one way or R/T to Alaska on Princesss
 

Trying to make my final decisions before booking a family cruise for 7 this July coming from NY. I have been getting such great info from the forum that I wanted to ask a few more questions.
Here are my options:
1. Seattle/Seattle on the Crown Princess to Glacier bay stopping in Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway.
2. Vancouver/Whittier A/k Northbound on the Island Princess.ports the same
3. Whittier/Vancouver Southbound on the Star Princess.ports the same
My questions.
1. The Crown is a much bigger ship holding I think 1,000 more passengers. The others much smaller. Any pros and cons to that or did anyone like one over the other?
2. The flights into Seattle are a little cheaper and more nonstop than the others but the one way trips have more opportunities for glacier viewing. In Seattle we would be flying in at least a day or two in advance. Is it worth the air travel troubles to cruise one way?
3.Could we do a flight plane excursion on the R/T Seattle cruise and see the same Glaciers?
4. How easy it to fly into and get to the cruise from Anchorage? If we wanted to stay over to make sure there were no delays are the hotels expensive there and in Vancouver? Seattle we found one for about $120 a night. I need 3 rooms.
The price of the cruises are about the same with the one way being a little cheaper, but the airfare is a little higher so I think price wise it's about the same I think.
Last question :-) Is there any benefit to booking your cruise with the cruise line directly or a travel agent? We are planning on getting travel insurance through a separate company.

Things to consider...

The round trips from Seattle travel to the west of Vancouver Island on open ocean, and only enter the "inside passage" once they're past it. Not only is this route less scenic but it's on rougher water than the Vancouver departures, which all stay to the east of Vancouver Island on sheltered waters for the full length of the Inside Passage. There are round trips out of Vancouver as well; if a round trip is your preference (unpack once, fewer transportation/logistics issues) than look at Vancouver rather than Seattle. You may not be able to use Princess on this route if that's a deal-breaker.

Second, the one-way cruises in either direction are best if you can spare some time to tour Southcentral/Interior Alaska either after a northbound cruise or before a southbound one. For example, if you wanted to visit Denali National Park, or the Kenai Peninsula, you'd have to opt for a one-way cruise and allocate a few days to see those sights.

In my view the one-ways offer the benefits of the Vancouver departure (Inside Passage) and a chance to see more than just the southeast "panhandle" of Alaska, which is the only part you'll visit on the round trip cruises.

For glacier viewing, in addition to being Princess' terminus in Alaska, Whittier is also a jumping-off place for cruises around the glaciers in Prince William Sound, especially those around College Fjord. These (in my view) are on a par with Glacier Bay, so if glaciers are a priority that's something to consider.

Travel from Whittier to/from Anchorage is by bus, train or rental car. It takes around 90 minutes.

As for ship size, you need to realize that you're going to have several ships in the ports of call at the same time. Poor little Skagway, pop. 900 counting dogs and cats, often will have 4, and sometimes 5 cruise ships in port on a given day, each with 1500 - 3,000+ passengers on them. Do the math. You're not going to have an "intimate" experience regardless of ship size.

Airfare is more for an "open jaw" itinerary - NYC to Vancouver, Anchorage to NYC - but not horribly so. Flying into Seattle is often cheaper than Vancouver, and one can take a bus, train or rental car to get between Seattle and Vancouver. Those are relatively inexpensive on a per-person basis, but it takes half a day in each direction, and usually an extra hotel night somewhere.

Hotels are expensive during cruise season in all three cities, Seattle, Vancouver and Anchorage. If you found something for $120 in Seattle I'd be <i>very</i> nervous about it - share the name for more help.

The "is it worth it?" questions are impossible to answer. Both the round trips and one-ways have their pluses and minuses; it comes down to individual preferences and budgets (time and dollars) and nobody can make those decisions for you.

@Gardyloo, Thank you so much for the response. I've never cruised or traveled much at all so I'm not too fixed on Princess but started focusing on them since they had the easier Seattle to Seattle itinerary with Glacier Bay. I think the other ones that went there was HAL and NCL. Other reviews seemed to think HAL might be a bit for an older clientele and NCL not as "nice" as the other two. Having never been on any I can only go by reviews I have read. I kind of just noticed the one way trips when I was looking through the brochure I got from Princess and noticed how far they went up and the more Glacier viewing they had. Being a newbie to travel I think I'm getting travel ADHD :-) Once I start looking everything looks great to see.
I won't have it in my budget to really extend the trip that much on each end other than an overnight stay to catch flights etc. That's why I was originally thinking Seattle. The hotel was one of the larger chain hotels like Hilton, Hampton Inn type ones so I think it would be fine. They tend to offer some AAA, AARP type discounts that help too.
Do you know how much the train/bus option from Seattle to Vancouver is as well as the Whittier to Anchorage? There are 7 of us. The Anchorage connections seem a little more complicated. I'm learning so much from the forums and such well traveled people :-)

Oh I forgot to mention, as far as ship size, I ment more of when your on the ship itself. Is one more crowed than the other? Does a larger ship have more things to offer over a smaller ship. I looked at the deck plans didn't see too much difference besides one being wider and having a lot more interior rooms.

