Different atmosphere between Alaskan and Caribbean?

[ABCGreys]

13 hours ago, lmb84 said:

Hmmm....I'm doing Alaska in May...only done Caribbean (12)...I also like the vibe on the Caribbean cruises...I hope I'm not making a mistake...ugh

 

We did Alaska in May, 2017 and it was unseasonably warm in the day time. In the 70's. So, you may get lucky.

[sanmarcosman]

14 hours ago, lmb84 said:

Hmmm....I'm doing Alaska in May...only done Caribbean (12)...I also like the vibe on the Caribbean cruises...I hope I'm not making a mistake...ugh

May is still rain season there too, cold and damp. Ugh is right.

[grammymarcia]

18 hours ago, oceanbums said:

Hello, planning a cruise for August 2020. We've done 3 to Mexico and 3 to the Caribbean. Thinking about an Alaskan cruise and wondering about the different vibe or atmosphere it might have than a tropical cruise. Is there still alot of music, and upbeat activities. I can't imagine Calypso music playing so is it still a fun ship? We are young 65 year olds and like the energy of carnival. Will it be there on the Alaskan cruises?

We were on the Legend July 30 this year. We had perfect weather high 60s, low 70s and NO rain. The 1st day out of Seattle was our only sea day. The 2nd day out was cruising Tracy Arm Fjord (which was cold and damp out on the deck, but worth being there) The rest of our days were in ports. We spent time in the casino pretty late, saw comedians, no shows. The casino did close at 230pm on our last day headed into Victoria, B.C., which by the way is a gorgeous city, so many flowers, clean, easy to get around , beautiful houses, it was what I expected the pacific northwest to look like. We had a fabulous time but we are warm weather lay out on the deck people, but so glad our grandson picked this cruise as his graduation gift from his Grammy and Grandpa, thanks, Caleb!

 

[Anyislandwilldo]

15 hours ago, lmb84 said:

Hmmm....I'm doing Alaska in May...only done Caribbean (12)...I also like the vibe on the Caribbean cruises...I hope I'm not making a mistake...ugh

 

You are not making a mistake.  You are trading warm Caribbean sunshine for some of natures awesome beauty.  We did about 10 Caribbean cruises before Alaska and I just stood in awe watching the scenery pass before me.  I will never forget the beauty I saw.  I spent a lot of time on these boards searching for info for our Alaska cruise and I viewed 1000's of pictures.  The pictures don't do justice to the true beauty.  Enjoy!  

[oceanbums]

I am so torn between the two. Alaska will be more expensive, but a whole new experience. The Carribbean and an umbrella drink in my hand is always a great experience. Fortunately, there's still time to research and decide. Thanks, all, for the input; your insights are very helpful.

[nybumpkin]

This was in Seattle on Carnival Miracle in 2014, embarkation day for our Alaska cruise. My usual Funship Special. Alaska is all about the ports, not the ship, but I thought Carnival kept a number of their "traditional" activities. I would also strongly recommend booking Your Time Dining, not fixed. We usually like early dining, but on Alaska cruises they move fixed dining 1/2 hour earlier and in some ports it will conflict with port time.

[oceanbums]

nybumpkin, guess you can have the best of both worlds😊

[wardamnweagle]

Can’t wait for our April 2020 Alaskan cruise. We talked, I've been before, it’s on her bucket list.  We are planning on starting our family soon and we aren’t flying across the country with kids younger than 8-9, so in reality, it’s next year, or 2032. She said she couldn’t wait that long. 

 

We we are on the first cruise of the season for any line and will be the only ship in port at each stop. Don’t mind the snow as it’s not something we get often. 

 

The views are worth it. 

 

 

[Diggerof4]

This is not to demeanor anyone, but I just don't understand. Maybe my mind set is different.  Yes, I agree part of the cruise is the ship, in which there are things on board to keep you busy, but it is also your transportation. Some people would give up majestic  beauty because they can not party, gamble, or the ship doesn't stay up late. Oh, the best reason..it will be cold.  I look at it as new destination, people who want to be there and see the same things we do, nature, the culture, history, language accents, food, what made what or who,  and (selfishly) I am only 5 states away from being in every state. After next year it will be 4.  I get it, you want to go someplace warm...but are you only on a cruise for that or to discover new ports?  Your headache (after drinking) and the endorphins that kicked in after you won at the Casino will only last a short moment. The memory of seeing nature and who are with will last a life time.                               

 

As I tell my kids "Make wise decisions"

[Hotdog 52]

Out of 37 cruises, Alaska is #1.

