Alaska Itineraries question

[lovevacadays]

We are considering an Alaska cruise in 2018. None of us has ever done Alaska. Which of the two below would you chose and why? The first is on the Star and the second on the Ruby. The Star only has that sailing in May. The Ruby all through summer and we are flexible in terms of when we go. I also saw an Emerald cruise that has the same itinerary as the Ruby except it has Tracy Arm Fjord instead of Glacier Bay.

 

 

Inside Passage (with Glacier Bay National Park)

Map

7 Days | 4 Ports of Call

Port order and/or content may vary, please check specific sailing date for details. Port arrival and departure times are approximate and subject to change without notice. For more information please review the Passage Contract.

DatePortArriveDepart

Sat, May 5 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada View excursions 04:30 pm

Sun, May 6 At Sea View onboard experience

Mon, May 7 Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) View excursions11:00 am 07:30 pm

Tue, May 8 Skagway, Alaska View excursions07:00 am 08:30 pm

Wed, May 9 Juneau, Alaska View excursions06:00 am 04:00 pm

Thu, May 10 Ketchikan, Alaska View excursions10:00 am 06:00 pm

Fri, May 11 At Sea View onboard experience

Sat, May 12 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada View excursions07:30 am

 

 

Port order and/or content may vary, please check specific sailing date for details. Port arrival and departure times are approximate and subject to change without notice. For more information please review the Passage Contract.

DatePortArriveDepart

Sat, Apr 28 Seattle, Washington View excursions 04:00 pm

Sun, Apr 29 At Sea View onboard experience

Mon, Apr 30 Juneau, Alaska View excursions11:00 am 10:00 pm

Tue, May 1 Skagway, Alaska View excursions06:00 am 08:15 pm

Wed, May 2 Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) View excursions06:00 am 03:00 pm

Thu, May 3 Ketchikan, Alaska View excursions07:00 am 01:00 pm

Fri, May 4 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada View excursions07:00 pm 11:59 pm

Sat, May 5 Seattle, Washington View excursions07:00 am

 

Thanks

Michelle

[Colo Cruiser]

The Star does not have a Riviera deck, hence 500 less passengers.

[travel_nuts]

We think the first itinerary because we like the last day to be a sea day. Additionally you will enjoy the inside passage that is not mentioned in the second. In either case you will really have a great time, I'm sure.

 

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[cruzsnooze]

Have you considered the one that goes round trip out of San Pedro since you could drive to the pier and avoid flying?

[Poohbeck]

We just booked our Alaskan cruise for 2018 today! :)

 

I'd book the first one in your post. From what I read you have to go to Glacier Bay, and I'd pick leaving out of Vancouver and not Seattle. If you leave from Seattle you have to port in BC which is not Alaska and you are opting to go on an Alaskan cruise so why not make sure all ports are in Alaska.:)

 

We are doing the one way from Vancouver to Whittier, with ports in Ketchican, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, and College Fjords.

 

Good luck!

[KruzeKrazy!]

Both port lists are the same and include 2 days we love - Glacier Bay and Skagway.

 

Option 1 has the advantage of the inside passage.

 

Option 2 has the advantage of Seattle which if flying often times can be a bit cheaper and easier from the U.S. for U.S. citizens.

 

If flight cost and connections, etc. are similar I'd lean toward option 1.

[KARENMAZ]

What did you like most in Skagway? I haven't booked an excursion there yet. (We're not into flying or kayaking!)

[Cruisin' Chick]

If you would like to use a pool on a cruise, the Star has a covered pool while I don't think the Ruby does.

[nanabananna]

One our first Alaskan cruise we did Seattle round trip. I just saw that your dates for that cruise are late April and early May. We went early July and wore our coats in Juneau and Skagway. It was cold and a drizzly rain. Even the Vancouver cruise date, it is a possibility it will be cold as well.

 

On either cruise be sure to pack coats and all weather shoes.

 

In Skagway we rode the White Pass train round trip, however, I now would ride it one way and motorcoach the opposite direction on the Klondike Hwy. We also did an excursion of Liarsville and we even panned for Gold! That was a fun excursion and not at a big cost.

 

Remember you will have to have a passport card or Passport book if you are doing the Seattle RT cruise. If you decide to fly in and out of Vancouver you would need the passport book.

