Alaskan Cruise Advice

[7upstang]

Has anyone been on an Alaskan Cruise that could offer advice or their experience?

Looking to take a Honeymoon Alaskan Cruise at the end of June. Really trying to figure out which type of cruise to take just Sea or Land and Sea. Just trying to find out if it's worth the extra money to spend 3 days on land. We have spent time looking at options and considering other's opinions. Currently, our thoughts are a 7 day cruise with a balcony(I've read mixed reviews) however, we would be willing to sacrifice the balcony for an extended say or do some of the bigger excursions. Trying to keep with some what of a budget. We aren't drinkers, so that will help.

Basically looking for any advice on the type of cruise, cruise line and excursions. Any do's and don'ts of Alaska would be fantastic!

*We have both done a ton of cruises and have had balconies before*

 

[ford fanatic]

I haven't done the cruise, but I've been to Alaska twice. I would definitely do the land and sea...

 

[bgoose99]

I've been on several cruises, though none of them have been to Alaska, so take this with a grain of salt.

To me, the balcony is a must. Lots of stuff to do on the boat, but having some quiet time away from everybody else can be difficult. For me, once I had a room with a balcony, I was spoiled.

 

[ford fanatic]

I've been on several cruises, though none of them have been to Alaska, so take this with a grain of salt.

To me, the balcony is a must. Lots of stuff to do on the boat, but having some quiet time away from everybody else can be difficult. For me, once I had a room with a balcony, I was spoiled.

I agree, but we've been on cruises where we sacrificed the cost of a balcony ($1800), and it was enough to pay for another cruise...

 

[7upstang]

I've been on several cruises, though none of them have been to Alaska, so take this with a grain of salt.

To me, the balcony is a must. Lots of stuff to do on the boat, but having some quiet time away from everybody else can be difficult. For me, once I had a room with a balcony, I was spoiled.

I agree, but we've been on cruises where we sacrificed the cost of a balcony ($1800), and it was enough to pay for another cruise...

Why I don't disagree with you guys, I've had balconies before. Probably spent less that a couple hours on them over the time. Plus from what I've read, a majority of people have told me to just go to the top of the ship. Plus it would be cold anyways, we would have to get dressed (warm gear) to go on a balcony anyways.

 

[ford fanatic]

Why I don't disagree with you guys, I've had balconies before. Probably spent less that a couple hours on them over the time. Plus from what I've read, a majority of people have told me to just go to the top of the ship. Plus it would be cold anyways, we would have to get dressed (warm gear) to go on a balcony anyways.

This was thirty years ago, but we were there in June both trips, there were times where we wore shorts and T-shirts...

 

[SID297]

Everytime I have been on a cruise we basically used the room as a locker. We hardly spent any time in there. While a balcony would have been nice, we probably wouldn't have used it. I refuse to stay in an interior room with no window though.

 

[nxhappy]

I don't like th balcony rooms. In fact I prefer the inside cabins. I love to sleep in pitch black LOL.

Most of the cruises will leave out of washington or canada. You might start in WA and end in Canada, or vise versa. Definitely go on the longest cruise possible, 8 days or more. I like NCL cruise lines. Princess is also good, as well as Royal Caribbean. All the stops are going to be real nice so destination is up to you. Lots of scenic and nature things to do. Lots of history. You will love it for sure.

 

[AustinSN]

Last time I was on a cruise we had an inboard room, I felt so cramped in there, just a window would have made me feel better.

I really don't like being around other people so occasionally I wanted to get away from everyone and relax. A balcony or even a window would have made that much easier.

 

[venmos1]

I have never been on a cruise, but everything i read is positive. I have however been to alaska. I worked up there for 4 months right after college in 2004 on commercial fishing boats. I was stationed out of Anchorage. Alaska is unreal. There are kinda 2 ways to look at it. If i were to go back, i would save around $10k and do everything while im there. There is so much to do (depends on location as well). Im outdoorsy so its right up my alley. For some the sights from the boat may be enough. So depends on what you want.
On the other hand, 3 days on land may not be enough to do much. Its a big state, and travel can be extensive. For my visit, Anchorage was cool to experience. But the outdoors is where its at. I was able to go on a whale watch out of seward (south of Anchorage) which is a great fishing town. the whale watch was amazing. Almost like the animals were trained for it. We had humpbacks breaching at the side of the boat and feeding in front of us.
The glaciers are amazing as well. The near 24 hour light in the summer is crazy. Weather was perfect in the summer as well.

