Alaskan Cruise

[uncledj]

I told Lisa that when we got our lives back, we'd go on an Alaskan Cruise. Still have a little snag....(Little Pomeranian who's going to be 18)...still can't leave him, but don't know how long we'll still have him.

Anyhoo, I'm starting to look into booking a cruise and thought I may be able to get some valuable input from my Venturerider family.

We'll be flying out of Columbus, OH, and will want a package deal..

What line? What time of year? What to do when we get there?

 

Don't know what happened with the text size....whatever....

[leo3wheel]

I told Lisa that when we got our lives back, we'd go on an Alaskan Cruise. Still have a little snag....(Little Pomeranian who's going to be 18)...still can't leave him, but don't know how long we'll still have him.

Anyhoo, I'm starting to look into booking a cruise and thought I may be able to get some valuable input from my Venturerider family.

We'll be flying out of Columbus, OH, and will want a package deal..

What line? What time of year? What to do when we get there?

 

Don't know what happened with the text size....whatever....

 

We've been to Alaska four times. First time on land tour, second and third times on cruises of Inside Passage and fourth time combo land tour/Inside Passage cruise with Holland America. Combo package allows you to experience the most. Both land tour and cruise provide opportunities to see many things. Denali National Park and train ride from Fairbanks to Anchorage are very nice. You can take a plane ride to the Artic Circle or take helicopter ride to Denali (Mt. McKinley). Some excursions must be booked well ahead and can be pricey. Cruise through the Inside Passage is very nice. Glacier Bay National Park is breathtaking. You can book excursions to go watch bears, go view whales, go fishing for salmon/halibut or go on a crabbing boat. It's all a lot of fun. Best time to go is near the summer solstice, June 21. You can go directly through Princess or Holland America for all arrangements, like air, transfers and tour/cruise. Our Holland America tour/cruise was booked through Burkhalter Travel, http://www.burkhaltertravel.com. We also cruised the Inside Passage with Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, both very nice.

Edited February 6, 2019 by leo3wheel

[djh3]

I have used Vacations to go to look for prices and narrow things down. We went on an Alaska cruise in like 06. Our cruise left out of Seattle and was an inside passage up and back. That cruise was on Princess. Nice ship, we had inside cabin didnt really know any different then. Now I think we would splurge and get a balcony. We have also done a Carnival or 2 here in Fla to the Bahamas and Cozumel. Carnival probably the least expensive, but it was like a motel 6 compared to the Princess. Our friends went on an Alaska cruise a few years back and they used Holland America and said it was very nice. WE saw them on the dock off and on and they look really luxurious. Our rep @ vacations to go was very helpful with recommendations. We were like 4 or 5 decks down I think from the main food deck. Never rode the elevators, A-they were either packed or lined up with scooter chairs to go up or down or B-we could make better time walking stairs. The added bonus of the exercise allowed for seconds or 3rds. LOL

[Sailor]

We went on an Alaska cruise a few years ago. Different cruises stop at different locations. One of our stops was at Skagway where we went on a day excursion on the White Pass railway. It was very interesting. It followed the route the miners used in the 1800's.

[leo3wheel]

Pics from Alaska Inside Passage cruises.

Edited February 6, 2019 by leo3wheel

[Condor]

My wife and the kids went on an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle with Celebrity in mid July'09. (Bro-in-laws recommendation) South east Alaska. Juneau, Skagway, Ketchican. We did several shore excursions and wandered around town shopping and sight seeing. I still use my walking stick from Skagway Hardware... more than ever lately... :-) Don't forget to pick up an Ulu knife.. We've also done the Caribbean aboard NCL, and if I were to do Alaska again that's the line I'd pick. With Celebrity it was boring while underway, and they didn't know that folks like to have their coffee before 7am. There was just nothing to do except sit around. While on NCL 'freestyle' the trip was just as intertaining as the shore leaves. Food was just as diversified and entertaining.... 24/7.... I'm not sure if NCL is still doing freestyle, but if they are I highly recommend them....

[BlueSky]

Our one cruise was from Miami to the Carribbean islands with Norwegian. I had never really wanted to go on a cruise but I was pleasantly surprised. The ship had lots of entertainment and we were never bored. The crew mostly foreigners such as Phillipinos worked very hard to keep everybody happy. At that time about 3 yrs ago, they were giving some choices such as free drinks or no tips required, and maybe another choice. I chose the no tips option. But, I was still expected to tip for drinks etc. At the end of the cruise (5 day) they were charging everyone over a hundred bucks for tips when they checked out before they got off the boat. I didn't have to pay that fee.

[Condor]

Our one cruise was from Miami to the Carribbean islands with Norwegian. I had never really wanted to go on a cruise but I was pleasantly surprised. The ship had lots of entertainment and we were never bored. The crew mostly foreigners such as Phillipinos worked very hard to keep everybody happy. At that time about 3 yrs ago, they were giving some choices such as free drinks or no tips required, and maybe another choice. I chose the no tips option. But, I was still expected to tip for drinks etc. At the end of the cruise (5 day) they were charging everyone over a hundred bucks for tips when they checked out before they got off the boat. I didn't have to pay that fee.

 

I like the new way of tipping. One flat fee added to the bill. It used to be that the passengers would be running around tipping the crew as they saw fit with some just stiffing them. It is a major source of income for them and with the new style they all get equal shares. We still left a few extra $20 bills laying around for those that went out of their way for us.... Once you've taken a cruise on NCL you become a Latitude and get some free-bee's when you sail with them again... I get a monthly 'deal' email from them. Some look interesting... :-) BTW.. Loved Alaska, just not the ship.

