Freestyle Cruising - Alaska
 

My husband and I are going on our first cruise in May. We are going to Alaska on NCL and I have several questions about this freestyle cruising.

#1 What type of clothes should I bring for the cruise itself (dinners, entertainment, etc) I know to bring warm clothing for the climate we'll be in but for the cruise itself I have no idea.

#2 A family member told me that they won't go on a cruise to Alaska until they are in there 70's because that is how old everyone will be. Is this true (we're in our mid 20's)? He is quite the B.S.er so I don't know if he's just trying to bring us down before our trip.

#3 I know it will be more convenient to book excursions through the cruise but would it be financially beneficial to try and find our own excursions online before we go?

Any replies are appreciated...thanks.

We are not old and we loved our Alaska cruise. Holland America is the line that usually has an older group of people. As to clothes, dress is very casual except for is really necessary, though a few people do wear them. If you want to dress up, go for it! Otherwise, just nice is good enough for the formal nights. If you don't want to do that, there are a couple other places to eat on the ship that have basically the same menu, but more casual, like the buffet. The cruise itself you can just wear jeans etc. For shore excursions, it depends on where you go. Since it is your first cruise, you might want to go through the cruise line. In Alaska their prices aren't as big as a difference if you do your own, because of the Alaskan tourism policies. Like I said it depends on where you go. What is your itinerary? Maybe people will have suggestions.

I'd rather not dress up too much just for the fact that it seems like I am going to have to bring a wide variety of clothes just for the unpredictable climate!

I don't know our exact itin. but we are going to Juneau, Kechikan(sp?), and Skagway. I'd love to do the helicopter/airplane tours but I've heard it will be around $800 for both of us which is way out of our budget.

There are shorter, cheaper air tours, but the weather is unpredictable and sometimes they are cancelled at the last minute so you can't really count on them totally. In skagway we took the train trip, which was really cool because it went along the gold miners route and you could actually see the trail part of the time. It's amazing what they went through. In Juneau my husband and son did the gold mine tour which they thought was great, and I did the river rafting which I really liked.

I think you will love your cruise and there are all ages, so don't be concerned. On the NCL Sun, we found the evening dress to be what they consider "Country Club Casual" with most women in nice pantsuits or casual dresses. Certainly no jeans or tee shirts by either sex! Many of the men would wear a sports coat without a tie or just a nice shirt with no jacket. Formal night is optional so if you don't want to participate this is fine. It seemed about 1/2 and 1/2 as to who participated on Formal night and who didn't. Opting out will make your packing much easier.

As far as excursions, we had great luck and saved lots of money booking outside the cruiseline. The excursions are a big source of revenue for cruiselines. Don't buy into the "you may miss getting back on the ship and be left behind". Such an occurrence is a rarity I'm sure and more of a scare tactic. We almost always book our own excursions and guides with no problem. All of our Alaska excursions were very easy to arrange on your own. We were originally to dogsled (mushing) in Juneau but the weather was not cooperative so we went in the helicopter instead. It was amazing!! I will say though that the dogsledding is the one excursion that EVERYONE raves about. If possible, this should be your one big splurge!
The most disappointing excursion was the train ride (beautiful scenery but soon becomes boring and too monotonous with most of the passengers zzzzzzzzing.)

The 2 main NCL diningrooms are more than adequate with decent food and no problem ordering additional portions. Be prepared that NCL charges you to eat in the alternate diningrooms. The disappointment (foodwise) on NCL is that not once did they have Alaskan King Crab. Other cruiselines have this in abundance on Alaskan cruises.

Hopefully, you will be in a cabin with a balcony. Beautiful scenery! May is still quite early for Alaskan cruises and I think you would have been happier weather-wise in July or August. Regardless, I'm sure you will have a great time!!

The cliental going to Alaska are definatelly older. I'm in 20s went to Alaska in September with Royal Caribbean. The average age on the ship was 50s. There were younger people on teh ship but majority of the passangers are older. That didn't mean you won't have a good time. At my dinner table, I was the youngest, there were 8 other retired people at the table. We had great conversation and we all had a good time. I agree wtih others on the excusions. Read about your options and booked it with local vendors. I didnt' book any tours ahead. When we arrived at Juneau, there were tour boths right at the pier to offer all kinds of tours. At Skagway, the helicopter pad is right at the pier. I opted for the Whitepass Rail excusion. For the whitepass rail, either you shoudl book ahead onlien or go to the office in the morning before your breakfast. The rail office is 15 mintues walk from the ship. I walked over to the office and brought the ticket then walked back to the ship to have breakfast. The rail tickets do sell out fast. The other option is to take a bus tour. In Ketchikan, it was very easy to do a walking tour on your own. You can pick up a walking tour map from the tourist office near the dock. I don't think it was worth it to join a tour at Ketchikan. Like everyone said, the weather changes fast in Alaska. so don't plan on seeing sunny sky often. As for NCL freestyle crusing, I loved it and highly recommended it. People did dress nicely but not overly formal. You'd be fine with a sweater or shirt at dinner. Plus you can decide wether or not your want to sit with others. So on the nights you don't feel like chating, just ask for a table for 2.

