Is A Cruise Right for Us?
 

Since we have to vacation in July, we've been thinking of going on an Alaskan cruise, but after reading and researching, I'm a little leary about whether or not we're cruiser types.

I'm in my late 30s; DH is mid-40's, both of us are active and in good health. We would not be traveling with children and don't want anything family-oriented -- in fact, if there was an all-adults line, we'd take it in a heartbeat.

Couples oriented would be very good for us, although I do not know of any Alaskan trips which are couples-oriented. We do not wish to go to the Caribbean or any other place warm during July, as we're also trying to escape the heat for a short while.

I love the ocean, never get seasick or motion sick, and love the thought of just being out on the water. He's equally enthralled, if a little more prone to motion sickness.

We have no interest in gambling or floor shows, but we do enjoy luxury travel and dining and don't mind dressing up. For this vacation, something low-stress, high-pamper and low-planning would be ideal.

We want to spend our vacation time together, not with groups. We'd prefer to dine together and would not be comfortable dining with a bunch of strangers or having to socialize with them. In fact, I can guarantee this would be a factor which would ruin the vacation for us, as we'd both find enforced socialization stressful. Small groups, we could handle for a limited time, i.e., an activity or the like, so long as it wasn't constant.

Given all these factors, are we cruisers or not, and if so, what cruise lines which serve Alaska might be best for us?

Thanks in advance for any assistance you might provide!

I am a very active 40 something and have done Alaska 4 times. I do not like cruising with kids and prefer luxury to mainstream.

Alaska is a very good destination for those that are active. The ports all have wonderful things to offer and I always plan my excursions independently of the ship tours.

From you have said, I would highly recommend you sail Alaska on Radisson Seven Seas Cruises. Very luxurious, service oriented ships with great food, wonderful balcony suites, and great amenities, including wines with lunch and dinner.

The ships are small and most definitely couples oriented. It is open dining and you will always be able to get a table for two.

I am a TA with 103 cruises under my belt on all the major lines. If I were travelling as part of a couple, they would be my first choice.

If the price is too high, check out Celebrity in Concierge Class. Ask for a table for 2.

Enjoy Alaska!

I second the motion for a Radisson cruise. We did the Mariner in Alaska last August. It is really the only way to see Alaska, and it was terrific. Of course, we happen to have spectacular weather. The Mariner is a relatively small ship, beautiful cabins (all suites with balconies), good food. Very few children. You decide how active you want to be and how many excursions you wish to take. It's easy to arrange some on your own or use the ship's services. I have a great TA who specializes in a couple upscale lines, including Radisson, and who gives additional discounts. E-mail me if you want more info at [email protected]

You might look into one of the smaller nature cruises. Lindbad (?) comes to mind. you can also search "small ships to Alsaka" and see what comes up.

Radisson Mariner sounds like a perfect fit for your needs. Best of all, no children's programs so families are not attracted to it. You can have a table for 2 every night, eat when you want not at a set time or just opt for a romantic dinner in your suite. Alaska is a magnificent itinerary but they fill up quickly since the season is so short.

Thank you all so much for all the input! I will definitely check Radisson out...I'd heard good things about them, and they were in the top 3, but that settles it.

Now to scurry off and see what we can get!

~Elizabeth

We bounced this sort of question around in our minds too. While we are older then you we also like more adult oriented trips. We normally have gone to Europe (renting apt. in London many times), visiting other countries, etc. but never on tours, always independent. Hawaii is also a favorite vac. spot with us. We tried a cruise this year and ended up loving it.

We took a 10-day Southern
Caribbean Princess cruise. Apparently on cruises longer then 7 days you eliminate alot of the kid-factor (we had about 20 onboard out of 2000 passengers.(Passengers were a good mix of ages). We had Personal Choice Dining (no set time to go eat) and had a table for two every night in the dining room. We also had table for 2 for breakfast and lunch (we do not do buffets, we loved the dining room atmostphere, and the food was very good as well). You could just show up at the dining room and either be seated at once or wait a few min. Or you could make a reservation for a specific time as you do in a restuarant. We really liked this approach to dining -- at no time did we feel that we had to eat with other people !!!

We had a balcony cabin which I highly recommend - it was so nice to have a place to sit and watch the islands go by!!

We never felt crowded on the ship - in fact there were times when no one was around and we felt like it was our own private ship :-) Service was very good, we had an excellant cabin attendant and our dining room staff were terrific.

You can participate in as much as you want or not .. we mostly choose not.

I know you are thinking of Alaska, but we did not book any shore excursions through the ship, we just winged in .. it worked out great. On several islands we met up with other passengers who wanted to do taxi/van tours so we joined forces and had delightful times !! On other islands we did our own thing - whatever works for you is my motto.

All in all it was way better then we imagined and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you are used to resorts the cabins will feel small (of course I guess you can get a suite if you want), but everything was very manageable, we were surprised at how much storage space we actually had.

Based on your list of specs, it sounds like you should look into Silversea and CruiseWest. You can find forums on Silversea with lots of input/information at cruisecritic.com

I would only consider 2 lines: Radisson and Silversea (although I don't know anything about CruiseWest whom someone recommended?? I'm not sure they're a luxury line...but maybe?)Seabourn could be a possibility as well worth looking into if you don't care about having a balcony. I believe Seabourn MAY be a bit of an older crowd than Radisson or Silversea. Maybe these things aren't important. You're going to love cruising...we sure do! You can do as much or as little as you choose! It's YOUR vacation!

P.S. If you need a recommendation for a top TA for these lines, I'm happy to help. Just email me at: [email protected]
Many agents are not specialist in luxury lines....I know from (sigh) experience.
Marcie

We did Holland America with two kids a couple years ago in summer and it was a mob scene!! To top it off, they got the dreaded virus second day out so much was closed, including the kids club. But more to the point, Alaska in summer is driven by the tourist industry, and cruise boats abound everywhere, so much that just walking down the street in Anchorage is a chore. Not the rugged NW that we go there to expect. Would be better any other time of year, like early spring.

Beware of early spring as, although it is true that the tourists take over Alaska in summer, there is a reason for that. Wildlife sightings, better weather, all of those things that make Alaska what it is, are not at their best in spring.

September after the kids are back in school would be a better choice.

Just to let everyone know, we did book a cruise through Radisson for early July. Looks like it's going to be great!

Thanks again for everyone's input. It's very much appreciated.

I'm jealous! If you have any specific questions regarding Radisson, feel free to email me at [email protected]. I know some good websites and message boards that pertain to Radisson cruisers. (Be sure to put something on the subject line or I'll delete thinking it's spam.)