LONG: Help Choosing 1st Time Alaska Itinerary

[gvgseg]

Seeking some advice from fellow CC'ers on selecting an itinerary for a 1st time cruise to Alaska this summer.  Here's some info about us:

 

Wife and I are both 40, 10yo daughter, 7yo son. 5x cruisers (all Mexican Riviera/Caribbean/Bermuda) - 3x Norwegian, 2x Royal. Open to some physical activities/excursions but not looking for anything overly strenuous.

 

Staterooms - Would consider spacious balcony at minimum. Typically go for mini-suites or finding balcony rooms with oversized balconies. Ideally, we'd like to do a smaller 1br suite, but finding it hard to justify the additional cost especially when Alaska is already pricey as it is.

 

We are only considering 7 night cruises that leave the weekend of 7/30-7/31/22. We will be flying into Vancouver/Seattle from either LAX or regional So. Cal airports (Orange County, Ontario, Long Beach). Although not ideal, would it be reasonable to fly up early the morning of the cruise if necessary?

 

Option #1 - Celebrity Eclipse - 7/31

Day 1: Depart Vancouver - 4:30p

Day 2: Cruise Inside Passage

Day 3: Icy Strait Point - 1:30p-10p

Day 4: Hubbard Glacier

Day 5: Juneau - 7:30a-8p

Day 6: Ketchikan - 2p-8:30p

Day 7: Cruise Inside Passage

Day 8: Arrive Vancouver

 

Thoughts: This is probably my first choice. However, I wasn't sure whether this may be too lacking on some of the more major Alaska ports. We've always wanted to try Celebrity, but wasn't sure whether would be appropriate for kids our age. Considering Concierge class, but is it worth the upgrade vs. a regular veranda room?

 

Option #2 - Royal Caribbean - Serenade of the Seas - 7/31

 

Day 1: Depart Vancouver - 5p

Day 2: Cruise Inside Passage

Day 3: Sitka - 9a-6p

Day 4: Juneau - 7a-8:30p

Day 5: Skagway - 7a-3p AND Haines - 5p-10p

Day 6: Tracy Arm Fjord - 7a-10a

Day 7: Sea Day

Day 8: Arrive Vancouver

 

Thoughts: The intriguing part of this cruise is that it is about $2,000-2,500 cheaper than the other options. However, am I missing out on a key part of Alaska experience by not having either Glacier Bay or Hubbard on this itinerary? Is Tracy Arm a sufficient alternative? I've read that sometimes it can be difficult to even get to it. Is double port day on Day 5 going to be too much? We have done mostly larger ships in the past (Escape/Joy/Independence of the Seas) with the kids. I know that smaller/medium-sized ships are generally better for Alaska but is Serenade too small for us? Will there be enough things onboard for us to stay entertained? We have liked Royal's food and service in the past but this ship appears to be somewhat dated from what I've seen on YouTube.

 

Option #3 - Norwegian Encore - 7/31

 

Day 1: Depart Seattle - 5p

Day 2: Sea Day

Day 3: Juneau - 2p-11:30p

Day 4: Skagway - 7a-8:15p

Day 5: Glacier Bay

Day 6: Ketchikan (Ward Cove) - 7a-1:15p

Day 7: Victoria - 7p-12a

Day 8: Arrive Seattle

 

Thoughts: We are most familiar with Norwegian and like their decor/entertainment, and option to do a mini-suite. From what I've read, it seems that people say that it is better to go through Vancouver rather than Seattle in order for access to Inside Passage and better port times. Is Glacier Bay that much more spectacular that I should give it significant priority? The rest of the itinerary seems a little lackluster compared to others. 

 

Option 4: Discovery Princess - 7/31

 

Day 1: Depart Seattle - 4p

Day 2: Sea Day

Day 3: Ketchikan - 6:30a-3p

Day 4: Endicott Arm & Dawes - 5a-9a AND Juneau - 12p-9:30p

Day 5: Skagway - 6a-5p

Day 6: Sea Day

Day 7: Victoria - 7p-12a

Day 8: Arrive Seattle

 

Thoughts: We have never sailed on Princess but know that they are the king of Alaskan cruises. Will we like it compared to what we know from Norwegian and Royal? How does it compare for kids? Discovery Princess is still very new which could be a good thing, but also a bad thing?! Is Endicott Arms/Dawes worth it?

 

There are also options leaving 7/30 on Royal Princess ( Whittier-->Vancouver including BOTH Hubbard and Glacier Bay) and Majestic Princess (Vancouver-->Whittier including Glacier Bay and College Fjord), but not sure we can make 7/30 work for our schedule. How convenient is Whittier from Anchorage?

 

 

I know this is long but I'd appreciate any feedback on which itinerary seems best and anything I should consider when deciding. Also any input on suggested excursions (I always book these independently).

Edited April 8, 2022 by gvgseg

[karatemom2]

We have cruised to Alaska many times - primarily on Princess, but also with HAL and NCL. So I can't really speak to either Celebrity or RCI for their experience. But I can address itinerary and also traveling with younger kids like yours (mine are grown now, but they have been cruising since they were the same age as your children).

 

First to address the inside passage question from Vancouver - it is lovely, but your mileage may vary. Even though they depart from Vancouver, many of the really new megaships do not do the inside passage, but go around the outer route. I would make very certain before factoring this into your decision that you confirm that either of the Vancouver departures are really using the inside passage route.

