Aussies first Alaska cruise advice!

[mixpix]

Hi Everyone! My wife and I are from Australia and are looking to do our first cruise to Alaska. We are not new to cruising, Princess Platinum but never sailed further than New Zealand,Fiji. Could you tell us the best Princess Ship for Alaska, the best time to visit, the best cruise and what not to miss!

 

Many Thanks

Michael & Geraldene

[MSMcDuffy]

Hi Michael & Geraldene!

 

How fun to plan for your first Alaskan cruise! I've only been to AK once with Princess (Sapphire) but 3 times with other cruise lines so I can give you some recommendations from my experiences.

 

Since you are coming so far (Australia is on my bucket list:)), a one way would make the most sense so you could spend some time on land before and/or after the cruise. If you go over to the Alaska message board there is a lot of info about touring the interior of AK. I've never been to Denali but spent a few days in Seward. The train ride between Anchorage & Seward has awesome scenery!!--the best stretch of the Alaskan Railroad. The Princess ships dock in Whittier but there's not much to do there and it's a tiny town of like 200 people. They do have boat tours to Prince William Sound but Seward also has a lot of boat tours and more wildlife. We took a private transfer (in a van) between the 2 port towns and stopped at the Wildlife Refuge closer to Whittier the day of the cruise.

 

I personally like doing the land portion first so I can get pampered on the ship afterwards, however, I liked sailing North a little better because the scenery got more dramatic as the cruise went along and we gained an hour one night.

 

As far as ships for AK, the smaller the better, to get as close to the scenery as possible. Not sure when you're looking to go but between the 4 ships doing the one way's this summer - Grand, Coral, Star & Pacific - if it were me I'd go on the Pacific but I've heard nothing but good things about the Coral. I've been on the Star to a different place and that is a fine ship, too. I think Grand is sister ship to Star.

 

As far as when to go, IMO I like the long daylight hours of June & July but I know people who've gone in May and had a great time. Avoid Sept, darker and higher chance of poor weather, though SE AK is a rainforest. A good rule of thumb is to go expecting rain and if you get great weather, wonderful. All of my trips were in June & July and it was a total mixed bag as far as weather.

 

Best wishes! You'll have a great time!

[AE_Collector]

Of course the one ways are all to or from Vancouver due to the shipping laws.

 

The added benefit of the Vancouver cruises is the scenery between the mainland and Vancouver Island on the first day out of Vancouver or the last day before Vancouver. Unfortunately much of it is overnight but you can still see quite a bit of it if you plan accordingly. The round trips out of Seattle and San Francisco go up the outside of Vancouver Island missing much of this close up scenery.

 

Our last Alaska cruise was 2013 and we did B2B North and Southbound cruises for a 14 day cruise. Same itinerary each way except you get four glacier days seeing three different glacier areas instead of just two. Considering the distance you will travel from Australia, that is an option for you as well.

 

Terry

[Scorpion0217]

I was aboard the Star Princess back in 2012 and we traveled in September from Seattle to Juneau (roundtrip) up the Tracy Arm Fjord. I agree with the post about Sept being poor for weather, every day it practically rained or drizzled (as they call it up there liquid sunshine) but the views were still spectacular. We only did a 7 day cruise though, did not go aboard land or do a land tour.

 

I'd say stick with the Grand or Star class ships (the Star Princess was beautiful) the bigger ones stick out better and make sure you have plenty of space for digital picture because there is nothing like the ice floating atop the water that you just cruise by and see, it was truly breathtaking!

 

Enjoy the cruise, have a great time!

[skynight]

Since you are coming so far I would take one of the Princess cruisetours that include land tour and a one way north or south bound 7 night sea voyage. Because of U.S. laws all of these voyages travel between Vancouver, BC and Whittier (near Anchorage) Alaska. You can elect to take the cruise first north bound and then the land tour or visa versa. Since the land tours can get tiring I prefer the land tour first. If you plan to go this year, 2015, I would suggest the Star or Coral Princess. You can also take the Pacific Princess if you like small ships. The Grand Princess is also sailing the one way itinerary in 2015, and is also an option. But I like the layout of the Star better. If you are looking at 2016 suggest the best selection is the Star Princess. The Island and Coral Princess are also sailing in 2016, but each of these is having major modifications before 2016 adding approximately 240 passengers, and eliminating the best lounge in the fleet, and it appears not adding any additional dining room space.

