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Alaskan cruise -- Any recommendations? (1 Viewer)

gianmarco

Footballguy
Looking to do an Alaskan cruise sometime this summer.  It'll be me, my wife, and 12 yr old son going.  In looking through this, there seem to be lots of options.  Large cruise ships and much smaller ships.  One way trips and round trip cruises.  Various stops and durations.  And obviously lots of different excursions.

For anyone that has done these, any recommendations on what to do?  Which things are musts and which things to be avoided?  Which room type is best (i.e. is it worth having a room with a view on the ship?)  We can go anytime in June, July, or August....certain time better for activities (like seeing whales)? 

From talking with friends, the sled dog experience was memorable as was seeing the glaciers.  But with hundreds of activities to choose from, I figured I'd seek the collective wisdom. 

ETA -- Would be interested in spending a couple days in Seattle if we start from there and similarly a couple days in Vancouver if we end up finishing up there.

 
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I've only ever been on one cruise and really wasn't looking forward to it.  My son chose a Disney cruise and although it wasn't in Alaska, the cruise line was great.  Everyone was happy and it was much better than I expected.  Something for both of us to do at almost every hour.  I was also worried about too much Disney but was glad to see it was easy to avoid but was there when we wanted it.  

 
My favorite Panhandle towns are Petersburg and Sitka. They are usually off the beaten path though.

 
Instead of spending your extra days in Seattle/Vancouver, spend those days in Alaska.  That really will be your best opportunity to see the nature and wildlife of Alaska.  I would probably evaluate the different cruises by the number of stops and the amount of time in each port and try to maximize that.  Most cruise line have decent food, but nothing great. Lots of seniors on Alaskan cruises, so you won't have to worry too much about the party crowd.   

 
One day I want to do a side trip to Denali. I've flown over it on a clear day and would like to see it from the ground.

 
We had an awesome time on ours this past summer. Here is what we did

We went to Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan  and Victoria BC

We went to Juneau first. We usually book all our excursions in advance, but we werent sure so we got off the boat and explored a little. We ended up buying a joint ticket for the Mendenhall glacier and the Mt Roberts tram way. We had a great time at Mendenall but didnt stay long when we got up the tram. My daughter wasnt feeling great. 

In Skagway, we did the most amazing excursion that was not offered by the ship. We basically took a boat for an hour and then cayacked to the glacier where we got to touch it and just see how awesome it was. I can not remember who we did it with but Ill ask my wife. If you are interested and I forget, PM me. It was the highlight of the cruise

We cruised Glacier national park which was pretty cool

In Ketchikan we did the lumberjack show. We had a lot of fun and the kids loved it. 

We did not do anything in Victoria BC because we got there too late. We wound up just taking a bus downtown and hanging out for a little. Went to a lot of sports shops which had a ton of hockey stuff my son was into. We got there at 6ish and left at 10 or something like that. Not worth doing much.

We did go to Vancouver for a few days after where we did a bike tour.

 
I think Vancouver is a terrific place to spend a couple of days, but maybe work your way down from Alaska.  We did the Inside Passage on Royal Caribbean (Ketchikan, Icy Straights, Juneau, and Skagway..not in that order I think).  Only regret is going from Vancouver to Seward/Anchorage and not in reverse.  Denali would be a great place to spend a couple of extra days, but next time I go up there I'm flying to Anchorage and just doing that. 

 
Almost booked an Alaska Disney cruise last year.  Disney is expensive but we've cruised them before and liked it.  My son is an only child and there were plenty of other kids around so we may go Disney again.

 
We cruise yearly. I have found that getting a balcony on the back of the ship to be the best experience - excellent views. I've never been to Alaska, but I understand that on most Alaskan cruises you'll "see" a ton of stuff from the ship, making a balcony a must. 

We like Norwegian the best, due to their non-formal / no-schedule dining policies. Plus, their specialty restaurants are wonderful.  

