Looking for: Advice for 1st Alaskan Cruise

[RobW2428]

My wife and I are looking for an Alaskan cruise this late summer or fall (2022).  We've cruised other places, but never Alaska.  And never post-COVID.  Is there a good spot on CruiseCritic to find a lot of quality info on Alaskan cruising?

 

Thanks in advance for your help,

Rob

[ColeThornton]

6 minutes ago, RobW2428 said:

My wife and I are looking for an Alaskan cruise this late summer or fall (2022).  We've cruised other places, but never Alaska.  And never post-COVID.  Is there a good spot on CruiseCritic to find a lot of quality info on Alaskan cruising?

 

Thanks in advance for your help,

Rob

 

Click on "Forums" on top left corner of this page.  Scroll down to Ports of Call section, click on "Alaska".   Great info available on things to do, places to see, transportation, etc.

[RobW2428]

Great.  Thanks Cole.  Been a little while since I've navigated the forums here.  Appreciate it.

-Rob

[urbanhawk]

My 1st cruise to Alaska, and my 1st cruise ever was back in 2007. I didn't even know about Cruise Critic at the time. I "survived"😉, but would have greatly benefited, if I had known about it then-such a plethora of information..Have now been to Alaska twice, and can see myself booking  more cruises to Alaska in the future. Enjoy and happpy cruising! 

[Host Kat]

1 hour ago, RobW2428 said:

Great.  Thanks Cole.  Been a little while since I've navigated the forums here.  Appreciate it.

-Rob

 

Howdy @RobW2428 

 

Your thread has been moved to a more correct forum where it will be on topic. I hope this will be helpful and glad to have you back aboard Cruise Critic! 

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat 

[JT1962]

Alaska is much more about the ports / scenery/ excursions than a specific ship or even cruise line. Research the different ports available, read reviews & trip reports about the ports & excursions, view YouTube videos to get an even better idea. Once you have identified ports & / or excursions you are most interested in, try and find an itinerary that spends the most time in those ports. 
 

Realize that there are currently additional restrictions due to Covid that may affect your decision and could (will?) change before the time you are looking to cruise.
 

Some additional tips: 

 

- Most will say to make sure your itinerary includes Glacier Bay. Holland America & Princess seem to have the most itineraries with Glacier Bay, but other cruise lines have sailings there as well.
 

- A one-way itinerary between Vancouver / Alaska (Seward or Whittier) will usually give you more time in ports and possibly an additional port or glacier viewing day. 
 

- Itineraries that sail to / from / roundtrip from Vancouver generally sail inside of Vancouver Island, which is more scenic and smoother sailing than roundtrip cruises that sail from Seattle and usually  sail outside of Vancouver Island.

 

- If your time and budget allow, do a land tour before or after your cruise in Alaska to include Fairbanks, Denali and more. If sailing to / from Vancouver, plan on 2-3 days there as well to see the highlights.

 

- A balcony cabin is nice, but it’s not mandatory (others will disagree), especially if you have to cut back on excursions to pay the additional cost. The best views are usually on deck where you can quickly move from one side of the ship to the other if wildlife (whales, bears, seals, etc.) is sighted. 
 

- Prepare for “sticker shock”, especially for excursions, if you have primarily cruised in the Caribbean.  That said, don’t skip something you really want to do and consider a “bucket list” experience just to save a few hundred dollars. The memories will be there long after the price is forgotten and the cost to get back to Alaska if you regret not doing it will cost much more than the price of the excursion in both time and money.

Edited April 16, 2022 by JT1962

[3rdGenCunarder]

JT1962 Has lots of good tips. A few comments/additions.

 

I do recommend a balcony cabin unless you're okay standing on deck for a long time. There's lots of scenic cruising, and it's nice to be able to duck inside your cabin and warm up if it's cold or rainy. Of course, the downside of balcony viewing is you see only what's on one side of the ship. 

 

Don't be too focused on Glacier Bay. Hubbard Glacier is a nice option, too. 

