What is the best cruise to Alaska for seniors?

Question

round trip Seattle or San Fran and back?that would be nice? dont want one way and fly back! want to enjoy the sea.

Answer 1

Alaska is a beautiful cruise, one of my favorites. This does tend to be a more popular cruise for seniors, so it will be a little easier finding a cruise that will suit seniors, over something like the Caribbean.

There are a few different options for cruises. You have inside passage (my favorite), you have one way cruises (allows you to have more ports, generally they are just as long as a roundtrip cruise, you just fly back from Alaska) you have cruise tours, etc. So, there are a lot of different options.

There are two seasons for Alaska the Shoulder Season and Peak Season. Shoulder Season is May, the first week of June, the last week of August and all of September. Peak Season is most of June, July and August.

Peak Season tends to cost more because the weather is better and that is when more people can travel. The This is the most likely time for families to take cruises, etc. More people are able to go and more people can go, so prices are higher. During shoulder season you will be able to save some money because the cruise lines are trying to get more people on board. Both seasons are great and just as beautiful as the next. You go at different times and it just a different type of beauty.

As far as when to go anytime between May and September is good. Obviously to save money you would be better going during shoulder season. Spring is absolutely beautiful because all the flowers are blooming, but Fall is also a great time because of the foliage.

If you go in June and July you will have the warmest weather and the longest days. So really, all the months have good points for why you would want to go, so you can pretty much schedule when you are available to go.

If you can, try to do an inside passage cruise. This is my favorite way to go. You will go to more ports this way and see a lot more. There are also cruises where they include a tour at each port, which is a really fun way to go, especially for your first visit. You will learn and see a lot by taking the cruise.


I think the two best lines for Alaska cruises are Princess and Holland America. Both are also great lines for seniors with fewer families and children onboard, so it tends to be a little more relaxing and a little more quiet. They are a little more expensive, not sure of your budget, but Alaska can run a little higher anyway.


I've included two links that you may enjoy. The first for senior cruising and the second is info on Alaska. The site I am linking to is really great for cruise information, they have a ton of info on there as well as a message board to ask questions.


Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Depending on the time you want to go for depends on what you can do. If you just wanta simple 7 day cruise then either Norwegian or Princess offers the best rates. May & Sept. in also the best fares. In May you still the wildlife from the ship & kids are still in school.
Sept. the same and all stores in port have 50% off sales.
If time allows I would suggest a cruisetour. Princess 9N- 11 day-7 day cruise and 4 days on land with alot of exras. Princess offers some of the best 5 star lodges to stay where the other lines do not.
A Cruisetour is best if you want to see Alaska and some of the most Beautiful scenery that you will ever see. The train ride will allow you to see more wildlife and the land that one never sees on a 7 day cruise. This package is $1399.00 each and once you read all that is included with this package it will be hard to turn down.
Weather in May ranges from 40 to 60 and Sept. 60 to 75.
If you sit down and compare this price for what you get going some place else dollar for dollar you still save going to Alaska. And no matter anyone says going to Alaska is NOT EXPENSIVE.
Enjoy.
Go to Princess.com and order your free brouchure.

Answer 3

Princess and Holland America have the strongest Alaska programs. Both have been doing Alaska longer than anybody else and as a result have a very good infrastructure in place. This is especially true if you're interested in doing a Cruise Tour.

For round trip out of San Francisco in 2007 you have just one option. Princess Cruise Lines' Dawn Princess, which offers 10 day round trip itineraries. Nobody else offers round trip departures to Alaska from San Francisco in 2007, in 2008 even Princess is pulling up stakes and moving out of San Francisco.

You have many more options available to you if you look at Seattle and Vancouver departures. Just about everybody who sails to Alaska offers round trips from either Seattle or Vancouver.

When it comes to the average age onboard, any itinerary longer than 10 days is going to attract an older crowd regardless of the line. Holland America in general tends to skew a bit older, and so does Celebrity.

While the other lines don't have as strong a program as HAL or Princess, the offerings from Royal Caribbean are very good. I'm a big fan of RCL's Vision of The Seas which offers 7 night round trip sailings from Seattle.

Lately I've been a bit gunshy when it comes to recommending NCL. Their "Freestyle" program is great, but the comments I've been hearing from passengers lately haven't been that wonderful. As a result right now I can't recommend them with much confidence.

If you are willing to leave from Vancouver you can add Cruise West in to the mix. They are a unique line that offers a small ship sailings. Celebrity also offer's round trip departures from Vancouver, and they have an excellent Alaska product.

I would recommend speaking with a travel agent who specializes in cruises. They can work with you to find the line that suits your tastes. A good agent besides being familiar with cruises will also be able to offer you the same deals as the big online sites, and they won't charge you any fees for booking with them. I like Cruise Planners www.mycruiseplanner.net 888-286-9827

Answer 4

There are five cruise lines that you should consider for this; Celebrity, Princess, Holland America, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean. These cruise lines offer a variety of cruise options but they all generally have a more mature crowd. Some cruises will leave from Seattle, other from Vancouver, Canada. There are some that leave from other West Coast US ports. Some cruises are round trip like this one: http://www.celebritycruises.com/search/vacationItinerary.do;jsessionid=0000gE9tiHZunOwmzx0YyDll5ey:1028etrd4?packageCode=IN07A017&backPageName=Itinerary+Search+Results

I suggest that you go to the web sites for these cruise lines and search for the specifics that you want, i.e. leaving from Seattle or SF AND rerturning there. OR, just contact a travel agent and have them find what you want. The agent does not charge but is paid by the cruise line.