First Time looking at Alaska Cruise

[pajazz28]

Hello my DW and I have been on 9 cruises (RCI and Carnival) all in the Caribbean since we live in Miami but we are tired of the same ports. One of our buck list adventures is an Alaskan Cruise and I think we are ready. So time to do to take a cruise. Plan a flight, over night stay before the cruise and transfers none the less excited. We have many questions:

 

Can anyone recommend a particular cruise line that does Alaska better than others?

 

Which port and cruising area do you recommend?

 

What tours at which port are a must?

 

Can the tours be booked on our own? or should we stick to the cruise tours?

 

Any other advice you can give us, thanks.

[CruiserBruce]

Hello my DW and I have been on 9 cruises (RCI and Carnival) all in the Caribbean since we live in Miami but we are tired of the same ports. One of our buck list adventures is an Alaskan Cruise and I think we are ready. So time to do to take a cruise. Plan a flight, over night stay before the cruise and transfers none the less excited. We have many questions:

 

Can anyone recommend a particular cruise line that does Alaska better than others? A little reading on the board would reveal Princess and HAL have been ther ethe longest and have the most ships, as well as the most permits to Glacier Bay.

 

Which port and cruising area do you recommend? Again, some reading would be beneficial. Glacier Bay is commonly mentioned as a priority. There are only about 5 or 6 ports on the "regular" routes. You need to take a more unique cruise to get some of the lessor used ports.

 

What tours at which port are a must? Must do is what interests you...not what we say it is.

 

Can the tours be booked on our own? or should we stick to the cruise tours? There are many vendors recommended here.

 

Any other advice you can give us, thanks.

 

Tons and tons of info just down the board...

[xlxo]

@Pijazz28: in addition to cruise lines and glacier bay...

-7 day return vs one way vs 14 day vs extended stay in Central Alaska before your return

-which month? May and September for savings? June for daylight? July for warm dry weather? August for salmon and bears? September for the storm chasers.

 

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Edited December 20, 2016 by xlxo

[VennDiagram]

.....

 

Can anyone recommend a particular cruise line that does Alaska better than others?

 

Which port and cruising area do you recommend?

 

What tours at which port are a must?

 

Can the tours be booked on our own? or should we stick to the cruise tours?

 

Any other advice you can give us, thanks.

 

Any line that goes where you want will be fine. YOU need to decide what you want. And that requires research.

 

Check every itinerary offered that is in your price range. Check/google things to do in each port. Make lists of the tours that appeal to you.

 

Then when you know what ports appeal the most, find the cruises that will take you to the ports. Check how long you are in each port (this can make a big difference in what you are able to see and do).

 

Anyone can tell you "oh you MUST do this...." and if it is something that isn't appealing, that "advice" is worth nothing.

 

Not trying to be unhelpful here :) You will get LOADS of free advice. But if you want to make the most out of your trip, you cannot rely on other people's ideas of "best". What is best for me is very likely not best for you.

 

Welcome to the Alaska addiction :)

Edited December 21, 2016 by VennDiagram

[Coral]

I would look at Glacier Bay. It is pretty much guaranteed glacier viewing.

 

Hubbard and Tracy Arm don't always have good odds at viewing. I had Hubbard glacier on my first Alaskan cruise and we missed it and it was incredibly disappointing.

[Missymo]

Was in Alaska first time 1.5 years ago. We chose Seattle-Seattle 7 day on Celebrity Solstice. Spent 2 day before and after in Seattle. Amazing city. It was a great time for a first visit to Alaska.Did the inside passage. TracyArm was amazing. Did all my excursions on my own,two of which were bucket list for me, Did a 4 seater Floatplane,to see Bears, Helicopter to go dog sledding in the snow with extra landing on Hubbard Glacier. Took the Bus/Train tour up to Frazier. BC.. It was the best first trip to Alaska for me. Next time going to Fairbanks.

[bcccattle]

My wife and I went on a Alaskan cruise 10 years ago on carnival we are going again for our ten year anniversary july 7 on princess. We are leaving out of San Francisco on the Grand princess it's a 10 day cruise

 

 

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[firegal2539]

I love Princess, they have the most cruises to Alaska. I find Glacier Bay is a must see. I am going on my 6th Alaska cruise in May. I have gone in May, June, August and September. I love Skagway and I did the White Pass Railroad which was wonderful. I did a helicopter to a glacier and was positive I was going to die. My favorite was whale watching in Juneau, it was amazing.

