Best itinerary to choose in Alaska? Need help!

[SportsMomof4]

Looking to book an Alaska cruise for late summer 2017. There are so many different options & itineraries.

 

Is there a better itinerary to pick? Which one has the best ports? Haven't picked a cruise line yet as we want to see which ports are best 1st.

 

I know nothing about Alaska & I want to take the time to plan & make sure we do it right!

 

Thanks!

[Coral]

I would check out Alaska by Cruise ship by Anne Vipond.

 

Look at ports and glaciers and see what interests you.

[gpb11]

Is there a better itinerary to pick? Which one has the best ports? Haven't picked a cruise line yet as we want to see which ports are best 1st.

Start by figuring out what "best" means to you... it means different things to different people, and others idea of "best" wont' necessarily match yours.

 

Since you know nothing about Alaska, Coral's advice is spot on.

 

Begin by learning what each of the ports has to offer. Consider if you want to go inland too. Then you can decide which of those things are important to you and that will help immensely in figuring out which itinerary is best for you.

 

Most people here will tell you to chose the cruise line last. Choosing where you want to visit, how long you have for your trip, when you want to go, etc. will often narrow your choices down substantially. Then consider how long each options spends in the ports you're visiting and compare. It may turn out that your choice of cruise line is made for you by your other preferences.

[Cornishpastyman1]

Looking to book an Alaska cruise for late summer 2017. There are so many different options & itineraries. Haven't picked a cruise line yet as we want to see which ports are best 1st.

 

I know nothing about Alaska & I want to take the time to plan & make sure we do it right!

 

Thanks!

I don't know how you determine which ports are "best" but if it gives you any ideas the Alaska Inside Passage link in my signature below has videos I made of Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan on a round trip out of Vancouver. All the best, Tony

[SuperCrewBear]

I've only done one Alaskan cruise; this past May 5-15. Most itineraries have the same typical stops (Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway) but there are other stops that can be interesting. I found Sitka very, very cool. Some lines have access to Glacier Bay and that seemed to be THE nicest day as far as what you see from the ship - you don't dock there, just cruise around the area for the day. Spectacular scenery and our day there was a perfect weather day with clear blue skies and glass smooth sailing. A very typical stop is Victoria, BC - it was an okay stop but I could do without it next time. Our cruise started at Vancouver, BC which I thought was a very nice and clean city - I wouldn't mind at all visiting again though it seems many are turned off by the additional cost of flying there (out of the country). We ended in Seattle - there are some interesting sites to see there but I could do without another trip there as I didn't really care for the place - it's also cheaper to fly in and out of Seattle.

 

Good luck and enjoy your cruise!

[CruiserBruce]

Some reading on the board would reveal Glacier Bay is a top destination.

 

There really only three types of routes. Roundtrip out of Seattle or Vancouver ( many refer to the roundtrips out of Vancouver as the true Inside Passage cruises).

 

One way from Seattle or Vancouver to Seward or Whittier (commonly referred to as "northbound "),and the opposite, south bound routes. These commonly, but not totally exclusively, are the cruises that can include Glacier Bay.

 

These two types of cruises are almost all 7 days in length.

 

Then there are the somewhat unique cruises. Very small vessel cruises. Ferry sailings. There are a few 14 day Alaska cruises. Plus one ship running out of SF.

 

Notice that I never said "best". Best is a totally subjective, personal decision only you can make.

[Gardyloo]

One way from Seattle or Vancouver to Seward or Whittier (commonly referred to as "northbound "),and the opposite, south bound routes.

There are no one-way cruises from Seattle owing to federal maritime law. You can, however, sail one way to Alaska on the Alaska state ferry from Bellingham, WA.

[Herfnerd]

We just booked our first Alaskan cruise on HAL - first time on this cruiseline, too.

 

We knew we wanted to do a Saturday to Saturday RT out of Seattle and we knew that we wanted to see Glacier Bay. We also wanted something a little more low key and decided on late August/early September. Researched the ships that met those requirements and decided on the HAL Eurodam. Also stopping in Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria, BC.

