First time cruiser - graduation gift, many questions

[Lurdes777]

Hello All,

 

We are not avid cruisers, have been to one many moons ago. I would like to give my 17-year old son a gift of cruise to Alaska as his graduation present. Can you please suggest a good cruise for him and his father (just to of them) to Alaska, the most scenic route with a possibility of a land tour? We don't care about which cruise line and only have one requirement - it has to be between July 25 and August 10. So far I found a few RC cruises, but I read that they have no permit to access Glacier Bay. I found these ones but maybe there are more?:

7 Days Inside Passage with Glacier Bay CROWN PRINCESS SHIP

Roundtrip from Seattle, Washington | Saturday, July 30 and Aug 6

 

7 days on Holland America July 29, Ship MsEurodam:

http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?tourId=&webItineraryIdForAudit=A7ES07&fromSearchVacation=true&destList=&dateCode=&flexibleMonths=&noOfFlexibleMonths=&portCode=&shipCodeSearch=&voyageCode=D750&

 

Please share your opinions about those ships and itineries.

 

Thank you!

[jeffbrig]

If you want the possibility of a land tour, look for one-way options that start or end in Anchorage. Princess does great cruise+land tours. We did one on our first Alaska trip several years back. As an added bonus, virtually all of their itineraries include Glacier Bay (they get a ton of permits).

[Coral]

Sounds like they are really into scenery - have you looked at something like "Un-Cruise" or "Linblad". It is more expensive and may be beyond the budget (beyond my budget).

 

https://www.un-cruise.com/destinations/alaska-cruises

 

https://www.expeditions.com/destinations/alaska/itineraries/

 

I have not been on either but they are dream cruises. There are some reviews of both and are amazing.

 

As far as scenic of the mass cruise lines (and more affordable) - I like Princess Northbound. It goes to both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. You can do the land trip on your own which would probably be more beneficial for an 18 year old.

Edited April 20, 2016 by Coral

[Lurdes777]

Thanks guys. Do you think there is a vast different between Princess and Holland?

[Lurdes777]

Keep reading on the trips... Seems like for us it doesn't matter which departing port. We can to any. Also I see that many cruisers say that itineraries that include Victoria are least favorable as you waste the whole day for a 3 our stop at Victoria.

 

So I am now I am down to :

Ships: Coral Princess | Star Princess | Island Princess

Ports: Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska | Hubbard Glacier, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) | Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) | Skagway, Alaska | Juneau, Alaska | Ketchikan, Alaska | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

 

or

 

Vancouver, B.C., CA

Scenic Cruising The Inside Passage CO

Ketchikan, Alaska, US

Juneau, Alaska, US

Skagway, Alaska, US

Glacier Bay CO

At Sea

Seward (Anchorage), Alaska, US

 

So same ports but different route. Which one is better????

[Coral]

Keep reading on the trips... Seems like for us it doesn't matter which departing port. We can to any. Also I see that many cruisers say that itineraries that include Victoria are least favorable as you waste the whole day for a 3 our stop at Victoria.

 

So I am now I am down to :

Ships: Coral Princess | Star Princess | Island Princess

Ports: Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska | Hubbard Glacier, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) | Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) | Skagway, Alaska | Juneau, Alaska | Ketchikan, Alaska | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

 

or

 

Vancouver, B.C., CA

Scenic Cruising The Inside Passage CO

Ketchikan, Alaska, US

Juneau, Alaska, US

Skagway, Alaska, US

Glacier Bay CO

At Sea

Seward (Anchorage), Alaska, US

 

So same ports but different route. Which one is better????

 

The first one is better as you get Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. This is my choice.

 

The second one is good as it ends in Seward as opposed to Whittier. The second one has another sea day instead of the 2nd glacier.

 

Now you need to decide is what you will do via land. This will help you decide! Whittier and Seward both have things to do there but it is part of a bigger picture. Have fun planning.

[sherryf]

Also I see that many cruisers say that itineraries that include Victoria are least favorable as you waste the whole day for a 3 our stop at Victoria.

