Alaska cruise

Not a cruise person but would do this one. What time off year do you go? And what are the good and bad things about it. Guessing you fly into AK.

My mom and stepdad did that and I think they went out of Seattle??? Not 100% sure though!

We’ve done 2 and going on the 3rd in August. Always July or August, bring rain ear, bring rain gear and don’t forget you rain gear. We’ve left out of Seattle and flew back from Anchorage.

The scenery is second to none, that is my favorite thing about it.
The bad is the flight back from AK, too long. This time we are leaving Seattle, going for seven days and then back to Seattle to have a sorter flight.

We flew to Anchorage a few days early.Then did the land excursions for a week and then took the cruise back to Vancouver.The land is go go go.It was nice to relax on the ship.

I believe we went in August. It’s a summer only cruise obviously, but still bring your fall clothing. Temps ranged from 80s to 40s. Alaska cruises aren’t sit on the deck and tan type outings. Can you do it on certain days, yes, but for the most part it was light coat weather for us. We were on Holland America, I think you can board in Seward, Vancouver, or Seattle depending on how long you want to go and what direction the boat is going. My aunt is world traveler, been on many different cruise ships/companies, and she recommended Holland America for what it’s worth.

We flew from MSP to Anchorage, bus to Seward where the boat is docked. I think we went 5 days with stops in Ketchican and Juneau, and one other I can’t remember. You can do an inside passage or an outside passage, I think the inside you see more glaciers and such. Outings can be as little or as extravagant as you want. I was supposed to ride a helicopter over glaciers, go on a sled dog ride, go sea kayaking, but those got cancelled due to weather. Did get to go fishing for halibut though.

Pros
1. Scenery is bar none. You’re not just staring at blue water all the time. Glaciers, mountains, wildlife all within view.
2. Food. You will never eat so well in your life. Everyday I had the best thing I had ever eaten. Fresh salmon every day up there.
3. Entertainment. Always something to do. Comedy, musicals, concerts, gambling is always happening somewhere on the boat.

Cons
1. Weather can be hit or miss.
2. Sea sickness. I didn’t get sick per say, but one night I had to angle myself in bed differently because the rock of the ship would literally roll me from one side to the other. Also more than once I had to put my arms on the walls while showering, walking down the hallways, etc. With no reference to the outside your balance is shot.

I think they run from mid/late May through August. Standard cruise is 7 days.

You would fly into Seattle or Vancouver and then debark in Seward Whittier (bus to Anchorage) and fly home from Anchorage. Or you can do the reverse.

Do your research. Some ships only have 3 ports of call and then maybe a glacier viewing. When we went 10 or so years ago, we had 4 ports of call which was better for us. You then need to schedule all of your excursions (whale watching, fishing, glacier viewing, etc) either through the cruise line or through an independent operator. You need to book these early, especially going the independent operator route since they tend to fill up early. It can be alot of work to do all the research and such.

I actually leave May 27th for my first Alaskan cruise, on NCL. From my research, sounds like late June through August is the best for weather. But regardless, as stated already, take rain gear and layers.

We are expecting 40-50 degrees with 50/50 chance of rain everyday. But we will be ready for it, and will get in as much as we can. Being from MN, the cool weather is no big deal, but cold and rain may be a different story, especially during a glacier excursion.

maddogg wrote:

We flew to Anchorage a few days early.Then did the land excursions for a week and then took the cruise back to Vancouver.The land is go go go.It was nice to relax on the ship.

We went several years ago. It was a cruise and land tour. The land part was by train and bus. The land part was hectic, go go go everyday. We left from Seattle on the cruise 1st. I would do it in reverse. Land 1st and then the last part be the cruise to relax. Fly to Anchorage and end up in Seattle for your flight home.

My parents did a cruise in 2019. Left from Seattle and then flew back from Alaska.

As others have said, raingear is a must and I would add waterproof footwear. Dad said basically every time you get off the boat, you see why the Xtratuf boot is the Alaska version of the sneaker. It’s wet all the time. Dad did a fishing excursion and wished he’d have brought waterproof deck boots as it rained most of that day of course.

My mom is cold all the time and so she had to be wearing fleece jackets and rain gear anytime she was out on deck or for excursions because it can be cool at anytime on the water.

Good time, though. I don’t do cruises, but the scenery looked really nice.