We loved our Alaskan cruise. The scenery is unbelievable. Our favorite excursions were the float plane to the Misty Fiords (which we booked in town), and the helicopter trip to the glacier. I think we booked that on the ship. I took layers, which worked very well---turtleneck sweater, fleece vest, fleece jacket, waterproof jacket, plus scarf and hat. That way you are ready for anything. We were on deck all the time that we were under sail, especially in Glacier Bay. It is so great, because they have blankets on all the chaises, and they come around with hot soup and hot drinks all day. Be sure and take your binoculars! For dinner, I took black separates with various accessories and that was great. I took one cocktail dress for the dressiest night. Have a great time!

I never book any ship tours and there can be a significant savings but most always better tours too. I am well traveled there and don't know about "policies" referred to??? Look over your shore excursion list and narrow down your interests. Skimp elsewhere to take tours of interest to you. Regrets are long standing. :( You are probably looking at a glacier dog sledding? Booking direct with TEMSCO out of Skagway may be cheaper. For a regular glacier landing Coastal usually has the cheapest out of Juneau. Sure there can be cancelations on a whim- it does no good to worry about it, make your desired plans and hope for the best. :) As for attire- you will need "dress" outfits but mixing and matching goes a long way, pants can be reworn. Black is dressy in of itself. For the rest of your attire- you need rain gear, 2 pair of walking shoes, lined nylon jacket (quick drying is the answer), knit hat, gloves, I never take jeans- too bulky, take forever to dry and tend to get and stay damp. I like much better lined and unlined wind pants. again quick drying and take up little room, can also be layered if needed.

Thank you all so much for the info! I am getting really excited!!! Since posting this and all of the great advice you all have given, we'll probably decide to book excursions on our own which is how we would prefer it.

For the dogsledding/airtours, are they offered in every town? That way we could wait until the last town, don't have to blow all of that money right in the beginning and can try to work it into our budget. I don't want to spend all of that money on the first day and not have enough left to do things in other towns.

Also, what is the shopping like? I don't want any cheesy mementos, but would like to get some great authentic items for our house.

The weather for us isn't a problem, we went to Costa Rica in the rainy season, New York with record low temperatures this past January, so we'll have fun no matter what! Being away from work for two weeks w/ my favorite person is enough for me!!!

As far as I know, the only two cities offering the dog sledding are Juneau and Skagway. I love your attitude!

There are many touristy shops at every port. Most of the stuffs were made in somehwhere outide of the U.S.. There are some stores sell local made items and they're pricy. Check out the stores at the ship and you'll get an idea what you'll find on shore. The price on the ship is not bad.

The glaicer dog sledding is not a tour you can book at the last minute- you need to book and reserve in advance of your trip. They are always fully booked and sold out. Juneau is the most canceled with Skagway not far behind. book with where it fits into your schedule best.

Suzie, you will LOVE Alaska. DH and I are in our 50's and had the same impression that Alaska was for when you are retired. Not true! So many active outdoor activities, so much to see. (We did land portion first, were blown away by Denali National Park -- if you can't get there this trip, make sure you do one day soon.)

BudgetQueen is the Alaska expert, and we found her advice very helpful. You'll also get LOTS of great info on www.cruisecritic.com, especially if you go to the Ports of Call/Alaska board. We booked some excursions independently, some through the cruise line, all with what we learned on that board.

There's no getting around the fact that excursions there are expensive -- if you have a budget, all the more reason to plan ahead and decide what is a MUST and what can wait for next time.

Enjoy your cruise!

BudgetQueen...do you mean book dog sledding before we even go on the cruise or before we get to the city?

I think our budget will be about $1500 for the full 7 days with the majority of that going towards excursions and buying things. We won't spend any extra money on food and minimal on alcohol. I'm hoping this can get us through the week with enough excursions to leave us feeling satisfied and not deprived!

Another question...as a first time cruiser and first timer to Alaska is there anything you can tell me to expect that I am probably not even thinking of? What was your best memory and also biggest letdown or disappointment? I really have no idea what is coming which is exciting but at the same time I'd like to be aware of any musts that I should know. Thanks again :)

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Definately book in advance of leaving- glacier dog sledding is in very short supply. No disappointments and so many wonderful experiences. :) One thing to be well prepared for is weather with a good range of attire- every trip there are grossly unprepared passengers. You just can not enjoy the trip if you are cold or wet. My "Alaska Uniform"- lightweight removal lined nylon jacket, rain gear, 2 pair of walking shoes, knit hat and gloves, layers of sweatshirts, tshirts, turtle necks. I never take jeans- tend to get and stay damp, too bulky and take forever to dry. I like lined and unlined windpants- easy to layer with long underwear or leggins. I always do laundry off ship in Skagway- can be done in a little over an hour with their fast propane dryers- also the bonus of conversation with hikers.

Thanks...I will call the places you mentioned and try to get something before we go...sounds like we're going to have a bunch of luggage!!!