Alaska - Inside Passage Confusion and North vs South

[cusematt4]

Hi,

 

We are doing research on a first time trip to Alaska and are leaning to cruising Alaska with Princess.

 

1) Does anyone know how we can determine if the below ships/itineraies would take the inside passage scenic route on these one way North or South bound routes?  Should it specify this in the itinerary?  Some people have mentioned the Royal Princess may be too big for the Inside Passage route but that the Sapphire may be capable?  These two ships have the same exact stated one way itineraries.  How can I tell if either (or both) would take the scenic inside passage route?

 

2) Is there any advantage to doing a North vs South bound route?  The main difference seems to be related to times of arrival/departure from ports and College Fjord (Scenic Cruising), Alaska vs Hubbard Glacier (Scenic Cruising), Alaska

 

3) North vs Sout Bound, daylight and times in port differences - 

 

Someone had said: 

Southbound is preferable as you’ll be cruising this mostly in the day/evening whereas going Northbound it will be at night.

 

Does anoyne know what the above means?  We were originally leaning start in anchorage with a pre cruise land tour and then do the one way to Vancouver. What does the above daylight during the day vs at night mean?  We would be fine ending in anchorage and doing a post cruise tour if that makes more sense or could be better or more optimal.

 

I was under the assumption it’s light out in Alaska for around 20 hours a day in June - August.  I assumed time in ports would be daylight with all stores, restaurants, excoursions and tours open regardless.  Is this not the case for both north and south bound trips?

 

Sapphire Princess and Royal Princess identical itineraries:

 

Northbound:

 

Sat, Jul 20Saturday, July 20th 2024	Vancouver, CanadaView excursions in Vancouver, Canada on Saturday, July 20th 2024		04:00 pm
Sun, Jul 21Sunday, July 21st 2024	At SeaView onboard experiencefor Sunday, July 21st 2024
Mon, Jul 22Monday, July 22nd 2024	Ketchikan, AlaskaView excursions in Ketchikan, Alaska on Monday, July 22nd 2024	06:00 am	02:00 pm
Tue, Jul 23Tuesday, July 23rd 2024	Juneau, AlaskaView excursions in Juneau, Alaska on Tuesday, July 23rd 2024	08:00 am	09:00 pm
Wed, Jul 24Wednesday, July 24th 2024	Skagway, AlaskaView excursions in Skagway, Alaska on Wednesday, July 24th 2024	07:00 am	08:30 pm
Thu, Jul 25Thursday, July 25th 2024	Glacier Bay National Park (Scenic Cruising), AlaskaView excursions in Glacier Bay National Park (Scenic Cruising), Alaska on Thursday, July 25th 2024	06:00 am	03:00 pm
Fri, Jul 26Friday, July 26th 2024	College Fjord (Scenic Cruising), AlaskaView excursions in College Fjord (Scenic Cruising), Alaska on Friday, July 26th 2024	06:00 pm	08:30 pm
Sat, Jul 27Saturday, July 27th 2024	Anchorage (Whittier), AlaskaView excursions in Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska on Saturday, July 27th 2024	12:30 am

 

Southbound

 

Sat, Jun 1Saturday, June 1st 2024	Anchorage (Whittier), AlaskaView excursions in Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska on Saturday, June 1st 2024		08:30 pm
Sun, Jun 2Sunday, June 2nd 2024	Hubbard Glacier (Scenic Cruising), AlaskaView excursions in Hubbard Glacier (Scenic Cruising), Alaska on Sunday, June 2nd 2024	03:00 pm	08:00 pm
Mon, Jun 3Monday, June 3rd 2024	Glacier Bay National Park (Scenic Cruising), AlaskaView excursions in Glacier Bay National Park (Scenic Cruising), Alaska on Monday, June 3rd 2024	09:15 am	07:30 pm
Tue, Jun 4Tuesday, June 4th 2024	Skagway, AlaskaView excursions in Skagway, Alaska on Tuesday, June 4th 2024	07:00 am	08:30 pm
Wed, Jun 5Wednesday, June 5th 2024	Juneau, AlaskaView excursions in Juneau, Alaska on Wednesday, June 5th 2024	06:30 am	04:00 pm
Thu, Jun 6Thursday, June 6th 2024	Ketchikan, AlaskaView excursions in Ketchikan, Alaska on Thursday, June 6th 2024	10:00 am	06:00 pm
Fri, Jun 7Friday, June 7th 2024	At SeaView onboard experiencefor Friday, June 7th 2024
Sat, Jun 8Saturday, June 8th 2024	Vancouver, CanadaView excursions in Vancouver, Canada on Saturday, June 8th 2024	07:30 am

 

Thank you for any info.

