Alaskan Cruise

[SuckingSow]

20 yr anniversary in July and the Mrs wants an Alaskan cruise. 1st time cruisers looking for advice....what to do, and what to avoid. Budget minded and will probably just get an interior room to save money for excursions. Any suggestions for cruise lines, ships would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Boarcephus]

We took the Alaskan Cruise last year on the Princess Cruise Line on the Diamond Princess.  Left out of Vancouver, sailed the inland passage with several stops, saw the glaciers, docked at Juneau then took the train ride to Denali and spent three days up there.

You will love it.  If I were you, I'd pony up the extra $$ and get a room with a balcony.  One of the things I enjoyed most was setting on MY balcony, no one else and watching the scenery go by.  One picturesque view after the other.  The most beautiful, barren place I've ever seen. 

The better rates are on the larger ships but the downside to that is the other 3000 cruisers on board.  You're never really alone which is one of the main reasons I liked my balcony so much.  If you're interested, PM me and I'll tell you about the excursions we took.    If we go back, and we will, I doubt if we take any excursions. What we'll do is take an extra day in Vancouver and tool around and stay an extra day or two in Anchorage, rent a car and see the sights north and south of there.

One last thing...if you enjoy a good drink and don't want to pay cruise line prices, Princess will look the other way if you decide to smuggle liquor on board in your luggage.

[OakTreeHawg]

In June 2010, flew to Seattle to save $, but took bus to Vancouver for roundtrip Holland America on Volendam.  We did an HH obstructed oceanview and have no regrets.  No much more than an inside.  Enjoyed everything!  Denali is great, I have heard from other, if you can swing it.  Scenery, wildlife, and relaxation is great.  I got a lot of good info from cruisecritic.com.

[Boarcephus]

I got a lot of good info from cruisecritic.com.

There are some serious snobs on Cruise Critic. 

[SuckingSow]

Thanks for the info. We are looking at doing a couple days in Denali but couldn't do both a balcony and Denali. There was a show today on Denali on tv. It really looks like a nice excursion following the cruise.

Boarcephus, I would like to hear about your excursions, yours too OakTreeHawg

[Boarcephus]

I'll holler back at you but unless you take a trip deep into Denali it's not worth it.

[SuckingSow]

I'll holler back at you but unless you take a trip deep into Denali it's not worth it.

We were thinking of the 3 day add-on excursion to include the bus tour into Denali followed by a train ride back to Anchorage.  Is the bus ride worth it?

[McKdaddy]

One of my fav vacations was an AK cruise. We normally aren't "traditional excursion" people, but we really enjoyed a couple of those we took on that cruise. Generally we prefer to do our own excursions -- paying a cabbie to show us the sights, off-beaten beaches, local restaurants/tavern, tell us a little history, show us some local architecture, etc. On th AK cruise, however, we did 2 traditional excursions and 2 excursions on our own.

The traditional excursions we signed up for was the helicopter flight to a glacier, landing and letting us walk around on the glacier, and explore a little. It was a fairly long excursion. The other traditional excursion was whale watching. We got on a boat w/ maybe 20 others from our ship. The boat knew where to find the whales and simply tracked them for the next few hours. I didn't grow tired of watching the whales surface, but my wife did, after a while saying that once you've seen 1 whale, you've seen them all, ha/ha.

Our "own" excursions were doing a little canoeing in some lake on top of a small mountain (or hill). It looked like the top of this hill had been lopped off and filled in w/ a small lake. Really scenic and nice views from up there. However, we didn't see as many animals as we had hoped to see. For example, from the whale ship/cruise ship/helicopter we saw eagles, bears, moose, mtn goats, but next to no animals on our canoe trip.

[CoachVisor]

We were thinking of the 3 day add-on excursion to include the bus tour into Denali followed by a train ride back to Anchorage.  Is the bus ride worth it?

