HELP PLEASE! Questions with which Alaska itinerary??

[P.A.]

For those of you who have cruised in Alaska, you can probably help me out here.

 

We have cruised 3 times, all to the Cabibbean. Next year, 2008, we will go to Alaska. It will be my husband and I and another couple (we are in our upper 40's and two of us will be celebrating our 50th b-day). We have cruised twice on Princess and they have cruised only on Royal Caribbean. We are not sure which line to take. Each cruiseline has a bit different itinerary so we are hoping to get some questions answered here.

 

Since this is our first time to Alaska I think we have all decided to do an inside passage. It will be so much cheaper for the airfare too and will be the most economical for the first time. Here are what my choices are:

 

Princess

 

1 Seattle, Washington 4:00 PM

2 At Sea

3 Juneau, Alaska 12:00 PM 10:00 PM

4 Skagway, Alaska 6:00 AM 8:15 PM

5 Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) 8:00 AM 1:00 PM

6 Ketchikan, Alaska 6:00 AM 12:30 PM

7 Victoria, British Columbia 7:00 PM 11:59 PM

8 Seattle, Washington

 

OR

 

Royal Caribbean

 

Seattle, Washington -- 4:00 pm

At Sea -- --

Juneau, Alaska 11:00 am 9:00 pm

Skagway, Alaska 7:00 am 8:30 pm

Cruise Tracy Arm 7:00 am 12:00 pm

Prince Rupert, British Columbia 8:00 am 6:00 pm

Inside Passage, Alaska -- --

Seattle, Washington 6:00 am

 

 

So since we are torn between the two cruiselines, we thought we would go with the best itinerary. Question is....which is the best itinerary?? Can someone please comment on which port is a must to see or which itinerary you would choose and why? Our husbands do like to fish, and we were hoping to see some whales if that helps any, and we will go either the last week of May or first week of June.

 

Please...any suggestions you have will be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[Toyz711]

all the alaskian cruises are "inside passage"..that's where juneau, skagway, ketchikan and other port towns are.

if you are sure you want to sail out fo seattle, you should look at NCL pearl. they do glacier bay, instead of tracy arms/sawyer glacier. they, sometimes, have problems getting the big ships all the way to sawyer glacier.

we did the NCL star last year when it did the route the pearl will do this year. still did juneau (great whale watching), skagway (train) and ketchikan (just walked around, cute town). but glacier bay was a real winner. if you do a search on these boards you can find all types of discussion on this. including one either down on this page or on page 2?

[NancyIL]

Ships and itineraries may be different in 2008, so I wouldn't get too attached to a ship just yet. As much as I like Royal Caribbean, I think Vision of the Seas has the weakest Alaska itinerary. You're much better off with the RCI ship out of Vancouver (Serenade in 2007). If you want to cruise out of Seattle, I'd go with Holland America or NCL - choosing a ship that goes to Glacier Bay rather than Tracy Arm.

[mbisson]

Here are what my choices are:

 

Princess

 

1 Seattle, Washington 4:00 PM

2 At Sea

3 Juneau, Alaska 12:00 PM 10:00 PM

4 Skagway, Alaska 6:00 AM 8:15 PM

5 Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) 8:00 AM 1:00 PM

6 Ketchikan, Alaska 6:00 AM 12:30 PM

7 Victoria, British Columbia 7:00 PM 11:59 PM

8 Seattle, Washington

 

OR

 

Royal Caribbean

 

Seattle, Washington -- 4:00 pm

At Sea -- --

Juneau, Alaska 11:00 am 9:00 pm

Skagway, Alaska 7:00 am 8:30 pm

Cruise Tracy Arm 7:00 am 12:00 pm

Prince Rupert, British Columbia 8:00 am 6:00 pm

Inside Passage, Alaska -- --

Seattle, Washington 6:00 am

 

Our husbands do like to fish, and we were hoping to see some whales if that helps any, and we will go either the last week of May or first week of June.

 

Please...any suggestions you have will be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

If those are the only options you want to consider, I'd probably go with the first option and let the guys fish for salmon in Ketchikan, and whale watch in Juneau. Also, we prefer Victoria over Prince Rupert (even though the Victoria times never seem to be ideal, or even good, we always have a good time there).