 

Regarding the land package I would take one of the longest ones available. The interior of Alaska is really scenic.

 

Clothing, since you live in the subtropics you will have to do some planning. It can be anything from warm to cool, sun to rain and at sea, fog. You will require layered clothing with some long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, rain jacket, cap, long pants, and so on.

Edited April 12, 2015 by sknight

[Gabrielle R.]

Hi! My DH and I took his sister & Brother in law with us on out Alaska cruise 3 years ago.

 

We took the land tour first and then the cruise on the Coral Princess. (Been on Island,Crown, Grand 2x's, Ruby, Caribbean, & Ocean) We enjoyed all of the ships. I guess for Alaska we liked Coral best since Coral & Island are set with the dining at the front of the ship- plus we could go from front to back of the ship. There are no aft cabins YET on Coral... Island is losing the aft observation decks- So Coral would have the biggest plus for views from the back and front of the ship. I think whichever ship you chose it would be great!

 

Land tour. We REALLY enjoyed the land tour. We loved Denali- We were lucky enough to see Mt Mckinley 3 different times! The train was fine but slow... BUT the train had great views. Food expensive- BUT the views made up for it. The land tour was great fun. So much to see and do! You do not have to eat at the resorts that you stay at (for most of them) In Fairbanks there are some nice restaurants near the Princess 'hotel' Salmon was reasonable- I thought... Steak- yes, you will pay a high price for beef.

 

Denali- the resort is right outside of Denali National park- Several fun places to eat near the resort. We REALLY enjoyed the Salmon Bake- which was right across the street from the Denali Princess. Great breakfast and lunches. While at the Denali Princess they have a dinner and show- GREAT FUN!! Also LOTS to eat.

 

The Wilderness Princess is in the middle of nowhere- BUT BEAUTIFUL!!! They will wake you so you can see Denali if you want to see it. Fishing was great! One couple we met had fished and the meal of salmon (1 large salmon caught) was enough to feed them twice- a group of 8... ate twice! The cook fixed the meal and it was very reasonable- since the group provided the fish!

 

Many great tours for the cruise portion. We did some on our own- I think one with Princess?? The Whale tour we did on our own was awesome! Also MANY providers of tours right there- they said they were cheaper than the others...

 

We went in June to enjoy almost 24 hours of sun light.

 

WHATEVER you chose you will have a great time!!!

[skf]

One shore excursion we really enjoyed was the White Pass and Yukon out of Skagway. It is a narrow-gauge RR through some amazing territory.

Anyone taking this train needs to bring a passport, as you travel from USA to Canada.

Steve

[New York Nana]

We've been there twice. Both times early June and both southbound on the Island Princess. We did the Princess land tour (5 days for a total 12 combined) the first trip. The 2nd time we did our own tour (6 days) prior to the SB cruise.

A 'must see' would be Denali National Park (& Mt McKinley).

We really felt that Princess did an outstanding job of taking care of us for the land tour portion that started in Fairbanks and wound its way south with overnights at the Denali Princess Lodge and the McKinley Princess Lodge. Some have done the 'connoisseur' tour that includes some meals and has a private tour guide with a group that has been favorably reviewed.We were quite satisfied with the standard tour, which ran a few less $$

Once on board the ship, we did our own tours in the ports.

I have my reviews from both trips if you'd be interested in them. Email me at beh614@gmail.com and put "Alaska review" in the subject.

As mentioned before, check out the forum for Alaska. That is where I gathered nearly all my information and it helped a great deal in making our plans for both trips.

Have fun planning!:)

[redtogo]

Wehavebeen to Alaska three times. One land/cruise and two cruises.

 

First was the old Pacific (Love Boat) Pribcess in July. Weather was gorgeous.

 

Second was Sapphire Princess (my favorite ship), but she has been redesigned and permanently, for now, in Asia. Weather was a little rainy. - on this July Trip. Okay, in Ketchikan it flooded, lol, but we had lots of fun. It was a land tour/ cruise. Do the land tour FIRST -as it can be very tiring...go, go,go everyday.

