Scenery from Vancouver to Ketchikan vs further till Juneau

[abhisheks77]

Hi,

We will be taking a (short) cruise from Vancouver, till ketchikan and back to Vancouver for 4 days. We have not taken any cruise earlier, but visited Alaska 2 times. It was all around Anchorage/Seward/Denali, etc.
Another choice is 6 or 7 days cruise, which will take us to either Juneau or Glacier NP or both. Our focus is not to do excursions or glaciers on those ports, but interested in scenery along the way and cruise experience of course.
I want to get some suggestions, who visited these places, if we leave apart Glaciers from trip, does scenery gets better when we move from Ketchikan towards Glacier NP/Juneau, in comparison to Vancouver to Ketchikan ?

 

Thanks

[fishywood]

If scenery is your main priority then Glacier National Park is essential.

You don't "do excursions" there, you are simply out on deck while the ship maneuvers amongst the glaciers. Usually they will cut the ship's engines out at at least two spots where you can get the most up close to the formations.

The Lynn Canal (which is actually a fjord) into and out of Juneau is also quite scenic, mostly forest but a few snow capped mountains as well as mini waterfalls through the crevices. As well as one of the best opportunities to see bald eagles.

 

A round trip Vancouver cruise will also sail between the British Columbia mainland and Vancouver Island the first and last days. Much more preferable (and scenic) than a round trip Seattle sailing if that is among the options for your six or seven day cruise. 

 

But of course the best option is an end to end sailing between Vancouver and either Whittier (if on Princess Cruises) or Seward (most other cruise lines). Even if you have to return home straightaway from Anchorage you have the day you disembark for an additional scenic excursion, either in the Gulf of Alaska or on land en route.

 

(welcome to Cruise Critic, by the way)

Edited May 11, 2019 by fishywood

[abhisheks77]

Thanks fishywood.
We will not take cruise till Whittier/Seward. We have been there twice. So our only options are round trips. Will there be difference in routes of cruise go from Seattle vs Vancouver ?

[SuperCrewBear]

1 hour ago, abhisheks77 said:

Thanks fishywood.
We will not take cruise till Whittier/Seward. We have been there twice. So our only options are round trips. Will there be difference in routes of cruise go from Seattle vs Vancouver ?

 

When departing from Vancouver you will travel between the Canadian mainland and Vancouver Island - so you will be able to see plenty of land on either side of the ship.  When leaving from Seattle you travel on the west side of Vancouver Island - much of the time  you can only see land far in the distance on the east side and open water on the west side of the ship - when you're in the open water is when the sea can be fairly rough. Also, depending on what time you leave Vancouver or Seattle,  you might sleep through some of the scenic areas because it will be night.  When we left Vancouver on our cruise May of '16 we saw almost nothing of the scenery because we left at about 4-5 PM and it was dark relatively early.  The next morning we were nearly into the open ocean.

Edited May 11, 2019 by SuperCrewBear

[dipan0000]

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Edited May 11, 2019 by dipan0000

[dipan0000]

I checked few of them starting from Seattle and also starting from Vancouver. Looks like all at starting at/around 4 PM. We can go only in May end of early September. We stay in Seattle. If we won't see much in evening, will it make sense to pick cruise starting from Seattle ?

[Heidi13]

Have completed the sailings from Vancouver way too many times over the past 40 years and note the scenery is highly dependent on the route.

 

Seattle cruise get virtually no scenic cruising between Seattle & Kethikan, except for Puget Sound/Juan de Fuca until sunset. They cruise up the Pacific Ocean to the West of Vancouver Island, making landfall just before Ketchikan.

 

Vancouver cruises depend on the route. All ships head up Johnson Strait between the mainland & Vancouver Island, but daylight only lasts until about Campbell River. Early the next morning most mainstream ships drop the pilot and head up Hecate Strait, which has no scenic views other than ocean. However, some ships still use the entire Inside Passage, which provides a scenic route all the way to Prince Rupert/Dixon Entrance. Luxury/premium line such as Viking take the more scenic route.

 

If round trip Vancouver, you will transit the Inside Passage mostly in daylight until almost Campbell River.

[quack2]

It's the return trip into Vancouver from Ketchikan that stands out from a scenery standpoint.  Vancouver RT (or one way from Seward or Whittier) is far better than the Seattle options (but usually a little more expensive).

[phoenixx]

On 5/12/2019 at 8:38 AM, Heidi13 said:

 

 

If round trip Vancouver, you will transit the Inside Passage mostly in daylight until almost Campbell River.

Hi,

I'm planning a cruise from Vancouver to Whittier, mid August 2020, departs Vancouver 4.30pm, will we transit the Inside Passage overnight or the next day (sea day) please?

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, phoenixx said:

Hi,

I'm planning a cruise from Vancouver to Whittier, mid August 2020, departs Vancouver 4.30pm, will we transit the Inside Passage overnight or the next day (sea day) please?

Going to Whittier you are probably cruising with Princess. Departing Vancouver at 16:30 you will clear 1st Narrows 17:15 to 17:30 and then steam up Georgia Strait, which is about 10 miles wide around Vancouver. You are initially sailing up Bowen Island/Sunshine Coast, seeing land on both sides, although a few miles away.

 

They set speed for slack water at Seymour Narrows, which is just North of Campbell River. You should get daylight most of the way to Campbell River. It will be dark while you transit Johnston Strait, with daylight around the transit through Queen Charlotte Strait. Mountains on both sides, but not overly scenic, although I might be jaded, as I did the trip every 2 days.

 

Clearing Queen Charlotte Strait, you head up Hecate Strait, which is basically deep sea, as you only see the top of the mountains.