 

Yes, excursions can be expensive. Once you choose your sailing, start researching the ports.  Sometimes it's worth spending a little more to get a  better version of a tour. For example, some whale watch tours use large boats that they cram with passengers, so you're constantly jostling to get a good view. Look for a tour that uses a smaller boat and takes fewer passengers. You may have to book independently, but it's worth the research and expense to get a good experience. (If you're going to do one whale watch, Juneau is probably best.) 

[5waldos]

All great ideas. The other thought I have is that if you are sailing Vancouver-Anchorage or the reverse and hoping to return home the same day- check flights out of Anchorage since too often your only choice is a very late night flight. Which is why we usually sail south- I hate late night flights. If you are staying for a day or two this is not a problem. 

 

Agree about the price of excursions- some are very pricey. So when comparing trips keep in mind that some lines include excursions. 

 

Also a note about Glacier Bay- each year only a small number of cruise lines are given license to sail in. And some lines have been barred entirely for 10 years or more due to breaking regulations. So if this is a must for you- it cuts down on the choices you have. 

 

Vast amounts of information here on CC so enjoy the planning.

[J0Y0US]

If you can swing it don't plan Alaska being a bucket list. Plan on it being a part 1/2/3 bucket list lol. 

 

First Alaska Cruise was last year doing our second this summer.

 

So many options for ports that people talk about and you won't really find a cruise that hits them all. 

[RobW2428]

Wow, terrific advice folks!  Thanks so much.

 

Bad news:  I didn't see some of your advice before doing some other research and booking a cruise.

Good news:  I found what seems to be a great one for my wife and me.  It's a 7-nighter from Seward to Vancouver on Celebrity Millennium.

 

Plan is to fly into Anchorage four days early to see some of Alaska ahead of time and so we have a cushion in case of flight cancelations.  

 

Now it's time to sign in at the roll call.......  Thanks again for the help.  My specialty is board games, so if you want a recommendation in that area, send me a message :).

 

-Rob

[Dancing Shoes]

We are on the Seward to Vanc. Celebrity/Millemmium also.  Take the train from Anchorage to Seward, and spring for the upper car with the sky view windows.  I read that the views are beautiful. They provide breakfast.  Train leaves @ 6:45 am.

Be aware, as of now, Celebrity is wanting a negative Covid test 2 days before you board.  Since you will be in Anchorage, check into testing there.  Hopefully, this requirement will go away.  

[RobW2428]

Alright Dancing Shoes, that sounds like some very solid advice.  Appreciate it!

-Rob

[urbanhawk]

21 hours ago, RobW2428 said:

Wow, terrific advice folks!  Thanks so much.

 

Bad news:  I didn't see some of your advice before doing some other research and booking a cruise.

Good news:  I found what seems to be a great one for my wife and me.  It's a 7-nighter from Seward to Vancouver on Celebrity Millennium.

 

Plan is to fly into Anchorage four days early to see some of Alaska ahead of time and so we have a cushion in case of flight cancelations.  

 

Now it's time to sign in at the roll call.......  Thanks again for the help.  My specialty is board games, so if you want a recommendation in that area, send me a message :).

 

-Rob

Great! Sounds like a good plan. My 1st cruise, which I made reference to earlier, was on Carnival's Spirit. I flew to Anchorage, the day before the cruise.(Didn't spend any extra time as I lived/worked for 3 seasons at  Denali, and saw much of Alaska, at that time-mid 80's). Took the train to Seward, boarded the ship, and finished in Vancouver. . Did get to visit Sitka, which was a port you mentioned you wanted to visit.. Enjoy your cruise - I'm sure this will be  one of many to Alaska.!

[edinburgher]

The very first thread on this forum is this sticky with info on planning Alaska visits.:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2639556-2019-resources-for-planning-a-visit-to-alaska/

 

And the second one is all about port experiences taken by cruise pax:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2658452-2019-trip-reports/#comments

 

Much reading and inspiration in both.

 

 

Edited April 19, 2022 by edinburgher

[Northern Aurora]

Post #11 mentions the Alaska Railroad.  The early morning departure mentioned in that post refers to the train run from the downtown rail station to the Seward station.  

 

During pre-covid times cruise lines contracted the Alaska Railroad to run a special train from the Anchorage airport to a siding beside the Seward cruise terminal.  Tickets for this special train charter could only be purchased directly from the respective cruise line and the train left around noon.