I'm NEW at this!

[Wazzo]

Hello!

 

I'm new at this! New to Alaska and new to cruising. I've only cruised once, on DCL, and that was only a 3 nighter.

 

My Mom (58) and I (27) would love to try an Alaskan cruise. I have MANY questions, if anyone can help me!

 

 

What time of year is best?

 

Which cruise line would be best? (I would put dining right up there in importance)

 

Where exactly should we go?

 

Are there any guidebooks or other information that you would recommend?

 

 

Thank you SO SO much!!

[NancyIL]

Welcome to Cruise Critic! I would start reading the info here at CC, beginning with "Fun Facts": http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/area.cfm?area=1

 

In my opinion, you should choose a ship bound for Alaska based on the itinerary and not on the food. Once you decide where you want to go and when, then you can narrow down your choice of ship.

 

My favorite guidebook is Frommer's Alaska by Charles Wohlforth.

[daisymae253]

u will receive many different opinions on this topic..as alaska is much to big to go into very much detail....if u scan through this site u will see what i am talking about...i can give u my personal experience...we sailed to alaska this past aug...i guess u could say that we were truly blessed with excellent weather as well as our ship and crew....we sailed on celebtity's mercury...this was our first cruise with them...i must say that i was truly impressed...the food...the crew....the service and the cleaniness of the ship....we sailed out of seattle ( and spent a couple of extra days there...beautiful city)...we had three ports of call...skagway...juneau and ketchian...all of our tours were booked directly with the tour companies on line before we sailed...this website and the past experienced cruisers made this a much more memorable trip...when u decided what u are interested in doing at the port of call...search out this site and ask many questions....i am sure you will be amazed by the response u receive...have a great trip and enjoy the beauty of alaska.

[Terpnut]

Your questions are very broad and cannot really be answered without knowing all your personal preferences, tastes and budget. So I would first start by reading through past threads and doing searches based on your general questions. Then, once you've got a good basic understanding of what you want to do and where, you can post more specific questions.

[cntrydncr1]

I would highly recommend going out of Vancouver, a wonderful port to spend a couple of days in pre-cruise. I would also recommend spending at least a week post-cruise in Alaska. It is easy to drive yourself and lots less expensive than the cruise land tours. I used much of the advice on these boards regarding independent tour operators and was not steered wrong anywhere! Enjoy the planning and the trip.

[cruisergrandma]

I would also add that you would benefit from talking to a TA. Find a local TA and go to their office, sit down and talk. They can answer all of your questions and help point you in the right direction. There are many routes, many ships and many opinions on which is best. You need to determine which is best suited to you.

[Budget Queen]

Head to your library and take out all the Alaska travel books. :) Frommer's Alaska and Fodor's Alaska are especially concise.

 

Some things you need to determine FIRST- how much time do you have and do you want to extend your cruise with land touring- my opinion only, if you are already all the way there- take advantage. Otherwise, round trip Vancouver cruises are just excellent with 7 days packed with adventure. If touring interior- most important - allow TIME. Distances are vast and touring extensive and time consuming.

 

I disagree in relying on a TA for "all your questions" They will NOT offer you anything on indepenent touring which will help you in your comparism selections on what is best for you. And frankly, most know little past what's in the brochures.

 

Take some time and read back this board. Plenty of information and trip reports that will help you narrow down your itinerary.

[cruisergrandma]

I disagree with Budget Queen on the TA issue. I do agree that some TA's as well as internet TAs and PVPs know little more than what is in the brochure. However, a good TA knows their business. Most TAs get into the business because of their love and knowledge of the industry. Ask them how much they have cruised and where they have been. A TA earns no commission on shipoboard excursions and, yes I do know TAs who will direct a cruiser to independent companies. They have a multitude of information they can provide to help your trip planning.

[Budget Queen]

I disagree with Budget Queen on the TA issue. I do agree that some TA's as well as internet TAs and PVPs know little more than what is in the brochure. However, a good TA knows their business. Most TAs get into the business because of their love and knowledge of the industry. Ask them how much they have cruised and where they have been. A TA earns no commission on shipoboard excursions and, yes I do know TAs who will direct a cruiser to independent companies. They have a multitude of information they can provide to help your trip planning.

 

 

I was not clear- sorry, few TA's have any knowledge on independent touring interior Alaska. You just will not be able to plan this using a TA only for the planning, they simply aren't going to do it to the tune you can do it yourself for a superior self tour. As for independent shore exursions- I don't see that often either, many times they will go to a broker like Port promotions or shore trips. You can not expect them to spend the time looking like you can yourself.

 

I get a lot of emails from TA's who ask my advice. Overall, they don't know, nor have been there enough.

 

I have nothing against TA's and am not looking to be flamed, my whole point is- do your homework. The more YOU know the better your decisions will be for your priorities.

[MercedMike]

Well, at the risk of tooting my own horn, check out our cruise page on the link below and look at the pictures and reviews of several Alaska cruises, on different lines and at different times of year. I think you will learn quite a lot. We love to cruise to Alaska!

 

Then go in to a TA near you who is experienced in cruising and in cruising to Alaska (HMMM -- like my DW who is a MCC ... there is surely one in your area too).

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[cruisevacationsrock]

 

I have nothing against TA's and am not looking to be flamed, my whole point is- do your homework. The more YOU know the better your decisions will be for your priorities.

 

 

I agree wholeheartedly on this one!! We booked our cruise one year in advance and a few months ago someone I work with went to Alaska and told me about this website. I finally logged on a few weeks back and am now addicted to it! I have learned SO much from these boards and have gotten some great advice. TA's are great, but this is YOUR trip and you should make it yours!!

Have a great time!

C

[lovetotravel78]

Last summer, my sister and I went on our first cruise (to Alaska). We didn't really know what we were doing so we went to a travel agent (she was great and we booked our second cruise through her). The best time of year to go is in the summer. We went in mid June when the sun never set. Since this was our first cruise, we are partial to carnival spirit. We thought the food was great. We did the northbound cruise (started in Vancover). Now that I think back at it, I am really glad we did it that way. Our last memory were the glaciers as opposed to seeing green covered mountains. Finally, keep checking on crusie critic. This is a great website and they have answered tons of my questions. Also, there are several books about cruising and Alaska. Hope this helps

[CraftyDD]

Decide on your budget,port of call, size of ship, north or south or roundtrip. Once you have all that narrow it down. We did southbound on Carnival Spirit and it was great - have no complaints whatsoever. Planning on going northbound on Spirit in 2010. You can never see Alaska in only one trip.