[BlueSky]

I like the new way of tipping. One flat fee added to the bill. It used to be that the passengers would be running around tipping the crew as they saw fit with some just stiffing them. It is a major source of income for them and with the new style they all get equal shares. We still left a few extra $20 bills laying around for those that went out of their way for us.... Once you've taken a cruise on NCL you become a Latitude and get some free-bee's when you sail with them again... I get a monthly 'deal' email from them. Some look interesting... :-) BTW.. Loved Alaska, just not the ship.

 

We bought our cruise tickets on line and there was no mention of tips being charged by lump sum when I bought the tickets. So, I was a little surprised when I was expected to pay tips on drinks. And I didn't really know what I saved by selecting the "no tip" option until we disembarked. Seems to me they could have been more up front in explaining the charges. But, we had a great time on the cruise and enjoyed the side trips at a couple of the island stops. It was a win. I'm glad we went.

[leo3wheel]

Yes, cost of ocean cruise has many components. There is cost of flight to cruise origin, ground transfers, cruise itself (double occupancy/type of cabin), taxes and port fees, specialty dining fees, drink packages, cancellation insurance, land excursions, tips of $13.50/$14.50 per person per day, tips for bar services, etc. It all adds up. There are usually promotions offering deals on several components.

[bongobobny]

When we took our Alaska cruise we went through a company called YMT (Your Man Tours) and did a combo 1-week bus tour of the Pacific Northwest and a 1-week inner passageway cruise ship and was very pleased with it! It was organized quite well and for what we got was reasonably priced as well! We left on the bus from Salt Lake City to Vancouver and sailed from Vancouver and finally docked in Seattle! I would advise doing the trip in the middle of June at the earliest as it can get quite cold in the Yosemite area in late May/early June...

[Sailor]

One cruise we were on drinks were quite expensive and they checked you every time you came back on board to make sure you did not bring your own aboard. After dinner the first day I decided to utilize the ice cream bar. There was booze you could add to the ice cream. The attendant winked and told me the booze was free. After that desert was a scoop of ice cream topped with a plentiful amount of booze.

[leo3wheel]

Some cruise lines allow you to bring a couple bottles of wine at origin, but there is a corking fee if opened by staff in restaurant.

Princess serves free champagne at Captain's Night, and Bananas Foster is good with extra rum. (Bananas, vanilla ice cream,

butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum, banana liqueur)

[Karaboo]

I am doing a Bahamas cruise next month on NCL. It is for a Navy reunion, and will be my first civilian cruise. They have the"drink free at sea" for this one. This could be dangerous.

 

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[leo3wheel]

I am doing a Bahamas cruise next month on NCL. It is for a Navy reunion, and will be my first civilian cruise. They have the"drink free at sea" for this one. This could be dangerous.

 

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You may have to pay gratuities on those "free" drinks.

[Motorcycle Mike]

Shirley an I really like Norwegian Cruise Line.

All dining and beverage gratuities are prepaid on NCL. Room gratuities can be prepaid as well. We like to do this so we don't have to spend anything else once we get on the ship.

Get a balcony or mini suit. Worth the money in my opinion. An aft facing balcony gives a view to both sides of the ship.

Talk to one of Norwegians cruise consultants instead of booking online. They are free and can be really helpful.

[Karaboo]

I did prepay gratuities, but we will probably take turns tipping, anyway. It will help ensure we don't run dry. That would be more dangerous than too much with this bunch of squids.

[CaseyJ955]

Sounds like it would be prudent to get a full breakdown of all fees and charges before going, maybe have them email the contract and fee schedule so it can be reviewed carefully before hand, so no surprises later. Trying to tack extra charges on at the end is just bad business, but a pretty common practice unfortunately.

 

Use of a credit card for stuff like this offers consumer protections not afforded by debit cards or cash/check. In case the statement does not match what you were quoted going in. Nice extra layer of protection, just sayin'.

[YamahaLarry]

I am doing a Bahamas cruise next month on NCL. It is for a Navy reunion, and will be my first civilian cruise. They have the"drink free at sea" for this one. This could be dangerous.

 

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Oh my. A squid at sea with free drinks there will be no reason for a liberty call.

 

To the OP:

Old Coastie here. My wife and I cruise often in the Caribbeans and hope to make an Alaskan cruise before we begin pushing up daisies.

 

Personally, I have spent a good bit of time at sea in Alaska, and have hit most major ports during my 5 ea 3 month Alaskan Fishery Patrols in the Bering Sea. Only 2 of those patrols were in the summer time. Beautiful state. To really enjoy it's beauty, you will want to get away from the local town/village either via railway or air.

 

Be prepared to be in awe.

[RSTDdog]

We went in 2007 on Holland America. We did the cruise and land tour combo with the train. If you are going to do the inside passage cruise, I would recommend a balcony if its in your budget. Nice to be able to go and sit out side and have your coffee and watch the scenery go by. You may also have a choice of which direction to go. My vote would be start out south in Seattle or Vancouver on the inside passage cruise and go north. Form a scenery perspective south to north journey things keep getting better and better.

 

The other option is go North to south, starting with the train and land tours in Alaska and finishing your trip with the inside passage cruise. Some view the cruise at the end to be a good way to wind down. Either way you won't be disappointed.