1st time cruiser: How to chooose the right ship to Alaska.

[Pierlesscruisers]

Don't choose a ship that is going to Bermuda.

 

I'll have to say that very few cruises stop off in Bermuda! :eek: :eek:

 

Tom

[MicCanberra]

I'll have to say that very few cruises stop off in Bermuda! :eek: :eek:

 

Tom

 

Especially on an Alaskan cruise.;)

[luddite]

I'll have to say that very few cruises stop off in Bermuda! :eek: :eek:

 

Tom

 

Well, I don't know of any cruises to Alaska that include a stop in Bermuda.

[Pierlesscruisers]

Well, I don't know of any cruises to Alaska that include a stop in Bermuda.

 

I realize that. You were the one that said not to choose a ship going to Bermuda! I was merely saying that I knew of very few Alaska cruises that went to Bermuda. I didn't say anything about Alaska, however, thinking that would be evident since the OP had said she was taking her daughter on a cruise there. :rolleyes:

 

Oh, well, I guess we're all still recovering from Black Friday.

 

Tom

[MicCanberra]

Has anyone been trapped, lost in the Alaskan trapezium?:p

[Cruzaholic41]

There are 2 very important things to know when booking an Alaska cruise.

 

One, throw cruise line stereotypes out the window. The demographic is mostly the same regardless of the line. You will not see the 3 day Carnival party crowd on an Alaska itinerary. I recommend choosing a ship with the best affordable balcony stateroom you can afford.

 

Two, do not fall for the "we've been cruising Alaska longest" propaganda. How long a cruise line has been in Alaska makes no difference at all.

 

So with that in mind, pick the itinerary that most interests you. Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm and Hubbard Glacier are all wonderful. I most recommend the one-way cruises between Vancouver and Whittier or Seward.

[luddite]

Has anyone been trapped, lost in the Alaskan trapezium?:p

 

Well, we won't be hearing from anyone who got lost there.

[crystalspin]

I am taking my 23 year old daughter for her college graduation to Alaska in June. Meeting with a travel agent on Monday but feeling overwhelmed. Celebrity vs. Princess? Inner passageway, Glacier Bay and others? Where do I begin? Thank you in advance.

 

Oh no, have we scared you away? By now you've met with the TA -- what choices did they have for you to make? do you have additional questions?

 

For me it would be Princess or Holland America. Oh who am I kidding? It would be HAL. That's right, I'm a fan-girl!

 

We just took 6 members of my family on the HAL Volendam 7-day roundtrip out of Vancouver. Which means we experienced the Inside Passage both ways! We had a day cruising in Glacier Bay, went whale-watching and to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, on the railroad/bus trip in Skagway, and had a "light" day of totempoles/shopping/fish-n-chips in Ketchikan. Everyone had the best time (of course, we were a party by ourselves, wherever we were)!

 

Here is a tip for that class ship -- book an oceanview or even an inside on the Lower Promenade (or whichever deck on similar Princess ships has cabins on the promenade aka boardwalk around the ship). You pay much lower prices than a verandah/balcony, but you are steps away from the biggest balcony on the ship!