GatorGirl

My extended family and I want to take one of the Alaskan cruises sometime next summer. We aren't big "cruisers" so our experience with the different cruise lines is limited......any recommendations, opinions, good and bad are appreciated! Also how far in advance should you book a cruise?

aaron

I asked the same question here, and I was told that Princess was the best. Call 1-800-Princess for videos and catalogues and stuff

Danny

Holland America is my personal favorite cruise line. Best time to go (based on weather) is last two weeks of July to first two weeks of August. Try to get a cruise that will take you to Glacier Bay. Both Holland America and Princess offer combination land tours that include Denali Park. They are great tours. No matter which cruise line you choose be prepared for the extra $$ cost of excursions available in each port. Book your cruise through your travel agent. They can generally get you the best price. There are discounts for early booking. You can also wait to the last minute and try to get a discounted fare on an unbooked cabin. Also, if you're willing to go early or late in the season, when the weather may not be as good, you can also generally get some kind of discount.

Jeff

There is an entire section of Fodors Travel Talk devoted to cruising. You should check it out. When you get there do a search for alaska cruises and/or specific cruise lines such as Holland America and Princess. For alaska cruising, they are the best.

jo ann

A slightly different perspective, here: We headed to Alaska in 1994, visiting my mother-in-law. Due to time constraints, the only time we had for a cruise was while visiting Juneau, when we went on a 48 hr cruise (wed lunch to fri lunch) with Alaska Sightseeing West, now called CruiseWest. They can be found easily on the internet, and we highly recommend that you at least look at their schedules & rates.

The experience was terrific! We were on a 52 passenger small ship, and their emphasis is wildlife and scenery. Food was terrific, service excellent, international passenger group, but how lovely to be small! They even had a wipe-off board that listed, by your room number, what to wake you for (whales, bears, etc.) As an example of the difference from a bigger cruise line, for example, when grizzlies were spotted on shore, they just "parked" about 100 yrds offshore for 45 minutes to watch. Did the same for a large group of mountain goats (making sure everyone had binocs to check out the babies), and also spent about 4 hrs in front of an actively calving glacier. My husband & I had coffee in the pilothouse with the female ship pilot at about 5am - loved it!
We went in early June, and I would have to say that, depending on what you are looking for, July/Aug is not a good time. You'll still have the mountains to look at but most of the animals (if that's important to you) will have moved to higher altitudes.
I actually called the company last month and got their latest brochure, since we have wanted to do their longer cruises (Victoria to near Anchorage) since our too brief experience with them! We know that we are not huge cruise ship people, at least for Alaska. The idea of speeding past all of that scenery seems odd to us - we're saving that experience for the Caribbean someday.

Judi

My family and another went on the Ocean Princess cruise last summer in August and had a wonderful time. Lots of whales, eagles, etc. Great views of the glaciers, fun excursions kayaking, helicopter tour, hiking, etc.

We have also been on two Holland America cruises and highly recommend that line as well.

Frank

GatorGirl: Be prepared for lots of rain, the inside passage of Alaska is know for it. Other than that, go in July when the weather is the warmest, i.e. about 70 degrees and be prepared to dress in layers the nights get cold.

sue

Check out Glacier Bay Tours - we are booked on a cruise for next May - decided we are the "small ship" type also!! Looks great!

jdalaska

Have you thought about seeing Alaska by NOT cruising? I`ve been there 3 times in 3 years and have never cruised. Twice I have taken tours with a professional photographer. The inside passage is beautiful but take small boats but don`t forget Denali and McCarthy and many other beautiful spots on land.

GatorGirl

JD Alaska, We have thought about not cruising. We friends who went up on their own and just did their own thing using Anchorage as a base and they loved it. They said the best part was not being "tied" to a boat, i.e. if they decided to spend more time in the park or whatever they didn't have to leave to be back on the ship. Do you know of any websites other than the cruise lines where maybe I can check out some info? Thanks!

John

GG, you can have the best of both worlds by taking the Alaska State Ferry from Bellingham WA (north of Seattle) to Juneau, then continuing on one of the system's "cross-Gulf" connections from Southeast Alaska to Seward, from which you can rent a car and tour Southcentral and the interior on your own. Most cruises only show the inside passage and Southeast panhandle of Alaska, which, while beautiful, is only one of several distinct regions in the state. The ferry is obviously much cheaper than a cruise line, but the food doesn't run 24/7, and there's no casino or spa. If those things are important, then cruise. Otherwise, check out http://www.dot.state.ak.us/external/amhs/home.html

sue

think about this plan - suggested to us by a travel agent in alaska - we are going to take the Glacier Bay tours cruise, then fly to Anchorage & rent a motor home for a week. That way we can hopefully see the best of both worlds. Also, will give us an idea of what the "motor home life" is like! We can hardly wait!!!

GatorGirl

John, thanks for the good info, webiste, the casino and spa are not priorities at all, beautiful scenery and nature is.....Sue, my hubby would go for a motor home trip in a minute, (his family did all their traveling that way when he was growing up) do a report about your trip to this forum when you get back please!

Donna F

We took the Alaska Ferry July 27. The MV Columbia has just been renovated and we were the first trip north with about half the usual passengers. The scenery is beautiful but the calving glaciers are much further north. (We got off in Skagway.) The cabins are small and basic with large windows and great new bathrooms. We were advised by friends to bring bag chairs which we used in the cabin. A US Forest Service person gave about 6 lectures a day on what we were seeing, history, etc. so I spent most of my time in the forward observation lounge with a book and listening to the short lectures. So our boat had 200-300 passengers compared to like 1500 on the cruise ships. When we docked in Skagway, there were already 2 ships in port. They get 2-3 ships per day. Skagway has a lovely small downtown area but the population is only 800 people. We had reservation for the train ride which appeared to have the two earlier rides totally booked by the cruise ships. I think port hopping via the state ferry system would be a great way to go. From Skagway to Anchorage there was about 800 miles of wilderness. The drive south to Seward is very beautiful. The ferry starts taking reservation in December and we were very lucky to get a cabin when I called in March. We were bringing a vehicle so I think we got priority. Cabins are optional. Many people slept in deck chairs (heated solarium) or put up tents in a very windy fan tail. Very casual. We made the mistake of putting on too many driving miles in our short stay. There is just so much to see. A friend took a cruise and said some of the land tours weren't worth the money, i.e. whitewater raft rides without the whitewater. So look for advice on land tours.

Polly

Sue, please report back on the Glacier Bay Cruise as that is what I am looking at taking when we finally make that trip. Would love some feedback from someone who has cruised with them.

Lynn

Our 24 member extended family left 100 degree Texas heat in July for a fab Alaskan cruise. We took Princess because it goes into Glacier Bay (well worth the sailing day). Holland America requires pre-paid tipping, so service on board is not as good as on Princess where the crew receives tip after service is rendered (last sailing day). I'd recommend departing and returning via Vancouver (with extra 2-3 day excursion there, with a day in Victoria). Only depart out of Seward if you are taking the Denali or other northern trip from Anchorage. The flight to Anchorage causes jet lag for first day of cruise....or you feel it the first day back home.