Daydreamer

Hubby has a sabbatical coming up, if his company hangs on long enough! ;-) (things are changing there)

If so, we may have a potential timeframe available to us this very Sept. I know this is very late in the game to plan...but wondering if you could choose between Sept. or April cruise in SE Ak, which you'd select? Also, I know my DH prefers smaller ships...don't need the 'glitz' of the larger ones, and we'd like to be able to get closer too to sights then we'd imagine larger lines could do.

Have heard about the National Geographic Seabird and SeaLion ships...offered through places like CalAcademy of Sciences & Linblad.
Anyone here ever try them? Would LOVE feedback on them.

We also are open to doing trip entirely on our own. We know the NW pretty well. Have done Denali & Kenai Peninsula on our own previously. So, this time would probably just do SE Alaska. But is it too much of a pain to use the Alaskan Marine Ferry? (and book each segment on our own...can one just wing it once underway, and not pre-select each portion & dates?)

Thanks so very much for any info to get me started. Will order books tonight at my library for more background info. Btw, we're even open to similar nature trips ANYwhere...it's just initially my hubby leans toward AK. I myself
could envision Africa, Greece, Australia/NZ, or even S. America. Welcome any & all feedback!! Thanks!!

Postal

I would choose September over April but both are the extreme ends of the cruising season. I looked into the ferry system but I knew my husband would not be schlepping his bags around so for us a cruise was the best way to go. The small cruise ships were out of our price range and he wanted a lot of activities, so we settled on the Carnival Spirit from Vancouver to Whittier. Our balcony cabin was not much more than the ferry system, food, and lodging, so I think we'll be glad we went this route. We don;t go until next May. For some ideas, you might want to check cruisecritic.com, which is very informative.

Daydreamer

Thanks so much for your thoughts & for the link, too. Appreciate it!

doohickey

Hi Daydreamer,

I agree that both April and May are at the extreme ends of the Inside Passage cruising season.

Given that, I'd opt for the small ships you mention over Carnival, HA, RCL, etc. in a heartbeat. My husband and I cruised the SE Alaska a few years ago on a small ship and it was - outside of a recent East African safari - our most delightful vacation ever.

Reasons?

The boat (it was a motor vessel rather than a ship) was small enough to get places a ship could only dream about. Changing course and manuevering were a snap so that we could take advantage of serendipitous wildlife and nature events.

Less than 100 passengers on board meant that we were bound to encounter folks we'd like to socialize with and also had room to stay away from those we didn't

4 naturalists on board combined with our low passenger count meant that we had wonderful learning opportunities.

We kayaked off the back of the boat twice and hiked on a deserted island once and at Glacier Bay once - all naturalist led.

No casinos or stage shows on the cruise - neither were our cup of tea. But there were several intimate sized naturalist evening lectures that were great because they invited passenger participation and rapt attention.

We were never ever bored. In fact, we were loath to take a mid-day nap or try to read a book for fear we'd miss something!

This was all with a native Alaskan owned cruise line that is no longer operating. We hoped to repeat this wonderfulness in Central America with a cruise along Costa Rica's shore and Panama Canal Passage with Cruise West. Boy were we dissapointed - no comparison! (The canal passage was thrilling though.) We saw Lindblad's Sea Bird several times during the CA cruise and, boy, did I wish I was on it instead!

-doo

Daydreamer

Thank you for sharing, too, doohickey! I so wish your company still existed.
Do you believe Linblad would be similar? You mention you saw it when on CA? (do you mean Carnival?)

Anyway, thanks so much for sharing.
I think my hubby's heart is still leaning towards a northern trip over Africa for now...thus far.
(despite our having been to Denali/Kenai before on our own)

He seems drawn there, and I too lean generally towards cooler clime areas. (altho' I adore the Canadian Rockies as much as what I saw in AK previously)

Anyway, appreciate you saying that your experience was almost as magical in AK as in Africa. (which I feel SURE would not disappoint!)
You mention the Spring thing...but what do you think of a late Sept/early Oct SE Alaska option, if I can find that? Also, just way too late? :-\

When was your trip exactly? Also, could you recommend or share your E. African company if you used one? Thanks again!

historytraveler

Don't know if you're still around Fodors but we recently returned from a Linblad/National Geographic trip " Sailing the Dalmatian Coast". I can say it was the best trip we've been on. It exceeded our expectations, and I would highly recommend them.

bredhairedgirl

I don't know if you'll get this, but...

I spend 7 years working in SE Alaska. It is a very beautiful area. I never went into town when the cruise boats where there. Infact we laughed at someof the passengers running into the tanzanite shops. The people that run these shops leave in September and go the the Bahamas to get ready for the winter season.

I always recommend to friends to take a ferry in the inside passage ( the same route the expensive cruise ships take) and see an area.

Ketchikan only has a few things to offer. Some good restaurants (Annnabelle's and Salmon Falls (which is out of town on a dirt road--either rent a car or take your own or cab--worth the drive) Cape Fox has the best view but mediocre food.

I always recommend POW(PRince of Wales Island) the ferry goes there. You can tour the whole island. Craig is a beautiful town. Nice gift shops, nice hand crafts. Afew bars to see the local fishermen. B&B's. Fishing charters. Float planes. Ruth Ann's is a great restaurant and hotel. The oyster's are great and they even have some from the island.

But if you don't want to do it yourself, definitely go with the smaller boats cruise ships make their money on the ships.

A lot of IMO!

wildtrekker

It depends on what kind of traveler you are, what you want to do, how much time you have, and what your expectations are. I have spent an extensive amount of time in Southeast Alaska, and it's very easy to get around by both ferry and plane (Alaska Airlines flies to Juneau, Wrangell, Petersburg, Ketchikan and Sitka). With the exception of Juneau, you really don't need a car in any of these towns, and you could get away with not having one in Juneau either. You will definitely experience the real Alaska as an independent traveler as opposed to being just a number on the mega cruise ships. There is terrific hiking in the Tongass National Forest (a temperate rain forest), and there are plenty of charter boats that will take you whale watching, fishing, kayaking, bear viewing, etc. Tourism is an important part of the economy, so there are plenty of options if you're willing to do some Internet research. The people are quite friendly and willing to help you with your plans. Everyone I ever met who was traveling by large cruise ship was envious that I was spending time in each place really seeing it as opposed to feeling rushed and forced to shop in tacky tourist stores.

wildtrekker

One more comment about timing. You asked about late Sept./early Oct. for SE Alaska. NO! The place gets more rain at that time of year than at any other time. Keep in mind that it is a temperate rain forest, which is what makes it so incredible and so wet.

jimvt951

I would fly to Ketchikan spend 36-48 hours there, then get on Alaska Marine Highway (large ships, cheap, real, no glitz--public transportation, safe). Stop at 1-2 towns (Sitka, Petersberg, Wrangell all are nice) for 2-3 days--take next ferry out of town. Alaska Marine Highway has cabins. I would NOT take a car. Rent one in some towns for 24 hours. Stay in town center, walk--do not need hassle of car and driving where you do not know your way around. Alaska is beautiful. See all Raptor Centers (eagles).