Has anyone ever been on a cruise to Alaska?!?

Show all answers

TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

WE went on a cruise-tour to Alaska on a Princess ship a few years ago and it was just great. Princess has some very lovely ships and the food and dining options are great also.

The Alaska cruise season is from May to Sept. The weather is generally warmer in June, July and Aug, but it can also be pleasant in May and Sept. When we went a few years ago in May it was shirt sleeve weather (70's) in Anchorage and Fairbanks. The odd thing was, it was cooler further south in Juneau and Skagway than it was up north. It was rainy and cloudy in Ketchkan. It will be cold, like coat, hat and gloves weather, when you get close to the Glaciers. When you pack, think layering of your clothes. A couple long sleeve shirts/tops, a sweater/sweatshirt, a light jacket, maybe with a hood.

The best Alaska cruise experience is the CRUISE-TOUR. Princess, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean all run cruise tours which take you by train all the way to Fairbanks, Alaska. Princess and RC have special domed train cars for this. Your best chance to see wild animals will be if you do a cruise-tour where you go further north after cruising the inside passage. The only animals you are likely to see in the inside passage is seals. If you get lucky you may see a whale. On these tours you can arrange to stop for a night or two in Taketna, or Denali National Park. This will be your best opportunity to see moose, caribou, eagle, wolf, and bear. But you really need two days at Denali so that you have time to get one of the Park Service's buses that go deep into the park. Regular tour buses , cars and campers can only go about 5 miles into the park. The Park Service runs buses about 17 miles into the park, but you must get to the visitor center very early to reserve a spot on one of their buses. The train stops going north and south do not get you to Denali in time or allow enough time for the deep back country buses.
With Princess, Holland America, and RC you can do the tour part first and then go to Seward or Whittier to get on ship for the inside passage part. I recommend doing the tour part first.

The cruise ship will be fun because there is always something to do.

sally b

I live in NY where winters are long and cold. For years I kept refusing my husband's plea to take a cruise to Alaska. We have been on over 20 cruises as well as several land based trips, and I can honestly say that the cruise to Alaska is one of the few I would do again. It is so different from what you expect even after seeing it on TV and in the movies. To stand before a glacier that existed in the ice age and watch pieces break off and fall into the ocean defies description.
We went white water rafting right up to one of the glaciers. There were seals on little ice burgs along the way. Lots of fun, awesome views. We didn't do it, but the ones who took dogsled rides said that was a lot of fun too.
So, yes it is fun. So much to do. It will be quite warm in most places in June. We went in September for 2 weeks and it was cooling a bit by then, but still quite comfortable in most places. Juneau actually gets very little snow and is about the same as the lower states temperature wise.
Be sure to buy an ulu knife. The best kitchen knife ever made. Do not by the souvernier shop knives made in China, get the real deal made in Alaska. Northern Lights topaz is a gemstone that is quite unique and is very reasonable up there.
June is also one of the best times for seeing wildlife. We saw dahl sheep, grizzly bears, moose and several others.
Hope these little tidbits help put you at ease.

riteon

It is the greatest cruise out there, in my opinion. Be sure and have a balcony because you will not want to miss a minute of the beautiful scenery. I would go once a year if I could.

tonal9nagual

You will love it! June is a good month to go. You need to pack a variety of clothes . Sweaters, light jackets, sweat shirts with hoods, water proof jackets, sneakers, good hikeing boot, etc. The temperature can vary greatly, it could be any where from 30 degrees farenhight, at night. to 70 or even 80 during the day. Night time is very short as you are so far north the sun shines most of the time. The scenery will be like none you have ever seen before! There is an abundance of wild life you will see, You will see lots of sea life, whales, seals, etc.etc. The inside passage is so beautiful, and the ports of call are tons of fun.!!!

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: