Alaskan cruise need all the help I can get

[Tntt]

So it has been decided our next cruise will be an Alaskan cruise on either ovation or quantum leaving out of seattle in July of 2024. We live 17 hours from Seattle so driving is out of the question, we never fly long distances so I have a ton of questions about flights, hotels and the cruise. If anyone can help me with the following questions or direct me to a website to help answer my questions.

 

1. When flying , I know the tsa limits liquids to 3.4 oz for carry on but what about checked luggage? When we cruise I normally carry otc meds can you do that with checked luggage?

2. What are the best / safest hotels to stay near Port Seattle? 

3. Are there shuttle companies to take us from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the ship port.

4. We live on the east coast so in July is it normally scorching hot, so how is the weather in alaska during July and how should we dress? Is the ship warm? Can we swim or will it be too cold?

5. Which Alaskan itinerary is best? Royal has a Alaskan experience itinerary and a alaska glacier itinerary which one is better?

6. Do they have formal nights on alaska cruises?

7. Compares to caribbean cruises are Alaskan cruises worth the cost?

 

I have soooo many questions but we will start with these. Please help me .

 

Edited May 30, 2023 by Tntt
Misspelling

[smokeybandit]

I really encourage people to do research on their own first. 

[mickeygirl78]

I just took my first Alaskan cruise on Ovation this month. I’m sure you’ll love it! We did have a formal night and dress your best night but I did find people did not really dress up. The ship was very warm and the Alaskan ports were unusually warm for May (it was 79 in Ketchikan). I wished I had brought more tshirts. I highly recommend layers and a variety of clothes. I can’t help you with Seattle cause I went out of Vancouver. 
 

as far as flying, the liquid size only is applicable to your carry on. Any checked luggage can have larger liquids, but there are weight restrictions for the whole suitcase (typically 50 pounds).

 

I hope you have a fabulous cruise!

[lenquixote66]

We cruised to Alaska in a May.We brought clothing for cold weather and they had the warmest weather in history .

 

Enjoy your cruise

[neverbeenhere]

1) yes you have check the liquids

2) no hotels close.  Marriot waterfront safe enough. But truly all are safe unless you are looking to get smashed until 2am

3)Uber is your shuttle

4)Alaska you can’t be sure. Dress in layers

5) glacier bay cruises with Princess are the best. 

6)yes formal nights

7)if you want to see Alaska they are worth it. 

[Jimbo]

If leaving from Seattle for an Alaskan Cruise I like this itinerary.  After all an Alaska cruise is all about the itinerary right, not the Ship? Glacier Bay not to be missed. 🙂

 

Look at Holland America (Eurodam)

 

• • Day 1: Seattle, Washington, US
  • Sat Jul 13 2024 | Depart 03:00 PM
• • Day 1: Puget Sound
  • Sat Jul 13 2024 |
• • Day 2: Day At Sea
  • Sun Jul 14 2024 |
• • Day 3: Scenic cruising Stephens Passage
  • Mon Jul 15 2024 |
• • Day 3: Juneau, Alaska, US
  • Mon Jul 15 2024 | 01:00 PM To 10:00 PM
• • Day 4: Glacier Bay
  • Tue Jul 16 2024 | 07:00 AM To 04:00 PM
• • Day 4: Icy Strait Point, Alaska, US
  • Tue Jul 16 2024 | 06:00 PM To 10:00 PM
• • Day 5: Sitka, Alaska, US
  • Wed Jul 17 2024 | 08:00 AM To 04:00 PM
• • Day 6: Ketchikan, Alaska, US
  • Thu Jul 18 2024 | 07:00 AM To 01:00 PM
• • Day 7: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
  • Fri Jul 19 2024 | 08:00 PM To 11:59 PM
• • Day 8: Seattle, Washington, US
  • Sat Jul 20 2024 | Arrive 07:00 AM

[jwlane]

2)  Plenty of great hotels downtown (we used Hilton Garden Inn last September).  The train from the airport to downtown was fine.  And cheap.

[twangster]

2 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

I really encourage people to do research on their own first. 

 

Isn't that what they are doing?

 

[vswan]

Do a little more exploring here on Cruise Critic. You will find a section further down in the boards section with departure ports where you will find info about hotels, shuttles, transportation, etc. and another section where you can find info about Alaska.

[twangster]

Have you considered using a travel agent?  Find one that can walk through all your preparation and who doesn't charge anything for their services.  

[smokeybandit]

3 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Isn't that what they are doing?

 

Search engines are powerful tools.  Especially for questions that have fixed answers and aren't going to be opinion-based. 

Edited May 30, 2023 by smokeybandit

[DukeASUGirl]

2 hours ago, Tntt said:

 

7. Compares to caribbean cruises are Alaskan cruises worth the cost?

 

 

My Alaska cruises have been on Princess and NCL so I can't speak to RCL, but there is absolutely no comparison. You really can't compare. They are two completely different itineraries.

 

I will say that I've done Eastern Caribbean once, Western Caribbean once, and Alaska twice. And want to go back and take the kids. So...there you go. Obviously I think it's worth it, and prefer it to Caribbean, despite the cost.

[crzndeb]

3 hours ago, Tntt said:

We live 17 hours from Seattle so driving is out of the question,

 

3 hours ago, Tntt said:

We live on the east coast

If you live on east coast and can drive to Seattle in 17hrs, I want to know what kind of car you have 😂😂

[Tntt]

3 minutes ago, crzndeb said:

 

If you live on east coast and can drive to Seattle in 17hrs, I want to know what kind of car you have 😂😂

 That was supposed to be 37 hours, my fault.....lol

Edited May 30, 2023 by Tntt
Misspelled

[Kellie in Texas]

Many of your questions can be answered if you look at the West Coast Departures forum (lots of Seattle stuff in there) and the Ports of Call forum for Alaska. 