 

You don't "waste the whole day". You have to sail all day to get back to Seattle anyway. The reason for the short stop in Victoria (usually 5-6 hours, not 3!) is to satisfy PVSA requirements. Personally, I just treat it as a sea day. In 7 trips, I've only gotten off the ship in Victoria once. I've been there before, and live close enough to go for a weekend if I really want to.

 

If you have the time and money for a one-way cruise plus some land touring, you shouldn't be considering the round trip Seattle cruises anyway.

[Wishing on a star]

We chose Southbound on the Coral Princess. (even though we can not do a land tour at this time.) When you sail into or out of Vancouver, then you do not have that obligatory stop that comes with Seattle cruises.

 

You can do a tour of Prince William Sound (Major Marine or Phillip's) before boarding the Princess Ship at Whittier. So, you can really get a lot in on this itinerary. (Not to add further confusion, but if you are interested in a longer tour with a focus on Wildlife, maybe look at tours to Kenai Fjords)

 

The one possible drawback to this Princess itinerary is the early departure from Juneau.

 

We also wanted to see Tracy Arm Fjord... but there are few itineraries that will one to see this (thru an excursion) and also cruise Glacier Bay.

 

It can be overwhelming to start planning, looking at all the options. But once you narrow it down to Round Trip-vs-North/South bound, ports and cruise line... you are well on your way!

Edited April 21, 2016 by Wishing on a star

[Wishing on a star]

Thanks guys. Do you think there is a vast different between Princess and Holland?

 

There has been many discussions on this...

In a way they can be very similar. Maybe some searches would get you some good comparisons. Here are a few things that happen to come to mind.

 

HAL

Different look/vibe to the ship. (check photos and videos)

Larger Cabins in most cases. (probably a 'plus'.)

Smoking allowed on balconies (a plus for smokers)

 

PRINCESS

Again, different look/vibe to the ship. (lighter contemporary and nautical)

Smaller Cabins (tiny shower, a mini-suite or above will get you a tub)

Smoking not allowed. (a plus for non-smokers)

[Wishing on a star]

Also, just an FYI, with those dates, perhaps they can cruise during the Salmon run and bear viewing. I believe that Ketchikan is the place for the best excursions for this. If I am right, these locations are not right on the coast, and will require an excursion.

 

There is also Misty Fjords flight-seeing or by boat.

[olemissreb]

This was my oldest son's graduation trip (although we took it the summer before his senior year). We did our own pre-cruise land tour. Once we decided what we really wanted to see, it was pretty easy to plan (with plenty of research ahead of time). Doing our own land tour allowed us plenty of time to stop and see the scenery and plan things that one might not otherwise do if on a cruise sponsored land tour - things like allowing my oldest to take a flight lesson in Talkeetna, a midnight ATV run "in" Denali Park (not really in the park per se, but the park surrounds the area on 3 sides), a Denali Bus ride to Wonder Lake (10 hours I think?) (just don't book the midnight ATV run before the Wonder Lake ride - you won't get much sleep!). Plus having a car at our disposal allowed us to drive to Alaska Brewing Company for some really good food! We also got to go to an area most cruise tours (if any) don't take you - Glacier View, AK and we got to trek on the Matanuska Glacier. Since my youngest had a broken foot, he and his father drove to Wasilla to the Iditerod HQ and took a sled dog ride.

 

Our cruise was on Celebrity out of Seward, so we took the train from Anchorage to Seward. We then did a Kenai Fjords tour with Major Marine and saw sooooooooo much wildlife it was AMAZING! We got to Seward a day early so that we could tour the Alaska Sea Life Center the morning of embarkation. We were able to do a Behind the Scenes tour and got "kissed" by Sugar the sea lion, who sadly passed away last year.

 

The cruise was southbound and ended in Vancouver. We then took the HOHO tour of Vancouver and then took Amtrak south to Seattle and spent a couple days/nights in Seattle.

 

It sounds like a whirlwind trip, but we really did have some down time built in throughout the 2 week trip.

