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Alaskan Cruise Advice

Posted on 05/15/2025 12:52:50 PM PDT by Mean Daddy

Thinking about doing an Alaskan cruise but concerned with booking & ending up on the Greyhound of the Seas. My wife and I are in our early 60s so one with minimal kids & drama is appreciated. Did you do the combo boat/train? Is it worth it? What time of year did you go? What would you avoid doing? What did you like & would recommend?


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To: Mean Daddy

Anyone been on Virgin lines? Adult only & comparable in price to others.


21 posted on 05/15/2025 1:31:32 PM PDT by Mean Daddy
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To: Mean Daddy

Bookmark


22 posted on 05/15/2025 1:33:59 PM PDT by Raycpa
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To: Mean Daddy

I went last summer on the Quantum of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) and there is a sister ship that does nothing but Alaska cruises as well.

We embarked from Seattle and of the 6 cruises I’ve done with relatively young kids/early teens it was their favorite cruise.

Ports were Sitka, Skagway, Juneau and some BS Canadaian stop we didn’t get off the boat for because there was nothing to do.

Skagway is the railway but we did a stab boat tour of the fjords and it is about the most majestic thing I have ever seen. Sitka I did a mountain bike tour and loved that beyond words. Juneau can be quite costly for the helicopter and whale spotting outings.

All in all I can say it’s like nothing I’ve ever done but the downside is of all the cruises I’ve done the food was the most problematic. I don’t know if it’s because of the boat or the food sourced in Seattle is not as good as South Florida. I’m guessing the latter as South Florida probably has a deeper selection of vendors and isn’t seasonal.

The boat itself is a marvel. I haven’t done the Icon or Star of the Seas but the Quantum class is unfairly maligned in cruising circles and my family loved it. The stern of the ship is a 3 story high glass theater where you can sit all through the day and read/work and there are some shows and activities there.

Do not hesitate to book this cruise, we’ve sold co-workers on it that are going this summer after our experiences.


23 posted on 05/15/2025 1:39:12 PM PDT by PittsburghAfterDark (There is no one more racist than a white liberal.)
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To: Mean Daddy

If you start in Fairbanks, don’t feed the grizzlies.

But yeah, the train ride from Fairbanks to Anchorage was pretty nice. I’ve only ever been out of Princess Cruise and it was nice but I don’t remember with the kids situation was. I do remember the food was good. This was back in 2006.


24 posted on 05/15/2025 1:39:28 PM PDT by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait!)
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To: Larry Lucido

Sorry about the voice to text typos.


25 posted on 05/15/2025 1:40:01 PM PDT by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait!)
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To: Mean Daddy
Not to dampen your spirits but keep this in mind too:

Cruise ship crime reaches 2-year high, casting ‘dark cloud’ for travelers: expert

26 posted on 05/15/2025 1:40:30 PM PDT by PROCON (Sic Semper Tyrannis)
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To: Mean Daddy

If you wish to see beautiful glaciers, go early in season for Alaska cruise. By end of season, lot of ice has melted away.


27 posted on 05/15/2025 1:49:22 PM PDT by Bobbyvotes
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To: Mean Daddy
If what you want is a unique experience at the margins of land and sea, try Pacific Yellowfin
28 posted on 05/15/2025 1:51:53 PM PDT by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: Mean Daddy
For Alaska, go on Princess. They've been there the longest and have the permits for the best places. They only run from late May until early September. After that, it starts to get cold and dark. I went to Alaska twice, once on a cruise in early July and once on a camping vacation in mid-August.

Do the 7-day one-way from Anchorage/Whittier to Vancouver. Fly into Anchorage the day before. Princess will meet you at the airport and bus you to the hotel. At the hotel, you will separate your luggage into land and sea, and your sea luggage will be sent to the ship while you enjoy the land tour.

Book a land portion for 3 or 4 nights prior to the cruise. You will be packing and unpacking several times. This way, you can relax and be pampered on the ship after the land portion is complete.

For the land portion, Princess has lodges across Alaska. Most people go to the McKinley Lodge and then the Denali Lodge. Others might go to Homer or Seward before Denali. Others would take a bus or train to Fairbanks.

Denali includes a 5-hour bus trip into the park. As an optional add-on, you can take an 8-hour park tour.

At the end of the land portion, you will take the scenic glass - top train on a 9-hour ride to Whittier. The train ends right across from the pier. Agents will check you in on the train and give you your boarding pass or keycard.

-PJ

29 posted on 05/15/2025 1:53:47 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too ( * LAAP = Left-wing Activist Agitprop Press (formerly known as the MSM))
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To: PROCON

I have done 50+ cruises. Never even came close to crime. Cruise ships are like 1000 times safer than any hotel. Any stranger can walk to your room in a hotel. It is impossible for Strangers to board a ship. Every passenger has verified documents, every item brought on ship passes through x-ray machines, and there are security cameras everywhere on ship. At worst you might run into a passed out drunk in a hallway. The room stewards will not steal anything from cabin because this job pays lot more than what they can earn in their country. Any criminal act gets them black listed from any ship jobs. So they all value their jobs.


