Best Alaska Cruise for our 50th Anniversary in 2024?

[rothbear13]

I just turned 71 and hubby will be 72 in October.  Easy to mildly moderate activities, but not up for strenuous hiking or other rigorous activities.  We will be celebrating our 50th anniversary next year in August and would like to take an Alaska cruise and tour to commemorate it.  We don't care if it overlaps our actual anniversary, but might be nice.  Anyway, I have been looking at cruises and just not sure which ones would be best for us.  Neither of us like large ships or tons of kids running around yelling and screaming.  We want to relax and enjoy the scenery and onboard amenities.  We also don't gamble, so casinos are not important.  I have been leaning toward Viking, Windstar, and American Queen Voyages, but they are so expensive that I'm not sure.  This would be a one time deal for us.

 

Anyone have any thoughts, ideas or suggestions?  TIA.  Oh and, "Why Alaska" you might ask....I have traveled a lot around the US during my lifetime and have been to 49 of the 50 states.  Yep, Alaska is the only one I have not seen.

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, rothbear13 said:

I just turned 71 and hubby will be 72 in October.  Easy to mildly moderate activities, but not up for strenuous hiking or other rigorous activities.  We will be celebrating our 50th anniversary next year in August and would like to take an Alaska cruise and tour to commemorate it.  We don't care if it overlaps our actual anniversary, but might be nice.  Anyway, I have been looking at cruises and just not sure which ones would be best for us.  Neither of us like large ships or tons of kids running around yelling and screaming.  We want to relax and enjoy the scenery and onboard amenities.  We also don't gamble, so casinos are not important.  I have been leaning toward Viking, Windstar, and American Queen Voyages, but they are so expensive that I'm not sure.  This would be a one time deal for us.

 

Anyone have any thoughts, ideas or suggestions?  TIA.  Oh and, "Why Alaska" you might ask....I have traveled a lot around the US during my lifetime and have been to 49 of the 50 states.  Yep, Alaska is the only one I have not seen.

Hi Rothbear!

I recommend Holland America. They have been cruising Alaska the longest (along with Princess), and do it very well. While I have not done a cruise-tour, I have been to Alaska three times on HAL.

 

If you choose the Zaandam or Volendam they are small ships in the current industry, but even the Pinnacle class (Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam, Rottendam) are smaller than the megaships on on other lines. The Vista class ships (Noordam, Oosterdam, Zuiderdam, Westerdam) would be in the middle. Oh and Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam are larger than the Vista class, but laid out like the Vista ships with a couple of additional decks.

 

ETA: congratulations on 49 years and 49 states! I really want you to do #50 in Alaska!

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by crystalspin

[Mary229]

Holland America or Princess and go in May or after mid-August.  

[Wayfairers]

Great idea to celebrate your 50th - in marriage and number of states!  Congrats on both!!  We did a cruise/land tour with Princess in 2008 as a family trip for my parent’s 50th anniversary.  Then, the whole family spent several more days on our own in Alaska and everyone went their separate ways.  DH and I took the Rocky Mountaineer Vancouver to Jasper then Canadian VIA rail back to Toronto so we had a shorter flight home.  It was wonderful.  We now sail HAL most of the time because we like the itineraries.  I cannot really compare it to Princess because it has been too long since we sailed with them and we’ve never sailed with HAL to Alaska.   Definitely spend a few days at the Mt McKinley Lodge - the view of the mountain is amazing.  If you don’t mind small planes, the flight over the mountain (the one where you have to use oxygen) is the best - we did both options.  I would book on itinerary and if they are identical, the smaller ship.  There used to be smaller ships (not mainstream names) that could take you into smaller bays and I heard that was the way to go if they are still around.

[craftygrandma]

We took American Queen for our 9th AK cruise.  It was amazing, not sure I could go back to a regular cruise.  

[rothbear13]

Thanks to everyone so far....I'm getting some ideas.  Love to hear more.

[NanaAnn23]

We just got off a Seward to Vancouver 7 day with NCL on the Jewel.  We absolutely loved it!  Flew in to Anchorage and did a couple days of sightseeing and excursions before making our way to Seward for embarkation.  Loved the one way cruise and all of the ports we visited.  Alaska is an amazing place and you should definitely go! 

