Run, do not walk, away
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?
Do Celebrity or Holland. We are 70 and that’s our experience.
Really! Now-a-days I avoid ship sponsored tours. They are too much hassle and not worth it. Better to venture out in a cab on your own.
Bkmk
“Do spend some time on cruise critic.” (CruiseCritic.com)
But don’t even allude to anything political on the site. They have serious butt hurt about that - LOL!
I’ve been a member for at least 15 years and it’s priceless (free too!) for all kinds of info. If you don’t see answers you’re looking for, ask and you’ll get responses.
Interesting thread.
Always get in a day or two early. !!!!!!!!!!!
Take the Alaska Marine Highway out of Bellingham. AKA the Alaska Ferry. Then plan stays in towns like Petersburg, Juneau and Sitka. The cruise ships travel at night and dump you off in the towns to buy trinkets.
Go see the villages and eat with the locals. Don’t take a car.
My wife lived in Anchorage for 16 years and I traveled up there monthly prior to our marriage 13 years ago.
If it were me, I’d stay away from the cruising and go to Anchorage. Take the train to Seward or Denali and see the glaciers and wildlife. Also, a drive down to Homer is definitely in the cards.
While in Anchorage, be sure to eat at F Street. The very best halibut fish n chips and razor clams.
Just saying.
MFO
MayflowerMadam wrote: “But don’t even allude to anything political on the site. They have serious butt hurt about that - LOL!”
So true. They can be strict. I particularly find their rules on mentioning Travel Agents by name as ridiculous. They say they’re out to help people enjoy their cruises while saving money. Yet, they forbid the one thing, a travel agent that discounts, that will save money. They say they don’t want the site to be deluged by travel agents. Yet, they allow certain travel agents to advertise on their home page, none of which discount.
Also AFAIK, they have no method to privately contact other users, e.g., FReepmail. That would be SO helpful for sharing info such as TA contacts.
MayflowerMadam wrote: “Also AFAIK, they have no method to privately contact other users, e.g., FReepmail. That would be SO helpful for sharing info such as TA contacts.”
Which is exactly why they disabled the ability to send private information. They say it’s because they won’t to be sure the information shared is correct.
“they disabled the ability to send private information.”
Hmmm... I didn’t know they had that feature in the past.
I’ve seen posts where people give an actual email address for others to contact. I hope they have secondary email accounts for receiving “junk”.
National Geographic working cruise on small ships.
It’s a mission.
We went on the Holland America cruise thru the inside passage. Vancouver back to Vancouver. There were three port stops with a variety of day tours. Went in early June. very few kids on the boat. Very good dining options. Three entertainment spots. A small casino. It was fun.
https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/find-a-cruise/a5g07c/i568
Run, do not walk, away
Some posters on CC have remarked about the private messaging being removed in the past. I have also seen some messages removed for including email addresses. BTW, i found the TA I use because someone included their email address.
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