First time - Alaska for two weeks, need help

[apachemd]

Ok so I'm a total newbie to cruising. I want to go on a two week or slightly shorter sea + land cruisetour in Alaska in August, 2014 with my girlfriend. I figured there would be one maybe two options for this. I was wrong -- there are like literally hundreds -- different cruiselines, ships, slightly different lengths, directions, itineraries and ports of call, etc. It is all quite confusing.

 

Anybody with experience willing to help? Any really positive testimonial about a prior experience? Any pitfalls to avoid?

 

Thanks in advance,

[mapleleaves]

if you look down the page a few lines, you'll see "help us with our first Alaskan cruise". It's a similar question to yours. So my answer will be the same ... RESEARCH. You need to learn about Alaska, the 7-8 ports and what each one offers, the activities available, sights, etc. The more you know about ALL the opportunities available, the better your trip will be.

 

As you will see by the responses in that thread, everyone has different likes/dislikes, different interests/priorities; "the food was bad", "the food was good", "Seattle departures are good" , " seattle departures aren't good". There is no right answer, other than to choose the cruise that best supports YOUR interests and fits your budget.

 

There aren't really THAT many choices ..... if you know you want some land travel you've already eliminated the RT seattle and RT Vancouver tours. So you just need to look at North bound or southbound. And is Glacier Bay and/or Hubbard Glacier a priority.

 

As for cruisetours, I think they're a great option for some people. I couldn't handle the waiting around or early mornings, but I'm an independent DIY kinda gal. Give me a car or RV so I can go where I want to go. A cruisetour will requires LOTS of research too... does the land travel go to locations that interest you, does it provide you with enough time for your activities or is most of your day spent in transit?

 

There are a couple of books specific to Alaska cruises; Ann Vipond has Alaska by Cruiseship and Fodor has Alaska Ports of Call. Buy or borrow them from the library. Borrow other Alaska travel books to learn about the ports.

 

If you look down the page you'll see a photojournal from arymay. It's a detailed account of her recent one-way cruise from Vancouver. There are a few other trip reports further down the page and about 25 more in the STICKY above called '2014 trip reports' . And at least 50 reports in the 2013 STICKY (start with reply #45 where they're sorted by cruiseline). There are reports for cruisetours, One way cruises, RT from Vancouver, RT from Seattle, and DIY land trips. Very detailed with lots of first hand recommendations on excursions, sights, activities, vendors, hotels, etc.

 

If you're interested in land travel, also look at the Alaska forum of http://www.tripadvisor.com. Look under Top Questions for resources, FAQ, trip reports. Have fun planning!

[margob111]

I just did the Coral from Whittier to Vancouver with a land tour prior. I'm way overdue on my trip report. I chose an escorted Connoisseur class land tour so two meals a day were included. Chose this so hubby could actually take pics and enjoy the scenery, and we had a great time. We did arrive in Anchorage a few days early and rented a car and drove around for a few days prior to the start of the land tour. If I were to do this trip again, I would rent a car or motor home and drive, as it is easy to drive and do it yourself and I wouldn't have to get up so early for some of the tours on the land portion.

[agabbymama]

When I start planning a cruise or any vacation really, I start a graph chart, putting the different cruiselines/ships across the top. Then list the things of importance to me (size of ship, cabin type, cost, # days, ports, times in port, excursions, etc) down the side. As you research put an "X" in the conjoining box. As you near the end of your research, one should have more x's than the others.

 

For me and the 3 other people traveling with me, independent just proved too much hassle. There was my husband and myself, my husband's single sister, and my husband's single male friend. Started looking at an RV, then the male friend announced he sleeps in the nude, so that image changed the plan immediately. Of the 4 of us, I was the only one still working, so knew I only had 10 days to make the trip, so no leisurely travel would have worked.

 

I knew I wanted to go to the Yukon (Gold Rush history just seemed to go with Alaska in my mind). And of course, wanted to keep the budget reasonable. I narrowed it down to Princess and HAL. Princess was 7 days on the ship + 8 days on land for a total of 15 days for $4400 pp. but only 1 night in Dawson City Yukon. HAL was 3 days on the ship and 8 days on land for a total of 11 days for $2760 with 1 night at Whitehorse and 2 nights at Dawson City Yukon.

