Questions About Choosing an Alaskan Cruise?

[globe9]

I've cruised to Alaska once on a 14 day cruise departing from San Francisco back in the late 80's on Sitmar's Fairsky. I was about 12 and the experience was fantastic.

 

The wife has never been to Alaska and would like to cruise there for her birthday in 2018. I've been looking at some cruises on some different lines and I'm more than a little confused. Looks like they now have 1 way cruises that depart from Seward, AK or Seattle. Also RT's that leave from Seattle or Vancouver. You can also now choose different itineraries like "Inside Passage" or "Tracy Arm Fjord" etc.

 

We want to do a 7 day RT out of Seattle or Vancouver and would like to book a balcony as I hear that Alaska is one cruise where a balcony is almost a necessity. I'm assuming it's cheaper to get RT flights to Seattle rather than Vancouver? We'd be flying out of Dallas, TX.

The wife's birthday is in July, but she's ok with cruising in May to avoid tons of children, plus we hear the cruise is a little cheaper in May and September. Was told not to book a Sept. cruise though b/c it's the rainy season.

 

Which lines offer the best deals? From my cursory glance, it looks like it'll be at least $1600 p/p for a balcony on almost any of the lines(Carnival/Princess/RCCL/NCL etc). Anyway to find better deals? Would a TA be helpful with that? I figure with airfare we're probably looking at like $4-5K total for both of us. I certainly liked it better when I was 12 and my parents paid for this:D

Edited June 5, 2017 by globe9

[Sea Hag]

I like Princess, and I like going to Glacier Bay rather than Tracy Arm. Tracy Arm can be great, but it's iffy in terms of getting anywhere close to where you can see the glacier well. If there's a lot of ice in the water, the ship won't go far enough down the fjord for it to be anything other than disappointing. That's not the case with Glacier Bay. Ruby Princess does round trip Seattle with Glacier Bay.

 

We've gone in both May and September, and you may get a lot of rain in either of those months. You may get a lot of rain in ANY month. Take your rain gear and layers of clothes.

 

I believe it is almost always cheaper to fly into Seattle, if not always cheaper.

 

We don't ever consider a balcony a necessity, but that's a personal choice on anybody's part. There're plenty of open decks on the ship if you don't get a balcony. Think about how much time you'd actually spend on a balcony if you got one. You may decide it's well worth the money - or not.

[champagne123]

Even though I am not the OP, I appreciate this information, as we are planning our retirement cruise. Great advice!

[Essiesmom]

I have done Alaska twice, B2B 7 day cruises each time, both times in an inside cabin. I don't feel I missed anything by not having a balcony. I feel three cruises in inside cabins beats one with a balcony. Both times visited Glacier Bay. Just a note that no large ship has been able to get into Tracy Arm yet this year. Ships have been going down Endicott Arm instead, to Dawes Glacier. EM

[Aquahound]

You'll get mixed responses on this, but here is my take after having a taken a couple Alaska cruises.

 

Yes...definitely get a balcony. When it comes to an Alaskan cruise, quality beats quantity. Even if you don't use the balcony much, you still have the floor-to-ceiling window. Remember, it stays light late. Some of my fondest memories were on my balcony. I will never forget waking up to a view of Mt St Elias, an 18,000 ft peak. Also, taking in the view before going to bed was so peaceful. Seeing whales, birds, other ships so close in the Inside Passage it felt like I could touch them. These were very special parts of my cruises that would have been missed if not for those balconies.

 

Cruise lines are even more subjective. I've been to Glacier Bay on HAL, which was awesome, but I've also done a one-way Seward to Vancouver cruise on Celebrity that, in my opinion, was better overall.

 

If you do a round trip, I recommend Vancouver over Seattle. Seattle trips have to stop in Victoria or Vancouver because of the PVSA. That's one less Alaska day. Plus, Seattle cruises skip the best part of the Inside Passage.

[Keith1010]

globe9 if you have questions specific to Alaska I would post them on the Alaska ports of call board.

 

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

 

In terms of pricing, you will find lower prices on lines such as Carnival, and NCL and RCI.

 

Next would be others you mentioned Holland and Princess.

 

But you just never know so just best to look at the pricing for each one. Sign up for promotional e mails too.

 

Getting a TA is a good move. Ask friends for recommendations on that.

 

Keith

[cruzinfamilyof4]

Princess has a roundtrip out of San Francisco. We did this a couple years age and loved it so much that we are doing it again this year. Last time we did an inside which was worked fine, but this time since we aren't paying to take kids we are getting a balcony and very much looking forward to it. Glacier Bay (which is spectacular) and Skagway were on our itinerary last time. This time we are going to Icy Strait Point and Tracy Arm Fjord. I'm not sure you can go wrong with what ever it is you pick!

[SantaFeFan]

I like Princess, and I like going to Glacier Bay rather than Tracy Arm. Tracy Arm can be great, but it's iffy in terms of getting anywhere close to where you can see the glacier well. If there's a lot of ice in the water, the ship won't go far enough down the fjord for it to be anything other than disappointing. That's not the case with Glacier Bay. Ruby Princess does round trip Seattle with Glacier Bay.

 

Grand Princess was scheduled to enter Tracy Arm Fjord last week but went to Endicott Arm Fjord instead due to too much ice. People say Endicott is even better since the ship can get closer to the glacier than in Tracy Arm. I have not been to either, so only reporting what I have read. Here is a link to the thread last week on the Princess forum about the detour. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2506493

[LucyR.]