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, Diggerof4 said:

This is not to demeanor anyone, but I just don't understand. Maybe my mind set is different.  Yes, I agree part of the cruise is the ship, in which there are things on board to keep you busy, but it is also your transportation. Some people would give up majestic  beauty because they can not party, gamble, or the ship doesn't stay up late. Oh, the best reason..it will be cold.  I look at it as new destination, people who want to be there and see the same things we do, nature, the culture, history, language accents, food, what made what or who,  and (selfishly) I am only 5 states away from being in every state. After next year it will be 4.  I get it, you want to go someplace warm...but are you only on a cruise for that or to discover new ports?  Your headache (after drinking) and the endorphins that kicked in after you won at the Casino will only last a short moment. The memory of seeing nature and who are with will last a life time.                              

 

While I like your post, I think the point you are missing is everyone doesn’t think the same way.  The main reason I enjoy cruising is I find them very relaxing with the option of doing a lot of different activities to include visiting ports to doing nothing and just taking it easy on the ship.

 

Because of that all of my 30 cruises, soon to be 31, have been in the Caribbean, which also means I have visited a lot of ports multiple times. I don’t feel like I am missing something because I haven’t been on a cruise to Alaska yet. One day we may do a cruise to Alaska, but it is not near the top of our cruise bucket list. The top of our list is to start cruising in Europe, which we are planning to start doing in 2022.  My wife also wants to do a cruise to Hawaii sometime in the near future, which we will likely do, even though I have been to Hawaii before when I was in the military.  

[MommytoAsquared]

We loved our Alaska cruise let year.  In contrast to previous cruises, the average age of cruiser seemed to be.a little older.  There seemed to be fewer children on board.  There also seemed to be more multi-generation family groups (all wearing matching t-shirts).

 

On the Tracy Arm fjord day, they lined chairs facing the windows so people could sit and watch the scenery.  There was a naturalist on the bridge who would spot pods of whales.  When he spotted them, everyone would go to the window and look for them.  I don't remember many people in the pool except a few brave children.

 

[Diggerof4]

1 hour ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

While I like your post, I think the point you are missing is everyone doesn’t think the same way.  The main reason I enjoy cruising is I find them very relaxing with the option of doing a lot of different activities to include visiting ports to doing nothing and just taking it easy on the ship.

 

Because of that all of my 30 cruises, soon to be 31, have been in the Caribbean, which also means I have visited a lot of ports multiple times. I don’t feel like I am missing something because I haven’t been on a cruise to Alaska yet. One day we may do a cruise to Alaska, but it is not near the top of our cruise bucket list. The top of our list is to start cruising in Europe, which we are planning to start doing in 2022.  My wife also wants to do a cruise to Hawaii sometime in the near future, which we will likely do, even though I have been to Hawaii before when I was in the military.  

Thank you for your response.  Oh, I know people don't think the same way. And I so understand to unhook and unwind.  It is totally up to the person where they want to go (you are spending your money, you should have a say 🙂).  I am thrilled to hear you are thinking about Europe and Hawaii.  Such an adventure.  I totally understand people take cruises for all reasons and places.. that is why there are so many cruises.  Everyone has a different mind set. I guess I didn't want someone to miss out because of few things and miss out on the beauty.  Like I said before. It is your time, money and cruise. You know you best. And so deserve to go where you want to go.  That is what vacation is for.  Happy Cruising where ever the sunset takes you. ❤️

[coevan]

4 hours ago, Diggerof4 said:

 I look at it as new destination, people who want to be there and see the same things we do, nature, the culture, history, language accents, food, what made what or who

 

 

This is why a land based trip would let you emerge yourself into the local culture. Not saying you won't love your Alaskan cruise, we were disappointed in missing 2 excursions due to weather. The beauty is amazing.

[dbrucern]

On 8/23/2019 at 4:29 PM, oceanbums said:

Hello, planning a cruise for August 2020. We've done 3 to Mexico and 3 to the Caribbean. Thinking about an Alaskan cruise and wondering about the different vibe or atmosphere it might have than a tropical cruise. Is there still alot of music, and upbeat activities. I can't imagine Calypso music playing so is it still a fun ship? We are young 65 year olds and like the energy of carnival. Will it be there on the Alaskan cruises?