 

Do your research and figure out what YOU want to do and see whether a cruise land vacation would fit YOUR vision of seeing Alaska. Price it out doing it through the cruiseline and doing it on your own. Biggest thing I noticed was that through the cruiseline, hotel costs are way expensive since they charge you per person NOT per room. I purchased a coupon book and was able to get one night free in the "Glitter Gulch" area of Denali. Yes the hotel room was very cramped with 4 people and there was no air conditioning (who would have thought that it would be in the upper 80s in Alaska in June????), but it was a whole lot cheaper than through the cruise line and next time I may opt for a hotel/b&b further out from the "Glitter Gulch" area to save even more (an option if you have your own car).

[SILVERDO]

this was my oldest son's graduation trip (although we took it the summer before his senior year). We did our own pre-cruise land tour. Once we decided what we really wanted to see, it was pretty easy to plan (with plenty of research ahead of time). Doing our own land tour allowed us plenty of time to stop and see the scenery and plan things that one might not otherwise do if on a cruise sponsored land tour - things like allowing my oldest to take a flight lesson in talkeetna, a midnight atv run "in" denali park (not really in the park per se, but the park surrounds the area on 3 sides), a denali bus ride to wonder lake (10 hours i think?) (just don't book the midnight atv run before the wonder lake ride - you won't get much sleep!). Plus having a car at our disposal allowed us to drive to alaska brewing company for some really good food! We also got to go to an area most cruise tours (if any) don't take you - glacier view, ak and we got to trek on the matanuska glacier. Since my youngest had a broken foot, he and his father drove to wasilla to the iditerod hq and took a sled dog ride.

 

Our cruise was on celebrity out of seward, so we took the train from anchorage to seward. We then did a kenai fjords tour with major marine and saw sooooooooo much wildlife it was amazing! We got to seward a day early so that we could tour the alaska sea life center the morning of embarkation. We were able to do a behind the scenes tour and got "kissed" by sugar the sea lion, who sadly passed away last year.

 

The cruise was southbound and ended in vancouver. We then took the hoho tour of vancouver and then took amtrak south to seattle and spent a couple days/nights in seattle.

 

It sounds like a whirlwind trip, but we really did have some down time built in throughout the 2 week trip.

 

Do your research and figure out what you want to do and see whether a cruise land vacation would fit your vision of seeing alaska. Price it out doing it through the cruiseline and doing it on your own. Biggest thing i noticed was that through the cruiseline, hotel costs are way expensive since they charge you per person not per room. I purchased a coupon book and was able to get one night free in the "glitter gulch" area of denali. Yes the hotel room was very cramped with 4 people and there was no air conditioning (who would have thought that it would be in the upper 80s in alaska in june????), but it was a whole lot cheaper than through the cruise line and next time i may opt for a hotel/b&b further out from the "glitter gulch" area to save even more (an option if you have your own car).

hi,,, we are taking our grandson who is 18.. An he wants to do atv in denila...did you like it??? Be there june 3 of this year......

Thanks

[olemissreb]

hi,,, we are taking our grandson who is 18.. An he wants to do atv in denila...did you like it??? Be there june 3 of this year......

Thanks

 

LOVED it! Since we had 1 child that was on crutches, we actually did the "side by sides". Wear long pants and probably long sleeves too. If you have asthma or anything, take a scarf to wear over your mouth. It was VERY dusty when we were there (YMMV). Also - cover yourself from head to toe in 100% DEET - you will thank me for it! The mosquitoes up there truly do swarm you. We got this advice prior to leaving and it was probably the best advice we got. We didn't get one bite the entire trip. The people that brought the Deep Woods Off spray or wipes, were swatting mosquitoes left and right and I'm pretty sure had a ton of bites.

 

Don't think that you will be riding in the dark because you won't. We actually did this on the Summer Equinox (June 21st, 2013) and it was the night of the Super Moon and didn't get much darker than dusk while we were out.

[Lurdes777]

hi All,

 

Thank you so much for all your posts! I did narrow it down to:

Ports: Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska | Hubbard Glacier, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) | Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) | Skagway, Alaska | Juneau, Alaska | Ketchikan, Alaska | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

 

Booking tonight. Now, not sure if I should start another thread or not. Having your son go away to college is overwhelming and now planning this trip just another reminder that he will be gone soon.

