Alaska Help Please

[DShock]

We cruise often (20+ weeks a year, mostly on RCCL) but have never been on an Alaska cruise.  The reason is that we live in the mountains of Colorado and always prefer warmer cruises.  But the time has come and we are ready to cruise Alaska.  We prefer long cruises, 14 days+, flying is not a problem, August/Sept is when we are thinking going.  For those that are experienced Alaska cruisers what ship and itinerary would you recommend on Princess?  Thanks in advance for you help and suggestions!

[skynight]

You first have to decide:

Do you want a 7 night one way northbound or southbound?

Do you want a cruise with a land tour?

Do you want a RT, Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco?

Do you want a 14 night b2b, two 7 night cruises, vancouver to Whitter and return.

 

When you decide it will  narrow the available ships.

[bemis12]

I would try to book the Coral on back to back 7 day cruises- both north and southbound

[Colo Cruiser]

47 minutes ago, DShock said:

We cruise often (20+ weeks a year, mostly on RCCL) but have never been on an Alaska cruise.  The reason is that we live in the mountains of Colorado and always prefer warmer cruises.  But the time has come and we are ready to cruise Alaska.  We prefer long cruises, 14 days+, flying is not a problem, August/Sept is when we are thinking going.  For those that are experienced Alaska cruisers what ship and itinerary would you recommend on Princess?  Thanks in advance for you help and suggestions!

The Coral R/T Vancouver. b2b 14 days.

If you are used to doing 14 day cruises 7 will be too short IMO.

[DShock]

THANKS!

[Glaciers]

We don’t care much which ship but the Voyage of the Glacier itineraries are exceptional.  Princess offered a 14 day round trip from Vancouver this year that we did in May on the Golden. Basically a b2b which we had also done several years ago from Whittier.  Although there is some duplication in ports, they do Glacier Bay twice, College Fjord NB and Hubbard Glacier SB.

 

Another option is Holland. They have a dandy 14 day that stops in a couple ports that most ships don’t.  Homer, Kodiak, Sitka and they actually have a stop in Anchorage rather than Whittier or Seward.

[Sam.Seattle]

RCCL & Celebrity provide you some carry over perks you might want to consider too.

We really enjoyed the Millennium B2B last year.  Icy Straight Point is a great new port!  It is very non-tourist and you really could experience Alaska. Hubbard Glacier is also amazing.  Hubbard is one of the few glaciers that is not retreating. Suite Guests are treated to a private glacier viewing on the ship's bow. 

 

This year we are trying the Royal B2B and look forward to comparing the two.  The Royal is also departing from Vancouver which we prefer so we can enjoy the inside passage.  A little concerned the tides and size of the Royal may limit the Inside Passage Experience.  We were just notified yesterday that out Aug 3 sailing date is now departing early due to tides.  

[patrickmoran]

1 hour ago, Sam.Seattle said:

This year we are trying the Royal B2B and look forward to comparing the two.  The Royal is also departing from Vancouver which we prefer so we can enjoy the inside passage.  A little concerned the tides and size of the Royal may limit the Inside Passage Experience.  We were just notified yesterday that out Aug 3 sailing date is now departing early due to tides.  

 

We were on the Royal from 6th to 13th. We had a great cruise. Be aware that the ship sails on the west side of Vancouver Island. I believe this is the ship's regular route. According to the Navigator's info in the Patter, it will rejoin the Inside Passage late on the afternoon of the 1st sea day.

[mcrcruiser]

4 hours ago, DShock said:

We cruise often (20+ weeks a year, mostly on RCCL) but have never been on an Alaska cruise.  The reason is that we live in the mountains of Colorado and always prefer warmer cruises.  But the time has come and we are ready to cruise Alaska.  We prefer long cruises, 14 days+, flying is not a problem, August/Sept is when we are thinking going.  For those that are experienced Alaska cruisers what ship and itinerary would you recommend on Princess?  Thanks in advance for you help and suggestions!