 
Almost booked an Alaska Disney cruise last year.  Disney is expensive but we've cruised them before and liked it.  My son is an only child and there were plenty of other kids around so we may go Disney again.
Any major cruise line will be child friendly, with kids clubs/etc. But admittedly, Disney probably does it better.

 
I think Vancouver is a terrific place to spend a couple of days, but maybe work your way down from Alaska.  We did the Inside Passage on Royal Caribbean (Ketchikan, Icy Straights, Juneau, and Skagway..not in that order I think).  Only regret is going from Vancouver to Seward/Anchorage and not in reverse.  Denali would be a great place to spend a couple of extra days, but next time I go up there I'm flying to Anchorage and just doing that. 
That's what we did. Flew into Anchorage, did a land-based (bus/train) Alaska/Yukon trip (Denali, Fairbanks, Chicken, Dawson, Whitehorse, Skagway) then hopped on the cruise back to Vancouver. It was like a 12-day trip.

Denali was the highlight of the trip and is an easy/cool train ride from Anchorage. There's an all day bus trip to see wildlife, or if you're adventurous, you can get a permit and camp a couple nights in the park with the bears. Dawson (abandoned gold town) was also awesome, but difficult to get to (doubt Ill ever do that again). Fairbanks and Whitehorse were OK (no need to return). Chicken was flat-out weird. Inside passage cruise was cool to see, but doubt Ill do that again either. Next time I go to Alaska, it will be to stay in a cabin and fish.

 
When's the best time to do Seattle to Alaska if we want to see the most wildlife? Any chance to see whales in the summer?

 
I did a Holland America cruise in Alaska in late July about two years ago.  We did a land/cruise, which started in Fairbanks with a stop in Denali and then down to Seward.  Got on the cruise there and then took it down to Vancouver, and spent a day in Vancouver and one day in Victoria before heading back.

Definitely get a cabin with a view -- it was fun sitting on the balcony while looking for whales while going through the Inside Passage.  We also spent some time the day in Glacier National Park on the balcony, but not a lot because the panoramic view from the deck is a lot better.

My favorite excursion was the Tracy Arm fjord near Juneau.  We did that fjord instead of the Mendenhall Glacier.  In addition to seeing some magnificent calving at the fjord, we also saw a pod of orcas, which was pretty awesome.

I have a post in another Alaska thread here that I posted shortly after the trip with a day-by-day rundown of what we did. Link 

 
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We had an awesome time on ours this past summer. Here is what we did

We went to Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan  and Victoria BC

We went to Juneau first. We usually book all our excursions in advance, but we werent sure so we got off the boat and explored a little. We ended up buying a joint ticket for the Mendenhall glacier and the Mt Roberts tram way. We had a great time at Mendenall but didnt stay long when we got up the tram. My daughter wasnt feeling great. 

In Skagway, we did the most amazing excursion that was not offered by the ship. We basically took a boat for an hour and then cayacked to the glacier where we got to touch it and just see how awesome it was. I can not remember who we did it with but Ill ask my wife. If you are interested and I forget, PM me. It was the highlight of the cruise

We cruised Glacier national park which was pretty cool

In Ketchikan we did the lumberjack show. We had a lot of fun and the kids loved it. 

We did not do anything in Victoria BC because we got there too late. We wound up just taking a bus downtown and hanging out for a little. Went to a lot of sports shops which had a ton of hockey stuff my son was into. We got there at 6ish and left at 10 or something like that. Not worth doing much.

We did go to Vancouver for a few days after where we did a bike tour.
That sounds like what I did near Skagway (my ship docked in Haines though).  If it is the same as me, that was the Davidson Glacier.

 
So, I've found a particular cruise on Norwegian that is an 11 day cruise-tour (7 days from Vancouver to Seward then 4 days of land tours to Anchorage, Denali, then finish in Anchorage).  These seems ideal to hit most everything without being over the top. 

I'm curious, it's $7000 for an oceanview vs. $8800 for a balcony (not aft facing, those are all sold-out).  Given the views you can take in, is it worth that $1800 difference for the balcony?