 

Based on the itineraries, I would encourage you to make Glacier Bay a top priority. It really is spectacular. Hubbard Glacier is also very impressive - that would be my second choice. Tracy Arm and Endicott arm are very beautiful, but your glacier viewing may not be as close up or impressive. For a first trip, Glacier Bay would be important for me in making a choice. Also, for a first time Alaska cruise the ports of Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan really offer a lot, especially with younger kids. 

 

We did this trip on the Encore last year and it was great. We really enjoyed the ship - and with the speedway, laser tag, slides and arcades I think it would be a great choice with kids. Heck, my adult kids loved it! 

 

However, I will note that if you can swing the one way trip, that is a great option as well. We have done that before on a back to back and getting both Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay is a big win. Whittier is about 45 minutes to an hour from Anchorage depending on how you hit the tunnel control system when you leave (they only allow traffic flow from one direction, switching every 30 minutes I believe).

 

But just a note - neither the Royal or the Majestic do the actual inside passage from Vancouver - they go on the outside route.

 

Good luck with your decision - you can hardly make a bad choice. Any of those options will no doubt leave you loving Alaska and wanting to come back as we have year after year!

[karatemom2]

Also meant to address the same day flying - we are also from SoCal and although it's never recommended, we have almost always flown in to Seattle or Vancouver same day from LAX and never had an issue. If you can spare the time to go a day in advance, it is probably less stressful, but we have had good luck with our choice to fly same day. We are doing it again in a few weeks when we leave on our May cruise.

Edited April 8, 2022 by karatemom2

[SightCRR]

First off I think the kids are perfect age for AK cruise. ISP has a great zip line but min weight is 75 lb and not sure the youngest could ride. If less than that he may not make it to bottom.

Flying in from SoCal same day would be ok if the flights are to SEA or Vancouver are none stop and early. Would not try it to ANC.

We have really enjoyed the helo glacier landings in Juneau and Skagway for an unforgettable experience but it is pricey. You are spending lots of money for cruise and we like to go as cheap as we can on ship and go big on experiences. 

I say #1 if your son can ride zip line. #3 If no zip line then whale watch in JUN and helo in Skagway. Book helos early for either. Unlike other places very few excursions will be available on the pier when you get off. I can't help with which cruise line is best. #2 Haines 5p-10p is useless. 

sightcrr

Edited April 8, 2022 by SightCRR
added photo

[CCJack]

I agree with OP comments and the responders comments.   A couple more thoughts....

 

We have sailed on Celebrity, RCCL, and NCL.  We like celebrity best.  At least for Europe cruises, celebrity is now all in with pricing.  Fare includes gratuities, drinks, wi-fi, etc.   That may make up some of the 2k difference.

 

I think the celebrity trip has one more sea day (Hubbard) than the rest and that would be a disadvantage in my opinion.

 

I sailed with my kids at that age, and we were really not worried about the Kids activities.  I think your kids would have fun on any of these ships.  

 

Those trips with two stops in one day are interesting.   I have never done that.   You get an extra stop but also an extra opportunity to spend money on excursions !   

 

Vancouver is a beautiful city to sail out of - you dock downtown and there are many hotels close by.

 

Count me in the "fly the day before club"....!   Just too many unknowns these days and airlines are allowing less and less margin of error in scheduling.   This has gotten worse even in the last year in my opinion.

 

I also think a one way cruise is more desirable.

 

You can't go wrong with any of these choices... Have fun ! 

[Kitty Ellas Mom]

I'm still trying to get on my first cruise, originally booked in 2019 for 2020.  So that is my disclaimer.;  I'm currently booked on a Princess, Majestic Princess for early June.  But, I've been researching Alaska cruises heavily now for 3 yrs and everyone highly recommends Glacier Bay.  I particularly like you tubers Don's Family Vacations and Tips for Travelers and both of those have videos where they talk about why they like Glacier Bay so much.  If you google their Alaska videos you'll find that info.

[Free2bMeForever]

I haven’t cruised with Princess, so I can’t offer an opinion about them. 
 

The Eclipse is a great ship.  I’ve done a couple of cruises on it (one of which was a South American one that went to Tierra del Fuego). They had a naturalist on board that gave some fantastic talks and narrated the trip past the Glaciers! When it comes to seeing the glaciers, you’ll want to be out on deck rather than in your stateroom. I don’t recall things like bumper cars, zip lines, etc on the Eclipse. They typically have a few Mac/iPad/iPhone classes and daily talks about nature, history of the area, etc.  The Celebrity Life program often includes some unique games and sports.  Just as a disclaimer, I have only cruised Royal Caribbean since the restart so, I don’t know what adjustments have been made.

 

The Serenade of the Seas is one of my favorite classes of ships.  It is a relatively small ship without any of the bumper cars, etc. There is a rock climbing wall, but availability would depend on the weather.  They do have “Adventure Ocean” programs similar to the Independence of the Seas. As karatemom2 says, Tracy Arm is beautiful, but you won’t see glaciers as closeup.

 

Helos are great if you can afford it.  I took my grandkids to Alaska several years ago and they enjoyed the whale watching and seeing bald eagles the most.  We were on NCL’s Jewel and they really did not enjoy the ship (which I would equate to the Serenade), but a lot of that depends on what interests your kids have.

 

If you like hiking, there are some great trails and the Totems are interesting as well.  Whatever you decide, I’m sure you’ll have some creat memories!!!