Past and Future Alaska Cruisers

[Triplel]

I may be posting on the wrong board - let me know if I should move this...

We are considering an Alaska cruise for my son's hs graduation next year (his choice!) - would be me and DH, DS, my DD (darling Daddy), and possibly another cruise buddy, husband and kid.

Need some insight re: itineraries (which is "better"), line and stuff not to miss. Is this a busy/active cruise? Would we be happy just chilling and checking out the sights? We're still 14 months out, but I like to plan ahead!

Thanks for your input.

The "It's a Miracle" Cruise in ..............
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[noodle]

You should probably post on the Alaska boards. There are many different options. I bought a book by either Frommers or Fodors about Alaskan cruises for 2004. It discusses all the different cruise lines and iteneraries, plus the otpions of adding a tour at the begining or ending of one way cruises. I choose Carnival's spirit b/c the price was right (and I loved the Pride), it will go to glacier bay on the week of our cruise (in laws have been on alaskan cruise but haven't been to glacier bay so this was their special request), and the one we choose is roundtrip to vancouver.

I would suggest buying the book and then looking for prices.

I think if you have any smaller children, Carnival or Royal Carribean have great children's programs. Royal Carribean doesn't go to glacier bay so that wasn't an option for us. Also, these two lines probably provide some more activities of the type that your son would enjoy. Climbing wall, putting green on royal carribean. Great shows, food, and casino on Carnival. Plus carnival offers so many great shore excursions, some really active, others more sedate tours.

Holland America, Norwegian, and Celebrity tend to be slightly quieter crowds, but the food on Celebrity is supposed to be outstanding. Holland America offers many pre or post cruise tours to extend your stay in alaska.

Princess goes to glacier bay more than most other lines I believe and also offer a wide variety of post and precruise tours. I believe princess also has a decent children't program, and is a leader in cruising Alaska.


Have a great time planning.

Pride 02/15/04
Spirit 05/11/05

[bar10der421]

We were on the Carnival Jubilee Alaska cruise in August, 1999. It was a wonderful trip and one that I would definitely consider repeating in the future.
We flew into Vancouver, sailed northbound to Seward, then added a four day land tour. I would highly recommend the land tour if you can fit it into your budget. Denali was awesome.
However, if I had it to do over, I would reverse it and do the land tour first (a little hectic at times) and cruise southbound (a more relaxing way to end the trip).
Also, I see that you are from the east coast as we are, and the all night flight home from Anchorage was a killer. I would rather get that long flight over with in the beginning of the trip.
The nightlife on this cruise is pretty non-existent. The public areas of the ship are mostly deserted by midnight as everyone is up bright and early in the morning. There is so much beautiful scenery, wild life, etc. and you just don't want to miss anything. Again if it fits your budget, I would highly recommend a balcony cabin for this trip. We had an OV and I spent quite a lot of time sitting in the window when I wasn't on deck!!
As to shore tours, we did the Saxman native village in Ketchican, White Pass Railroad and Liarsville in Skagway, a raft trip in Juneau. All were very enjoyable. In Sitka we went to the Eagle Raptor Center on our own---very highly recommend it!
You will love Alaska! I am sure there is a wealth of information on the Alaska board. If you would like to e-mail me with specific questions, just put cruise critic in the subject line.

5/2 Miracle cruise
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[nlt46]

I agree with the first post telling you to check things out with the Alaska boards. You can't go wrong with any Alaska cruise. I've been lucky enough to go twice. I would highly recommend a cabin with a veranda or even suite. Once you have picked your cruise line... then you can plan your activities. So many people will help you on the Alaska boards, especially Budget Queen. Do a search of her posts and you will learn so much. My 2 cruises to Alaska were 1 on Princess and one on Carnival Spirit. Both... wonderful. Nancy

99 Norwegian Sea 00Triumph
01 Victory 01 Spirit
02 Inspiration 02 Conquest
03Dawn Princess 04Celebration