Which Alaska Itinerary is best?

[e8008530853]

We have always used RCCL to cruise the caribbean but now it's time to go to Alaska. Need opinions on which itinerary is best: Round trip from Seattle or one way from Seward to Vancouver. Pros and cons of each would be great to hear.:)

[Clarea]

The one-way trips see more of Alaska, and have the added advantage of offering the option of a land-based tour portion.

[GJustice]

Back in the old days (2003/4) the Inside Passage circuits went from Vancouver all the way to Hubbard Glacier and back. NOW you have to go to Seward to get to see Hubbard Glacier.

 

I personally think Hubbard Glacier is a must-see, other than that, they seem to be pretty similar.

 

There's PLENTY to see on both.

[Kissmya63]

We did one-way - Anchorage to Vancouver. MIL went a month later and did round trip Seattle and said the seas were pretty rough.

 

I think you see far more of Alaska if you do the one-way.

 

Carol

[cruzgryphon]

Would definitely do the one way. On the round trip from Seattle you waste at least one day at sea before entering the Inside Passage. With the one way you'll spend the time in the Inside Passage and the northern part (can't remember if it's part of the Inside Passage or not, but at the least you'll have more scenery to look at compared to the round trip).

[Nado44]

I personally think the ideal way to see Alaska is one of two ways:

 

1. Southbound from Seward to Vancouver with a land-based tour prior to embarkation. Denali and Fairbanks are musts.

 

2. Back to back (B2B) from Vancouver to Seward and back to Vancouver.

 

Have done Alaska twice and have sailed from Seattle once. Seas were smooth and like glass each time. We also had sunny, 80+ degree weather throughout the entire Alaska cruise in June 2012! Can't imagine seas being rough.

 

Good luck.

[Budget Queen]

There is NO BEST. I find it very narrow thinking to eliminate possibilities that could be excellent choices. Frankly- if you want to know "best" for "Alaska", then I just got off it, all three glacier areas and 5 of the 6 Alaska inside passage ports. :) Of course, it's an "example", that you will see rave reviews with Alaska crusies. Each will offer you some gem of Alaska

 

Instead- I strongly suggest starting elsewhere, before jumping into a cruise selection. Take a look at the glacier options, plenty to read and look at online. Especially important- which is frequently lacking in some researchers, is to KNOW the details of each Alaska port. Each is very different and worth while. Figure out, what would occupy your time there, touring, activities. KNOWING all this in advance goes a long way toward YOU making a great decision for your trip. Narrowing down your choices gives a much better feature for fine tuning the selections rather than just surface looking at lists. My opinion only.

 

Determine what you want out of this trip and what is most important to you. This is going to run the whole range from the "once in a lifetime" Alaska thinking to really liking a particular cruise ship/line. Essential you be true to yourself. Doesn't matter what anyone else states is a must. :) :) :)

[xlxo]

Vancouver is a big port.... need extra days there to take it all in.

[GradUT]

There is NO BEST. I find it very narrow thinking to eliminate possibilities that could be excellent choices. Frankly- if you want to know "best" for "Alaska", then I just got off it, all three glacier areas and 5 of the 6 Alaska inside passage ports. :) Of course, it's an "example", that you will see rave reviews with Alaska crusies. Each will offer you some gem of Alaska

 

Instead- I strongly suggest starting elsewhere, before jumping into a cruise selection. Take a look at the glacier options, plenty to read and look at online. Especially important- which is frequently lacking in some researchers, is to KNOW the details of each Alaska port. Each is very different and worth while. Figure out, what would occupy your time there, touring, activities. KNOWING all this in advance goes a long way toward YOU making a great decision for your trip. Narrowing down your choices gives a much better feature for fine tuning the selections rather than just surface looking at lists. My opinion only.

 

Determine what you want out of this trip and what is most important to you. This is going to run the whole range from the "once in a lifetime" Alaska thinking to really liking a particular cruise ship/line. Essential you be true to yourself. Doesn't matter what anyone else states is a must. :) :) :)

 

This is EXCELLENT advice.

[jskinsd]

How come nobody ever mentions how much to spend. If money is not a problem, then just going to Alaska your first time will be memorable. You can pay to see any wildlife you want to. Bears, Orcas, Humpbacks, Eagles, etc. But if you like to watch paint dry like me, then being outside with my binoculars and playing "Wheres Waldo" is why I go to Alaska. After over 30 Alaskan cruises, I had never seen a Puffin off the ship. My priority this time was to see one so I paid for one of my rare tours. Sounds pretty silly to go just for a Puffin but Sitka was on the itinerary. I got my Puffin and a lot more. I want to thank Budget Queen for her advise and knowledge. I even had the chance of meeting this wonderful woman on the NCL Sun's one shot cruise last week. And we saw so much of Mother Nature's beauty that it ranks as one of my best cruises.;p

Two different people, two different ways, and one common goal. A passion for Alaska.:D

That being said just go and plan on returning to Alaska in the future to get what you missed the first. If you think you get Alaska all in one shot, then why go back again.:confused:

[NancyIL]

There is NO BEST. I find it very narrow thinking to eliminate possibilities that could be excellent choices. Frankly- if you want to know "best" for "Alaska", then I just got off it, all three glacier areas and 5 of the 6 Alaska inside passage ports. :) Of course, it's an "example", that you will see rave reviews with Alaska crusies. Each will offer you some gem of Alaska

 

Yep - NCL Sun's 14-night itinerary was an excellent one, and I was booked on it for awhile. Unfortunately, its dates overlapped my previously-booked Radiance of the Seas Honolulu to Vancouver cruise. When my husband. chose Hawaii over Alaska, I cancelled the Sun.