 
So, I've found a particular cruise on Norwegian that is an 11 day cruise-tour (7 days from Vancouver to Seward then 4 days of land tours to Anchorage, Denali, then finish in Anchorage).  These seems ideal to hit most everything without being over the top. 

I'm curious, it's $7000 for an oceanview vs. $8800 for a balcony (not aft facing, those are all sold-out).  Given the views you can take in, is it worth that $1800 difference for the balcony?
I think it is worth it if you can get starboard, but YMMV.  The only full days that will spend on the ship are probably the first day (Inside Passage), Glacier Bay National Park, and the last day (where you will probably be too far from the coast to see anything).  I also spent some time on the balcony in the evenings with a beer, since it does not get dark until a bit later.  But if you think you will be hanging out at the pool or doing some ship activities instead, I could see it not being worth it.

 
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When's the best time to do Seattle to Alaska if we want to see the most wildlife? Any chance to see whales in the summer?
Yes.  Did one in June 2003 and the first stop was Juneau where we did a whale watching excursion.  That was the highlight of the trip for me.  Not only did we see whales right next to our boat (I was expecting to see them through binoculars, but they were breaching right there) but we passed a shoreline where dozens of big bears were doing cool bear things.  Also several bald eagles in trees looking bored and disinterested as we stared in awe at them.  

We had a 6-month old baby with us, so didn't really get to do too much in the other stops (Skagway, Ketchikan, Victoria) but the whale excursion alone was worth the price we paid for the whole cruise.  Beautiful scenery, but I won't do another cruise again.  I'd rather go somewhere, rent a condo, rent a car and not see the same people over and over for a week.  Every employee on the cruise ship has their hand out for money.  They gouge you on booze and I was ready for it to be over long before it was over.  

 
gianmarco said:
So, I've found a particular cruise on Norwegian that is an 11 day cruise-tour (7 days from Vancouver to Seward then 4 days of land tours to Anchorage, Denali, then finish in Anchorage).  These seems ideal to hit most everything without being over the top. 

I'm curious, it's $7000 for an oceanview vs. $8800 for a balcony (not aft facing, those are all sold-out).  Given the views you can take in, is it worth that $1800 difference for the balcony?
I'd say 100 percent yes. I would never cruise without a balcony. It makes a world of difference.

 
Agree w/ the above - balcony is well worth it. We would never cruise without one, and prefer an aft balcony if possible.

 
General Malaise said:
Yes.  Did one in June 2003 and the first stop was Juneau where we did a whale watching excursion.  That was the highlight of the trip for me.  Not only did we see whales right next to our boat (I was expecting to see them through binoculars, but they were breaching right there) but we passed a shoreline where dozens of big bears were doing cool bear things.  Also several bald eagles in trees looking bored and disinterested as we stared in awe at them.  

We had a 6-month old baby with us, so didn't really get to do too much in the other stops (Skagway, Ketchikan, Victoria) but the whale excursion alone was worth the price we paid for the whole cruise.  Beautiful scenery, but I won't do another cruise again.  I'd rather go somewhere, rent a condo, rent a car and not see the same people over and over for a week.  Every employee on the cruise ship has their hand out for money.  They gouge you on booze and I was ready for it to be over long before it was over.  
Funny - this is one of the things we like about cruising. The staff gets to know you, what you like, etc. Service is always first class. We usually cruise Norwegian, so you don't eat with other people at specific times, etc (if that's what you meant.) 

 
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Funny - this is one of the things we like about cruising. The staff gets to know you, what you like, etc. Service is always first class. We usually cruise Norwegian, so you don't eat with other people at specific times, etc (if that's what you meant.) 
I agree with this.  GM hates people, that's why he produces so many an even in multiples. 

 
We made friends with our dinner table-mates during our Caribbean cruise. Really fun people, but YMMV.

