# Alaska Cruise Recommendations



## pgnewarkboy (Jun 8, 2010)

I am looking for suggestions on cruise lines, preferred routes, combination cruise and rail travel, and when to travel.

Thanks


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## Dave M (Jun 8, 2010)

Most of your questions are answered in this 2009 thread. The info in the thread is still current. 

There are two basic 7-day itineraries. Most of the one way cruises are between Seattle or Vancouver on one end and one of the two ports that serve Anchorage on the other end. However, if you are on a budget, consider a round trip cruise from Seattle or Vancouver. Air fare is more expensive if you have to fly one way to or from Seattle or Vancouver and the other way to or from Anchorage or Fairbanks.

If it's likely to be your only visit to Alaska, consider a one-way cruise with one of the add-on itineraries at the beginning or end of your cruise - on the Alaska end. You can learn about most of the options for side travel (e.g., a scenic train between Fairbanks and Anchorage with one or more nights in Denali National Park) on your favorite cruise line's website or click on this link for some samples (pdf reader required).


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## cirkus (Jun 8, 2010)

Has anyone ever taken the Inside Passage cruise with Cruise West? I know it's much more expensive, because it's a much smaller ship (approx 140 passengers). If I can get past the cost, is it worthwhile? It's most likely the one and only time I will cruise Alaska.
Bill


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## pgnewarkboy (Jun 8, 2010)

*Personal Recommendations Please*

Thanks for all the info.  I read the 2009 thread and found it informative.  What I am looking for is the personal experience of Alaska cruisers on TUG.  What line did you like, what trip did you like (one way - two way?).

What did you see that you enjoyed the most.   How about a train ride?

It would be a trip for my wife and myself.  No kids.  We are in our sixties and like to sightsee.  Not big on lounging around.  Amenities other than food are not that important.  We don't care if the ship has the best fitness center, or lounge, or entertainment.  Not that we are against that stuff but going to Alaska we want to see the sights.


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## scrapngen (Jun 8, 2010)

That's why we rode the ferry instead. You can still get an assortment of room options and the scenery is the same . You can arrange many of the same tours the cruise ships are doing at a lesser cost. Mind, we were young with minimal funds, but I still think if you are not interested in the "cruise ship" amenities, then the ferry provides a great alternative. Otherwise, I'd look into a ferry mixed with a small boat couple day tour of Glacier Bay. You could also book rooms at a couple of the stops, and still do a Denali tour from Anchorage. It would take more planning on your part, rather than just rely on the ship making all the arrangements, but we found they had lots of seats along the rail to watch the coastline, etc. You would want to plan dinners at the various towns as the ferries don't supply the excessive food options of cruises. 


Anyway, just another way of looking at a trip...


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## post-it (Jun 8, 2010)

scrapngen said:


> That's why we rode the ferry instead. You can still get an assortment of room options and the scenery is the same . You can arrange many of the same tours the cruise ships are doing at a lesser cost. Mind, we were young with minimal funds, but I still think if you are not interested in the "cruise ship" amenities, then the ferry provides a great alternative. Otherwise, I'd look into a ferry mixed with a small boat couple day tour of Glacier Bay. You could also book rooms at a couple of the stops, and still do a Denali tour from Anchorage. It would take more planning on your part, rather than just rely on the ship making all the arrangements, but we found they had lots of seats along the rail to watch the coastline, etc. You would want to plan dinners at the various towns as the ferries don't supply the excessive food options of cruises.
> 
> 
> Anyway, just another way of looking at a trip...



This seems to be a great alternative to the cruise ship.  I think I'll look into this further since my husband isnt a big cruise fan.

Thanks


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## scrapngen (Jun 8, 2010)

post-it said:


> This seems to be a great alternative to the cruise ship.  I think I'll look into this further since my husband isnt a big cruise fan.
> 
> Thanks



It really has the benefit of a big ship for comfort, and you can arrange how you want to move between the various ports ie. staying with the same ship or getting off for an overnight and getting another. 