Princess will be doing a 14 night round trip  LA (Sam Pedro is the pier ) Alaska  on Golden Princess  .Lots of ports included . This is a good one 

[Jeter02]

3 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Princess will be doing a 14 night round trip  LA (Sam Pedro is the pier ) Alaska  on Golden Princess  .Lots of ports included . This is a good one 

I did the Golden for 4 weeks this past summer in Alaska. Whitier to Vancouver and vice versa. Great ship. Great itinerary.

[martincath]

3 hours ago, Sam.Seattle said:

...  The Royal is also departing from Vancouver which we prefer so we can enjoy the inside passage.  A little concerned the tides and size of the Royal may limit the Inside Passage Experience.  We were just notified yesterday that out Aug 3 sailing date is now departing early due to tides.  

Sorry, but you've been lied to by Princess. NONE of the Royal's departures use the Inside Passage to or from Vancouver, as the BC Coastal pilots will not allow it to traverse the Narrows. The reason for the early departure is therefore not the tides, as that's irrelevant on the outside of Vancouver Island, but because of the combination of the longer trip around the Island added to the extra distance needed to approach Ketchikan from the north instead of the south when leaving Vancouver - apparently the angles are better for the big beastie  so it's easier to get into the dock that way. There are reports all over the web, about the Royal's problems in this part of the world, including both BC and Alaskan pilots issues with how poor it is at maneuvering in rapid waters or high winds.

[LoriPhil]

We also vote for B2B on the Coral (Vancouver to Whittier and back).  You have some different glacier viewing between the two, and we've always found so much to do in port that we love having a second day to return and do something else.  We're also from Colorado, and love being on the water with great opportunities to view sea otter, whales, dolphins, puffins etc, - it's endlessly fascinating to just watch the scenery flow by. We're taking a 12-day RT out of Vancouver next May on the Pacific Princess that will let us explore some new ports as well.

Edited July 27, 2019 by LoriPhil

[soccergang]

If you don't plan to go back to Alaska, I would suggest you do a cruise and land tour.  Denali National Park is a must see.  So, if you do a B2B, you'll want to go again to see more of the land.  (at least that is my opinion)

 

[DShock]

Thanks to everyone.  We have narrowed it down to Golden 14 day or Royal b2b's for 14 days.  Price for PS about the same.  My wife prefers Royal because its newer and has more stops, port days.  I prefer Golden.  We always book aft cabins.  Got to decide!

[cruisequeen4ever]

If you want the full Alaska experience, do either the Northbound or Southbound Voyage of the Glaciers with Glacier Bay, and do the full cruisetour that takes you into the interior of Alaska before or after your cruise. It takes you to Denali, and you can add Fairbanks, Copper River, or Kenai if you want. Denali is the biggy, though. 

 

Weather is unpredictable here (in AK), but generally speaking, the last week of May through mid August give you better weather. Early May and especially September can still have some really cold weather and some crazy storms. You may still have cold rain every day of the cruise, or you could have 60s and 70s and sun! Plan for everything with lots of layers, a warm winter jacket, a hat, and gloves. Being from CO, it won’t be as shocking to you.

 

I personally adore the newer Royal and Regal ships because of the variety of food and activity options. Some don’t like that they lack an indoor pool and some indoor viewing areas that some other ships have, but I did AK on the Royal last month and had plenty of great viewing. 

 

Happy planning!

[DShock]

Thanks!  Been to Alaska fishing many times so we will just do cruise this time. I think we are going with Golden.  Aft PS are fully covered and private on Golden and not on Royal.  We will spend a lot of time on our balcony for this one. 

[Coral]

Historically, May has the least amount of rain and each month after, has more rain with September having the most during the summer months.

 

Consider doing a one way and then doing a land trip and seeing some of the interior of Alaska.

 

I much prefer Alaska to the Caribbean. I like the Coral Princess (similar to Radiance class) but next year has the Pacific Princess in Alaska - a much smaller ship. I personally would avoid the Royal Princess in Alaska.

 

I would get Alaska by Cruiseship by Anne Vipond book and read about Alaska.

Edited July 27, 2019 by Coral

[BlueMoon3669]

12 hours ago, Sam.Seattle said:

 We were just notified yesterday that out Aug 3 sailing date is now departing early due to tides.  