 

We're waiting for itineraries for '08 ourselves and if they're the same as this upcoming season, we'll probably be on the Norwegian Pearl in May (we like NCL and have their credit card-we expect to have $1500 off from the card use by then)

 

jmo

-Monte

[P.A.]

I'm adding another possible itinerary for Royal Caribbean:

 

Vancouver, British Columbia -- 5:00 pm

Inside Passage, Alaska -- --

Icy Strait Point, Alaska 10:00 am 6:00 pm

Hubbard Glacier, Alaska 9:00 am 1:00 pm

Skagway, Alaska 7:00 am 8:30 pm

Juneau, Alaska 7:00 am 3:00 pm

At Sea -- --

Vancouver, British Columbia 7:00 am

 

We would probably still fly into SEA and get transportation to Vancouver.

 

I'm sure there are other cruiselines that are just as good as RC or Princess, but I think we will probably stick to one of these just because I am in charge of this trip and I don't want to go with something new and not have cruised on it before. Plus I've heard that that NCL is more the older crowd.

 

Keep the suggestions coming! :)

[NancyIL]

Actually, Holland America has a reputation for being full of the older crowd - and it lived up to the stereotype on my first HAL cruise in 2004! But others have said that Alaska cruises draw an older crowd to begin with.

 

The Serenade is definitely a better choice than Vision, but again - Serenade's itinerary may very well be different for 2008. In 2007, Serenade alternates Sitka and Icy Strait Point.

[Toyz711]

now you have the problem of hubbard glacier. a very large glacier with lots of calving...but the ice can block the ship. which is why, if you do a search on these boards, many people recommend glacier bay for 1st time cruising. with glacier bay you know you will be able to see the glaciers and the views around it.

i would not listen to others about the cruise lines, HAL and celebrity are the ones with the rep for formal dining and an older clientele, plus tighter rules on formal dressup. NCL is the one that is advertised as "freestyle" and casual. as commented earlier, alaska does draw an older crowd on all ships. it's not where a 20-something would want to go to tan and party. less families cruise alaska, just because of the cost. the cruises are more expensive than a family cruise to the islands.

i find the other cruise lines too confinding due to the set dining, which i hated to begin with. but the biggest plus for NCL is no formal nights or what they call "optional" formal nights. you don't have to pack a suit/tie or hose/heels/evening gown for NCL. except for less rules, NCL is just like any other cruiseline.

[NancyIL]

now you have the problem of hubbard glacier. a very large glacier with lots of calving...but the ice can block the ship. which is why, if you do a search on these boards, many people recommend glacier bay for 1st time cruising. with glacier bay you know you will be able to see the glaciers and the views around it.

 

I think being iced out of Hubbard Glacier is pretty rare, and I personally wouldn't hesitate to book a cruise that went there.

[Toyz711]

don't get me wrong, i want to see hubbard. i haven't told my dh that it's where most of the BIG calving takes place. he would go tomorrow!!:)

we had seen glaciers while fishing in seward, but glacier bay was still a good choice for us and the rest of the family that had never seen any before. now that i know the area better, i would like to go to tracy arms/sawyer or hubbard. but while glacier bay doesn't get cancelled, the others sometimes do. plus glacier bay is several hours of cruising by many glacier of various sizes. hubbard has a lot of time in front of one large glacier. both beautiful, both very different trips.

when we went i didn't know that ship didn't go to john hopkins glacier (in glacier bay) until after early sept. it was by far the best glacier and the one we saw calving there. but earlier then early sept, you won't be able to go up john hopkins inlet. but that is only 1 small part of glacier bay. whether ice blocking the way or protected area for birthing seals..all the glacier areas have special problems for the new not-yet-informed alaskian cruiser.

[mbisson]

I think being iced out of Hubbard Glacier is pretty rare, and I personally wouldn't hesitate to book a cruise that went there.

 

I'm with you Nancy! Hubbard is awesome.

 

-Monte

[Budget Queen]

I think being iced out of Hubbard Glacier is pretty rare, and I personally wouldn't hesitate to book a cruise that went there.

