Alaskan Itineraries - Which one?

[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.

[NancyIL]

I wanted to do an Alaskan cruise as well as a land trip, so I chose the northbound Coral Princess. After the cruise ended, we drove around interior Alaska for 8 days. Princess ships go to Glacier Bay and College Fjord on their one-way cruises. We loved the itinerary as well as the ship.

 

Serenade does roundtrip cruises from Vancouver, and sister ship Radiance does one-ways between Vancouver and Seward. RCI and Celebrity go to Hubbard Glacier. Rhapsody goes to Tracy Arm, but has a mediocre itinerary, in my opinion.

 

You need to decide if you want to do a roundtrip cruise or a one-way. The biggest difference in the itineraries will be the glacier(s) visited. Just about every ship goes to Juneau, with Ketchikan, Skagway (or Haines), Sitka, and Icy Strait Point the other possible Alaskan ports. If you're on a roundtrip from Seattle, you'll also make a "foreign port" stop in either Victoria or Prince Rupert, BC.

[vbmom87]

I suggest you read these boards for a few days. Go back and read at least 10-20 pages, reading the titles of the threads and choosing to read the ones that are of interest to you. When I started on this board a few months ago, I started by posting a few questions, but soon realized I didn't know enough to even begin asking questions. So, I just started reading the various threads. Before you know it, you will start to get an idea of what you want to do in Alaska. Then you can start asking more specific questions. Before you ask though, do a search. There is a good chance there is a thread already on your question.

 

Generally if people want to include a land tour, they take a one way cruise. If they only want to cruise, they generally go on a round trip cruise. (Airfare is usually cheaper on the round-trip)

 

Most suggest to look for intineraries with two glacier cruising days. That way, if the weather is not good for one of the days, you still have a chance to view a glacier on the other day.

 

As you read through everything, you will see that not everyone agrees on what is best. So, read the discussions and see what you think will fit for you and your travel likes. Good luck planning.

 

There are several of us right now who are actively planning their summer 2008 trips to Alaska. We have all been asking lots of questions and I think we will all have a wonderful trip due to the helpful information we are finding on this board.

[NancyIL]

There's some good general info about Alaska cruises on Cruise Critic: http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/area.cfm?area=1 (Be sure to read the "fun facts" section.)

 

I like reading guidebooks to get good general knowledge about the area I'll be visiting. My favorites for Alaska are Frommer's Alaska by Charles Wohlforth (2008 edition will come out in late November), and Alaska By Cruise Ship by Anne Vipond.

 

One comment about the number of glacier sailing days: HAL used to go to Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay on a few of their roundtrip cruises from Vancouver, but that's not on any HAL itinerary for 2008. The only way to get 2 glacier sailing days (Glacier Bay and College Fjord) is on a one-way on either Princess or Holland America.

[kellywhitehills]

I can only tell you why we booked Alaska the way we did..We decided to do a Southbound Cruise with Carnival leaving from Whittier and ending in Vancouver, BC. Our cruise included 4 ports, Sitka, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan with College Fjord as our Glacial Sailing. WE chose Carnival because the price was right and we were able to get a suite for what other lines charged for a reg balcony room...And this route covered every point of intrest we wanted to see or do..

 

You need to figure out where your intrests lie...What ports do you want to see..This board has alot of excellent info and alot of nice helpful people..Happy Planning!

[Toyz711]

if you haven't been...all the ports will be interesting and beautiful. but if you have certain interests...then you need to research and find the ports best suited for your needs.

http://www.traveljuneau.com/

http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/districts/mendenhall/

http://www.visit-ketchikan.com/

http://www.skagway.com/

http://www.alaskacruises.com/alaska_glacier_viewing.asp

(for more websites google sitka, icy straits point (hoonah), prince rupert and victoria)

if glacier viewing is what "floats your boat", then find a 1-way with 2 glaciers on it's route. if bears are of interests, besides on your land tour..check out ketchikan and plan for those months the bears are active.

humpbacks (whales ) are best out of juneau or icy straits points (hoonah).

round-trips, out of either seattle or vancouver, are nice if you have limited time and are not going on a land tour. 1-ways are between either steward or whittier and vancouver. if you have the time, 1-ways with extra land tour (either by cruise or independent) are available.

the funny part is we didn't do any of that. DH asked where i wanted to go, i said "alaska". after planning a small cruise with a lot of fishing, we thought of the family in seattle and his father...changed our plans to a round-trip out of seattle, father came...our family joined...and our fishing trip become a mass-market cruise on NCL, leaving from seattle. FIL got his 1st cruise, family had great memories of that time with him..ship was great. DH got a relaxing vacation/time with his dad and i got whale watching and a cruise...a win/win!!

[Chat Noir]

From experience... for a first time Alaska cruiser, IF you choose a one-way cruise and glaciers are a priority, I suggest you consider an itinerary with 2 glacier sailings or plan for a glacier excursion.

 

When the one-glacier itinerary gets whacked and no glacier sailing at all for your Alaskan cruise is the result, there can be a ship full of disappointed folks. Just a FYI to consider.

[dbh62ark]

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.

Oh my goodness, your board name is just too funny! I like the one-way cruises too from Vancouver to a port outside Alaska. We chose Princess due to their abundance of Glacier Bay permits, and we did love going into Glacier Bay. Like Nancy, we also loved the College Fjord/Prince William Sound and found that quite a treat because we had not heard as much about tOne thing to keep in mind (we had some relatives that learned this the hard way) is that sailing into/out of Vancouver is quite a treat. Our relatives sailed a southbound itinerary that sailed into Vancouver during the wee hours of the morning, so it was dark outside (and they were asleep anyway) and missed that. As Nancy indicated, practically all the itineraries will call at Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway unless you are looking for something really different. I recommend at least two (preferably three) days prior to the cruise to see Vancouver and Victoria. And we really enjoyed our post cruise stay going from Seward to Anchorage to stay and then taking the train on to Denali. After we stayed in Denali, we went on to Fairbanks. And then we did a stopover at Seattle on the way home, so it was a fabulous trip.

