Is It Possible: Year Round Alaska Cruising?

[need2cruisesoon]

C'mon I want to see Alaska in the winter.

 

Beautiful snow capped mountains. Bears running wild.

 

I want to experience AK in the winter, could this work?

[crystalspin]

Not on a cruise ship.

[need2cruisesoon]

Not on a cruise ship.

 

I'm thinking a Princess Icebreaker type cruise ship with 1,000 passengers.

 

30"steel reinforced hull, super high combustion diesel engines to cut through the ice.

 

I mean the ship could stay within the Alaska inside passage.

[RLBlack]

C'mon I want to see Alaska in the winter.

 

Beautiful snow capped mountains. Bears running wild.

 

I want to experience AK in the winter, could this work?

 

 

Book the first cruise of the season and you will see lots of snow capped mountains- (without slogging through snow drifts in the streets)- and maybe a bear has woken up and looking for food.

[Essiesmom]

Alaska Marine Highway ferries. EM

 

https://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/vessel_routes.shtml

[Keith1010]

You can but it will be dark for many hours and cold and snowy.

 

Keith

[sfaaa]

Movies under the stars on first sea day will be 30 Days of Night .

[crystalspin]

And as RLBlack has hinted -- the bears will be hibernating.

 

It is however the best time to see aurora, in all those dark hours!

[zqvol]

It's possible, but none of the mass market lines do it. You can always customize yoru own cruise using the Alaska ferry system. Most if not all of the SE ports are ice free year round so that is not an issue. But since it is dark for 16+ hours out of every 24 it might not be too much fun.

[CruiserBruce]

You could do a land tour...

[TruckerDave]

You realize bears are asleep in the winter right?

[GottaKnowWhen]

C'mon I want to see Alaska in the winter.

 

 

 

Beautiful snow capped mountains. Bears running wild.

 

 

 

I want to experience AK in the winter, could this work?

 

 

 

Try Hurtgruten up the coast of Norway instead... Otherwise, wait a few more years and year round Arctic cruising will be feasible.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[NMLady]

C'mon I want to see Alaska in the winter.

 

Beautiful snow capped mountains. Bears running wild.

 

I want to experience AK in the winter, could this work?

 

Bears runnung wild, in winter?? Bears hibernate in winter!

 

We took the first cruise in May in 2010 and saw a young bear eating dandelions at the side of the road. We saw snow-capped mountains and plenty of snow along the RR excursion. And we did not have the darkness and freezing cold of winter.

[DirtyDawg]

You realize bears are asleep in the winter right?

 

Polar Bears don't hibernate. But the OP would have to get to the Northern Slope to see those.

 

Winter polar bear viewing tours are available in Churchill, Manitoba, on Hudson's Bay if the OP really want to see bears in the winter. But he'd have to fly in from Winnipeg to do those, definitely no cruises to, or from Winnipeg.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have also cruised Alaska the first week of May when the season is beginning. Felt like we were at home -- cold and snow everywhere.

I can't imagine people wanting to visit a place that is cold and snowy and sooooo dark for sooooo many hours.

[DirtyDawg]

I'm thinking a Princess Icebreaker type cruise ship with 1,000 passengers.

 

30"steel reinforced hull, super high combustion diesel engines to cut through the ice.

 

I mean the ship could stay within the Alaska inside passage.

 

One good thing about a cruise like this is that you probably wouldn't see anyone in shorts in the MDR at dinner! :D

[Hlitner]

Oh My! Just imagine Alaskan cruises without an open Diamonds International! Some folks may not realize that DI sells almost exclusively to cruisers (not sure who else would buy at their stores) and they close their Alaskan stores once the cruise ship's leave for the season. The senior employees (such as the managers) relocate to other stores (mostly in the Caribbean) for the winter season.

 

If I had been living in some of these Alaskan ports, I would have led a zoning fight to keep on tacky shops that have no business in Alaska. I know that is unamerican....but arriving at pristine Alaskan ports only to see a large DI sign......is somehow not the way we want to picture Alaska. Having just returned from Greenland......where thank God, there are no DI stores (or Royal Caribbean, Tanzanite International, etc) we realized how much nicer Alaska would be...without these eyesores that prey upon cruisers.

 

Hank

[Capt_BJ]

join the Coast Guard

 

we can give you cruising opportunities not seen on any cruise ship .... places virtually no other ship goes and at ALL times of the year!!!!

 

Dutch Harbor, Adak, Attu, Kodiak, St Paul just to name a few ..... maybe even get to cross the dateline, the circle or see 'the donut hole'

 

opportunity awaits!

[sfaaa]

Oh My! Just imagine Alaskan cruises without an open Diamonds International! Some folks may not realize that DI sells almost exclusively to cruisers (not sure who else would buy at their stores) and they close their Alaskan stores once the cruise ship's leave for the season. The senior employees (such as the managers) relocate to other stores (mostly in the Caribbean) for the winter season.

 

If I had been living in some of these Alaskan ports, I would have led a zoning fight to keep on tacky shops that have no business in Alaska. I know that is unamerican....but arriving at pristine Alaskan ports only to see a large DI sign......is somehow not the way we want to picture Alaska. Having just returned from Greenland......where thank God, there are no DI stores (or Royal Caribbean, Tanzanite International, etc) we realized how much nicer Alaska would be...without these eyesores that prey upon cruisers.

 

Hank

 

Huh? Do you not like those free collectable charms or tacky cheap T and discount coupons they throw at you on sea day shopping seminars? C'mon now, DI, Cariloha and the likes are must do on port days. Won't be Alaska cursing experience without them.