Alaskan Cruise to the super confused

[schecter]

Hi Guys :D

 

After hitting the Caribbean and the med and we've decided we want to see and experience Alaska but the more we look it up the more confused we get so we're reaching out to you season cruiser for advice :)

 

Hope you can all help! We just looking on advice on the following:

 

- We were looking to go in May 2015, would May be a good time to go? Would there be may excursions on?

- Whats the best cruise line to go for Alaskan? (I hope we're not opening a bucket of worms here hehe), We were looking at the Coral Princess & the Carnival Legend.

- Is is worth the money forking out the extra for a balcony on an Alaskan cruise?

-What kind of clothes would you bring if you went on an Alaskan cruise in May?

 

Thanks guys!! You all rock :)

 

Schecter

[CruiserBruce]

A little reading on the board would reveal that May can be cool to cold, and layers (of clothing) is the way to manage the weather any month in the Alaska cruising season.

 

"Best" cruise line is totally subjective, and you will never get a conclusive answer. And, the is no right and final answer. Again, some reading would reveal Princess and Holland America have the most ships in Alaska, therefore give you the most choices, and perhaps most importantly, have the most cruises to Glacier Bay.

 

Balcony "worth" is also very subjective, and only you can decide that.

Edited August 11, 2014 by CruiserBruce

[Surfwench]

Went through the same decision process a few weeks ago. May vs September. Holland/Princess vs Carnival.

 

Carnival has an 8 day itinerary May 18 on the Legend. Cruises BOTH Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay.

 

Was able to snag an aft balcony for less than a regular verandah on Holland. I've sailed the Legend twice before in the Western Caribbean. One of my favorite ships and favorite balconey cabin.

 

May will be colder than summer, but a bunch of school kids would have a detrimental affect on my cruising enjoyment.

 

Carnival is staying in the ports a very long time.... this will give us time enough to maximize our on shore activities. Juneau is 7am to 10pm!

 

Princess and Holland have a higher end experience..... but I'm sailing for the glaciers and ports this time. Not to mention good excursions in Alaska are expensive. We will be spending as much on those as the cruise itself.

[scapel]

Hi Guys :D

 

We were looking to go in May 2015, would May be a good time to go? Would there be may excursions on?

- Whats the best cruise line to go for Alaskan? Carnival ships ,HAL, Princess go to Glacier Bay. Celebrity & RCCL go to Hubbard Glacier. I think Glacier Bay is better even though Hubbard is a beautiful day trip. (I hope we're not opening a bucket of worms here hehe), We were looking at the Coral Princess & the Carnival Legend.

- Is is worth the money forking out the extra for a balcony on an Alaskan cruise? Yes

-What kind of clothes would you bring if you went on an Alaskan cruise in May?

Layered clothing

Thanks guys!! You all rock :)

 

Schecter

 

Make private arrangements for tours.

[Budget Queen]

NCL also sails Glacier Bay.

 

I've been sailing in May for many years, certainly it is a "good" time to sail Alaska. :) But so are all the other weeks. :)

 

Weather is something, you can NOT predict and you always need a wide range of attire, no matter when you are there.

 

I don't go before mid May. And, if you are touring mainland Alaska, I would only suggest a northbound cruise, IF you are including Denali. Vital to get as far as you can, in my opinion. Most if not all of the tours are fully running.

[scapel]

NCL also sails Glacier Bay.

 

I've been sailing in May for many years, certainly it is a "good" time to sail Alaska. :) But so are all the other weeks. :)

 

Weather is something, you can NOT predict and you always need a wide range of attire, no matter when you are there.

 

I don't go before mid May. And, if you are touring mainland Alaska, I would only suggest a northbound cruise, IF you are including Denali. Vital to get as far as you can, in my opinion. Most if not all of the tours are fully running.

 

 

Alaskan Pictures

https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=F6FE23A6E5A9EC3F&id=F6FE23A6E5A9EC3F%211362

Let me know if the link doesn't work. It may only work from this computer.

[evandbob]

Hi Guys :D

 

After hitting the Caribbean and the med and we've decided we want to see and experience Alaska but the more we look it up the more confused we get so we're reaching out to you season cruiser for advice :)

 

Hope you can all help! We just looking on advice on the following:

 

- We were looking to go in May 2015, would May be a good time to go? Would there be may excursions on?

- Whats the best cruise line to go for Alaskan? (I hope we're not opening a bucket of worms here hehe), We were looking at the Coral Princess & the Carnival Legend.

