Finally going to Alaska - X Cruisers, WWYD?

[Alsmez]

We are long time X cruisers (S-class mostly, last trip was to Bermuda on Summit in 2019). We had an AK cruise on Solstice booked for 2020 that we are just now getting around to rescheduling, but the itinerary we had then (SEA-VAN, 8 days) is no longer an option. The only X itinerary that works for us is Eclipse in late May, r/t out of Vancouver, with stops in Icy Strait Point, Juneau and Ketchikan (plus scenic cruising at Hubbard Glacier and the inside passage). However, I also found a northbound VAN-Whittier (inside passage, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, College Fjord) on Majestic Princess that is doable. Prices are similar and we don't have any credits on X tying us to the line for this trip. Flight prices are also comparable at the moment. We have an aft balcony on Eclipse but none are currently available on Majestic - we'd either get a higher-level balcony or mini-suite. We have never cruised Princess before, nor have we been on Eclipse (though we are big fans of Equinox, Silhouette and Reflection).

 

While we would love to do a land tour as well, we are pressed for vacation time on this trip and can't fit it in. I am sure we will find time in the future to return for another cruise plus land tour, so this is not our only opportunity to see Glacier Bay, which is the main draw on Princess cruises from what I understand. Given those parameters, WWYD? Thanks in advance for your input!

 

 

[kathynorth]

We've been on 2 Alaskan cruises: one went to Glacier Bay and the other to Hubbard. Since you're asking for opinions, I'd go on the one to Hubbard since you get up close to an enormous calving glacier. Whale watching out of Icy Strait (private tour) was one of my favorite excursions of all time. 

[vswan]

Have been to Alaska 4 times. Once on X, once on Princess, twice on HAL. The X and princess where full Seward/Vancouver. I would look at how long the scheduled port times are and I personally would rather do Skagway than Icy Point Strait. If this is the only time you think you will get to Alaska, the full Seward/Vancouver is the way to go.

[Alsmez]

Thanks! The excursion I was really hoping to reschedule was flightseeing over Glacier Bay, which won't be possible on the X cruise (as far as I can tell) because most companies only go from Skagway/Haines, not ISP. I have heard that whale watching in ISP is amazing, though, and we could always do a helicopter or flightseeing tour of Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau. Both itineraries have a full day in Junean and a half day in Ketchikan, though on X that half day is in the afternoon vs early morning on Princess. 

 

Good to know that Hubbard Glacier is fabulous - maybe we won't be so disappointed not to see Glacier Bay this time around. I have seen X's Hubbard Glacier Wilderness Exploration (small boat) tour recommended - worth it? Or is there something comparable offered by a private company?

[geneandjoe14]

We did Vancouver-Seward in late May on Millenium. Fantastic itinerary. Like another poster mentioned, seeing Hubbard Glacier up close from our balcony was amazing. Our favorite excursion was the TAKU LODGE FEAST AND 5-GLACIER SEAPLANE, offered thru X in Juneau. Pricey but one of our favorite travel experiences. We also really enjoyed whale watching in Icy Point Strait (town of Hoonah), which we booked thru Viator. We lucked out with beautiful weather all week. Happy planning! 

[xamsx]

The aft balcony was a tremendous asset when we did our Alaskan cruise (with Celebrity). When it came time to pivot, I was able to record the glacier calving.

 

Since that trip, whenever we are in a fjord area on a cruise we try and book an aft cabin.

Have a fabulous trip. 🙂

[Northern Aurora]

Even though we live in Alaska we periodically do Alaska cruises since it gives an opportunity to see another part of our enormous state.

 

Just a few comments -- I am somewhat surprised when Glacier Bay is considered to be a "must."  Those glaciers are in full retreat (ie, shrinking rapidly) while Hubbard is a tidewater glacier which is advancing.  And seriously consider the Hubbard Glacier Wilderness Exploration as the much smaller boat will be able to approach Hubbard much closer than the cruise ship.

 

Icy Strait Point is known for incredible whale watching if that is of interest.  In contrast, Skagway is connected to the history of the Klondike Gold Rush as it was an entry point to the gold fields; no gold was actually found in Skagway.

 

Celebrity will have a naturalist on board.  The bulk, if not all, of the Beyond the Podium speakers will be talking about whales, marine wildlife and so forth.

 

Dress will be very casual.

 

And which option you select remember that a cruise will only offer a small taste of Alaska.  I always smile when we meet fellow passengers while on a ship who tell us, when they learn that we live in Alaska, that they have been "all over" our state as they took a seven night cruise with a cruise tour up to Denali National Park.

 

 

[Alsmez]

1 hour ago, Northern Aurora said:

 I always smile when we meet fellow passengers while on a ship who tell us, when they learn that we live in Alaska, that they have been "all over" our state as they took a seven night cruise with a cruise tour up to Denali National Park.