I chose HAL.

 

Only you can decide what it is you want to do. We can only tell you what worked for us. Cruisetours aren't for everyone, but I do love them. Tell me where to be and what time to be there, then I'll sit back and let the driver worry about traffic, schedules, sights to see, schlepping my luggage, etc. Just be sure the cruisetour does what YOU want to do and takes you where YOU want to go.

 

We only booked one extra excursion to Husky Homestead at Denali. For the rest of the trip, the sights HAL included were sufficient for us. I don't do helicopters, or whale watching boats, or ziplining, etc as some do.

 

Have fun planning, then taking your cruise to Alaska, it is an awesome destination!

[rjeffler]

Research is the answer! I just got back from our 16 day adventure. 7 days prior in Alaska, cruise southbound and 2 days in Vancouver. You are brave for trying to get it all scheduled on such a short time frame. I planned our trip for 16 months. Most of the planning being done in the first 6 months and then a lot of waiting for time to go by!

 

I have my pre-planning as well as my trip report in my signature.

 

Don't let anyone tell you that one glacier is better than another. You never know what each will be like on the day you cruise. Once you make your decision, go with it. I'm sure it will be the right one for your family!

[Kimahri]

Hi apachemd,

The first thing we looked at when planning our land/cruise tour was our budget and planned from there. We like to splurge on vacation but I don't mind saving a penny or two. Check out the toursaver book it has 2 for 1 coupons.

Second, we needed to decide if we wanted to do a cruise tour or DIY. We decided we are more of the DIY type people. I want to be able to stop if I want or sleep in. It seemed like the cruise tours were always wanting the bags or people out early.

Third, we needed to decide where we wanted to go. We looked through a few Alaska books, pulled out a map, read reviews, and researched places we thought would be interesting. A few of the reviews I really enjoyed and thought were helpful are listed below.

We've only cruised on Royal Caribbean. We're really happy with the ships that we have been on in regards to service, food, cabins, and the ports.

I can't comment on Alaska yet because we are heading there at the end of the month. I hope you are able to put together a wonderful trip.

 

By: WalleyeLJ

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1844695

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1679447

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1852077

By: ace1zoe2

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1434211

By: jennat

Edited June 25, 2014 by Kimahri

[olemissreb]

As everyone else has pretty well stated, start with your research. It sounds like you want to do a one way so that narrows down your choices a little. As mapleleaves said, even if you decide to do a cruisetour, you still must do your research - do they offer the Tundra Wilderness Tour or the Natural History Tour in Denali (the former being better than the latter)? Do they stop where you want to stop? Do you have the opportunity to enjoy an excursion on your own? How much time do you actually have at each stop? I'd hate for you to want to spend a couple days in Denali, but only have the one chance to get into the park.

 

Someone else stated that they didn't like the idea of having to get up early to catch a bus. I was the same way and with 2 teenage boys with us, riding a bus for several hours just did not appeal. We decided a DIY was better for us. We were able to stop in Talkeetna for a few hours so my oldest son could fly a plane. We were able to stop along the way to take pictures of Mt. McKinley (Denali) not knowing if we would be able to see it again in 2 days when we went into the park. We went white water rafting and did a midnight ATV ride and got to eat at 49th State Brewing. We got to walk on a glacier (the Matanuska that none of the cruisetours I looked at even offered). We saw the Eklutna Spirit Houses and really learned something about the early Russians that settled in AK - and that was just a spur of the moment stop on our way back to Anchorage. All that being said, that's the way we like to travel - on our own time table. You and your girlfriend may prefer something different.

 

The reviews from prior years really will help with your research. And don't forget about TripAdvisor- they have reviews over there and ideas of things to do. To save money, use those frequent flier miles, hotel points and your AAA membership as much as possible. Also, the TourSaver and Northern Lights books have great coupons. If you rent a car, use your BJ's, Sams or Costco membership and don't forget to use your loyalty card for that also (in my DH's case it is his Avis Wizard number).

 

You have a really short time frame to be able to do all this research. It took me almost 2 years of research and then waiting to be able to book hotels, airfare & many of the excursions 6-12 months out. Doing it that way also allowed us to pay it off over time. We had very little on our credit cards when we came home from our 2 week vacation.