Hi Every Body! I prefer to cruise out of Seattle to Seattle because it is our American country and this advise is for Americans because times have changed and now many airports are being very careful and I am sure that Canada/Vancouver is also being very careful. It creates long lines of people. Last time I departed on a plane from Vancouver.... I was harrassed by a customs officer as I am sitting in a wheel chair being taken to the Delta airline gate. I was being pushed by a Delta employee. I finally said to the customs man that he could look at my Delta plane ticket that I was going back home to Los Angeles, Calif. I had just gotten off a CRUISE SHIP and was flying home on the same day. TIMES HAVE CHANGED.

 

I have cruised 5 times to Alaska on different cruise ships. All the ships are wonderful.

 

You must go to Glacier Bay because you will save $220. by not having to take a small boat to see the Glaciers because Tracey Arm F. YOU don't get to see any Glaciers. You have to pay to see them.

 

Visiting Victoria B.C. is a wonderful experience to see that port too.

 

Presently, I am cruising to Alaska on the Emerald Princess ship on July 23rd, 2017. Next month. lol.

I noticed the balconies are presently selling for $1,500. per person plus $220. for taxes, fees, etc.

I AM SINGLE SO I AM CRUISING WITH A SINGLES GROUP. I just need to be with other single people.

My advise is to choose the BEST DEAL ON ANY SHIP. Cheaper to also depart from Seattle RT. LucyR.

[Sequim88]

Everything from Seattle is Round Trip. All the one-ways to/from Alaska are to/from Vancouver. There are also R/Ts out of Vancouver. For US residents airfare will (generally) be less expensive to/from Seattle, a bit more to/from Vancouver and a one-way to/from Anchorage in combo with Vancouver will be the most on that score. Option on R/T Vancouver is fly Seattle and take train or rental car to Vancouver.

 

R/Ts from Seattle go "outside" Vancouver Is. and are exposed to open ocean. From Vancouver they stay behind the island in some pretty passages although most of it is at night mostly in the dark. Return is also either outside the island or inside to Vancouver. Seattle R/T makes a mostly worthless little stop at Victoria in the evening/night.

 

Beyond those considerations the rest is itinerary. Most prefer ones that stop at Glacier Bay. HAL and Princess ahve the best access to GB. On one week cruises Sitka and Skagway are (generally) mutually exclusive - one or the other. Skagway has more to do but Sitka is prettier. Some itineraries include Icy Strait Point a sort of contrived tourist destination operated by the native corporation at nearby Hoonah.

 

Some say balcony is a must but others feel that with the weather generally pretty cold, wet and windy they do not get used much and an Oceanview is just as useful but a lot less cost. Even people who prefer insides (for darkness in the midnight sun) say they spend most of their time in places where they can see both directions (either inside or on deck) and not miss one side. Being in an inside "forces" them to get out where they can see more.

[Mary Ellen]

We've done over a dozen Alaska cruises in the the past 30-some years. I pretty much agree with Sequim. We've never gone 'outside' Vancouver Island on our return, but given the limited number of 'slots' available for the passage through the Seymour Narrows (cruise ships can only transit during a very short time in the slack tide that occurs 4 times times a day), I suppose that could be possible. We've done that portion a few times during daylight, it is far better than being out in the open ocean.

 

The only reason we would take an Alaska cruise from Seattle would be for a 14-day r/t that includes Anchorage and Kodiak. It used to be much more expensive to fly to YVR than to SEA, but that is no longer the case. I just did a check on airfares for the next month between DFW and YVR/SEA. It is actually less expensive to fly to YVR than SEA.

 

We've had cabins ranging from insides to suites on our Alaska cruises. Frankly, we really don't find balconies worthwhile on them. The scenery is all around the ship and being on a balcony limited us to what happened to be on 'our side' of the ship. There will be announcements when whales/wildlife are spotted. We didn't want to be in our cabin and hope that they were on our side of the ship. One cruise we probably spent less than 15 minutes the entire cruise on our balcony. Another, I'm sure it was still less than 30 minutes total.

 

We like the HAL ships for Alaska because there is plenty of open deck space, in addition to the previously mentioned Glacier Bay access. It's very easy to move around as the scenery, weather, and our mood dictates. I would avoid any HAL ship with Lanai cabins though. They have deck chairs reserved for those cabins and that severely limits the number available for other passengers.

[DRS/NC]

Ah! Another Sitmar alum! The Fairsea, 1981, RT from San Francisco -- the BEST! And before balconies.

 

I just returned from my 4th Alaska (Ruby Princess) cruise. On cruises # 3 & 4, we had balconies -- wonderful! This time I had an Inside since I was solo & also paying for a OV for family. I did NOT like the Inside, esp. in Alaska! Every time I was in the cabin, I just knew I was missing something -- a waterfall, a whale, the mountains. No more Insides in Alaska!

 

Yes, I'm already seriously considering a 14-day Alaska next summer -- in an OV!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done quite a few Alaskan cruises and always had a balcony/verandah. After spending time ashore and touring, we like to be able to sit out there and people watch -- many days are rain free.

But the times we cruised in May and September -- we had rain nearly every day. The best weather we have had has been in late June and all of July.

Choose an itinerary that includes either Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier. Not all cruise lines have permits to do Glacier Bay.

Also check to see which ships spend the most time in the ports.