Anyone take the cruise ship to Alaska?

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Mickey

Yes in July on Holland America cruise lines. It was AWESOME. The ship from the outside didn't look as "pretty" as Carnival or Princess, but inside the service, etc was 10 x better in my opinion. We stayed the night in Vancouver, CA (another favorite place of mine) then left the next afternoon. We ported in Juneau, Skagway & Ketchikan. I did a side trip in each port (In Juneau I went kayaking at the bottom of Mendanhall Glacier, at Skagway I did the gold mining camp and Ketchikan I did the Indian Village). It was the best money I ever spent and I am going back someday but I am getting off at Skagway and going up to Denali. Alaska is by far the most beautiful undeveloped land I've ever been to. As far as clothing, depends. When you pull into Glacier National Bay it is freezing (you need to be on deck to see the glaciers 'calfing' - pieces falling off into the bay). I would venture a guess it was about 40 and windy there. The other places tends to be high (so don't book a side helicopter trip they get cancelled a lot plus too dangerous). As far as food, no complaints at all!!! I booked a very low cabin (it was the cheapest and they arent' very big, but keep in mind what I did #1 - you aren't going to spend a lot of time in there, changing and sleeping is about it) #2 - the higher you are on the ship the more you'll feel it sway or rock.Save that for going up to the 'crows' nest for a drink. Do it, have a grand time, it'll be the most memorable experience of your life, it was for me.

Lex

Well, to start off on a clear note, there are several cruise ships that go to Alaska. My favorite one is the Norwegian Star. Unlike popular belief, Alaska isn't cold. In fact, it was about 75 degrees in Glacier Bay! But, Alaskan weather is unpredictable so it would be a good idea to take warm clothes and short sleeves/pants. No two cruises are alike weatherwise in Alaska. The heat on the ship was about 72 degrees, although you could adjust the temperature higher or lower in your stateroom. The food is incredible. There are some resteraunts that make you pay, but I wouldn't recommend them because you get things like ribs, suckling pig, whole roasted chickens, etc for free! Not to mention you can have those things delivered to your stateroom, also for free. That's only on NCL though. They have the best cruises so go with them.

owenlax17

Yes, I took Princess's Coral Princess to Alaska. It was quite possibly one of the most enjoyable cruises I've ever taken. Alaska is definitely the most beautiful state in the the Union, and it's completely impossible to fully describe it's wonder with words. There's so much to do, particularly hiking, fishing, walking on glaciers, and of course shopping (gold is particularly popular).

The heat on the ship was actually perfect, and we never felt cold once. Remember that cruises to alaska only go during the spring, summer and very early fall period, where temperatures in alaska range from about 50-70 depending on where you are, so it's not exactly frigid outside. Still, especially in Glacier Bay and at night it can get a little more than just chilly outside, so be sure to bring sweaters and jackets (though not as many as you instinctively might be inclined to bring). Inside was great.

Jeans are your best friend in alaska, since you might be doing relatively rough outdoorsy sorta things, and jeans are pretty durable. Bring a couple of shorts, maybe a pair or two, but mostly pants. T shirts, some long sleeve shirts, and then 5 or so sweaters and or sweatshirts ought to do it. Formal wear, underwear (of course), socks! comfortable walking shoes (though hiking boots are not necessary), a scarf of some sort might also be a good idea, though gloves aren't necessary, and a hat only if you prefer. Bring a bathing suit for the pool (a lot of alaska-bound ships have indoor pools now), and toiletries. Also, a good book or two; it's lovely to sit outside on a lounge chair, read a book and glance up as glaciers, mountains and forests roll by.

The food was excellent, and the ship had a menu geared towards alaskan cuisine. We had wonderful salmon, amazing venison (or maybe it was caribbou, not sure, but it was delicious).

arecibena_ausente

Tips and info from other cruiser about Alaska, i hope it's helpful!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

rick d

Yes it was A BLAST. Yes the heat in rooms adequate. Jeans, t-shirts, alight (jeans)jacket. Have been on Holland, Norwegian & Princess, Holland has best food but, also costs more for same cruise. If you have the time Princess 11 day Cruisetour is outstanding. Norwegian is good as it gets. 7 day cruise all pretty much stop at same ports. You will meet people from all over the world. See travel channel not all old people go there. You will enjoy it.

sorcha

Yes I did this past summer. It was soooo fun! The scenery is amazing and we found the people there pretty friendly. We packed warm clothes, but the key is LAYERING. Every day we were there (we went in June) the weather was in the 50s/60s, then one day it was in the 70s and everyone was peeling off layers as we were walking around port. So just make sure you bring things you can layer under, not just one big huge jacket. We went on Carnival and the ship was really nice, the food was good, the staff was really nice. I even won in the casino! haha, that made the trip even better.

If you're not going on a "free-style dining" cruise, then make sure you bring a couple of nice dresses, skirts & tops, etc, because there were 2 nights where you had to dress up for dinner. The rest of the evenings were nice/casual. You didn't have to dress up, but showing up in your bathing suit or pajamas wasn't Ok either, lol. Bring comfy shoes because you'll be doing a lot of walking once you're in port. Go ahead and splurge on the excursions, unless you think you'll go again. There was one excursion I wish I had taken, and I don't know when I'll do this again, so I regret not doing it now even though it was expensive. Also I would suggest the late seating for dinner, because then you don't have to rush to get back for dinner in time, we did the late seating and we also got to see all the shows we wanted after dinner. They try to time them so the late seating diners don't miss the shows they put on.

Have fun and make sure you bring your camera charger / batteries / lots of film, because there's an endless amount of pictures you can take of all the amazing scenery!!

janwalling2000

Yes, it was fun. The heat was just right. I took casual clothes, except for one "fancy" dress.The food was as good as other cruises. The best thing about the cruise was the exceptional shows every night. However, have also driven to Alaska from Texas, making many stops along the way and , to me, driving is the only way to see Alaska.

Hand puppet pet

The Alaskian train, that travels where you can not in alaska, by ordinary means, is much more of a trip into adventure. Aboard ship is just that, and open seas. The port cities are not that much of an interest, as any waterfront town becomes.

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