Alaska Cruise

Updated on July 22, 2008
E.C. asks from Chicago, IL
4 answers

Hi
I was wondering has anyone ever cruised to Alaska? Which side is better the inside passage or gulf side? Any pros or cons from leaving from Seattle or Vancouver? Also any input on taking toddlers on this cruise?

As always thanks for your expert advice.

E.

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T.B.

answers from Chicago on

I went 2 years ago with Carnival I think. We left out of Vancouver which was absolutely beautiful. There is a Kids Club, but it is ages 5 and up. The folks that brought toddlers seemed to struggle a bit, especially on the excursions. We did a hike through a rainforest...those that tried to get a stroller down the gravel paths had a rough time. I was grateful that I didn't have my kids with at the time. If you want kids with, I'd wait till they hit 5!
T.

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A.L.

answers from Chicago on

My husband and I took an Alaskan cruise last September. We did the Inside passage from Vancouver (cruise departed and returned to Vancouver). Our ports of call were Ketchikan, Juneau, Hubbard Glacier and Icy Strait Point. Since it was a loop, we didn't have to worry about the Inside passage vs. gulf side since you'd either get the views on the way out or back into port. I would highly recommend a balcony - we really enjoyed having breakfast and drinks out there (weather permitting).
I can't speak to Vancouver vs. Seattle, but we spent 3 days in Vancouver pre-cruise and LOVED it. It's a wonderful city, very clean and walking friendly. Lots of great restaurants. That said, Seattle is a little easier to get to and I know Southwest flies there, so it might be more economical. We flew to Vancouver on miles, so it wasn't really an issue, but I'd imagine it's more expensive.

We did a Celebrity cruise, which is a little more adult oriented and we cruised just after Labor Day, so there weren't as many kids. This was by design, since this was our last "adult vacation." However, we were told that the week before there were over 500 children on board, so I think Alaska is becoming more popular for families. I think Royal Caribbean and Princess are more family friendly and have better children's programs.

Other tips that we found helpful

1) Be prepared for the wet weather. We dressed in waterproof layers and it didn't affect our vacation at all, but there were passengers who clearly thought an Alaksan cruise = Caribbean cruise and were dressed inappropriately (shorts, sandals) and were pretty miserable.
2) Bring binoculars - I read this tip and thought it was silly, but there's so much wildlife (whales, eagles, porpoises, bears, seals) that you can see from the ship or on excursions and we ended up using them a lot.
3) Try and book your land excursions in advance through independent operators outside the cruiseline. We found the Alaskan message boards on Cruisecritic.com to be a great source for this. We ended up doing our own excursions that were a lot smaller than the ones offered by the cruise and I think we had a better experience.
4) We loved the Hubbard Glacier - that was one of the highlights of the cruise for us.
5) If you're prone to sea sickness, take Bonine (over the counter). I took one every day, starting from when we boarded and I never got sick, and I get sea sick very easily! We had one night where the seas were pretty rough - the dining room was about 1/3 empty - and I was fine.
Hope that helps - have a great cruise!

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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

I went on an Alaskan cruise with my husband and in-laws in 2005. My in-laws had done the cruise on their own and loved it so much they treated the rest of the family to go. It was my first cruise, and it was amazing. We haven't taken a cruise since our 18 month old daughter was born, but we just discussed taking her next summer on another family cruise. We left from Seattle and did the inside passage--- Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria, BC were major stops along the way. It was a Princess Cruise, and I was very pleased. Although we didn't have our daughter then, I remember there were a lot of activities for children and there were mostly families on the cruise. Alaska is not a big "party cruise" destination, so it was mellow and family friendly. Actually, a cruise may be an easy vacation with a little one because they do offer childcare options, and so much of the planning is done for you!

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A.

answers from Chicago on

We did an Alaska cruise for our honeymoon. We sailed from Seward (Anchorage) to Vancouver, and went through the inside passage. The passage is stunningly beautiful, as was the day we spent in Glacier Bay. I can't say enough about how beautiful that cruise was.

As far as toddlers, we cruised Royal Caribbean. They have this thing called "Adventure Ocean" which is a kids club. I don't know how young it goes, though. Otherwise I think it would be pretty boring for most kids. (I think that about all cruises, though.) I don't recall seeing many kids on our honeymoon. Actually, I think we were some of the youngest people on the boat!

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