 

Not as rare as you state. It does happen. Another factor of Hubbard is how close the ship gets. I've been on sailings that were, at the closest point a couple miles away. You can have plenty of calving, but need binoculars to really see it. Hubbard is most always viewable- unless fogged out. You can see it from miles out, unlike Tracy Arm with is all twists and turns until you get to the Sawyers- 30 miles in.

[Marie321]

We cruised HAL last year with Glacier Bay, Juneau, Sitka, Prince Rupert, and Victoria--in and out of Seattle.

 

We were very disappointed in Prince Rupert. We were one of the first ships in there--I guess previously this had not been a stop. There was not much to see or do in the town. Maybe this has now changed, but I would not want to go back there.

 

We absolutely loved everything else! Glacier Bay was awesome, and we did Captain Larry and ziplining in Juneau. We love HAL, but this year we are cruising on Carnival's Spirit for the itinerary.

[seadude]

Thank you guys.

 

After reading your post I decided in Holand America. We were thinking in the Sun Princes but no way...

 

Thanks Again

[suefalls]

I'm adding another possible itinerary for Royal Caribbean:

 

Vancouver, British Columbia -- 5:00 pm

Inside Passage, Alaska -- --

Icy Strait Point, Alaska 10:00 am 6:00 pm

Hubbard Glacier, Alaska 9:00 am 1:00 pm

Skagway, Alaska 7:00 am 8:30 pm

Juneau, Alaska 7:00 am 3:00 pm

At Sea -- --

Vancouver, British Columbia 7:00 am

 

We would probably still fly into SEA and get transportation to Vancouver.

 

I'm sure there are other cruiselines that are just as good as RC or Princess, but I think we will probably stick to one of these just because I am in charge of this trip and I don't want to go with something new and not have cruised on it before. Plus I've heard that that NCL is more the older crowd.

 

Keep the suggestions coming! :)

 

What dates are you looking at? If Tracy Arm is the only Glacier, if early in the season, you amy not get very close in ( and with bigger ships won't get close no matter when) I would take a chance on Hubbard if earlier in the season. In fact I wouldn't book a cruise that only had 1 glacier in the itinerary. There are too many variables and you may not get to see any

[P.A.]

Just bumping just in case anyone has anything else to suggest. :)

 

Our dates are last week of May or first week of June 2008.

 

We are still undecided on the itinerary. The only thing we are sure of is RT from either Seattle or Vancouver. (Inside passage) Also probably either Princess or Royal Caribbean.

 

We've been told the schedule should be open mid May.

 

Thanks! :)

[Italy52]

Just bumping just in case anyone has anything else to suggest. :)

 

Our dates are last week of May or first week of June 2008.

 

We are still undecided on the itinerary. The only thing we are sure of is RT from either Seattle or Vancouver. (Inside passage) Also probably either Princess or Royal Caribbean.

 

We've been told the schedule should be open mid May.

 

Thanks! :)

 

I know what you are going through. We are trying to decide which cruise itinerary and line to take. Our time frame is the same as yours. We are considering HAL, RCCL, and Princess.

 

HAL-Seattle-At-Sea-Juneau-Hubbard Glacier-Sitka-Ketchikan-Victoria-Seattle

RCCL-Vancouver-Inside Passage-Sitka-Hubbard-Skagway-Juneau-Cruising-Vancouver

Princess-Whittier-College Fjord-Glacier Bay-Skagway-Juneau-Ketchikan-Inside Passage-Vancouver

 

HAL-we like the convenience of Seattle & have not been to Hubbard & Sitka

RCCL-we like the convenience of Vancouver & have not been to Hubbard & Sitka

Princess-we love the line, have taken this route before, less ships in port when we are with this itinerary and you get two glaciers (Monday departure)

 

We have cruised all three lines before and like them all. Each has it own strengths and weaknesses.

 

Wishing you a lot of luck with your planning - believe me, I know it isn't easy. :)

 

****Pricing and Itinerary for RCCL will be out April 9th******

[P.A.]

Question....which port? Hubbard on Royal Caribbean or Tracy Arm on Princess?

 

Here are the itineraries for each cruise line. I think these are the ones we have narrowed it down to.