 

Third time was round trip from San Francisco on the Sea Princess. not, my favorite ship, but that is subjective. When we were on it, it seemed that many passengers had scooters or walkers and parked them in the hallway. I felt very uncomfortable with passages being blocked. But, I think Princess may have addressed that issue because we have not experienced that again. Weather was gorgeous. Trip was in May.

 

Best, IMHO, whale watching tour was in Juneau. White Pass Railroad in Skagway is good.

 

Fog can be an issue when you are in the fjords. At one glacier, fog was so thick, it looked like a marshmallow enveloped the ship. The captain did a remarkable job of getting the ship out of the fog even though another ship was behind us. He kept blowing our horn, then they would blow their horn. Over and over until we were out of the glacier area.

Edited April 12, 2015 by redtogo

[Kinkacruiser]

Hi Everyone! My wife and I are from Australia and are looking to do our first cruise to Alaska. We are not new to cruising, Princess Platinum but never sailed further than New Zealand,Fiji. Could you tell us the best Princess Ship for Alaska, the best time to visit, the best cruise and what not to miss!

 

Many Thanks

Michael & Geraldene

 

Hi Michael and Geraldine,

Looks like you've got some great ideas here already. Due to the long flight we chose to do the sea cruise first. Adding in a few more cruises will get us to Alaska late May. I've heard the weather is better (less rain) and the prices for the early season are less. Just happened to be on the Pacific Princess for the 3 legs so there was no choosing ships to concern us...they say smaller is better in Alaska. Being first timers, we chose the Connoisseur package for Alaska and all our Shores on the northbound cruise are also with Princess. After all a holiday is just that ;)...little if any itinerary planning.

Enjoy your Alaskan holidays....I know we will :)

[Gabrielle R.]

When doing the glaciers- it gets rather cold. Temps will drop down to about 30's (Fahrenheit) So just above freezing for Celsius. Layers are your friend when viewing glaciers. Also take advantage of the hot chocolate that often comes around-OR have coffee, hot tea.. to help you keep warm. (We are sort of used to cold living in Minnesota so it felt like a spring day);) You may want a hat or ear muffs (head bands) to keep the ears warm.

 

Bring good rain gear. We had a good jacket with hoods and we were great.

 

Check the Alaska forums for different tours that you would enjoy.

 

The only Princess tour we did (Besides the land tour part that we did with Princess) was the one that went up into the Yukon. That was a bus trip AND panning for gold. The train trip was quite good from the others that we spoke to.

 

Have fun planning!

Gabrielle

[Bizziecruzer]

Hi Michael - we have a trip planned and leave in 2 weeks. (This will be our second "once in a lifetime" trip to north America). Last time we did an 21 day organised tour (booked with an Australian Scenic tour company) ending with a 7 night Princess round trip cruise. Whilst we really enjoyed ourselves we felt slightly rushed in a lot of the places we would have liked to have spent more time and we would have liked to have had time to immerse ourselves a bit in the local areas, rather than just stoping for morning tea.

So this time we are doing a combination of "do it yourself" and cruising. We head to Calgary via Honolulu and San Francisco (husband hates the long flight to US so we are breaking it up). We will then tour in an RV for a week in the Rocky Mountains, then fly to Vancouver for 2 days, then we are booked on a 7 night cruise on Coral Princess to Alaska. We will pick up another RV and tour Alaska for 2 weeks. Then we will be doing a 7 night southbound on Radiance of the Seas back down to Vancouver. Finishing our holiday with 5 nights in Vegas and home via Honolulu.

From a bit of research people have commented that the pre / post tours are fairly full on with long days - so we opted for "do it yourself". We got an excellent price for the southbound cruise (inside cabin - but we have a mini suite on the Coral).

If you are a "planner" and enjoy researching - I would say do a pre / post tour yourself. If you like to sit back and have it all done for you - go for one arranged by a tour company.

To say we are excited about our trip is an understatement. Enjoy your planning and your trip!!

Edited April 12, 2015 by Bizziecruzer

[katisdale]

I'll throw in another alternative. If you have enough time for a long holiday, the Sun Princess is doing a 75 day "Circle the Pacific" cruise leaving Sydney on June 21, 2016 and it has several stops in Alaska as well as many other places before sailing back to Sydney.

