Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Glacier Bay or shorter time in Ketchikan

lauren0309

By lauren0309,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

 Share

Recommended Posts

lauren0309

lauren0309

Posted
Posted

I was all set to book the NCL Pearl to Alaska for next September. It had a stop in Ketchikan until 6 p.m. which would have given us plenty of time to do the things we want to do in that port Plus it also went to Glacier Bay which we want to see. Now I looked at the itinerary and it changed. It's only in Ketchkian until 1:00 p.m. which doesn't give you much time to do anything. So should I go ahead with that ship since we can still go by Glacier Bay and give up time in Ketchikan or go with another NCL ship that has a full day in Ketchikan but doesn't go to Glacier Bay, it goes to Tracy Arm instead. It's one vs. the other. I really want to see Glacier Bay but also want to spend a day in Ketchikan. We want to do either round trip from Vancouver or Seattle and we can only go the second week in September.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
triptolemus

triptolemus

Posted
Posted (edited)

What is it you were looking to do in Ketchikan?

 

Incidentally, there indeed was a change. I have an existing booking on the Pearl for Sept 2015. The confirmation document says KTN is 0800 - 1800. Now the website says 0600 - 1330.

 

I wasn't notified of the change...

Edited by triptolemus
Link to comment
Share on other sites
lauren0309

lauren0309

Posted
  • Author
Posted
How about the Sun?

 

I tried to paste the itinerary' date=' but it wasn't sticky enough, I guess.

 

Goes to Glacier Bay and stays in Ketchikan until 6 p.m. Round trip Vancouver.

 

I love the Sun, and think it's a good ship for Alaska.[/quote']

 

Just checked out the Sun as you suggested. That itinerary seems to work. Only thing is I have to check the airfare out of Vancouver. It think it might be more expensive. Maybe I should wait till the airfares come out to compare that with Seattle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Planmaam

Planmaam

Posted
Posted

I took an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle once and returned to Vancouver. You don't have to fly, you can take a bus between the two cities, and it's not that expensive. We happened to have our car that trip, but we took our car to the cruise port parking, then took the bus back to Seattle and spent the night there before embarking in the morning.

 

I think I've heard on here that there might be a train between the two cities, too. Do a search for the info, because here is where I read it.

 

Good luck. I've also heard that ships that sail out of Vancouver have more international passengers than those leaving out of Seattle. Seems to be cheaper for them to fly into Vancouver from Europe. Could prove to be an interesting crowd.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
triptolemus

triptolemus

Posted
Posted

If a ship is there, shops will be open -- many of them anyway.

 

The lumberjack show -- you can literally walk three minutes from the dock to the show venue.

 

Ketchikan is small. You can see most of the town area, including the lumberjack show... there's a museum there ($1) that displays some local history, restaurants/bars/shopping near the piers... you can see pretty much all of it in a couple hours and not feel rushed.

 

Tracy Arm / Sawyer Glacier is a wonderful place, too. But if it were me, I wouldn't let Ketchikan be the deciding factor.

 

Here's my time-lapse video of Tracy Arm in 12 minutes... may help you decide. :)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
biojeep

biojeep

Posted
Posted

Lauren 0309

 

We sailed on Pearl in 2012 & did the lumberjack show & walked around like you have planned & we had enough time. I would not skip Glacier Bay just to have more time in Ketchikan. The Pearl is a beautiful ship with a great crew. Loved every minute of our trip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
AlaskaAtLast

AlaskaAtLast

Posted
Posted
Just checked out the Sun as you suggested. That itinerary seems to work. Only thing is I have to check the airfare out of Vancouver. It think it might be more expensive. Maybe I should wait till the airfares come out to compare that with Seattle.

 

You can always take a bus or the train from Seattle to Vancouver. They aren't THAT far apart and I second the suggestion of cruising on the Sun. Great itinerary, friendly crew and not a huge ship crammed with 4,000 people. We loved it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JerseyGem

JerseyGem

Posted
Posted
Glacier Bay should be your #1 priority. Ketchikan, like the other two town stops are all souvenir shops and have very similar town areas. Unless you had a very specific tour you wanted to do, I wouldn't worry about less time in Ketchikan

 

I agree with this previous poster. Ketchikan was a major disappointment for us. It's mostly souvenir shops (selling items from China). The "locals" were quite rude- very "foreigner go home" (after emptying your wallet) in spite of the fact that their state is still part of the USA (apparently, they still regret this).

 

Glacier Bay is spectacular. Any of the stops to see the glaciers should be your number one priority on an Alaskan cruise. It's impossible for me to describe the beauty of that area in words! If you are stuck in Ketchikan for several hours, you may want to consider a float plane excursion to the out-lying areas (Misty Isles?).