 

The next best thing was for me to stay on Radiance for its 9-night northbound cruise that visited all 6 inside passage ports plus Hubbard Glacier - and Seward. In order to not violate the PVSA - I also had to take the 7-night southbound cruise and disembark in Vancouver (today) - but it gave me the opportunity to do my bucket list excursions in the repeated ports. I took the Adventure Bound boat tour to Tracy Arm from Juneau, and I booked a Glacier Bay flight from Haines. Unfortunately, the weather in Haines didn't cooperate and the flight was cancelled. The only way to improve on the Alaska portion would've been to do a land trip. Next time! 🙂

[Budget Queen]

Yep - NCL Sun's 14-night itinerary was an excellent one, and I was booked on it for awhile. Unfortunately, its dates overlapped my previously-booked Radiance of the Seas Honolulu to Vancouver cruise. When my husband. chose Hawaii over Alaska, I cancelled the Sun.

 

The next best thing was for me to stay on Radiance for its 9-night northbound cruise that visited all 6 inside passage ports plus Hubbard Glacier - and Seward. In order to not violate the PVSA - I also had to take the 7-night southbound cruise and disembark in Vancouver (today) - but it gave me the opportunity to do my bucket list excursions in the repeated ports. I took the Adventure Bound boat tour to Tracy Arm from Juneau, and I booked a Glacier Bay flight from Haines. Unfortunately, the weather in Haines didn't cooperate and the flight was cancelled. The only way to improve on the Alaska portion would've been to do a land trip. Next time! 🙂

 

I'm getting on the Radiance today just back from meeting a friend on it enjoying the morning together. (Didn't know he was on it, until this week. We late book).

 

I enjoy every visit I make to Alaska and make the most of it.

[Budget Queen]

How come nobody ever mentions how much to spend. If money is not a problem, then just going to Alaska your first time will be memorable. You can pay to see any wildlife you want to. Bears, Orcas, Humpbacks, Eagles, etc. But if you like to watch paint dry like me, then being outside with my binoculars and playing "Wheres Waldo" is why I go to Alaska. After over 30 Alaskan cruises, I had never seen a Puffin off the ship. My priority this time was to see one so I paid for one of my rare tours. Sounds pretty silly to go just for a Puffin but Sitka was on the itinerary. I got my Puffin and a lot more. I want to thank Budget Queen for her advise and knowledge. I even had the chance of meeting this wonderful woman on the NCL Sun's one shot cruise last week. And we saw so much of Mother Nature's beauty that it ranks as one of my best cruises.;p

Two different people, two different ways, and one common goal. A passion for Alaska.:D

That being said just go and plan on returning to Alaska in the future to get what you missed the first. If you think you get Alaska all in one shot, then why go back again.:confused:

 

It was an absolute privilege to have met you. :) :)

[NancyIL]

I'm getting on the Radiance today just back from meeting a friend on it enjoying the morning together. (Didn't know he was on it, until this week. We late book).

 

I enjoy every visit I make to Alaska and make the most of it.

Enjoy your Radiance cruise! Captain Trym is an excellent captain.

[new_cruiser]

The following is from researching our cruise choice. This summer will be our first Alaska cruise.

 

We chose a one-way so we can spend some time exploring Alaska on by land at the end of the cruise. The one-way cruises leave from Vancouver because to do a one way between two US ports one needs to have a distant foreign port during the cruise.

 

If doing a 7-day round trip, I like the itineraries that leave from Vancouver better because they have more time to visit ports and scenic areas. The Seattle 7-day round trips have a stop in Canada (often Victoria Island for just a few evening hours) and you don't have as much time for Alaska.

 

For the time window when I was booking, HAL Northbound Glacier Discovery was my first choice amongst the mass-market companies because it cruises both Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay. Also the cruise had good times for the ports and no formal nights (no-one in our party likes formal nights).

 

For comparison, the HAL round trip from Vancouver doesn't visit Hubbard - it has a second day of cruising the Inside Passage instead because it has to return to Vancouver. Other than that, it has similar port times to the Northbound (it has a morning stop at Tracy Arm for people who want to board the small boat excursion followed by a half day in Juneau instead of a full day).

 

Round trip from Seattle, there is more cruising time so Juneau port time is 1 PM to 9 PM without the Tracy Arm visit and Ketchican is just a morning stop. There is an evening stop in Victoria, BC. The glacier day on that one is Hubbard rather than Glacier Bay. It does have Sitka instead of Skagway. Some people prefer Sitka - it is a less common stop.

 

We found a good price on Crystal with a similar itinerary to the HAL Northbound so ended up choosing that.

 

My first choice would actually have been one of the small ship Alaska cruises, probably Uncruise or Alaska Dream, but my traveling companions weren't feeling as adventurous and the prices are pretty steep. Or Linblad Expeditions but that is even more expensive.

 

*Talking about days gets confusing because when the land-based tour industry says something is x days, it usually means that it is x-1 nights of lodging - they count the partial day at the start and the partial at the end. Cruises generally do it the other way where x days means x nights - they only count one of the partial days.

Edited June 2, 2017 by new_cruiser