 

Anyway, the agent told me that we should probably get to Anchorage early in the morning or the night before. She said that transfer from Anchorage to Wittier is about 2 hours and she recommends booking transfers with the cruiseline. What is your experience? Any suggestions where to stay at Anchorage?

 

We are flying from Miami, so the total trip is about 12 hours with one stop.

If one of the legs get behind we are kind of screwed.

 

Now, as far as ports and excursions - Denali is a great idea. Have to do more research on it. My son would love dogsledding also. He loves dogs. Watching bears sounds awesome too. Do you suggest to book via cruiseline or ourselves?

[Wishing on a star]

Flying that far, I would def. fly the day before.

We are staying at the Embassy Suites.

The train, which is a scenic train ride, is the earliest way to get to the ship/Whittier.

 

If one wants to take a pre-cruise boat tour of Prince William Sound, this might be the necessary way to book. Others might have better info. But, I was seeing that the bus transfers do not leave until afternoon. It is easy to book this train transfer yourself, and will save you a few bucks. They will transfer your tagged luggage to the Princess ship, even if you do not book thru Princess.

 

If your son is from FL, and has not seen the snow and ice... the only way to experience this is with a heli-tour. These can be booked either thru the cruise line, or on your own. I would look into both options.

 

You can start a thread here "Booking Helicopter Glacier Tour".

I believe that this is offered at Juneau and at Skagway.

If memory serves, Juneau might be the best port for this???

The experts will fill you in on all the good info if you start a thread with this title.

 

The ones that include dogsledding are pricey! But a once in lifetime splurge for somebody like your son!

 

Note, weather and fog, etc... can cancel these Heli-tours. It is often suggested that you book in advance for your first port, and if they don't happen to get off the ground, then begin working on getting a Heli-tour at the second port.

 

I think you should be able to pull up the excursions offered on your cruise, online. So check on that if you have not. It will show some of their options.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Wishing on a star

[olemissreb]

If you want to see Denali, then you would have to fly in several days before the cruise - which I would recommend anyway so you can get used to the time change.

 

Day 1- You can fly in to Anchorage and stay at the Embassy Suites (or whatever appeals to you - only suggested as it includes a managers reception in the evening and a full cooked to order breakfast in the morning which is great for getting a start on a long day - use Hilton points if you can). Look into car rentals - price out what they would cost if you get them from the airport or from a downtown location (make sure you put in any frequent customer numbers you have for discounts). For us, it was cheaper (by a bunch) to get from downtown.

 

Day 2 - After a good night's sleep, you can drive up to Denali - about a 5 hour drive - more if you stop in Talkeetna and/or along the way for pictures of wildlife and scenery. That afternoon you can do a raft trip, ATV ride - whatever you want.

 

Day 3 - The next morning, you can get a bus into Denali National Park - go as far as Eielson Visitor Center at the very least to make sure you get a good exposure to seeing wildlife and the mountain (if it's out). Book this through the National Park Service (can't remember the website).

 

Day 4 - Drive back to Anchorage and again spend the night in a hotel (there are a couple close to the train station, but I can't remember the names).

 

Day 5 - take the train (book through Alaskarailroad.com - I think that's the site). The train to Seward left really early in the morning (6 or 7am). Not sure what time the train leaves for Whittier. If there is enough time upon arrival, do what someone suggested and do a Prince William Sound tour for possible more wildlife sightings. You can then head over and board the ship afterwards. The other option here might be to get into Whittier a day before boarding and spend the night after the Prince William Sound tour and then have a relaxing day before getting to the ship. I'm not sure what there is to do in Whittier so this might require some more research.

 

Word of caution - Mt. McKinley's (aka Denali) peak is only seen about 30% of the time. If you don't see it on your drive to/from Anchorage or on the one day you are actually in the park, you might just have to plan an additional trip back to Alaska OR add another day and another trip into the park for an additional shot of see this gorgeous mountain in all her glory.