The weather inside Denali is so unpredictible that it is a crap shoot sometimes but if it is clear, the views and scenery can be awesome. Now the train ride is off the hook spectacular. Grab a domed car, sit and enjoy. If you have the opportunity I would take the train ride all the way from Fairbanks back down to Anchorage and Seward.

[Boarcephus]

We were thinking of the 3 day add-on excursion to include the bus tour into Denali followed by a train ride back to Anchorage.  Is the bus ride worth it?

That sounds about what we did.  We took an 8-9 hour train ride from the ship to Denali.  We had always wanted to do it but would not do it again because even though the scenery was good, that is one longass train ride.  The lodges were nice enough, the views pretty. 

They have two tours into Denali, a half day and a full day.  The half day is the one we took and it is not worth the money.  You never get deep enough into the park to see anything.  All we saw were 4-5 caribou, an old house with some dog houses for the sled dogs and a couple Dall Sheep on a mountain top you needed a 10x spotting scope to see.  I bet the full day would be the one to take if you want to see the wildlife and scenery and should we go back, we'll do that one.

There is also a train ride from Skagway you can take.  It's called the White Pass and Yukon Rail which travels up and back.  Once again, people ranted and raved about it but for what it cost, we were not that impressed.  You can see just as majestic views from the ship.

We had more fun getting into the towns, strolling around and finding a little local bars and hanging out with the locals.  You can see all the whales, seals, eagles and otters from the ship.  Like McKdaddy said, seen one whale you've seen them all and after seeing several hundred, how many more do you want to see.  As I said, I enjoyed setting on my balcony watching the stuff go by.

[iluvmyslute89]

20 yr anniversary in July and the Mrs wants an Alaskan cruise. 1st time cruisers looking for advice....what to do, and what to avoid. Budget minded and will probably just get an interior room to save money for excursions. Any suggestions for cruise lines, ships would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

you could always go to cozumel. I went and had a great time. good beer, good food, tons of tourist attractions and scuba diving in beautiful crystal clear water. just don't touch the coral reefs. the mexican scuba instructor isn't lying when he says they are razor sharp.

[BR]

20 yr anniversary in July and the Mrs wants an Alaskan cruise. 1st time cruisers looking for advice....what to do, and what to avoid. Budget minded and will probably just get an interior room to save money for excursions. Any suggestions for cruise lines, ships would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

On our Inner Passage cruise,our Bar bill was over $800. Try to sneak a bottle or 4 on... Had a great time...

[Boarcephus]

On our Inner Passage cruise,our Bar bill was over $800. Try to sneak a bottle or 4 on... Had a great time...

Princess Cruise Line will look the other way regarding alcohol. They figure if you pony up the cash to take an Alaskan trip you can smuggle on what you want.  Now those cheap sob's in the Caribbean will go through you luggage to find a half pint of cheap whiskey and take it from you.

[SuckingSow]

you could always go to cozumel. I went and had a great time. good beer, good food, tons of tourist attractions and scuba diving in beautiful crystal clear water. just don't touch the coral reefs. the mexican scuba instructor isn't lying when he says they are razor sharp.

We did Cozumel for the 16 yr and had a blast!

I'm not a drinker, but my research has found that Norwiegan and Royal Carribean will allow you to bring a couple of bottles of wine with you...they just charge you a $20 corking fee. Lol

You can also bring your own cola and bottled water on board. Who knew?  Well, obviously me since I've never been before.

[McKdaddy]

I enjoyed setting on my balcony watching the stuff go by.

The balcony is the good life. We do lots of reading, relaxing, eating (usually breakfast) out there, especially on the warmer weather cruises.

[OakTreeHawg]

Just one excursion for us, the train at Skagway.  On our own we did Mendenhall Glacier and town tour at Juneau.  National Park Service guided walking tour at Skagway was free.  Ketchican was Lumberjack Show, funicle (sp?) (cable car) ride, SE Alaska museum, and city walking tour.

