No more Alaska cruises for me

[wolfie11]

“Princess Cruises will have eight cruise ships sailing to Alaska in 2026 including a Sphere class ship for the first time.”

 

So just where does Princess/NCL/RCI etc. think they’re going to dock all these ships and do with all these people?  This is getting ridiculous.  There are eight-ship days in Ketchikan and Juneau next summer!

[zqvol]

It better to just fly into Anchorage and rent a car than trying to cruise. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

It's unfortunate that so many extra large ships (4800-5000) are being used on the Alaska sailings.  I know demand is high, but the sheer number of folks in the port-of-call ports lessens the overall experience.

[1025cruise]

I agree. These large ships don't belong in Alaska. This is why Juneau is attempting to limit ships. They are getting overrun.

[cruiseryyc]

These mega ships don't belong anywhere, not just Alaska.  No port in the world can manage that many additional people a day. 

[notus]

Yikes !!  This is just crazy, ridiculous !!   Agree that the "mega ships" don't belong anywhere !   Way, way too many crowds......no thanks !!

[zqvol]

47 minutes ago, cruiseryyc said:

These mega ships don't belong anywhere, not just Alaska.  No port in the world can manage that many additional people a day. 

I am convinced that the plan is to have these mega ships only visit private islands or destinations and start avoiding all public ports. 

[1025cruise]

And I just read an article that Grand Cayman is complaining about the drop in cruiser traffic. Larger ships take longer to tender, so are avoiding places where they need to do so. Heck, when Oasis was introduced, it didn't even start going to Labadee until the pier was done (though the pier was probably done first, my memory is going).

[LeeW]

Sail mid-September.  Most of the ships are gone by then and shops have lots of sales.

[Coral]

On 7/24/2024 at 4:22 PM, LeeW said:

Sail mid-September.  Most of the ships are gone by then and shops have lots of sales.

I find May cheaper than September (and the weather is usually great). A friend once mentioned the price on a jacket sale she got. It was the same price as May. Though I rarely buy anything on vacations- my pictures are my souvenirs.

[CruiserBruce]

On 7/24/2024 at 2:10 PM, 1025cruise said:

And I just read an article that Grand Cayman is complaining about the drop in cruiser traffic. Larger ships take longer to tender, so are avoiding places where they need to do so. Heck, when Oasis was introduced, it didn't even start going to Labadee until the pier was done (though the pier was probably done first, my memory is going).

I heard that Oasis doesn't tender, period. Is that true of the even bigger ships since Oasis?

[Coral]

I agree with OP. It is not just more ships, it is much larger ships.

 

I am so glad I have traveled extensively to Alaska in the 2000's when many ships were under 110,000 tons. The ships I was on were 77,000 tons I believe.

 

I went last year and realized while I may return to Alaska, it probably won't be on a ship.

[Sea Hag]

3 hours ago, Coral said:

I find May cheaper than September (and the weather is usually great). A friend once mentioned the price on a jacket sale she got. It was the same price as May. Though I rarely buy anything on vacations- my pictures are my souvenirs.

I agree that May is a great time to visit Alaska, but I also think September is too. We've had good weather in both those months. I also rarely buy anything on vacations, so sales don't matter to me one way or another.

[1025cruise]

2 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

I heard that Oasis doesn't tender, period. Is that true of the even bigger ships since Oasis?

I hope so.

[Heidi13]

On 7/24/2024 at 2:22 PM, LeeW said:

Sail mid-September.  Most of the ships are gone by then and shops have lots of sales.

 

Early/mid May is a better option, as higher chance of better weather, ships are still arriving and much more daylight.

[Heidi13]

On 7/28/2024 at 6:01 AM, Coral said:

I agree with OP. It is not just more ships, it is much larger ships.

 

I am so glad I have traveled extensively to Alaska in the 2000's when many ships were under 110,000 tons. The ships I was on were 77,000 tons I believe.

 

I went last year and realized while I may return to Alaska, it probably won't be on a ship.

 

Still fondly remember my first 2 Alaska seasons in 1979 and 1980. Island Princess and Sun Princess (Spirit of London) with 700 - 750 pax and most days only 1 other ship in port.

[zqvol]

On 7/24/2024 at 11:28 AM, wolfie11 said:

“Princess Cruises will have eight cruise ships sailing to Alaska in 2026 including a Sphere class ship for the first time.”