[rwmiller]

I looked at the itineraries for ships leaving Vancouver in 2024. The Princess map states that Royal class ships go around Vancouver island instead of through the inside passage. The limitation is due to ship size. 
 

I am taking a HAL cruise in September leaving Vancouver at 4pm. Our itinerary lists cruising the inside passage all day on the 2nd day so it takes some time to make the transit. However, we obviously will be sleeping for the beginning of the passage. But, for southbound, you probably finish the passage on the last night. I personally would not base my selection based on the timing of the inside passage. The days are long as you noted so, if you can live with 4 hours of sleep you can see it all. 😉

 

Good luck,

Bob

[Ferry_Watcher]

1 hour ago, cusematt4 said:

Southbound is preferable as you’ll be cruising this mostly in the day/evening whereas going Northbound it will be at night.

A couple of years ago (2021) I was on the Celebrity Millennium sailing from Seattle, but due to a very strong storm on the west coast of WA, our Captain received permission to sail thru the inside passage instead of heading out to the open seas (and the storm).  The next morning we woke up to experience sailing the inside passage (sailing between Vancouver Island and the Canadian mainland).  It was so  beautiful.  I think the extra time it took coming from Seattle delayed out arrival so we were lucky enough to experience it.

This past May ('23), we were on the first Alaska sailing of the Solstice, beginning in Vancouver, before ending in Seattle to start it's seasonal RT sailings.  We were looking forward to seeing the scenery of the inside passage, but sadly the ship sailed thru the inside passage very very early, and though we were up before 7 AM, we still missed it.

I also have read that if you are going to do a one way between Vancouver and Alaska, the the South bound route is more ideal.

[CruiserBruce]

@rwmiller, the reason for certain Princess ships to go to the open ocean versus the Inside Passage is those selected ships have less control over their maneuvering abilities. 

[rwmiller]

@CruiserBruce Thanks for the info. Interesting the newer ships are less maneuverable. 
 

Bob

[CruiserBruce]

5 minutes ago, rwmiller said:

@CruiserBruce Thanks for the info. Interesting the newer ships are less maneuverable. 
 

Bob

Just a particular model. Not other new ships. It has been discussed here by more knowledgeable people than I...it seems they might be "under powered" when it comes to steering.

[cusematt4]

Thanks for all of the information so far.  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.

[dd57]

I would guess that the Alaska to Vancouver sailings are more popular, and so more expensive, because they transit the northern part of the inside passage while you are awake as opposed to at night like on a Vancouver to Alaska trip.

Edited July 17, 2023 by dd57

[Ferry_Watcher]

On 7/17/2023 at 9:19 AM, dd57 said:

I would guess that the Alaska to Vancouver sailings are more popular, and so more expensive, because they transit the northern part of the inside passage while you are awake as opposed to at night like on a Vancouver to Alaska trip.

 

Actually, the Alaska/Vancouver cruises are more likely to be discounted because unless passengers are also doing the land tour, most Americans (who are the vast majority of the Alaska cruise passengers), don't want to incur the additional time or expense to fly from the lower 48 to Alaska.

[Coral]

On 7/17/2023 at 11:19 AM, dd57 said:

I would guess that the Alaska to Vancouver sailings are more popular, and so more expensive, because they transit the northern part of the inside passage while you are awake as opposed to at night like on a Vancouver to Alaska trip.

Round trip Seattle seem to be the most expensive IMO.

[Ferry_Watcher]

12 minutes ago, Coral said:

Round trip Seattle seem to be the most expensive IMO.

 

Yes, it's supply and demand.  The Seattle based ships are sailing very full.  Last week's Solstice expected passenger count was 3,019; the Ovation 4,869 (which is slightly down),; and the Quantum this week 4,939.  The Carnival Spirit was 2,498.

Still waiting for an actual 5K count on either the Quantum or the Ovation, but still haven't hit it.  The Quantum high point was 4,971 over the 4th of July.