[mapleleaves]

oh yeah, and if you're even thinking about renting a car, reserve it this summer for next year.

As the 2015 dates open up, Enterprise generally rents a small car for about $125 a week. If you wait til next August, you'll pay that rate for one day ! Other companies may have similar deals ... my experience has been with Enterprise.

Since you seem set on August, rent a car for both weeks. As your plans firm up, cancel 1 week (or both) if you don't need the car. Frees the car up for other travellers.

[Budget Queen]

For a this year's August trip, if your dates are fixed, then your choices will be more narrowed. :) With 2 weeks, a one way cruise and another week mainland Alaska is a wonderful option.

 

As mentioned, find out about Alaska. And in a hurry. :) The hot spots that are on many itineraries, are going to be Seward and Denali. Determine your interest of those areas, and what you may or may not wish to see and do there? It's important to not, underestimate time and distances. Just those two locations could take up your land week. :)

 

With the cruise choices, Princess and NCL have very nice itineraries in/out of Whittler. HAL, Celebrity, RCI are in/out of Seward. With Whittier, it is very worthwhile to include a Prince William Sound boat tour. Especially, determine, if you wish to go to Hoonah or Haines? If so, your cruise choices are about made. :)

 

I'm still putting together my 3 week trip next month, so it can be arranged. For car rentals, also look at Alamo, I've had good luck picking up late reserved decent rates out of Anchorage. But try them all. (if you are going independent)

 

Above is an excellent point, no matter how you do your mainland touring, invest similar amounts of time in the planning and research. Big mistakes are made by a lot of people, just glossing over the details of cruise tours, not fully understanding them. It is much easier to choose the right tour to begin with, compared to trying to fix mistakes, or worse- accepting touring, you don't want, because you don't want to change due to timing, cancellation fees etc.

[mapleleaves]

Yikes, I didn't notice the 2014 date !

Yes, the OP and GF better start researching, OR, do the research now and make the trip in 2015 when they're better prepared.

[olemissreb]

Yikes, I didn't notice the 2014 date !

Yes, the OP and GF better start researching, OR, do the research now and make the trip in 2015 when they're better prepared.

 

That would be my suggestion too so they can get the research in. Now if they want to pay for me to go in their stead, I've got lots of places I still would like to go and I still have my research from last year so I have a little bit of a head start!:D

[mapleleaves]

Now if they want to pay for me to go in their stead, I've got lots of places I still would like to go and I still have my research from last year so I have a little bit of a head start!:D

 

hahaha, don't you wish !

[olemissreb]

hahaha, don't you wish !

 

Hey I can dream right? :D

[apachemd]

Absolutely fantastic advice everyone -- THANK YOU.

 

So since these posts we've researched a bit more, this is what we are thinking:

1. 8/9 - fly to Anchorage, rent car (great suggestion mapleleaves, we're somewhat DIY too, and we like the freedom and flexibility of having a car)

2. 8/10 afternoon - Drive to Denali (i.e. only one night in Anchorage)

3. 8/10-8/12 - Denali (i.e. 2 nights in Denali)

4. 8/12 morning - drive to Fairbanks

5. 8/12-8/14 - Fairbanks (i.e. 2 nights in Fairbanks)

6. 8/14 - drive to Anchorage

7. 8/15 morning - scenic train to Seward, see Seward (i.e. only a partial day in Seward)

8. 8/15, 7p - Royal Caribbean 7-day North-to-South one way cruise

9. 8/22 morning - arrive in Vancouver, rent car, see Vancouver

10. 8/23 morning - drive to Seattle, see Seattle

11. 8/24 morning - fly back from Seattle

 

What do y'all think of this? Some concerns/questions we have are:

1. Do we need more time in Anchorage?

2. Do we need more time in Seward?

3. Is Royal Caribbean ok? Or is Princess better? Or Norwegian? We are yuppies in our 20's and 30's, no kids.

 

Regarding preferences, we are active and into outdoor activities requiring exertion. Dining, museums etc are ok but not necessarily priority.

[apachemd]

as it is easy to drive and do it yourself and I wouldn't have to get up so early for some of the tours on the land portion.

 

GREAT advice. We're pretty independent and free-spirited and I do think we could handle the land part ourselves.

[Budget Queen]

Absolutely fantastic advice everyone -- THANK YOU.

