MORE CONFUSED THAN EVER - Help please on cruise line and when to travel

[firststeps]

I have read and read and now need some help. We have decided to do a Vancouver north cruise - 7 days on Island Princess or HAL. Both itineraries are similar - Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau and Sitka. We were planning on mid-August which I thought would offer good weather and we would see salmon running. After all the reading, I cannot decide which cruise line to book or which month. Some folks have said that August is the worst month and others say it is the best because there will be little rain. HELP PLEASE on both the cruise line and month to travel. We are two couples 60 somethings and although not hikers, would like to be active. We will plan all of our own excursions so we are not looking for the ship to do that. We are new to cruising and to this board....Terri

[Budget Queen]

There are big differences in these itineraries, Both do NOT go to Sitka, only HAL does, and Whittier and Seward are two completely different ports. Are you adding at least some time after the cruise??? What is your departure timeframes??? IF weather is important, then don't go to Alaska, :) there is NO WAY TO PREDICT any weather here. You will take what you get. :) Bottom line.

 

At some point, you will definately see a salmon run in August.

[jhannah]

We have been to Alaska during the first week of August and had great weather. But truly you never can tell what will happen.

 

Both Princess and HAL offer good products. We give HAL the edge because of their crews, but you'd have a nice trip on Princess, too.

 

Check the itinerary closely, and make your decision by the ports you want to visit.

[NancyIL]

HAL has 3 ships that do one-ways, and the ship that goes to Sitka (Ryndam) also goes to Ketchikan, Haines (instead of Skagway), Juneau, and Hubbard Glacier. HAL Statendam and Veendam have the same itinerary as the Island Princess, and go to Glacier Bay and College Fjord - with HAL ending in Seward and Princess ending in Whittier.

 

Technically - August is supposed to have more rain than earlier in the season - but you never know what you'll get.

[agabbymama]

I did a HAL cruisetour in Aug '07 (the last two weeks) as I had read on this board that there were less bugs. After I booked in '06, August rolled around with huge storms, flooding, folks were trapped because the roads and even the railroads couldn't run because of the flooding. I feared I had made a huge mistake, and worried all year.

 

We departed August 18th '07 and did have a couple of days of rain, but out of the 11 days, only Juneau was impacted by the rain. It did have a torrential downpour while we were there. The rest of the trip was sunny days, cloudy days and sprinkles. It was on the cool side, requiring a jacket anytime outside the bus. But if you layer, no big problems.

 

But our trip in May '99 was misty rain every single day except the day we cruised Glacier Bay. So as others have said, you can't predict the weather and you could get hot weather or rain anytime during the season.

 

I have sailed Carnival, RCCL, NCL, Celebrity, Princess and HAL. HAL is the only line I have returned to sail a second time. I am 62 and my husband is 66, and we just prefer the ambiance and elegance of HAL.

 

You have to do a little research and determine which is the better fit for you. Visit the websites, look at the brochures on-line or order a hard copy and look them over. Look at the excursions in each port (even though you don't plan to do ship's excursions) it will give you an idea what each port has to offer.

 

Have fun planning, then taking your trip. Alaska is the prize. You will enjoy our last frontier no matter which line/ship you take.

[firststeps]

Thank you all so much for your input and suggestions. I think we will stick with the August time frame. As for the difference in ports I will need to do some more reading. If you could give me some idea of your FAVORITES and why, it would help. We definitely want to do Juneau to do whale watching and would like to get to Glacier Bay. Skagway was recommended for salmon running... are there other places as well? We will extend our last stop in Alaska for two days to try to get to Denali Park. We are such novices at this! Terri

[Budget Queen]

Thank you all so much for your input and suggestions. I think we will stick with the August time frame. As for the difference in ports I will need to do some more reading. If you could give me some idea of your FAVORITES and why, it would help. We definitely want to do Juneau to do whale watching and would like to get to Glacier Bay. Skagway was recommended for salmon running... are there other places as well? We will extend our last stop in Alaska for two days to try to get to Denali Park. We are such novices at this! Terri

 

Ketchikan is FAR more viewable of salmon, but Skagway does offer a nice creek next to the campgrounds.

 

You DO NOT have enough time for Denali park with only 2 days. With only that short time, I would suggest you get a Seward itinerary, with HAL my recomendation, and staying in Seward, enjoying the many many excellent activities there.

 

All cruises go to Juneau. Glacier Bay, does narrow down the list. With a one way, you are going to be looking at HAL and Princess.

[cbowler]

Also keep in mind the port TIMES. I definitely took this into account when choosing my cruise. If there's a certain port where you want to do several activities or tours, make sure you have a lot of time in port.