***I know you still need to plan in advance to get the dates you want and the better rooms, because Alaskans really utilise the ferry system. But as my husband doesn't like cruise ships either, this would be our choice. (Just nicer rooms than when we were younger ) The great thing is how flexible you can be. I would definitely search out some of the smaller ships that only sail Glacier Bay for a close-up view of this amazing place. Personally, I'd also arrange a kayak trip or two - there are some great day or half day trips out of Juneau to some islands with brown and black bears. I think it's called Pack Island? We rented a car to drive from Anchorage up to Denali and stayed at a B&B. There are a lot of them up there - and then you can make all day trips into the Park. Or you can stay at a couple places in the park with the money you saved by taking the ferry! 

Good luck! We enjoyed a float plane trip to Misty Fjords from Juneau as well.


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## Noni (Jun 8, 2010)

Princess cruises!!

We flew from Houston to Anchorage, stayed in a nice hotel downtown and then took the train for the four days to the various Princess stops.  We then flew from the last train stop to Anchorage and took the Princess transportation to Seward to get on the ship.  It was really great to do the various stops first and take the cruise, where we were treated royally, to Vancover.  The whole trip was fantastic, expecially Denali park.

Have fun!!


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## geekette (Jun 8, 2010)

Yes, Princess!

Priorities for my mother and self were glaciers and wildlife.  didn't do any shows or planned activities.   Opted for Southbound from Whittier.  Flew into Anchorage (highly recommend Hawthorne Suites), took train into Whittier.  Did daycruise in Prince William Sound for first wildlife, glaciers.  recommend it.  We loved it.

Boarded ship for night departure.  when it was light, we were at College Fjord and I was uncontrollably ooooh ing and ahhhh ing on our deck at how close and beautiful it was.  incredible.   

Glacier Bay was indescribable.

Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan

Train in Skagway was nice and interesting history along the way

wheeled dog sled in Skagway was the funniest thing I had ever seen!  enjoyed talk with musher, too, and playing with puppies.

dog sledding on a glacier in Juneau was priceless (Mom, too, at 73!)  also puppies.  

[did both dog sled deals because there was the chance of chopper to top of glacier being grounded, HAD to do at least one dog sled deal, and did TWO.  do not regret it one bit]

would have done tram in Juneau but it was foggy.   had taken cheap tour bus to see Mendenhall Glacier from its park before flying up to it for dog sledding.  you don't get how MASSIVE it is from the park so I was glad we did that.  

watched floatplanes take off and land from our balcony before sailing early evening, then watched whales breach for an hour or so beside us as we left juneau and sunset fell

was supposed to float plane in Ketch but windy, so totems.  that was very interesting, and I participated in a Beaver Clan ritual wearing a beautiful handmade cloak.   

missing floatplane was ok since we'd had flightseeing in the chopper to top of glacier. 

we did it up.  

I picked Princess primarily for onboard naturalist and anytime dining. Whales out of Juneau is exactly why I didn't want to be tied to a dining time.  I like to eat in the main dining rooms whenever possible altho we did buffet a few times for quick convenience.

 Loved going out of Whittier vs Seward.  Train from Anchorage was a great start to our trip!  I would have liked more port time in Juneau, of different times (6 am - 4 pm) but it was a compromise I made that paid off.  We sailed mid-Sept, last sailing south of the year.  Be aware of what is best to see during your season and how to see it.  I knew to watch for whales when we left Juneau.

Princess allowed me to juggle excursions plenty before locking in (some cruise lines hit your credit card every time, but I paid for these at end of cruise bill).  I did buy their excursions partly for that convenience, and because I had Mom with me and needed their help in getting her around, and wanted to be able to conveniently cancel short notice if she pulled up lame.  Yes, I paid more for the privilege, but that choice fit the circumstances.

All ages on the ship, reasonably casual crowd, but enuf tuxes for formal night for it to be a blast!  Would definitely do Anytime Dining again and take pot luck on tablemates again at Formal Night.  Wolfgang and Archie, we miss you!