[SusaninCali]

We did the Grand in July 2013, roundtrip from San Francisco

 

-Make sure you hit National Glacier Bay Park. We saw Marjorie Glacier which was spectacular that day.

-Weather was pretty good; but layered clothing and a light rain jacket are musts. It was a little too cool to lay out the pool.

-The White Pass & Yukon Pass train trip out of Skagway was great. You can by your tickets online ahead of time; save money and get a better seat.

-Juneau we did zip lining in a rainforest.

-Ketchikan - very fun just walking around the historic areas of town; this is the harbor where there is a lot of seaplane activity and it was interesting to watch them all from our balcony in port.

 

Since we were RT out of San Francisco we didn't do a land tour, but I heard raves from those who did.

[Ready to Sail!]

Like so many others, we have done this cruise several times. It is said by many people who know Alaska weather that May is a really good month and we found that to be true. Our first trip was very end of June with cool temps and on and off drizzle. Second trip was first week of May and it was almost hot, with clear blue skies. Another advantage to going in May is less people. Our ship was the first out for the season and we only had one other ship in one port for the whole week.

 

When or whatever you decide, it is a wonderful cruise. We hope to do it again soon as it is pretty handy for us, living in northern California. Actually, before we do that, we want to travel your way and see Australia and New Zealand.

[donaldsc]

Hi Everyone! My wife and I are from Australia and are looking to do our first cruise to Alaska. We are not new to cruising, Princess Platinum but never sailed further than New Zealand,Fiji. Could you tell us the best Princess Ship for Alaska, the best time to visit, the best cruise and what not to miss!

 

Many Thanks

Michael & Geraldene

 

Unless I missed it in a later post, how long do you have in Alaska?

 

DON

[Colo Cruiser]

Like so many others, we have done this cruise several times. It is said by many people who know Alaska weather that May is a really good month and we found that to be true. Our first trip was very end of June with cool temps and on and off drizzle.

 

 

We have heard the same thing about May/June/July/August/Sept and have had snow in every one of them.

However we also were sunburned in May as well. You just don't know what will happen and then in 10 minutes it can all change. Just like here in Colorado. :)

[mixpix]

Thank you so much everyone, you have given us a lot of valuable information. We have decided to go in 2016, it seems May would suit us better. We are also going to do a land tour first. Still deciding on the ship but Coral Princess seems to be the favorite, although we have just heard they are making changes for 2016. Love to hear your thoughts on the ships heading to Alaska. Coming from a very warm climate to a very cold climate will be a challenge, but they say lots of layers. Getting really excited and hoping to make our decision very soon. Love to meet some of you on a cruise.....

 

Thank you once again

Michael & Geraldene

[geocruiser]

If you plan to see salmon, the Alaska state dept. of fish and game has a list of towns and the times you can see salmon. Just scroll down untl you see the port of call you are stopping at.

 

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=viewing.fish

[laughing husky]

Hi MixPic....I live in Alaska, and I have taken 6-7 inside passages and a rt from Seatle...you are coming a long way, but more Aussies come to Alaska than from any other country....a land tour would be good, but think seriously about an independent tour either before or after your cruise....actually you can do an organized tour with Princess and then a few days on your own...go to Anchoraghe.net and you will see all kinds of things to do. I have no idea of you mobility or other issues, but we an easy place to drive/fly....my mil went to Australia and spent 6 weeks and wanted more time....and you could easily do that here...get a good guide book....our distances are almost as great as yours, and most of our roads...we only have two main ones....are two laned, so they are slow....welcome to Alaska....

[caribill]

Thank you so much everyone, you have given us a lot of valuable information. We have decided to go in 2016, it seems May would suit us better. We are also going to do a land tour first.

 

Try to make it as late in May as possible and some areas on land (and even at sea due to ice) may not be accessible that early in the season.

[paddingtonbear]

Try to make it as late in May as possible and some areas on land (and even at sea due to ice) may not be accessible that early in the season.

 

 

Yes, they list all the excursions but not all excursions will be available at the beginning of at the end of the season. This applies even if you DIY. The Yukon rail trip for one is shorter at the beginning and end if the season and may not even run really late in the season.