Alaskan Cruise?

[sarlin]

Help me to convince myself to try an Alaskan cruise!

 

I know my husband will love it! I'm a spring/summer, lay out by the pool, give me a beach anyday, kind of person-

I DO love new experiences and I think I would love it too I really do-But-

 

If you are on an Alaskan cruise what do you do on sea days?

I did read that the casino is open-

What are some must sees? Must dos?

 

Anyone out there who like me loved the islands/sand/waves/warm sun and tried an Alaskan cruise and loved it too?

[cole]

Help me to convince myself to try an Alaskan cruise!

 

I know my husband will love it! I'm a spring/summer, lay out by the pool, give me a beach anyday, kind of person-

I DO love new experiences and I think I would love it too I really do-But-

 

If you are on an Alaskan cruise what do you do on sea days?

I did read that the casino is open-

What are some must sees? Must dos?

 

Anyone out there who like me loved the islands/sand/waves/warm sun and tried an Alaskan cruise and loved it too?

 

Our first cruise was to Alaska and we have done 3 additional ones since then. So....as you can imagine - we loved it. Each port is so interesting and so many things to do to see that part of this gorgeous state. Sea days are just the same as if you were on one of the cruises to the beaches. A must see and do is the train ride from Skagway into Canada and back. Glacier Bay (or whatever glacier your particular ship visits) is amazing. And, if you do the south to north and have end in Seward, plan to stay a couple of extra days and drive from Anchorage to Denali Park. Alaska is like no other place you will visit in the US. You won't be disappointed.

Cole

[Cairn Mom]

I laughed as I read your post because I felt the same about our first cruise to Alaska. I went because my husband really wanted to go. The beach or a European city are much more my cup of tea. BUT Alaska is breathtaking, and I loved it! We did a cruise tour with Princess. We went to Denali and then cruised from Anchorage to Vancouver with a scenic cruise through Glacier Bay National Park. We did Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. They are what you would envision a small 19th century gold rush town to look like. However, there are lots of activities to do in each port. For the sea days, if the weather is nice, you can sit on deck and read, they provide blankets-lol. Take a bathing suit. On our trip, it was warm enough to sunbathe,but I did not bring a suit. There are the usual activities for the sea days- casino, spa, movies, lectures, shopping, eating. Additionally, the scenery is gorgeous and you may see whales in the water.

We are going back to Alaska in September of 2017. This time we are going with our adult children and cruising round trip from Seattle. We're also going to Tracy Arm rather than Glacier Bay National Park. We did not want to do the exact same thing again. The first time, we went in July and we did not see any bears. My husband is hoping for bear sightings this time around.

This a cruise where you will enjoy a balcony. We just sat outside enjoying the fresh air and amazing view. Of course, you always do that on deck.Have a great time.

 

 

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Edited October 22, 2016 by Cairn Mom

[momto2js]

Sea days in Alaska are unique. It is the first place I have ever been where I thought "it is quite possible no one has ever been here before". The scale of how big things are is impressive. It was one of my favorite trips.

 

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[spidybabe]

Alaska is unbelievable. Mother nature at her finest!

Safe sailing

 

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[luvcruising16]

I have done alaska 2 times and will be going again in 2018 just as the comments above it is like no other. My favorite cruise by far if your into nature [emoji6].. we saw whales, so many eagles in one area, breathtaking. We also did the train ride, glacier bay, etc... You will not be disappointed. I would suggest middle of July to middle of August is the best time frame for any kind of warmth for sea days.

 

 

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[liptastic]

Our first ever cruise in 2003 was to Alaska and then we returned in 2008 and this year in August we retuned again. It's one of those magical places that draws you back. For me it wins over the Carribean by far. Have a wonderful cruise. Jean.

[UPNYGuy]

Alaska is my favorite all-time favorite cruise (lumped in with the Greek Isles). DW and I have our 5th AK sailing this coming may. Every time we go up, we see something new. The sense of scale and grandeur is like nothing else.

 

 

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[UPNYGuy]

 

 

 

Some pics from our last AK cruise :)

 

 

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[sarlin]

OK I'm warming up to the idea! The pics ARE beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[UPNYGuy]

I will say that as much as I enjoy NCL, an Alaskan cruise is much more about Alaska itself than the experience on the ship. Do some research and find a sailing that fits your needs and budget, and visits the glaciers (LOL).

