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Message
Alaskan Cruise - looking for advice/suggestions
Posted on 12/25/16 at 9:39 pm
Posted on 12/25/16 at 9:39 pm
We are headed to Seattle in late June for a 4 day weekend and I think I want to do a cruise since we're coming that far anyway. Me and the wife have never been on a cruise and I'm not sure we're cruisers but we both think Alaska would be the right time to try it.
I found 1 so far that works perfect with our dates but I'm guessing there's more. Anyway, this is with Celebrity and it's 7 nights Tracy Arm Fjorde. I hear the inside passage is the way to go and this said it was inside passage.
Thoughts on Celebrity? That route? Advice or suggestions welcomed
ETA: If there's a route from SF to SEA we would be ok flying into SFO and taking off from there. Flights are cheaper to SFO anyway.
ETA 2: Sorry I didn't search more. Just read those other threads but would still like any help.
I found 1 so far that works perfect with our dates but I'm guessing there's more. Anyway, this is with Celebrity and it's 7 nights Tracy Arm Fjorde. I hear the inside passage is the way to go and this said it was inside passage.
Thoughts on Celebrity? That route? Advice or suggestions welcomed
ETA: If there's a route from SF to SEA we would be ok flying into SFO and taking off from there. Flights are cheaper to SFO anyway.
ETA 2: Sorry I didn't search more. Just read those other threads but would still like any help.
This post was edited on 12/25/16 at 10:58 pm
4
Posted on 12/25/16 at 9:55 pm to Sho Nuff
My wife and I are taking a 7 night from Vancouver to Anchorage the first week of June. I don't have any tips or suggestions seeing as this is our first trip to Alaska other than searching "Alaskan Cruise" on this sight and checking out previous threads and tips generous people have given me. Should be a blast!
Posted on 12/25/16 at 10:01 pm to bees everywhere
I'll do some more searching as well.
Posted on 12/26/16 at 5:13 pm to Sho Nuff
Tracy arm is an amazing place. Nice video, put out by Princess.
Tracy Arm
My favorite place to camp. No development there and unless there are other ships, no sign of man.
Time in port is pretty important. Make sure they give you a long time in Juneau and Skagway
Tracy Arm
My favorite place to camp. No development there and unless there are other ships, no sign of man.
Time in port is pretty important. Make sure they give you a long time in Juneau and Skagway
This post was edited on 12/26/16 at 5:16 pm
Posted on 12/26/16 at 6:26 pm to RogerTheShrubber
I put the itinerary on the other thread, but here it is
LINK
Enough time? What would you do in Juneau and Skagway first?
LINK
Enough time? What would you do in Juneau and Skagway first?
Posted on 12/26/16 at 8:49 pm to Sho Nuff
we did celebrity about 12 years ago, don't remember the name of the route, but we hit juneau, ketchikan, and sitka. left from vancouver.
been on a couple of celebrity cruises and have enjoyed both, usually an older crowd than some of the others.
been on a couple of celebrity cruises and have enjoyed both, usually an older crowd than some of the others.
Posted on 12/28/16 at 1:58 am to Hermit Crab
Thanks for the reply, I'm still looking around but this line seems to work for our dates best.
Posted on 12/28/16 at 10:55 am to Sho Nuff
quote:
Thanks for the reply, I'm still looking around but this line seems to work for our dates best.
Most lines have similar routes, you'll not have a bad time on Celebrity.
Both Celebrity and RCCI are owned by Royal Caribbean, with Celebrity having better service and more amenities. RCCI is more family oriented with lots of bells and whistles but the service and rooms aren't quite as good as Celebrity.
Posted on 12/29/16 at 6:39 pm to Sho Nuff
Correct that inside passage is the way to go. My wife and I did the same route on Norwegian, round trip from Seattle 7 days.
My understanding is that the one way trips from Vancouver to Alaska or vice versa are better, but may not be convenient.
My understanding is that the one way trips from Vancouver to Alaska or vice versa are better, but may not be convenient.
Posted on 12/29/16 at 7:56 pm to 632627
Our favorite excursion was the seaplane ride through the misty fjords. Cant remember what port that was. We also liked the train ride. I met a cruise ship captain that had worked up there for a few years and said those were the best ones.. We also took a tour out to Mendenall, that was good as well.
This post was edited on 12/29/16 at 7:58 pm
Posted on 12/29/16 at 10:25 pm to achenator
Misty Fjords is out of Ketchikan
Posted on 12/30/16 at 3:08 am to RogerTheShrubber
Seems the Celebrity Solstice is a very good line and the trip is well regarded so I think we're gonna book it. Will definitely find out about the side excursions and set them up. Thanks again.
Posted on 12/30/16 at 3:10 am to 632627
I checked Holland too but the dates don't work as well for us. My friends parents did HA and liked it they think we'll like Celebrity better though at our age range.
Posted on 12/30/16 at 5:15 am to Sho Nuff
Really can't go wrong with celebrity. They have a great reputation
Posted on 1/3/17 at 1:59 pm to RogerTheShrubber
quote:
Both Celebrity and RCCI are owned by Royal Caribbean, with Celebrity having better service and more amenities. RCCI is more family oriented with lots of bells and whistles but the service and rooms aren't quite as good as Celebrity.
