chihuahua226 asked:
Has anyone taken an Alaskan Cruise? And if so, did you take the Gulf of Alaska Tour or the Inside Passage tour? We are going to go in August..probably Mid August. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated….thanks!
Questions about an Alaskan Cruise?
on Apr 7th, 2009 at 6:17 am
I want to go, have not been just yet. I have heard the INSIDE passage is really nice.
cruisecritic.com
is a great source of info.
on Apr 9th, 2009 at 6:29 am
I did an Alaskan cruise/tour which went to the inside passage. I loved this cruise so much, I plan to do it again, but a slightly different route. We flew to Fairbanks and toured around Denali for 4 days before we got on the ship for a 7 day cruise. The inside passage is so stunning, that I have to see it again. My next Alaskan cruise next August will be either round trip from San Francisco or round trip from Seattle. I will decide by November. This was on Princess cruises.
on Apr 10th, 2009 at 3:24 am
My dad books them, so I’ve been on many. Haven’t done the Inside Passage myself yet, but from what I’ve seen the Gulf is definitely worth it. August is good, and see Glacier Bay if you can, before it melts. I kid you not. I’ve seen it quickly disappearing over the years.
Also, take advantage of the shore excursions. My favorites are the glacier tours and dog sledding.
Avoid things that sound too touristy, like Authentic Alaskan Salmon Bake!!! Chances are, they will be.
on Apr 10th, 2009 at 5:48 am
Inside Passage from Vancouver.
The trip around Glacier Bay is stunning! We were very lucky and saw a glacier calve a big section as we we passing it!
Take the helicopter trip up on to the top the the glacier, and if you are lucky like us the glacier we went on had “shifted” and we were able to land in a “valley” on the gravel at it’s base! Incredible experience!
If you can spare the extra time and are going from Vancouver take a pre cruise add-on of the Rocky Mountaineer train from Jasper via Kamloopps to Vancouver! Real wild west train ride on the trestle bridges and along the raging river! We went in April so had the bonus of snow and ice and waterfalls coming down on the train!
Don’t forget to do the white water rafting…….
GREAT!!!!!
on Apr 10th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
I went on one that did the inside passage in mid august, Juneau Skagway and Ketchikan. It was absolutely gorgeous! We went whale watching in Juneau.
on Apr 12th, 2009 at 8:25 am
The Inside Passage has the most fantastic scenery, we did it in July from Vancouver and it was brilliant on the way out because the weather was good. Well worth doing.
on Apr 12th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
I have been to Alaska twice, once on business for 2 weeks with some weekend sightseeing and a cruise on a small ship, and then on a Princess cruise-tour. In my opinion the best cruise for you would be a cruise-tour. The cruise tour allows you to see more of Alaska by land (bus and/or train) either before or after the cruise. They typically afford an opportunity to stay a night or two in/at Denali National Park, Anchorage, Talkeetna, or Fairbanks, Alaska.
There are four cruise lines that use the train to transport you from/to the cruise point to/from the park and Fairbanks. The train ride is magnificent and when you do the cruise tour you will have the best opportunity to see wildlife like bears, caribou, moose, fox, wolf, and a few others. These cruise-tours can be from 12 to 15 days or more while normal cruises are 7 days.
There are several ways to have a cruise to Alaska. You can cruise north from San Francisco, Seattle, or Vancouver Canada or cruise south from Anchorage (Whittier or Seward). Cruises typically cruise the “inside passage” which is a waterway much like a river where you can in most places see land on both sides of the ship. It provides a very smooth ride on that part of the cruise. Cruises typically go to Juneau (the capitol), and Ketchikan, Skagway, and stop at one or more glaciers like Glacier Bay National Park and College Fjord. Some cruises do other port stops. So you need to pay attention to which itinerary (port stops) the cruises will have.
The 4 cruise lines which offer the cruise-tours and all would be good; Princess Cruise line, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Holland America.
We did our cruise tour with Princess and it was very good. We did the cruise part first and then had a day and night in Anchorage, a great train ride from Anchorage to Denali National Park, and after a night at a lodge owned by Princess We took the train the next day to Fairbanks for a night there. My recommendation is to do the tour part first and do fly to the start point a day early so you don’t get caught in a flight delay.
All four of the cruise lines that I have mentioned use the train for the land tour. But Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Celebrity have special domed train cars that provide great visibility. Not all tour segments are the same so you really have to pay attention to how the land tour is organized and whether it uses the train or buses.
The best time to go on an Alaska cruise is when you can get the best price. The Alaska cruise season is from May to Sept. So right now you are at the end of the Alaska cruise season. The best prices for next year will be in May and Sept but you will see the same things as other times. The weather is generally warmer in June, July and Aug, but it can also be pleasant in May and Sept. When we went a few years ago in May it was shirt sleeve weather (70’s) in Anchorage and Fairbanks.
You will do well to book your cruise now for next year because all of the cruise lines give the best prices for very early bookings.
These are the luxury high priced cruise lines that do Alaska cruises:
Regent Seven Seas:
SILVER SEAS:
These are the other cruise lines that most people go on:
HOLLAND AMERICA
CELEBRITY: .
ROYAL CARIBBEAN:…..
NORWEGIAN:
PRINCESS:
CARNIVAL:
I recommend Celebrity, Princess, and Royal Caribbean, all cruise lines I have been on and enjoyed.