Question for those of you in your 30's on your overall thoughts on Alaska

[jormot]

My husband and I are back and forth on whether to book the Crown Princess to Alaska next May. Seems every day brings a new concern about whether Costa Rica or Hawaii would be better. One of our biggest concerns is that we are active adults in our mid-30's and will be sailing without our daughter and not sure if we will be (for lack of a better term) bored. I know the excursions we are looking at will be a blast and Glacier Bay will be awesome I am sure but what about the rest of the time. Walking around in ports, being on the ship, etc. I am curious what others in our age group have thought of this trip. Would you go again or wait until you were a bit older as the vacation itself is not as active as some other options. I realize everyone's opinions are different but I just am hopeful to hear others opinions. I appreciate any feedback.

[xlxo]

Here's a vid to illustrate some Alaska adventure excursions to get you some ideas... while from another cruise line... once off the boat, the excursions are about the same.

 

[YOUTUBE]SBaEGrypRfg[/YOUTUBE]

[trophy_23]

Can't comment on Princess but we have done numerous HAL cruises (many to Alaska) through our mid-late 20's and never felt out of place. We were certainly younger that the majority onboard the ship, but we don't really care. We travel for the ports and the relaxation on board. We aren't heavy into nightlife so it works well for us. We book private excursions or explore on our own (walking, hiking, rental car). I could go back to Alaska every year there is so much to see and do, it is spectacular! Hope that helps a bit?!

[Gardyloo]

What about a non-cruise visit? Maybe you could tailor something that would meet your interests more directly.

[AKStafford]

What about a non-cruise visit? Maybe you could tailor something that would meet your interests more directly.

That's what I was going to suggest... Skip the cruise and put together your own land trip visiting South Central Alaska.

[mapleleaves]

Me 3!

Maybe fly into Gustavus (Gateway to Glacier Bay) and stay a couple of nights at a cabin or B&B; take the National Park's small boat cruise of Glacier Bay, go kayaking. I did a long weekend at GB Lodge several years ago and the boat trip was awesome. I think the lodge opens around Memorial Day. We saw lots of wildlife and lots of calving.

Then take a small plane or ferry to visit one or two other small communities in the SE.

 

http://www.gustavusak.com/

 

If you're looking for more of an adventure, skip the cruise and go DIY.

Another option ... fly into Anchorage rent a small RV or truck camper and roam around for 7-10 days. This would give you the opportunity to see the coast and the interior scenery.

 

Thing is ... an Alaska cruise is the cheapest option.

[Working 2 Cruise]

if you really want rock climbing walls, flowriders (in Alaska!), go with Royal Caribbean. Of course, they don't offer Glacier Bay.

 

I believe there's plenty to on the ship or in port. Take a look at the excursions offered. Zip lining, kayaking, helicopter rides, float planes, whale watching... there's no shortage of things to do.

 

Onboard, there are the usual offenders, I.e., trivia, game shows, movies, gambling, etc. In addition, park rangers come onboard in Glacier Bay and there's a naturalist on Princess. In addition to Libby Riddles, the Iditarod champion...

 

If you think nature and lectures may bore you, then Alaska isn't for you.

[peety3]

My wife and I cruised Alaska for our honeymoon (I was 37, she was 35) northbound Vancouver to Whittier, again two years later, then a Seattle round-trip to Alaska last year. We've done a four-day Sampler earlier this season and will do another Seattle RT later this summer. We were avid bicyclists (long stories on why we aren't any more...), so I'd like to consider us active people.

 

My thoughts? The initial day at sea on the northbound jaunts is the only respite you'll get. There's so much to do on the ship, from naturalist talks, getting to know the ship, walking around to experience the beautiful clean air and majestic views. Even so, I love it so much that I just can't get enough of it (part of the reason we're doing a second Alaska cruise this summer).

 

On the Seattle RT, it seemed like the time at sea was less engaging. It's possible that I'd become familiar enough with cruising that I settled in. However, the return portion is 49 hours of endless "sailing" until a quick hurry-up in Victoria and then finish packing to get off (boo!). It could have been the dreary weather or lack of land to see. I don't know.

 

On the sampler, I splurged on an upsell offer to a full suite, giving us a fantastic balcony to relax. Although the cruise was technically super-boring (~36 hours sailing for 9.5 hours in port then ~36 hours sailing), I was able to relax more than usual.

 

Did any of that help? You might want to peruse various posts on other sites for Princess Patters from a relevant, recent cruise (or equivalent on other lines) to get a sense of what YOU might do on a similar schedule. The biggest scheduling challenge for me is almost always the dreaded wait for "tomorrow's Patter", then the aggressive pick&choose to figure out what I will do and what I'll have to skip because I can't be in two places at once.

[judynorth]

I wish that I had been in my 30's when we discovered Alaska. Of all the cruises that we have taken, our AK cruises have provided the most active excursions and the most beautiful locations to visit. Our first AK cruise was when I was 60 and I just couldn't do all the active things that were offered. This year we are going on our 5th AK cruise (actually, 6th if you count the B2B as 2) to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. And we will probably go again in the future. It is something that you shouldn't miss and being young is an advantage rather than a disadvantage.