We are on the same sailing. Were you notified via email or phone call? I only just saw it now when I logged in to manage our booking.

[satxdiver]

Whatever ship the OP decides to sail on be sure it goes into Glacier Bay.  The calving is something to witness.  Not all ships have permission to enter the bay since admission is severely limited by the NPS with only one ship allowed in at a time.  A NPS ranger will come aboard and talk about the glaciers.  The older Grand class ships (Grand, Golden, Star) have a covered pool area which can be nice with its glass cover labeled the conservatory.  The Island/Coral ships are panamax ships built to go through the older Panama Canal locks and are therefore narrower and smaller than the other ships.  

 

The first two weeks of the season (May) and the last two weeks of the season (September) can have colder/wetter weather.  The shops and other activities may not be open yet in May or closing down in September.  

[Colo Cruiser]

59 minutes ago, BlueMoon3669 said:

We are on the same sailing. Were you notified via email or phone call? I only just saw it now when I logged in to manage our booking.

What were the times and what were they changed to?

[BlueMoon3669]

2 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

What were the times and what were they changed to?

The sail time was moved up to 3:30 (originally 4:30), all aboard time is now 3:00. The recommended latest flight arrival time was changed (to 12:30 I think). Times have not been changed in the itinerary or travel summary document, but a pop-up notice appeared when I logged in, and I had to click to acknowledge I received the notification. There was no mention of earlier check-in or boarding times.

[ukestrummer]

Sailed to Alaska 21 times, love it. LEAVE from Vancouver if you can, you will get more time in port, BETTER time, you will have mountains to look at first evening & next morning if up early enough, coming back to Vancouver the last evening you will be seeing mountains of Vancouver Island instead of OPEN ocean a lot of time leaving from Seattle. College Fiord is beautiful if not cloudy. If in Juneau from 8AM till AFTER 5PM take the all day trip to Tracy Arm and when in Whittier take the 26 Glacier Tour boat. There are other things to see & do up there, love being there. I live in Oregon-WEST side of Cascades  with mountains also. I would not book too much on ship-trips , too expensive. TOO much to tell you

Have fun

Don-ukestrummer

[ukestrummer]

Just now, ukestrummer said:

Sailed to Alaska 21 times, love it. LEAVE from Vancouver if you can, you will get more time in port, BETTER time, you will have mountains to look at first evening & next morning if up early enough, coming back to Vancouver the last evening you will be seeing mountains of Vancouver Island instead of OPEN ocean a lot of time leaving from Seattle. College Fiord is beautiful if not cloudy. If in Juneau from 8AM till AFTER 5PM take the all day trip to Tracy Arm and when in Whittier take the 26 Glacier Tour boat. There are other things to see & do up there, love being there. I live in Oregon-WEST side of Cascades  with mountains also. I would not book too much on ship-trips , too expensive. TOO much to tell you

Have fun

Don-ukestrummer

 

I hope this is 14 day, RT from Vancouver, also you can have bad weather any month

[Sam.Seattle]

10 hours ago, BlueMoon3669 said:

We are on the same sailing. Were you notified via email or phone call? I only just saw it now when I logged in to manage our booking.

We received an e-mail.

[Sam.Seattle]

19 hours ago, martincath said:

Sorry, but you've been lied to by Princess. NONE of the Royal's departures use the Inside Passage to or from Vancouver, as the BC Coastal pilots will not allow it to traverse the Narrows. The reason for the early departure is therefore not the tides, as that's irrelevant on the outside of Vancouver Island, but because of the combination of the longer trip around the Island added to the extra distance needed to approach Ketchikan from the north instead of the south when leaving Vancouver - apparently the angles are better for the big beastie  so it's easier to get into the dock that way. There are reports all over the web, about the Royal's problems in this part of the world, including both BC and Alaskan pilots issues with how poor it is at maneuvering in rapid waters or high winds.

you are so correct.... I just looked at Princess Web site. The route map as of today clearly shows the passage is on the inside of Vancouver Island.  It will be interesting to listen to passengers and crew to see if this is an issue discussed.