 

Kellywhitehills, your little dog is too too precious!!!

 

:) Donna

[dbh62ark]

I like the one-way cruises too from Vancouver to a port outside Alaska.

Whoops--I meant to say a port outside Anchorage. :(

 

Donna

[kellywhitehills]

 

Kellywhitehills, your little dog is too too precious!!!

 

:) Donna

 

Donna,

Thank you..Thats my little Japanese Chin, Butterfly...I had just picked her up from the airport..A friend sent her to me from Australia.She weighed 3 pounds...Today shes 5 pounds soaking wet and is half way through her AKC Championship.:)

 

Kelly

[dbh62ark]

Donna,

Thank you..Thats my little Japanese Chin, Butterfly...I had just picked her up from the airport..A friend sent her to me from Australia.She weighed 3 pounds...Today shes 5 pounds soaking wet and is half way through her AKC Championship.:)

 

Kelly

Oh, how neat! I was wondering about the breed (we lost a beloved pet that was 15.5 years old earlier this summer, so although we still have two other pets at our house and are in pet mourning for the one we lost, we're beginning to try to be open to adding to our pet family again). I love looking at all the pictures of pets of all the board members and wish you well with your dog shows.

 

Happy travels,

Donna

[Splashduo]

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?

 

We just returned from a land/cruise tour with Celebrity on the Summit and I heartily recommend it. It was our first visit to Alaska. You can read my review http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=32752 for a detailed description of our itinerary with shore excursions we chose, as well as what we liked most/least about them. We chose the first week of September solely due to availability, but kept second-guessing our decision right up until the day we left. In hindsight, we made a good decision. We had a great itinerary, opportunity to view aurora borealis (wow), super weather (luck has a lot to do with weather---no guarantees!), no mosquitos, ability of the ship to get very close to Hubbard Glacier, and lots of wildlife and whale sightings.

 

The glass-domed railcars from Anchorge to Seward, the Tundra Wilderness Tour at Denali, and the floatplane to Taku Lodge were favorite parts of the trip, but my husband's absolute favorite was halibut fishing with Alaska Raven Charters out of Icy Strait Point (they are also starting to offer kayaking out of Icy Strait for the 2008 season---if you do that, my husband will be so jealous). Our choices provided lots of close-up glacier viewing (on the train, at Taku Lodge on the floatplane excursion, as well as at Hubbard).

 

We liked doing the land portion (more strenuous activityand frequent relocation) first so we could relax and settle in on the cruise afterward. No matter which itinerary you choose, you will love Alaska. My advice would be to combine a land tour with a southbound cruise. Most on this site seem to recommend doing the land portion independently, but we were very impressed with the efficiency of how Celebrity took care of the tiring details---like completely handling the luggage from place to place for us and taking care of the check-in and check-out at each hotel (they just handed us our keys at each new hotel and delivered our bags to our rooms), but if you don't mind those particular hassles, you could save a few bucks by doing it yourself. Bon Voyage!

[Nancyquilts]

Sitka is our favorite port, so we prefer a cruise that goes there. Nancy

[mdeane]

We prefer a one way as the round trip do not get to Seward which is a lovely part of Alaska as well as a port to begin the interior portion of Alaska. We had a good deal on a rd. trip but decided against it and I am soooo glad.

[Sunshine Gal]

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.

 

Hi Mrs. Clarkk,

 

I would recommend a one way cruise to Alaska and spend a few days or preferably a week on land in Alaska before or after your cruise. While the cruise is a great experience to really see Alaska you need to spend time exploring more of Alaska. A great trip is the drive to Denali Park. If you decide to go on a land tour I always recommend booking on your own and just renting a car in Anchorage.

 

As for cruise lines my favorite is Princess for Alaska. They have the most experience and in my opinion do the best job in showing off Alaska. Two ships that I would be hesitant to book for any Alaskan cruise would be the Celebrity Millennium and the Celebrity Infinity. These two ships have suffered from recurring propulsion problems since their launch. Many cruises, to Alaska and elsewhere, have been interrupted over the years because of these problems.

[Splashduo]

I agree with vbmom87 that just being on cruise critic boards is a step in the right direction for planning. You are going to get a varied bag of advice, mostly because everybody of every age has different priorities, budgets, and preferences, so don't get bogged down with the conflicting answers. And it's human nature for each of us to think that our way is the best way---but it may not be the best for you! I was overwhelmed at first. When you read the member reviews for the various ships you'll soon recognize the group whose demographics and priorities fit you, and you'll get good insight on what to expect at the various ports which will help you narrow down the ones you want to visit. Reading the threads (especially under Ports of Call/Alaska) will give you an idea of what to expect at the different stops and you'll be intrigued by the sound of some more so than others. It won't take long to zero in on your "fit". The planning and anticipation are half of the fun, aren't they? And never fear---with Alaska, the reality surpasses the fantasy---it's fabulous everywhere! I want to go back!!!

[Sunshine Gal]

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.

 

 

Hi Clarkk W Griswald,

 

I forgot to mention that that you have the best screen name that I have ever seen on cruisecritic! Knowing of some of your passions, I should mention that Alaska does not have any tourist spots as great as the world's largest ball of string or even a Wally World. There is however, some of the most spectacular scenery anywhere in the world.

Have a great time in Alaska.