alaskan cruise?

Question

My family and I are considering going on an alaskan cruise. Not sure when is the best time to go (off season, not as busy, discount etc)
Also not sure what cruise line to go with.
It would be my spouse and I and our two teenage kids.
HELP!?!

Answer 1

My husband and I went the week that ended in Labor Day last year - Holland America Staatendam from Vancouver to Seward, visited Ketchikan, Juneau, Icy Strait Point and Sitka, and also did Hubbard Glacier.

There really isn't an off season for Alaska - May and September are more of a shoulder season. We did Denali afterwards, the first week of September, and it was closing up for the winter already. That said the weather was great (it rained in Ketchikan, but it always rains in Ketchikan!). I think all the major cruise lines do an inside passage tour of some kind, and I recommend it if you are doing an Alaska cruise. We found the late august timeframe to be a good balance between cost (it was cheaper than earlier in the season) and weather (it was warm.) In addition we caught a lot of the salmon spawning - indeed at Juneau we saw them all brightly colored and ready to die.

Holland America was great, but more for adults. I think a cruise line like Royal Caribbean and Princess are better for kids. My daughter loves Carnival, but it is not as much fun for the grown ups in our family, who prefer big band music to hairy chest contests. But Holland America had a naturalist onboard for the whole cruise, which made a big difference to us. I don't know if the other mass market lines do that.

But research the ports a little. For a cruise like this the itinerary is probably more important than the cruise line.

I loved our Alaska trip, and would highly recommend it. Hope this helps

Answer 2

from a kid's perspective, royal caribbean is the way to go for the alaskan cruise. We went on princess and it was a very old ship wothout the fun amenities that royal carribean offers. Been on 4 R.C. cruises 1 Princess...it was a great cruise, however for teenagers, cruising down south never fails! I did the family traveling as a teenager and we never had more fun then the bahamas and mexico!!!

Answer 3

circulate to Alaska. That replaced into my first cruise and that i surely enjoyed it. i could circulate in late might/early June. That way, the climate is respectable and there are not as many bugs. you will nonetheless see a set of animals nonetheless. I in no way observed the Northern lighting fixtures; i think of they are only interior the iciness. yet once you do % to circulate on a cruise, the wonderful cruise line is Norwegian Cruise Line. some human beings assist you to appreciate distinctive yet i've got continually had a large adventure with them.

Answer 4

Hello.

Your choice in cruiseline depends on who is going with you. Because you are bringing your kids with you, Royal Caribbean would be the perfect match for the family because RCCL is best for kids and family as a whole. ***Note--if you are going during low season (before June or after August), no matter which cruiseline you cruise with, the amount of children is minimal*** My family and I have gone with five different cruiselines in the past 10 years. Even though there were some children that went with us, we spent our time together enjoying the shore excursions and the shows onboard. It turns out that because there will be lots of port time in your itinerary, the kids will be fairly occupied with ports rather than onboard amenities. While onboard, Royal Caribbean has a teen center (arcades, teen disco and group coordinators) that will keep your kids occupied. If you have any more questions about the cruiseline, itinerary, etc, you can email me!

Thanks!

Answer 5

We went on NCL in May this year. We did not like NCL very much - but the cruise was wonderful. We didn't like the "free style" dining concept - but you may enjoy that.
We prefer Royal Caribbean cruises. Going in May you run the risk of having some shore excursions cancelled, due to weather - which we did. It was chilly and some rain.
Going in the summer months is best- but also the most expensive time to go. We plan on going again - and we are looking at a September sail date.
Any questions - please feel free to e-mail me.

Answer 6

last year my family and i went on norweigan star too alaska,and im a teenager and even tho royal carribean is the best for teens,i thought that the norweigan star was also great for teens! :]

Answer 7

Just check with alot of travel agents and get the best deal you can . I hope you have a wonderfull time and happy cruising .

Answer 8

What about me..?

I too wanna come with you