 

Ann Coombe

[richmke]

https://phillipscruises.com/26-glacier-cruise/

[Cruisemonty]

We took a Princess cruise to Alaska in 1993 for our honeymoon. Back then, it was really just HAL and Princess, and we chose Princess because the ship had balcony staterooms. This is a wonderful idea for a 50th anniversary cruise! You should try to get an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay (nowadays most don't) as it is incredible. HAL and Princess are your best bets for that. That said, you may want to consider splurging on a Crystal cruise for the best food and service.

[rothbear13]

Thanks, Cruisemonty.......we will check out Crystal.  We haven't done much yet as life happens.

 

What does anyone think about the online cruise travel companies?  I signed up for newsletters from 2 of them and now they are bugging me both by phone and text.  So far I have ignored them all as I am just not ready to speak with anyone yet.  I just wanted some info to see if we could do better directly through the cruise lines.  They are 1-800-cruises and CruisesOnly.

[crystalspin]

@rothbear13 Good luck getting off the "newsletters" contact lists. BTW you shouldn't have mentioned WHO they were -- it is the same as posting a brick-and-mortar travel agent and against CC's rules. Just so you know why, if your post disappears.

 

After using a local travel agent (back when cruiselines' websites were even LESS friendly than they are now) and booking through a mail-flyer (AWFUL 'guarantee' cabin location), I turned to booking directly on the HAL website. When I had to cancel two cabins at the last minute (just before final payment and on Friday the 23rd of December) -- only to discover that all the offices including the general phone lines were off for the Christmas holiday! I remembered being assigned a Personal Cruise Consultant WHOM I HAD NOT USED to book -- I both called her direct line and e-mailed her of my wish to cancel. Those time-stamped messages worked and saved me thousands of dollars. 

 

No travel agent could have done that, I don't believe. Most of them would also have been out of the office, for one thing! Suffice to say, I exclusively use my PCC on HAL, and yes she has saved me money since then too. I also have a CVP (cruise vacation planner) on Princess, but I have never managed to sail with them. Most HAL ships have verandah (balcony) staterooms now, and the two that don't (Volendam and Zaandam) do have Vista suites that have balconies. To get a loveseat in your cabin on Princess you have to book a mini-suite or above, anyway!

[FlyerTalker]

On 10/14/2023 at 5:31 AM, richmke said:

https://phillipscruises.com/26-glacier-cruise/

 

For a day cruise, if you are in the Anchorage area, that's pretty good.  Have done that and enjoyed it.

 

I think that OP is looking for something a bit longer in duration.  But if their plans put them in ANC for a few days, this is a nice day trip.

 

For a regular cruise, there are so many options -- the OP needs to ask themselves some tough questions.  How long do they want to travel?  What is their budget?  What cruiselines have they already sailed on -- and what did they like and dislike about their previous experiences at sea?  What are the deal maker and deal breakers for this trip?  What do they want to see/do on this trip?

 

Otherwise, we are all giving just potshot answers. 

 

Personally, having done Alaska on multiple different lines, I would put Seabourn and Crystal at the top of the list for Alaska, with Royal Caribbean at the bottom. Neither is an inexpensive option but you get what you pay for.  Of course, YMMV - so drill down into what is REALLY important for this trip and go from there.

 

 

[rothbear13]

3 hours ago, crystalspin said:

@rothbear13 Good luck getting off the "newsletters" contact lists. BTW you shouldn't have mentioned WHO they were -- it is the same as posting a brick-and-mortar travel agent and against CC's rules. Just so you know why, if your post disappears.

Oh, I didn't realize.  I tried to edit my comment but it appears I can't to that, so what happens happens.

[rothbear13]

3 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

For a day cruise, if you are in the Anchorage area, that's pretty good.  Have done that and enjoyed it.

 

I think that OP is looking for something a bit longer in duration.  But if their plans put them in ANC for a few days, this is a nice day trip.

 

For a regular cruise, there are so many options -- the OP needs to ask themselves some tough questions.  How long do they want to travel?  What is their budget?  What cruiselines have they already sailed on -- and what did they like and dislike about their previous experiences at sea?  What are the deal maker and deal breakers for this trip?  What do they want to see/do on this trip?

 

Otherwise, we are all giving just potshot answers. 

 

Personally, having done Alaska on multiple different lines, I would put Seabourn and Crystal at the top of the list for Alaska, with Royal Caribbean at the bottom. Neither is an inexpensive option but you get what you pay for.  Of course, YMMV - so drill down into what is REALLY important for this trip and go from there.