- Is is worth the money forking out the extra for a balcony on an Alaskan cruise?

-What kind of clothes would you bring if you went on an Alaskan cruise in May?

 

Thanks guys!! You all rock :)

 

Schecter

 

We've done the same process - after many Caribbean and one Med cruises, we decided to experience Alaska.

 

Our conclusions, which will differ from yours:

 

1)were to go in Mid to late August (we leave in a week) so all activities would be available and close access to Glacier and Hubbard be almost assured;

 

2)use Princess for both the cruise tour prior to the actual cruise and the actual sailing;

 

3)bring some layered clothes, but not as many as we would need for either shoulder season);

 

4) purchase a balcony cabin for ease of scenic touring during glacier and hubbard as well as while sailing.

 

As others as quoted on this board, one must first decide what is important to themselves, not what others say is a must do. Everyone's tastes differ, and your mileage may vary. If we get a second chance to do Alaska, I might rent a car and drive to areas I want to see and be on my own schedule, and then use private vendors for all excursions, activities and hotels. But I don't want to do that the first go round.

Edited August 11, 2014 by evandbob

[Budget Queen]

 

1)were to go in Mid to late August (we leave in a week) so all activities would be available and close access to Glacier and Hubbard be almost assured;

 

 

 

You are incorrect. There is nothing "assured" about Hubbard. Especially in the last few years- ships are going slower, and time may come into play with Hubbard. There is no guarantee how "close" you will get, and plenty of sailings are miles away.

 

As for a balcony- superior glacier viewing, is with moving around the ship. Not just viewing from a balcony. :)

[mapleleaves]

Are you looking at a one-way or RT cruise? Either way, I'd suggest Vancouver over Seattle. Vanc sailings travel between the mainland and east side of Vancouver Island so it's more scenic and calmer seas.

 

May/June tends to be drier than June/July. If you're doing a one-way cruise with land travel before/after, that's where the timing is more crucial. ie the park road in Denali isn't fully open until June 10. If you're doing a RT cruise and plan on a trip to Emerald Lake when you stop in Skagway .... the lake might be iced over still and there could be snow and ice on the roads depending on what kind of winter/spring snowfall they get.

 

The plus for scenery in May is the mountains are covered with snow. The negative is that the ground may be covered with snow too and there might not be much greenery as plants are still brown and dormant from a heavy winter.

 

 

Pick an Alaska cruise for the itinerary. Is the ship going to places that support your interests and are you in port long enough and at the right time of day to participate in planned activities. ie a port time of 7am-1pm in Juneau doesn't work well if you have a 4 hr tour planned AND want to visit Mendenhall Glacier.

 

buy FODOR's 'Alaska Ports of Call' to learn about the Alaska ports and the sights and activities available at each.

 

Read trip reports in the STICKYs above. They are very detailed with lots of useful info on packing, sights, activities, excursions, the ship, etc. Plus wonderful photos. (for 2013 start with reply #45 where the reports are sorted by cruiseline/ship)

[djjofsno]

I live in Seattle and have gone on 6 different Alaska cruises - from May through September.

 

Alaska is always beautiful but you will see more wildlife if you go later than May. Wildlife - especially the whales - follow the salmon. And there isn't much salmon running in May. So if you choose May - try to go as late as possible.

[fishin' musician]

A tangible benefit to May is that you will save substantially over mid-June to late August sailings. There is far less demand when kids are in school and this is reflected in the price.

[scapel]

See below for a 2012 report. Has some telephone numbers and people to contact. Budget Queen might be acquainted with some.

=============================================

ALASKAN CRUISE TOUR June 5, 2012- June 19, 2012

 

We arrived at the Anchorage Airport and checked in to the Susitna Place B&B located in 727 N Street Anchorage, AK 99501, Tel. No. 1-907-274-3344 where we spent two nights. The night of our arrival we ate at Simon & Seaforts 420 L St within walking distance of the Susitna Place. This was our third trip to eat at Simon & Seaforts and is still good. The Host of Susitna Place, Linda did a very good job. The property is small and requires long advanced reservations. Most expensive room is $195/dy but there are less expensive options. The B&B has a most magnificent view of the Cook inlet and on a good day one can see Mt. McKinley in the distance. The breakfast was very good both days.

 

On the morning of June 6, 2012 we rented a car from Hertz (pre-arranged) located at 414 K street within walking distance of Susitna place. Linda the owner of Susitna said it would be cheaper to take a cab to her place and rent the car the next day since the rental company had to add an airport charge. We motored to Whittier, AK to take our pre-arrange tour of Prince William Sound to Surprise Glacier. One has to get a copy of the tunnel schedule from Bear creek to Whittier and go through the tunnel to Whittier in order to decrease waiting time.

