Which Alaska cruise should I choose?

[Duffysmom]

Trying to decide which Alaskan cruise to book. So many different itineraries available such an Inside, Tracy Arm, R/T San Francisco, land & sea, etc. Please share your Alaskan experiences and preferences. I'm totally confused. Thank you:confused:

Edited May 4, 2016 by Duffysmom

[kendon]

If you can swing it, I'd include the land package. As for the other itineraries, airfare can creep up if you don't have a round trip.

[rayandshirl]

:)We are returning to Alaska in September with family and friends on the Grand out of San Francisco and back. We have taken this cruise 3 times simply because we love the scenery on the way up and back.

 

We have also taken the in land tour and spent 3 days at Denali, Fairbanks and Anchorage. This was a trip of a life time; well worth the expense.

 

The north bound glacier tour was so spectacular that we did a back to back just to enjoy the glaciers.

 

Whatever calls to you in the itinerary is what you should go for.

 

No matter which cruise you take to Alaska, it will be grand.

[Thrak]

The only issue with Tracy Arm is that sometimes you can't actually get to the glacier. I would guess that has a lot to do with the time of year you cruise.

 

We have done the 10 day SF/Alaska round trip via Glacier Bay and loved it. We're going back in June (no night time!) and doing a 6 day connoisseur land tour prior to a 7 day southbound to Vancouver. It is quite a bit more expensive than the 10 day round trip! Of course one doesn't have to choose the connoisseur version of the land tour and that would make it less expensive but, of course, one would then lose the included tours and the included meals and such.

 

Whatever you choose to do please do cruise Alaska. I can't imagine not loving it.

[2pbears]

The one piece of advice that I would offer is that if this is your first trip to Alaska, try to choose an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay. I believe it is a show stopper.

[eandj]

Head to the Alaska ports of call board. You'll find some cruisers there that have done a variety of itineraries more than once. LOTS of helpful info:)

[Host Jazzbeau]

The ideal is to do a land tour followed by the Southbound Voyage of the Glaciers, on Coral Princess. You can save money by making the land tour DIY -- lots of ideas in the Alaska forum. You can also save on the cabin: Coral has so many great public viewing areas that you will be fine in an Inside cabin. But if this isn't doable, I second the advice to make sure your cruise includes Glacier Bay.

[fishywood]

:)We are returning to Alaska in September with family and friends on the Grand out of San Francisco and back. We have taken this cruise 3 times simply because we love the scenery on the way up and back.

 

Scenery? What on earth is there to see on the two and half days between San Francisco and the first port in Juneau other than the dreary open waters of the North Pacific? I beg the OP to immediately disregard this itinerary for a first trip to Alaska. It would be criminal to not at least choose a sailing that starts or ends in Vancouver that actually sails the Inside Passage between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland--the Seattle departures may be labelled 'Inside Passage' but that is totally misleading.

[knbcruisers]

I vote northbound on the Coral followed by 3 or 4 night interior. Focus on either Denali or Kenai penninsula. When i was planning I read a review that described the northbound itinerary as more and more amazing everyday and after doing it Itotally agree.

[LeeW]

We've done northbound Vancouver-Whittier twice on Coral, followed by land tours with trains. Well worth doing but you do get stuck flying out of Anchorage or Fairbanks. Air fare to Vancouver can be high enough to make it worth renting a car in Seattle. Doing an up and back B2B this September on Island so starting and ending in Vancouver and not doing land this time.

 

Cruises out of Seattle or San Francisco may or may not get to Glacier Bay. This is a must see place.

 

The reason there are so many options for land is these have combinations of the resorts and use of train or bus between them. We like the train for most transfers, but you do spend a lot of time waiting for the train to get to your location. McKinley resort is 45 minutes west of Talkeetna and there is virtually nothing to do there except look at the south side of the mountain. One trip you couldn't see the edge of the property, let alone the mountain. Personally would avoid a tour that goes there, but Talkeetna is a quirky town and you might like it.

 

Denali lodge is location for trips into the park. Do NOT take the Natural History tour - it just goes to the end of the paved road and has virtually no views of the mountain or even bear country. Take the 9 hour Tundra Wilderness Tour. For this you need to stay at Denali 2 nights.

 

We stayed at the Captain Cook hotel the first time in Anchorage and at the Fairbanks Lodge the second. Both were fine and we saw different things.

 

Check the Alaska board and decide what you want to do, and then get a travel agent to select the tour that matches what you want to do. Sorting all the options is a real pain and they can do this for you. And if you don't want to do the land portion they can also help select which cruise to take.

 

By the way, food is EXPENSIVE up there. Half sub at Subway in Denali was $8 last time we were there and a burger in the McKinley bar was about $23. Reindeer chili was about $22 on the train and prime rib was $35 for lunch.