[Sequim88]

Agree, the Anne Vipond book is a good starting place. Next factor is R/T vs. one-way which may impact the total for air costs - if cost is a consideration. Otherwise the one-ways have two other factors - going inside Vancouver Is. and possibly doing College Fjord in addition to Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier. If this is a first cruise or susceptible to seasickness the inside the island is better.

 

Also - city of embarkation. Research Seattle and Vancouver for pre or post cruise touristing. Again, depending on budget a few days before or after can be a great addition to the trip. Also check for days of the week with no or few cruise ships in port - airlines are aware of cruise traffic (fares to/from Seattle are much higher in cruise season) and may have lower fares on or just before blank days.

 

Another consideration is ship size. Smaller ships can get into places larger ones can't. Bigger ships have more amenities but these can be wasted on an Alaska cruise where the scenery is the primary activity. Check the port schedules for each port and see if there are many ships at the same time which can overwhelm some of the small towns. Yesterday there were four ships (3 large, one medium) in Juneau all arriving within an hour of each other. One reason Sitka is a nice stop is it seldom has more than one ship at a time and they are mostly smaller ships.

 

Some ports require tendering where small lifeboat sized boats ferry people to a dock. The port schedules also show what docks or mooring points ships use so you can which do tendering - even this year's schedule is a hint for next year.

 

Finally itinerary. That's purely personal preferences but for me I would tend to favor itineraries that skip Icy Point Strait in favor of real towns or glacier viewing days. IPS is a sort of fabricated tourist trap albeit with some focus on native Alaskan culture and food. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icy_Strait_Point

 

Happy planning. :)

[Beachiekeen]

We just booked our first Alaskan cruise last week. I would heed the advice here as we found it helpful. We had actually started with ships/cruise line but realized that was the wrong way to go about it. After a few weeks, I had a document listing all the itineraries we were considering with the times in each port and the pros and cons which really helped us narrow it down.

 

We ended up choosing the northbound from Vancouver and we will stay in Alaska for 3 nights after the cruise. They are all wonderful so I would do the research and then pick one that works the best for you logistically and with your budget.

Edited August 16, 2016 by Beachiekeen

[jimsig]

As PP's have also suggested check out the boards here and make sure to check out the cruise review section in the "Sticky's" at the top of the Alaska. I have done a review of the NCL Pearl R/T from Seattle if you want to check that out http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=50518377&posted=1#post50518377

 

Will you have kids with you? In the end if it comes down to one line over another a ship with a good kids program might be the tipping point and the trip reviews might help with that

 

If you have a specific week in mind that can also help in narrowing down choices and not make it so overwhelming at times, especially if you choose a one way itinerary.

 

Remember in the end it's also what you make of it so don't fret too much, after all it's Alaska and it is beautiful

[TheCalicoCat]

1. Don't settle for a sailing that does not include Glacier Bay.

 

2. If you are interested in Russian/American History - go to Sitka

 

3. A lot of ships go to Juneau, Ketchikan, & Skagway - so don't choose based on the train ride or whale watching.

 

4. Interested in seeing the salmon spawning or bears - pay close attention to the time frame in which you can expect to see them.

 

5. If Tracy Arm is an excursion offered - take it. (My most favorite excursion EVER.)

 

Back to 1. Don't settle for a sailing that does not include Glacier Bay.

[Coral]

There are no one-way cruises from Seattle owing to federal maritime law. You can, however, sail one way to Alaska on the Alaska state ferry from Bellingham, WA.

 

Technically - there are, they are on US registered cruise ships. They are expensive and most people don't consider these. Un-cruise is one line that does it.

Edited August 16, 2016 by Coral

[Coral]

1. Don't settle for a sailing that does not include Glacier Bay.

 

...........

 

Back to 1. Don't settle for a sailing that does not include Glacier Bay.

 

I am going to agree with this. Glacier Bay is pretty much guaranteed. Hubbard and Tracy Arm are not.

 

Having had my first cruise to Alaska and missing the glacier, it was a huge disappointment, thus I tell everyone to include Glacier Bay on their first cruise. You can hit the other glaciers on repeat cruises.