 

So just where does Princess/NCL/RCI etc. think they’re going to dock all these ships and do with all these people?  This is getting ridiculous.  There are eight-ship days in Ketchikan and Juneau next summer!

I’ve about decided that if I cruise AK again most ports will be stay on the ship days. I will only do one way cruises and go for the scenery and wildlife. No helicopters, or small planes for me, nor ziplines or hiking. I want to see all of the Orthodox churches and the animals. I’ve seen the churches in SE Alaska, so other than a fishing excursion or whale watching I’m staying on the ship.

[wolfie11]

15 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Still fondly remember my first 2 Alaska seasons in 1979 and 1980. Island Princess and Sun Princess (Spirit of London) with 700 - 750 pax and most days only 1 other ship in port.

I worked dispatch during the 1990 season in Skagway and watched the new Star Princess take out the wooden dock on a windy day.

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

I worked dispatch during the 1990 season in Skagway and watched the new Star Princess take out the wooden dock on a windy day.

 

Star had some challenges in Alaska, as she also grounded in Lynn Canal in the mid 90's

[Coral]

On 7/29/2024 at 11:19 AM, Heidi13 said:

 

Still fondly remember my first 2 Alaska seasons in 1979 and 1980. Island Princess and Sun Princess (Spirit of London) with 700 - 750 pax and most days only 1 other ship in port.

While years later (probably 2003) - on the Dawn Princess, I remember being the only ship in Ketchikan and it felt amazing. Also, where they docked, it was like looking down the street and just seeing our ship.

 

It will never be like that again!

[wolfie11]

21 hours ago, Coral said:

While years later (probably 2003) - on the Dawn Princess, I remember being the only ship in Ketchikan and it felt amazing. Also, where they docked, it was like looking down the street and just seeing our ship.

 

It will never be like that again!

[Coral]

1 hour ago, wolfie11 said:

Yea - I went looking for my pic but yours is just as good! 🙂

[MtnSeaGirl]

On 7/24/2024 at 3:25 PM, cruiseryyc said:

These mega ships don't belong anywhere, not just Alaska.  No port in the world can manage that many additional people a day. 

I was actually thinking about the larger ships over the weekend and what it would feel like to have 7 - 8K passengers disembark anywhere. It has to be overwhelming. I'm a smaller ship gal, but I have friends who will only cruise larger ships.  

[victoriaj]

On 7/24/2024 at 8:28 AM, wolfie11 said:

“Princess Cruises will have eight cruise ships sailing to Alaska in 2026 including a Sphere class ship for the first time.”

 

So just where does Princess/NCL/RCI etc. think they’re going to dock all these ships and do with all these people?  This is getting ridiculous.  There are eight-ship days in Ketchikan and Juneau next summer!

I hear you and am feeling the same way after my experience this Spring. I have been travelling to Alaska by Cruise ship since 2003 for a total 16 Alaska Cruises. One of my Favourite places but they are ruining it with these large ships now in the Ports. I was so dissappointed,  they had 2 ships in Sitka same day one of them with 4000+  passengers it was terrible. I have another booked for Sept & will make a decision then if it will be my last.  So sad they are killing such a wonderful place.

[shirtboy]

Here's some of my crowd avoiding tips I use.

1. Figure our what other ships are in port that day and when they are arriving/leaving so you have an idea of when the crowds are worst and plan your activities to avoid the crowds.

2. Get off the ship early.

3. Schedule your excursion when the town will be busiest (likely around noon or early afternoon). When you return from your excursion you may have some time left to enjoy the town when most cruisers may have returned to the ship.

4. Go on a hike.

5. Be one of the last people to get back on the ship. You'll have the entire town to yourself in some cases. Be sure to schedule your day's activities to visit the locations further from the ship first, and to save exploring the area closest to the ship last so you won't miss the ship. If you are running a bit behind on your day's itinerary, you can just skip stuff to get back on track since you want to be near the ship about 30 mins to 1 hour prior to all-aboard time to avoid missing the ship.

6. The further from the ship you are the fewer cruise passengers there will be, so find something to your liking that may be off the beaten path.

7. If your ship is expected to dock in the afternoon, pack some patience since everyone has eaten lunch and are all trying to get off at the same time.