Hello all wise and almighty board members. Does anyone have any Alaskan Cruise experiences that you would recommend? Thank you!
Alaskan Cruises
- Thread starter Alphalion75
- Start date
Did the Inside Passage out of Vancouver with Princess in 2008. (Wow. Almost 20 years ago.) We combined it with a land tour to the Princess lodges at Copper River, Denali & Fairbanks. It was an unforgettable experience.
I think Princess and Holland America are the only major cruise lines permitted to cruise Glacier Bay. I hope someone can correct me if wrong.
Check out some of the many cruise videos on YouTube for recommendations.
I think Princess and Holland America are the only major cruise lines permitted to cruise Glacier Bay. I hope someone can correct me if wrong.
Check out some of the many cruise videos on YouTube for recommendations.
We did a Norwegian (oops) Princess cruise out of Seattle in 2024. They are able to go further into Glacier Bay than most cruises. Plus the drink package is included!
Sister and BIL lived in Anchorage for several years. My family visited twice.
Their recommendation is NOT to take a cruise. Fly into Anchorage and rent an RV. They owned one and we took that to places we wanted to see. Will take more planning on your part, but you’ll see what you want to see on your time schedule.
In 2015 we talked with a person while walking a trail from a dog training facility back to the visitor’s center in Denali. He was upset he had limited time to see other sites as the schedule required them to be back on the bus/train in short time.
Seward boat trip to see wildlife.
Fishing charter out of both Seward (my son experienced whales breaching on this trip) and Homer. Met Jonathon from Time Bandit on the Spit.
Denali bus ride.
Very nice waterfowl park outside of Anchorage.
If you like climbing, Flat Top in Anchorage.
We never made it to Fairbanks or Juneau as sister was in Anchorage and that was our starting point.
Their recommendation is NOT to take a cruise. Fly into Anchorage and rent an RV. They owned one and we took that to places we wanted to see. Will take more planning on your part, but you’ll see what you want to see on your time schedule.
In 2015 we talked with a person while walking a trail from a dog training facility back to the visitor’s center in Denali. He was upset he had limited time to see other sites as the schedule required them to be back on the bus/train in short time.
Seward boat trip to see wildlife.
Fishing charter out of both Seward (my son experienced whales breaching on this trip) and Homer. Met Jonathon from Time Bandit on the Spit.
Denali bus ride.
Very nice waterfowl park outside of Anchorage.
If you like climbing, Flat Top in Anchorage.
We never made it to Fairbanks or Juneau as sister was in Anchorage and that was our starting point.
An alternative to a cruise is to take the Alaska Ferry to Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, and the Tongass N.F. I've never done it and don't know anyone who has but it might be worth looking into if you want to use OhioLion's plan but see the Alaska panhandle.
Princess Cruise Sept. 2024 through the Inner Passage. Sunday - Sunday, basically 7 days. I'm not a big cruise person, I'm more interested in the excursions and scenery. We flew to and sailed out of Seattle from Baltimore and spent a day ahead of the cruise in Seattle. (some good, some bad there, did touristy stuff, but interesting and fun overall). Timed it around my birthday, but also for a PSU open week and the Kent State game, so didn't miss anything PSU football-wise.
The cruise hit the ports of Skagway, Ketchikan, and Juneau, and came back through Vancouver on the last night. Those small towns/cities were fascinating and interesting to see and experience.
The excursions were tremendous. Lots of opportunity for varying degrees of activity while on the excursions. The cruise lines offer so many options, it's hard to narrow down what to actually do. The good news is, for us anyway, that you really could not go wrong regardless of what you chose. Wifey and I even chose a different excursion, and enjoyed comparing notes and photos about the separate experiences.
The scenery is incredible - I got a new and improved definition for "rugged" by doing that cruise. I'm kind of a "been there, done that" guy, so I wouldn't necessarily go back through the Inner Passage. But it made me add another trip to Alaska to my wish list, especially Denali and other areas in the heart of Alaska.
Onboard was great, of course. I think most all cruise lines are very good with the customer experience for food and drinks and entertainment.
It also solidified my future trips list for a trip to the Canadian Rockies, including Banff, probably by rail.
You and family need to pick whatever line and packages work best for you, so I'm hesitant to recommend anything specifically. But I will say that we didn't make great use of the drinks package buy-up, and did not make use of some add-on to the food experience we added (I can't even remember what it was). We still ate very well and drank our share, but they probably made some easy money on us from those two things. The excitement of planning the trip probably lead to some over-enthusiasm for all those extras. Money is better spent on excursions, imo.
My recommendation is to definitely go, but to not get too hung up on which excursions you end up choosing. I believe you can't go wrong on those.
