ALASKA CRUISE

[HAPPINESS IS]

We are planning an Alaskan cruise for 2019 and would appreciate it if we could receive recommendations for the 7-Day Alaska with Holkham Bay Glacier Fjords from Vancouver. Living in South Africa, one has to consider the cost for flights as well as the long travel times to reach the various departure ports and it would seem that flying into and out of Vancouver may be the best option, hence us considering the above cruise. Thank you for any advice / guidance.

[Gardyloo]

This is one of numerous 7-night cruises out of Vancouver, operated by several major cruise lines.  I'm just guessing, but is the one you're looking at operated by Norwegian Cruise Lines?  (Holkham Bay is at the entrance to Tracy Arm, which you'll see more frequently listed on various itineraries.)

 

Tracy Arm is one of several areas that offer views of tidewater glaciers that the cruise ships visit.  Others that you may see listed include Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier.  These are all waterways that the cruise ships enter for glacier viewing, but passengers can't disembark in them as there are no shore facilities.  Glacier Bay is a US national park and cruise ship access is regulated, so not all cruise lines, nor all sailings visit Glacier Bay, so the cruise lines compensate by featuring one (or two) of the other destinations.

 

Most cruise itineraries out of Vancouver call at the same several ports, with some slight variations.  These include Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, and some will add Sitka, Icy Strait Point (the Native village of Hoonah) or Haines to their itineraries.  All are located in Southeast Alaska; to visit locations in Southcentral or Interior Alaska (e.g. Anchorage, Denali National Park, the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound, etc.) one must take a one-way cruise from Vancouver to the towns of Seward or Whittier, or vice versa.  At those two towns there are road and rail connections to the rest of the state.  

 

Both the round-trip (return) cruises out of Vancouver and the one-way cruises to/from Vancouver are for seven nights (a few are a bit longer) but any land touring before or after the cruise obviously adds expense and time.

 

Another consideration is the month.  Weather varies considerably throughout the May - September cruise season, and from place to place.  Early in the season, sometimes access to glacier areas such as Tracy Arm et al can be limited by icebergs or ice floes that prevent close approaches to the glaciers.  Much of SE Alaska is a rain forest area, so rainy weather is always a risk.

 

Yes, getting from SA to Vancouver is pricey, so it behooves you to shop aggressively for the best deals, and to review the itineraries closely, not just in terms of places visited, but for length of time in port.  One of the key variables in total cost is what off-ship excursions or experiences you want to include, and a short port visit might limit your options.  

 

Hope this helps a little.

[HAPPINESS IS]

Wow, Gardyloo, thank you for your most informative response to my enquiry!  This will certainly help us in making a decision. Yes, we would definitely cruise on NCL, it's our all time favourite cruise lines! We would like, if circumstances and finances permit, to include a coach tour to the Rockies, either before or after the cruise. Now that you have given me peace of mind in terms of your explanations, I will do some more "homework" and hopefully be able to put this all together. Once again, thank you so much!

[mapleleaves]

As you look at cruiselines, be mindful of the port times.  You want to be in port long enough and at the right time of day for planned activities.  ie lots of whining about Ketchikan 7am - 1pm.   

 

And as you look at airfare, compare Seattle and Vancouver.  If it's significantly cheaper to fly into SEA, you're only 150 miles from Vancouver. Easily reached by train or a bus service. 

[HAPPINESS IS]

Thank you so much Mapleleaves for your input, also highly appreciated!  I shall certainly look at the Seattle option, thank you

[nini]

We have cruised Alaska 4 times and really enjoyed each cruise. We have visited Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier and gone down the Tracy Arm and actually made it to the end with Seward Glacier.I think our favorite was Hubbard Glacier but I have very fond memories of cruising down the Tracy Arm and the Captain actually making it to the end (Seward Glacier).

 

We have cruised from Seattle 3 times and Vancouver once. For us, Seattle is so easy; a 2.5 hour drive to Seattle, park the car and get on the ship!.

 

You mentioned the Rockies; please know that these are not "in the backyard" of Vancouver. It is at least a few hundred miles, depending on where you would like to explore. The mountain range itself is 3000 miles long.

 

We cruised on Princess 3 times and Celebrity once. Princess is known for doing Alaska well and has nature experts onboard. Princess has become our favorite.

[HAPPINESS IS]

Thank you for your comments Nini, appreciated.

[Heidi13]

On 10/23/2018 at 11:15 PM, HAPPINESS IS said:

Wow, Gardyloo, thank you for your most informative response to my enquiry!  This will certainly help us in making a decision. Yes, we would definitely cruise on NCL, it's our all time favourite cruise lines! We would like, if circumstances and finances permit, to include a coach tour to the Rockies, either before or after the cruise. Now that you have given me peace of mind in terms of your explanations, I will do some more "homework" and hopefully be able to put this all together. Once again, thank you so much!

For a Rockies tour either pre/post cruise.

 

For a pre-cruise Rockies tour you can fly into Calgary, tour through the Rockies and depart the cruise from Vancouver. You would fly home from Vancouver to save the return to Calgary.

 

For post-cruise, fly into Vancouver, take the cruise and then tour through the Rockies to Calgary, fly home from there.

 

Many options for the Rockies - bus tours, hiring a car, hiring a small motorhome/camper van, train. 

 

For an Alaska cruise, you indicated a preference for NCL. Having spent 2 complete seasons in Alaska as a navigator and also a number of B2B cruises as a passenger, I have completed over 20 voyages. In my opinion, Tracy Arm is nice, but access may be blocked by ice, especially early in the season. Hubbard Glacier is an easy access, but throughout the season, access may also be blocked by ice. I have seen this at least once in both Tracy & Hubbard.

 

In my opinion & experience, Glacier Bay, with the Ranger visits to the ship is by far the best experience to see tidewater glaciers. Unfortunately, these days, only 2 ships per day visit the National Park, with the Alaska experts Princess & HAL having most permits. If you are open to considering another cruise line, my suggestion is Glacier Bay is a must and I would consider either of Princess or HAL. BTW - never experienced ice blocking safe navigation in Glacier Bay.

 

Would definitely be a huge disappointment to travel from South Africa and not get up close to a glacier.

[HAPPINESS IS]

Thank you so much for your advice and suggestions Heidi13 - so appreciated!

[HAPPINESS IS]

With your help, we have now finalised our arrangements for the Rockies coach tour and cruise. Thank you all so much! We will be joining our coach tour at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Downtown Vancouver and will be returned to the same hotel on conclusion of the tour. We then need to get to the cruise terminal for our cruise. I have been searching for reasonably priced hotel accommodation in close proximity to the Hyatt Regency Hotel and this seems to be almost an impossibility to find. Is anyone able to recommend decent budget friendly hotels in this proximity? (We would prefer to walk as opposed to catching taxis). Thank you again, for all your advice and suggestions.