Has anyone taken an Alaskan cruise?

[grace0418]

We're looking for a nice, relaxing vacation (yes, I asked about this before) but don't want to lay on a beach. We thought an Alaskan cruise sounded intriguing but don't know anyone who's done one. Are they cheesy? Do you get to see anything cool or is it just a bunch of tourist traps? When I was reading the descriptions of the various ports of call the thing they talked about most was shopping. I couldn't care less about shopping. I want to see beautiful and amazing things NOT made by corporations. Is a cruise just too sanitized of an experience?

[Crazy Guggenheim]

1. I went on one two years ago and glad I did.

[dArKeR]

2. yes, but I'm busy I'll get back to you in a few.

[Skink]

4. It's pretty strange wearing a jacket on Deck....

I used to work on Carnival. I'll take the sun any day.

[grace0418]

15. I'm okay with it not being hot and sunny.

Especially because July in Chicago is plenty hot and muggy. I think I'll actually be looking forward to a bit of a cool-down. I just don't want to be stuck in a really disneyfied experience, which is what worries me about cruise travel.

This is not intended as an insult to those who enjoy that sort of thing, I'm just not really a partier, or interested in DisneyWorld, or shopping or anything like that. Neither am I in shape enough to climb mountains or trek through rainforests. Our usual vacation is a rented house somewhere beautiful (like northern California or the PAC NW) or an apartment in NYC, or a Rick Steves-style, off-the-beaten-path European vacation. We just seem to be at a loss this year as to where to go, or everything we find is just too expensive.

[Skink]

20. O.K. just don't bring any snorkle gear.

I spent a couple years going from Tampa to a couple of Islands then up the Mississipi to New Orleans. The river is incredible. I did Alaska as a sub for two weeks so I wouldn't even know what to recommend.

[DemBones DemBones]

3. I know lots of people who have and they ALL thought it was great.

Nobody mentioned the shopping or the food on the ship, the entertainment, or the other stuff you usually hear about from cruise-goers, either; they all talked about the incredible scenery.

[dArKeR]

5. I took one of the intellectual cruises instead of the booze cruise.

I liked it. We still had time to party. Bring your rain gear. It's always cold! You're talking about the Inner Passage?

[grace0418]

13. What's an intellectual cruise?

Are you speaking of something besides Norweigian, Holland America and Princess? Those were the three who were sailing when we want to go. But if you have a suggestion I'm all ears.

Two of the cruises left from Vancouver and one from Seattle. They stopped in Ketchikan, Skagway and Juneau. I'm afraid I'm not sure what the Inner Passage is, can you explain?

Thanks.

[Dez]

6. I took a cruise to Alaska

2 years ago.. On Norweigian, the Sun. It was ok, kind of boring though.. lots of food! All ya do is EAT!

I was disappointed that we didn't spend more time in port, I would have liked to have seen more of Alaska.

Ran into a storm coming back to Seattle, the ship was 5 hours late pulling into Victoria, BC so we missed out on that pretty much. I wont be taking any more cruises I think.

[LibDemAlways]

7. I've taken four Alaska cruises.

The earliest was in 1986, the most recent last year. I've visited Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway, and seen Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. The scenery is magnificent. The best thing about an Alaska Cruise is sitting on deck watching Alaska go by. You are rarely out of sight of land in the inland passage and I can't emphasize enough how beautiful it is.

Forget shopping. Alaska isn't about shopping and the shore excursions offered by the cruise lines are pricy and touristy. The ports are small enough that you can walk to many of the most interesting sights - the Totem museum in Ketchikan and the State Capitol Building and Alaska Museum in Juneau are both walking distance from the pier as is a magnificent park in Sitka. Get an Alaska guidebook in advance and walk the towns.

If you do want to do some outdoor adventures, there are flights over the glaciers, river rafting, even dog sledding - but all for a big price.

A couple of years ago some friends of mine wanted to see Alaska and decided to take the Alaska ferry system on their own and stay at hotels along the way. They ended up spending close to what a cruise cost but they got to meet the locals and go at their own pace.

I like cruising because there's something for everybody. You unpack once and relax and enjoy the scenery. No need to dress up if you don't want to and people of all ages on board. We met lots of Canadians who shared our disdain for the BFEE.

Hope this is helpful. If you do decide to go, Alaska won't disappoint. Don't worry about dressing for the frigid cold, though. Global warming is real and I have pictures of my daughter in shorts and a tank top in Sitka to prove it!

[dArKeR]

9. 86? Are you my girlfriend?

What was the name of the ship?

[LibDemAlways]

10. In 86 was on

The Stardancer, a ship later bought by Royal Caribbean which renamed it the Viking Serenade.

[dArKeR]

11. Nope! We were on the Universe

[bookman]

8. Alaska is beautiful

You should look into a cruise/land tour combo. Denali was beautiful. Usually you get to book excursions from the cruise and you can pick and choose and avoid the tourist traps slightly. The star of Alaska is the scenery. I'd recommend it.