I've done both and suggest both (cruise and rental vehicle on separate trips). I worked in Alaska for two summers in college. I wanted to take family and revisit places where I worked. Flew to Anchorage rented a car for a day or two. Drove to Seward, beautiful drive. Then took train from Anchorage thru Denali (two nights there to visit the park and King's sled dog operation). Train on to Fairbanks. Visited for a day or two and then rented a car and drove to Tok. Went from Tok thru Chicken to Dawson City. (rental car company said don't drive on gravel roads, be careful). Road to Dawson City (top of the world highway) is gravel but fantastic drive and Dawson City and gold fields well worth the risk of driving. Back to Tok and Anchorage to fly home. Took over 1,000 pictures.
Inside passage on Celebrity was also great, railroad trip to Chilkoot Trail was great.
Both trips were the best ever.
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Did Celebrity out of Seattle about 10 years ago. Was almost 90 degrees in some of the Alaskan ports. Loved taking the helicopter excursion to dog sled. That was a lot of fun. The cruised really helped impress upon me the vastness of the west coast and Alaskan forests. Glacier Bay with the blue iridescent colors and the loud cracks of the ice was something pictures or videos cannot do justice.
May-June 2022 did two nites in Vancouver and then Viking from Vancouver to Seward. It was 10-11 nite cruise, We are not the biggest cruise fans, but figured it was the best way to see a lot of Alaska for the first time. Did not want to be on one of the monster ships, Viking sea vessels are around 900 passengers, So were able to easily dock in some ports that the monsters cannot, spent good part of a day in Glacier Bay. Viking is first class all the way, an excursion included in each port that are pretty well done, but lots of other excursion pay options. Yes, it is an older crowd, in fact our son's 25+23 at the time were the youngest passengers on board. We had a fantastic memorable trip. Walked a total of 110 miles during the two week trip.
We thought so much of Viking that did a Rhine river trip later in 2022, and June of this year are doing Mediterranean viking cruise.
Enjoy!
We thought so much of Viking that did a Rhine river trip later in 2022, and June of this year are doing Mediterranean viking cruise.
Enjoy!
We did a Disney cruise of the inner passage a few years back. Excellent for those with kids. I think ours were maybe 15 and 13 at the time. Disney does a great job in matching families with kids of similar ages -- we were seated with a family with kids of similar ages the first night or two, the kids made friends instantly and spent much of the trip hanging with those friends (giving mom and dad some free time.)
The excursions were excellent as was the food.
The excursions were excellent as was the food.
Did one would never do another one. But it's about individual likes and interests.
We ended up doing a 2nd Alaskan cruise because we enjoyed the first one so much. We book all our excursions through https://www.ventureashore.com/. Similar trips and pricing, but more personal. Our whale watching trip at Icey Straight Point was 6 people vs the 150 or more on the ship's excursion. I think more relaxing than some of the other cruises.
Note: I think Venture Ashore is under new ownership since we last used them. Not sure of the quality now.
Note: I think Venture Ashore is under new ownership since we last used them. Not sure of the quality now.
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I did this exact same cruise about 7-8 years ago. It was great!
- Saw salmon spawning and wild brown bears roaming at a preserve in Ketchikan
- Went whale watching from Juneau, got up close to a glacier, and did a short hike
- Took bus tour from Skagway to the Yukon territory, stopped at a fun ranch with sled dogs (Caribou Crossing)
The cruise captain went up one inlet to a glacier, and was spinning the entire cruise ship around in 360s (not fast) so everyone could get good views of the glacier.
I came back to Alaska a couple years later, not on a cruise. Flew to Anchorage, hiked Matanuska glacier, drove to Denali (stopped in Talkeetna). Amazing trip, even better than the cruise.
We took a Princess cruise back in 2005 or 2006 from Vancouver to Anchorage and then the train to Fairbanks and flew home from there.
My first suggestion is to start in Fairbanks and take the train to Anchorage. Then cruise south from there. The train trip is not as relaxing as the cruise. So, do "our" trip in reverse. Maybe show up a day early in Fairbanks. We took a mail flight to North of the Artic Circle (just to say I've been there). There are other things to do as well.
There were lots of stops on the train with excursions similar to cruise excursions. We liked looking for wildlife and saw lots (moose, grizzly bears, black bears, porcupine, goats, caribou, etc.)
As otheres suggested, go whale watching for sure. We saw a bunch of humpbacks, but no orcas. They do not get along, so you probably will not see both on the same day.
I went snorkeling and it was neat. Not as colorful as Caribbean snorkeling, but neat.
On all cruises, I tell everyone to "splurge" and get a balcony room. However for and Alaska cruise this would be a requirement for me.
Enjoy! and travel safe.
My first suggestion is to start in Fairbanks and take the train to Anchorage. Then cruise south from there. The train trip is not as relaxing as the cruise. So, do "our" trip in reverse. Maybe show up a day early in Fairbanks. We took a mail flight to North of the Artic Circle (just to say I've been there). There are other things to do as well.
