What is the best itinerary for 1st Alaska cruise?

[travelbug2225]

My husband and I plan to take my parent to Alaska cruise next year. We never do the ocean cruise but we done the Danube River Cruise this year and it was fabulous.

 

What is the best itinerary for the 1st time? And maybe the only time for my parent. I want this trip to be once in a life time experience for them. They are from the country that don't have snow. And this is the big thing for them.

 

What cruise line should I book? I did not see much discussion on celebrity in Alaska board. Are they any particular reason?

 

We plan to use our frequent flier mile for this trip. We can do Northbound or Southbound if the itinerary is better. We went to Victoria last year, so I really don't want to go there again.

 

My husband want to see glacier. What is the best glacier that we should see Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay or anything else ? Maybe this is a stupid question because all the glacier are beautiful in the different way.

 

Thank you for all your help.

[Corndog819]

The cruise line itself really depends on you and your parents. What kind of service are you expecting? How much are you willing to spend? Are you looking for a ship with a lot of things to do, or a smaller boat more intimate feel.

 

I am doing my first Alaskan cruise this summer on the Sapphire Princes North bound from Vancouver with stops in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and scenic cruising to Glacier bay and College Fjord before getting off in Whittier. They offer the reverse cruise on the way back.

[Love to Cook!]

We have done the southbound cruise from Whittier twice on Princess. We LOVED it.

 

Next year we are doing round trip from Seattle on NCL

 

I would really suggest doing the southbound trip. This way if you are planning on doing a land excursion, you can do that first. It really gets you excited about the cruise. Then you have 2 days at sea to relax before you start hitting ports.

 

You also get more time in port with Princess. I checked out a LOT of cruise lines and they really had the best itinerary.

 

I'm not a good flyer, so I wanted the really long flight out of the way BEFORE we cruised. This way I could unwind from the long trip up.

 

We have sailed the Dawn and Diamond with Princess. There were pros and cons to each ship. But I dont' think the Dawn does the north/south trip any more.

 

We been on 15 cruises (Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Disney, NCL)and really like Princess. I would certainly check them out - it can't hurt!

 

also, if you sail Princess - look into the Chef's Table. If you are foodie, you will LOVE this. But book it right away when you get on the ship - they only take 10 - 12 people and it books up FAST!!!! If you want more info on this let me know and I can tell you about the Chef's table we did on the Caribbean cruise we took in March.

[mp006]

As far as timing to see the snow, I would suggest earlier in the season rather than later. We visited in May this year and there was a lot of snow. Previous Alaskan was in August, and there was no snow at all.

[NancyIL]

How much time do you have for the cruise plus a land trip - if desired? We did a northbound cruise plus land trip for our first Alaska cruise last June (Coral Princess), and will do another NB cruise plus land trip this July/August (HAL Veendam). If you don't have time for a land trip, then a roundtrip from Vancouver on HAL Zuiderdam or Volendam (Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm) would be my suggestion.

 

Holland America and Princess have the most ships in Alaska, with 8 each. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have 3 ships each, NCL has 3, and Carnival has 1. You're right - Celebrity isn't mentioned as often on this board.

[travelbug2225]

Love to Cook,

 

Can you please tell me more information on the "Chief's table". I never heard about that before. I really into cooking and it would be nice if we get to experience that.

 

I want to take them on the big boat with a lot of thing to do. I just want to "WOW" them with what the ship have to offer. Which cruise you guy recommend?

 

I plan to take 1 week vacation. I basically have 9 days, so we can spent 1 or 2 days before or after our 7 day cruise.

[Putterdude]

I would recommend a 7 day rtn Inside Passage cruise out of Vancouver. This routing keeps you in the protected waters between Vancouver and the mainland and are non-stop scenery. The ships sailing out of Seattle sail up the west side of Vancouver Is. in the Pacific and therefor do not enjoy the scenery of the Vancouver cruises and are subjected to the swells of the Pacific.

