Alaska cruise 2007 summer - help requested

Old Dec 28th, 2006, 08:05 PM
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Alaska cruise 2007 summer - help requested

Hello! My wife and I are planning to take a cruise to Alaska in mid / late May 2007. We would appreciate your inputs on:
a) any specific cruise lines / ships to take / avoid (we heard that Princess is very good...)
b) is mid / late May a good time to go?
c) does it make sense to take a 'cruisetour' or should we plan to do sightseeing onshore on our own?
d) there is a big difference in prices between an oceanview room and a room with a balcony, based on our initial research. Is the balcony room worth the extra amount?
Thanks a ton.
njwanderer
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Old Dec 28th, 2006, 08:23 PM
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First of all, you might have better luck getting answers by posting this on the cruise forum. But to answer your specific questions:
a. Holland-America and Princess are the leaders on Alaska cruises and have a long history of dealing with this area. Plus they go to Glacier Bay and have their own hotels. I personally prefer Holland-America, but this is a matter of taste and many would disagree. You would enjoy your cruise going on either.
b. June would be better, as the weather is iffy in May. Rain could be prevalent.
c. Cruisetours are matter of preference. If you like to do your own thing, planning your own sightseeing is an option. We took a cruisetour and loved it. Everything is well-planned and you are treated royally.
d. Again, some will disagree, but i think on an Alaska cruise, a balcony is an unnecessary expense. The weather will be too cold a lot of thie time to linger on a balcony. You can go on deck when you are in scenic areas or stay in the Crows Nest if you go Holland-America.
Alaska was one of our three favorite cruises out of the twelve we have taken. You will love it. Hope this helps.
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Old Dec 28th, 2006, 10:08 PM
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Hi, just to throw a thought into the works - are you specifically after all the trimmings of a cruise, or is it the scenery down the Inside Passage that is more what you are after? We did the cruise - twice - with the Alaska Marine Highway. The ferries are huge with cabins with ensuite bathrooms - if that is what you want - or, you can even just pitch your tent in the solarium at the top! They have bistro's, theatres (dependent on which ferry you take) and best of all, the price is nowhere near as expensive as a cruise. Also, you can choose which ferry you take when which means that you can get off at the various towns along the way - stay as long as you like - then grab another ferry to take you to the next town. In Juneau for example, you can also then take a tour to Terror Fjord and in Ketchikan, you can do Misty Fjord - cruise ships do not go to either of these and they are absolutely spectacular. Also, you are in control of your own time, so you can investigate the towns to your heart's content. A lot of travel agents don't know about the ferry system but for what it is worth, I wouldn't have it any other way! We did notice too that the cruise ships seem to arrive at ports in the morning - disgorge their passengers who have the day to explore, and then they leave and travel overnight so that they are at the next port the following morning. Seems a real waste to me as some of the most spectacular scenery we saw whilst the ferry cruised the Inside Passage. Another matter to consider, not all cruise liners go to Sitka because they are too big to get through the section of the Inside Passage known as 'the narrows', whilst ferries can get there. Another spectacular trip on the Inside Passage. But back to what I said in the beginning - it depends on what you are really after. Have a gr8 time. I wouldn't hesitate to go again - on the ferry!
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Old Dec 29th, 2006, 02:12 AM
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Late May is a great time to go to Alaska. I agree with the above post, though. We decided to fly istead of cruise to Alaska and we were so glad we did. We kept hearing people who had to be back to the cruise ships saying they wish they had more time to explore the interior of Alaska.
Like the above post said, there are wonderful ferries and all sorts of day
cruises out of Seward. These range from 2.5 hours to 8+ hours. We thought the day cruise was spectacular.
I would not go any earlier than late May, because a lot is not yet opened for the season. Late May/early June is a perfect time.
Enjoy your trip--Alaska is a wonderful place.
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Old Dec 29th, 2006, 04:13 AM
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Hubby and I took the 2nd cruise out in May 3 years ago. We went w/Princess and I can not speak highly enough about them!!! Also did 7-day land trip or the cruise tour. We scheduled every possible minute with excrusions at each port. We did have the insight of knowing friends who had sailed with Holland America the season before and they felt the HA ships were older and that the naturalist w/Princess were more intune with their guest. They recommended Princess and we were not disappointed! While it has been 3 years since our cruise, I would be more than happy to answer any specific questions you have--feel free to email me @ [email protected]. There are definately things I would do differently today, but those were the result of my lack of knowledge and no reflection on Princess!
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Old Dec 29th, 2006, 04:46 AM
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We cruised Alaska with Princess and loved it. We will definately look into them if we decide to do another cruise.
Balcony...IMO it would be a shame not to have a balcony. I spent alot of time on our balcony and on the scenic cruise days it was especially nice.Make sure you do your research and pick the side that has the best views! www.cruisecritic.com is a great place to research.
As far as May goes, I would try to push it later depending on the itinerary you choose due to icebergs. NO, I dont mean like Titanic but rather blocking some passages. For example: Tracy Arm is a scenic cruise day with some cruise lines. It was a very beautiful cruise day BTW but we were the first ship to make it all the way to where you could see the glaciers at the and we went in early June. The ships can only go so far with icebergs blocking the way and missing out on that would have been a let down. Happy planning and Travels!
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Old Dec 29th, 2006, 04:55 AM
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If you are active, check out Lindblad Special Expeditions. Their cruise is for getting up close and personal with wildlife and scenery. Only 80 passengers and excellent. All shore excursions are included and the ship gets much closer to shore than any of the big ships can. That means watching glaciers calve from 1/4 mile, not 1 mile like the big boats. Absolutely fabulous.
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Old Dec 31st, 2006, 07:35 AM
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Not sure about your "cruisetour" reference. If you mean added land touring of the interior after a 7 day cruise- be certain to do your homework and go for as long as you can afford. I am a clear advocate of independent touring interior- which is superior for seeing and doing more. Fixed point to point group Alaska travel interior is way lacking in my opinion.

