Alaska Cruise Decisions

[bubbapuck]

1 hour ago, XBGuy said:

 

If I am understanding your question correctly, Bubba, I would choose the cruise that visited Icy Strait Point and Sitka.  I agree with the other posters that these two stops are very different from the other Alaska ports.  It has been well over two decades since my only visit to Sitka, but I really don't remember much from that visit other than the "Nature Cruise" excursion that we took.  That was pretty neat, even though my wife and I sat on the outside of the boat in something of a drizzle,.  This was our first AK cruise and we saw something on this excurstion that I haven't seen, since.  You know in those PBS nature shows where they show an eagle soaring just above water, and it suddenly drops its talons into the water and flies off with a trophy-sized salmon?  We actually saw that.  I am, however, sure that we paid extra for that part of the tour.  (I also am pretty sure that the group of yuppies who did not want to get damp and, so, were inside the boat, did not see the eagle.)  The only other  thing I remember from Sitka was the Russian Orthodox church.  I would love to go back there and am giving thought to that 14-day Los Angeles roundtrip this year.  Icy Strait Point is a fairly new cruise port.  Also, I think it can only accommodate one cruise ship at a time.  I may be wrong, there.  I suppose that an addition ship could anchor and tender passengers ashore. The neat thing about Icy Strait Point is that all the businesses are all locally owned.  So, I found that the docents on the Whale Watch and the Bear Search excursions that we took really tried hard to make the experience memorable for us.

 

A valid reason why my opinion may be invalid is because I have never visited Whittier as a port start, only as an embarkation port.  We flew into Anchorage and took a bus to Whittier.  Somebody mentioned a glacier cruise excursion, and I have to agree that sounds pretty neat.

 

Since you are pondering a cruise where Whittier is a port stop, you might find the rest of this post to be irrelevant.  So you can feel free to skip it,

 

Somebody posted in one of your threads that the bus ride from Anchorage to Whittier was long with the implication that it is boring.  I beg to differ.

 

I mentioned that we did take the Whittier-Vancouver southbound cruise once.  It was our very first AK cruise.  We flew to Anchorage and took the cruise line's bus to Whittier.  Leaving Anchorage you travel next to a waterway called Turnagain Arm.  So, on the right is water and on the left is mountains.  Our bus driver did a little tour guide stuff and pointed out where you could see sheep on the mountain, she also pointed out the Fireweed, and what the why the expanses of dead trees are called "Ghost Forests."  The coolest part, though, was the fact that the road doesn't actually go to Whittier.  The bus pulls off at a railroad siding and drives onto a flatcar.  You stay on the bus and the train takes you through mountain tunnels (actually, I don't remember if it was one long tunnel or a series of tunnels) to get to Whittier.  Very cool.  I saw my first glacier from that bus and couldn't believe how beautiful it was.  In the latter stages of my career I made three or four business trips to Anchorage.  On one of these, Larry, the local rep took me to dinner at Alyeska.  To get there, we traveled on that same road along Turnagain Arm  Larry, of course, pointed out when we were coming up to were the mountain sheep were, but he also mentioned that over here on the right you can sometimes see Beluga Whales.  Sure enough.  Within seconds I spotted what, at first, I thought was a very large albino dolphin.  Nope.  A Beluga Whale.  Then, three or four more.

 

Sorry I am so long-winded, Bubba.  As you might gather, I love to pontificate.

The more you pontificate, the more I learn. Thanks!

[MamaFej]

1 hour ago, XBGuy said:

 

Thanks, L.  My experience was from 1992.

 

Sorry Bubba. It sounds like the Anchorage-Whittier trip is not as fun as it used to be.

It's still a beautiful drive.

 

I'm SO JEALOUS! On both of our RV trips, we stopped at Beluga Bay and waited, and waited, and waited for Belugas on the way to and from the Kenai. That's four pretty long episodes of waiting and watching for Beluga. We've struck out every time, and decided that Beluga is Alaskan for snipe! I've seen them at Sea World, but I really wanted to see them in the wild. As we often say when we miss something in our travels, "I guess we will have to go back!"