 
Likely going on Holland America.  Found a decent deal on a suite with balcony (cheaper than the stateroom balcony on Norwegian) and doing a cruise-tour (3 days including Denalie and Anchorage).  Starting Vancouver up to Seward and then the 3 days on the land tour.

Now just have to choose the excursions.  Definitely want to do whale watching and it seems there's one in Juneau that is both whale watching and a trip to Mendenhall glacier.  Considering a float plane in Ketchikan.  Any recs for here?  Skagway, not sure....There's some sled dog stuff, horseback riding, some Fjord water float stuff. 

 
I did a Princess cruise about a decade ago and the trip was a full two weeks.  We tied it together with a trip to Denali and time in Vancouver at the end of the cruise.  It was a great trip with the highlights being taking a helicopter and landing on a Glacier and the wildlife of Denali.  I would highly recommend getting a cabin with a balcony as being able to watch the glaciers from your cabin with a drink in your hand was a highlight.

We also loved Vancouver.  I am a NYer so after all the wilderness it was nice to be back in a city for a little exploring.  It overall was a great trip. 

 
Likely going on Holland America.  Found a decent deal on a suite with balcony (cheaper than the stateroom balcony on Norwegian) and doing a cruise-tour (3 days including Denalie and Anchorage).  Starting Vancouver up to Seward and then the 3 days on the land tour.

Now just have to choose the excursions.  Definitely want to do whale watching and it seems there's one in Juneau that is both whale watching and a trip to Mendenhall glacier.  Considering a float plane in Ketchikan.  Any recs for here?  Skagway, not sure....There's some sled dog stuff, horseback riding, some Fjord water float stuff. 
I also did the float plane thing which was awesome but the helicopter landing on the glacier was a little better in my mind.  Did the sled Dog thing somewhere but it was more of seeing and learning about them then actually riding one and it was nothing special in my mind.    

 
Likely going on Holland America.  Found a decent deal on a suite with balcony (cheaper than the stateroom balcony on Norwegian) and doing a cruise-tour (3 days including Denalie and Anchorage).  Starting Vancouver up to Seward and then the 3 days on the land tour.

Now just have to choose the excursions.  Definitely want to do whale watching and it seems there's one in Juneau that is both whale watching and a trip to Mendenhall glacier.  Considering a float plane in Ketchikan.  Any recs for here?  Skagway, not sure....There's some sled dog stuff, horseback riding, some Fjord water float stuff. 
As I did Holland America too.... Whale watching and Mendenhall in Juneau is probably a good one.  I did the Tracy Arm Fjord excursion instead, which, as I mentioned above, was my favorite excursion.  We saw orcas on that, but that was more by accident than by design.  The fjord is incredible, and the glaciers were calving like crazy.  You probably can't go wrong with either.  

In Ketchikan, we walked around the town a bit and then did the Herring Cove bear adventure.  The bear adventure was okay (we did see some bears), but not all that exciting.  The float plane is probably better.  You could also do Misty Fjords from Ketchikan, IIRC, which we probably would have done if we did not do the Tracy Arm Fjord.  So, if you do the whale watching in Juneau, Misty Fjords could be a make-up.  

Skagway/Haines... we did the Davidson Glacier that Acer was probably posting about above, where you kayak to, and then walk up to touch a glacier, which was pretty cool.  We also went to the bald eagle foundation in Haines.  There's a lot of bald eagle stuff to do around there.

ETA: For the sled dog, we did that in Denali at Jeff King's homestead, and Jeff King was there talking about his dogs and running the Iditarod.  We were also able to hold a puppy.  It was late at night, so you could do something else during the day and then go to Jeff King's homestead at night. We didn't actually go dog sledding though.

 
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I also did the float plane thing which was awesome but the helicopter landing on the glacier was a little better in my mind.  Did the sled Dog thing somewhere but it was more of seeing and learning about them then actually riding one and it was nothing special in my mind.    
My wife won't do the helicopter.  Not even sure I can get her to buy into the float plane, but more likely  :)

 
I did a smaller boat when I was in highschool.  On the boat all day, then stay in hotels at ports overnight.  The perk of the small boat is the accessibility to the glaciers.  Pretty cool, but I think the luxuries of a large boat would be better.  You are likely going to be close enough, and the scenery is beautiful everywhere.  I'm sure the majors all have smaller expeditions available anyways.