Not much to see in Whittier, but our cruise with Major Marine tours was very good. Prince William Sound touring concentrates more on glacier viewing though we had some otters and seals and Kenai concentrates more on wild life viewing.

After the Glacier tour in Prince William Sound, we ate at the Seven Glaciers Restaurant near the Alyeska resort within 25 miles on the way back to Anchorage. By pre-arranged reservations we obtained the free ride on the tram. The food was excellent and the view was magnificent.

 

On Thursday June 7, 2012 we checked out of Susitna Place $436.80 for the two nights and brought our luggage to the Westmark Anchorage hotel at 729 west 5th Ave and had our luggage stored until check in. We obtained our information for the beginning of our cruise tour the next day.

We then toured around Anchorage and visited Wal Mart where I fell asleep while waiting on the group. We visited a knife shop bought some knives and had a nice lunch at the Midnight Sun Brewery http://midnightsunbrewing.com/. It was a little difficult to find, but the Garmin helped. We checked into the Westmark Anchorage Hotel at 729 West 6th ave Thursday evening and turned in the Hertz Car which was in walking distance to the Westmark Hotel. Westmark Anchorage was a vey comfortable clean hotel, just as the one in Fairbanks in 1996 was. That evening we walked to the Bangkok Thai Restaurant on 4th Ave which was just so-so. Thai Food is just like any other. There is excellent and then so-so.

 

Friday June 8th we took the train to Denali as part of our package tour with pre-assigned seats for our group of four together. Drinks and food were pay as you go or run a tab which we did. After checking into our McKinley Chalets room in the Canyon Lodge section, we went to the front and met our tour guide for the pre-arranged pre-paid White Water Rapid tour. We were given dry suits to put on and we did need them since we did get some of the Glacier Facials as they are called, but it was fun. We did the Class I-II rapids with only a touch of III. No helmets were required on this class of rapids. The guide was demonstrating how to pull someone back in the boat if they fell out. She used me to demonstrate. She had me kneel down on the bank next to the raft. The protocol calls for pushiing the subject down in the water to have the life preserver give some buoyancy and help with some force to get the subject out of the water. She gave me one hard jerk and pulled me in the boat on top of her. Knocked my glasses and my buddy was laughing so hard he almost didn't get the picture of me laying on top of this little girl of about 120 lbs who had just pulled me off the bank into the raft. I was laughing so hard I couldn't get off her so I just laid there.

Since I had forgotten my water proof bag for my video camera, I bought a waterproof still camera. On the way to the raft launch site we saw a bear on the side of the road the guide took a picture of the bear with the water proof camera. After the raft trip we ate at the pizza house that night which was across the street from the McKinley chalet.

 

 

The next day Saturday June, 9 we did the package included long tour through Denali National Park. We had taken advice to buy a lunch since the furnished lunch was not much. This cost about $16/p but across the street is a Subway where we could have purchased a meal much cheaper and probably better. I thought the advice to purchase some extra food for this long tour was worth following. We saw lots of wild life including a Lynx. Binoculars are needed for adequate viewing. We ate in the McKinley Chalet restaurant this night.

 

On Sunday June 10-we then boarded a 9-10 hour bus trip from Denali to Seward to board the Statendam. Our driver Grandma Jones talked the entire way and had us play games trying to make the long trip as entertaining as possible. Some earphones with one’s own music did come in handy. We had several stops along the way and a nice lunch stop at the Settlers Bay Lodge in Wasilla, AK. Didn't see Sara Palin, but my wife got a picture next to a life size poster. Our bus driver informed us the Wal-Mart in Wasilla, AK has the distinction of selling more duct tape than any other Wal-Mart in the world.

For travelling this area, I think a family could easily make all these arrangements themselves and use private transportation. They could return a rental car in Anchorage and take the train to Seward, but I’m not sure of the mechanics of handling the luggage from the car to the train and from the train to the ship. Returning a rental vehicle in Seward I have been told increases the fee but I have not checked on the price.

We boarded the Statendam Sunday June 10 and sailed at 8:00 PM.

We had a nice deluxe suite with plenty of room. The doors to the veranda were the best I have seen. They were swing doors but when you pushed them open they stayed open. When you wanted to close them you just pulled them so far and hydraulics gently closed them the rest of the way. No accidental locking of the door.