 

 

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[bcccattle]

We have loved Alaska ten years ago we have always said we would do it in 10 years.... our last three cruise have all been on the Disney fantasy and it's a great ship but the cost is just so high.. Our ta told use to try princess she said princess is one of the best cruise line to go with as far as the Alaskan cruises go

 

 

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[bUU]

Hello my DW and I have been on 9 cruises (RCI and Carnival) all in the Caribbean since we live in Miami but we are tired of the same ports. One of our buck list adventures is an Alaskan Cruise and I think we are ready. So time to do to take a cruise. Plan a flight, over night stay before the cruise and transfers none the less excited. We have many questions: Can anyone recommend a particular cruise line that does Alaska better than others? Which port and cruising area do you recommend? What tours at which port are a must? Can the tours be booked on our own? or should we stick to the cruise tours? Any other advice you can give us, thanks.

My spouse and I just went through the same decision process, and I can share with you the conclusions we reached based on the input we received here. Combine that with the input you'll receive based on your inquiry and hopefully your decision will be even more well-grounded than ours.

 

We decided that for us Glacier Bay was an essential part of an Alaska cruise. That limited the cruise lines in contention to Princess, Holland America and NCL. (Carnival does have a few cruises that include Glacier Bay, but not enough to have a chance of satisfying all the rest of our requirements.) I should note that I'm currently paranoid that due to a recent record fine assessed against Princess for illegal dumping, the NPS may withhold permission from Princess, and perhaps even the entirety of CCL (i.e., including Holland America and Carnival) to cruise Glacier Bay. I have no factual basis for this paranoia, though. YMMV. However, I think if we were deciding which cruise line to use now, we would have more seriously considered NCL (though I still think that they wouldn't have been able to satisfy the other requirements we had).

 

We were originally convinced that Princess was the way to go, but went with Holland America for several reasons, and despite one rather notable strength of Princess: After reviewing the available info, including trip reports and on-board newsletters, it seems that Princess has a bit more emphasis on having a naturalist on-board and presenting content all week, while Holland America doesn't seem to have that happening the whole cruise. (We've decided to make up for that lack by personal, pre-cruise reading.)

 

The most compelling reason we went with Holland America had to do with another priority we have: To minimize airline flights. We were willing to forego what many profess are advantages to one-way cruises to Alaska for the benefit of round-trip cruises to Alaska, in this regard. Again, YMMV. Once you make the decision to go round-trip, the itineraries break down into two groups: With one group (the Seattle, SF or LA round-trips) much more of the cruise's sea days are spent exposed to the open ocean. With the other group (the Vancouver round-trips), the itineraries generally go up the Inside Passage and back down the Inside Passage, and are only exposed to the open ocean along those parts of the coastline where there is no protected, waterway navigable by cruise ships. Beyond the benefits of traveling protected waterways, the Inside Passage is absolutely beautiful, from what I can tell. Being able to appreciate both sides of it from our cabin (one side going north, the other side coming back south) is a big advantage in our book. (Holland America has Vancouver round-trip cruises all summer. Princess only offers that itinerary in May and September, preferring to offer Seattle round-trips.)

 

We were also driven by some of the differences between the suites between the two cruise lines. While Princess' "strange" floorplan for the suites we were looking at looked better from the standpoint of separating the sitting area from the sleeping area, which is important since I typically wake up earlier than my spouse, the other included benefits on Holland America better fit our preferences. We also very much like the aft suite's wrap-around balcony on the Holland America ship on which we are cruising, a feature not available on the Princess ship we were considering.

 

My spouse also preferred that Holland America has done away with explicit formal nights, thereby simplifying her packing considerations.

 

In the end, the main takeaway from this is that the decision is so heavily driven by your own personal preferences and personal requirements that there is no actual answer to your questions except the answer you craft for yourself by learning from the advice of people who you are able to determine are people like yourself, with similar perspectives on travel, and who's advice is therefore a reflection of the same priorities that you yourself hold to.

[VacationCharlene]

 

We would HIGHLY recommend Holland America's 14 day Great Land Explorer roundtrip from Seattle works out great for us. We have been May/June where it seems more winter like (what I would EXPECT Alaska to be) and Aug/Sept where there is more wildlife because of the Salmon running.

 

The 14 day is awesome first of all because it is a smaller ship, secondly; easier airport for us being rt Seattle and great rates with Alaska Airlines. The PORTS are different and awesome....Ketchikan, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Anchorage, Homer, Kodiak, Sitka, Victoria, Cruising Tracy Arm Fjord, Hubbard Glacier. LOVE everything about this cruise and was the first one to book for May 21st, 2018!!!

