Help with Alaskan Cruise!

[slsmith_vsu]

Hey guys! I have been on two cruises both of them with RCI and have had good experiences both times. I would like to take a cruise to Alaska and possibly add on the land porition as well..so I think that is called a cruisetour? I wanted to hear from anyone that has done this as far as how long...the time of year...what ship...basically any information at all. I am just in the beginning research phase so I am clueless about all things Alaska so far. Thank for your help!

 

Sara :o

[TPKeller]

Along with the info you will get here and in the ports of call forums, another good primer on Alaska cruising can be found here:

 

http://www.alaskacruisingreport.com/

 

Theron

[Barbee524]

Here is a link to my pre-cruise tour review from 2005. We took tour #15 some of the information might be useful to you. Though I'll warn you now the review is pretty long.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=225514

 

Hope this helps. My only real recommedation about an Alaskan Cruise is to definately take one!

[Orion1325]

Definitely check out the "Alaska" port section here... There's lots of great advice on what to do, and what not to do. Since you're planning so far ahead, my recommendation would be to take the cruise and do your land tour independently.

 

We originally had booked a cruisetour with Celebrity for July of this year. With all the great advice I found here, we ended up cancelling the land portion and did it on our own. Best trip we've ever taken!!! We cruised from Vancouver to Seward, took the train from Seward to Anchorage, and then rented an RV for a week. We drove 1100+ miles in all, saw spectacular scenery, enjoyed every activity that we had booked, and saw tons of wildlife! All without having to be herded onto buses, wait for stragglers, have luggage out by 5:00am, etc.

 

I had never driven an RV before, but it turned out to be quite easy! In 1100 miles, I never once ran over a curb, and the gas prices were cheaper than they are at home (southern CA).

 

Anyway... I'm sure you'll have a great trip, whatever you plan! Check out the "Alaska" section for some great advice...