Anyone been on an Alaska Cruise?

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Purplelicious

I went on a Carnival Cruise to Alaska a few years ago, and it was fantastic. The sights were breathtaking and beautiful, and are unlike anything else I have ever seen in the United States. You could look at pictures of Alaska online and in travel brochures, but belive me, there is NO comparision to actaully seeing the landscape for yourself. Hopefully your cruise line will be traveling along the inside passage, as this is the most scenic route. I don't know if you have ever been on any other cruises before, but from time to time the captain or cruise director makes announcements about the events currently going on that day. When they announce that the ship will be stopping for everyone to view the glaciers, make sure you get up on deck early enough to get a front row seat. This experince was one of the most memorable for me on my cruise. Large sections of the glaciers are constantly breaking off as they are shifting, and when this happens it sounds almost exactly like thunder booming or lightning cracking, as the sound is intensified by the echo effect provided by the mountains. When that huge chunk of ice hits the water, it sounds like someone doing a cannonball into a pool, only much louder and with a sorta slow motion effect. One of the excursions I participated in was panning for gold. We were taken to a gorgeous park, where all of the "employees" were dressed up as if we were still in the 'gold rush' era. This was particuarly fun for all the kids. A must do excursion is the white water rafting one ; one moment you're on a massive, tranquil lake with mountains as the backdrop, and the next youre being swept away by the current. I could go on forever, but one last peice of advice: go to the online website of the ship you're going on, and look at all the excursions being offered in advance. This way you don't spend your precious time on the ship trying to decide which ones you're going to do, or have to stand in the long line to pay for them, only to be told that that excursion has already sold out. Have a great time!
P.S. Since you're going in August, it will be daylight until 2 or 3 in the morning ( dusk, really )

ExtraPoints

I haven't been there

c'est_moi

I wasn't on a cruise be we did take a trip to Alaska and it was amazing! I always thought of Alaska as having that icy beauty but there is so much lush greenery. And beautiful flowers! Somehow it does make it more striking when you have lush vegetation with a backdrop of icy mountains and glaciers.

I also was able to climb on a glacier and do some hiking. It has something to do with the water being so cold but the glacier and water has a blue tint in some parts. I did go on a boat ride, as well, and the waterfalls were numerous and stunning! I really think you'll enjoy yourself.

I almost forgot! We went clam digging. It was messy but so much fun!

missy

my in-laws did and they had a great time. Said it was beautiful.

tech_fanatic

Alaska is one of my favorite cruise destinations. I'm not sure of which line you will be going on, but they are absolutely amazing cruises. It is almost shocking to see such beauty for the first time and then realize you are still in the U.S.!

There are some great excursions as well, so if you have the change, I recommend doing them. I'm not sure of what ports you will be going to, but each has something great.

I think you will be amazed when you go. It will definitely be a trip you won't soon forget.

Havea great time!

TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

Yes, went on Alaska crusie for honeymoon. Then also did the land tour part which took us up to Anchorage for a day, then to Denali Nat Park by train for a day, then on up to Fairbanks. The inside passage part is great, but the land part was also fabulous and a different kind of sightseeing experience. We saw caribou, Fox, moose, and bear in the park. You don't see those from the inside passage cruise.

The cruie will be great. The key word for dressing is layering. It will probably be in the 70 to 80 degree range, except when you are cruising at sea. It will be colder when you get to the glaciers, light jacket, hat and maybe gloves. It may be light rain the first couple ports also.

rogue

My wife and I went on a Norwegian cruise to Alaska two years ago. It was the inside passage cruise roundtrip from Seattle. It was absolutely fabulous. This was the first cruise either of us took and we had lots of fun. The scenery is gorgeous and the excursions we took were great. The ship traveled to Juneau, Ketcikan and Skagway. We also were able to get into Glacier Bay. We had a wonderful time on ship as well in the above ports. In a few years we plan on doing it again!

darlingdarla3

I hope that you are taking an inside passage trip. We did not know any better and we took a very large ship and not an inside passage trip. They told us there is the Colombian glacier and we practically had to get out our binoculars to see it. I think most cruise lines pretty much have the same itineraries. I hope that you are also taking a land trip to Fairbanks - it is worth the cost as the "last frontier."

William E

First of all choose Holland America Line and leave from Vancouver, British Columbia. The H.A.L. ships are in my opinion the best, the food is excellent, the crew extremely polite and it isDutch clean. AAA+ for that. Leaving from Vancouver is an experience in itself. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and gliding underneath the Lions Gate bridge to the open waters between the Mainland and Vancouver Island is breathtaking. Sometimes it feels that you can touch the rocks on both sides of the ship as it passes through some very narrow channels. Look for dolphins, maybe a whale while on shore you might see black bear. Alaska is a an experience in itself. Try to take a plane ride over the Mendenhall Glacier. It gives you an idea what ice really means and do take the train from Skagway to see the old goldrush route.
Have a great voyage.

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