[bubbapuck]

So I was looking at reviews of the two ships. The Sun seems much smaller which I think is awesome but I am afraid that there is not much to do on the ship. With three days at sea, is there enough activities that are free (every cruise line seems to have $30 bingo 🙂 ) that my wife and I can keep busy during sea days?
Also, the Sun doesn’t have an indoor pool which is kind of a bummer. I have also heard that the nightlife seems to shut down around 9-10pm. My wife and I are not party people but we are in bed at 9pm every night. We like to stay up a little late (midnight maybe) a few nights and would hate to have nothing to do. 
 

Star has a nightclub and indoor pool. Since it is larger, I am thinking there is more activities on sea days. 

[TNTLAMB]

I'm not sure I can add anything except IF this is your first trip to Alaska, then the itinerary doesn't mean a lot. They are all amazing and you will not be disappointed in any of them. Go by price and convenience.  WHAT does make a difference is what you have in you budget for shore excursions. The ports themselves are Diamonds International with wooden fronts. FWIW we have cruise Alaska many times and while many would disagree there are a couple of things we have learned. Book the cheapest mid ship cabin on the biggest ship you can get.(the seas can be very rough) Use the savings on some amazing shore excursions. We have enjoyed scenic cruising from the upper decks far more than the balcony for all kinds of reasons. primary is you see far less from a balcony and on on a round trip, one direction or the other you see water and not much else. Nothing better than the special blankets and a pot coffee on the upper decks not to metnion the freedom to move around and see the frequent sea life, as well as hear the naturalist as you go. After your first trip THEN is the time to vary the itinerary. Someone mentioned Montana. I live there. I have NEVER been more disappointed in anything than the Denali/lodges/train. Stunted trees an a big mountain. FOR far less $$$ you can see better, more, avaoid combat tourism in the lower 48. Even the national parks as crowded as they are give a better wilderness experience. The best of Alaska Is the inside passage and up to Whittier. There is where the breataking scenery, the glaciers etc are found. Oh and to the OP Happy anniversary.

[XBGuy]

18 hours ago, MamaFej said:

It's still a beautiful drive.

 

I'm SO JEALOUS! On both of our RV trips, we stopped at Beluga Bay and waited, and waited, and waited for Belugas on the way to and from the Kenai. That's four pretty long episodes of waiting and watching for Beluga. We've struck out every time, and decided that Beluga is Alaskan for snipe! I've seen them at Sea World, but I really wanted to see them in the wild. As we often say when we miss something in our travels, "I guess we will have to go back!"

 

 

🤣🤣🤣

[donaldsc]

7 hours ago, bubbapuck said:

So I was looking at reviews of the two ships. The Sun seems much smaller which I think is awesome but I am afraid that there is not much to do on the ship. With three days at sea, is there enough activities that are free (every cruise line seems to have $30 bingo 🙂 ) that my wife and I can keep busy during sea days?
Also, the Sun doesn’t have an indoor pool which is kind of a bummer. I have also heard that the nightlife seems to shut down around 9-10pm. My wife and I are not party people but we are in bed at 9pm every night. We like to stay up a little late (midnight maybe) a few nights and would hate to have nothing to do. 
 

Star has a nightclub and indoor pool. Since it is larger, I am thinking there is more activities on sea days. 

 

I will admit that I am biased as I hate sea days.  However, there would be nothing for me to do on the afternoon of the first sea day.  Three sea days would be a fate worse than death.

[lstone19]

8 hours ago, bubbapuck said:

Also, the Sun doesn’t have an indoor pool which is kind of a bummer. I have also heard that the nightlife seems to shut down around 9-10pm. My wife and I are not party people but we are in bed at 9pm every night. We like to stay up a little late (midnight maybe) a few nights and would hate to have nothing to do. 
 

Star has a nightclub and indoor pool. Since it is larger, I am thinking there is more activities on sea days. 

 

How late things go depends on the passengers, not the ship. Things shut down when the passengers aren't there. Also, 9 to 10pm is ridiculously early considering that depending on the traditional dinner times, the late Princess Theater show will start sometime between 9:30pm and 10:00pm. I think I can reliably say there will be things open until at least midnight.