 

Whichever cruise line and itinerary you pick, I would bet you will enjoy this cruise immensely.

 

We also book most of our excursions privately and research extensively using TripAdvisor dot com Can look up our past excursions on that site Charlene351 or feel free if you book this one to email me with questions. Compson351@cox.net

Edited December 21, 2016 by VacationingCharlene

[Cruise_More_Often]

Can anyone recommend a particular cruise line that does Alaska better than others?

We have cruised with NCL (Sun and Jewel), RCI (Radiance of the Seas) and HAL (Nieuw Amsterdam) and have had perfectly fine, very enjoyable cruises with all of them. If you want to visit Glacier Bay, RCI does not go there. They do go to Hubbard Glacier, which we actually liked better.

 

Which port and cruising area do you recommend?

We like cruising from Vancouver because ships leaving there cruise the channel between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland. When cruising from Seattle, ships go outside Vancouver Island, which could be windier and choppier and without the great views you get in Canada's Inside Passage.

 

Also, we loved cruising one way from Seward to Vancouver (and we're repeating that cruise in 2018).

 

What tours at which port are a must?

I have always appreciated hearing what other cruisers did in Alaska. I felt overwhelmed with choices before our first cruise, and reading about others' experiences really helped us narrow our choices. Here are our absolute favorites; I hope they help you:

 

#1 - Ketchikan: Island Wings flight over the Misty Fjords (independent provider)

#2 - Anchorage to Seward: Alaska Railroad Coastal Classic train, Gold Star service (independent provider)

#3 - Juneau: Tracy Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer (offered by the cruise lines) Note: The provider usually does not offer this cruise until late May and discontinues it in late August.

#4 - Seward: Kenai Fjords cruise with Major Marine (7 hours) (independent provider)

#6 - Skagway: Van ride up to Carcross/White Pass Railway tour back to Skagway (with independent operator Chilkoot Charters) (DH's choice); van ride round trip (my choice because of the photographic opportunities)

 

Can the tours be booked on our own? or should we stick to the cruise tours?

That completely depends upon what you want to do. There are some tours that are not offered except by the cruise lines (like the Tracy Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer, unless you are in port for a full day). You can feel secure going with Alaska's independent providers, so don't hesitate to shop around.

 

Any other advice you can give us, thanks.

You are in for a real treat, and if you're like most of us who post on this board, this will not be your last cruise to Alaska. There is just too much to see and do on one trip. Have fun with your planning.

[TheCalicoCat]

1. It's all about Alaska not the amenities on the ship. (So don't choose based on the ship or the cruise line - unless you are getting a super duper great deal.)

 

I'm in the camp that feels that Glacier Bay is a must. (Tracy Arm was mostly inaccessible last year & Hubbard isn't guaranteed either.)

 

After that, take time to decide what you want to see/do.

 

Salmon spawning - that rules out May & early June cruises. (We are sailing mid-late July for salmon/bears.)

 

the Russian part of America's history? Choose a trip that goes to Sitka. (This is not an often visited cruise port.)

 

Sitka also had Fortress of the Bears & Alaska raptor center - for a wildlife component. On our first cruise the eagles that we saw looked like golf balls in the tops of the trees.

 

Whale watching can be done on any line out of Juneau.

White Pass RR can be taken on any line out of Skagway.

Those are both common excursions - you have to decide if they are "must dos." (We didn't do either...)

 

FWIW as late 30's we chose HAL for the first time for our first Alaska Cruise - we wanted a round trip out of Vancouver because they sail to the east of Vancouver Island - the Canadian portion of the inside passage (all cruises visit the Alaska Portion of the Inside Passage), the ship was small, which was also important to us, & it sailed mid-week - which worked better for us.

 

We loved it so much that we chose HAL for our second AK cruise. (The 14-night sailing - nothing compared to that.)

[mamasylvia]

> Check every itinerary offered that is in your price range. Check/google things to do in each port.

 

Unless you are into serious information overload, I advise just the contrary. I started with CC's own cruise search engine to see what cruise lines did Glacier Bay, which was the "must see" I started with. Once I had that info, I looked at the cruise line web sites to look at the cruises in more detail, as well as ship amenities and available rooms/prices. Once I found we could take our adult children along free on NCL, our decision was made. lol I wanted an RT to minimize airfare and Seattle to be able to fly on Spirit.

