Best: Alaska Cruise???

Answer 1

The best time to go is when you can get the best price. The Alaska cruise season is from May to Sept. The weather is generally warmer in June, July and Aug, but it can also be pleasant in May and Sept. When we went a few years ago in May it was shirt sleeve weather (70's) in Anchorage and Fairbanks.


The best prices will be in May and Sept but you will see the same things as other times. The port stops will be the same but may be in a different order. Some cruises ship itineraries are run in reverse order, North to South vs starting in Seattle or Vancouver. Check the cruise line web sites for variations by date, itinerary and price.

The best Alaska cruise experience is the CRUISE-TOUR. Princess, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean all run cruise tours which take you by train all the way to Fairbanks, Alaska. Princess and RC have special domed train cars for this. Your best chance to see wild animals will be if you do a cruise-tour where you go further north after cruising the inside passage. The only animals you are likely to see in the inside passage is seals. On these tours You can arrange to stop for a night or two in Taketna, or Denali National Park. This will be your best opportunity to see Moose, Caribou, eagle, wolf, and bear. But you really need two days at Denali so that you have time to get one of the Park Service's busses that go deep into the park. Regular tour busses , cars and campers can only go about 3 or 4 miles into the park. The Park Service runs busses about 17 miles into the park, but you must get to the visitor center very early to reserve a spot on one of their busses. The train stops going north and south do not get you to Denali in time or allow enough time for the deep back country busses. With Princess, Holland America, and RC you can do the tour part first and then go to Seward or Whittier to get on ship for the inside passage part. I recommend doing the tour part first.

Alaska cruises and tours are mostly scenic and cultural. The usual stops for the inside passage portion are Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and College Fjords. The scenic parts are the animals, mountains, glaciers, fjords, and waterfalls. The cultural parts are the Alaska Native, gold rush, fishing industry, and historical sites.

http://www.alaskanative.net/

http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm

http://www.travelalaska.com/

http://www.alaska.com/

Answer 2

Alaska is a beautiful cruise, one of my favorites. There are tons of sites online with lots of info, so you shouldn't have any problem finding what you need to know in your planning stages. I've included a link to Cruise Critic, they are a great site, really good info that is accurate and it is all wrapped into one site, so a lot less time spent researching.

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.

Answer 3

As a cruise specialist with Cruises Inc I would have to recommend Princess or Royal Caribbean in Alaska. I would also have to say that you must to a land tour option and try to do that before the cruise. If you plan to go to Alaska this year you will need to book VERY soon, but the best deals will be if you book in the fall for the following year. If you would like more details on an Alaska cruise please call me 888-556-2974

Answer 4

I've been on one Alaskan cruise on Holland America and sailing again this summer on Holland. Most of the cruiselines go to similar areas up in Alaska........most 7 day cruises are usually Inside Passage.

Depending on what type of atmosphere you are looking for, you will select a different cruiseline:

More formal: Holland America - also tends to have an older crowd, but some younger adults and children too.

A little less formal: Princess - a slightly younger crowd than Holland.

Casual: Carnival and NCL - Carnival will have a younger group of adults and lots of children.......Is known to be a party ship. NCL has the free-style dining, where you can eat where you want, when you want.....not a structured dining schedule.

I love Holland America because of the wonderful service that you get from the crew. My husband is 50 and I'm in my mid-40's. We have two daughters, 8 & 13. We all had a wonderful experience on Holland America and that's why we're doing it again with Holland.

Whichever cruiseline you go decide to go with, you will love the Alaskan scenery. Good Luck!

Answer 5

Check these two sites out.

http://www.cruisecritic.com
http://www.cruise.com

Answer 6

try this website http://www.ytbtravel.com/davidmartey
good prices too