 

Years ago, I was on a sister ship to Sun Princess and there was a nightclub. I can't imagine there isn't one today.

[Coral]

9 hours ago, bubbapuck said:

So I was looking at reviews of the two ships. The Sun seems much smaller which I think is awesome but I am afraid that there is not much to do on the ship. With three days at sea, is there enough activities that are free (every cruise line seems to have $30 bingo 🙂 ) that my wife and I can keep busy during sea days?
Also, the Sun doesn’t have an indoor pool which is kind of a bummer. I have also heard that the nightlife seems to shut down around 9-10pm. My wife and I are not party people but we are in bed at 9pm every night. We like to stay up a little late (midnight maybe) a few nights and would hate to have nothing to do. 
 

Star has a nightclub and indoor pool. Since it is larger, I am thinking there is more activities on sea days. 

I actually love the Sun Princess. Never been bored. Plenty of venues at night for entertainment.

 

There is a pool that has a cover but the sides are open.

[MamaFej]

15 minutes ago, Coral said:

I actually love the Sun Princess. Never been bored. Plenty of venues at night for entertainment.

 

There is a pool that has a cover but the sides are open.

As a malignant melanoma survivor, I LOVE this!

Shade over a pool!!!

[Tapi]

19 hours ago, TNTLAMB said:

 IF this is your first trip to Alaska, then the itinerary doesn't mean a lot.
 

Go by price and convenience. 

 

WHAT does make a difference is what you have in you budget for shore excursions.

 

The ports themselves are Diamonds International with wooden fronts.

 

Book the cheapest mid ship cabin on the biggest ship you can get.(the seas can be very rough)

Respectfully, I have a differing take on the sentences above. I appreciate your wealth of information and expertise, but I just see things differently than you so I wanted to share my opinion. 
 

- True, if I’ll be visiting Alaska multiple times in my life, what I miss on my first trip, I can see on the next, and the next, so itinerary wouldn’t be as important. But if my cruise to Alaska is a once in a lifetime experience (as it is for many), then I would be more discerning about itinerary and find one that visits the specific places that I’m most interested in.

 

- Price and convenience to a certain degree. I wouldn’t sacrifice a wonderful itinerary in favor of price and convenience, unless the one that I truly want is prohibitively expensive .

 

- We took an Alaska cruise with 14 family members. We were all on different budgets (from stateroom category selection to excursion budget). Long story short, we all came home with absolutely fantastic memories even though our activities ashore varied greatly. Yes, it would’ve been amazing to go flight seeing in a helicopter and dog sledding on a glacier, but what we did do on a budget was still wonderful. Yes, set a budget for excursions, but more important than that, I’d say to do a lot of research in advance which will cut down on the amount of money required for excursions. We visited glaciers, hiked through a national forest, saw bald eagles up close, and explored through land and sea among other activities, all without spending a dime on an organized excursion. 

- True, some waterfronts are lined with your typical cruise line shops, in places like Juneau and Ketchikan (Ketchikan in particular made me think of an Alaskan themed Nassau 😂). But not all ports are the same (Sitka in particular is one of my favorite party because it doesn’t have any of the chain stores referenced above). In any case, your observation should be an encouragement to explore beyond the port area, otherwise it’s true that they can all feel the same.

 

- Yes, seas can be rough as we’ve also experienced, but going back to the “price and convenience” comment above, I wouldn’t go for cheapest midship. I agree that the best sightseeing from the ship is done by walking around out on open decks, but there’s still a large percentage of time spent in the stateroom. Some of my most breathtaking views of Alaska have been from my stateroom balcony, early in the morning when I wake up. I’ll take a more expensive balcony stateroom forward than a cheaper inside stateroom midship. 
 

- As far as ship size goes, I love big ships and I cannot lie, but in Alaska I wouldn’t place ship size in favor of itinerary for the sake of a smoother ride. In Alaska, usually larger means more limited and crappier itineraries. 
 

 

Edited December 15, 2019 by Tapi

[TNTLAMB]

One thing we have in common is sitka.... Especially snorkeling...