IF you are only looking at a cruise and your "cruisetour" reference is the shore excursions, again independent offers way more personal attention, sometimes longer tours, just don't expect significant savings. Booking direct with the venders is the way to go.

Princess offers a good one way cruise option, but their round trips offer a poor itinerary in my opinion. HAL is superior for Seward on the one ways, BUT you would have to take advantage of being there- most people do not. They are winners with round trip Vancouver offering 2 glacier sailings.

Bottom line- do your homework, if going interior Alaska- go for as long as you can afford, at least a week. Ask yourself- how often are you going to get there, and consider taking advantage.
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Old Jan 1st, 2007, 08:57 AM
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In reference to chalclear's message regarding the ferry system--that sounds wonderful. I checked them out but have some questions. Say you start at Bellingham, WA and want to go to Juneau...are the stops at the other places in between long enough for you to get off or would you have to book for each segment? Could you clarify?

This is when I wish we still had the ability to see someone's e-mail address so you could e-mail them directly.

Thanks,
Jean
[email protected]
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Old Jan 1st, 2007, 01:01 PM
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I'm with pumpkin; can you please elaborate on the ferry alternative this is the first I've heard of it. Can you take a ferry all the way from seattle? or fly into alaska then take a ferry?
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Old Jan 2nd, 2007, 02:14 AM
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We took the Alaska Ferry (Columbia) from Bellingham, WA. I flew into Seattle but met up with family who had driven so we had a very nice drive up a scenic coastal route. The Alaska Marine Hwy system is how people living along the inland passage commute. Expect a good percentage of the passengers to be locals. If you want a cabin for a late May trip, you might have to be very flexible. In some ports you have a couple of hours or you might arrive very early on a Sunday morning when nothing is open. Some people opt to spend a night and then get back on another ferry. To get to Anchorage, it would be best and probably cheapest to fly out of Juneau. There are many commuter flights. We chose to stay in Skagway and then drive to Anchorage but we had our own vehicle. Skagway is a very interesting town, great train ride, but keep in mind it's also very small and popular with cruise boats. The ferry was dwarfed by the cruise boats and the streets were mobbed during the day. We had no wait for a table for dinner however because everyone goes back to their boat. The streets empty.
The Columbia (ferry) had a National Forest Service speaker who gave about 4 talks each day. If you like casual, the ferry might be perfect for you. Some people sleep in deck chairs and wherever they can at night. Tents are permitted on one rear deck. (Bring your own duct tape.) People can bring their own food or purchase food in a cafeteria or dining room. Don't expect fancy. There is plenty of deck space and inside observation areas but the cabins are quite small. Fine for two people, a little cramped for 3. However the private bathrooms were great even though tiny. There are public bathrooms and laundry for people who don't take cabins. Think spartan. I found the website ferry schedules hard to follow so you might need to call a reservations agent for help. You could fly to Juneau and do a r/t on the ferry. I think once a month there is a cross bay sailing which could get you to places like Seward. There are several ferries and different ferry routes. Some people opt to go from Valdez to Whittier (day trip) after flying into Anchorage and renting a car but this omits the Inside Passage. Since are goal was Anchorage we did not spend any time in any of the towns along the Inside Passage with the exception of Skagway (two nights). Some of the towns are very small. Probably anyone considering an independent vacation should first decide which towns in which they'd like to spend some time and then figure out how to do it by ferry. We saw very little wildlife. You'll see much, much more on a day trip out of Seward. If I had to choose between south central (Anchorage and KP) or the Inside Passage, I would choose south central.
Juneau is the only state capital that is landlocked. You can only get there by boat or plane. In addition to the ferry, you will probably find some small boat taxis. For example, Seldovia (near Homer) is on a ferry route but can also be visited by a water taxi/day cruise or by small plane. The ferry does not go there on a daily basis.
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Old Jan 3rd, 2007, 05:08 AM
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The stops on the ferry are not long enough for any touring. You need to get off, and overnight at your desired towns. It does require a good deal of time, and cruise ships overall have better itineraries and routings for less time, since they are scenic/port based, and the ferry is transportation based.

I have a friend who has taken the ferry several times. He has always paid way more than I have on a cruise ship.
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Old Jan 4th, 2007, 03:23 AM
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To those who would like to have more information on the ferry alternative, in particular amoveonup has asked for more, my email address is [email protected]. Just email me and I would be more than happy to oblige.
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