[Boarcephus]

The balcony is the good life. We do lots of reading, relaxing, eating (usually breakfast) out there, especially on the warmer weather cruises.

We like the balcony to get away from the crowds you find on the larger ships.  I'm not sure what the up charge is to get a balcony on the Alaskan trip but I'd pay it if there was anyway possible.

If you've ever had the opportunity to take the smaller, all inclusive lines, the crowds are not the problem they are on the mega ships.  There is a huge difference when you share a ship with 400 people as opposed to 3000.  Big difference in price as well but if you go as seldom as we do, it's nice to swing it if you can.

[McKdaddy]

We've never been on a true mega ship. Our various cruises have been on ships between 45k - 90k tonnage. Nor have we been on any of the smaller, more luxurious lines, like Windstar (my parents' preference). But we've always had a balcony. A must.

[SuckingSow]

Just booked a cruisetour to include the 2 nights in Denali. Looking forward to it.

[iluvmyslute89]

We did Cozumel for the 16 yr and had a blast!

I'm not a drinker, but my research has found that Norwiegan and Royal Carribean will allow you to bring a couple of bottles of wine with you...they just charge you a $20 corking fee. Lol

You can also bring your own cola and bottled water on board. Who knew?  Well, obviously me since I've never been before.

hell yeah, bro! little secret-
1.buy a 12 or 24 pack of bottled waters.
2.carefully remove and dump a few bottled waters without damaging the plastic wrapping of the package
3.replace these emptied bottles with gin, pga, or vodka.
4.replace in the pack of bottle waters.
5.board the boat with pack of bottled waters.

this should cut down on your alcohol expenditure considerably.enjoy your trip to denali! feel free to post pictures of any beautiful scenery/ wildlife you encounter! :razorback:

[Boarcephus]

You do realize there are weight restrictions on your luggage, correct?  Not sure I want to stick 10-15 pounds of water in my suitcases when you're only allowed about 50 pounds per suitcase.

If you want to smuggle booze on board, get you a couple large bottles of mouthwash, wash them out, let them dry and fill them full of Jack Daniels and you're good to go.

[SuckingSow]

Back from the cruise last week and wanted to give an  update.

We booked a northbound cruise out of Vancouver on Norweigan Cruise Lines on the Norweigan Sun.  We considered Holland, Princess and Celebrity as these were departing near our preferred times, but went with NCL mostly because of price.  We booked an inside stateroom and have no regrets.  While a balcony would have been nice, I found that sailing through the inside passage that there was enough beautiful scenery on both sides of the ship, and staying on a balcony would have probably kept me from exploring more and seeing more.  It would have been nice to have a balcony, however.   One of our favorite places to hang out was the observation lounge where we had great views of the front and both sides of the ship.  During the evening, they had musicians that performed that we enjoyed.

Our ports were Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway.  The weather in all the ports was nice, but according to the locals, a little warmer than usual.  They told us the temp was 15-20 degrees warmer than normal, and the warmest day was about 82.  I thought it was very pleasant.

We did not book any excursions throught the cruise lines.  We took a floatplane tour into Misty Fjords in Ketchikan.  We booked this through Island Wings (I found through internet searching) and would recommend this outfit. Our pilot took us back into the fjords, landed us on a mountain lake, and let us get out under some bluffs and a small water fall for about 30 minutes, before taking off again.  Highly recommend this excursion.  We explored Ketchikan on our own and had a great day.

In Juneau, we took a shuttle bus to the Mendenhall Glacier and hiked some of the trails around there.  Again beautiful weather, but warm.  Took the Mt. Roberts tram to the top of the mountain near the docks and hiked the trails up there too.  Flies were awful that day.

In Skagway, we took a zodiak boat tour with Ocean Raft Alaska (Oceanraftalaska.com)  Again, warm and sunny skies and we got to see some nice waterfalls, seals, bald eagles, but no whales.

Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier were magnificient.  It was difficult to comprehend how big these things are even when looking at them.  I'll post some pics later.