There were lots of stops on the train with excursions similar to cruise excursions. We liked looking for wildlife and saw lots (moose, grizzly bears, black bears, porcupine, goats, caribou, etc.)
As otheres suggested, go whale watching for sure. We saw a bunch of humpbacks, but no orcas. They do not get along, so you probably will not see both on the same day.
I went snorkeling and it was neat. Not as colorful as Caribbean snorkeling, but neat.
On all cruises, I tell everyone to "splurge" and get a balcony room. However for and Alaska cruise this would be a requirement for me.
Enjoy! and travel safe.
We did Disney a few years back, although I hear Princess is the way to go as they’ve been doing Alaska the longest and have the best options.There is a Deadliest Catch tour in Ketchikan that is awesome and I highly recommend it. https://alaskacrabtour.com/
We did the Inner Passage in 2011 with daughters (14 &12), and grandma. Everyone loved it. Get a balcony cabin so you get nonstop views from the comfort of your room.
We did the train to White Pass & Yukon Railroad in Skagway (scenic), Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau (educational), and Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan (fun).
The Lumberjacks put on a great show. Afterwards the guys take pix with the kids. One of the lumberjacks said to my daughter who was wearing a PSU shirt, “Hey, Penn State. I’m from New Jersey.” Kind of ruined the moment finding out the lumberjack was from Jersey.
We did the train to White Pass & Yukon Railroad in Skagway (scenic), Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau (educational), and Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan (fun).
The Lumberjacks put on a great show. Afterwards the guys take pix with the kids. One of the lumberjacks said to my daughter who was wearing a PSU shirt, “Hey, Penn State. I’m from New Jersey.” Kind of ruined the moment finding out the lumberjack was from Jersey.
We did the cruise that those who live in Alaska do. Took the 8 hour long ferry from Whittier to Valdez. In the summer they had a park naturalist on the ferry who pointed out the whales, sea otters, etc. The ferry took you into one of the fjords so you could see a glacier up close and personal. The “luxury” auto train to Whittier was interesting, too. Just drive your car onto a flat bed and that’s how you take the 45 minute journey to Whittier. We did that in the late 90’s so I don’t know if it’s a thing or not anymore.
Destroyer- the drink package was lacking, to say the least.
Flat Top was very cool, fun hike. On the way down we stopped along the side of the mountain and picked blueberries. Huge fields full of wild blueberries. Such a cool place
Norwegian does it too just did it last Aug
Did a Holland America out of Seattle last May. Great cruise, visited Juneau, Sitka, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan and Victoria BC. I loved the scenery, whale watching and fog sled camp.
Un - Cruise. this is A Small ship adventure cruise taking a route through either the inner passage or outer passage. Nothing fancy, you have a “ Shoilet “ ( Shitshower in the same space ) and a bed.
Lots of exploring and bushwhacking. Lots of sea kayaking in and amongst the sea otters. This outfit has a staff of 30 to 40 and carries 60 to 70 passengers. The boat can get in and out of places no cruise ship can go. If you love sea kayaking, this cruise is for you.
Every evening during the briefing for the next days excursions, the lounge bar is buzzing and a couple of evenings for the appetizer they had trays and trays of fresh shucked oysters they had picked up earlier in the day.
Food is great, polar plunge is a real polar plunge, kayaking is incredible, and you can visit the bridge whenever you like. We did a late May/ early June cruise and it was spectacular. You need muck boots for the mud and decent gear.
If the above is not for you, visit the waters off Alaska on the Celebrity line of ships. Food and entertainment is top notch.
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Suggest fly directly to Alaska -- we flew from Naples/Atlanta direct to Anchorage and landed when less than 2 hours of darkness. For any traveler - do not miss seeing Alaska, it is beautiful.
We missed the bears, toured Anchorage, then took small plane charter flights around 'the mountain' and Denali, also to see the college fiords - landing on lakes to see wildlife and fantastic scenery. Lots of picture taking opportunities.
Train to Seward and Holland America ship stopping at Glacier Bay, Juneau for whale watching, eagles and memories. Helicopter tours are available when weather is good. Loved touring Vancouver, met Robin Williams for breakfast at Fairmont Hotel (he was making a movie), dinners and cable car excursion.
There is a lot to see. Do not pack too much to do in a short time period. Enjoy as much as you can.
We missed the bears, toured Anchorage, then took small plane charter flights around 'the mountain' and Denali, also to see the college fiords - landing on lakes to see wildlife and fantastic scenery. Lots of picture taking opportunities.
Train to Seward and Holland America ship stopping at Glacier Bay, Juneau for whale watching, eagles and memories. Helicopter tours are available when weather is good. Loved touring Vancouver, met Robin Williams for breakfast at Fairmont Hotel (he was making a movie), dinners and cable car excursion.
There is a lot to see. Do not pack too much to do in a short time period. Enjoy as much as you can.