[Blue_In_AK]

12. Don't get off the ship, you won't want to leave....

I've been here 30 years, and even though it's fun to go Outside to visit now and then, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. This place is paradise. I haven't taken a cruise, just the ferries, but either way I'm sure you'll enjoy the scenery down there in Southeast. And whoever said the thing about global warming, that's true, it's much warmer up here than it used to be, on average, although I'd still bring a jacket if I were you since you'll be on the water. Here in Anchorage it was 74 and gorgeous today.

[grace0418]

14. Sounds lovely, I'm glad you enjoy where you live.

I live in Chicago and I find the winters here unbearable, I would not fare well in Alaska come wintertime. It sounds lovely for a visit though. My perfect climate is N. California- not too hot or too cold. Anyway, thanks for the advice. I'm sure I'll love the scenery, that's a given. I'm just concerned the ships will try to promote too much touristy stuff like shopping or cheesy shows.

[Blue_In_AK]

17. Yeah, I really can't speak to the cheesiness factor...

That's pretty much absent on the ferries, or at least the last time I was on one, which was quite a while ago. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy your trip, if you decide to take it. By the way, I doubt that Anchorage's winters are any more unbearable than Chicago's. We don't get the wind normally, and I don't think the cold is as biting -- but maybe I'm just used to it. (That's not to say that the whole state is like that, of course.) What more people have a hard time with up here in the winter is the dark.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

16. No but my mother and stepfather did

They loved it and said that the most impressive part was watching the glaciers calve.

[underpants]

18. My folks did-they LOVED it

They also got on a glass topped train and went up towards Denali.

They loved it.

[grace0418]

19. Thanks everyone. This helps a lot. If a lot of people's parents took

this kind of trip, are we going to feel out of place as 30-somethings with no kids?

[nini]

24. Depends on the cruise line

I usually sail Princess and there's a good age mix.

I've heard Holland America is the geriatric set.

[Awsi Dooger]

25. Not at all; I just cruised the inside passage in late May

I took an Alaskan cruise three weeks ago aboard the Norwegian Star, leaving Seattle at 4 PM on a Sunday and stopping in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria before returning to Seattle at 6 AM the following Sunday. Overall it was a fantastic trip.

Among 2200+ passengers there were 84 children. The cruise director mentioned that precise number during his speech on disembarkment procedures. I'm not sure what age that cut off at, but it definitely wasn't flooded with kids. The average age on the cruise is 40ish. I read that number before the cruise and it seemed to hold up.

The most comprehensive and accurate post is #7 by LibDemAlways. I basically concur with everything. The basics of a cruise like that is the phenomenal scenery and atmosphere of the inland passageway, land very close on both sides with snow covered mountains visible through the cold and mist. You just walk around the ship and behold. If you're lucky there will be frequent whale sightings. Not so much three weeks ago. but when I cruised the inside passage in midsummer several years ago we had tons of sightings, including full body leaps out of the water. I'm told that's typical, the whales are more numerous in the heart of the summer.

No mistake, a cruise like that pushes shopping to obscene proportion. The ships dock smack in front of street after street with jewelry and souvenir stores and little else until you escape to the actual city proper. There is even a cruiseline TV channel that pitches shopping hour after hour. The cruise lines have agreements with those shops. The same chain will have stores in every port and they even encourage you to buy something from the chain at the first port then "upgrade" if you like something better at a subsequent stop.

The main proplem with the cruise is lack of shore time. We docked for 7 hours at Juneau, 13 hours at Skagway, 6 hours at Ketchikan and 5 hours at Victoria. The only reason for 13 hours at Skagway is the 3+ hour train ride that is heavily promoted. They needed enough time for 3 shifts of the train ride. As LibDemAlways mentioned, you have many options at each stop but they are expensive. I took a helicopter tour to the top of Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau. It was $225 which was more than 1/3 what I paid for the cruise itself. Several years ago I toured the inside passage via a much smaller ferry-type ship. I hauled an SUV and my camper. On that trip I stopped at my own pace for several days in each port, which was terrific, then toured the Alaskan mainland for 6 weeks. So this time I knew the basics and headed for the best spots, like the totem poles and Creek Street in Ketchikan and the museums in Juneau.

If you take Norwegian it is freestyle cruising which means food and more food. I gained 12 pounds in a week! Restaurants are open all day and night and you eat at your leisure, not a formal specific time. They have small ($10-$15) additional charges for the fancy restaurants but several very nice restaurants like the Venetian had no cover charge. You don't tip but at the end of the cruise they add a $10 per day cover charge for every adult passenger, $5 per day for kids. Plus cokes and beverages other than milk or tea (orange juice at breakfast) were $1.50 extra apiece. I ate most of my meals at the buffet which was surprisingly decent. The veggie pizza at lunch every day was perfect for me. The damn chocolate cookies with walnuts were available all day and probably contributed half of my 12 pound gain.