After the cruise, we took a shuttle to Anchorage where we had reserved a car for a one-way rental to Fairbanks.  We spent 2 nights in a cabin in Healey (just a few miles north of Denali National Park).  We took the 8hr bus tour into Denali.  Got to see moose, caribou, dall sheep, a golden eagle, and a grizzly --- none too close, but pretty cool to see.  I thought the trip was a little pricey, and if I was to go again, I would just pay for the hiker shuttle bus (which is significantly cheaper) and shuttle farther into the park, get out and hike, and catch a shuttle back when I wanted.  8 hrs on a school bus over a dirt road was a little long.

Denali (Mt McKinley) was mostly visible and was impressive.  Only 30% of the people are able to see the entire mountain when they visit.  I've got some pics that I can almost see both peaks, but I'm not sure I joined the 30% club.

Had a guy come up to me in a restaurant in Healey, (I had my Hog hat on) and said he attneded the UofA was from a small town near Hot Springs.  Was up there working for the summer.  Saw an elderly couple  in Denali who had driven up from SE Arkansas and was out for a long drive...no schedule to keep.  How cool is that?

After leaving Healey, we drove up to Fairbanks, visited North Pole AK, and then took the train from Fairbanks to Anchorage.  We booked with Alaska Railroad on the Denali Star.  It was a neat change of pace as far as travel was, but it was 12 hrs long.  There were a couple of moose seen from the train, and at times, beautiful scenery.  Glad we took it, but not sure I would do that length of ride again.

All in all, it was a great trip and a great way to celebrate our 20yr anniversay.  We would like to go again and take the kids next time.  If I was to change anything, I would have taken a couple of extra days in Vancouver (I never seen the number of Lamborghini's, Ferrari's, and Mercedes as I did in this city...there's some money there) to explore.  I would take the shuttle bus instead of the tour bus in Denali, and I would have a couple of more days to relax following my return home before heading back to work.  I highly recommend Alaska!

[McKdaddy]

I highly recommend Alaska!

[DLUXHOG]

Haven't done it but likewise am considering doing it soon.   Have received a lot of advice to do the cruise 1-way and fly back from Alaska......

[AnonymousHog]

If you go to Skagway you must take the train ride there.  It's on the higher end of the excursion but it's great!  We went from Seattle and came back to seattle.  Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway were great!

[AnonymousHog]

Also depending on the time of year you go you WILL NOT want a balcony.  May or September you'd be miserable on it.

[Boarcephus]

Also depending on the time of year you go you WILL NOT want a balcony.  May or September you'd be miserable on it.

I want one no matter what time of the year it is.  I'll sit in a chair, wrap up in a blanket, fix a toddie and watch one picturesque view after another pass by.

[Old Tusk]

In June, we went on the Un-Cruise line. They have a fleet of very small ships or big boats. The boat we were on has a max of 72 pax. There were 48 pax on our cruise. They can go were the big ships can not. Also if say a breaching whale shows up, they pull over to it and watch the show. Every day there was kayaking, hiking, and skiff boat tours. Three guides were on board and all were marine biologist. Another example, when sea lions on Brothers island, they put the skiffs into the water, an off we went for an up close look. At Dawes Glacier we took the skiff up to the glacier and the seals were calving on the ice chunks. My wife took over 9 thousand pictures. But perhaps the best part was a week without internet or cell phones.

[McKdaddy]

I want one no matter what time of the year it is.  I'll sit in a chair, wrap up in a blanket, fix a toddie and watch one picturesque view after another pass by.

This. A little Bailey's and Kahlua in my coffee, and I'm good.

[AnonymousHog]

I want one no matter what time of the year it is.  I'll sit in a chair, wrap up in a blanket, fix a toddie and watch one picturesque view after another pass by.

Trust me I'm very hot nature and I was on the deck during the scenic cruising and had a blanket it and froze my butt off.  I went in May.