 
Skagway/Haines... we did the Davidson Glacier that Acer was probably posting about above, where you kayak to, and then walk up to touch a glacier, which was pretty cool.  We also went to the bald eagle foundation in Haines.  There's a lot of bald eagle stuff to do around there.
i see what you did there.

 
Cost-wise for two people, how much $ would an Alaskan cruise be for say 7 days?  Ballpark? With excursions.

 
Cost-wise for two people, how much $ would an Alaskan cruise be for say 7 days?  Ballpark? With excursions.
Could probably range anywhere from $5k-$8k, depending on type of room based on what I've seen.  Also depends on time of year as May/Sept was considerably cheaper than June/July/Aug.  Excursions seem to average about $250-500/day for 2 people depending on what you want (you'll have 3-4 of those days).

 
Good friends went on a 14-day Alaskan cruise two years ago.  They had a great time and raved about it.  The one thing that kind of puzzled me is said they really only spent 4 or 5 nights on the ship.  Everything else was on land.  It kinda made me wonder if it would have been more sense to just fly to Alaska and skip the ship entirely.  Seems like you might be spending a lot of $$$ for the ship that isn't necessary.

 
Good friends went on a 14-day Alaskan cruise two years ago.  They had a great time and raved about it.  The one thing that kind of puzzled me is said they really only spent 4 or 5 nights on the ship.  Everything else was on land.  It kinda made me wonder if it would have been more sense to just fly to Alaska and skip the ship entirely.  Seems like you might be spending a lot of $$$ for the ship that isn't necessary.
I'm not really sure how they did that.  A lot of the places, there aren't even roads to get there (there are roads in the towns, but you have to fly or go by boat to get there in the first place).

 
I'm not really sure how they did that.  A lot of the places, there aren't even roads to get there (there are roads in the towns, but you have to fly or go by boat to get there in the first place).
I don't know the details either except they spent a lot of time with a tour guide and a short bus or van.   They loved it though.

 
My folks went a few years ago and loved it.  They did a week in Alaska and then a one-way cruise back.  They had friends that did the opposite and said it was sticker shock paying Alaska prices for food after eating 'for free' on the ship.

They said its very rainy/misty in July/August so avoid those months, its not that the rain is unbearable but that the haze/mist makes the views nonexistent.  They went in June, its peak season tho so prices are highest.  

The loved Denali and the area around there.  Also got a balcony and were glad they did.  

I will keep reading this, as this is a bucket list item for the wife and I.

 
Make sure you cruise through Glacier Bay and don't go the Sawyer Glacier (Tracy Arm) route.  Best advice given to me before I went.  Very easy to leave out of Seattle to do so.  Glacier Bay is hands down the most beautiful place I have ever been.  Its definitely a bucket list thing to see.  In Canada go see the orca whales.  They got so close to the boat we were on it was almost like touching them.  

 
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Make sure you cruise through Glacier Bay and don't go the Sawyer Glacier (Tracy Arm) route.  Best advice given to me before I went.  Very easy to leave out of Seattle to do so.  Glacier Bay is hands down the most beautiful place I have ever been.  Its definitely a bucket list thing to see.  In Canada go see the orca whales.  They got so close to the boat we were on it was almost like touching them.  
Yep, whole day through Glacier Bay.