 

Monday June 11 we sailed College Fjord.

 

Tuesday June 12 we Sailed Glacier Bay and had an 8 hour tour of Glacier Bay from the Statendam with some commentary. A park ranger was also on the bow with binoculars logging various sightings.

This was my 4th cruise to Alaska and my fifth trip to Alaska, but the first through Glacier Bay. I think it compares to the Chilean Fjords, but my wife disagreed. We did not see any whales, but some folks did.

 

On Wednesday June 13 we arrived in Haines at 6:30 AM We had booked a flight with Drake Olsen but when I called him he said he was sick and couldn’t fly. We certainly didn’t want to be in a small plane with someone with an Upper respiratory Infection. He gave us the phone number of Paul and Amy with Mountain Flying Service 1-907-766-3007 who took us almost immediately and gave us a flight that was magnificent. We flew in the passes to view glaciers up close. We saw a moose swimming in the water as we landed. This flight was less expensive than Drake. Amy took us back to the ship after we walked around Haines. We would definitely recommend Mountain Flying Service. We had lunch on the ship and were picked up at the ship by Robert of Joe Ordonez Rainbow Glacier Adventures 907-766-3576 at $95/p plus Tax for 4 hours. Robert was an interesting young man who had lived in a tree house for some time and loved it. He was our guide for this trip. We viewed Bears black and grizzly and Eagles and fish hatcheries and got a nice informative tour. He commented on two women that were too close to some bears with their car and standing outside of the car. He warned them as did another person passing by. Warnings were not taken and the two women continued to be less safe. The bears are so fast that if they decided they could have you in their grasp before you got back in the car. If the bears kill the human the bear gets killed, and it wasn't his fault. We sailed out of Haines at 9:00 PM. I think the late departure was because of a 2 hour ferry ride between Haines and Skagway and many people went to Skagway on tours. We were interested in seeing wild life and toured Haines. The ferry fare was about $62 RT to Skagway and if you add that to a tour it gets up in the dollars.

 

Thursday June 14, we arrived in Juneau at 8:00 AM. This was my third trip to Juneau and the weather was always cloudy so I had never been up the Mt. Roberts Tram. It was cloudy this day also, but we went anyhow. The ticket is good all day so if it cleared up we could go back up. It never did clear up. There was some scenery but no view of the harbor after going half way up. There was a very nice family of musicians that performed. They were Branson, MO quality entertainers. Our friends did a zipline and we met after for a snack and drink at the Red Dog saloon, which was crowded as always on ship days. We sailed at 6:00 PM. We had a reservation that same night in the Pinnacle Specialty dining for the Le Cirque night aboard the Statendam at $39/person extra. The meal was very good but the poached lobster was terrible. It was way overcooked and tough. We had some Lobster in the regular dining room which was quite good. The food on the ship was mostly good and the service was very good. The Ship workers all had a very good attitude toward passengers that one could easily see, they really seemed to care.

 

On Friday June 15 we docked Ketchikan at 11:00 AM. We had made a reservation with Sea Wind Aviation with a 50% deposit for a trip through the Misty Fjords with a pickup at 12:30 PM from the ship dock. Seawind Aviation at 1-877-225-1203 or 1-907-225-1206

Sea Wind Aviation is owned and operated by Steve and Lesley Kamn. Lesley had called me on the ship via my cell phone to let me know that we should fly as soon as we docked rather than at the previous arranged time because of some high winds moving in. I was able to contact two other parties on the ship to let them know we were to fly early because of weather. Someone else stated they had a rather bumpy flight. Ours was smooth. Steve was our pilot and mentioned that he had started his business in 2003 the year of our previous Misty Fjords flight.

After our flight through Misty Fjords we did a very good land tour with David of the David & Kat cab tour operation. 1-907-254-7286. <tours@ketchikantaxicabtours.com> After our flight Lesley brought us to Annabelle’s Restaurant (very good food) and told David to pick us up there, giving us one hour to eat. This scheduling worked perfectly with help from Lesley giving just enough time to finish the rather wonderful Dungeness crab. David was very good and I would recommend him. The Cab was $74/hour and one could split this up depending on how many passengers. We did $200 worth a little under 3 hours.

On Saturday June 16,we had a day at sea which was most enjoyable even though we had a few hours of a little rough weather.

While aboard the Statendam we had a most enjoyable computer teacher name Techster Tom or Tom the Techster that gave several lectures on using Window Live Photo Gallery. Also HAL as opposed to Celebrity allows use of the computers to manipulate pictures and upload from cards and download to travel drives.