[LB_NJ]

My first trip to Alaska is this coming June so I can't comment on the ports or the specific ships you are thinking about.  We are flying into Anchorage and flying home from Seattle.

 

Just a couple of thoughts on planning that really have to do with your own preferences.

 

1.  We hate to fly, so a ship where we can drive to is huge deal.  I would rather sail out of Baltimore (we can drive there) to get to the Caribbean then fly to Florida to board the ship even though out of Baltimore we waist time getting to the Caribbean.  In your case we would go from LA to avoid the flight.  If YOU don't mind  flying look into flying into Anchorage and taking a ship out of Seward (other cruise lines) or Whittier to Vancouver and flying home from Vancouver (or reverse the trip, fly into Vancouver - sail to Alaska - fly home from Anchorage).  Kayak does a very nice job of letting you search out cheap airfare.  If you fly in a day or two early you can check out the interior of Alaska however Denali won't really be open in May.  

 

2. Again, if you don't mind flying check out a Seattle cruise, many ships go rnd trp out of Seattle for 7 day cruises and if your heart is not set on Princess take a look at Holland America.

 

3. You didn't say what cabin type you are getting.  We saved a lot of money (that we spent on other things) by booking an inside cabin.  I know people think this is crazy on an Alaska trip however for us it makes sense.  

 

4. Finally, we love smaller ships (700 - 1500 PAX is about right for us) and hate ships over approx. 2000PAX (we make an exception for the QM2).  WE would chooses a smaller ship even if there is less to do over a big ship.  Again, personal preference.  

 

In the end you have to decide what is important to YOU.   You might be better off asking very specific questions about ships and ports rather than general questions. 

 

 

[MamaFej]

Just to complicate things a bit more (you're welcome 😉) you could fly to San Francisco, which is cheap from SoCal with enough advance time. This takes a few sea days off, but still allows for some. Then, spend the savings on excursions.

 

I'm currently suffering from Analysis Paralysis on Asia tours. I apologize if it's contagious. 

[bubbapuck]

7 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

My first trip to Alaska is this coming June so I can't comment on the ports or the specific ships you are thinking about.  We are flying into Anchorage and flying home from Seattle.

 

Just a couple of thoughts on planning that really have to do with your own preferences.

 

1.  We hate to fly, so a ship where we can drive to is huge deal.  I would rather sail out of Baltimore (we can drive there) to get to the Caribbean then fly to Florida to board the ship even though out of Baltimore we waist time getting to the Caribbean.  In your case we would go from LA to avoid the flight.  If YOU don't mind  flying look into flying into Anchorage and taking a ship out of Seward (other cruise lines) or Whittier to Vancouver and flying home from Vancouver (or reverse the trip, fly into Vancouver - sail to Alaska - fly home from Anchorage).  Kayak does a very nice job of letting you search out cheap airfare.  If you fly in a day or two early you can check out the interior of Alaska however Denali won't really be open in May.  

 

2. Again, if you don't mind flying check out a Seattle cruise, many ships go rnd trp out of Seattle for 7 day cruises and if your heart is not set on Princess take a look at Holland America.

 

3. You didn't say what cabin type you are getting.  We saved a lot of money (that we spent on other things) by booking an inside cabin.  I know people think this is crazy on an Alaska trip however for us it makes sense.  

 

4. Finally, we love smaller ships (700 - 1500 PAX is about right for us) and hate ships over approx. 2000PAX (we make an exception for the QM2).  WE would chooses a smaller ship even if there is less to do over a big ship.  Again, personal preference.  

 

In the end you have to decide what is important to YOU.   You might be better off asking very specific questions about ships and ports rather than general questions. 

 

 

Thanks for the great advice LB_NJ. 
 

I don’t mind flying too much it is just I was hoping to not have to add the expense of flying/hotels, etc. it seems though the cost between the LA cruise (my home port) and Vancouver + Flights is about the same. This is making the decision more about things other than budget so I am exploring all avenues. 
 

my original plan was to go out if SF. I live in So Cal but my parents live in Central CA. It is only a four hour drive from my parents to SF so I wouldn’t really need to fly to SF. My wife really wants to do a 14 day though and since it is in the budget, that is what I will get her. If they had a 14 day out of SF, it would be a strong option.  
 

