Cruise Talk: Alaska Cruises

Cruise Talk

Cruise News

Welcome to Cruise Talk the Internet's most popular discussion forum dedicated to cruising. Stop by Cruise Talk anytime to post a message or find out what your fellow passengers and industry insiders are saying about a particular ship, cruise line or destination.

>>> Reader Reviews
>>> CruisePage.com Photo Gallery
>>> Join Our Cruise Club.

Latest News...Norwegian Cruise Line celebrated the official christening of the all-new Norwegian Aqua in Miami and unveiled its plans to reimagine Great Stirrup Cay, NCL's idyllic private island in the Bahamas, with new experiences debuting in the fourth quarter of 2025, including an expansive pool area with a dedicated bar and kids splash zone and so much MORE. With a history of delivering guests ...

Latest News...MSC Cruises officially named its highly-anticipated new flagship, MSC World America, in a dazzling ceremony on April 9 at the line's new state-of-the-art MSC Miami Cruise Terminal, the largest cruise terminal in the world. MSC World America's Godmother, Drew Barrymore officially named the ship at the glamorous event with the maritime tradition of cutting a ribbon and triggering the breaking of a champagne...

Latest News...Seabourn, the leader in ultra-luxury cruising and expedition travel, celebrated the maiden arrival of Seabourn Encore to the continental United States on April 9, 2025, marking a major milestone as the ship docked for the first time in Long Beach, Calif. The visit offers a rare opportunity for guests and local travel advisor partners to see the award-winning ship up close..

More Cruise News...

my profile | register | search | faq | forum home

»	Cruise Talk » Cruise Lines » Alaska Cruises

UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!

Author

Topic: Alaska Cruises

AGT
Just Boarded
Member # 1546

posted 04-25-2001 01:15 PM

Any ideas as to which cruise lines have the best Alaskan cruise? I am also interested to hear about the shore excursion pros/cons everyone has had. I love cruising, but am wondering if this is really the way to see Alaska. Some thoughts would be great!

Posts: 6 | From: St. Paul. MN USA | Registered: Aug 2000 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 04-25-2001 03:31 PM

agt, Alaska is a great place to cruise, however in my opinion the main ports are all rather commercial. You get to see the 'real' Alaska when you take an excursion into the wilderness.

There is a wonderful choice of excursions on offer to all the cruise lines (but they are all rather expensive in my opinion). My favourite was Skagway's 'White Pass Mountain railway' - don't miss it!

I think that a great thing to do would be a Cruise combined with a land tour. Princess do a range of these, but they such a combination is expensive.

I had a good time with Celebrity, but why not look at the deals offered by all the major cruise lines and compare?

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

bubbles
First Class Passenger
Member # 1415

posted 04-26-2001 04:56 AM

Princess; HAL and RCI have very popular Alaska routes and I do not think there is much to choose between them. All the Alaska destinations are overwhelmed every day when the ships arrive in these small towns and boost local populations to 100x their normal levels then leave. You are best to take trips which allow you to experience the areas best qualities for wildlife and scenery. When we took the tour much of our budget went on trips and they were well worth it althought they were expensive. The rail trip is excellent but we also took helicopter to glacier trip and canoeing and white water rafting trips, we might only go that way once and we wanted to make the most of it. Caribbean next year!

Posts: 133 | From: England | Registered: Jul 2000 | IP: Logged

Green
First Class Passenger
Member # 171

posted 04-26-2001 02:53 PM

quote:
Originally posted by AGT:
Any ideas as to which cruise lines have the best Alaskan cruise? I am also interested to hear about the shore excursion pros/cons everyone has had. I love cruising, but am wondering if this is really the way to see Alaska. Some thoughts would be great!

To see Alaska you really should, if at all possible, add a tour. I did the land portion first - flew to Anchorage, land to Denali, on to Fairbanks, short plane hop to Eagle to connect with river boat to Dawson City - overland to Whitehorse, Fraser and joined the ship in Juneau for the cruise to Vancouver. If you pick up a HAL Alaska Brochure a very similar tour is described on Page 47 - Alaska & Klondike Explorer.

At various stops we met up with Princess cruisers - they always seemed to be standing around waiting for something or other.

It is pricey but if you can swing it, you will not regret it. Book the cheapest cabin - on the cruise portion - you spend most of your time on deck. Bubbles said it - "YOU ONLY GO THIS WAY ONCE"

Cheers

Posts: 2913 | From: Markham, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Jul 99 | IP: Logged

All times are ET (US)

Ultimate Bulletin Board^TM 6.1.0.3

VACATION & CRUISE SPECIALS

Check out these great deals from CruisePage.com

Royal Caribbean - Bahamas Getaway from $129 per person

Description: Experience the beautiful ports of Nassau and Royal Caribbean's private island - CocoCay on a 3-night Weekend Getaway to the Bahamas. Absorb everything island life has to offer as you snorkel with the stingrays, parasail above the serene blue waters and walk the endless white sand beaches. From Miami.

Carnival - 4-Day Bahamas from $229 per person

Description: Enjoy a wonderful 3 Day cruise to the fun-loving playground of Nassau, Bahamas. Discover Nassau, the capital city as well as the cultural, commercial and financial heart of the Bahamas. Meet the Atlantic Southern Stingrays, the guardians of Blackbeard's treasure.

NCL - Bermuda - 7 Day from $499 per person

Description: What a charming little chain of islands. Walk on pink sand beaches. Swim and snorkel in turquoise seas. Take in the historical sights. They're stoically British and very quaint. Or explore the coral reefs. You can get to them by boat or propelled by fins. You pick. Freestyle Cruising doesn't tell you where to go or what to do. Sure, you can plan ahead, or decide once onboard. After all, it's your vacation. There are no deadlines or must do's.

Holland America - Eastern Caribbean from From $599 per person

Description: White sand, black sand, talcum soft or shell strewn, the beaches of the Eastern Caribbean invite you to swim, snorkel or simply relax. For shoppers, there's duty-free St. Thomas, the Straw Market in Nassau, French perfume and Dutch chocolates on St. Maarten. For history buffs, the fascinating fusion of Caribbean, Latin and European cultures. For everyone, a day spent on HAL's award winning private island Half Moon Cay.

Celebrity - 7-Night Western Mediterranean from $549 per person

Description: For centuries people have traveled to Europe to see magnificent ruins, art treasures and natural wonders. And the best way to do so is by cruise ship. Think of it - you pack and unpack only once. No wasted time searching for hotels and negotiating train stations. Instead, you arrive at romantic ports of call relaxed, refreshed and ready to take on the world.

Holland America - Alaska from From $499 per person

Description: Sail between Vancouver and Seward, departing Sundays on the ms Statendam or ms Volendam and enjoy towering mountains, actively calving glaciers and pristine wildlife habitat. Glacier Bay and College Fjord offer two completely different glacier-viewing experiences.

More Vacation & Cruise Specials...