Which cruise line for alaska

[mf12345]

Which cruise do you prefer for cruising to Alaska. Look for cruise line and which cruise recommendation. When’s a good time of the year to go in 2020

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Holland America and Princess have in the Alaskan business the longest.

 

We have done Alaskan cruises on Princess, HAL and NCL.  All were great.

 

You do want to book a cruise that goes to either Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier.

 

We have cruised all months of the Alaskan season and prefer the end of June through the first couple of weeks of August.  JMO -- the weather was better during that time.  But weather is unpredictable.

 

HAL offers a 14 day cruise that goes to ports like Kodiak, Homer, Anchorage which other cruise lines do not do.  We have done this itinerary a couple of times.

[Shmoo here]

12 minutes ago, mf12345 said:

Which cruise do you prefer for cruising to Alaska. Look for cruise line and which cruise recommendation. When’s a good time of the year to go in 2020

I'd suggest Holland America or Princess.  They've been doing Alaska the longest, and have the best itineraries/times in port.

 

"Good time of year"  Well, Alaska is basically just a summer cruise destination.  May-Sep.  Depending on what you're interested in seeing, early or late in the season has different offerings.

 

 

[wheezedr]

Either HAL or Princess would be my choice as they have the most Glacier Bay slots. I would suggest a one way to/or from Vancouver with an add on land tour at the Alaska end.  We have also done RT from Seattle but that was as a later quick cruise and not as great an experience as the one way +land.

[Host Anne]

I agree with Princess or Holland.  Whenever we book Alaska (been several times) I try to book a cruise that include Glacier Bay.  The number of ships that can access Glacier Bay each day is very limited.  For me, it's a very special place.  

 

If you can swing a land tour with cruise, that's great, but not everyone can.  There were considerable delays disembarking in Vancouver last year so we typically go for a cruise that ends in Seattle or Seward (if we are doing a land portion as well).

 

Late Spring (late May) to early September is your only option for Alaska.  Better deals are usually had in May or September as it can be cooler but Alaska is wonderful anytime.  Good luck with your decision!

[boulders]

If you want to see bears or salmon running, then August is the best time to go. Glaciers will be better earlier in the season. 

[Heidi13]

Have completed 2 entire seasons in Alaska plus a number of B2B's from Vancouver.

 

Agree that Princess & HAL are the experts and consider Glacier Bay to be a must. Even Hubbard Glacier at times is ice bound. Would definitely consider the 14-day HAL cruise or a N'bd or S'bd with a land package.

 

Suggest checking out the Alaska Board, which has a number of relevant threads.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/33-alaska/

[MCC retired]

Compare the itineraries . Decide R/T  Inside Passage or 1 way North or South .

Then compare the ships that do the one you like , then compare prices for the date you wish . Alaska is the highlight . 

[mf12345]

44 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

Have completed 2 entire seasons in Alaska plus a number of B2B's from Vancouver.

 

Agree that Princess & HAL are the experts and consider Glacier Bay to be a must. Even Hubbard Glacier at times is ice bound. Would definitely consider the 14-day HAL cruise or a N'bd or S'bd with a land package.

 

Suggest checking out the Alaska Board, which has a number of relevant threads.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/33-alaska/

 

Thanks everyone. I wasn’t aware of the Alaska board so I’ll be spending a lot of time on there now. 

 

We want to do a land and sea sea tour so we will have to try to pick which one we think will be best. Hopefully the Alaska board can help with peoples reviews and trip summaries.

 

always looking for recommendations or advice. Thanks again. 

[paul929207]

As with the cruises, Princess and HAL offer the most variety in land tours combined with the cruises.

[zqvol]

I would take either Regent or Silversea, one way either Seward to Vancouver, or the reverse. Don't be sacred of the price, because often on these luxury lines the total you spend is not much if any more than you spend on the mass market lines.

[Heidi13]

20 hours ago, zqvol said:

I would take either Regent or Silversea, one way either Seward to Vancouver, or the reverse. Don't be sacred of the price, because often on these luxury lines the total you spend is not much if any more than you spend on the mass market lines.

If considering a premium/luxury line, I would also check out Viking Ocean, which is coming to Alaska in 2019. They indicated they will be using the entire Inside Passage, similar to the original Alaska cruises back in the 70's & 80's.