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Planning an Alaskan Cruise -- Where to Start?
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I've only been on one cruise and it was not a great experience, only because of the destination (it was a trip where I was a chaperone with a Girl Scout troop to a place I had zero interest in, the Bahamas). But I've been dreaming of going on an Alaskan cruise for decades and only now have the time and money to do it. I've heard of people taking a ship one way and train the other and that sounds great. If this is the wrong place to post this, just let me know and I'll delete it. I don't expect anyone to do my planning for me or anything, but would love to get some guidance on where to start looking and what ports are particularly recommended. Thank you!
Thank you all for all the advice and input! You’ve given me a lot of think about and research. One thing I knew for sure is that we have to have a balcony. Thank you!
Top Comment: I recommend a cruise that does a visit to Glacier Bay National Park. You don't get off the ship, but tour guides from the park come on to talk about glaciers. The ships sail by many different glaciers. They'll spin the ship around in a slow circle so that everyone can see them no matter what part of the ship you're on. Not all cruise lines go to Glacier Bay and even those that do only have certain itineraries that visit it. Smaller ships can generally get closer to the glacier action, but larger ships typically have more to do onboard in your free time.
Favorite Alaska cruise line?
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Looking to book a 7 day cruise this Spring for my wife and I out of Vancouver BC or Seattle roundtrip to Alaska. First time cruisers so looking for recommendations. Thanks
Top Comment: Pick one that goes to Glacier Bay.
Advice for Alaskan cruises
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I am new to the entire cruise thing. My wife and I have been saving up to go on an Alaskan cruise(I've heard rave reviews from family and friends) but I just have a couple of questions to help me clarify things. First of which.... do they always come back to where they left? Or will they specifically say in the itinerary that they'll come back to point of origin? Because there is one trip that I'm looking at that's leaves from Victoria, 7 days trip, and ends in Seward. But they're are others that say they end in Seattle or Victoria. So I can only assume if they end in Alaska that means I have to fly back to BC?(ik this is a stupid question but I just want to clarify)
Second question. I've noticed the cheapest cruise line is Royal. But what's the one that would be recommended for a traveler on a limited budget. Our budget at the moment is around 2500-3000.
3rd. As I'm new to the cruise thing. What exactly is included in these tickets? I assume meals and drinks and such? Will there be a place for me to leave my car near the port? Ik they have itineraries and such. That's not what I'm asking. I'm just curious about smaller details that they don't tell you about on the website.
That's all I really am curious about now. I apologize if this is a repetitive FAQ post. Thank you for indulging me.
Top Comment: do they always come back to where they left? Or will they specifically say in the itinerary that they'll come back to point of origin? The itinerary will always tell you where the ship starts and ends. There are many Alaska cruises that will not end where it starts, so read carefully. So I can only assume if they end in Alaska that means I have to fly back to BC? Essentially, yes. I've noticed the cheapest cruise line is Royal. But what's the one that would be recommended for a traveler on a limited budget. Our budget at the moment is around 2500-3000. The cheapest Alaska trips I've found have usually been on older, usually smaller (but not always) ships on any of the cruise lines, and often going one-way between Vancouver and Anchorage (Seward or Whittier). What exactly is included in these tickets? I assume meals and drinks and such? Will there be a place for me to leave my car near the port? A cruise fare will always cover pretty much the basic things you need to survive -- your cabin will have your bed, your closet, and your bathroom. Meals in the buffet and dining rooms, as well as tap water, are always complimentary. Most of the entertainment is complimentary - theatre shows, music at the lounges, etc. For a mass market line, alcoholic beverages are never included in your base cruise fare. In general, it's really, really difficult to list everything out here because every cruise line is a little different with how they bundle things together. The websites of each cruise line will guide you to what they are including and what they are selling in addition to that. And yes, you can park near or at the port, depending on where you're starting from. But it may be cheaper to park somewhere else and then Uber/Lyft to the port instead.
Is Alaska cruise worth it?
