Alaskan Itineraries- Which One Is Better?

[Clarkk W Griswald]

We're looking to book an Alaskan cruise next summer, and not knowing much about Alaska, I'm looking for opinions on which itinerary is best? Why did you book your specific route? What did you like and/or dislike? We've been on the Serenade before in the Caribbean and loved the ship, does on travel on one of the better Alaskan routes? Thanks for all your help.

[Sue L]

We just did the Serenade round trip out of Vancouver and it was wonderful, but I also considered it a Alaskan "starter" cruise. Because of timing issues we were only able to do 7 days and so we couldn't do a land portion which I really wish we had done. If I were to do it again I would do it like a friend of mine did this past summer. They did a northbound cruise, 7 days land, and then a southbound cruise. They are retired so vacation time was not an issue but it sounded like the perfect way to do it.

 

I would take a Radiance class ship again in a heartbeat for this itinerary. With all the glass on the ship, no matter where you on the ship we were we had magnificent views.

 

You also might want to visit the Alaska port of call board which is very active and very informative.

[wrp96]

Part of it depends on what you want to do. Generally, if you want Glacier Viewing you want to look for a cruise that goes to either Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier. The most popular ports are Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, but if you want uncrowded, less visited ports look for cruises with stops at Icy Strait Point or Sitka. If you want a chance to see a lot of Alaska, go for a one way either North or Southbound and add on time in the Alaska interior either pre or post cruise. If you want to do a roundtrip, generally the recommendation is to take one from Vancouver over Seattle if at all possible.

[Clarkk W Griswald]

Part of it depends on what you want to do

 

That's most of my problem :). I don't really know what all there is to do. What is there to see and do in some of the ports? We're used to the Caribbean, where we just look for a beach. This will be a whole new experience for us!!

[Len3]

We did the Inside Passage from Vancouver and added 4 land days at the end of the 7 day cruise - this was on the Sun Princess. I would strongly urge you NOT to take a RT from Seattle as you won't get far enough north to enjoy the glaciers. If you have the time and money, do a one-way and add on days for touring at the beginning or the end.

[Sue L]

That's most of my problem :). I don't really know what all there is to do. What is there to see and do in some of the ports? We're used to the Caribbean, where we just look for a beach. This will be a whole new experience for us!!

 

 

 

You definitely want to see glaciers and if you can take a helicopter to land on one, which was one of the most amazing things I have ever done. We did the itinerary which included Sitka (very Russian town), Skagway, Juneau, and hubbard glacier. Like you we had done all our previous cruises in the Caribbean and wasn't sure exactly what to do. In Sitka we were supposed to do a kayak tour but the weather and a small plane crash in town canceled it. Instead we went to the Raptor center and saw the eagles which was wonderful. Sitka is also a great spot for whale watching tours. In Skagway we went horseback riding and again it was a wonderful tour. In Juneau, this is where we helicoptered to the glacier and it is truly an amazing experience and would highly recommend it.

 

An Alaska cruise is more not what you do kind of cruise but what you see. The amazing scenery and wildlife are the main attraction.

[CleoPat]

Definitely do a one way as opposed to roundtrip so you see more. I did one way from Vancouver on Radiance and then added a couple of days at the end -- rented a car and drove up to Denali for two nights. Well worth it. My itinerary had Icy Strait Point and Sitka, Juneau, Hubbard Glacier and Skagway. There's so much to see and do. Depending on your $ allowance. Tours are not cheap. We did a helicopter to a glacier and dog sledding. Over $400 just for that. Well worth it though. Other dog sled tours are on wheels, not on snow.

[tjatczak]

Dear fellow Adventure March cruiser...

I disagree with the comment about R/T out of Seattle. We did that route this past summer. It was amazing!

We stopped at the following:

Ketchikan: went salmon fishing

Juneau: went whale watching/stopped at mendenhal Glacier

Skagway: did the railroad/panning for gold combo

Victoria:

We also did Glacier Bay, and in my opinion, this is the MUST do/see on the Alaska cruise. If you are not going to do the helicopter to the glacier - pick a ship that does Glacier Bay. You WILL NOT be disappointed. It was awesome. Luckily, we were the first ones in, so the other ships were always behind us. The experience to be that close and see/hear/feel a glacier calving - was an experience I will NEVER forget. being able to see a real grizzly bear walking on shore was great, and being that close to a real whale jumping out of the water was magnificant.

 

Can you tell we loved Alaska?

 

We wnated to see more of Seattle, unfortunately, we were late getting in, so we missed most of our day (precruise) there. However, after we checked our luggage, we were able to venture through Pike Place Market- that was neat also. Plus, airfare was much less than Vancouver or the other one way trips.

 

Questions? Just ask.

Ted

[Bruin Steve]

We're looking to book an Alaskan cruise next summer, and not knowing much about Alaska, I'm looking for opinions on which itinerary is best? Why did you book your specific route? What did you like and/or dislike? We've been on the Serenade before in the Caribbean and loved the ship, does on travel on one of the better Alaskan routes? Thanks for all your help.

 

Here's my quick Alaska itinerary primer:

 

There are, basically two different types of Alaska cruise itineraries:

1) The Round Trip-- a 7-night itinerary out of either a) Vancouver or b) Seattle...In my humble opinion, Vancouver is preferred due to the Jones Act (US Federal Law which prevents foreign flagged ships from cruising to and from US ports without at least one foreign stop). Due to the Jones Act, Seattle round trips usually stop in Vancouver or Victoria--ports you could easily see pre- or post-cruise on a Vancouver round trip--and, therefore, you get one less Alaskan port.

 

2) The "One-Way"--either a) Northbound--Vancouver to Seward (or Homer) or b) Southbound Seward (or Homer) to Vancouver, 7 nights.

