gullcruiser Posted October 12, 2023 #1 Share Posted October 12, 2023 Hello, A group of friends are talking about taking an Alaskan cruise next year. Some in the group have difficulty with walking and are looking to go on a smaller ship. Would any of you out there in Cruise Critic land no of a smaller ship that cruises to the ports in Alaska? I would appreciate any help you can offer me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gullcruiser Posted October 12, 2023 Author #2 Share Posted October 12, 2023 1 minute ago, gullcruiser said: Hello, A group of friends are talking about taking an Alaskan cruise next year. Some in the group have difficulty with walking and are looking to go on a smaller ship. Would any of you out there in Cruise Critic land no of a smaller ship that cruises to the ports in Alaska? I would appreciate any help you can offer me! know not no!!!😏 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi13 Posted October 12, 2023 #3 Share Posted October 12, 2023 1 hour ago, gullcruiser said: Hello, A group of friends are talking about taking an Alaskan cruise next year. Some in the group have difficulty with walking and are looking to go on a smaller ship. Would any of you out there in Cruise Critic land no of a smaller ship that cruises to the ports in Alaska? I would appreciate any help you can offer me! Smaller ship can mean many things to different people. Personally, I use about 1,000 pax as being a determining factor for smaller ship. This would limit your choices to one of the premium/luxury lines, or one of the small ship US flagged ships. Check out Viking, Oceania, Seabourn, Silverseas, to see which have ships sailing in Alaska. Don't follow US flagged options, so can't help there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKStafford Posted October 12, 2023 #4 Share Posted October 12, 2023 By small, do you mean something like this: https://www.alaskandreamcruises.com/ Or maybe something like this: https://www.aqvoyages.com/expedition-cruises/alaska-british-columbia/vancouver-to-sitka/?v=ov&d=2024-05-03 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfie11 Posted October 12, 2023 #5 Share Posted October 12, 2023 I would not recommend Alaska Dream Cruises for someone with mobility issues. I would look at Viking or Oceania. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roupa Posted October 13, 2023 #6 Share Posted October 13, 2023 Do your homework/inquiries. In my opinion, smaller doesn’t necessarily mean more accessible than a larger ship. In most, if not all, cruise ships there are accessible staterooms and seating in venues, ramps, elevators, handrails, wide doors, helpful staff. I have even watched staff assist guests to get in and out of a pool with a specially designed lift/safety equipment! There are threads on CC that describe experiences of successful “challenging “ experiences. Hope you will get out there and enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roupa Posted October 13, 2023 #7 Share Posted October 13, 2023 … but yes, a small ship for Alaska may be a better choice for an itinerary that visits smaller ports/glacier etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTJ Posted October 14, 2023 #8 Share Posted October 14, 2023 On 10/12/2023 at 10:57 AM, gullcruiser said: Some in the group have difficulty with walking and are looking to go on a smaller ship. Is the concern that large vessels require more walking while at sea, having to walk from forward to aft, and vice versa, many times during the day? A smaller vessel would reduces such a concern because it simply does not have as many public spaces to visit, and the main dining room is within just a few steps from all staterooms. Thus, there would be much less walking throughout the day while on the vessel. Keep in mind, however, that as consequence there will be fewer services available (though the services that are available will likely be more personal). Some vessels are smaller because they visit more remote regions, and accessibility from the vessel to the places visited may adverturous compared to large vessel port visits. To this end, consider the following lines and vessels, all of which provide service in Alaska using relatively small vessels, all fewer than 300 passengers. Click on each vessel name for more details. Alaska Marine Highway - Tustumena (160 passengers) Alaskan Dream Cruises - Admiralty Dream (49 passengers) Alaskan Dream Cruises - Baranof Dream (49 passengers) Alaskan Dream Cruises - Chichagof Dream (76 passengers) Alaskan Dream Cruises - Kruzof Explorer (12 passengers) American Cruise Line - American Constellation (170 passengers) American Queen Voyages - Ocean Victory (186 passengers) Discovery Voyages - Discovery (12 passengers) Lindblad Expeditions - National Geographic Sea Bird (62 passengers) Lindblad Expeditions - National Geographic Sea Lion (62 passengers) Lindblad Expeditions - National Geographic Quest (100 passengers) Lindblad Expeditions - National Geographic Venture (100 passengers) Ponant - Le Soléal (264 passengers) UnCruise Adventures - Safari Endeavour (84 passengers) UnCruise Adventures - Safari Explorer (36 passengers) UnCruise Adventures - Safari Quest (22 passengers) UnCruise Adventures - Wilderness Discoverer (76 passengers) UnCruise Adventures - Wilderness Explorer (74 passengers) UnCruise Adventures - Wilderness Legacy (86 passengers) Slightly larger in size, from 300 to 1,000 passengers, are vessels operated by Alaska Marine Highway (Columbia, Kennicott), Crystal Cruises (Crystal Serenity), Hurtigruten (Fridtjof Nansen, Roald Amundsen), Oceania Cruises (Regatta), Regent Seven Seas Cruises (Seven Seas Explorer), Seabourn Cruise Line (Seabourn Odyssey), Silversea Cruises (Silver Muse, Silver Nova, Silver Shadow), Viking Ocean Cruises (Viking Orion). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted October 14, 2023 #9 Share Posted October 14, 2023 (edited) On 10/12/2023 at 4:12 PM, wolfie11 said: I would not recommend Alaska Dream Cruises for someone with mobility issues. I would look at Viking or Oceania. I think American Cruise Lines would be good for someone with mobility issues also. Edited October 14, 2023 by Coral Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glaciers Posted October 14, 2023 #10 Share Posted October 14, 2023 Be careful with those small ship lines, many don’t have elevators and have stairs to viewing decks and cabins like UnCruise & Alaskan Dream, although they are exceptional. Good cabin selection will help on any ship. Choose a cabin near the venues you’ll be frequenting more often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gullcruiser Posted November 7, 2023 Author #11 Share Posted November 7, 2023 Thanks to all who responded with those wonderful suggestions! I now have tons of ideas to go over and with all of your insight be able to find the right cruise! Maris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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