Thread: Alaska Cruise 2011

When we were looking into our Alaskan cruise, we had already decided to do a round trip instead of an one-way as we were taking Amtrak to get to our embarkation port (which wouldn't be easy if we were sailing out of Anchorage) and we knew our 7-yr-old would be all-scenic out at that point. Another must was a ship with a self-service laundry because of our 36-hr-plus train trip up to Seattle and a pre-cruise stay there.

That narrowed down the ships. Some people also look at where each ship would be on each day (you can check out the port's websites for their cruise calendar or go on one of the few websites that list this info).

We were between Princess and HAL, which both have a great reputation for Alaska, including having a naturalist onboard during the glacier viewing (when each passenger will be up on either their balcony or on deck as this is a not-to-be-missed part of any Alaskan cruise). We finally went with Princess as we had enjoyed our first Princess cruise the year before.

So go on which type of cruise (Inside Passage or one-way) first. Then if there's a deal breaker element, consider that. Most likely, you'll pick the right ship and have an incredible time.

Originally Posted by freakcruiser

Adding on to the previous post I made:

It is true, some balcony staterooms can be seen from above, and in some cases, below. I believe Coral Princess and Island Princess have cabins that extend from the others, and can be seen from above. And when booking, to know where your cabin is exactly, your best bet is to look at the deck plans and maybe photos of the cabin you are looking at.

Curtis

Yep, there's a great site at Coral and Island Princess Balconies that shows you how the balconies work on the Coral and Island Princess.

We used that site to choose a covered balcony, in case the weather was bad, we thought the covered balcony would afford some protection for sightseeing even in the rain. In some cases, there are no balcony rooms directly above you, but one to the side can look right into the balcony. Here's an example of that kind of detail on that site:

That's a good link to remember for those Princess ships! Thanks!
Does this site have any of the other ships detailed?

Allow me a couple/three observations.

Alaska is such a glorious place! It's also a destination where many of us won't go more than once! In light of that, I strongly suggest investigating the many cruise & tour offerings wherein you can do a week or so in Alaska's interior as well as a week or so along its "Inner Passage."

My very, very personal recommendation is to look at Holland America (HAL) tour/cruise offerings closely. HAL has offered tour/cruise packages for something like 60 years; they know the business exceedingly well! That said, don't flinch from considering offerings from other lines! Princess, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean provide very fine packages, too!

If you can swing a 13- to 14-day tour and cruise, do so! In my view, always take the land portion first, then end up in the comfort of a luxurious cruise ship! This is primarily because your land portion will undoubtedly call for at least a couple of long days, even beginning early, early (that is, as early as 4:00am). I met folks going the other way who were absolutely exhausted at the end of their land portion; they wished fervently that they'd done the land first!

And, if at all possible, I'd look at a later time than mid-May. I did the first couple of weeks in June and ran into several uncomfortably chilly days with limited visibility,etc.!! True, mid-May will offer you lower prices, but I urge you to consider later, as I think you'll get more for your dollar!

'nuff said!

SWR

Originally Posted by SamanthaH

Hello, I am searching for info on an Alaska Cruise. any and all info will be great!
Current plans are for May 2011, there will be only be 2 of us. The only thing I know for sure about the ship is we will want a balcony. Retiring this year so can travel anytime! FINALLY! LOL I have read many reviews and everytime I think thats a good cruise line I read another review saying negative things. We will prob fly to Seattle or Vancover, not sure yet so if anyone has a good cruise line and even the cabin # to suggest I will appreciate it.

I am cruising with my family, 12 of us in May 2011 also. We will be on the NCL STAR May 21-28 headed to Alaska

You guys are so helpful! Thank you for all the ideas to consider, I believe its going to be a long process with so many decisions and choices. Just wanna make the right ones for a good memory! Thanks again!

Originally Posted by SamanthaH

You guys are so helpful! Just wanna make the right ones for a good memory! Thanks again!

Sam.. you are so welcome...I am sure you will have the best time ever...

Another good choice is Celebrity Infinity. We are on a round trip out of Seattle. It's 10 days and stops in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Hubbard Glacier (cruising), Icy Strait Point, sails the inside passage, and a stop in Victoria, British Columbia before returning to Seattle.

We're making it a really nice vacation since we will also be on the cruise before it which starts off in Ft. Lauderdale, through the Panama Canal, then on to Seattle.

Garry