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I seem to keep pushing back my itinerary to Alaska for other destinations. I’m not sure if it’s worth it. Can you give me your experiences with Alaska? Do you think that it was worth it? Was it a lifetime trip? Was it all that beautiful?I know that that’s very subjective but I just wanna know peoples opinions on what they did and how was their experience and well was it worth it? Thank you so much for your opinions.
Top Comment: Been on two Alaska cruises, it was amazingly beautiful, full of wildlife. We saw bears, whales, eagles, otters and more. I've walked on a glacier, and listened to the noises the ever so slowly moving ice makes. And the pictures, I have some of the most amazing images I've ever taken from Alaska. I even got to meet some of the crew from one of the fishing boats in Deadliest Catch. Is it worth it, yes. Now the downside, it can be expensive. On our first trip, we spent more on excursions then we did on the cruise.
Best affordable Alaskan cruise
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My husband and I are looking at taking a cruise to Alaska in May to celebrate graduating from grad school! We’ve never been on a cruise before, so we’re not too sure what is the best affordable cruise line! We’d like to leave from Seattle if possible but we’re open! We really want to be able to have some good food, see some glaciers and just RELAX! We’d love to hear people’s experiences of Alaskan tours!
Top Comment: Affordable cruise to Alaska in May? There's the NCL Jewel leaving from Vancouver for a seven day trip to Seward/Anchorage for $349/pp for an interior, $419/pp for an oceanview, or balcony for $699/pp on May 1st. Hits the important Glacier Bay/Hubbard Glacier. It'll be another $250 or so pp for taxes and fees. Another couple-threee hundred if you want to get the Free-at-Sea bundle (if you're drinkers). The cheapest option if you want to spend a few days in Alaska after the cruise (start looking for rooms now as they get scarce the closer to tourist season). Though I suggest Princess or Holland America, not much more expensive but not as inclusive of bundles, for Alaska as they've done it the longest. Princess probably has the best cruise and land tours since they own a lot of lodges and offer better inclusions if you don't want to do your own Alaska thing compared to the other two.
Alaskan Cruise Recommendations
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My husband and I are thinking of taking an Alaskan cruise next year.
We usually take Carnival, but we've taken RC, NCL (which we hated), Disney (with the kids), and Princess (we enjoyed the food but found there were no activities and a lot of old people).
We are both 41. I wouldn't say we need a lot of activities, but a not completely dead night life (until 9 or 10) would be nice. We like to drink and listen to music, and sometimes we go to shows/comedians.
My in laws took Holland a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I know Holland is considered the best cruise line for Alaskan cruises, but is it too elderly?
Would Celebrity or Princess be better?
Thank you in advance for any insight.
Top Comment: Princess is one of the few Alaska cruises that go to Glacier Bay.
Best Cruise Line for Alaska?
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I’ve read on this sub that Princess and HAL are the best lines for Alaska since they regularly go to the Glacier Bay.
Truthfully, both seem to run a bit more mature than I’d like so I was wondering if Glacier Bay is worth the hype or could you get an equally great cruise on say Virgin?
Between HAL and Princess, which is more fun and what the major differences between the 2 lines?
Top Comment: The following is a copy of the original post to record the post as it was originally written. u/Catatonicangel I’ve read on this sub that Princess and HAL are the best lines for Alaska since they regularly go to the Glacier Bay. Truthfully, both seem to run a bit more mature than I’d like so I was wondering if Glacier Bay is worth the hype or could you get an equally great cruise on say Virgin? Between HAL and Princess, which is more fun and what the major differences between the 2 lines? I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
Let’s discuss doing a cruise to Alaska…
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Have not been on a cruise in 30 years (was 15 last time I was on one). Would prefer something without a lot of kids but that isn’t a deal breaker I guess. Have considered taking our (adult) children and my parents have thought about tagging along.
Recommendations? Dos? Donts? Would prefer to see as much of lower Alaska as possible and do as many activities as possible while not on the ship.