[idahospud]

How long will you have for your trip? That will make a difference when decided what to do. One way cruises, beginning or ending in Whittier/Anchorage will be the ones you can do the cruise tours with. You can add several days on either end but plan on a minimum of seven cruise days and three land days (but hopefully more) to get the best experience from the cruise tours. Do you ask about the SFO roundtrip because you live near there?

 

We've done Alaska several times. RT from Seattle, RT from Vancouver, one way Vancouver to Whittier and back again, and land tours. We've done Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay. I'd recommend an itinerary with Glacier Bay over one with Tracy Arm. If you are traveling by cruise ship Tracy Arm will only be in the distance unless you take an excursion. With Glacier Bay you'll be able to see calving glaciers (if they decide to shift while you're there) from the ship. There are Glacier Bay sailings from both Vancouver and Seattle.

 

Or if you'd rather cruise and see lots of scenery from the ship, put two of the one-way cruises together. 14 nights cruising Alaska is kind to the soul.

 

Here are some pictures from a few Glacier Bay trips

Edited May 5, 2016 by idahospud

[idahospud]

How long will you have for your trip? That will make a difference when decided what to do. One way cruises, beginning or ending in Whittier/Anchorage will be the ones you can do the cruise tours with. You can add several days on either end but plan on a minimum of seven cruise days and three land days (but hopefully more) to get the best experience from the cruise tours. Do you ask about the SFO roundtrip because you live near there?

 

We've done Alaska several times. RT from Seattle, RT from Vancouver, one way Vancouver to Whittier and back again, and land tours. We've done Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay. I'd recommend an itinerary with Glacier Bay over one with Tracy Arm. If you are traveling by cruise ship Tracy Arm will only be in the distance unless you take an excursion. With Glacier Bay you'll be able to see calving glaciers (if they decide to shift while you're there) from the ship. There are Glacier Bay sailings from both Vancouver and Seattle.

 

Or if you'd rather cruise and see lots of scenery from the ship, put two of the one-way cruises together. 14 nights cruising Alaska is kind to the soul.

 

Here are some pictures from a few Glacier Bay trips

Use this link instead. The other one had some non-Glacier Bay pictures. Sorry about that.

[peety3]

We've done 5 (I call it 4.5) Alaska cruises, 0 land cruises. To me, it boils down to this:

 

Northbound/Southbound are less hurried/harried, as the glacier viewing fits into days otherwise spent at nearly full speed. They bring with them travel logistics, as it's difficult if you don't already live in Vancouver (or Anchorage, I guess) to get there and get back. Perhaps you could say that the harriedness or hurriedness moves out of the cruise and into the time before/after.

 

Seattle RT is easier from a travel logistics standpoint (domestic travel for those who live in US, round-trip flights, at least at the end of the cruise you've seen where you were when you boarded, etc.). It's a little hectic as you board the ship/go to muster/go to dinner/find your way around the ship, it's formal night the next night, then THREE DAYS IN PORT PACKING IT ALL IN to then spend 2 days en route to Victoria, where you'll have to pack your suitcases/rush to dinner when the doors open/pile off the ship to go zip around Victoria/get back aboard the ship/pack another suitcase/go to bed/wake up/disembark. I feel tired just thinking about all that.

 

SFO RT is convenient for those in/near SFO who have time to spend relaxing at sea. You'll have to look at YOUR itinerary, as I think the port order is reshuffled for every cruise (no such thing as "it's Tuesday, we must be in Topeka" on a 10-day). Someone did a nearly-live-from post when they did two SFO 10-days B2B, to get Glacier Bay AND Tracy Arm, and I think Icy Strait Point AND Skagway - brilliant, if you have three weeks to burn. Still a stop in Victoria, but it's not mixed in the chaos of the final day/night of the cruise and all of the assorted packing.

 

Vancouver RT (if offered) cuts out the Victoria stop and adds more scenery. If international travel (for those in the US) isn't a burden, this could be a unique twist.

 

Land tours always seemed to come down to "you have to pick your land option first and see what day of the week you're vacationing" OR "you have to pick what day of the week your vacation starts, then see if/what land tour options are available to you" - it's not a case of "I'll take a Fairbanks Land Tour on Tuesday for $500, Alex" whatsoever.

 

As a native of the Seattle metro area (now) and an avid photographer who takes a relatively huge amount of camera gear to Alaska, it's now Seattle RT or bust for us when cruising Alaska. I also find the luggage limits on the land tour to be extremely tight for my taste, when I factor in my camera gear (so much so that I've contemplated finding a way to skip the cruise so I don't have to deal with the downsizing at the end of the cruise).