<i>... Other reviews seemed to think HAL might be a bit for an older clientele and NCL not as "nice" as the other two. Having never been on any I can only go by reviews I have read. I kind of just noticed the one way trips when I was looking through the brochure I got from Princess and noticed how far they went up and the more Glacier viewing they had.</i>

I don't think you're going to find an appreciably different passenger makeup on HAL v. any other line. Frankly, in my experience they tend to be quite generic in most respects, and, really, the star of the show is the scenery.

Here's the deal with glaciers. Glacier Bay is a very scenic area, but the number of ships that can visit Glacier Bay is limited by the US government, so sailings that don't include Glacier Bay make up for it with visits to other glacier areas, such as Tracy Arm or up to the Hubbard Glacier near Yakutat. These are also very beautiful places (for example, Hubbard - http://gardyloo.us/20100708_246s.JPG ) so you really aren't missing all that much.

<i>I won't have it in my budget to really extend the trip that much on each end other than an overnight stay to catch flights etc. That's why I was originally thinking Seattle. </i>

In which case I really think a Vancouver - not Seattle - round trip delivers the most bang for your buck. Holland America has round trip itineraries out of Vancouver that include both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm, while Celebrity has itineraries that include Hubbard Glacier.

Or, if you pick Seattle, Princess is fine, too, but note my comments on the actual route. I'll also mention that the actual in-city logistics for HAL or Celebrity out of Vancouver vs. Princess from Seattle are different. In Seattle Princess uses a cruise terminal that's some distance from downtown hotels etc., leading to some higher "on the ground" costs compared to the Vancouver departures. Remember too that the Canadian dollar is quite weak compared to the US dollar at the moment, so some things might be cheaper than you'd think.

There are reasonably affordable flights direct from NYC to Vancouver; my favorite is on Cathay Pacific Airlines (the flight goes on to Hong Kong) nonstop from JFK.

<i>Do you know how much the train/bus option from Seattle to Vancouver is as well as the Whittier to Anchorage?</i>

The trains and buses from Seattle to Vancouver run around $50 - $60 per person in each direction, plus any connections from the airport to the train stations etc. Because it takes at least 4 hours to travel from Seattle to Vancouver or v.v., the actual scheduling usually requires an additional hotel night in both directions. This is important to take into account when you're looking at airfare; make sure you're looking at "all in" costs.

In Whittier, if that's still on the table, the cruise line will have several options that they make available to passengers; the cost will probably be somewhere between $50 and $75 per person depending on the precise carrier.

We've cruised from Seattle on a round trip on Crown Princess and one way from Vancouver to Whittier on the Diamond Princess. Enjoyed both. Definitely recommend the one way if you can spend the extra money to do a road trip to Denali, but I know that's not always possible particularly with a family.
On our last cruise, we were visiting Vancouver but took the cruise from Seattle (long story there). We wanted to take the train from Vancouver to Seattle but during the day, the train was substituted by coach - not nearly as nice, so double check on that one.
If you have a choice of leaving from Vancouver or Seattle, then I'd choose Vancouver - seemed to be easier to get around and cheaper than Seattle. Plus the cruise terminal is walkable from the CBD whereas in Seattle, we had to take a taxi.
Hope you have a wonderful time.

I would ABSOLUTELY choose a Vancouver sailing. The inside route is much better. And as Gardyloo mentions, the Canadian $ is so depressed right now that the 'extra' costs like hotel, port transfers, meals, etc will be much lower.

Fly into and home from Vancouver.

Or -- I know you said you can't manage a land tour . . . But price out a one way cruise (either direction) plus just a few days in Alaska.

I stayed at this place in Anchorage. It is in the center of Anchorage which can be a bit of a shock. http://www.redlion.com/anchorage

You need to realize that downtown Anchorage is a bit sketch but they seem to have good security and pick you up at the airport. No other problems, really. I chose them because it was a last minute booking and most other available options were very pricey.

I did one way Anchorage to Vancouver and the only extra excursion was a tour/transfer to Seward for HAL. You might also be able to rent a van or two cars to get there, probably less than the cost of the 7 transfers/

I was glad I did North to South, because so many people got sick including myself with respiratory illnesses (probably caught on the plane, but spreading on the ship). I was still healthy when we did Glacier Bay, which was a highlight.