[Giantfan13]

WE ahve done Alaska 3 separate times and are looking at it again.  For us, who do not do beaches, there is no comparison, I'll take Alaska every time.

 

Depending on when you are planning on going, the summers are milder than in the States, but not cold. The only times you MIGHT need some warmer clothes is when the ship sails to the glaciers, and depending on what you plan to do in port, like walking on a glacier, you will need some warmer clothes.

 

As some have suggested, go to the Ports of Call section of Cruise Critic and find Alaska. Everything and anything you would ever want to know or need to know is there. PLUS, download the Tom's Port Guide (google it and you will thank me 100 times for suggesting it). Just invaluable.

 

Cheers

Len

[cathleen]

We stayed at the Mediterranean Inn last year, which had a shuttle is very close to the Seattle cruise terminal.  Alaska is great and my favorite place to cruise. Definitely dress in layers, as it can get pretty warm on certain days. 

[hoosier sailor]

1 hour ago, cathleen said:

We stayed at the Mediterranean Inn last year, which had a shuttle is very close to the Seattle cruise terminal.  Alaska is great and my favorite place to cruise. Definitely dress in layers, as it can get pretty warm on certain days. 

What did you think of the Mediterranean?  Were there restaurants close by for a late dinner?  I am staying there in September before my third Alaskan cruise.

[cathleen]

1 hour ago, hoosier sailor said:

What did you think of the Mediterranean?  Were there restaurants close by for a late dinner?  I am staying there in September before my third Alaskan cruise.

It is an older hotel, but great staff, clean and in a good location. We were happy with it. It was very busy and seemed full when we were there. There is a Starbucks connected to the lobby and also plenty of restaurants nearby. We ate tacos for dinner one night and breakfast the next morning at an amazing little diner called the Mecca Cafe. I also remember seeing several pizza places, burgers, greek, thai, and cajun restaurants. I'm sure there are tons more. We were able to walk to the space needle and the Chiluly glass exhibit. There is tons to do in that small area of Seattle. 

[hoosier sailor]

9 hours ago, cathleen said:

It is an older hotel, but great staff, clean and in a good location. We were happy with it. It was very busy and seemed full when we were there. There is a Starbucks connected to the lobby and also plenty of restaurants nearby. We ate tacos for dinner one night and breakfast the next morning at an amazing little diner called the Mecca Cafe. I also remember seeing several pizza places, burgers, greek, thai, and cajun restaurants. I'm sure there are tons more. We were able to walk to the space needle and the Chiluly glass exhibit. There is tons to do in that small area of Seattle. 

Thank you

[Weluv2cruise2gether]

We did Alaska at end of July into beginning of august 2019. We had 60-70 degree weather. So I agree to dress in layers. We did take packable raincoats and waterproof sneaker line walking shoes. We did use them on more than once. Family at home in NE PA were laughing at our pictures we were posting because we had on sweatshirts and jackets and they were back home in shorts, tanks and flip flops because it was 100 degrees 😂

[cruiselvr04]

We are going in July.  RT out of Seattle is the cheaper way to go as otherwise you’ll have one way flights which were really expensive.  We paid a lot for shore excursions.  By a lot I mean triple what we would spend in the Caribbean.  People do go and spend very little but to see and do more outside of the port area takes money. We booked all our excursions on Black Friday.  I just checked current prices and we saved over $500 for 4 ports of call by booking that weekend.  We don’t always do ship excursions but in this case most of the cost were the same. So put a reminder on your phone for that.  

[cruiseguy1016]

On 5/29/2023 at 8:03 PM, Tntt said:

So it has been decided our next cruise will be an Alaskan cruise on either ovation or quantum leaving out of seattle in July of 2024. We live 17 hours from Seattle so driving is out of the question, we never fly long distances so I have a ton of questions about flights, hotels and the cruise. If anyone can help me with the following questions or direct me to a website to help answer my questions.

 

1. When flying , I know the tsa limits liquids to 3.4 oz for carry on but what about checked luggage? When we cruise I normally carry otc meds can you do that with checked luggage?

2. What are the best / safest hotels to stay near Port Seattle? 

3. Are there shuttle companies to take us from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the ship port.

4. We live on the east coast so in July is it normally scorching hot, so how is the weather in alaska during July and how should we dress? Is the ship warm? Can we swim or will it be too cold?

5. Which Alaskan itinerary is best? Royal has a Alaskan experience itinerary and a alaska glacier itinerary which one is better?

6. Do they have formal nights on alaska cruises?

7. Compares to caribbean cruises are Alaskan cruises worth the cost?

 

I have soooo many questions but we will start with these. Please help me .

 

 

4. Temperatures can be anywhere from 40 - 80 degrees and there is no way to predict it this far in advance. Plan on bringing layers to be prepared for any weather. Try looking at a weather app a week or two before your departure to see what the forecasted weather will be. The temperature inside the ship will be comfortable. Of course you can swim. I don't know if Ovation or Quantum have heated pools so depending on the outside temps, the water may be cool. 

6. Yes, they will have formal nights but nothing is enforced. You will see people in flannel shirts in the dining room on formal night.

7. Everything in Alaska is expensive compared to most other locations. I feel the money I spent was worth it. YMMV.

[Ferry_Watcher]

Just make sure that whatever method of transportation you use to get to Seattle that you arrive the day before your cruise.  It is so much less stressful arriving the day before.

[new_cruiser]

Have you considered leaving from Vancouver instead of Seattle? The itineraries out of Seattle are a compromise to leave from a US port. Leaving from Vancouver, you get more time in Alaska ports or a second glacier visit, Hubbard Glacier.