They give you an itinerary sheet for the following day every night, 4 full pages. Activities all day and night, like full live shows, lounge acts, recent movies, sporting activities such as ping pong tournaments and free throw shooting, bingo, card games like bridge, and fun stuff like a role playing "who done it?" involving a murder scenario. The housekeeping crew was fantastic, incredibly friendly and working too many hours. They made up the cabin twice a day.

Everyone on board seemed to have a terrific time. My ace in the hole was the little casino with about 15 bonus type slot machines. I live in Las Vegas where those were huge several years ago, guaranteed consistent profit with selective play. No they are almost gone in Vegas but the Star had about 15 and I was the only passenger who seemed to know how to play them! I literally more than paid for my trip via the casino, just walking in there every couple of hours and averaging about $40 profit each time.

[grace0418]

26. Thank you soooooo much!

Norweigian was the line we were interested in (in terms of price and itinerary). You are so kind to give me such a detailed account of your trip, I feel so much better about it. Boy, I just love the people on DU. I may have to have you PM about your slot strategy, I've never played one in my life if you can believe it (the last time I was in Las Vegas I was 10 or so).

Anyway, thanks again. That was extremely helpful.

[Awsi Dooger]

27. You are very welcome; here is a link to a review including pictures

I hope I emphasized enough what a great experience it was. I met many people on the cruise and some continue to email me, reminiscing about the cruise and saying how much they miss it. A couple of weeks ago there was a Lounge thread regarding a potential DU cruise. I mentioned my Norwegian Star experience and another DUer replied that he had taken the identical cruise a year ago and loved it.

Here is a link to a review of the cruise I took, same ship and itinerary: http://www.cruisereviews.com/NorwegianCruiseLine/NorwegianStar36.htm

The reviewer is more of a food snob than myself and focused on the upscale restaurants much more than I would have. Otherwise, I thought it was a representative review and the pictures really added to it. I saw that review before the trip so I knew what to expect. I made a minor mistake in my earlier post. The basic and "free" formal restaurant was called the Versailles, not the Venetian.

Like myself, this reviewer had the basic inside cabin, which was much less expensive. Even at nearly 6'4" I had plenty of space and as the reviewer emphasizes the bathroom is incredible, especially the spacious shower. I have been on several Atlantic cruises and nothing compared to the facilities on the Star. A few people I met let me view their outer cabins with the ocean view. They were much more spacious and plush, but since I didn't spend much time in the cabin other than sleep or nap I'd chooose the inner cabin again.

If you decide to take the cruise make sure to have proper ID including a passport. A driver's license is not enough. They make you stand in line for quite a while immediately before the cruise, back and forth like an amusement park, to check in and receive the all vital Embarkation Card. That is like a credit card and ID rolled into one. You use it constantly, while disembarking, re-embarkiing, or charging something to your account. If you lose it you are sunk, figuratively if not literally.

The slot machines are extremely difficult to describe. They are specific machines called Vision machines with names like Kool Kat, Wild Cherry Pie, Diamond Mine, XFactor and a few others. They pay bonuses at a certain point and you have an advantage by inheriting them close to the bonus, i.e. if someone else abandons the machine not understanding the playing characteristics. I use specific numerical guidelines to determine whether to play or not. Literally all week I was walking into plays that people in Las Vegas would be sprinting toward or knocking someone else over to get to. Virtually guaranteed profit. But since I was the only vulture I just relaxed and allowed one private chuckle after another. If you decide to take the cruise I will provide the mathematical guidelines. But don't waste much time with that. Alaska and the cruise were the experience. Those machines were an amazing bonus, so to speak. I had no idea they would be there. And I was glad the casino was closed while we were docked so I could take full advantage of the shore time and not get stupidly greedy.

[grace0418]

28. Thank you again and again. The pix were great.

But I'm going to have to remember to bring my sunglasses- I've never seen so many primary colors outside of a preschool! I will take you up on your advice when the time comes. I've got a bit of a competitive streak in me...;)

[d_b]

21. From a lifelong Alaska

http://www.kenaifjords.com/ has amazing cruises. The one I went on about 10 years ago was just for the day, but in that day you see glaciers, wildlife, and it's all absolutely breathtaking.

[nini]

22. I've been on 4 of them

you do not have to take the packaged tours or go shopping. There are lots of people in port to help you do whatever you want in the towns.

It's best to hire a local and have them take you around if you the ship doens't provide a tour you want. Make sure you haggle the price ahead of time.

Alaska is absolutely stunning. You will never regret going there.

The ships and cruise experience may vary between cruise lines - I prefer Princess, but Celebrity is supposed to be good to.

Have fun.

[bigwillq]

23. Our neighbors

are going next month. I'll let you know how they like it.