Alaska for couple in their 50's and traveling with two in mid 20's

[Ctart]

I am in the process of looking for a cruise this summer. Which cruise would be the best traveling with mid twenty year olds. I also prefer to either leave from Seattle or Vancouver Any suggestions? We are hoping not to be with tons of small children and prefer not the high ships

[Keith1010]

What many people will tell you is that when you select an Alaska cruise begin with the itinerary rather then the cruise line.

 

At their age most of the cruise lines will work well so I wouldn't do anything special. We have traveled with our children at their ages and sailed Alaska many times.

 

You will find less children on an Alaska cruise then you will say sailing the Caribbean but during the months of late June, July and early August you will see many families and that is even true on luxury lines these days.

 

A good source of Alaska information is the Alaska Ports Of Call Board.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=55

 

Some lines sail out of Seattle. Others out of Vancouver. Others out of both.

 

If you can find a cruise that include Glacier Bay I recommend that.

 

Also look closely at the time you are in ports. Some lines might show visits to many popular Alaska ports but some of them have sub-optimal stops with only part of a day in a port rather then most of a day.

 

Keith

[Sequim88]

Virtually all (except maybe a few repositionings) out of Seattle are Round-trip. Vancouver has both R/T and one-way which will involve an Anchorage flight. Seattle R/T routes go "outside" Vancouver Is. so are more exposed to Pacific Ocean. Vancouver R/Ts go "inside" the island where water is generally calmer.

 

not the high ships

??? :confused:

Not sure if this means high "cost" ships or physically "tall" ships. Holland America's fleet has generally smaller ships than other lines but their only "small" ship R/T from Seattle this year is Amsterdam and it is doing 14 nt cruises. The 7 nt cruises are on Eurodam and Oosterdam which are medium size relative to the cruise industry but at the larger end for HAL.

 

Because of HAL's reputation for catering to an older clientele (deserved or not) they do tend to not attract the younger parents who have small children. Better chance for teens than pre-school age.

 

Whichever - Vancouver or Seattle - try to allow 2-3 days pre/post cruise for local touring. Lots to see at both.

[Ctart]

I am in the process of looking for a cruise this summer. Which cruise would be the best traveling with mid twenty year olds. I also prefer to either leave from Seattle or Vancouver Any suggestions? We are hoping not to be with tons of small children and prefer not the high end ships[/

[Nic6318]

I am in the process of looking for a cruise this summer. Which cruise would be the best traveling with mid twenty year olds. I also prefer to either leave from Seattle or Vancouver Any suggestions? We are hoping not to be with tons of small children and prefer not the high ships

 

 

Hi there

 

Welcome to cruise critic.

 

So you understand, when school is out there will be more children on board than when they are still in school. That being said Alaska attracts an older audience.

 

There are many "not high end" (if that's what you mean) cruise lines that go to Alaska. There is Princess, Norwegian, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Holland America. I think that you would have a good time on any of these, but I must say that Holland America and Celebrity would attract an older crowd than the others. (if that's what you mean by "best travelling with some mid-twenties") I don't know, there would be people that age on all of them, just more on the others, if that matters.

 

One thing about Alaskan cruises is that while the cruise themselves may seem reasonably priced, it is what you do off the ship that can easily cost more than the cruise. You can travel on a budget but you will need to do some research. If you want to do the helicopter flights onto a glacier, it will cost a lot more.

 

As was said your first task is to determine which itinerary would allow you to see what would interest your family. This site is an excellent source for research. If you go to the main forum page you will see a section specific to "port of calls". In this section there is a link for "Alaska" and "Canada (Alaska/Pacific costal)". Both these links will be a wealth of information. Use it in conjunction with other websites such as tripadvisor. If there are any things you are unsure of, ask on those threads.

 

Just above the port of call threads there are threads titled "North American homeports"...click on the link for westcoast departures. You will find tons of information on the port cities where you at likely to be leaving/returning to (Seattle, Vancouver). You will find info. on everything...taxis, hotels, restaurants, public transport. This will save you time and money.

 

Once you decide on the itinerary, get going on booking. Find the ships that go where you want to go. This as well as the week you want to travel might narrow your search to only one or two ships. I would suggest hurry. Many people plan these cruises more than a year in advance. If you want to travel this summer, this is not early planning. You have to realize that Alaska is a seasonal destination.

 

hope this helps, good hunting

have a great cruise

[Flatbush Flyer]

I am in the process of looking for a cruise this summer. Which cruise would be the best traveling with mid twenty year olds. I also prefer to either leave from Seattle or Vancouver Any suggestions? We are hoping not to be with tons of small children and prefer not the high ships

 

 

If you're talking about airfare and excursions for four individuals, higher end ships may be exactly what you should be looking at since they often include airfare plus many other amenities (e.g., excursions) for which you will be "nickel/dimed" on mass market lines.

 

 

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