Alaska Tips?

[buchanan101]

Just off QA to the fjords. Have a QM2 New England lined up, but planning ahead. 
 

What are the best Alaska stops and highlights? Shame QE is switching to being Seattle based (why? For convenience of US passengers?) as that must waste a day or two total travel time. 
 

But where should we go? Most Alaska cruises seem to be early Autumn?

 

Mighy downgrade to BC - as the BC restaurant on QE looks good? May depend on relative prices to PG. 

[exlondoner]

Those withdrawal symptoms are strong. 😀

[Victoria2]

Alaska season is short, generally June to September.

 

No idea of QE  itineraries but we have cruised the Inside Passage Van/Van [Sea/Sea now] and Van to Anchorage.

Incredible holidays.

 

Edited Sunday at 01:33 PM by Victoria2

[3rdGenCunarder]

I took a quick look at next year's itineraries. They vary, so do some research on the different ports and see what matters to you. I think they all do Glacier Bay and one other, either Endicott Arm or Hubbard Glacier. Of the two, I'd choose Hubbard over Endicott. 

 

If you like trains, you might want to look at Skagway. The train ride is spectacular, and the town is fun, with a gold rush museum, walking tours (some given with a "floozy" leading the way), a microbrewery where you can get beer brewed with spruce tips. 

 

If you want to do a whale watch, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, and Sitka all are possibilities. I love Sitka. It's a real town. They've fought off the usual suspects like Del Sol, diamonds International, etc. They have an excellent raptor center, a drug store with an old-fashioned soda fountain, and a food truck that sells delicious fish. 

 

It looks like all the cruises from Seattle use Victoria BC as the foreign port. Check to see that you get a daytime visit. Some cruise lines call for a few hours in the evening just to meet the regulations, and it's a shame to not have a day there. 

 

I would say take a longer cruise, 10/11 days rather than 7 days, especially if you're going to fly all that way. Season doesn't really matter as much as ports. People may squawk at this statement, as the fall has a reputation for rain, but it can rain any time. One time in September we had one rainy day the whole cruise. And we had several rainy days on a cruise in June, which is "supposed" to be less rainy. I've gone twice in June (nice for long nights) and twice in September. I'm going in July this time. The downside to late June through August is kids in the US are off from school so you may see more families on the ship and in port. 

 

On the subject of crowding, go to one of the port searches like whatsinport dot com to see how many other ships will be with you on your itinerary. The answer is likely to be LOTS, but it doesn't hurt to check. 

 

Changing the homeport to Seattle could be to make it easier for people from the US. I know that I have lots more options from the East Coast to Seattle than to Vancouver. It could also be a function of port crowding. I love Vancouver, but embarkation and disembarkation can be a nightmare when there are 3 or 4 big ships in port. Seattle has more than one pier, so that spreads things out.

 

So to go back to my first comment, do your research. The ports I like may not be the ports you will like. The Alaska port of call board has tons of information, so check it out.

Edited Sunday at 02:09 PM by 3rdGenCunarder

[buchanan101]

Just looking at autumn 2025…getting an idea. 10 day def looks better… on QE why are deck 4 PGs MUCH cheaper than 7 or 8.  £2669pp v  £3599. They are above games room and art gallery so should be fine for noise. P2 v P1 but that’s a huge difference. 

[*Miss G*]

2 hours ago, buchanan101 said:

Shame QE is switching to being Seattle based (why? For convenience of US passengers?) as that must waste a day or two total travel time. 

 

Not only that, but the path takes you outside the inside passage where there are calm waters and magnificent views.

 

I agree with @3rdGenCunarder that Victoria is not a port conducive to a short stay.  There are far too many things to do and see, and it is such a beautiful city.  It would be a shame to have it shortened to a few short hours in the evening.

 

There are upsides and downsides to embarkation/disembarkation at both Seattle and Vancouver.  Given the choice, my preference would be for Vancouver.  Especially since they have recently installed facial recognition for the US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) process.  The old kiosks contributed to a major delay on boarding.

 

We did an early September sailing which included Glacier Bay National Park. The weather was fantastic. I would say that this day of scenic viewing was spectacular and not to be missed.

[david,Mississauga]

The calls in Victoria on the three QE cruises we have been on were a full day. The official site for Victoria shows the times for this year as 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. but the QE sometimes arrives earlier.

 

It is too early for the official site to give 2025 information, but my travel agency's site shows all QE cruises next year as being in Victoria from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.  

 

[buchanan101]

16 minutes ago, david,Mississauga said:

The calls in Victoria on the three QE cruises we have been on were a full day. The official site for Victoria shows the times for this year as 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. but the QE sometimes arrives earlier.

 

It is too early for the official site to give 2025 information, but my travel agency's site shows all QE cruises next year as being in Victoria from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.  

 

Yes Victoria is marked as “LE” in all cruises. (late evening) 

[NE John]

@buchanan101 Even though we can't predict the weather, our past 10 days up here has been sunny and even warm in Ketchikan. Along with Sidka, Haines is an authentic Alaskan town with zero trinket shops and surrounded by nature. We took a glacial fjord bike ride there and it was memorable. They to find an itinerary with both of those stops. We also have been very satisfied with Cunard based excursions, oh I mean, Shore Experiences. You'll still start with a sea day whether you leave from Vancouver or Seattle. The views from leaving Vancouver will be missed though, especially on the starboard side. 

This is an epic journey so go for it.