Thread: Alaska Cruise Newbie: Please help

I just joined this forum and I am excited to be here.

I am looking for some basic info on an Alaskan cruise. I will be travelling with my husband and son. My son will be about 3-3 1/2 years old when we take this trip on 2009. We do want to see the glaciers and we like dining well, especially buffets. Family friendly cruise ships would be great, but I am not sure what's out there.

Some questions:

1) When is the optimal time to go? Optimal in terms of climate, rates, etc...

2) What cruise line would you recommend and why?

3) What length of time?

4) What itinerary do you suggest? Any stops anywhere?

Forgive me for these questions, but I really don't know where to start.

Thanks!

Well I'm a big fan of doing a land tour then a cruise. If you son loves trains then that would be awesome for him. Try and start as far up as Fairbanks (you can go to the Santa Claus houe in North Pole, Alaska) and work your way down to the ship.

I've cruised Alaska twice and both on Princess and at different times of the season. I prefer the end of the season (late Aug early Sept). More kids will be on in July and Royal Caribbean, Princess and Carnival have great kids programs.

You'll see more glaciers if you do a 1 way cruise (like from Anchorage to Vancouver or the reverse).

Any other questions just ask!

Welcome to CLF!!

I never recommend taking a child that young on a land tour. The long hours on the buses can be hard even on adults.

For a first cruise and to keep expenses down I would do a round trip out of Vancouver. The reason why I suggest Vancouver -- the inside passage is beautiful. And the seas are calmer than cruises out of Seattle which sail out into the Pacific before getting to the Alaskan ports.

We have done quite a few Alaskan cruises -- May through Sepember. May and September are cheaper but they tend to have cooler temperatures and more rain.

We much prefer the end of June and all of July.

Try to select an itinerary that includes Skagway -- the White Pass Railroad is fantastic -- beautiful scenery and a 3 1/2 year old will love it!!

First, talk to an agent who's been there and done that! Obviously, I'm prejudice on the matter, but an agent can be invaluable to assisting you with your plans.

Second, you're going to get as many answers to your questions as there are people. And what is perfect for one is a nightmare for another. So spend your time researching so you can find something that is right for you based on your lifestyle, budget, itinerary, etc.

There are basically two ways to cruise Alaska; a roundtrip cruise from Seattle or Vancouver is the most popular for 7-night cruisers who just want a cruise. The other type is a one-way cruise either northbound or southbound. This is popular for those who want to spend a few days touring around Alaska and seeing such places as Anchorage, Denali, etc.

With the many options and decisions to be made, you really do need to talk to an agent. Don't talk to the cruise lines as they are only going to tell you about what they have to offer and won't help you compare the options.

Now, with all that said, you'll find that Holland America has the biggest presence in Alaska, with Princess in second, RCCL/Celebrity in third, and Carnival & NCL in fourth. And, if money is not an object, look at the small ships such as Cruise West. Each will give you a different experience at a different price.

Depending on where you live, check out airfare because it may have an influence on your decisions; is it cheaper to fly roundtrip to Seattle or Vancouver versus how much to fly into Vancouver and out of Anchorage? And so on.

Many choices. But cruising Alaska is amazing and something everyone should do at least once!

Pete

N 2 CLF, .

Thanks! Keep your input coming! This is a great start!

Originally Posted by Girl Friday

I just joined this forum and I am excited to be here.

I am looking for some basic info on an Alaskan cruise. I will be travelling with my husband and son. My son will be about 3-3 1/2 years old when we take this trip on 2009. We do want to see the glaciers and we like dining well, especially buffets. Family friendly cruise ships would be great, but I am not sure what's out there.

Some questions:

1) When is the optimal time to go? Optimal in terms of climate, rates, etc...

2) What cruise line would you recommend and why?

3) What length of time?

4) What itinerary do you suggest? Any stops anywhere?

Forgive me for these questions, but I really don't know where to start.

Thanks!

As the others have said, the price will be much less at the beginning or the end of the season (which runs early May to late September, more or less a couple of weeks). Most of the cruises are seven days long, a few are ten days or longer (I know that Princess has a two week one on one of the smaller ships, which probably won't have much of a kids' program). As more kids get out of school, the prices go up.

One consideration is whether you want to do an one-way (northbound or southbound) or a roundtrip (the Inside Passage ones, that will either start/stop in Seattle or Vancouver. The Seattle cruise includes a stop in Victoria). So if airfare is a major problem, and you're not planning on doing a cruisetour, then the round trip will probably be best. If you want to do a cruisetour, then the one-way will be best.

Princess (the one that I'm familiar with) has a great children's program. The younger group is the Pelicans, and some of the arts and crafts they do, are science-oriented ones that are related to the itinerary. My daughter made a model of a glacier and of the solar system. But this science program is often just offered when there are plenty of kids onboard. During the glacier cruising, Princess has a naturalist onboard who narrates the action over the PA. Everyone is up, no matter what time (it started around 6am on our cruise), and either on their balcony or on the deck. It's undescribable.

I think many of the other cruiselines also have an Alaskan expert onboard to narrate the glacier cruising.

We went on 2 Alaskan Cruises, both with Celebrity. Fabulous !! They have some of the newest train cars & the ships that do Alaska are beautiful. One time was just a cruise & the second time was the cruisetour.

We did the 7 night cruise, then did 1 ngt. in Anchorage, 1 ngt. in Talkeeta, 1 ngt. in Denali & 2 ngts. in Fairbanks. What a wonderful trip. The hotels & the transportation are priced with the cruisetour. They also include various excursions in the price. You will have the opportunity to eat on the train which is extra. We took the train to each destination. One day it was morning, one day afternoon & one day evening. That way we got to have breakfast, lunch & dinner on the train. The food on the train is fantastic.

Both times our trip was the end of June. It was beautiful weather, but I'm sure May would also be great. We had a balcony & you won't be sorry. Just have some warm clothes & take your binoculars.