amapatino

Hi, we are planing a cruise trip to Alaska in end of may or June 2014, father , mother and two young ladies 19 and 21, we are planing to leave from Vancouver and go to hubard glacier in a cruise 7 days long.
I need some advice about the cruise lines , wich one is the best, wich ports we should stop and see, what to do there and if its worthy going to hubard glacier or just the inner passage.
This will be our first cruise trip, so any advice or tip will be very helpfull.
Thank you

Amalia

Eschew

Welcome to the wonderful world of cruising! Lets hope you get hook after the first one!

First suggestion: search the forum here for Alaskan cruise and you will find lots of information and will find most of your answers.

Here is a quick summary, my opinion only, real quick.

Glacier Bay National Park is a must stop. The ship doesn't actually stop there, just scenic cursing. You have Hubbard on your list. It's good but we liked College Fjord better. You should be able to find cruises that stops on all 3.

Ports. You don't have a choice if you go with a mass market ship. It will be Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway in all likelihood.

Departing from Vancouver, you have 2 choices for itinerary.
North bound or round trip. North bound and fly back is preferred.

Not sure what your budget would be but I would like to suggest looking at booking 2 cabins rather than cramp all 4 of you into one cabin. I you do it right, the price difference would be marginal, if there is any difference at all.

Princess has the most ships in the area and has been cruising Alaska the longest. Disney is a new comer and they have family suites that will make it interesting. They are more expensive, however.

Mass market lines that cruise the area will include Princess, Hollands, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Celebrity, Norwegian and Disney. My preference are: Hollands, Princess and Princess are top choices. Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian are not as nice. Disney is in a group all by itself.

Budget extra $$ for shore excursions. Again, search the forum so you will have information on what to see on which port and how much. Look at trip reports as well.

Feel free to ask more questions and I am sure you will get lots of answers.

gail

eshcew gives good advice. We sailed Princess Whittier to Vancouver about 5 years ago with 17 and 21 year old kids. A balcony is nice and agree no way should you put all 4 in one cabin. One balcony and interior cabin across the hall would work well.

If your daughters are usual young adults, a few things they need to know. First, they should ignore all photos and ads they have seen of beautifully dressed elegant cruisers. This is not the case on Alaska cruises - they do not need to bring their entire wardrobes. Comfort, warmth, waterproofness is important during the day. They can dress up a bit at night.

Second, cell and internet service is spotty and can be expensive. Check with your cell carrier for availability. When at sea, it is often not available and you may get charged high roaming/international charges if it is using a Canadian cell tower. Similar for internet - ships sell internet plans, but also costly.

With those warnings, we all had a great time. Essential to budget money for off-ship excursions at ports as there is little to see right in port except t-shirt and jewelry shops. You can use ship excursions or book your own. Excursions will be expensive since all involve additional transportation by bus, train, air - but well worth it.

Have you considered spending an extra 3-7 days on land at one end of cruise. While adding considerably to cost, you could do a side trip to Kenai Peninsula or Denali or both with a week. No need to do this as a cruise add-on, since you can easily do it yourself with a rental car. Not essential, but again well worth the time and money.

Reme

We went on HAL and liked it very much. However it was quite a while ago and more recent cruises on HAL have been good, but not quite as nice - less quality of food etc.
Would really consider a land extension. Our tour of Kenai Peninsula and the trip to Denali and Fairbanks were highlights of the trip.

Reme

Also we were there in late July and a lot of places were very cold. I would reconsider the date, if you can. Also get 2 verandah cabins. Even deluxe cabins are small for four adults.

amapatino

Thank you for your answers, very helpfull. This is going to be a nice cruise time
Amalia

rjgdjg

Hi-
We took the Golden Princess out of Seattle and it stopped at Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, all of which we enjoyed very much. They're small, compact frontier-style towns nestled in the mountains. They are atmospheric, with a lot to see and do, and fun shopping. If you're interested, I have a posting on my blog that talks about the towns and includes photos. - Diana, http://musingaboutcruising.blogspot.com.