champs

I am just beginning my research for an Alaskan cruise next Summer. I am having a difficult time deciding which cruise line/itinerary would be best for us.

There will be about 10 of us between the ages of 23-55. We are experienced travelers and have been on two other cruises, both in the Caribbean. We have cruised on Celebrity's Constellation and Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas. We loved both cruises, but felt that the food and service were both much better on Celebrity.

We are very active, adventerous travelers and will likely spend 5-7 days on land. We are looking for a ship that would provide good food and service, but especially want a ship that will offer us exciting opportunities to experience Alaska.

Beyond advice regarding which ship. I would like suggestions regarding which itinerary. Should we do land first or cruise? Is it a good idea to plan the land portion independant of the cruise line. Should we do a one way itinerary? Do we want to do the inside passage?

Thanks in advance for your help.

BudgetQueen

Head to your library and take out Alaska travle books- there is much more to consider than what can be listed on these boards. IF Alaska IS THE PRIORITY, you need to consider more than these two lines. For clairfication ALL Alaska cruises do the Inside Passage. On a one way- I never would consider one without College Fjords- which leaves your two lines out- neither goes there. I also give a BIG edge to Glacier Bay. So you need to look at route, ports, time in ports, glacier, price. ANY cruise will offer you great port touring opportunities- they are port based. I also give an edge to Seward vs Whittier- BUT take advantage of being there- way too many just pass through and miss this great touring opportunity day.
Myself- I am a clear independent traveler and see a lot of flaws in cruise tours. They are very costly for what you get (meals extra), are point to point (missing all the great stuff in between), are not usually planned all that great. You will get reports to do the land first - with descriptions of it being "hectic" "fast paced", "on the go" etc. IT DOESN'T have to be, and isn't on any of mine. You need to allow enough TIME and plan carefully. A lot of people just don't realize you need to ideally add 7 ++ additional days- shorter tours have just too much time in transit. Educated yourself FULLY on Alaska- Denali Park is a priority for most- underfully FULLY the differences of buses in- my min. is the SHUTTLE to Eielson. There are plenty of active activities and way more going independent- which with your priorities I would strongly consider. Budget Fully. There is NO comparism to Caribbean cruising and Alaska cruising.

champs

OK... Now I know that we will spend 5-7 days on land. Would you recommend flying into Anchorage and doing the land portion first and sailing South or vice versa? I have narrowed our cruise lines to Princess or HAL. Any obvious differences between the two?

Anything that you would consider a "must see" for a traveler that enjoys nature, hiking, kayaking and fishing over measumes etc. We definately don't object to getting "off the beaten path." Although I feel we must see Denali, Kenai Fjords National Park seems to offer more in terms of hiking/exploring. Is this totally off base?

Thanks in advance for your insight.

applejack

We just did the cruise with HAL and were completely satisfied. We used to live in Alaska - do did not need alot of help with the land tour - rented a car and toured on our own. I used budgetqueen's advice on seeing the glaciers in Glacier Bay and College Fjords - but also did much research on the ports. Budgetqueen's advice to explore Seward is right on the money. Seward has so much beauty to see. The drive along the Seward Highway to Anchorage with may stops along the way should not be missed. Be sure and get a copy of The Milepost - study it and you can decide what you want to see on the land tour and also research the ports. We had friends that did the Princess line to Alaska and they were completely satisfied - we choose HAL - liked the size of the ship and the age of the guests (there was a mix of ages - young adults and thirty somethings etc and some children - but mostly retirees).The ship was sold out but never seemed crowded. We always had a good space on the upper decks to view the glaciers - we lucked out and had such beautiful weather. We thought the service and the food on Holland was very good - our daughter went with us - she sailed Celeberity to the Caribbean last Dec and liked the size of HAL better - tho she was well pleased with Celeberity. Also we did our land travels at the end of the cruise and flew home out of Anchorage. I really don't see what difference it would make how you choose to do this. You will surely love Alaska - I have been all over the world - been in every state but two and Alaska is my very favorite! Also if you will pull up and read budgetqueen's posts - you will get some very helpful informative information.

BudgetQueen

Thank you for the kind words. The benefit of going southbound is the excellent last sailing day during daylight along inside Vancouver Island, great marine wildlife possibilities. You will get many replies that the land tour is "exhausting" " always on the move" etc. It DOESN'T have to be and these are most always comments about cruisetours. My trips NEVER are. Planning is the key and you need to allow enough TIME. The Kenai Peninsula covers a lot of ground- request their visitor guide. If you are looking at Seward and Homer- I recommend at least 4 days between the two- so you need more than 5 days if you want to include Denali Park- always on my must do list. with ideally 2 nights there. Between Seward and Denali Park you are looking at about 9 hours of driving with brief stops. That is too much to do and not stay and enjoy the area. I give a big edge to HAL for their Seward port- you can make very good use of time starting/ending a land tour here combined with the ship. To cut costs- the rail is superior to the Seward Highway and if driving, I rent from Hertz for only as long as I need the car to get to Anchorage. I then turn it in for a cheap round trip Anchorage car for the rest of my travels (or reverse).