Alaska Cruise with Celebrity

[SPacificbound]

https://www.jeannietx2.com/alaska-cruise-2-week-land-trip-2014/

 

Just for the heck of it I decided to put a link to our Alaska trip in 2014. These are not great pictures, they were taken with a point and shoot camera, and I'm not a photographer. I just want to show the OP that there is much more to Alaska than a cruise.

[olemissreb]

When I was doing my research for the Alaska cruise we took 10 years ago, I made up a spreadsheet of all the ports, the ships that sailed there and when and the port times.  I found without a doubt that the longer port times were on the one way ships (Seward/Whittier to Vancouver or vice versa).  I also discovered that the fees associated with flying on airline points was so much more expensive flying from/to Vancouver, so we took Amtrak from Vancouver to Seattle and flew home from there (after a couple extra days of sightseeing).

 

We were on the Celebrity Millennium.  My sons were a little bored (they were 13 & 17 at the time), because Celebrity doesn't typically cater to kids.  I may have gone with Radiance of the Seas if that ship's departure date coincided with our vacation time as it would have had more stuff geared to the boys.

 

One week is not enough in Alaska.  As someone pointed out, most of the port stops are pretty touristy and reminded me of many ports in the Caribbean.  We were able to spend an extra week before the cruise and went up to Denali and over to the Matanuska Glacier (where we trekked on the glacier).  So glad we did that!  We ended up taking the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Seward (a day early) and took a Kenai Fjords tour and got so close to a glacier we heard it calving - AMAZING!

 

Excursions are expensive - both private and through the cruise line - but there used to be TourSaver books that you could use to save some money.  We booked all private excursions and they were all so totally worth it!  In Skagway, we took the train up to the Yukon and while all the cruise line excursion people were getting on huge greyhound type tour buses, we got on a small van (15 passenger) type bus and were able to stop at places the tour buses couldn't get in to - and where we went wasn't overly crowded because we got ahead of the buses.  In Icy Strait, we booked an excursion with a local boat owner to take us out whale watching - just the 5 members of my family along with the boat owner .  We were with all the cruise tours at one point and all we kept seeing were just tail flips, but then we left the crowd behind and went in to what is technically part of Glacier Bay and we ended up catching a baby whale practicing his breaches!  OMG we were the only ones out there and it was just breathtaking!  In Ketchikan, we booked a flight seeing tour to the Misty Fjords National Monument - there were 6 of us plus the pilot (5 of us were family) - SPECTACULAR.  The pilot had some music playing that fit so perfectly with the beauty of the area, my mom and I both got teary eyed!  All this to say - don't skimp on the excursions.  Pay a local as their tourist season is only 5 months or so long and they can use the tourist dollars way more than the cruise line.

[phoenix_dream]

On 7/14/2023 at 12:34 PM, bigbenboys said:

 

We like sailing Alaska late May or June. You dont want to sail to early in the season as sometimes their might be to much ice for the ship to get close to the Glaciers. While I have not seen it. I've been told you can get more of a haze in the air later in the season. Photos from June 2022. Sunset and Hubbard Glacier. Sunsets are later in Alaska. The boat in the photo is an excursion that leaves from the cruise ship.

Just wanted to add my two cents about dates.  We have sailed to Alaska multiple times both in early May at the start of cruise season as well as mid to late September, at the end.  We have never had an issue getting close to the Glaciers and never saw any haze in the air in September.  Maybe we just got lucky, but these were over several trips.  I will confess we had more rain on our last September sailing, but haven't had that on previous trips at that time.  I'll leave it to the Alaska residents to let us know if I just got lucky.

[davekathy]

18 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

Just wanted to add my two cents about dates.  We have sailed to Alaska multiple times both in early May at the start of cruise season as well as mid to late September, at the end.  We have never had an issue getting close to the Glaciers and never saw any haze in the air in September.  Maybe we just got lucky, but these were over several trips.  I will confess we had more rain on our last September sailing, but haven't had that on previous trips at that time.  I'll leave it to the Alaska residents to let us know if I just got lucky.

Now only if I can get Mother Nature to listen to my request. 