We got off August 13th, everyone was much more dressed down, a lot of jeans and t-shirt/sweatshirts except for formal dinners.  The ship did not have a band in the casino which we are used too but we had a great time at other locations and I have to admit that we tried the Punch liners club for the first time and both comedians were very funny.  Energy is still there enjoy.  We had amazing weather, 50's in the morning but high 70's by 11am - pools were full even the ones that did not have the cover 

[MamaFej]

I've had the good fortune to visit every US state at lest twice, most six or more times. I can unequivocally say that Alaska is my favorite state to visit. We've flown up and toured in my parents' RV, driven our own RV up, and flown up for a land tour followed by a south bound cruise. I LOVE Alaska, and am eagerly awaiting our 2020 cruise out of Los Angeles (yay- no flying).

 

I haven't had the experience of cruising the Caribbean yet (and we had to cancel one we had booked as it conflicted with our youngest son's Honor Band concert)* but I have been on hot weather cruises in the Mediterranean, western Mexico, and South/Central America.

 

We love to see lots of places, learn lots of history, learn about nature, and enjoy the ship. 

 

I think the OP is unlikely to dislike Alaska, and I would strongly encourage adding a land component if at all possible. However, if the weather, sand, and party atmosphere are of primary importance, AK might not be a good choice, To each his or her own.

 

No matter what, I hope the OP enjoys the retirement celebration cruise. Congratulations!

 

 

*We replaced that cruise with a retirement celebration cruise from Hawaii to Vancouver and are eagerly awaiting it as well. I imagine we will get to the Caribbean someday. 

[coevan]

3 hours ago, dbrucern said:

pools were full even the ones that did not have the cover 

 

 

I know they use sea water in the Caribbean. do they use fresh heated water in Alaska, otherwise you would get hypothermia with water hovering in the 50's. I'm a wimp and wear a wetsuit diving the Caribbean

[hpugirl27]

We went on an Alaskan cruise in early June of 2018.  While it is port intensive and a bit more subdued as people are enjoying nature and looking for whales, etc....they still have the normal activities.  They had the mixologist challenge (my husband won!), the late night comedy and stage shows, people were out and about- my son still went to the kids club some nights and plenty of kids were there while parents were at comedy or shows, alchemy,  or enjoying a walk on the deck.  If I remember correctly, there were early port times so you did tend to go to bed a bit earlier, but by no means was everyone in bed at 10pm.  You'll have a great time!

[Frank12]

10 hours ago, Hotdog 52 said:

Out of 37 cruises, Alaska is #1.

29 here and Alaska is #1 and #2. (We've only been twice).

[Hotdog 52]

We also had a 5 day land tour before the southbound cruise.  It was great.  We went the last part of May, no rain, not really cold and really nice locals.

[oceanbums]

13 hours ago, hpugirl27 said:

We went on an Alaskan cruise in early June of 2018.  While it is port intensive and a bit more subdued as people are enjoying nature and looking for whales, etc....they still have the normal activities.  They had the mixologist challenge (my husband won!), the late night comedy and stage shows, people were out and about- my son still went to the kids club some nights and plenty of kids were there while parents were at comedy or shows, alchemy,  or enjoying a walk on the deck.  If I remember correctly, there were early port times so you did tend to go to bed a bit earlier, but by no means was everyone in bed at 10pm.  You'll have a great time!

Sounds perfect, a brand new experience in Alaska combined with some fun on the ship. I guess my main concern about the ship was that I've heard there are very few activities or events happening in the evenings. I'm so glad I asked about this, everyone has been so helpful.

[LoungingMcCoy]

We'll be cruising to Alaska at some point.  Does an Alaska cruise still have all the activities like trivia contests, giant Jenga, giant Yahtzee, etc.?  If I don't have the opportunity to win a ship on a stick it would kind of be a bummer.  These activities are one of the highlights of cruising for us and we always make friends while participating.

[hpugirl27]

29 minutes ago, LoungingMcCoy said:

We'll be cruising to Alaska at some point.  Does an Alaska cruise still have all the activities like trivia contests, giant Jenga, giant Yahtzee, etc.?  If I don't have the opportunity to win a ship on a stick it would kind of be a bummer.  These activities are one of the highlights of cruising for us and we always make friends while participating.

Yes, they definitely still have all the trivia!  And I noticed A LOT more people played!  So you may have more competition, lol.  

[Lovefuninthesun]

I have the same reservations about an upcoming TA -- well, "reservations" is probably too harsh, since I am beyond excited about the ports (Greenland! Iceland! Scotland! Northern Ireland! Ireland!)

Nonetheless, I'm very curious about those 10 sea days in the north Atlantic, and wonder if we will go a little stir-crazy.

[coevan]

dress warm, you won't be lounging by the pool