[DaveOKC]

On 7/17/2023 at 10:30 AM, cusematt4 said:

Thanks for all of the information so far.  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.

Personally I like to do the southbound cruise.  That way the flight home is shorter.  Plus, the land tours will wear you out and that way I can recoup on the ship.

[Ashland]

Personally if we're not doing a round trip Vancouver the North Bound is our favorite. Would rather sail "to" Alaska than away from it and the scenery just seems to get better as we sail.

 

Enjoy whatever works best for you.

[sherryf]

It really depends on your personal situation.  We live in the Seattle area.  We have mostly done round-trip Seattle cruises, but have done one each north and south bound, and are doing northbound this year.  For us, the easiest way to get to/from Vancouver is using the ship transfer from SeaTac. (I know there are nicer options, but I did say "easiest".) That bus ride is about 4 hours, including the border crossing into Canada, and then we have to deal with going through customs/immigration at the port.  The flight home from Anchorage is about 3.5 hours, but without the hassle of a border stop, no customs/immigration.  Honestly, I find the flight to be easier than the bus ride, so I'd rather do that at the end.

 

Of course, there are other factors, such as whether you are adding land days, etc.  Many people who do a land tour prefer to do it first and then relax on the ship.  Some people like to sail northbound so the scenery builds and glacier days are near the end.  All a matter of personal preference.

[Coral]

I like Northbound on Princess as there is enough time to do AdventureBound to Tracy Arm.

 

I also like how the scenery gets better each day as you go farther North.

[ninka26]

On 7/16/2023 at 3:46 PM, cusematt4 said:

Hi,

 

We are doing research on a first time trip to Alaska and are leaning to cruising Alaska with Princess.

 

1) Does anyone know how we can determine if the below ships/itineraies would take the inside passage scenic route on these one way North or South bound routes?  Should it specify this in the itinerary?  Some people have mentioned the Royal Princess may be too big for the Inside Passage route but that the Sapphire may be capable?  These two ships have the same exact stated one way itineraries.  How can I tell if either (or both) would take the scenic inside passage route?

 

 

It is dependent on the class of the ship. Royal Class ships (like the Royal) don't take the actual Inside Passage because (I believe) of their size. The Sapphire is a gem class ship (part of the Grand Class, I think) You can view the actual route on the map provided with the itinerary.  This is the map for the Southbound cruise Whittier to Vancouver. Solid blue is the Sapphire and dotted is the Royal.  Hope this is helpful. 😃

[Coral]

Though I was on the Crown Princess and the Captain decided to go Outside Passage. I am not entirely sure why. So even if you are scheduled to go inside, you can still go outside.

[KruisinKath]

On 7/19/2023 at 10:54 AM, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

Actually, the Alaska/Vancouver cruises are more likely to be discounted because unless passengers are also doing the land tour, most Americans (who are the vast majority of the Alaska cruise passengers), don't want to incur the additional time or expense to fly from the lower 48 to Alaska.

They’ll have that regardless. If they go northbound, they’re taking a flight from Anchorage to home. We did southbound in 2013, and the flights are long anyway; but our flight from Vancouver was shorter, when we were tired and ready for our own beds, LOL.

[quack2]

On 7/20/2023 at 5:25 PM, Coral said:

I like Northbound on Princess as there is enough time to do AdventureBound to Tracy Arm.

 

I also like how the scenery gets better each day as you go farther North.

Double check on Adventure Bound.  I don't think they're running.  Can't seem to stay out of trouble with the Coast Guard.

[Coral]

45 minutes ago, quack2 said:

Double check on Adventure Bound.  I don't think they're running.  Can't seem to stay out of trouble with the Coast Guard.

I posted that a few weeks ago before this info was in the news.

 

I posted a warning about them recently on a Tracy Arm thread.

Edited August 5, 2023 by Coral

[quack2]

15 hours ago, Coral said:

I posted that a few weeks ago before this info was in the news.

 

I posted a warning about them recently on a Tracy Arm thread.

Well obviously the person whose post I responded to hadn't gotten the news.

 

Sorry if I stepped on your "scoop".

[Coral]

Just now, quack2 said:

Well obviously the person whose post I responded to hadn't gotten the news.

 

Sorry if I stepped on your "scoop".

It is not that. My point was - I posted my comment about liking NB routes before the news about Adventure Bound was out there.