Top Comment: Just got off a Holland America cruise through Alaska and it was a life changing experience. I would recommend HAL for a laid back experience and also because HAL has a long-standing relationship with Alaska national parks and can go places larger ships aren’t allowed. In every port, we were granted the best/closest docking position compared to Princess, Disney, and RC. We felt like VIPs!
Best Alaska cruise ship
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Best being food and service, older couple no kids. Which do you recommend or can review?
Top Comment: Best for what? Princess & HAL have a rep for having the best ships for actually seeing Alaska/glaciers, etc. But if 'best' to you means a newer ship with laser tag and w/e, that might be a different conversation.
Alaska Cruise Advice
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Hello all!
I am seeking some advice about booking a cruise to Alaska. I have never been on a cruise before and neither has my partner, but we both want to go explore Alaska. When researching we have found lots of mixed reviews about each cruise line and each itinerary available, so I was hoping for some feedback from people who have actually been on one.
Our main hopes are too see glaciers and wildlife. We know some of the port towns can be very touristy, which isn’t bad but also isn’t the most appealing to us.
Another thing we are unsure about is accommodations. Is it worth getting the balcony for this trip or is the observation deck good enough?
If we go what should we bring other than binoculars? How warm of clothes do we need?
Finally, when is the best month to go? Has anyone ever seen aurora borealis while aboard a cruise? I have heard the best time of year for that is March-May and September-October.
Thank you all for the feedback in advance, I really appreciate it!
Top Comment: Although a balcony cabin is highly recommended for Alaska, don’t sacrifice onshore activities in order to afford one. While it’s nice to kick back on the balcony, going to the ship public spaces instead gives you more flexibility. Promenade decks are closer to the water - you’ll see the otters that the deck 11 balcony dwellers will miss! The next big choice is Glacier Bay National Park. Only six cruise lines have permits to enter park waters. Three are luxury lines: Cunard, Seabourn, and Viking. Three are mainstream: Holland America, Princess, and Norwegian. Some smaller expedition lines can also enter, at a luxury-level cost. Since you didn’t mention a lavish budget, let’s focus on the mainstream ones. I’ve sailed all three to Alaska. Norwegian has the best ships for scenic viewing (Encore, Bliss, and Joy) but otherwise I can’t recommend the experience with great enthusiasm anymore. I get great loyalty perks on Norwegian and Bliss is still my favorite ship, but service quality has deteriorated badly recently. Also, Norwegian docks far outside town in Ketchikan, which is already usually a short visit. So... of the other two I prefer Holland for the food and live rock music. Princess has better designed ships. Both lines have decades of experience in Alaska. Flip a coin, really. Now, if you decide that Glacier Bay isn’t essential (and Alaska scenery is amazing in every direction anyway), just about every cruise line sends ships to the Juneau - Ketchikan - Skagway - Icy Strait Point - Sitka circuit. If you want a big floating resort, Royal Caribbean will have a couple of its Quantum-class ships there. Celebrity Edge’s Infinite Veranda cabin seems tailor-made for Alaska. MSC and Virgin Voyages are debuting in Alaska soon. It just depends on what you want to experience on the ship, since all will offer similar onshore excursions. Okay, I’ll be nice and give two concrete recommendations. If you want to sail out of Seattle (easy flights, pricier to reach the port), pick a Glacier Bay sailing on Grand Princess. If you want to sail out of Vancouver (a little harder to fly to, super easy transit from airport to cruise port), pick a Glacier Bay sailing in Holland America’s Koningsdam. I prefer mid or late May - good wildlife sightings, plenty of dramatic snowcaps still gilding the mountains, smaller crowds, few kids, and lower prices. If Skagway is on your itinerary, take a train excursion on the White Pass & Yukon Route. It’s touristy AF but nevertheless a must-do. Alaska never gets old. My next cruise there will be my 9th visit. Other destinations are gorgeous but Alaska... it’s something else entirely.