30 posted on 05/15/2025 1:55:12 PM PDT by Bobbyvotes
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To: Mean Daddy

Lots of good and not so good advice/information.

The good.
If you want to avoid children, go when school is in session.
Do fly in a day early.
Do buy travel insurance. Not from the cruise line but from independent insurers. ( TripInsuranceStore.com )
Visit cruisecritic.com for lots of good insights.
We went on Holland which has few children.
If price isn’t a big issue, look at the Haven on Norwegian, maybe $4500 per person.
Most cruise lines include alcohol in their basic price.
Most include one or two specialy meals in their basic price.
Almost all cruise lines do not all smoking in cabins or on balconies.
Very few cruise lines have formal nights were you have to wear coat and tie.
Don’t overpack. You’ll need half the clothes you think you will and twice the money.

Not so good.
There are multiple train excursions from Scagway. Not all require a passport, only those entering Canada.
Late arriving shore excursions. The cruise lines do not guarantee they will wait for you. Usually they will but not always. They do guarnatee they will get you to the next port if they depart without you.
The shore excursions are not operated by the cruise lines. Therefore there will usually be a mix with some booking direct (cheaper) and some not. Therefore it really doesn’t matter if you book direct or through the line, the ship will normally wait.

Other.
If you have time to shop around some travel agents will discount the cruise fare by around 8-10%. You do not have to book through the cruise line.

You can do some fake bookings where you visit the cruise line websites and pretend to be booking. You can step through the process up to the point of actually buying. This allows you to compare prices and benefits.

Do spend some time on cruise critic.


31 posted on 05/15/2025 1:58:08 PM PDT by DugwayDuke (Most pick the expert who says the things they agree with.)
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To: Mean Daddy

We did a Princess cruise from Vancouver to Alaska two years ago in June. Mostly older crowd. The few kids on board were well behaved. We did 7 days at sea with stops in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway. Took a Princess train from Whittier to Denali then to Anchorage. Four days on land and flew out of Anchorage. We really enjoyed it. Princess did a great job keeping everything on schedule. We had heard that Princess was less likely to have kids and a “party crowd,” and it was true. It was a very relaxing trip. The average age of the passenger was probably about 65.


32 posted on 05/15/2025 2:13:54 PM PDT by Restless
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To: sonova

Second that message! Great time with Holland America (they own the Alaska/Denali resorts!) with 3 nights in Denali and great outings, plus the slow train (on purpose for scenery) to the dock for the 7 night HA inside passage cruise with glaciers and beautiful sights! Highly recommend and look forward to going again in 3 years... ymmv (send me a PM if you have more questions)


33 posted on 05/15/2025 2:14:13 PM PDT by PalominoGuy ( )
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To: Mean Daddy

Www.vacationstogo.com is a great place to get great deals.

Prices are heavily disconted.


34 posted on 05/15/2025 2:14:32 PM PDT by WASCWatch ( WASC)
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To: WASCWatch

Do not buy ground excursions through the cruise lines. You can determine the same excursions when you get off the ship for a very much lower price by just walking up to the booties on the dock.


35 posted on 05/15/2025 2:18:01 PM PDT by WASCWatch ( WASC)
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To: Mean Daddy

PART 2 - Last year, we did another cruise from Vancouver to Alaska to Japan, this time on Holland America. It was in April, and we won’t do that time of year again. Our itinerary changed three times because of stormy weather. Seven out of 14 days at sea were pretty rough. Anyway, Holland America was much like Princess with an older crowd.

We’ve also discovered that cruises of 10 days or longer tend to attract an older and less rowdy crowd. Shorter cruises and summer cruises tend to attract lots of families and partiers. We did a 5-day Caribbean cruise on Carnival years ago in July... never again. Lots of kids and a little too much like, um, “Spirit Airlines.”


36 posted on 05/15/2025 2:26:02 PM PDT by Restless
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To: Mean Daddy

Took Holland America years ago and am looking to repeat next year. We booked the next to last cruise of the year which kept us out of the fly and mosquito hoards. Also, do the land portion first. You will be riding a train or bus almost every day until you board ship. Saving the easiest part for last left us rested for a long flight home. Definitely plan to arrive a day early. Trip is well worth it but lags a bit in the Canadian portion. We found the seas to be pretty calm despite one of our crew having a tendency toward motion sickness (bring a patch just in case). Our travel agent says Holland America and Princess offer the best Alaskan cruises despite not being high dollar lines. Be prepared to spend for extras - they really make the land portion more fun and informative.


37 posted on 05/15/2025 2:33:58 PM PDT by Boomer One ( ToUsesn)
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To: Mean Daddy

Regent Seven Seas all the way! The ships are smaller and have a more mature client. Almost no kids and the service is excellent.


38 posted on 05/15/2025 2:45:57 PM PDT by Dave911
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To: Mean Daddy

Do the Yukon tour and take the train back to Skagway.


39 posted on 05/15/2025 2:47:41 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Bobbyvotes

And expect to be lectured non-stop about Global Warming when touring the glaciers.


40 posted on 05/15/2025 2:48:37 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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