip from Seattle, because we are trying with this trip, to also do a bucket list item for him which is going to Seattles Ballpark.(He wants to see every MLB park in the US). We also are trying to do the shortest flight(We're from Houston TX) Due to the fact that he is unable to get to the restroom on the plane...hope not TMI, anyway, We would like to see the best ports, and Glacier Bay I know is one everyone says is must see.

 

We have done several RCCL with our son, and 1 Celebrity without him. We have never done Hal or Princess, to be honest, I was afraid that our son might not find enough to entertain himself and be bored. I know for most people the ship is not as important as the ports, but for us it is, as we spend more time on the ship, due to some ports are just not very accessible. which ship do you think would be the best?

 

We also we're interested in maybe taking extra time to tour Alaska, but do not want to due a tour, because we don't want the stress with our son to keep up with others. We also don't want to fly into or back from Alaska. Could we do a train or car back to Vancouver or seattle?

 

Thanks for all your help. I'm open to any and all info.

[Oceans&Rivers]

Thank you so much for your suggestions, Here are a few more questions if you don't mind.

 

Some info on us first... There will be four of us sailing Me, my DH, my MIL, and our 19 yr olg son. Our son is in a wheelchair and unable to walk. We were thinking of doing the round trip from Seattle, because we are trying with this trip, to also do a bucket list item for him which is going to Seattles Ballpark.(He wants to see every MLB park in the US). We also are trying to do the shortest flight(We're from Houston TX) Due to the fact that he is unable to get to the restroom on the plane...hope not TMI, anyway, We would like to see the best ports, and Glacier Bay I know is one everyone says is must see.

 

We have done several RCCL with our son, and 1 Celebrity without him. We have never done Hal or Princess, to be honest, I was afraid that our son might not find enough to entertain himself and be bored. I know for most people the ship is not as important as the ports, but for us it is, as we spend more time on the ship, due to some ports are just not very accessible. which ship do you think would be the best?

 

We also we're interested in maybe taking extra time to tour Alaska, but do not want to due a tour, because we don't want the stress with our son to keep up with others. We also don't want to fly into or back from Alaska. Could we do a train or car back to Vancouver or seattle?

 

Thanks for all your help. I'm open to any and all info.

 

Might I suggest you pose some of your questions also in the Disabled Cruisers Forum? The cruisers there will probably have a lot of good tips for you.

 

Here's a link to that forum:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190

[Northern Aurora]

Thank you so much for your suggestions, Here are a few more questions if you don't mind.

 

Some info on us first... There will be four of us sailing Me, my DH, my MIL, and our 19 yr olg son. Our son is in a wheelchair and unable to walk. We were thinking of doing the round trip from Seattle, because we are trying with this trip, to also do a bucket list item for him which is going to Seattles Ballpark.(He wants to see every MLB park in the US). We also are trying to do the shortest flight(We're from Houston TX) Due to the fact that he is unable to get to the restroom on the plane...hope not TMI, anyway, We would like to see the best ports, and Glacier Bay I know is one everyone says is must see.

 

We have done several RCCL with our son, and 1 Celebrity without him. We have never done Hal or Princess, to be honest, I was afraid that our son might not find enough to entertain himself and be bored. I know for most people the ship is not as important as the ports, but for us it is, as we spend more time on the ship, due to some ports are just not very accessible. which ship do you think would be the best?

 

We also we're interested in maybe taking extra time to tour Alaska, but do not want to due a tour, because we don't want the stress with our son to keep up with others. We also don't want to fly into or back from Alaska. Could we do a train or car back to Vancouver or seattle?

 

Thanks for all your help. I'm open to any and all info.

 

My husband is a great baseball fan and so we have attended Mariner games at Safeco Field. I think you will find the field reasonably ADA compliant. And they claim to have the best food in MLB and they may be right.

 

As an Alaskan it is interesting to watch the cruise and motor coach tours as folks look very "herded." It is easy to rent a vehicle (lots of options) and do some touring on your own.

 

There is no train connection between Alaska and the "lower 48" (Alaska-speak for the continental US). The Alaska Railroad runs between Seward and Fairbanks with no branches into Canada or south-east Alaska. Non-stop flights between either Anchorage and Seattle or Fairbanks and Seattle, depending on wind conditions, are generally in the 3.5 hour range (although one time with strong tail winds we were on a flight which took about two hours and forty-five minutes). I've met folks who took one northbound cruise, did some touring on their own, and then a week or so later took another cruise southbound. Since flying back from Alaska is an issue, there are also some RTs out of Seattle or Vancouver.

[laurac22]

Might I suggest you pose some of your questions also in the Disabled Cruisers Forum? The cruisers there will probably have a lot of good tips for you.

 

Here's a link to that forum:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190

Thank You, I was planning on doing that, Unfortuntley or I guess fortunantley LOL it doesn't seem to get a lot of activity, so I posted here as well. I'm sure before I'm done I will post on several boards, just love CC and all the wonderful people willing to help. Thanks again

[laurac22]

My husband is a great baseball fan and so we have attended Mariner games at Safeco Field. I think you will find the field reasonably ADA compliant. And they claim to have the best food in MLB and they may be right.

 

As an Alaskan it is interesting to watch the cruise and motor coach tours as folks look very "herded." It is easy to rent a vehicle (lots of options) and do some touring on your own.

 

There is no train connection between Alaska and the "lower 48" (Alaska-speak for the continental US). The Alaska Railroad runs between Seward and Fairbanks with no branches into Canada or south-east Alaska. Non-stop flights between either Anchorage and Seattle or Fairbanks and Seattle, depending on wind conditions, are generally in the 3.5 hour range (although one time with strong tail winds we were on a flight which took about two hours and forty-five minutes). I've met folks who took one northbound cruise, did some touring on their own, and then a week or so later took another cruise southbound. Since flying back from Alaska is an issue, there are also some RTs out of Seattle or Vancouver.

Great info, Thanks! Yes gotta love Ballpark food!! Safeco Field will be our 19TH Ballpark.

[laurac22]

patty: I agree with you about Brent Nixon. Celebrity lured him away from Princess, and I don't see what all the fuss is about. But he certainly has his "groupies."

 

 

 

 

As someone who lives in Alaska and has done three Alaska cruises, I think it is important to see a major glacier, but don't feel limited to Glacier Bay. The Glacier Bay ones are in retreat, while Hubbard is one of the few tidewater glaciers that is actually advancing (ie, becoming larger). And there is much more to Alaska than glaciers and bears.

 

The statement that Princess and HAL have the most infrastructure in the Alaska refers to the cruise-line owned hotels which they use during their cruise tours. Some of those hotels are strategically located so that the customers have limited options in purchasing non-cruise line tour options. For example, the McKinley Princess is miles from Talkeetna and any off-property dining options, as is the Copper River Princess. And the Cooper Landing Princess, located in a sport fishing area, doesn't allow non-Princess sanctioned fishing guides to pick up customers on their property.

 

waver runner is so correct -- a cruise will only allow someone to see a very limited portion of an incredibly large and diverse state.

Thank You, This is great information, exactly what I'm looking for.