[Love to Cook!]

Love to Cook,

 

Can you please tell me more information on the "Chief's table". I never heard about that before. I really into cooking and it would be nice if we get to experience that.

 

I want to take them on the big boat with a lot of thing to do. I just want to "WOW" them with what the ship have to offer. Which cruise you guy recommend?

 

I plan to take 1 week vacation. I basically have 9 days, so we can spent 1 or 2 days before or after our 7 day cruise.

 

The Chef's table will definetly WOW them!! We had a private group that started in a louge where we all met. We were escorted into the kitchen by the Matre'd. We all put on white lab coats there and met the Executive Chef. We then received a private tour of the kitchen during dinner. What a sight that is!!! You can't believe all the action! Then we went to an area in the back of the kitchen where we had appetizers with the Matre'd and the Executive Chef. I think there was 6 appetizers. I honestly thought I would never eat raw fish, but I tried the salmon tartare and it was AMAZING!! I actually ate 2. When the Executive Chef stands in front of you and offers you something, you can't insult him and say no (at least I couldn't!) You have to be adventurous to do this - if you aren't willing to try new things - don't waste your time. But it sounds like you are a foodie like I am!!

After appetizers, we moved into the dining room. They have a private section set aside for us. The table was absolutely beautiful!! We them started with a lobster rissoto that was TO DIE FOR!! I have never had anything as delicious. I could have just eaten it until there was no more to be had!! There was a salad course, a cheese course, a bloody mary sorbet (served with grey goose vodka which is poured by the chef) and the main entree. They did a flaming meat selection that was beyond description. There were 5 sauces for the meat along with veggies. Then came dessert - OH MY GOD!!! The pastry chef came out to meet with us and were were served the most amazing and beautiful chocolate dessert. At first I tought it too beautiful to eat - but of course I DID eat it!!!

 

This is just a short synopsis of a evening that spanned about 2 1/2 - 3 hours. I wish I could share all my pictures as well. It was an absolutely unforgettable evening. I can't wait to go on another Princess cruise so I can take my husband. I know my mom and I both enjoyed it!!!

 

I really recommend the south bound cruise. You could fly up a day early and stay in Anchorage if you want. We didn't do it because we own a business and just couldn't take more time.

 

I hope you enjoy Alaska as much as we did!!!

 

If you have any more questions, I would be happy to answer them.

[deadzone1003]

For a once in a lifetime experience, do the one-ways aboard HAL or Princess. If you want a balcony, Princess would be easier to book as HAL have their verandahs blocked off for the cruisetours. All of Princess's one-ways have the same itinerary while Holland America's are quite varied. Choose the one-way that goes to Glacier Bay and College Fjord. If you wish to take a day-cruise to Tracy Arm from Juneau (highly recommended), you will have to book a northbound itinerary. What you plan to do in Alaska before or after the cruise may determine which line will suit you as HAL and Princess embark/disembark at different ports in Alaska (Seward/Whittier).

 

As for Celebrity, most members of the Alaska forum stress itinerary first before ship or cruiseline. Celebrity's itinerary is something I would choose on my 2nd or 3rd cruise in Alaska. If you do choose Celebrity, there is a fair probability that you could be seeing Hubbard Glacier from a distance in May or part of June if the last two years are any indication, so avoid those two months. In this forum there are occasional discussions about Celebrity's pod problems which results in missed or limited stops due to slower cruising speed.

[Acemac]

The only two cents I can add is I vote for sailing on the Radiance of the Seas. We sailed on her in the Carribbean..and its a great ship...I had seen the Travel Channel show following it around Alaska, saying how great of a ship it was for up here since it had so much glass...and you seemed to be able to view the ocean from anywhere.....though most ships are great...I just had a particular liking to that one.

 

As everyone has said though it mostly depends on what you want to do..and where you want to do it.

