Alaska Cruise

WinstonsGirl · November 2015

@CMGragain

Any suggestions on what to see? I'm looking at different cruises, and choices include inside passage, Tracy Arm, Glacier Bay. What do you suggest seeing? Not sure which is the best cruise or where we should be spending time. I'm also open to driving up there, since we're not that far, but not sure we'll have the time to do the drive for a few years.

CMGragain · November 2015

There are two basic types of Alaska cruises. I have been on three of them.

The most popular is the one way cruise that takes you from Vancouver, Canada, to Anchorage (or the reverse) over 7 days. If you have never visited Alaska before, I would strongly advise you to book a before or after cruise land trip, where they take you to a resort near Denali National Park.
The second type of cruise is round trip from Seattle, San Francisco, or Vancouver. This only takes you to the panhandle area of Alaska, not the mainland. It visits the same ports, with the addition of Victoria, Canada, which is required by US law.
We sailed with Princess, who really established the Alaska Cruise industry. Holland America has a big piece of the action, too. Carnival Cruiselines (the parent company of both lines) owns a lot of real estate in Alaska with their private hotels and lodges and private railcars. HAL has better food and larger cabins; Princess has better entertainment. The other cruise companies are there, too, but these two are the big guys.
Alaska cruise ship ports have become increasingly commercialized. You will see Diamonds International and their like. (There are no diamond mines in Alaska, and nothing there is cheap.) Your best souvenirs are your photos. Alaska is a paradise for photographers. If you can possibly afford it, get a cabin with a balcony.
Best excursions (Yes, you must do this!) include whale watching (not for seasick prone people), helicopter rides to glaciers, the train ride into the Yukon. Skagway has become an artist colony in recent years, but beware the jewelry stores. There is a wonderful quilt shop in town if you are into that. If you love Alaskan art, try buying some note cards and framing them back home. They look incredible!

The land packages really only takes you to the edge of Denali Park. To really see it, you need a full day on an uncomfortable excursion bus. This costs extra, and it is worth it. Cars are not allowed in Denali Park, and it takes several hours to get to the wilderness area. The short tour might be a disappointment.
On our first Alaska cruise, we opted to stay at the Kantishna Roadhouse, deep inside the park. It is VERY expensive! ($2000+ per couple for a minimum 2 night stay.) This includes meals and transportation from the park entrance, though. It takes six and a half hours by bus to get to the lodge. Since we stayed there, it has changed hands and has been expanded. This is one of those once in a lifetime things to do. https://www.kantishnaroadhouse.com/

Feel free to ask me any questions. You do have a travel agent? You should. If you go in early August, the fireweed will be in bloom, and it is so beautiful!

My daughter and son-in-law went on a Princess Alaska cruise and land tour for their honeymoon. They absolutely loved every minute!

climbingsingle · November 2015

My husband did an Alaskan cruise on Celebrity a few years ago. He absolutely loved it. We're looking into booking one for next September.

WinstonsGirl · November 2015

Thanks ladies. I know we'll do one eventually (maybe next summer), but wasn't sure where to stop. Vancouver is super close to us too, so it'll be cheap to get there (for once) for a cruise.

holyguacamole79 · November 2015

I did an Alaskan cruise 6 years ago, and I totally agree with CMGragain about the helicopter ride to the glacier as well as balcony room!

teddygirl9 · November 2015

My mom did one earlier this year. They left from Van. I believe they stopped at ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. I believe it was Skagway that had a little train you can take along the gold route. She loved it, though said it was pretty chilly (they went in June).

[Deleted User] · December 2015

I would recommend a trip that gets you to Denali, that is such a beautiful place to go visit. The bus tour there was so amazing. I recommend doing the morning tour if you have an option, the animals were more active in the morning. Fairbanks is also a nice town to visit. The University of the North is a cool place to check out. What other towns you want to go to depends on what you are into. If you are into kayaking, there are some great areas to do that. Same thing as hiking or fishing. The first thing to figure out is what types of things do you want to do there and then figure out what cruise offers the most of what you want to do. Princess is a huge line up in that area.

As for driving, my parents did that a few years ago, they drove from Ohio to Alaska & spent a month driving around Alaska & then back home. There are pros and cons to driving. A pro is you have control of your schedule more and where you go. The con is getting affordable hotels in good areas. Typically those are all taken up by tours and when you are on a cruise, because they get group rates, they get you into nicer hotels for better prices. Also if you run into car troubles or say hit a moose & need help, depending on where you are, you can be in trouble. I didn't have cell service in much of Alaska and I had Verizon at the time. The areas between the major towns are so remote that you have to have a satellite phone to get service. The pro to a tour, you can sit back and let someone else do all the driving and planning.

mattycam · December 2015

Definitely on my bucket list!

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