We prefer interior cabins because my wife has a very difficult time sleeping if one ray of light is in the room. Interior are cheaper and better for dark nights. 
 

I really like your thoughts about choosing f what is best for us. I have started putting a pro/con list between the two and collecting everyone’s great ideas to make a final decision.  Unfortunately, Princess is dragging their feet putting them on sale so I still have so time to analyze everything. 
 

thanks again!

[bubbapuck]

10 hours ago, Tapi said:

Respectfully, I have a differing take on the sentences above. I appreciate your wealth of information and expertise, but I just see things differently than you so I wanted to share my opinion. 
 

- True, if I’ll be visiting Alaska multiple times in my life, what I miss on my first trip, I can see on the next, and the next, so itinerary wouldn’t be as important. But if my cruise to Alaska is a once in a lifetime experience (as it is for many), then I would be more discerning about itinerary and find one that visits the specific places that I’m most interested in.

 

- Price and convenience to a certain degree. I wouldn’t sacrifice a wonderful itinerary in favor of price and convenience, unless the one that I truly want is prohibitively expensive .

 

- We took an Alaska cruise with 14 family members. We were all on different budgets (from stateroom category selection to excursion budget). Long story short, we all came home with absolutely fantastic memories even though our activities ashore varied greatly. Yes, it would’ve been amazing to go flight seeing in a helicopter and dog sledding on a glacier, but what we did do on a budget was still wonderful. Yes, set a budget for excursions, but more important than that, I’d say to do a lot of research in advance which will cut down on the amount of money required for excursions. We visited glaciers, hiked through a national forest, saw bald eagles up close, and explored through land and sea among other activities, all without spending a dime on an organized excursion. 

- True, some waterfronts are lined with your typical cruise line shops, in places like Juneau and Ketchikan (Ketchikan in particular made me think of an Alaskan themed Nassau 😂). But not all ports are the same (Sitka in particular is one of my favorite party because it doesn’t have any of the chain stores referenced above). In any case, your observation should be an encouragement to explore beyond the port area, otherwise it’s true that they can all feel the same.

 

- Yes, seas can be rough as we’ve also experienced, but going back to the “price and convenience” comment above, I wouldn’t go for cheapest midship. I agree that the best sightseeing from the ship is done by walking around out on open decks, but there’s still a large percentage of time spent in the stateroom. Some of my most breathtaking views of Alaska have been from my stateroom balcony, early in the morning when I wake up. I’ll take a more expensive balcony stateroom forward than a cheaper inside stateroom midship. 
 

- As far as ship size goes, I love big ships and I cannot lie, but in Alaska I wouldn’t place ship size in favor of itinerary for the sake of a smoother ride. In Alaska, usually larger means more limited and crappier itineraries. 
 

 

Thank you for the great advice Tapi!

 

I am not 100% sure if this will be one of many or my once in a lifetime trip. My wife had never been a fan of cold weather climates but she really wants to do this. If she likes it as much as I will, I am sure s will do many more. 
 

I agree 100% that I don’t want price to interfere with the itinerary. I think we will have a blast going in either cruise and we will have amazing memories on both. That is what had made this decision so tough. The prices are about the same so I have the chance to choose either. Really rough decision. 
 

I want to make sure I go to locally owned Alaska places so once a cruise is booked, I will change my focus to finding the best locally owned places in all ports. When my wife and I prepped for our first cruise (Mexican Riviera) I did a lot of research and we had soMe great times in port and never paid a dime for excursions. I will figure out an excursion budget but anything I can’t afford m, I will do a lot of research and find some great things to do in a budget!

 

thanks for the support!

[bubbapuck]

22 hours ago, Coral said:

I actually love the Sun Princess. Never been bored. Plenty of venues at night for entertainment.

 

There is a pool that has a cover but the sides are open.