To me, pics and videos just doesnt do Alaska justice. Its definitely a trip of a lifetime. Definitely a bucket list item for outdoors people. My advice would be do as much as your time and wallet allows. Wont be disappointed. And take lots of pics!

 

[barstowpo]

I went on an Alaska cruise a few years ago. I had a balcony and really enjoyed it. Since the sun is up until almost 11PM around that time of year, we were in our room at times and could still enjoy the views. It was really nice to pass by the glaciers avoiding the crowds at the railings. We did several shore excursions and would recommend them. Helicopter to the glacier and horseback riding in Scagway as well as the train along the Yukon trail. Spending time on land would have been cool too but we got our taste of that through the excursions.

 

[ford fanatic]

To me, pics and videos just doesnt do Alaska justice. Its definitely a trip of a lifetime. Definitely a bucket list item for outdoors people. My advice would be do as much as your time and wallet allows. Wont be disappointed. And take lots of pics!

This.

I've been twice for a total of 5 weeks, still not enough time. I want to take my wife back, but I'm not going for any less than 10-14 days, you need every bit of it plus some.

I did get to do some salmon fishing on the Kenai River, got an 87Lb king. Also got to do some Halibut fishing in the Gulf of Alaska. I also stood at the dock in Valdez just 2 years before the oil spill..

 

[nxhappy]

We took a puddle jumper and flew in the misty fjords mountains.....it was a lifetime experience for sure

 

[BrunotheBoxer]

When I did my Alaska cruise I used princess.

We had two weeks one for land and one for sea. Do the land first because the sea is more relaxing but you've got to do both. Also the balcony for an Alaskan cruise is a must.

 

[oldstv]

When we went "26 years ago" on Holland American and i felt like i was the youngest adult on the ship. Now in my 50s i would fit right in....man time flies. As mentioned already, i feel like I had enough land experience for our trip while doing the excursions and if on a budget I would suggest spending the balcony money on those. While we were on the ship "June" it was not warm enough or sunny enough to warrant the balcony for me, being from the south.
I would like to return someday and do a trip on land for about a week.

 

[Dobedare]

I just did a 2 week trip to Alaska at the end of August. My friend is a travel agent who put the trip together.

The first week was a cruise on Royal Caribbean, then we then did a land tour for a week. The TA put this together rather than using the cruise line. We all felt this was a much better experience because it was more personalized and cheaper. For the cruise, the TA advised us to initially reserve an inside cabin room, and about 2 months before the cruise, we were offered an upgrade to a balcony room for $180.

I am not a fan of cruises, but we were literally in different port, with a different activity almost every day, so I found it tolerable. Not much time was spent on the ship, so I am glad we didn't pay more than $180 for the upgrade. A lot of those activities had us off the ship at 6:00 am

After the trip, the majority of the group thought the land portion was the best and we could easily go back for another 2 week trip.

I did a helicopter icefield excursion in Juneau. This was amazing – pricey ($300 pp) but well worth it. We took off in a small heli, the pilot and 5 other passengers. The heli landed on Herbert glacier, we were given special boots that allowed us to walk around and see the glacier. Most tours from the cruise lines go to Mendenhall Glacier and the groups are much larger.

Went white water rafting – pretty unique experience.

One day in Denali – absolutely wish we had done a couple of days there.

Whale watching was amazing. FYI – the boats are not supposed to get too close to the whales, so don’t expect the guide to try getting closer.

Northern Lights – all of the hotels we stayed in would give you a call to let you know if the lights were visible – you just had to ask.

Check out G-Adventures for their Alaska tours. A great tour company - with a little more unique experiences. Did a trip to Transylvania for Halloween with them last year, and will be doing the Iceland trip with them next year.