 

I think either of these cruises are wonderful. Just make the decision, which can be tuff, of the one you would enjoy the most. Which ever one you decide I think you will have the time of your life.

 

We are heading back to Alaska the end of May, this year. Ours is a landcruise starting in Fairbanks and ending in Vancouver on Star Princess.

 

Just have fun planning.

Sandra :D

[geoherb]

If the cost of airfare and the cruises were the same, I'd go with the first option. But if I had to pay considerably more, I wouldn't mind sailing from Seattle again. We've done it twice and had great cruises both times. The one time we went to Vancouver was on a one-way southbound cruise from Alaska to there. That was also great. We had five days in Alaska before the cruise.

[KruzeKrazy!]

What did you like most in Skagway? I haven't booked an excursion there yet. (We're not into flying or kayaking!)

White Pass train ride. You catch it right by where the ships dock and it goes up through and into the mountains. Nice ride, nice scenery, and then still time to walk around town afterward.

[Blue and Green]

We went one way from Vancouver to Whittier, with ports in Ketchican, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, and College Fjord and loved the inside passage. We actually flew into Seattle a couple days before our cruise, and then took Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver...an easy, scenic trip. Coming home, we flew from Anchorage to Seattle, Seattle to home (Michigan). We were on the Coral Princess...loved the smaller size, the promenade deck, and we used the covered pool once or twice.

[Colo Cruiser]

I agree, do the White Pass train in Skagway.

[lovevacadays]

Have you considered the one that goes round trip out of San Pedro since you could drive to the pier and avoid flying?

 

I saw that one but don't mind flying and would rather spend a few days in our embarkation port exploring than sailing north in the Pacific Ocean in April.

 

I'm thinking the Star for many of the reasons including listed and I'd love a few days in Vancouver. It's going to be a 60th birthday cruise with friends. We were going to do the Mexican Riviera but I'm doing that this year. Plus, one in our party doesn't want to do Mexico.

 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

[caribill]

We are considering an Alaska cruise in 2018. None of us has ever done Alaska. Which of the two below would you chose and why? The first is on the Star and the second on the Ruby. The Star only has that sailing in May. The Ruby all through summer and we are flexible in terms of when we go. I also saw an Emerald cruise that has the same itinerary as the Ruby except it has Tracy Arm Fjord instead of Glacier Bay.

 

 

Inside Passage (with Glacier Bay National Park)

Map

7 Days | 4 Ports of Call

Port order and/or content may vary, please check specific sailing date for details. Port arrival and departure times are approximate and subject to change without notice. For more information please review the Passage Contract.

DatePortArriveDepart

Sat, May 5 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada View excursions 04:30 pm

Sun, May 6 At Sea View onboard experience

Mon, May 7 Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) View excursions11:00 am 07:30 pm

Tue, May 8 Skagway, Alaska View excursions07:00 am 08:30 pm

Wed, May 9 Juneau, Alaska View excursions06:00 am 04:00 pm

Thu, May 10 Ketchikan, Alaska View excursions10:00 am 06:00 pm

Fri, May 11 At Sea View onboard experience

Sat, May 12 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada View excursions07:30 am

 

 

Port order and/or content may vary, please check specific sailing date for details. Port arrival and departure times are approximate and subject to change without notice. For more information please review the Passage Contract.

DatePortArriveDepart

Sat, Apr 28 Seattle, Washington View excursions 04:00 pm

Sun, Apr 29 At Sea View onboard experience

Mon, Apr 30 Juneau, Alaska View excursions11:00 am 10:00 pm

Tue, May 1 Skagway, Alaska View excursions06:00 am 08:15 pm

Wed, May 2 Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) View excursions06:00 am 03:00 pm

Thu, May 3 Ketchikan, Alaska View excursions07:00 am 01:00 pm

Fri, May 4 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada View excursions07:00 pm 11:59 pm

Sat, May 5 Seattle, Washington View excursions07:00 am

 

Thanks

Michelle

 

The earliest I have sailed to Alaska was the end of May. Before that the amount of ice can mean reduced entry into the bays or arms with the glaciers.

[lstone19]

We think the first itinerary because we like the last day to be a sea day. Additionally you will enjoy the inside passage that is not mentioned in the second. In either case you will really have a great time, I'm sure.