[KroozFoolz]

I wish that I had been in my 30's when we discovered Alaska. Of all the cruises that we have taken, our AK cruises have provided the most active excursions and the most beautiful locations to visit. Our first AK cruise was when I was 60 and I just couldn't do all the active things that were offered. This year we are going on our 5th AK cruise (actually, 6th if you count the B2B as 2) to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. And we will probably go again in the future. It is something that you shouldn't miss and being young is an advantage rather than a disadvantage.

 

Definitely agree with this! I wish we had gone when we were younger and more active. Whether you do a cruise, a land tour, or a combination - go to Alaska!

[LoveByrds]

Hi! My husband and i are in our late 20's/early 30's and we LOVE Alaska and all it has to offer. My sister and Brother in law are also in their late 20's and loved their Alaskan cruise as well.

 

We both sailed on the Golden Princess (not together though), and hubby and I are booked on the Ruby this Sept back to Alaska.

We kept so busy that we didn't even have time for night life. So i don't even know if there was one - we fell dead asleep each night (it was our honeymoon though - so maybe we were pre-occupied.) :cool:

 

I think that the cruise will be what you make it. There are plenty of excursions with moderate to severe intensity. Hiking, Zip-lining, Snorkeling (Brr!), Kayaking and I'm sure there is some sort of Mountain Climbing too. If you keep busy in the ports, by the time you get on the ship, eat dinner, and relax in the hot tub you might just be ready for bed.

The ports are gorgeous though and i can't wait to wander around Ketchikan again. I'm trying to convince my hubby to move there, but he says since Amazon doesn't have 2 day air, we wouldn't survive. Hahaha - thats a joke - no one hate on me! :D

 

Alaska's beauty is amazing and i would recommend it to anyone. Whatever your choice, i hope you visit someday. :)

[camarodrivenrs]

Another option to consider is using the Alaska Marine Highway System for getting around the southern part of Alaska. I went to college in Fairbanks for 4 years and used it a couple of times and many backpackers were using it. Though I will warn you that sometimes the pricing is not great as the last time I left Alaska I wanted to take the ferry down to Washington but it was actually cheaper to take a Princess cruise.

Edited May 29, 2015 by camarodrivenrs
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[DkswartzFamily]

Alaska is amazing! Summer and winter, land and sea- u will not be disappointed!

[TATraveler]

My husband and I are back and forth on whether to book the Crown Princess to Alaska next May. Seems every day brings a new concern about whether Costa Rica or Hawaii would be better. One of our biggest concerns is that we are active adults in our mid-30's and will be sailing without our daughter and not sure if we will be (for lack of a better term) bored. I know the excursions we are looking at will be a blast and Glacier Bay will be awesome I am sure but what about the rest of the time. Walking around in ports, being on the ship, etc. I am curious what others in our age group have thought of this trip. Would you go again or wait until you were a bit older as the vacation itself is not as active as some other options. I realize everyone's opinions are different but I just am hopeful to hear others opinions. I appreciate any feedback.

 

If you like to do things like hike, several of the ports of call have good or great hiking. Many kinds of outdoor activities can be done at port. I'm not 30, but I feared being bored on ship. I don't drink, gamble or like to spend time sitting in the sun (past melanoma patient). I'm also not a foodie, and don't care about specialty restaurants. However, I found I wanted to get up at 4:00am every morning to go watch for wildlife off the ship and tried not to go to bed until sunset. I think a month on ship would have bored me, but in a week on ship, there were enough interesting things to see along the way that I wasn't bored. Also, some of the entertainment was interesting.

 

But you would likely have a better "active" trip via flying up to Juneau and ferrying around. It's what I wish I had done....

[Coral]

I am in my 40's now and have been going to Alaska since my 30's. While more older people go to Alaska, the really cool excursions in Alaska are for the young!

 

I suggest a one way cruise and then do some on land. You will never regret it! Since going to Alaska, I prefer Alaska to the Caribbean or Mexico, by far!

[Coral]

if you really want rock climbing walls, flowriders (in Alaska!), go with Royal Caribbean. Of course, they don't offer Glacier Bay.

 

 

I don't think the RCCL ships in Alaska have flowriders.

[Coral]

I don't think the RCCL ships in Alaska have flowriders.

 

I stand corrected. Next year there will be a ship with one.

 

I would still not do RCCL in Alaska. I was not impressed with my cruise with them there.

[sherryf]

I don't think the RCCL ships in Alaska have flowriders.

 

And even if they did, they might not bother to run them.

 

My first cruise to Alaska was on Carnival, and although the ship had a water slide, I don't think it was ever open.

[Ashland]

We cruise often with our adult children and their spouses (early 30's) they have always loved Mexico, Caribbean and Europe and thought they would have no interest in going on the cruises we have taken to Alaska...they finally did, and realize how wrong they've been :D