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Information on Alaska Cruise Please
We have been on many cruises but have not done an Alaska cruise.
We are planning one on Royal Caribbean in the summer of 2010. Here is what we need to know that will help us select the cruise. What is the best month for seeing Glaciers and scenery (not that much interested in the towns) What is the best direction to cruise, North to South, or South to North. Which cruise type (inner passage, etc.) AND what side of the side if the best with a balcony to see the scenery. Thanks to all |
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Information on Alaska Cruise Please
On Mar 18, 12:42*pm, "
wrote: We have been on many cruises but have not done an Alaska cruise. We are planning one on Royal Caribbean in the summer of 2010. Here is what we need to know that will help us select the cruise. What is the best month for seeing Glaciers and scenery (not that much interested in the towns) What is the best direction to cruise, North to South, or South to North. Which cruise type (inner passage, etc.) AND what side of the side if the best with a balcony to see the scenery. Thanks to all Hi, Bushwick1, Alaska remains one of our top favorite cruises. You are in for a treat! I think July and August are best for scenery and animals and overall enjoyment without risk of too much bitter weather (whenever you go, come prepared for rain and cool temps, though, and be pleasantly surprised if you get warm and sunny). There is a fairly focused time period for bear viewing tied to salmon runs--if you are interested, I think it's late July/early August, but check me out on that. Glaciers are great anytime you go, but I think there is more glacial activity as the warm months continue. If you want to do some glacier hiking, there are a lot of those types of excursions out of Juneau--I don't guess it can get too warm for that? I dunno. We did our glacier treks post-cruise inland and chose a whale watch in Juneau. The port stops are probably identical whether you go N-S or S-N. If you are keen on glaciers, then the important thing is to get on a cruise with an itinerary that includes a day cruising Glacier Bay National Park. For environmental protection, permits allowing cruise ships to enter the park are limited, so not every cruise goes there. We happened to cruise S-N, but the choice was really made by date and cost of open jaw airline configuration. I don't recall much in the way of material reasons to choose one direction over the other. Some say the food is better S-N because the ship is provisioned in the Pacific Northwest, where fruits and produce in particular are spectacular. Alaska imports most of that stuff. Inner Passage is better for scenery on both sides of the ship. It also offers a different type of cruise experience, as the ship speed is slower and the waters are calmer, so you feel like you are gliding through some amazing, misty vistas. Inner Passage voyages allow you to see more Alaska, too, as the others tend to go around Vancouver Island with a stop in Victoria, which often eliminates some other "usual" stop along the Alaskan coastline. Victoria (and the island generally) is a wonderful place to visit, but if you cruise in/out of Vancouver or Seattle, you can do it as a part of a pre- or post-cruise land extension. Speaking of which, if you have the time, consider a land extension to Denali. It was a highlight for us, and on the theory that getting to Alaska can be quite a trek for many and very costly, if there's a chance you might not return, you should try to pack as much into your trip as possible. Selecting the side of the ship for your balcony, conventional wisdom is, if you are doing a S-N, select starboard so you see the land on your way up; reverse if you go N-S. However, the fact is, if you do Inner Passage, both sides see land during that stretch, and certainly wherever there is glacier viewing, the captain will 360 or otherwise maneuver the ship so all pax get a good view. Have fun planning your trip! Diana Ball Austin, TX |
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