 

 

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[UPNYGuy]

That is important, because if you only have 7 days, NCL visits Glacier Bay, or Tracy Arm (assuming you want a round trip, not a 1-way cruise). Holland America has a much larger Alaskan presence, to the point that some of the ships visit both Tracy Arm Fjord *and* glacier bay in a 7 day stretch.

 

 

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[Mrs. Squirrel]

I will say that as much as I enjoy NCL, an Alaskan cruise is much more about Alaska itself than the experience on the ship. Do some research and find a sailing that fits your needs and budget, and visits the glaciers

 

Totally agree, plus if there is any way your budget and vacation time allows it, please add a land portion to the cruise. Alaska is best seen in combination! Many do cruise tours with their cruise line, but my DS (12) and I did a week on land post-cruise from Seward, AK last summer all booked on our own and saved a lot of money. Excursions are more expensive than you will find on Caribbean cruises and book-up early due to their shortened 'season', so plan early.

 

Hope you give it a go! When we booked our Alaska trip, we expected it to be a once in a lifetime. We came back knowing we have to make it back someday, it was that great!

[Jason82]

Alaska is absolutely beautiful and a must-see. My wife prefers warm beaches and sun for vacations, and our Alaska cruise this summer was her favorite vacation so far.

 

I loved the coastal mountains and whales we'd see right from the balcony.

 

And I each port is unique. Whether it's creek street in Ketchikan, Juneau, each is fascinating with plenty to see and do.

 

If you need any more convincing, go watch YouTube videos of folks' Alaskan cruises.

[Jason82]

Taken after 10 PM:

 

 

Ketchikan

 

 

A humpback whale

 

 

 

Red dog saloon in Juneau, a must-visit!

 

 

[BirdTravels]

Our favorite cruise location

 

[dporter]

Alaska is gorgeous!

 

MUSTS -

have a balcony.

stay up until the sunsets (sometimes it is only dark for a few hours)

bring clothes you can layer (it was a rare 90 in Juneau the year we went)

 

I actually cruised to Alaksa on RCCL. The advantage I see is they had a solarium pool and I could still enjoy pool time. Currently NCL only offers that in the Haven and the Haven pool on Jewel class ships do not offer a view of the ocean. Although NCL did announce that they are having a dedicated ship (NCL Bliss) out of Seattle beginning with the 2018 Alaska season, maybe they will have a solarium pool.

 

Don't miss a chance to see Alaska it is definitely beautiful.

[Heather1972]

Help me to convince myself to try an Alaskan cruise!

 

I know my husband will love it! I'm a spring/summer, lay out by the pool, give me a beach anyday, kind of person-

I DO love new experiences and I think I would love it too I really do-But-

 

If you are on an Alaskan cruise what do you do on sea days?

I did read that the casino is open-

What are some must sees? Must dos?

 

Anyone out there who like me loved the islands/sand/waves/warm sun and tried an Alaskan cruise and loved it too?

 

We spent most of our on the ship time outside in the Great Outdoors area on our recent Alaska cruise. The cruise has so many port stops, it doesn't leave a lot of time on the ship. Highlights from our trip was the bus & train ride in Skagway, Glacier Bay and the pedicab in Victoria, Canada.

 

A big let down for us was the whale watching excursion booked through NCL. We saw more whales from the cruise ship. I had to book through NCL because private tours don't allow for children. I now know why.... we had what looked to be a husband & maybe 3 wives and umpteen kids on the small boat with us. I thought I was going to push the kid named "Jazzy" overboard. Next time I'd do a glacier excursion.

 

Would I do Alaska again? Definitely! I'd want a longer cruise though. It went by too fast.

[Heather1972]

Here's our video of our Alaska cruise.

 

Oh and I'd wait to do Alaska on BLISS!

Edited October 23, 2016 by Heather1972

[BermudaBound2014]

Alaska is a must do- instead of thinking about the ship I would concentrate on the itinerary. Try to stop other places besides Skagway, Ketchikan, and Juneau. See if you can find an itinerary with Kodak, Sitka, etc... Away from the crowds Alaska is amazing.

 

 

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[jonsmom]

Great video Heather. We are sailing in August of 2017. Looks like alot of people were dressed for cold. YIKES

Edited October 23, 2016 by jonsmom