Thanks for your Sun pictures and info. My wife can get bored quickly but she does enjoy laid back times also. Not sure if she would 3 days but I am sure they have plenty to do. 
 

love the cover on the pool. I would prefer an indoor pool going to Alaska though. Did you take the Sun in Alaska? If so, was there any issues in the cold weather and swimming? I live swimming but not sure that cover would be enough?

 

Thanks for the support!

[bubbapuck]

23 hours ago, lstone19 said:

 

How late things go depends on the passengers, not the ship. Things shut down when the passengers aren't there. Also, 9 to 10pm is ridiculously early considering that depending on the traditional dinner times, the late Princess Theater show will start sometime between 9:30pm and 10:00pm. I think I can reliably say there will be things open until at least midnight.

 

Years ago, I was on a sister ship to Sun Princess and there was a nightclub. I can't imagine there isn't one today.

thanks LStone. I had a hard time believing the night life ended so early but you never know. Feel better with your feedback. I know the Star has that big nightclub i. The back. I would look forward to going their during the day and overlooking the great Alaskan views! 
 

Does the Sun have great viewing places for Alaska?

[Coral]

57 minutes ago, bubbapuck said:

Thanks for your Sun pictures and info. My wife can get bored quickly but she does enjoy laid back times also. Not sure if she would 3 days but I am sure they have plenty to do. 
 

love the cover on the pool. I would prefer an indoor pool going to Alaska though. Did you take the Sun in Alaska? If so, was there any issues in the cold weather and swimming? I live swimming but not sure that cover would be enough?

 

Thanks for the support!

I did take the Sun and the Dawn to Alaska many years ago. I don't remember if I went swimming or not - sorry. I have been to Alaska many times and don't remember which cruises were warm and which were not.

 

I am not sure what 3 days are at sea - it is possible that 2 are glacier days and those are worthy of being on deck looking at wildlife and glaciers.

[lstone19]

2 hours ago, bubbapuck said:

Thank you for the great advice Tapi!

 

I am not 100% sure if this will be one of many or my once in a lifetime trip. My wife had never been a fan of cold weather climates but she really wants to do this. If she likes it as much as I will, I am sure s will do many more. 
 

I agree 100% that I don’t want price to interfere with the itinerary. I think we will have a blast going in either cruise and we will have amazing memories on both. That is what had made this decision so tough. The prices are about the same so I have the chance to choose either. Really rough decision. 
 

I want to make sure I go to locally owned Alaska places so once a cruise is booked, I will change my focus to finding the best locally owned places in all ports. When my wife and I prepped for our first cruise (Mexican Riviera) I did a lot of research and we had soMe great times in port and never paid a dime for excursions. I will figure out an excursion budget but anything I can’t afford m, I will do a lot of research and find some great things to do in a budget!

 

thanks for the support!

 

Alaska in the summer is cooler than the lower 48 but it is not cold (at least by my definition). Average highs in Juneau in the summer are in the lower 60s with overnight lows in the lower 50s. There seems to be a misconception by some that Alaska is frigid year-round.

[Peak city]

On 12/11/2019 at 2:03 PM, bubbapuck said:

Hello Everyone! I had a post removed for some reason. Not 100% sure why but I read the rules and am rewording my post to get the info I need. 

 

My wife and I are celebrating our 25th anniversary in 2021. I want to surprise her dream cruise to Alaska for Christmas. I have looked at the prospective itineraries and have narrowed it down to two options... which I am struggling to pick one. I will list the cruises and explain why I like/dislike and would like anyone's opinion. As a single family income, cost is important but both of these are in our budget.

 

1) 14-Day Inside Passage (Roundtrip Los Angeles w/ Hubbard Glacier) out of Los Angeles in July 2021. This will be on the Sun Princess. It hits Ketchikan, Skagway, Icy Straight Point, Sitka, Juneau, Victoria, and the Hubbard Glacier.

• Los Angeles is our home port and would not have to pay for flights, hotel, or transport to the port.
• No Glacier Bay and we don't go up to Anchorage.
• We love sea days and this gives us 5 or 6 full sea days. This cruise doesn't seems as rushed as there are not as many port days where we may feel obligated to get off and do something.
• I have a feeling the cost of this cruise may lower in the future and thus save me on the cruise cost. The itinerary is not as good as the other cruise. Since there are only 4 cruises from LA in 2021 on a smaller ship, the demand may be higher and the price may not lower as much as I think.