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Quilting_Cruiser

Quilting_Cruiser

Posted
Posted

Personally, I love Ketchikan, but I wouldn't sacrifice Glacier Bay to have a couple more hours there. And, I like as long a port time in Ketchikan as possible as that's where we go salmon fishing when we cruise Alaska. If you're just wanting to see the town, as others have said, it's small and it doesn't take long. But, if you want to do something else, like go to Anan Creek for bear viewing or salmon fishing, more time would be better. But, again, I wouldn't sacrifice Glacier Bay for it. JMHO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CruzLover80

CruzLover80

Posted
Posted

We are booked on the Sun in May and are doing the Northbound route. We are embarking from Vancouver, but have decided to fly into Seattle and take the train up to Vancouver ($31.00 p/p). I've heard the train ride up is beautiful, so we opted that route, plus it is about $300. savings on the flight to Seattle vs. Vancouver.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tarheelmjfan

tarheelmjfan

Posted
Posted

I agree with those who recommend choosing Glacier Bay over Ketchikan. My DH, DS, & I sailed to Alaska with Celebrity, which took us to Hubbard Glacier (similar to Glacier Bay). It was awe inspiring. Everyone should see one of these glaciers at least once in their lifetime. Fast forward a couple years & I sailed on NCL Star with my sisters. My sister planned the trip, so I didn't research it at all. When I saw Sawyer Glacier on the itinerary, I wrongly assumed it would be similar to the glacier we'd seen. I really talked it up to my sisters telling them this would be the most amazing part of the cruise. Boy did I feel like a dummy, when we got there & saw what was very reminiscent of a frozen river cutting through a mountain. :o These glaciers don't even compare. To be fair, if one had never seen one of the two big glaciers on typical Alaskan itineraries, they would probably be more impressed with the frozen rivers. :p

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CruzLover80

CruzLover80

Posted
Posted
We Booked the 8 night Carnival Legend May 18th that starts in Vancouver and ends in a Seattle. It goes to Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan and then to Seattle.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I looked at that one as well... I mean an extra day woo-hoo! But I couldn't justify the cost difference, that was even after I removed the flight back from Anchorage and the train etc. With the Sun, I'm saving about $800. over the Legend... not worth that extra day IMO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bars7816

Bars7816

Posted
Posted
You can always take a bus or the train from Seattle to Vancouver. They aren't THAT far apart and I second the suggestion of cruising on the Sun. Great itinerary, friendly crew and not a huge ship crammed with 4,000 people. We loved it.

Love the ships crammed with 4000 people! :D But darn, they probably won't fit in the Alaska ports. Do not miss Glacier Bay for any reason.:)

The trip to Vancouver from Seattle can be an adventure. Land slides love to cover the tracks. (Seattle native.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cruiser at 50

cruiser at 50

Posted
Posted
I was all set to book the NCL Pearl to Alaska for next September. It had a stop in Ketchikan until 6 p.m. which would have given us plenty of time to do the things we want to do in that port Plus it also went to Glacier Bay which we want to see. Now I looked at the itinerary and it changed. It's only in Ketchkian until 1:00 p.m. which doesn't give you much time to do anything. So should I go ahead with that ship since we can still go by Glacier Bay and give up time in Ketchikan or go with another NCL ship that has a full day in Ketchikan but doesn't go to Glacier Bay, it goes to Tracy Arm instead. It's one vs. the other. I really want to see Glacier Bay but also want to spend a day in Ketchikan. We want to do either round trip from Vancouver or Seattle and we can only go the second week in September.

 

I went to Alaska on the Pearl last year. It was a great trip. If I had a change I would spend the entire seven day cruise in Glacier Bay. It was truly amazing! Incredible sights and sounds. The beauty of nature and the amazement of the calving!! If at all possible DON'T miss Glacier Bay. Good luck!!

PS. The Pearl is a newer and nicer ship than the Sun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
smurfgirl06

smurfgirl06

Posted
Posted

Of the three towns Alaskan cruises stop in, Ketchikan was the least impressive. The Lumberjack show is only an hour long, and honestly, I found it a waste of time. It was pretty lame. Glacier Bay was gorgeous, even though the day we were there was pretty foggy. Go with the Pearl cruise. You won't regret it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Quilting_Cruiser

Quilting_Cruiser

Posted
Posted
Of the three towns Alaskan cruises stop in, Ketchikan was the least impressive. The Lumberjack show is only an hour long, and honestly, I found it a waste of time. It was pretty lame. Glacier Bay was gorgeous, even though the day we were there was pretty foggy. Go with the Pearl cruise. You won't regret it.

 

Well, to each his own. :o When we cruise Alaska I look for the longest port time in Ketchikan possible--other than Sitka, it's my favorite of the usual Alaska ports. Skagway is my least favorite--we head out of town every time we're there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail on Sun Princess®
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...