[Sigyn]

We just did an Alaskan cruise from Vancouver to Seward on the Celebrity Millennium and it was utterly amazing. We did the closeup excursion to the Hubbard Glacier and it was spectacular. I loved the food, the staff on board, the cabin...everything about the cruise. I have cruised on NCL and RCL, but not to Alaska, and the Celebrity experience was hands down far superior. Better food, better service and a better ship (and we were on NCL's newest ship, the Prima, vs. Celebrity's oldest!) I did sail in a suite, but the only "suite" things that I experienced was Luminae for food and having a butler bring extra things to our room. I would have been quite happy in a regular veranda, too. We also dined in the Ocean View buffet for lunch sometimes and for breakfast twice, and the food there was quite good, and we spent time all around the ship in various bars and lounging areas and just loved the atmosphere. The onboard naturalist, Celia Garland, spoke four different times and gave updates the whole time the ship was at Hubbard Glacier and she was utterly fantastic. 

[critterchick]

We’ve been to Alaska many times, on all the lines you mention except for NCL.  Any glacier is special but some are more special than others and Princess do offer the best of the best.  However, their entertainment is lacking - the main theater can’t accommodate every passenger, so people queue up 45 minutes or more ahead of the show to get a seat. There are some nice venues around the ship, but other than a ship with a disco, you won’t find much late night entertainment. Their demographic is the oldest I’ve encountered (and I’ve been on HAL, which has the reputation of being God’s waiting room).

 

Royal Caribbean is all about families these days and in July and August you will find hundreds of children on board and much of the activity will be geared toward them. Ovation is a really nice ship, though, and the entertainment is first rate. I haven’t been on Edge class yet but many people rave about the entertainment. I love Royal’s Radiance class ships - Radiance herself was built for Alaska and has tons of glass everywhere so you can take in the view. I’m also very fond of the Millennium class - we just got back last week from a B2B round trip from Vancouver and, apart from having identical ports in both directions (I would have liked to see Sitka or Haines on the itinerary), it was wonderful. The entertainment in the theater was top notch, there were combos and bands playing all over the ship and on the southbound there were quite a few families of parents + adult children. The nightclub was hopping the few times I poked my nose in there.

 

We’ve sailed from Vancouver, Seattle, Seward and Whittier. My vote would be to fly to Anchorage or Fairbanks, rent a car and spend 4-5 days exploring on your own before you head to Seward (Royal and Celebrity) or Whittier (Princess).  I’m generally not a cruise tour fan - we spent a night in Anchorage (because our flight arrived at 10:30pm), then drove up to Denali, spent three nights at a cabin resort, did a bus tour of the park, came back and wandered on our own. Then stayed one night at a Princess lodge (they can be booked independently) and visited Talkeetna (meh, but a fabulous Thai restaurant on the way there). We turned the car in at Anchorage, spent one night (worth it to have dinner at the Marx Brothers cafe) and took the train to Whittier. We booked the dome car and it was wonderful. Arrived in time to dump our bags and take a cruise of the bay before boarding the ship. When we did a round trip a few years ago, we rented a car in Seward and drove up to Girdwood to tour the wildlife rehabilitation center. We sprang for the VIP tour and got a lot closer to the critters than the others. The Kanai Fjords tour was wonderful as well. Just a rough idea of what you could do.

 

I don’t care for the Seattle itineraries - they go outside of Vancouver Island both ways so there’s no real inside passage to see. Cruises ending in Vancouver usually go between Vancouver Island and the mainland on the return, when it’s light outside - the scenery is breathtaking.  Also, the Seattle cruises often have an evening call in Victoria on the last night of the cruise - 5:00-10:00 or a variation of that time frame. Far too short and too late to enjoy all Victoria has to offer.

 

OK, I’ll stop now.

[ScottC4746]

On 7/12/2023 at 4:08 PM, cusematt4 said:

Hi All,

 

We are planning an Alaska cruise for a milestone birthday - parents with adult kids.  RCL is our favorite line over NCL, and we've never been on Celebrity.  We've been on Princess awhile ago which is fine but have heard decreased quality since Carnival's acquisition years ago.

 

We want the best possible first-time Alaska experience, but we still also want to be on a great modern ship with good food and entertainment. 

 

Does anyone have any experience with RCL vs Celebrity vs NCL vs Princess for a cruise to Alaska?

 

-What's the best way to go about choosing a cruise to Alaska for July or August 2024?

 

-Is July vs August a better time to go?