 

2) 14-Day Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure out of Vancouver in May 2021. This will be on the Star Princess. It hits Ketchikan twice, Juneau twice, Skagway twice, Glacier Bay twice, Hubbard Glacier, Anchorage, and College Fjord.

• We would have to fly to Vancouver. The cruise and flights match the cost of the LA cruise but the hotel, extra meals, transport, etc may cause the cost to be higher.
• I THINK I like this itinerary more as we go deeper into Alaska and hit multiple Fjords/Glaciers. Would you prefer Anchorage over Icy Straight Point/Sitka?
• We love sea days and this doesn't have as many. It does have cruise ports multiple times so we can have extra "sea days" on days we hit ports already visited.
• More port days means more $$$ spent in port. Excursions, meals, souvenirs, etc. 
• I am not sure if this cruise will lower in price. it seems to be a more popular cruise but there are many more Glaciers Grand Adventure cruises that has more supply than the 4 LA cruises.

 

We are honestly not that picky which one we pick. The main things we want to do are the train up the mountain, visit the state capital in Juneau, and eat some quality sea food. It is a dream to just visit Alaska and enjoy time together, we will be very happy with either. Either cruise achieves all of these goals. Also, I have the budget for both cruises now.... the basics and a few excursions (I know they are much higher in Alaska than other cruises).  Any sort of future cost savings are great but I just want to make sure any hidden costs may cause the costs to go much higher. 

 

I would just love anyone's feedback. The more conversation, the more I learn and can make the best choice. Please do not discuss anything that may have this post disappear. My previous post has good advice from people that is now gone. 

 

 

 

Is this the one you're looking for?    https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2708054-alaska-2021/  

 

[LB_NJ]

Average weather in Juneau from a internet search:

 

July: average high 65 F, average low 51 F, rain 4.8 inches

 

May: average high 56 F, average low 41 F, rain 3.5 inches

 

So July warmer but more rain on average.

 

[crystalspin]

15 hours ago, Peak city said:

Is this the one you're looking for?    https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2708054-alaska-2021/  

 

No, Bubba had another thread same 'angle' as this one. I had posted to it, then it disappeared. I didn't notice the violation in it, but this one is OK whatever the first one had it shouldn't.

[Jnsplace1]

22 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

Average weather in Juneau from a internet search:

July: average high 65 F, average low 51 F, rain 4.8 inches

May: average high 56 F, average low 41 F, rain 3.5 inches

So July warmer but more rain on average.

 

More rain = more clouds typically......I went in May it was chilly while the ship was moving.

Also, something to consider, smaller ships also mean that they can fit in the channels.  

I went on a smaller Celebrity ship during my cruise, and there are some tight spots in the inside inside passage (vs outside inside).

Using independent tour operators is a solid deal.   There are some great ones that do all sorts of things from hiking, whale watching, helicopters, and water planes (which was cool).

 

enjoy!

[bubbapuck]

Thank you all so much. This really has been a tough decision. You have all been so gracious to give me a lot of advice that really opened my eyes and the various ways of looking at this cruise. Honestly, there was no wrong answer to this and you all helped me see this!

 

I am working with a CVP now and am 99.9% sure I am going to book the 14 day out of Vancouver. It seems to have more "Alaska time" and gives us a lot more flexibility when trying to decide between cruise time and Alaska time.

 

Thanks again so much for your help!

[BrennerM]

I didn't read the whole thread but I do have one comment for you:  the weather in Alaska can be pretty volatile, so the nice thing about the Vancouver cruise is that you get two chances to have a nice weather day at each of the ports (other than Whittier of course).  So you can plan ahead based on weather forecasts to ensure that you do your excursions on the best of the two days in each port.  Or you can do two excursions if there are multiple things you want to do.

Also, Glacier Bay is amazing and I would always recommend the cruise which includes it.  And take the Skagway train up the gold rush trail, it is incredible (when the weather/visibility is good...)

 

Edited December 17, 2019 by BrennerM