Has anyone taken an Alaska cruise? Which route is best? What is the latest to go & still see whales, etc?

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TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

The best time to go on an Alaska cruise is when you can get the best price. 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 prices will be in May and Sept but you will see the same things as other times. The port stops will be the same but may be in a different order. Some cruises ship itineraries are run in reverse order, North to South vs starting in Seattle or Vancouver. Check the cruise line web sites for variations by date, itinerary and price.

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, or you start there and then do the cruise. 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 before or after cruising the inside passage. The only animals you are likely to see in the inside passage is seals; that's all we saw. If you spend a lot of time watching and get really lucky you may see a whale or a whale pod. Or, you can take a whale watching tour from the ship at one of the port stops.

On the cruise-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 3 or 4 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.

I have been to Alaska twice and never saw a whale. Then last year we did a cruise to New England and Canada and one afternoon our ship sailed right through a pod of whales. You gotta be lucky to see them unless you go on a tour with people who know exactly where they are likely to be seen.

Tivogal

You will want to be on deck to see wildlife as you are cruising. North to South is pretty nice since you get the busride out of the way. holland america, rcci, princess, all have nice cruises to alaska.
go to cruisecritic to find out more details about ports, packing , and what to see.

rick d

Depending on how much time you can go depends on which is best for you. May & Sept. offer the best rates.
The inside passages is a great way to see mountains with snow, Indian villages plus many other great sites.
Whales & other wildlife can be seen from the ship during the season & In Skagway right next to the pier is a large Bald Eagles nest.
If you have the time a cruisetour is best to see all. Princess offers the only 5 star lodge in Fairbanks. Pikes Riverfront Lodge. There you also go on a Steerwheeler cruise where they stop at a Native Indian village where you can see alot of animals up close.
One big thing is that you need to be up on deck because sightings happen fast & usually someone yells out so everyone can see. The Glaciers are amazing as well as the whole trip.
They have many specials on the Travel Channel & Princess.com offers a free CD on the places you will stop & things to see & do.
Go. Enjoy.

Snow B

The best time to see the whales are when they are up here. They head South for the winter!

ipswich3

i just got back from alaska... me and my family went for 2 weeks..we did all landd....but it was so cool to see bears we saw beers from like 10 feet way u could hear them eating grass it was so amzing....we saw whales,bears,mountain goats,moose..ect. i would deff.recomend white water rafting,bear sighting,halibot fishing.

i loved homer,sweared,fairbanks,denali,angroge

i love it so muchhhh

PraiseBob

Take the North to South route. That way you get the long boring bus ride to the Northern port out of the way at the beginning of your trip when you are still fresh rather than making it the last memory of your vacation.

cruiseprofessor1

there is north or southbound which go from Vancouver or Seattle to Anchorage or vica versa. But there is also inside passage cruises that start and end in Seattle or Vancouver.

The north or south bound cruises are more for doing land tours to get into the interior of Alaska (Denali park, Fairbanks, etc.) The cost is substantially higher depending on the # of nights. These are called "cruisetours", combining land and sea.

An inside passage cruise will get to the same normal ports of Juneau, Ketchikan, Sgaway, maybe Sitka, plus glaciers in Tracy Arm (Sawyer Glacier), Hubbard Glacier, or even Glacier Bay depenidng on the cruise line.

so what's best? It depends on your time and/or budget. Any Alaska trip is going to be fantastic. Been up there twice and would go again (and probably will as there is soooo much to see).

You will really only see wildlife if you do land also but will see whales almost all season in the inside passage. Also a great tour in Juneau going out on Auke Bay - whale sighting guaranteed.

Lynn of Glen Allen

I took a cruise south from Alaska on the Dawn Princess in Sept. 2003. I flew from Va. to Anchorage and people from the ship met me. We took a 3 hr bus ride north to Seward and boarded the ship there and sailed south to Vancouver and I flew home from there. It doesn't matter whether you sail north or south. It is a magnificent state and you see a lot along the way with generally, 4 stop overs of a day in length. I would love to live in Alaska. I love cold weather so that would not be a hindrance for me. I hope you go. You will never forget the experience.

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