[biker1972]

There are many factors to consider when making your decision. Things like time and money as well as how often you cruise are part of the decision process. If this is to be a one and done Alaska cruise then seeing some of the interior will be important since Alaska's coastal cities are such a small portion of the state. If you have more time, use it for some kind of land tour, either with a company or DIY with a car/camper rental or the Alaska RR. You do not have to be locked in with just one cruise line either. Careful planning can allow a northbound cruise from Vancouver with one brand and a southbound cruise from either Seward or Whittier back to Vancouver with another line. Seward, the port used by several brands other than Princess, and the Kenia Peninsula are worth visiting. Another factor to consider is that only Princess and HAL are allowed to cruise into Glacier Bay National Park and only two ships may visit on any one day. Other cruise lines visit Hubbard Glacier because of this. Ideally then using a time period of 3 weeks would allow for a northbound cruise, a land tour and a southbound cruise on a different line than the northbound portion. An added bonus might be flying to Seattle for a day or two, transferring to Vancouver and then cruising. You do avoid a long flight to Anchorage by doing a round trip from Vancouver or Seattle

[ppeckham]

My recommendation is to take a northbound cruise. The views grow more spectacular as you head north. My travel agent made that recommendation and she was absolutely correct.

 

If you can swing it, book a balcony on the starboard side. Often through the cruise you will have views of the coast. With a decent set of binoculars, you can see the beautiful ribbons of waterfalls in the hills lining the coastline.

 

As others noted, include a few days at the end of the trip to explore the interior. The land tour through the cruise line can be a bit costly. We were a bit more adventurous and made our own arrangements. This gave us a lot more flexibility in our schedule rather than going with the tour group. If we wanted to stay a bit longer in one area we could.

 

We enjoyed our trip so much a few years ago that we are repeating it this summer with a large group of friends. I've made a couple of changes such as the hotels the night before boarding and the hotel in Anchorage, but the trip is pretty close to the first adventure.

[janetcbl]

At the risk of being thrown off this board, I would suggest, if you have a major interest in wildlife and the time and the money, especially the latter, you might want to consider a smaller cruise ship, such as the ones Lindblad/National Geographic use. We traveled with them and you can spend an hour watching a pod of orcas, instead of rushing right on by. However, for a taste of Alaska, with 3000 of your new BFFs, Princess is a fine choice, and any itinerary that includes a glacier will be great. And any trip to Alaska is better than no trip. We will be traveling with Princess this summer for a large family celebration and can't wait. Relax, choose an itinerary that works for you and enjoy!

[donaldsc]

Trying to decide which Alaskan cruise to book. So many different itineraries available such an Inside, Tracy Arm, R/T San Francisco, land & sea, etc. Please share your Alaskan experiences and preferences. I'm totally confused. Thank you:confused:

 

If you leave from San Francisco, what percentage of your trip time do you spend staring at open ocean until you get to the interesting places. Leave from Seattle or better yet Vancouver.

 

BTW - based on the large amount of information you have given to us on your age, interests, reason for the trip, etc., etc., etc., any suggestions that we can give you about your trip are basically garbage.

 

Also, try going to your public library where you will find books you can read about Alaska cruises. Examples are - http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_12?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=alaska+cruise+travel+guide+2016&sprefix=alaska+cruis%2Cstripbooks%2C210

 

DON

[Alaskan Joe]

Scenery? What on earth is there to see on the two and half days between San Francisco and the first port in Juneau other than the dreary open waters of the North Pacific? I beg the OP to immediately disregard this itinerary for a first trip to Alaska. It would be criminal to not at least choose a sailing that starts or ends in Vancouver that actually sails the Inside Passage between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland--the Seattle departures may be labelled 'Inside Passage' but that is totally misleading.

 

I was on a cruise that departed from Seattle (NCL) and we were in the Inside Passage going and coming back. The only thing is you may spent about 1/2 day to a day in open seas (between Seattle and the Inside Passage). However in your defense Fishywood I have seen were they go the open seas all the way north and then the Inside Passage back to Seattle(this was on NCL?). However our cruise was not like that.

[Alaskan Joe]

This is my opinion, We took a cruise from Seattle through the Inside Passage way. If you have never been to Alaska "ANY" itinerary will work the whole area is awesome. I would however only get a Balcony stateroom for an Alaskan cruise, it is a must for the view. As for which side it does not matter because if you cruise north through the Inside Passage and back through going south you will see both sides. What we plan to do for our next Alaskan cruise is get an AFT balcony stateroom so you can see both sides at the same time. :D

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner:D

[Jools.s]

I have always taken the land tour option as the interior is spectacular. I can take or leave Fairbanks and Copper River but would always include Denali and Mt McKinley. The glass dome train journey is fabulous. I also like Anchorage as it is great for shopping for gifts and eating out. I would recommend the Glacier Brewhouse.

 

As for the cruise, they are all amazing, but for your first time I agree with the poster who mentioned Glacier Bay. This part of the itinerary is absolutely stunning and a day in the national park accompanied and narrated by a park ranger is simply one of the best Alaskan experiences you can have.

 

Have a great time in Alaska :)

Edited May 6, 2016 by Jools.s

[brianlojeck]

Another vote for glacier bay.