 

I did try looking at the port and state websites but there is just so much information there I was overwhelmed. So I came back to CC, which was an excellent information source before our Caribbean cruise, and read old threads to see what people had liked and not liked. (The most helpful comments, of course, included *why* they had liked or not liked something, since we all have different preferences.) I prefer booking tours through the cruise line, both for the peace of mind of knowing the ship will wait for us if we are late and for the security that someone from the cruise line pays attention to whether the tour operators are doing a good job. But they are expensive, so I picked the ports we would do solo based (again) on what other cruisers reported they did outside of formal tours. Then I watched as excursions became available for our cruise and booked the 2 I wanted once they were listed.

 

As others have said, I don't believe there are any "bad" choices here, so whatever you choose should be an amazing trip. I can't wait for ours!

[LeftcoastBC]

Skagway has been mentioned. Make sure its on whatever ship's Itinerary you end up on. Sitka is unique also. Ketchikan and Juneau are almost interchangeable. Icy Point Strait is pretty old school except for the Zip line. & Those later three will get you out into whale country on private tours if you are inclined that way also.

 

Watch your timing in other Ports if you get on a ship that goes to Tracy Arm.

 

I agree with Glacier Bay and Hubbard second ..

 

I also agree with More Inside Passage opportunity out of Vancouver return. (both ways)

 

If you do go out of Seattle you will have a late PM stop in Victoria BC for legal and cruiseline money reasons. Which can be nice.

 

Flts into Seattle are usually cheaper than into Vancouver. But you can still transfer to Vancouver by bus or train to take advantage of a bit more country seen

 

Enjoy planning.

[SuperCrewBear]

Since you've cruised before you probably know how the different lines will sort of steer you to booking your shore excursions with them - they want their cut of the money. I mostly noticed that they try to scare you with the independent operators not getting you back in time and missing the boat. I personally like being a little more in control of planning and arranged my own activities. You can usually save a good bit of money doing it yourself. You can search on here for what you want to do and will then find the various vendors. I'm thinking it is extremely rare that anyone has been left at the dock waving bye-bye to their boat leaving without them because the operator didn't get you back early enough. Just a couple bad reviews would ruin a vendor's reputation quickly.

[OhJinkies]

I'll be taking my first Alaska cruise this June, but I've been planning it for a couple of years. Things you need to consider:

- If you're really interested in seeing Alaska, you may wish to consider a one-way cruise so you can spend more time visiting the interior. Several of the cruise lines offer cruise tours, or you can plan your own. I took a look at some of the tour itineraries offered through the cruise lines and third parties, used these as a starting point for ideas, and crafted my own land extension.

- Most of the one-way cruises travel between Vancouver, B.C. and Seward or Whittier in Alaska. My northbound cruise on the NCL Sun travels from Vancouver to Seward.

 

- What is important to you? I'm traveling alone, so it was easy for me to hone in on this, though I've changed my mind a few times. I'm talking about:

• The scenery: the snow-capped mountains, glaciers, etc. (I'm a Florida gal also so this is special for me) - via boat, bus, train, by air, etc.
  
• The wildlife: spotting elk, bears, eagles, whales, etc.
  
• The experiences: hiking, fishing, ziplining, dogsledding, walking on a glacier, etc.
  
• The shopping: picking up unique finds and great buys in port
  
• The culture/history: visiting museums, heritage centers, Native Alaskan villages, etc.
  
• The food: finding the best places to enjoy local favorites, fresh seafood, etc.
  

Do you enjoy planning your own experiences or leaving it to experienced professionals?

Are you more comfortable using ship-sponsored excursions, or do you like to seek out more personalized tours?

If you do plan to tour the interior, how will you and your party get around? Rent a car/van/RV? Take the train? Take a bus?

What kind of accommodations do you prefer? A full service hotel? A bed and breakfast? A private cabin?

It's easy to spend a LOT of money in Alaska, so you'll need to prioritize, and probably make some compromises along the way.

 

I've already booked all of my shore excursions (all third party) as well as the hotels, transport, and experiences I've chosen for my land extension. I've changed my mind a few times, but I'm really happy and excited about the choices I've made.

Happy planning!

Edited January 1, 2017 by OhJinkies

[xlxo]

My northbound cruise on the NCL Sun travels from Vancouver to Seward.

• The scenery: the snow-capped mountains, glaciers, etc. (I'm a Florida gal also so this is special for me) - via boat, bus, train, by air, etc.
  