 

So since these posts we've researched a bit more, this is what we are thinking:

1. 8/9 - fly to Anchorage, rent car (great suggestion mapleleaves, we're somewhat DIY too, and we like the freedom and flexibility of having a car)

2. 8/10 afternoon - Drive to Denali (i.e. only one night in Anchorage)

3. 8/10-8/12 - Denali (i.e. 2 nights in Denali)

4. 8/12 morning - drive to Fairbanks

5. 8/12-8/14 - Fairbanks (i.e. 2 nights in Fairbanks)

6. 8/14 - drive to Anchorage

7. 8/15 morning - scenic train to Seward, see Seward (i.e. only a partial day in Seward)

8. 8/15, 7p - Royal Caribbean 7-day North-to-South one way cruise

9. 8/22 morning - arrive in Vancouver, rent car, see Vancouver

10. 8/23 morning - drive to Seattle, see Seattle

11. 8/24 morning - fly back from Seattle

 

What do y'all think of this? Some concerns/questions we have are:

1. Do we need more time in Anchorage?

2. Do we need more time in Seward?

3. Is Royal Caribbean ok? Or is Princess better? Or Norwegian? We are yuppies in our 20's and 30's, no kids.

 

Regarding preferences, we are active and into outdoor activities requiring exertion. Dining, museums etc are ok but not necessarily priority.

 

Ideally, yes, you could use more time for Anchorage. If you can add days, do so. Another 2 would improve your options. Right now the Fairbanks/Anchorage drive, hopefully will allow you time for several stops and activities. Problem is, next day you will need to be at the RR a little after 5am. Seward is a gem and definitely worth 2 days. With only a few hours, you could do one activity. I would NOT be in any rush to get on the ship.

 

If you don't add days, I would then skip Fairbanks and use that time elsewhere.

[duckfan80]

3. Is Royal Caribbean ok? Or is Princess better? Or Norwegian? We are yuppies in our 20's and 30's, no kids.

 

Regarding preferences, we are active and into outdoor activities requiring exertion. Dining, museums etc are ok but not necessarily priority.

 

Since it looks like you are purchasing your cruise a month out, you are likely going to get a nice price. (In fact, if you wait a little longer, you might get an amazing price--always a little risk that they'll sell out, but if you aren't worried about the cruise line or the type of room, it's less of a risk.) I would personally go for the lowest price...then, you can spend your money on active excursions. I'm sure you'll enjoy whichever line you go with (of course, you will fond people who swear by one line and slam another, but you'll find that for all 3 lines).

 

I can't speak to the land portion, but we're about to do our 4th Alaska cruise, and any of the cruise lines (or companies on shore if you'd rather) will have great excursions, but since they will set you back, that is why I'd just pick the cheapest cruise I could find :)

 

Good luck, and have fun!

[Courtmatt]

When we were in Seward last summer, we hiked up to Exit Glacier with Exit Glacier Guides. It was Awesome! I would recommend this if you could spend another day in Seward.

[UPGrandma]

9. 8/22 morning - arrive in Vancouver, rent car, see Vancouver

10. 8/23 morning - drive to Seattle, see Seattle

11. 8/24 morning - fly back from Seattle

 

 

Have you checked to see that you can indeed take your rental car from Canada into the U tied States?

[Kamloops50]

9. 8/22 morning - arrive in Vancouver, rent car, see Vancouver

10. 8/23 morning - drive to Seattle, see Seattle

11. 8/24 morning - fly back from Seattle

 

 

Have you checked to see that you can indeed take your rental car from Canada into the U tied States?

 

Some rental car companies put a surcharge on the contract . That is actually cheaper to use other forms of transportation. If you don't say your going to Seattle. Keep in mind if drop the car in Seattle . The rental company can charge your CC what it wants in compensation for taking the car to Seattle.

 

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Forums mobile app

[mapleleaves]

The amount of time to spend in Anchorage, Fairbanks or Seward will be determined by the activities you have planned for each location.

My guess is that you have chosen these locations because they're well-known. Since you stated a preference for outdoor activities, i'd skip Fairbanks and spend the time in and around Seward ... lots of hiking options and you could take a kayak trip (the drop off point is at the glacier so the water taxi trip will also serve as your Kenai Fjords day cruise).