 

-The ships we are considering are: Ovation of the Seas (we've been on Anthem), NCL Bliss (we've been on Getaway), Celebrity Edge or Discovery Princess

 

-Is there any advantage of going on any of these ships to be able to see more?  They all are similar size

 

-Whats the difference in doing roundtrip from Seattle vs one-way from Seattle vs one-way from Vancouver?  Would we end up seeing a bunch more on a one way trip?  Is there any advantage from leaving from Vancouver vs Seattle?

 

Would appreciate any info for the best possible Alaska experience while also having a great cruise.

 

Thank you.

Does anyone have any experience with RCL vs Celebrity vs NCL vs Princess for a cruise to Alaska? - We did X in September last year on Solstice.

-What's the best way to go about choosing a cruise to Alaska for July or August 2024?

Speak with a travel specialist. 

-Is July vs August a better time to go?

You are going at the height of the season.  We went at the end last year and are going at the beginning next year.

-The ships we are considering are: Ovation of the Seas (we've been on Anthem), NCL Bliss (we've been on Getaway), Celebrity Edge or Discovery Princess

Edge is new this season for the round trip

Whats the difference in doing roundtrip from Seattle vs one-way from Seattle vs one-way from Vancouver?  Would we end up seeing a bunch more on a one way trip?  Is there any advantage from leaving from Vancouver vs Seattle?

In MOHO the downside to one ways is depending on your departure city it is painfully expensive and time consuming getting to/from the Alaskan Airport.  The upside to using the same airport for arrival and departure for the Seattle round trip is it is easier to keep the same airline and some airlines will ding you for "open jaw" reservations.

Would appreciate any info for the best possible Alaska experience while also having a great cruise.

As I have not done Alaska in the summer, nor will I, I can only speak for September.  It was starting to get cold.  We couldn't really swim, but as adults there was the solarium.  For the ends of the season it is important to have a light weight jacket for onboard the ship and a heavier one for the ports.  X has great service and little touches mean a lot.  A couple of our ports in September were cold and wet.  When we reboarded they have a vat of homemade chicken broth to sip on to warm up.  DO take the train in Skagway.  So worth it.

[sunkey1]

We went on the Norwegian Jewel last June and it was the best cruise we've taken out of the 50+ that we've been on. Personally, I would not take any of the humongous ships to Alaska as the ports are just too small to handle that influx of people. I'm also not there for the bells and whistles of the ships, unlike many of our Caribbean cruises. Alaska is all about the scenery, I don't need or want a race track or waterslides. We thought the Jewel was the perfect size. As far as itinerary, we had read that Glacier Bay was a must see, at least once, and I'm so glad that I listened as it was absolutely amazing. We did the one way from Vancouver (inside passage) to Glacier Bay, Skagway, Ketchikan and Hubbard Glacier. Fantastic itinerary as we got a little bit of everything. Weather was picture perfect, the only day that we had any rain/mist at all was at Hubbard Glacier, and even then it was minimal. It was truly the most amazing experience and we definitely want to go back when we can spend more time and hit Denali (and more...)

[cusematt4]

Thanks.  Is there any reason why anyone may prefer Alaska to Vancouver instead of Vancouver to Alaska?

 

We were originally leaning to start in Alaska with a pre-cruise land tour, but the one-way sailings from Vancouver and ending in Alaska seem substantially cheaper.  Is there any reason the Alaska to Vancouver sailings are more expensive?  They pretty much have the same itinerary.

[bigbenboys]

1 hour ago, cusematt4 said:

Thanks.  Is there any reason why anyone may prefer Alaska to Vancouver instead of Vancouver to Alaska?

 

We were originally leaning to start in Alaska with a pre-cruise land tour, but the one-way sailings from Vancouver and ending in Alaska seem substantially cheaper.  Is there any reason the Alaska to Vancouver sailings are more expensive?  They pretty much have the same itinerary.

Check in is so much easier in Seward. Seward only Celebrity check in at the pier. We were on the ship in about 15 mins. At the pier in Vancouver you must go through Canadian customs then US customs and then Celebrity check in.

Also Vancouver pier has easy access to the airport. Seward your flying into Anchorage. Anchorage is 120 miles from Seward. 

I think you get a better feel of Alaska by starting in Alaska.

 

[wineoclock]

We were talking about doing an Alaska cruise when on Apex last year. The general consensus from seasoned cruisers was Princess rather than Celebrity but that we wouldn’t be disappointed if we stayed with celebrity. 