• The wildlife: spotting elk, bears, eagles, whales, etc.
  
• The experiences: hiking, fishing, ziplining, dogsledding, walking on a glacier, etc.
  
• The food: finding the best places to enjoy local favorites, fresh seafood, etc.
  

Some thoughts....

• hope you have extra pre-cruise days in Vancouver for Grouse Mountain for some of your interests.
  
• You might want spend some time in Whistler pre-cruise too. Ask for the Sasquatch zip line.
  
• local food experiences? Check out Dim Sum in Vancouver for brunch. Vancouver has some great gelato and chocolate opportunities too.
  

[Budget Queen]

Alaska is worth all the extra time you can give- with a one way cruise.

 

If a round trip cruise, all good as well. :)

 

I suggest- FIRST= find out about EACH Alaska port and figure out what you would like to see and do in each. Each is VERY different from the other. There are only 6 possible Alaska ports on the inside passage.

 

Glacier scenic sailing is most always included. I find each area very worthwhile and what ever one you choose, you are missing others. You will find Glacier Bay gets labeled as a "must" by some people. I never use the word in Alaska. :) There is way too many areas of Alaska that fit a "must" description.

 

I caution you to look further. Claims that Princess and HAL are so superior, I just find not true. I have sailed all the major lines in Alaska with the exception of Disney. More similarities than differences. But, I cruise for - Alaska- the ship is only meals lodging and transportation. :)

 

I find doing your homework, before jumping into a booking a significant advantage. You become aware of the important details that can enhance your trip. Every season- there are reports of "mistakes" people make in their planning- with using wrong assumptions. Few are willing to do any "fixing", and stick with a lacking visit. Consider avoiding this.

[mickeysgal]

My spouse and I just went through the same decision process, and I can share with you the conclusions we reached based on the input we received here. Combine that with the input you'll receive based on your inquiry and hopefully your decision will be even more well-grounded than ours.

 

We decided that for us Glacier Bay was an essential part of an Alaska cruise. That limited the cruise lines in contention to Princess, Holland America and NCL. (Carnival does have a few cruises that include Glacier Bay, but not enough to have a chance of satisfying all the rest of our requirements.) I should note that I'm currently paranoid that due to a recent record fine assessed against Princess for illegal dumping, the NPS may withhold permission from Princess, and perhaps even the entirety of CCL (i.e., including Holland America and Carnival) to cruise Glacier Bay. I have no factual basis for this paranoia, though. YMMV. However, I think if we were deciding which cruise line to use now, we would have more seriously considered NCL (though I still think that they wouldn't have been able to satisfy the other requirements we had).

 

We were originally convinced that Princess was the way to go, but went with Holland America for several reasons, and despite one rather notable strength of Princess: After reviewing the available info, including trip reports and on-board newsletters, it seems that Princess has a bit more emphasis on having a naturalist on-board and presenting content all week, while Holland America doesn't seem to have that happening the whole cruise. (We've decided to make up for that lack by personal, pre-cruise reading.)

 

The most compelling reason we went with Holland America had to do with another priority we have: To minimize airline flights. We were willing to forego what many profess are advantages to one-way cruises to Alaska for the benefit of round-trip cruises to Alaska, in this regard. Again, YMMV. Once you make the decision to go round-trip, the itineraries break down into two groups: With one group (the Seattle, SF or LA round-trips) much more of the cruise's sea days are spent exposed to the open ocean. With the other group (the Vancouver round-trips), the itineraries generally go up the Inside Passage and back down the Inside Passage, and are only exposed to the open ocean along those parts of the coastline where there is no protected, waterway navigable by cruise ships. Beyond the benefits of traveling protected waterways, the Inside Passage is absolutely beautiful, from what I can tell. Being able to appreciate both sides of it from our cabin (one side going north, the other side coming back south) is a big advantage in our book. (Holland America has Vancouver round-trip cruises all summer. Princess only offers that itinerary in May and September, preferring to offer Seattle round-trips.)

 

We were also driven by some of the differences between the suites between the two cruise lines. While Princess' "strange" floorplan for the suites we were looking at looked better from the standpoint of separating the sitting area from the sleeping area, which is important since I typically wake up earlier than my spouse, the other included benefits on Holland America better fit our preferences. We also very much like the aft suite's wrap-around balcony on the Holland America ship on which we are cruising, a feature not available on the Princess ship we were considering.