Paging, RogerTheShrubber
So I found a Royal Caribbean cruise on the same dates. I was reading they have more sports themed activities than Celebrity who has more art type activities. I do see where it sounds like they have more family stuff on RC which I don't want/need. I was reading simulated skydiving vs jewelry making
and thinking maybe RC wouldn't be a bad choice for us as we're into surfing, snowboarding, etc. I hate not knowing which way to go. Any thoughts on this?
Posted on 1/4/17 at 10:22 am to Sho Nuff
Do it. It is the single best vacation I have ever taken and we are going back this June. We use Celebrity, they are great and much better than Carnival for this type of cruise.
Just an FYI. We did Tracy Arm last year and it is not Inside Passage unless they have changed the route this season. It does go to the Inside Passage during parts but there are more true Inside Passage cruises out of Vancouver. Seattle has a bit more open ocean.
Trust me though, the Tracy Arm cruise is AMAZING. I am not trying to change your mind about it. Seattle was also great.
You absolutely must book the catamaran that takes you to the glacier in Tracy Arm. Also do whale watching in Juneau after you get back from the glacier. Makes for a long day but it was the most amazing day. The scenery was absolutely breath-taking.
One other warning: You probably won't see Tracy Arm. We went late June last year and it had too much ice so we went down further to a different glacier. It didn't make one bit of difference in the experience. Maybe this year will be different, who knows.
Just an FYI. We did Tracy Arm last year and it is not Inside Passage unless they have changed the route this season. It does go to the Inside Passage during parts but there are more true Inside Passage cruises out of Vancouver. Seattle has a bit more open ocean.
Trust me though, the Tracy Arm cruise is AMAZING. I am not trying to change your mind about it. Seattle was also great.
You absolutely must book the catamaran that takes you to the glacier in Tracy Arm. Also do whale watching in Juneau after you get back from the glacier. Makes for a long day but it was the most amazing day. The scenery was absolutely breath-taking.
One other warning: You probably won't see Tracy Arm. We went late June last year and it had too much ice so we went down further to a different glacier. It didn't make one bit of difference in the experience. Maybe this year will be different, who knows.
This post was edited on 1/4/17 at 10:29 am
Posted on 1/4/17 at 4:15 pm to Sho Nuff
quote:
So I found a Royal Caribbean cruise on the same dates. I was reading they have more sports themed activities than Celebrity who has more art type activities. I do see where it sounds like they have more family stuff on RC which I don't want/need. I was reading simulated skydiving vs jewelry making and thinking maybe RC wouldn't be a bad choice for us as we're into surfing, snowboarding, etc. I hate not knowing which way to go.
Any thoughts on this?
Not really. RC is a bit younger crowd but the ship personnel who can make or break a trip are essentially the same. They typically have the same ports of call on the same routes, some of their shore excursions may vary and RCCI might have more of what your looking for. Celebrity deals more with culture, RCCI adventure. I used to deal with their main office regarding shore excursions in Alaska in my previous job.
If you're more adventure oriented rather than arts/culture oriented, RCCI might be better for you.
Posted on 1/4/17 at 4:33 pm to BigB0882
quote:
Trust me though, the Tracy Arm cruise is AMAZING. I am not trying to change your mind about it. Seattle was also great.
You absolutely must book the catamaran that takes you to the glacier in Tracy Arm. Also do whale watching in Juneau after you get back from the glacier. Makes for a long day but it was the most amazing day. The scenery was absolutely breath-taking.
One other warning: You probably won't see Tracy Arm. We went late June last year and it had too much ice so we went down further to a different glacier. It didn't make one bit of difference in the experience. Maybe this year will be different, who knows.
Yeah, Tracy Arm was rough last year, it went into rapid retreat and dropped a lot of ice in the water.
Most ships used to do Glacier Bay instead of Tracy Arm but with the increased number of ships and the reduced number of allotments in the National Park, more and more ships are doing Tracy Arm which is about 40 miles SE of Juneau. Tracy Arm is more spectacular, but only about a 4 hour journey in large ships. Glacier Bay is an all day experience, and it's much more vast. On a good weather day, both are incredible. Glacier Bay gives you multiple glaciers though, where the North Sawyer glacier has disappeared from view from the Fjord in Tracy Arm. South Sawyer is still awesome though, if you can get through the ice.
Cross Gulf cruises will also do the Hubbard Glacier which is pretty spectacular.
Posted on 1/5/17 at 9:38 am to RogerTheShrubber
My contribution would be to suggest you spend the money for an outside cabin with balcony. at the end of the day amazing views as the ship cruises to its next port. With an adult beverage of course. your welcome.
Posted on 1/5/17 at 10:25 am to TIGAHS55
quote:
My contribution would be to suggest you spend the money for an outside cabin with balcony. at the end of the day amazing views as the ship cruises to its next port. With an adult beverage of course. your welcome.
Absolutely. You don't want to have to run up to the decks every time when the views are amazing non-stop. It also rains a lot up there so the weather may keep you inside trying to look out the windows from the buffet or something. Your balcony will be covered and you can still sit out and enjoy it. On our next cruise we have an aft balcony.
Oh, and if you can get it try to get one of the "hump" balconies on Solstice. The balcony is HUGE and it is the same price as the others. Probably too late for this June but worth looking into.
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