[ladylemondrop]

This thread has been so helpful and interesting to read! Alaska is on my bucketlist of cruises. I actually made notes from all the information given here so that when we are ready to plan we know what to book! Thank you all. 

[Sigyn]

We started in Vancouver, northbound to Alaska, and it was seamless at the Vancouver pier and it was easy disembarking in Seward, too, and getting to the Anchorage airport. No complaints. We stayed at the Auberge, which is a 4-5 minute walk to the port, if that, and asked the bell desk to help us get our luggage to the pier. So they sent someone with us from the bell desk with a luggage cart and he walked with us and took our luggage with us from the hotel all the way to where we dropped off our luggage at the port in the garage underground. We tipped him for his help. No additional charge. Then we went back upstairs at the port and checked in for our cruise. We had him meet us at our hotel room at about 10:10 am, we walked over, checked in our luggage (there was a short line for luggage, maybe 3-4 people) and no line for check in for the cruise. We had a 10:30 am check in. We whizzed through customs and we were on board the ship before 11 am. 

In Seward, we had to disembark very early to make the train to Anchorage, which we booked through Celebrity. We had to be off the ship at 6 am. They opened up the Ocean View buffet at 5:30 am for breakfast, so we stopped in there first. All of our luggage we'd put out the night before was already on the train so we didn't have to deal with that. We just had one carry on that we'd put our toiletries and extras in. We walked right off the ship at 6 am and onto the train by 6:10 am and got our seats. The train was right next to the ship. It was a beautiful train ride and we arrived in Anchorage at the airport around 11:30 am. There was breakfast and lunch to purchase on the train, too. We were able to keep our bags at the airport in the luggage storage room with Celebrity until 3 pm for no extra charge, since our flight wasn't until later, and even put our extra carry on in there with the ones from the train, and we went out for lunch in the city and came back in time for our flight. It was so easy. 

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by Sigyn

[stevec999]

If you really want to see Alaska do a tour/cruise. You will see so much more. It is worth it just to go do Denali NP. We did it on Celebrity before the shutdown. The land tour part was well done. Very nice bus to haul you around and the hotels were nice. We flew into Fairbanks. We went a couple days early to look, around on out own.  From Fairbanks we took a train with awesome observation cars to Denali. It was a beautiful ride.

 

Denali train ride

 

 

The land tours are very  busy. Up early on a bus to your next stop. On the bus to the hotel for the evening. Repeat for how many land days you book. You will be tired by the end but it is worth it.

 

Best advise , start with the land tour. When you head to the ship you will have a sea day to rest and relax. 

[PH2]

On 7/17/2023 at 7:28 AM, ScottC4746 said:

DO take the train in Skagway.  So worth it.

 

We are doing a round trip from Seattle in September and are very much looking forward to it. I expect it won't be our last, but it will be my wife's first time in Alaska. I went to Anchorage in 2004 for a conference but had to leave in less than 2 days because of an impending hurricane back in Florida. I dumped the conference, rented a car, and saw as much as I could before taking a red-eye back on a Sunday night to be with my family for a hurricane that ended up making landfall way west of us. 

 

Anyway, one thing I have been keeping an eye on is the Skagway situation. First, it was the rock slide impacting itineraries, and now I see that the railway workers union authorized a strike earlier this month that may happen in August after a mandatory 30 day wait period. I am REALLY hoping that doesn't happen. If it does, what are the next-best excursions to be looking for in Skagway?

Edited July 19, 2023 by PH2

[Hazelwoodp]

Following

[ScottC4746]

19 hours ago, PH2 said:

 

We are doing a round trip from Seattle in September and are very much looking forward to it. I expect it won't be our last, but it will be my wife's first time in Alaska. I went to Anchorage in 2004 for a conference but had to leave in less than 2 days because of an impending hurricane back in Florida. I dumped the conference, rented a car, and saw as much as I could before taking a red-eye back on a Sunday night to be with my family for a hurricane that ended up making landfall way west of us. 

 

Anyway, one thing I have been keeping an eye on is the Skagway situation. First, it was the rock slide impacting itineraries, and now I see that the railway workers union authorized a strike earlier this month that may happen in August after a mandatory 30 day wait period. I am REALLY hoping that doesn't happen. If it does, what are the next-best excursions to be looking for in Skagway?