 

My spouse also preferred that Holland America has done away with explicit formal nights, thereby simplifying her packing considerations.

 

In the end, the main takeaway from this is that the decision is so heavily driven by your own personal preferences and personal requirements that there is no actual answer to your questions except the answer you craft for yourself by learning from the advice of people who you are able to determine are people like yourself, with similar perspectives on travel, and who's advice is therefore a reflection of the same priorities that you yourself hold to.

 

Nicely said!

[Jason82]

Alaska is beautiful and we loved our cruise last year. We cruised Hubbard Glacier and saw it up close on a clear blue day. It was magestic, but when we go back we'd do glacier bay.

 

I'd say research and find an intinerary you love and then find a cruise to match it. Most will be very similar but will have different glaciers and possibly different port of calls (I.e Sitka vs Skagway). At the end of the day, you can't go wrong.

 

I'd highly recommend a whale watching excursion. We saw humpbacks up close and it was amazing. These will be available at virtually every port of call.

[TheCalicoCat]

 

Can anyone recommend a particular cruise line that does Alaska better than others? Choose an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay.

 

Which port and cruising area do you recommend? Most of them go to Juneau, Ketchikan, & Skagway. Sitka is in the area but less visited.

 

What tours at which port are a must? Depends on what you want to see/do. I have no interest in riding a train, but for others White Pass RR is a MUST.

 

Can the tours be booked on our own? or should we stick to the cruise tours? Both, but with few exceptions, I would not expect to find a great deal off the ship. (I booked my private AK excursions 9 months in advance.)

 

Any other advice you can give us, thanks.

 

1. Choose a cruise line that goes to Glacier Bay. (I may have said that before.)

 

I answered within, but my biggest piece of advice would be to decide what you want to do. If for example, you are interested in the Russian history in AK - go to Sitka. D? you want to see salmon spawning? Look into when they will be in the area & plan accordingly. (We want to see bears this time so we are sailing mid/late July.)

 

Don't discount any of the cruise lines that offer Glacier Bay.

 

After having only sailed on RCCL & Carnival, we chose HAL for the itinerary & loved it (late 30s early 40s with a 4.5 year old child). It was not like a senior center at sea.

 

Some people make a chart to help with the decision. All the cruise lines on the top, all of the ports &/or excursions on the side & choose thusly. (That is how we chose HAL - Glacier Bay, Vancouver round trip, mid-week embarkation.)

[Budget Queen]

1. Choose a cruise line that goes to Glacier Bay. (I may have said that before.)

 

 

You have been to all the other glacier sailing areas? Hubbard, Tracy Arm, Endicott Arm, College Fjords?

 

 

Although I get flamed that I go there so often. It gets assumed that with my suggesting the alternative glacier areas, it's a lacking choice. I do disagree. :) I enjoy ALL those areas and have found endless beauty in Alaska which I treasure. I find sailing glacier areas a jackpot of unexpected.

[Eaglecw]

You have been to all the other glacier sailing areas? Hubbard, Tracy Arm, Endicott Arm, College Fjords?

 

 

Although I get flamed that I go there so often. It gets assumed that with my suggesting the alternative glacier areas, it's a lacking choice. I do disagree. :) I enjoy ALL those areas and have found endless beauty in Alaska which I treasure. I find sailing glacier areas a jackpot of unexpected.

 

Budget Queen I hear you about getting flamed for going to Alaska so often we are in the same situation. We get flamed all the time for our trips to Alaska, we enjoy what we like to do, like you say the cruise ship is just transportation. I’ve lost track of how many cruises we’ve been on going to Alaska. Our niece and nephew and their families live in Alaska, both were school teachers in the native villages. If you want to see real Alaska go to the villages, now that is true Alaska. Most cruisers never see the real Alaska. The beauty of Alaska is the treasure.

[Budget Queen]

Budget Queen I hear you about getting flamed for going to Alaska so often we are in the same situation. We get flamed all the time for our trips to Alaska, we enjoy what we like to do, like you say the cruise ship is just transportation. I’ve lost track of how many cruises we’ve been on going to Alaska. Our niece and nephew and their families live in Alaska, both were school teachers in the native villages. If you want to see real Alaska go to the villages, now that is true Alaska. Most cruisers never see the real Alaska. The beauty of Alaska is the treasure.

 

It's only a suggestion- to not, so quickly "dismiss", some excellent cruising options. :)

The assumptions that I compromise on my repeat trips, simply is not true for me.