Anyway, sounds like our priorities are similar to ours, so, that's what I did and why I did it.


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## Denise (Jun 9, 2010)

Last year I sailed with my mom on the Pacific Princess, roundtrip from Seattle for a 2 week Alaska cruise.  It was a small ship, about 600+ passengers.
I really liked the small ship experience and the small ship allowed ports that might not have been possible or involved tendering for a larger ship.
 It is hard to describe, in words, the beauty of Alaska. It is breathtaking.
The weather is a roll of the dice, be prepared for anything.


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## markbernstein (Jun 9, 2010)

We cruised Alaska on Holland America in 2002, and loved it.  It was a 7-day round trip from Vancouver.  Now, we happen to _like_ big ship amenities, and the food, service, etc. on HA is outstanding.


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## vacationdoc (Jun 9, 2010)

*Love the Marine Highway*

I would recommend the ferry system as well, IF you do not have time pressures and enjoy independent travel and the do it yourself bookings required.  We enjoyed meeting the Alaska locals and hearing their stories about everyday life in Alaska.  If we liked a town, we would immediately check to see about overnight reservations and stay there.  We also took the ferry to several smaller towns that were recommended by locals we met on the ferry. We did not have time pressures and were able to spend several weeks there for less than the cost of a cruise.  Walk on's without cars have little difficulty getting a place on the ferry. I think backpacking is as much fun in my senior years as it was in the 60's (although my memory of some of those trips is a little foggy:ignore.


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## post-it (Jun 9, 2010)

vacationdoc said:


> I would recommend the ferry system as well, IF you do not have time pressures and enjoy independent travel and the do it yourself bookings required.  We enjoyed meeting the Alaska locals and hearing their stories about everyday life in Alaska.  If we liked a town, we would immediately check to see about overnight reservations and stay there.  We also took the ferry to several smaller towns that were recommended by locals we met on the ferry. We did not have time pressures and were able to spend several weeks there for less than the cost of a cruise.  Walk on's without cars have little difficulty getting a place on the ferry. I think backpacking is as much fun in my senior years as it was in the 60's (although my memory of some of those trips is a little foggy:ignore.



What time of year did you travel through Alaska?


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## vacationdoc (Jun 9, 2010)

post-it said:


> What time of year did you travel through Alaska?



August and early Sept.


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## JudyH (Jun 9, 2010)

I do not like big cruise ships and all that they offer.  Initally I booked an NCL cruise and after studying Trip Advisor for a while, then Frommers, I realized I wanted more out of this trip than a cruise would allow.  So I cancelled NCL and spent a year reading on line and travel books.

Last June 2009,  we flew to Seattle WA, using vouchers from a previously bumped flight.  In Oct 2008, I was advised on TA to get our air tickets because of a hugh sale that Alaskan Air has only in Oct, when the residents get their oil monies.  So I  booked Seattle to Anchorage, Anchorage to Juneau, and Juneau back to Seattle.

I bought both the Alaskan discount coupon books, and booked many two for one tours, and inns.

I was also advised on TA to rent our Anchorage car from Enterprise no later than July 08 (11 months ahead) to get the absolute cheapest price.  It was like $125 for 10 days.

From Anchorage we drove south to Seward to spend several days touring, then North to Denali for another 6 or so days.

We flew next to Juneau.  Originally we were supposed to take a Tauck tour aboard a Cruise West ship.  Tauck cancelled this about 4 months out due to lack of reservations.  So from Juneau we did glacier and whale watching tours, ate in great local restaurants, and had a great time.  Then we flew, using those great two-fer coupons, to Glacier Bay National Park, spent several days and several tours,all with those coupons, and flew back to Juneau, to pick up the ferry to Skagway, for the next 5 days.  We toured there, took the ferry to Haines one day, and finally took the ferry back to Juneau to fly home.

I can't say enough fine things about the folks at Trip Advisor.  Their advice was expert, and right on the mark.

I can't wait to go back.  Next time I'm renting a camper truck and redoing the area south of Anchorage.