 

The Apr 28 cruise has "Inside Passage" in its title as well although the OP didn't quote it. That said, "Inside Passage" seems just be what Princess calls the round-trip cruises out of Seattle or occasionally Vancouver to distinguish them from the one-way "Voyage of the Glaciers" cruises. AFAIK, no cruise does the true Inside Passage anymore because the ships are too big. Our first Alaska cruise on Sky Princess in 1993 went "inside" going up the Lama Passage past Bella Bella, winding around the islands, and up the Grenville Channel. Our second in 2001 on Dawn Princess just stayed well out to sea (Dawn Princess and the other Sun class ships are all smaller than anything Princess regularly operates in Alaska today). What time was spent "inside" (Seymour Narrows / Johnstone Strait / Queen Charlotte Strait at the north end of Vancouver Island) all occurred in the late night / overnight hours. I expect that the sea days at the beginning and end of both cruises to be spent well out to sea.

[tinybiny]

I have cruised similar sailings on another line. I actually love both Seattle and Vancouver. If you are going to add days before or after the cruise, think about what you want to do during that time. Vancouver is really great and we only spend one night there, but loved it so much we will go back for a Vancouver only stay at some point.

 

A benefit to the Seattle cruise is the stop in Victoria. Even though it is a later stop, there will be nice excursions there. Victoria is a very charming city and Butchart Gardens is worth a visit.

 

You may also want to consider what you will do in each port. The Seattle cruise has a very short stay in Ketchikan. I've been to Ketchikan twice and have no desire to go back, so the short stay wouldn't matter to me, but if you have your heart set on something that requires more time, you'll want to do the Vancouver cruise.

[sherryf]

 

Remember you will have to have a passport card or Passport book if you are doing the Seattle RT cruise. If you decide to fly in and out of Vancouver you would need the passport book.

 

Not true. You can sail round trip from Seattle with only a birth certificate and valid government issued photo ID.

 

Also, the Emerald itinerary is not "the same" as the Ruby itinerary except for Tracy Arm instead of Glacier Bay. It goes to the same ports but the port times are different, which can make a difference in what excursions you will have time for. The difference in time in Ketchikan is significant. Always look carefully at port times when comparing similar cruises!

[lovevacadays]

Not true. You can sail round trip from Seattle with only a birth certificate and valid government issued photo ID.

 

Also, the Emerald itinerary is not "the same" as the Ruby itinerary except for Tracy Arm instead of Glacier Bay. It goes to the same ports but the port times are different, which can make a difference in what excursions you will have time for. The difference in time in Ketchikan is significant. Always look carefully at port times when comparing similar cruises!

 

I am an experienced cruiser and I realize the times in the ports are different. Thank you for correcting me and thank your correction to the other poster. Are you a teacher?

[martincath]

Unless you save a metric crapton of cash on the second option, the first seems vastly superior to me. A week later this early in the season does make a difference - more sunshine, a little closer into driest period (still, layer, layer, and layer the clothes regardless!)

 

A half-assed Victoria stop is also not worthwhile. You're too early for real cruise season to have kicked in, so while downtown will be lit up and some tours available Victoria is primarily a PVSA compliance stop for this RT cruise, not a real 'have time to actually see the place' port stop. Most of the touristy sites will be buttoned up two hours before your ship gets into port - including Butchart which shuts at 5pm in April/May. Evening tours with artificial lighting sometimes happen for cruisers, but if so you'd have to take a seriously over-priced ship tour to get in.

 

Others already mentioned Tracy Arm is unlikely to be seen early in the season - but maybe you want to spend the ~$200pp on a small-boat tour that could get you up close? Glacier Bay though is wide so easier to navigate even with ice, you always see multiple glaciers, calving is relatively common.

 

Plus of course a Vancouver stay pre- or post-cruise (both if you're sensible and have the vaycay time!) is much more enticing than Seattle;-) And if you do decide to pre- and post-, you could even get over to the island, spend enough time in Victoria to actually see stuff!

 

YYJ is an international airport so you could consider pricing up flights to or from there to avoid repeat ferry/floatplane crossings to the mainland - or ferry from Victoria right to Seattle if SEA is offering some bargain flight deals.

[sdt12345]

We are on the first itinerary in late May and looking for info and fellow cruisers. Our first time with Princess

 

 

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