 
@Don Quixote was right. Here is a link to the excursion we did. Hands down, best part of the trip for us. 

http://alaska-shoreexcursions.com/skagway/glacier-point-wilderness-safari-tour

http://imgur.com/auysVMu

http://imgur.com/Jk1p55Z

http://imgur.com/WVJxYhn

http://imgur.com/6JVp7a3

Glacier Bay-balcony will be awesome for this day

http://imgur.com/cvg4srq

http://imgur.com/XtpOZsy

Also, my kids and I bought this passport while on the cruise. Really wish we would have gotten it before. Actually wish I had it when we went to Hawaii. Your son might be into it. You get it stamped at every national park and some state parks you go to. We went back to seattle and went to gold rush museum so we could get the cancellation. They love it

http://easternnational.org/what-we-do/passport/

 
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So, we've got it pretty finalized now.  I'll update after the trip, but....

--Flying into Seattle and will spend one day there for sightseeing

--Train from Seattle to Vancouver and then departing on the cruise later that day

--7 day cruise that ends in Seward followed by 3 day land tour that goes up to Denali, full day, then train back down to Anchorage

Excursions planned:

1)  Ketchikan -- Float plane to Misty Fjords.  Contemplating a crab boat with all-you-can-eat crab feast afterward

2)  Juneau -- Combined whale watching then Mendenhall glacier tour

3)  Skagway -- Son and i are going to do the helicopter ride to the top of the glacier and then sled dog experience.  This isn't just learning about the dogs but you actually get to ride and mush with them.  Spoke with someone that did this and said it was absolutely amazing.  Meanwhile, my wife will do some rock climbing.  Then we're all going to do a hike and float down the river.  I can't do the Wilderness Glacier Safari to Davidson glacier because it's the same time as the helicopter ride and we'll be getting the same views anyway and landing on top of the glacier itself.  So, I'm hoping it's as good of an experience but it should be.

Pretty excited about this trip and hoping to get a little bit of everything while going. 

 
So, we've got it pretty finalized now.  I'll update after the trip, but....

--Flying into Seattle and will spend one day there for sightseeing

--Train from Seattle to Vancouver and then departing on the cruise later that day

--7 day cruise that ends in Seward followed by 3 day land tour that goes up to Denali, full day, then train back down to Anchorage

Excursions planned:

1)  Ketchikan -- Float plane to Misty Fjords.  Contemplating a crab boat with all-you-can-eat crab feast afterward

2)  Juneau -- Combined whale watching then Mendenhall glacier tour

3)  Skagway -- Son and i are going to do the helicopter ride to the top of the glacier and then sled dog experience.  This isn't just learning about the dogs but you actually get to ride and mush with them.  Spoke with someone that did this and said it was absolutely amazing.  Meanwhile, my wife will do some rock climbing.  Then we're all going to do a hike and float down the river.  I can't do the Wilderness Glacier Safari to Davidson glacier because it's the same time as the helicopter ride and we'll be getting the same views anyway and landing on top of the glacier itself.  So, I'm hoping it's as good of an experience but it should be.

Pretty excited about this trip and hoping to get a little bit of everything while going. 
That is a pretty solid itinerary.   :thumbup:

I don't think I mentioned in this thread, but you may also want to look into this book:  The Alaskan Cruise Handbook.  I would get the print edition instead of the Kindle because it has a fold out map that you can take out, which your son may enjoy too, to follow along.

In addition to points of interest, the map also shows prime whale watching areas while cruising on the ship.  They are around the northern parts of the Inside Passage and entry into/exit from Glacier National Park.  I saw some whales just sitting on my verandah.  

 
That is a pretty solid itinerary.   :thumbup:

I don't think I mentioned in this thread, but you may also want to look into this book:  The Alaskan Cruise Handbook.  I would get the print edition instead of the Kindle because it has a fold out map that you can take out, which your son may enjoy too, to follow along.

In addition to points of interest, the map also shows prime whale watching areas while cruising on the ship.  They are around the northern parts of the Inside Passage and entry into/exit from Glacier National Park.  I saw some whales just sitting on my verandah.  
Awesome, thanks, will definitely look into that.

Forgot to add that we were able to get a great deal on a suite that has a verandah (for less than the $8800 I posted earlier on another line) and we'll be on the starboard side going north so hoping to take advantage of that and see some stuff while traveling on the ship.

 

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