Driving was easy, we traveled with carryon luggage only, and had the best time ever.


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## PeelBoy (Jun 9, 2010)

Ask cruise questions on a timeshare board???

Come here if you want to learn all cruise basics: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/index.php


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## post-it (Jun 9, 2010)

JudyH said:


> Last June 2009,  we flew to Seattle WA, using vouchers from a previously bumped flight.  In Oct 2008, I was advised on TA to get our air tickets because of a hugh sale that Alaskan Air has only in Oct, when the residents get their oil monies.  So I  booked Seattle to Anchorage, Anchorage to Juneau, and Juneau back to Seattle.
> 
> I bought both the Alaskan discount coupon books, and booked many two for one tours, and inns.
> 
> I was also advised on TA to rent our Anchorage car from Enterprise no later than July 08 (11 months ahead) to get the absolute cheapest price.  It was like $125 for 10 days.



I have a couple questions JudyH (or anyone else who wants to chime in) - 

Which discount books did you work with?

Did you come across many inns/hotels with space to sleep four without wanting to kill each other?

The Oct purchases on Alaska - is this all through Oct or is there normally a range of time?

Thanks


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## MON2REY (Jun 9, 2010)

http://www.graylinealaska.com/packagetours.cfm/mode/detail/product_id/2629 

In 2003 my wife and I took a land/sea cruise with Holland America.  The initial portion was very similiar to the attached link but in reverse.  After the land portion we took the MS Veendam from Seward to Vancouver via Sitka, Ketchekan, etc.  While in Faibanks we took a charter flight to Ft. Yukon for the afternoon just so we could say we were above the Arctic Circle.  In Denali we took a charter flight to and arounf Mt McKinley (Denali).  It was a beautiful clear day and the view was spectacular.  While in Anchorage we chartered a flight to Brooks Falls in Katmai Nat'l Park to see the Grizzlies.  It, too, was spectacular.  I think the total trip was 17 days and was probably the best trip we have ever been on.


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## JudyH (Jun 11, 2010)

Glenda, the coupon books were Toursaver, and Northern Lights.  They saved us a bundle.  On the websites, you can see what you might need before you buy the books.  I had lots of left over coupons and resold the books on EBAY when I came home.  What a deal.

Some of the Band B's or inns were good for four.  It was only two of us, so I didn't pay much attention to size.

Ask on TA about the October fares, I kept watching  Alaska Air until I saw a price drop.


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## Timeshare Von (Jun 11, 2010)

Judy:  I'm glad you found folks at the T/A forums to be helpful on your planning for Alaska.  I find folks there to be the best travel resource, bar none!

As for the question regarding October, that is a terrible time to be in Alaska.  Most tourist things will be closed, the weather heading into winter . . . heck I don't think you can even book a cruise that late in the year.

Regarding the coupon books, you can research both online and figure out which (Northern Lights $50 or Tour Savers $100) is your best choice.  For our upcoming 17 days in Alaska (Aug/Sept) we only needed the Northern Lights book.  I have even shared some coupons from it that I know I won't be needing.

As for the OP's question, May and September are considered "shoulder season" for cruising AK and prices should reflect it.  July is peak.  I would suggest timing your cruise with any other land tours and sights you want to see.  If a fly-in trip to Katmai NP is in your plan, you'll need to go in late June or July . . . or September.  Fishing King Salmon on the Kenai would be May or June, maybe into July.  Silver salmon fishing July to September.

Whatever you do, do not buy your land tour packages through the cruiseline.  You can do it yourself and save a bundle.  Folks over at T/A will help you with it, so long as you come over at least with some basic knowledge and research done.  (Don't expect to fly from Juneau to Katmai . . . it can't be done.)


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## JudyH (Jun 13, 2010)

Von, the tickets were purchased in Oct during the sale for the following June.


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## Darlene (Jun 13, 2010)

I love the fly/drive option instead of the cruise ship. I guess I need to start reading TA. I used TA when I planned our Japan trip, and yes they gave incredible advice. 
Darlene


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