Alaska

[Yaya999]

Looking for the best advise for my husband's bucket list cruise to Alaska. Itinerary, cruise length, land before or after, etc. Appreciate all experiences. Thanks!

[Northern Aurora]

At the top of this forum page are two stickys you may find helpful. One is composed of 2013 trip reports and the other 2014 trip reports. Reading these reports should be of great help to you. They contain a great amount of information and opinions about the cruise lines, individual ships and shore excursions.

[Budget Queen]

Looking for the best advise for my husband's bucket list cruise to Alaska. Itinerary, cruise length, land before or after, etc. Appreciate all experiences. Thanks!

 

There are hundreds of choices, and you will see in those reports- ALL rave about their Alaska trips. :)

 

I instead suggest you find out about Alaska by heading to your library and taking out Alaska travel books, especially Alaska Port of Call books.

 

Knowing this information first- is very beneficial, so you know the areas/activities you are reading about.

 

Most important- with you mentioning "land", time is your best friend, go for as long as you can afford, and in my opinion, Alaska is not the place to skimp on tours either. :)

[xlxo]

Agreed.... I too was overwhelmed my first trip.... had to make a second and future third to experience opportunities missed.

• What's your budget?
  
  • A private balcony is preferred, but an oceanview window can mean savings for excursions.
    
  • Do you want to stay at a cruise terminal hotel or save money by staying a hotel a few extra blocks away?
    

  [*]Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan are the main 7 day cruise ports. Or do you prefer alternatives?

  [*]are you going to stay on the boat to enjoy the amenities? Or you plan to explore historic/geographic opporunities?

  [*]glacier seekers will prefer Glacier Bay itineries, but some cruise lines (HAL/Princess) offer Tracy Arm/Sawyer side trips in smaller boats

  [*]Vancouver vs Seattle. Instead of airport to ship and ship to airport direct.... plan extra days pre-post cruise to explore your bonus Cascadia port. Many find there is so much to offer in Vancouver, Victoria and/or Seattle

  [*]7 day return vs 7 day one way to Anchorage (fly or 7 day return?) vs HAL Yukon Denali where you go over land/fly to Anchorage w/ Yukon stops?

Here's some vid's for inspiration....

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[Yaya999]

I appreciate all responses and will look into all that's recommended.

:)