 

On Sunday June 17 we arrived at 7:00 AM in Vancouver and got our luggage to the Pan Pacific Hotel without a cab since it is on the dock. We upgraded our room so we could check in early and then departed for the Capilano Suspension Bridge with free transportation from Canada Place. This is one of the recommended places to visit in Vancouver and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We ate dinner that night at the Steamworks Brewing Company (very good food and service) in Gas Town. Other local recommendations we had received were for Al Porto for Italian and the Water Street Cafe in Gastown.

On Monday June 18 we ate a most wonderful breakfast at Scoozis Restaurant at 445 Howe St.

The deep dish omelets are the best at this Greek Restaurant. We had eaten there in 2003.

For the day we toured Grouse mountain (free transportation from Canada Place) and saw some bears in captivity, saw an entertaining lumber jack show and went up the Eye in the sky which is a windmill generating electricity. Weather was poor visibility this day. There was a nice bird demonstration of a buzzard, eagle and some owls that flew by training from post to post.

 

For our last night, we took a recommendation to eat at Joe Fortes Seafood & Chops 777 Thurlow Street (604) 669-1940--This restaurant was absolutely wonderful, but expensive --About $177/couple with tip and drinks.

I had six raw oysters, six fried in panko bread crumbs, and six Rockfeller style with a white hollandaise sauce on top. The raw oysters in Louisiana are better. The only ones they had this day were from the Fanning company.

I like the system in Vancouver where they bring the machine for your credit card to your table and you swipe it. I was told that this is a country wide system in Canada. It certainly is safer in that your credit card does not leave your sight.

The next morning early we checked out of the Pan Pacific hotel at $651 for two days and flew home in about 10 hours travel time. This included the extra $30/dy for the upgrade.

https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resi...Okr4UwLzyj376o

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=f6fe23a6e5a9ec3f

[dateacher]

We just got back from a cruise on HAL. While there were some kids, they did not impact the trip at all and I am very sensitive to unruly kids.

 

As others said, choose the ports over the ship. We chose HAL because of that even though we had been told some negative things about it. We loved our ship and loved our cruise.

 

We did not get a balcony because it added $2k to our trip. We used the money for excursions. As BudgetQueen says, if you have a balcony, you may miss walking around the ship and getting the better view. We were never sorry that we didn't have a balcony.

[Budget Queen]

I live in Seattle and have gone on 6 different Alaska cruises - from May through September.

 

Alaska is always beautiful but you will see more wildlife if you go later than May. Wildlife - especially the whales - follow the salmon. And there isn't much salmon running in May. So if you choose May - try to go as late as possible.

 

The only whales with a salmon diet are resident orcas, which are rare to see anyway. Humpbacks who do NOT eat salmon, are seen the entire Alaska cruise season. They aren't fully migrated, however until the end of May, but you would see some earlier.

 

Kids are NOT sailing Alaska, in near the numbers of the Caribbean. Ship demographics are still the bulk being middle aged and above on ALL cruise lines, with the exception of Disney.

[evandbob]

You are incorrect. There is nothing "assured" about Hubbard. Especially in the last few years- ships are going slower, and time may come into play with Hubbard. There is no guarantee how "close" you will get, and plenty of sailings are miles away.

 

As for a balcony- superior glacier viewing, is with moving around the ship. Not just viewing from a balcony. :)

 

I appreciate the "correction" BQ, I probably should have wrote "more likely" or similar.

 

We all know nothing is assured except death and taxes. I could very well be dead tomorrow, or, more likely, take an independent tour suggestion from one of our CC experts, and wind up on a whale watch tour with a drunken Captain.

 

I do apologize for being inaccurate with that word.

 

However, if I choose to do viewings from my balcony, and I am comfortable with that, it is not incorrect for me. I am not a Type A caffeine driven personality that must see everything, and rushing from one side of the ship to the other and jostling with other pax may not be good for my surgically repaired spine and hip. I will not say that those who do that are wrong, that would be judgmental and too high falooting in the neighborhood that I come from.

 

Happy cruising, as I said in my first post, your mileage may vary.

[jimmyvinny]

Alaska is one of my favorite cruises! It's just awesome! I've been in June, July, and August. Would definitely recommend july or August, as it was very cold in June. And yes, splurge for a balcony! Depending on which way you are traveling and your destinations, figure out the port or starboard side.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Forums mobile app

[travgurl]

Why not consider coming July 22 cruise tour on the 12 day on Holland. Check out the itinerary D5L. We have booked for next summer through AAA. I also have fantastic excursions already booked for 2 of the ports. I know it is a year away but we are excited about our first trip to Alaska.