Yes, this is going to be a once in a lifetime thing.  My hubby is not big on cruising, so we really haven't been on a cruise for a long, long time.  That's why I was asking for suggestions.  I am looking for both a cruise and land, but I have found a company I think I would like to use for the land part, it's just the cruise part I'm having problems with.  I would like to do nothing less than 7 days and am willing to go up to maybe 11 or 12.  Since it's a trip I have been talking about for years my hubby says he isn't worrying about the money, but I get a little nervous when the trip starts heading towards $20k for the two of us.  And since the planning is all on me I don't want to have to hear him complain about it after the fact, I just want him to also enjoy himself.  Are the higher cost companies (Viking, Crystal, etc.) really worth the cost?  I really don't want to deal with a lot of kids.  Would like to have good food and good service, but don't really want to deal with formal weat.  More interested in the experiences both included and available than things like onboard games, casinos, onboard shopping, etc.  I keep leaning towards Viking but the price is making me question.  I realize you have to take a look at everything that is included.  I just don't want to make a huge mistake here.

[Cruisemonty]

In my view, a luxury cruise line is worth the extra money. You won't have to worry about paying for drinks,  specialty restaurants, or tips, which can add up fast. Check out the boards for Viking, Crystal and Seabourn to get more information about the experience on each of those lines. 

[crystalspin]

5 hours ago, rothbear13 said:

I keep leaning towards Viking but the price is making me question.  I realize you have to take a look at everything that is included.  I just don't want to make a huge mistake here.

Monty's suggestion to browse and eavesdrop on the Viking (or other lines') CC boards is a good one. I'm convinced you can learn a lot from the nature of the threads and individual posts about the "culture" of the cruiseline and its passengers! 

[dcsam]

Our favorite cruise was with Viking.  But yes, they are very spendy.  Although we also enjoy no kids, no casino… HAL sure does Alaska right.  We’ve enjoyed round trip out of Seattle and Vancouver (we prefer round trip out of Vancouver).  You might also consider a back to back cruise (14 nights) out of Vancouver.  Very relaxing.  But I don’t believe they have their small ship doing this route.  Also, HAL gets the best docking spaces.   Tough call for sure.  We have done numerous Alaska cruises and are also considering another.  Im looking at Crystal (new to us) or Holland America (their small ship).  

[rothbear13]

8 hours ago, dcsam said:

Our favorite cruise was with Viking.  But yes, they are very spendy.  Although we also enjoy no kids, no casino… HAL sure does Alaska right.  We’ve enjoyed round trip out of Seattle and Vancouver (we prefer round trip out of Vancouver).  You might also consider a back to back cruise (14 nights) out of Vancouver.  Very relaxing.  But I don’t believe they have their small ship doing this route.  Also, HAL gets the best docking spaces.   Tough call for sure.  We have done numerous Alaska cruises and are also considering another.  Im looking at Crystal (new to us) or Holland America (their small ship).  

Very good info thank you.  Still haven't really decided as we dropped a bundle on 3 bathroom remodels this year....the master was a total gut job, the second had new toilet, sink, faucet and counter top and the loft one got a new toilet and faucet.

 

A lot of people have said they liked HAL, so I may have to take a closer look there.

[dcsam]

If you book with HAL, consider booking at a time when the kiddos are back in school.  There will still be kids, but not as many as in June to August.  We enjoy September.  
If you book their smaller ship (Is it the Veendam that’s doing Alaska in summer🤷🏻‍♀️), and don’t want to spring for a balcony, you might do fine in an outside cabin on the promenade deck.  Easy access to the outside and (depending on location), you’ll still have an ocean view.  Some people don’t like them because of people walking by.  But we liked them.  
 

[dcsam]

I see it’s the Zaandam doing Alaska.  Love their walk around deck.  And smaller size.  
 

[Kiran]

We had been to Alaska (Anchorage) once and visited Denali including the Long Bus ride inside option.

 

So when it came to a cruise I chose a HAL 14 Day RT out of Seattle because it had 10 different ports.

 

We did only 2 excursions, a boat ride close up to a Glacier and a sled dog excursion on wheels as we went in August.

 

My Choice would be the 28Day cruise out of Seattle on HAL Westerdam!