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If any of you are wondering if you should book an Alaska cruise, please do. This is by far the best vacation I’ve ever had
Main Post: If any of you are wondering if you should book an Alaska cruise, please do. This is by far the best vacation I’ve ever had
Top Comment: Everyone should go to Alaska at least once in their life, any way you can. It is absolutely the most stunningly beautiful place. I've spent multiple weeks there and still stare in awe of the sights
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.
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.
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.
Best Alaska cruise ship
Main Post: Best Alaska cruise ship
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 Alaskan cruise lines? Want to make sure we're on the best cruise ship. This would be a family vacation
Main Post: Best Alaskan cruise lines? Want to make sure we're on the best cruise ship. This would be a family vacation
Top Comment: Depends on your definition of best. The "Best" new cruise ships are often too large to move amongst the Fjords, so older, smaller ships generally do the route. That being said, I enjoy Princess cruises, ships, packages, and experiences the most.
Best cruise lines for Alaska?
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I want to start researching Alaskan cruises. My mom wants to go on one so bad and maybe I can surprise her for her birthday next year. Also it would help if it was kid friendly too!
Top Comment: We went on a Princess cruise up to Alaska, and loved it. Princess and HAL have the rights to head up Glacier Bay, which was the highlight of our cruise. There was a great mix of passengers from young to old, with no lack of things to do on board. I would not hesitate to recommend Princess for an Alaskan cruise. The ports are the attractions and not the cruise line. I did a blog of the trip, on cruise critic here (start at post #16) when the review focuses on the ship and the cruise itself.
Best cruise line for Alaska?
Main Post: Best cruise line for Alaska?