I feel the same way about NY - it's more than just the city!  Thanks very much for the insider info and the details regarding the glaciers. I am feeling like the X itinerary is going to give us a very nice taste of Alaska (from an aft balcony, no less) even if we don't see Glacier Bay.

[North2Alaska10]

We usually take an Alaskan cruise each year. Most have been on the Solstice, but we also enjoyed a Holland America (Westerdam) and Princess Cruise (Crown Princess). The Princess cruise was in 2015 and was a wonderful cruise. The captain spent a lot of time at the glacier and rotated the ship several times. It was disappointing on the Solstice this year as the captain spent very little time at the glacier rotating only once. (Probably the worst glacier experience from our 10 Alaskan cruises) Brent Nixon’s monologue on glacier days always  adds to the experience which we will miss. All of our cruises were out of Seattle.
Although we traveled on the Solstice again this past August we were looking for a bit of different experience for next year. Sitka and Icy Straight point were on our list. So next year we will be trying Norwegian. I was thrilled to see recently that Celebrity is moving the Solstice to Vancouver and bringing the Edge to Seattle in 2024. I am wondering if Captain Tasos and Brent Nixon will be back for any of those cruises.  
Good luck on your decision! Alaska is always enjoyable!

[cruisequeen4ever]

Try Princess; the Majestic will take you to Glacier Bay, which is a highlight. Princess was an original cruise line to Alaska and does it best. 

[Bill Miller]

"Given those parameters, WWYD? Thanks in advance for your input!"    Get the drink package.

[LeeW]

Six trips to Alaska, four Princess, two Royal.  Princess gets Glacier Bay - a close approach to a 200' high wall.  Only saw major calving once, but that was 1/3 size of the ship.  Hubbard closest approach is a couple of miles to a seven mile wide glacier.  While the smaller Glacier Explorer can take you closer it is EXPENSIVE - $399 on our last cruise.  Princess hits Hubbard only on southbound trips and hits Glacier Bay on all trips.

 

Personally we prefer smaller Princess ships (Coral or Island).  Indoor swimming pool with glass outer wall where you can sit and watch scenery and stick you head outside for pictures.  Radiance also has an indoor pool but not as good seating in that area and harder to get outside.

 

We have done two B2B trips out of Vancouver.  Both were great.  On Radiance last summer Hubbard was completely fogged in going north but fairly decent view southbound (and Glacier Explorer was cancelled northbound).  On Island we hit Glacier Bay three days apart and massive changes to Margerie Glacier.  

 

Yes, you can sail roundtrip from Seattle, but a one-way gets more Alaska time.  If you can only do one seven day cruise I would do a southbound Princess.  Or just acknowledge that one trip isn't enough and plan now for multiple trips, including a couple of cruise-tours.

[Whinenowine]

On 11/16/2022 at 5:21 PM, Alsmez said:

 I have seen X's Hubbard Glacier Wilderness Exploration (small boat) tour recommended - worth it? Or is there something comparable offered by a private company?

We were on the Millie in Alaska this past summer. We opted for the small boat tour (there is only the one 'sanctioned' by X), and it was fantastic.  It docks with the cruise ship at sea and then takes you right up to the massive wall of the glacier (by that I mean the closest safe distance, which is a few hundred feet away).  

 

The whole day is very weather dependent--if seas are too rough, the small boat gets cancelled and the X ship may not be able to get too close to the glacier.  In good weather, the X ship get quite close to the glacier and spins around for a few hours to ensure everyone gets a good view (which many accept in lieu of the $300/pp small boat tour).  We had good weather and it was cool watching the Millie from the small boat.  She got close, but we were MUCH closer and got a better view of the calving (which is loud, fantastic and continuous).  This glacier is massive--miles wide, hundreds of feet high, etc. It makes once feel insignificant.

 

So I'd recommend the excursion if you willing to part with your money, but if you have good eyes and a good camera, it's not necessary.  One thing to note: if you're even considering doing the tour, book it now.  You can always cancel it at any time for a full refund--but the tour does get booked up AND gets more expensive as you get closer to your cruise.

[bigbenboys]

On 11/16/2022 at 2:21 PM, Alsmez said:

Thanks! The excursion I was really hoping to reschedule was flightseeing over Glacier Bay, which won't be possible on the X cruise (as far as I can tell) because most companies only go from Skagway/Haines, not ISP. I have heard that whale watching in ISP is amazing, though, and we could always do a helicopter or flightseeing tour of Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau. Both itineraries have a full day in Junean and a half day in Ketchikan, though on X that half day is in the afternoon vs early morning on Princess. 

 

Good to know that Hubbard Glacier is fabulous - maybe we won't be so disappointed not to see Glacier Bay this time around. I have seen X's Hubbard Glacier Wilderness Exploration (small boat) tour recommended - worth it? Or is there something comparable offered by a private company?