[AryMay]

I know what you mean...planning a first cruise to Alaska is overwhelming! At this time last summer I was sweating all sorts of decisions and details, but it paid off with the most fabulous trip this summer! My recommendation is to start reading trip reports that have been posted. There is a "sticky" post at the top of this page with a list of reviews from 2014...and another post with those from 2013.

 

Although there are many good reviews, I will give a shameless plug for my own. Writing it and including tons of photos was definitely a monumental task, but I wanted to pay it forward for all of the info I gleaned from other reviews. Here is the link: Coral Princess Northbound Cruise Review

 

After one trip I am certainly not an expert, but I can give you my opinions.

 

• Take a cruise that leaves from Vancouver rather than Seattle so that you cruise between the mainland and Vancouver Island...more scenic and calmer seas.
  
• Going northbound the scenery just keeps getting better and better each day with the most spectacular at the end of the cruise.
  
• If you go in May, go later in the month since some tours and activities aren't in operation earlier.
  
• If you can afford it, definitely get a balcony. You may only be able to see one side of the ship, but for us it doubled what we saw because we used it so much. I would not have spent half the time that we were on our balcony on a public deck...no fighting for a good spot at the rail...and my chair was always there waiting for me! I won't lie...it was cold sitting out there. BUT...any deck would be cold and being on our own balcony was so much more convenient...no schlepping around cameras, binoculars, extra jackets, coffee mug, blanket, etc. They were all right there when I needed them. We were almost always cruising close to land and it was fun to be able to see the sights from the minute I got out of bed until I turned in at night. (And I often peaked out the balcony door in the middle of the night since it never really got totally dark outside!)
  
• Going early in the season will mean cheaper fares.
  
• For clothes...take a waterPROOF jacket/windbreaker and a fleece jacket that you can layer one on top of the other. We also took stocking hats and gloves that we wore. A ball cap under the hood of the rain jacket will help keep the rain off your face. We pretty much wore jeans everyday, but brought shorts "just in case".
  
• Bring a pair of binoculars for EACH person. Our binoculars became part of our daily wardrobe and we used them a lot.
  

Hopefully that answers some of your questions. I know these were the kinds of things I wondered about.

 

After doing 7 Caribbean cruises, I wasn't really sure if I wanted to go to Alaska but now I can't quit telling everyone about how fantastic of a trip we had. Alaska truly is one of the most beautiful spots on earth! :)

[scapel]

Took this off the bow of the cruise ship in Antarctica. Thought it was a pretty shot. Trying to see if I can post a picture in a thread.

 

 

 

[scapel]

Tour out of Homer,AK

 

Bear tracks

 

Bear

 

Guide stopped to show us the bear tracks. We did not see the bear until we got home and saw it in the picture my wife had taken just to show us riding the 4 wheelers.

 

[bonvoyagie]

Here is a website that might help you plan which ports you want to visit

www.cruiseportinsider.com

 

I have been to AK three times now - not exactly seasoned but enough to know what is there.

 

First considerations are time and money - Most cruises are 7 days - there are exceptions like HAL's 14 day and some Princess cruises that are RT from San Francisco. If you have two weeks or more then I would do a one way cruise and spend some time in the interior of AK. Here is a site that offers tour packages - they also have info on the various attractions I found them a good place to compare my planned DIY interior tours plans against www.travelalaska.com

 

As for time of year May is on the early side - which is why the cruises are cheaper. As previously mentioned Denali does not fully open until early June - so a late May northbound cruise with Denali after would be better than being disappointed with a less than ideal Denali visit.

 

Balcony is going to be a personal decision - some would rather save their money for excursions - others want to have a private place to watch the scenery go by. I like one and will always have one.

 

As for Cruise Lines - I think that all do a good job - the ones that have entrance to Glacier Bay have a leg up on the others. The lines with regular passes are HAL, Princess, and NCL. BTW I would recommend Glacier Bay on your first AK adventure - I waited until my last cruise to see this wonder.

[scapel]

Here is a website that might help you plan which ports you want to visit

www.cruiseportinsider.com

 

www.travelalaska.com

 

 

Two very good links. Thanks for posting them

[schecter]

WOW!!! You guys are amazing! :eek:

 

Thanks a million for all the advice and help, you've gone above and beyond. Time for the in-dept research to begin :)