NCteacherlovescruising Posted July 11 #1 Share Posted July 11 We would like to book our first trip to Alaska. Which ports should we look for on the itinerary? We plan to do a land and sea combo. Which cruise line does this best? We’re thinking summer 2026. I’m a teacher so mid June-mid August timeframe. We would like to see whales and fjords. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinburgher Posted July 11 #2 Share Posted July 11 (edited) 4 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said: We would like to see whales and fjords. Others will be quick to correct me if i have this wrong, but this is a more unusual question as there are fewer actual "fjords" in Alaska than you might expect, and unlike in Norway, cruise ships don't actually sail many in the way you might have imagined, especially if you have "cruised the Norwegian fjords" in the past and hoping for a comparable experience. For fjord viewing, the itinerary you would look for would include some of the better known which include College Fjord, Tracy Arm Fjord, Misty Fjords(usually a flightseeing trip from Ketchikan), Kenai Fjords (usually small boat touring from Seward.) and any others which you find when you internet search "Alaska Fjords" or similar. You would then have to match them up with itineraries, and doing this will give you the names of the cruiselines. Edited July 11 by edinburgher 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCteacherlovescruising Posted July 11 Author #3 Share Posted July 11 1 minute ago, edinburgher said: others will be quick to correct me if i have this wrong, but this is a more unusual question as there are fewer actual "fjords" in Alaska than you might expect, and unlike in Norway, cruise ships don't actually sail many in the way you might have imagined, especially if you have "cruised the Norwegian fjords". For fjord viewing, the itinerary you would look for would include some of the better known which include College Fjord, Tracy Arm Fjord, Misty Fjords(usually a flightseeing trip from Ketchikan), Kenai Fjords (usually small boat touring from Seward.) and any others which you find when you internet search "Alaska Fjords" or similar. You would then have to match them up with itineraries, and doing this will give you the names of the cruiselines. Thanks! We were just in Montenegro on a cruise and it was absolutely stunning from every angle and we were hoping to find something similar. Would we need to do a Norway cruise to find something similar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinburgher Posted July 11 #4 Share Posted July 11 3 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said: Thanks! We were just in Montenegro on a cruise and it was absolutely stunning from every angle and we were hoping to find something similar. Would we need to do a Norway cruise to find something similar? As you didn't say, but assuming you are describing the beautiful sail-in to Kotor, that is not actually a fjord,(fjords are created by glaciers) but a bay formed from a flooded river canyon. It gives a very good impression of a fjord but isn't actually one. And yes, a Norwegian fjords itinerary would be the closest match, especially one which included deep fjords,but why don't you decide after reading replies from members about Alaskan fjords? As an aside, most first time visitors to Alaska prioritise glacier viewing over fjords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinburgher Posted July 11 #5 Share Posted July 11 2 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said: Would we need to do a Norway cruise to find something similar? if you never before considered a Norwegian fjords itinerary, you may not be aware of some upcoming changes to fjords cruising. These were mentioned some time ago and some folks are considering bring forward their fjord cruising plans to next year before the changes come into force in 2026, any you might also want to consider doing the same. This is only one thread but there are others which you can find by using the search tool. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3017563-need-advice-booking-cruise-to-norway-norwegian-govt-ban-on-cruising-unesco-heritage-fjords/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCteacherlovescruising Posted July 11 Author #6 Share Posted July 11 3 hours ago, edinburgher said: As you didn't say, but assuming you are describing the beautiful sail-in to Kotor, that is not actually a fjord,(fjords are created by glaciers) but a bay formed from a flooded river canyon. It gives a very good impression of a fjord but isn't actually one. Yes I am! 3 hours ago, edinburgher said: And yes, a Norwegian fjords itinerary would be the closest match, especially one which included deep fjords,but why don't you decide after reading replies from members about Alaskan fjords? As an aside, most first time visitors to Alaska prioritise glacier viewing over fjords. Alaska is on my husbands bucket list and our friend is planning on coming with us. We all had a cruise to Alaska planned prior but COVID happened. 1 hour ago, edinburgher said: if you never before considered a Norwegian fjords itinerary, you may not be aware of some upcoming changes to fjords cruising. These were mentioned some time ago and some folks are considering bring forward their fjord cruising plans to next year before the changes come into force in 2026, any you might also want to consider doing the same. This is only one thread but there are others which you can find by using the search tool. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3017563-need-advice-booking-cruise-to-norway-norwegian-govt-ban-on-cruising-unesco-heritage-fjords/ Thanks! I read through them. Our timing would be unfortunate but we already have another Mediterranean cruise booked for 2025. We can only do one big trip a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinburgher Posted July 11 #7 Share Posted July 11 1 hour ago, NCteacherlovescruising said: Thanks! I read through them. Our timing would be unfortunate but we already have another Mediterranean cruise booked for 2025. We can only do one big trip a year. Too bad, but it isn't as if all fjord cruising will be banned, it will only be more logistically challenging to sail certain ones on certain ships should a shorex be needed. Just a thought, but could you switch the one for next year to the Med to a Norwegian one without incurring a financial penalty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oaktreerb Posted July 12 #8 Share Posted