First time cruiser - Alaskan cruise suggestions welcomed!

[Jota62]

Hi!

 

I'm excited to have found this forum! I've never been on a cruise before, but have always wanted to. I am an experienced traveler, but never a cruise.

 

I'm 28 and my 25 year old sister/best friend and I have always wanted to visit Alaska. A lot of others our age don't seem to have the same desire for a vacation? So my first question is, for those experienced with Alaskan cruises, do you think there is plenty of fun activities and things to do for girls in their 20s?

 

With our work schedules it looks like around Labor Day, so September, is when we would best be able to visit, is that a good time to go? I've read mixed reviews about rain and such.

 

As for a balcony, never having cruised I think it would be nice to be able to get air whenever you wanted from our room. But, I've read it may be too cold and not worth it in Alaska. Is this true? Would you recommend getting a balcony?

 

Finally, what cruise line and route do you think is best? We really only can take about a week.

 

Thank you all in advance! I'm so excited as we start planning and I look forward to reading this forum and getting as much advice as I can!

Edited August 6, 2014 by Jota62

[Alberta Quilter]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

You've already done the most important thing which is to find Cruise Critic. The second thing you need to do is research, research and more research!

 

Read everything that you can find about Alaska. Get books from the library. Try to figure out what ports you want to see. I highly recommend Glacier Bay which is easy to do on a 7 day cruise. I also recommend cruising from Vancouver as the scenery is, IMO, much better than sailing from Seattle. However, getting to and from Vancouver adds costs for you Americans so that is something to consider.

 

After you determine where you want to go, that will help you narrow down the cruise line. For example, not every cruiseline goes to Glacier Bay. Then you can research the cruise lines to determine which one suits you best.

 

And come back here and ask questions. There are many people here who can help you.

[Alberta Quilter]

To address some of your other questions:

 

Balcony - not necessary. Certainly nice to have but you will want to be out on the open decks to get the entire view, not just the view available from your balcony. And it will depend on your budget.

 

September. I've never cruised to Alaska in September. May and June are the driest months in Alaska but it can still rain then. In September, it seems that can be rougher but, again, sometimes, it is reported to be fantastic. It will be cooler. May and September tend to be the less expensive times to go.

 

Are you thinking of going this September, or next?

Edited August 6, 2014 by Alberta Quilter

[mapleleaves]

Welcome!

I second Alberta Quilters suggestion .... RESEARCH. IMHO, itinerary is the most important consideration. Go to ports that support your interests, and make sure you're in port and at the right time of day to participate in planned activities. ie not a lot you can do with a port time of 7am - 1pm. There are less than 10 ports to research, especially if you do a roundtrip, so the research isn't overwhelming. Borrow some Alaska travel books from your library. There are a couple of books specific to Alaska cruises ... Fodor has "alaska ports of call' and Ann vipond has ' alaska by cruiseship'.

 

Do you want Round trip Seattle, roundtrip Vancouver, one-way north bound, southbound?

 

I think the best resource is TRIP REPORTS. Read about other travellers experiences .... their ship, the itinerary, activities, excursions, DIY options, the good bad and ugly. Many are photos journals and those photos will help bring the itinerary to life. The trip reports are in STICKYs above. (for 2013 go to reply #45 where they reports are sorted by cruiseline).

 

Personally, I'd choose an itinerary that leaves from Vancouver (more scenic and calmer water than Seattle departures), and includes a visit to Glacier Bay. And Sitka if you can swing it. If you don't have time for land travel, I'd stick with a RT cruise.

 

Weather is totally unpredictable. It might be sunny and 70, or, 50 and stormy. Have back up plans for any activity in case it gets weathered out.

 

Have fun planning!

[Jota62]

Thank you all so much! I have been researching like crazy and appreciate the info and the recommendation to check the 2013 review link. I'm excited! Hopefully will be going September 2015.

[dateacher]

We decided against a balcony and were not sorry. It would have cost us about $2k more and I would have felt we needed to stay on it to get our money's worth. Instead, we walked around the outside of the ship, went to the bow (only HAL allows you on the bow or so they say) and went to he bars with terrific views when it was too cold. It also gave us a chance to meet other people.

 

We had Cabin 3320 on the lower promenade deck (HAL Volendam). It was at the front of the ship, right next to a door to the outside. I felt like I had my own private promenade.

 

As far as things to do, Alaska is different. You go for the scenery, not for the fun. We were usually exhausted at night so the casino was about as wild as we got.

 

I'm sure you will have a great time. Just make sure you budget enough for excursions. I think they are an important part of a trip to Alaska.