 

7-Jun-08 Sat 5825 7 Alaska Inside Passage-Seattle SEATTLE, Juneau, Skagway, Tracy Arm, Ketchikan, Victoria, SEATTLE This is Princess itineary.

 

Ports of Call: Vancouver, British Columbia; Inside Passage (Cruising); Icy Strait Point, Alaska; Hubbard Glacier (Cruising); Skagway, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Vancouver, British Columbia This is Royal Caribbean's itinerary.

 

We'll be going May 31st or Jun 7th of 2008.

 

Your thoughts or comments are appreciated! :)

[NancyIL]

Question....which port? Hubbard on Royal Caribbean or Tracy Arm on Princess?

 

Here are the itineraries for each cruise line. I think these are the ones we have narrowed it down to.

 

7-Jun-08 Sat 5825 7 Alaska Inside Passage-Seattle SEATTLE, Juneau, Skagway, Tracy Arm, Ketchikan, Victoria, SEATTLE This is Princess itineary.

 

Ports of Call: Vancouver, British Columbia; Inside Passage (Cruising); Icy Strait Point, Alaska; Hubbard Glacier (Cruising); Skagway, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Vancouver, British Columbia This is Royal Caribbean's itinerary.

 

We'll be going May 31st or Jun 7th of 2008.

 

Your thoughts or comments are appreciated! :)

 

Since you started this thread, it was announced by Princess that they will offer a 14-day roundtrip from Vancouver on the Tahitian Princess, with the first cruise departing on May 29, 2008. It has a FABULOUS itinerary (going to Glacier Bay), and it's supposed to be available to book on May 14th: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=543689

[Yukon]

Question....which port? Hubbard on Royal Caribbean or Tracy Arm on Princess?

 

The problems with Tracy Arm have already been stated, so I'll just add that I'm a huge fan of both Hubbard Glacier and the Radiance (though I'm going with HAL / Glacier Bay this year because I got an offer I couldn't turn down). You can see my photos/reviews of the 2 Radiance cruises at http://www.youralaskacruise.com/reviews/

 

Murray

[mbisson]

The problems with Tracy Arm have already been stated, so I'll just add that I'm a huge fan of both Hubbard Glacier and the Radiance [/url]

 

Murray

 

That makes 2 of us that think that's a good combination. (Although I go where the best deal is for us)

 

-Monte

[fti]

The problems with Tracy Arm have already been stated, so I'll just add that I'm a huge fan of both Hubbard Glacier and the Radiance (though I'm going with HAL / Glacier Bay this year because I got an offer I couldn't turn down). You can see my photos/reviews of the 2 Radiance cruises at http://www.youralaskacruise.com/reviews/

 

Murray

 

Just curious why you are a fan of Hubbard Glacier and the Radiance. I was so close to booking a great deal on the Radiance for June until I realized I had a schedule conflict. Now I am toying with looking for something in August.

[Yukon]

Just curious why you are a fan of Hubbard Glacier and the Radiance. I was so close to booking a great deal on the Radiance for June until I realized I had a schedule conflict. Now I am toying with looking for something in August.

 

 

I love the ship generally - from captain and crew to food and ship layout, decor and quality. I've only been on 3 ships so far (Radiance twice, Vision once and Costa Mediterranea once), but it's the best so far. Hubbard is by far the most active glacier in Alaska, and calving is what I want to see.

 

Murray

[Dagny]

Since you started this thread, it was announced by Princess that they will offer a 14-day roundtrip from Vancouver on the Tahitian Princess, with the first cruise departing on May 29, 2008. It has a FABULOUS itinerary (going to Glacier Bay), and it's supposed to be available to book on May 14th: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=543689

 

I have found the perfect cruise for the family celebration of my parents' 50th wedding anniversary in 2008 :)

[Sunshine Gal]

I would recommend Princess or Hal for an Alaskan cruise. If thinking about Celebrity I would read a lot about the propulsion problems that plagued Celebrity last year in Alaska. This year has not started off much better with the Infinity suffering from the recurring pod problems on the first cruise of this season. These problems have resulted in missed ports and cancelled cruises.