 

Good luck

[travelbug2225]

Thank you for all your response. What is the different between Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay? Seem like I have to choose one of them. I don't see any itinerary that do both. Which one that you recommend?

 

What is the website that I should go to get more information on the glacier and Alaska? I need to read a lot more to get better understanding about Alaska and what it has to offer.

 

deadzone1003 you write

"For a once in a lifetime experience, do the one-ways aboard HAL or Princess"

 

What is the reason behind your suggestion? I know that you already been on this trip but I just want to hear you experience that make you suggestion these 2 lines and the itinerary.

 

Love to Cook!

 

Thank you for your information. I would love to see your pictures. We did the Danube river cruise on board Amadeus Royal. I had a wonderful time. I took a lot of picture on the food we ate. I also kept all the menu from day 1. The executive chief allow me and another couple to go down the kitchen and show us how they prepare the food. It was one of the highlight of the trip. How do you like the food on Princess?

 

What is the quality of food comparison between NCL, Princess and HAL?

What is the biggest ship and what is the newest ship that cruise Alaska?

 

Looking forward to read all your response. Thank you so much.

[Toyz711]

this websites gives some basic information about the different glacier areas.

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

[deadzone1003]

What is the different between Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay?

 

Both are very nice and you will probably be happy with either one. The former may have problems with ice in the early part of the season. So just be aware of that. If you want to your parents to see snow, May is just about the only time you could see snow on the surrounding scenery in a consistent basis, but then you have a greater probability of seeing Hubbard Glacier from a further distance because of ice. In this scenerio, I would recommend Glacier Bay. Because most of Princess's or HAL's one-ways for Glacier Bay includes College Fjord, you have two glacier days, as overcast, fog, or rain are usually part of your vacation in Alaska.

 

All the one-ways pretty much follow the same route, Inside Passage, except for their glacier routes. The one-ways are considered the most scenic voyages, compared to the round-trips. I am pretty much a fan of the day-cruise to Tracy Arm from Juneau with Adventure Bound. Because of the length and timing of this trip, the only ships that can do this excursion are most of the northbound one-ways from Princess or HAL. I would highly recommend you that you do this. Do a search for "Tracy Arm" on this forum to get an idea of the popularity of this day-cruise.

 

Most if not all people seem to be happy with their first cruise to Alaska. It is not until their 2nd cruise that they usually find out how great their 1st trip really was. Just remember, "ignorance is bliss" seems to apply to Alaska.

[travelbug2225]

Thank you for all your help. Now, I decided that we will do northbound or southbound instead of the round trip. I'm thinking about going in either mid May or between beginning-mid June. Is the weather will be much different between these time? My friend who want to join us have to work during the month end. So, May 23 and 30 did not work for us.

 

 

As far as the cruise, I try to decide between Princess and Hal. What ship you recommend? Travel agency I talked to recommend Princess Diamond. I also want to hear experience of people who done both of them to get a comparison.

 

deadzone1003,

 

Thank you for your info. It really helpful. I will look into Tracy Arm.

[robinsegg]

I am not an expert, as we've had one cruise to Alaska. But I live in northern BC so know a bit about what it's like up in this part of the world.

 

Your parents will see snow on the mountains in May or June. Those are the driest months for an Alaskan cruise, but there are never guarantees about the weather.

 

Itineraries out of Seattle obvioulsy spend more time getting up to Alaska than the cruises out of Vancouver. I would recommend a Princess cruise out of Vancouver to Whittier - as a previous poster suggested. The cruising in Glacier Bay National Park is fabulous. Not only the excitement of seeing glaciers calve, but a very good chance to see whales and sea otters. The cruising in College Fjord was also great - you just don't get as close to the glaciers (but the wildlife was amazing!) I'm not aware of another itinerary that has as much time looking at the glaciers as this one. Unless you go with a smaller, and MUCH more expensive cruise line like Cruise West.

 

Cheers and have fun planning your trip.