We have sailed Alaska on many cruise lines. We cruised Alaska in Oct 2021 Seattle/Seattle on Millie, June 2022 Seward/Vancouver on Millie and Sept 2022 Seattle/Vancouver on Solstice. Personally Hubbard is my favorite glacier. I also like the ziplining at ISP.  While we have not done the X's Hubbard Glacier Wilderness Exploration (small boat). I have talked to many suite guest that said it was great. You can see the small boat in the photo below at Hubbard glacier. 

[shipshape sam]

On 11/16/2022 at 4:52 PM, Alsmez said:

We are long time X cruisers (S-class mostly, last trip was to Bermuda on Summit in 2019). We had an AK cruise on Solstice booked for 2020 that we are just now getting around to rescheduling, but the itinerary we had then (SEA-VAN, 8 days) is no longer an option. The only X itinerary that works for us is Eclipse in late May, r/t out of Vancouver, with stops in Icy Strait Point, Juneau and Ketchikan (plus scenic cruising at Hubbard Glacier and the inside passage). However, I also found a northbound VAN-Whittier (inside passage, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, College Fjord) on Majestic Princess that is doable. Prices are similar and we don't have any credits on X tying us to the line for this trip. Flight prices are also comparable at the moment. We have an aft balcony on Eclipse but none are currently available on Majestic - we'd either get a higher-level balcony or mini-suite. We have never cruised Princess before, nor have we been on Eclipse (though we are big fans of Equinox, Silhouette and Reflection).

 

While we would love to do a land tour as well, we are pressed for vacation time on this trip and can't fit it in. I am sure we will find time in the future to return for another cruise plus land tour, so this is not our only opportunity to see Glacier Bay, which is the main draw on Princess cruises from what I understand. Given those parameters, WWYD? Thanks in advance for your input!

 

 

Without doing an inside passage cruise, not sure a pre or post tour is that compelling.  IF you do the inside passage northbound you get opportunity to see more of AK after cruise segment.  We love Seward, and the Kenai area.  We did a land based trip earlier this year and in Whitter did a group glacier boat tour.  Would want a small boat tour next time.  We did do a small boat out of Seward and weather was not the best, but what we got to see without going out into more open waters was great!   Did not see glaciers, but did on another tour (a rafting tour out of Portage)  It was great. We got into our rafts where a glacier was calving and we paddled around some of the ice bergs before heading on the rafting  portion.  Then got on a train for the short trip to the train station/our car.

 

We did a 15 day trip and wish everyone could spend the time to do that long of a trip.  We flew into Anchorage, drove to Whitter for a day, back to Anchorage to pick up daughter/granddaughter/son in-law and back down to Portage, then Seward for a couple of days, then to Wasilla overnight on way to Denali (Healey), then Fairbanks for 5 days to enjoy daytime activities and seek out the Aurora at night.  5th night was clear and spectacular!  WE had read that you need to allow for multiple days in Fairbanks.

 

Anyway, AK is great and we are already planning to go again! Hope you can make it to AK multiple times  in your future travel plans.  Denali has an issue now where you cannot get as far into the park as you could in years past.  I think it was damage to a road and not sure when it will be repaired. Still we saw a number of animals and even a full view of Mt Denali without any clouds covering the mountain.

[atlasali]

Three cruises to Alaska:

1982 on SS Universe - 2-week Vancouver to Anchorage to Vancouver. Small ship, unique itinerary:  Valdez, Homer, Anchorage, both arms of Glacier Bay.  Ship was for the Semester at Sea college program.  Juneau - raft trip on river ending near Mendenhall glacier.  Sitka - I booked our own float plane trip.  Hard to sleep when cruising, so much to see.

2009 RCCL Seward to Vancouver.  Flew to Anchorage, did a 3-night bus trip to Denali prior to cruise. good contrast to cruising the coast.  Our guide as a child survived the earthquake because she and her sister had just stepped into their home.  Their yard sunk 12 feet.  Caught a glimpse of Denali while on the park short bus trip.  We were offered the opportunity to take the scenic train from Anchorage to Seward.  Spectacular!

2012 Celebrity - took 2 of our favorite excursions:  Float plane trip to Taku Glacier Lodge with Salmon bake.  Expensive, but so worth the price.  Flew over a mountain, saw 5 glaciers, eagles fishing, heard wonderful true stories ate fresh salmon cooked on open grill.  We did not see any bears.  Next was a private boat ride (6 passengers) from Hoonah (Icy Straight Point) saw whales up close & saw a bear on the shoreline.

I research.  Milepost magazine excellent resource - found the floatplane.  A book on the Inside Passage mile-by-mile clued us to be on the look for Orcas and sure enough, at dinner I looked out window and there was an Orca.