 

You actually get, for the most part, the SAME Alaskan ports doing either 1) or 2)...

 

The reason to do the "One-Way" is that it enables you to add either a "cruisetour" or an extended visit to the interior of Alaska. A "Cruisetour" is an extended package offered through the cruise line that, typically can be anywhere from 3 to 6 extra nights, visiting places like Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna, Anchorage and Alyeska, often with a portion by glass dome-covered rail car and a portion on a bus. Since the cruises, either variety, only take you to ports in the "Panhandle", the cruisetour allows you to see more of Alaska--including Mt. McKinley, the Alaskan Pipeline, the Iditerod Dog Training facility and other sites...

 

If you are not going to do an extended tour (or an "on your own" visit), then there is little reason to take a "One-Way"...The Vancouver round trips will save on cost, airfare and time.

 

If you are taking an extended cruisetour, my personal preference is "Southbound"--since you get through the more exhausting land portion (in and out of hotels, buses, trains, etc.) first, then can relax a little more on the ship...

 

There are many things to do in the various ports...here's what we did:

Juneau: Helicopter landing on Glacier (Others we know did Whale watching or went to visit the Visitor's Center at Mendenhall Glacier)

Skagway: We did a tour and horseback riding in the Yukon at Emerald Lake (Others did the Train through White Pass)

Ketchikan: We took a city tour with stops at the Totem Poles, Fish Hatchery and other local sites (Others did "Flightseeing")

Icy Strait Point: We did Whale Watching (Others did fishing or flightseeing over Glacier Bay)

 

In addition, we had a day "at sea" cruising the Hubbard Glacier inlet --which was phenomenal...

 

We also did the longest Southbound Cruisetour offered--13 nights, flying into Fairbanks and doing the domed train to Denali and Talkeetna, then Anchorage, Alyeska and to the ship...This tour had all kinds of included excursions (Panning for Gold and Riverboat ride to Indian Village in Fairbanks, 7 hour Wildlife tour in Denali, visit to Pipeline, Iditerod, Wildlife Preserve and much much more--really loaded...

 

On the land portion of the cruisetour, meals are NOT included...but hotels, transportation, guides and tours are...

 

We did it on the Celebrity Summit--a GREAT ship...Royal Carribean and Celebrity run the cruisetour portion jointly as "Royal Celebrity"...Princess and HAL also do a lot of Alaskan cruises and cruistours...but, my preference is Celebrity...Main difference for Princess is they visit Glacier Bay rather than Hubbard Glacier. Princess afficianados will try to push the Glacier Bay thing, but Hubbard is actually more impressive...it's a more massive glacier and is the most active of all Alaskan glaciers (the most "calving")...

 

Good luck...

[GMoney]

Having just done an Alaska cruise, here are some decision elements that may assist with your planning. Some are more obvious than others. Hope they help guide your research. Good luck!

 

> WHEN do you want to go? Shoulder seasons may restrict what you can do, but they can also offer good pricing, unique itineraries and fewer kids.

 

> WHAT LINE do you want to sail? RCI and X do a nice job, but HAL and Princess have more ships in the area and a longer history there. They also have a huge land presence should you decide to do a land tour.

 

> WHERE do you want to sail from? Vancouver and Seattle are popular. Airfare will play a role. If you sail from Vancouver, you will get to sail the scenic Inside Passage. Sailing southbound from Anchorage / Seward to Vancouver / Seattle is my preference.

 

> Do you want to do a LAND TOUR pre or post cruise? If so, you again may want to consider HAL and Princess more strongly, as they have many options. RCI and X also do cruisetours and do a very nice job. If you do a land tour, make sure you leave enough time to see the places you visit.

 

> What GLACIERS do you want to see? The most common are Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. Both are beautiful but have slightly different features. To me, this is not a make or break decision; either one will be lovely for your first cruise.

 

> What PORTS do you want to see? Most 7 day Alaska cruise include standard stops at Ketchikan, Skagway and Juneau; however, Icy Strait Point and Sitka offer nice alternatives. Again, given that it's your first cruise, you should be able to find something unique and special in each port.

[polodad]

Our best cruise to date was Alaska. We did a 9 day on Celebrity Mercury leaving from Vancouver & repositioning back to San francisco (our home port).

We visited Juneau, Skagway, Hubbard Clacier, Ketchikan and Victoria on the cruise. The scenery & wildlife seen from the ship is amazing, especially visiting the Hubbard Glacier. One of the highlights was having a naturalist onboard who would lecture daily on the wildlife apt to be seen the next day.

The excursions were incredible and expensive. We did whale watching in Juneau & took a float plane to Mysty Fjords out of Ketchikan. It allowed us to land & watch gizzlyly bears feasting on salmon in the wild. Wow! Butchart Gardens in Victoria is another "must see". Our only dissapoinment was that we hadn't added on a land portion to the tour. I think you'll love it.

[Clarkk W Griswald]

WOW! So much to see and do, I had know idea. I have a lot of research to do. Thanks for all of your opinions and suggestions. Gives me a starting point for my research.

[CleoPat]

Yes, there is a LOT of research to do re Alaska. I know it was one of the hardest trips to plan. So much to do, so little time.....:)

[My2Kitties]

we did northbound on Radiance and highly recommend it...we would have loved to continue on to Denali but time and money constraints did not allow it...a few friends continued and loved it...

if you were to elect this option...make sure you book the train from Seward to Anchorage...the train ride was well worth it...also we had all day in Anchorage so we were able to take a tour and have a big lunch/dinner before flying out that evening...

Feel free to look over our pictures...

 

SueL is right about the radiance class ships for the views...and the beauty of the ship...I am sure you will have a great time no matter what you chose...

[dirtgirl]

I just was on the Serenade last month, and wrote a review. It was a great cruise!:)

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=620589