We too are going our second time at the other end of the season to hopefully get more snow and ice.

 

[mkkao924]

On 7/16/2023 at 3:18 PM, Sigyn said:

We just did an Alaskan cruise from Vancouver to Seward on the Celebrity Millennium and it was utterly amazing. We did the closeup excursion to the Hubbard Glacier and it was spectacular. I loved the food, the staff on board, the cabin...everything about the cruise. I have cruised on NCL and RCL, but not to Alaska, and the Celebrity experience was hands down far superior. Better food, better service and a better ship (and we were on NCL's newest ship, the Prima, vs. Celebrity's oldest!) I did sail in a suite, but the only "suite" things that I experienced was Luminae for food and having a butler bring extra things to our room. I would have been quite happy in a regular veranda, too. We also dined in the Ocean View buffet for lunch sometimes and for breakfast twice, and the food there was quite good, and we spent time all around the ship in various bars and lounging areas and just loved the atmosphere. The onboard naturalist, Celia Garland, spoke four different times and gave updates the whole time the ship was at Hubbard Glacier and she was utterly fantastic. 

 

I am looking at booking Alaska cruise with Solstice (so I can't get to the excursion info page yet). Wondering how much it is for the Hubbard Glacier excursion? Is there age limit on that?

[GottaKnowWhen]

We did a b2b on Millennium in late August (August 18 & August 25) this year from Vancouver. Last year we did a seven night roundtrip from Vancouver June 17 on the Eclipse. In 2016 we did a b2b on Millennium, August 19, August 26 from Seward. Selected photos from all three are at the link in my Signature below.

Our 2016 started with a couple of days in Anchorage, then a train trip down to Seward, overnight in Seward before boarding for the b2b. Once back in Seward we spent a couple of days in that area, then by train to Anchorage. Overnight in Anchorage, train to Denali. Overnight outside the park, then by special bus to a lodge deep in the park. Four days at the lodge (day trips out to see bears etc.), back to the Park Entrance, train back to Anchorage. Picked up a rental car, drove to Homer. A couple of days there including a bear flight. Back to Anchorage, back home a few days later.

Our 2022 and 2023 trips were much less involved. We had either simple excursions or just walked on our own at the various stops.

We never had seriously bad weather. Our five times at Hubbard Glacier have all been on nice mostly sunny days. We've had balcony cabins, most recently on the aft; on our first b2b we switched cabins between the first and second legs because I was convinced that we wanted our balcony to face East. I was wrong. Good views in all directions throughout all of these trips.

I highly recommend spending time in mainland Alaska, not just the SE coastal region touched by the cruises. I highly recommend making your own train/car rental/hotel reservations on your own, preferably 10-12 months ahead (e.g., for the best seats on the dome car to/from Seward and to from Denali.)

There are several Alaska Touring resources, online and a monthly magazine. You don't need to limit yourself to the ship's land tours pre- or post-cruise.

As you can tell from the above, I have no strong opinions on the topic 😁

 

Stan

[deliver42]

We've been to Alaska on the Ovation and on The Ruby Princess, which is now replaced with the Discovery Princess. We loved the Ovation, but and the itinerary. Princess offers Glacier Bay if that's important to you .The  Discover is their newest ship. Both cruises were R/T from Seattle.

[Cruise till you drop]

I’m so glad the OP started this thread.  We’re planning a Sept 2025 cruise on either Celebrity or Princess.  But we worry about the possibility of rain in Sept

 

Question - if we sail in June, July or August on Celebrity, are there many kids on the ship?  We’re older now and trying to avoid cruises with a lot of kids

[Stumptowngal]

The end of May is pretty kid proof we found. First week of June should also have low kid count since many schools (at least in US) are still in session. 

[doghog]

23 hours ago, Cruise till you drop said:

I’m so glad the OP started this thread.  We’re planning a Sept 2025 cruise on either Celebrity or Princess.  But we worry about the possibility of rain in Sept

 

Question - if we sail in June, July or August on Celebrity, are there many kids on the ship?  We’re older now and trying to avoid cruises with a lot of kids

Our friends went on a 7 Night Alaskan cruise this past June and had rain everyday. We've never been on an Alaskan cruise. We've got the Edge book for September 2024.  Alaska Dawes Glacier Cruise.