I used Alaska Air and Jet Blue for flights. I've been to Vancouver and Seattle and neither do much for me, so I didn't spend too much extra time there.

It's easy to get from the cruise terminal in Vancouver to the airport using public transportation (the rail system) although it can be a little difficult to find the station downtown, just keep asking for directions. That will also save you quite a bit to spend on the airfare.

Hi sty,

>Is there any benefit to booking your cruise with the cruise line directly or a travel agent?

Especially for well-traveled itineraries, such as this, the large, on-line TA's will give you very good prices.

Don't expect great service, though.
(OTOH, there have been many complaints about service from the cruise lines. :) )

We travelled one way from Vancouver to Anchorage on Princess. Great cruise near the end of the season. From Anchorage, Princess has its own train up to Denali, which is a very scenic ride. I think we got to see a lot more going south to north one way, and would recommend it highly. Try to get a cabin on the portside.

We did one-way Anchorage-Seattle on Princess. some things to factor in.
1. If you do 1-way, you can spend a little time in either departure or destination port if you want.

2. We opted for cruise-arranged transportation from Anchorage to Whittier. There are other options, but timing was difficult. There is a tunnel that handles train and vehicle traffic and only operates in one direction at specified times - so while distance/drive time is not great, timing is more of a challenge. We could drop our luggage off in Anchorage in the AM, do a little sightseeing, and then hop on a bus to pick up cruise.

Sorry - one other thing. Ignore the photos of well-dressed people in the cruise brochures. Alaska cruises are different. Comfort, fleece, etc rule. You will need something a little nicer for evening/dinner - but no gowns or even cocktail dresses on Alaska cruise.

My personal preference is one way northbound.

Most ships stop in the same ports but for Glacier viewing, there are lots of options.

Glacier Bay is "the" destination so I wouldn't pick any cruises to Alaska without a scenic cruise through Glacier Bay.

Not all ships offer Glacier Bay for a reason. Glacier Bay have set limits to the number of cruise ships allowed per day and the cruise lines must meet their environmental guide lines as well as having to bid (and pay) for the quota.

Hubbard Glacier would be next on my list.

For cruises that pass through to Tracy Arm, you have a 1 in 3 chances that the ship will not get up there for safety reasons. If you ship scenic cruises to Tracy Arm, make sure you book the excursions that takes you off the ship and into Tracy Arm.

Having just returned from Vancouver, on a pre-season repositioning cruise from LA, I will now retract my statement that Vancouver doesn't do too much for me. We rented a car and had a great time visiting Stanley Park, some of the beaches, and UBC museums and gardens. Traffic was bad getting back to the airport, though, so allow at least an hour by car during rush hour which apparently starts at 3pm.

I would pick Vancouver over Seattle any day. Canada Place is pretty organized, even with three ships arriving at the same time.

It's a snap getting between the airport and the cruise terminal, unlike Seattle. If you want to do your own day tour before going home the same night, there is a luggage transfer service from Canada Place to the airport, direct with the luggage company. I checked the quote and it's $40CAD four up to 4 pieces. So if you do not wish to drive, you can do that and then take the train (easy).

In Vancouver, to avoid traffic getting to the airport, take the Sky Train. The waterfront station is right by Canada Place. Of course it works the same way going to the cruise terminal from the airport.

In Seattle, you can also take the train, only half way though. Take the train to Westlake station (by downtown Macy). This is where you get off and take a cab to cruise terminal. Return works the same way. Cab to downtown Macy, take train to airport.

How long does that take and cost for Seattle transfers using half train/half taxi?

I know from Vancouver it's $5.50 (CAD) weekdays and half that on weekends, and takes about 30 minutes.

<i>How long does that take and cost for Seattle transfers using half train/half taxi?</i>

The train station is a ten-minute walk (through the parking garage) from the bag claim at the airport. After waiting for the train ($3) it's a 40-minute ride to Westlake. Depending on which cruise terminal you're using - Pier 66 (NCL) is close to downtown, Pier 91 (all others) is a couple of miles north - the cab will take 10 to 20 minutes once it arrives. (Note cabs aren't allowed to be hailed; you have to wait at a taxi stand or use your phone, which is obviously also the case with Uber.) Cab fare from Westlake to Pier 66 will be around $10; Pier 91 will be ca. $20.

So all in you're looking at roughly 60-90 min. door to door using rail + cab, vs. roughly 25 min. using a cab/limo/Uber (now allowed) from the airport straight to the cruise terminal. For two persons, the total cost will be $20 - $30 for the train/cab vs. $45-$55 for the limo.