July 12 17 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said: We would like to book our first trip to Alaska. Which ports should we look for on the itinerary? We plan to do a land and sea combo. Which cruise line does this best? We’re thinking summer 2026. I’m a teacher so mid June-mid August timeframe. We would like to see whales and fjords. Holland America or Princess. Princess has more children onboard. Choose Glacier Bay itinerary, Tracy Arm with small boat excursion, College Fjord. Whale watching is good around Juneau area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royal3 Posted July 12 #9 Share Posted July 12 If there are teenagers traveling, I would recommend Royal Caribbean. Their ships have more activities for teens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCteacherlovescruising Posted July 12 Author #10 Share Posted July 12 12 hours ago, edinburgher said: Too bad, but it isn't as if all fjord cruising will be banned, it will only be more logistically challenging to sail certain ones on certain ships should a shorex be needed. Just a thought, but could you switch the one for next year to the Med to a Norwegian one without incurring a financial penalty? I could check but our friend that wants to join us already has travel plans to Europe next summer with her sister. 4 hours ago, oaktreerb said: Holland America or Princess. Princess has more children onboard. Choose Glacier Bay itinerary, Tracy Arm with small boat excursion, College Fjord. Whale watching is good around Juneau area. Thank you! 1 hour ago, royal3 said: If there are teenagers traveling, I would recommend Royal Caribbean. Their ships have more activities for teens. Our children are adults. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinburgher Posted July 12 #11 Share Posted July 12 1 hour ago, NCteacherlovescruising said: I could check but our friend that wants to join us already has travel plans to Europe next summer with her sister. Too bad as the timing is unfortunate unless friend and her sister decide to join you in Norway.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCteacherlovescruising Posted July 12 Author #12 Share Posted July 12 6 hours ago, edinburgher said: Too bad as the timing is unfortunate unless friend and her sister decide to join you in Norway.. Doubtful. They already have an air B&B and tours booked in France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinburgher Posted July 12 #13 Share Posted July 12 56 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said: They already have an air B&B and tours booked in France. Unfortunate timing given the upcoming changes.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donaldsc Posted July 12 #14 Share Posted July 12 On 7/11/2024 at 6:02 AM, edinburgher said: Others will be quick to correct me if i have this wrong, but this is a more unusual question as there are fewer actual "fjords" in Alaska than you might expect, and unlike in Norway, cruise ships don't actually sail many in the way you might have imagined, especially if you have "cruised the Norwegian fjords" in the past and hoping for a comparable experience. For fjord viewing, the itinerary you would look for would include some of the better known which include College Fjord, Tracy Arm Fjord, Misty Fjords(usually a flightseeing trip from Ketchikan), Kenai Fjords (usually small boat touring from Seward.) and any others which you find when you internet search "Alaska Fjords" or similar. You would then have to match them up with itineraries, and doing this will give you the names of the cruiselines. You are sort of wrong. As you said Norway has a lot of fjords and larger ships can get into many of them although new environmental regulations may change that soon. AK has a lot of very pretty fjords but the large ships just can not get into many of them. I have done several AK cruises on small <500 passenger ships and they can get into these smaller fjords. Yet one more advantage of small ship cruising. DON Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MississippiMom Posted July 12 #15 Share Posted July 12 On 7/11/2024 at 9:36 AM, edinburgher said: if you never before considered a Norwegian fjords itinerary, you may not be aware of some upcoming changes to fjords cruising. These were mentioned some time ago and some folks are considering bring forward their fjord cruising plans to next year before the changes come into force in 2026, any you might also want to consider doing the same. This is only one thread but there are others which you can find by using the search tool. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3017563-need-advice-booking-cruise-to-norway-norwegian-govt-ban-on-cruising-unesco-heritage-fjords/ Thank you for sharing the link. Time to research and decide if Alaska 2025 needs to change to Norway 2025. 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinburgher Posted July 13 #16 Share Posted July 13 15 hours ago, MississippiMom said: Thank you for sharing the link. Time to research and decide if Alaska 2025 needs to change to Norway 2025. 🤔 Thanks for acknowledging as many don't. Yes, there are a number of past threads on this subject and as I think more folks will decide to sail Norway in 2025 before the 2026 changes, maybe book early should you decide to join them.😀 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinburgher Posted July 13 #17 Share Posted July 13 18 hours ago, donaldsc said: you are sort of wrong. yes and no. You are suggesting the OP look at very small ships and their itineraries, I suggested looking at itineraries followed by the ships which will sail them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinburgher Posted July 13 #18 Share Posted July 13 (edited) 19 hours ago, MississippiMom said: Thank you for sharing the link. Time to research and decide if Alaska 2025 needs to change to Norway 2025. 🤔 On 7/12/2024 at 3:00 PM, NCteacherlovescruising said: Doubtful. They already have an air B&B and tours booked in France. AsiI mentioned previously, there have been a number of threads on the subject and I came across this current one a few minutes ago while browsing. If you have not already read it, it would be an interesting read for both you. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3017563-need-advice-booking-cruise-to-norway-norwegian-govt-ban-on-cruising-unesco-heritage-fjords/#comment-67635193 Edited July 13 by edinburgher 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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