Anyone been on an Alaska cruise? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Joker
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Jenn
Nitro Member
All, I know is that you are going to miss my birthday AND the Mile High Nationals, and my birthday, oh and the rerun of the Tenessee race,
"Dr. Dirt"
Nitro Member
Justin,
From all I have heard it's awesome! We've been to the Caribbean a couple times and I've avoided the Alaskan cruises since we all scuba dive everywhere we stop in the warm water. There are all kinds of excursions that will make this better than just another cruise. My wife thinks it's also whale watching season? You'll have a ball! Way better than the same cruise in Wintertime I hear. Give us all the basic report when you get back.
From all I have heard it's awesome! We've been to the Caribbean a couple times and I've avoided the Alaskan cruises since we all scuba dive everywhere we stop in the warm water. There are all kinds of excursions that will make this better than just another cruise. My wife thinks it's also whale watching season? You'll have a ball! Way better than the same cruise in Wintertime I hear. Give us all the basic report when you get back.
Nick Name
Nitro Member
Went a few years ago. I was set against it, but my wife insisted. Turned out it was fantastic. I now am a big booster.
In Ketcacan (sp) we wanted to fly in a float plane. Went to the place and the lady got on the walkie talkie calling all of the bars up and down the street trying to find us a pilot. We chained our mind.
In Skagway we took the train up to the Yukon. That was great.
Seeing the glaciers was just too awsome. The trip is better if you have a room with your own balcony.
Have fun.
Jay
In Ketcacan (sp) we wanted to fly in a float plane. Went to the place and the lady got on the walkie talkie calling all of the bars up and down the street trying to find us a pilot. We chained our mind.
In Skagway we took the train up to the Yukon. That was great.
Seeing the glaciers was just too awsome. The trip is better if you have a room with your own balcony.
Have fun.
Jay
none
Nitro Member
Justin, I never actually went on a cruise in Alaska, but I spent 12 summers on a 38` boat gilnetting for sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay (Bering Sea). Pretty sure you`ll be spending most of your trip in Southeast Alaska, which a hell of a lot more scenic than the Bering Sea. Enjoy yourself!
Joker
Nitro Member
Thanks everyone. From what I have been told, its really beautiful and an awesome trip. I hope so. I think it will be cool to see the whales and bears and bald eagles and everything. I think I am going to go fishing in Ketchikan and we are going to do a whale watching tour and probably a snow sled dog deal or fishery and glacier tour or something. I am sure we will have a blast
And Bobby, I hear you about the Carribean. I love it, matter of fact I would love to retire down there. We love to scuba/snuba when we can and actually in Alaska you can do it, but you have to have a special 1 1/4 thick insulated wet suit. Its pricey and being a big fellow like I am I kinda outweigh the 250lb limit for it as well.
Oh and Chris, if what you did was anything like the show "Deadliest Catch" you got balls of steel brother. I wouldnt set foot on the Bearing Sea for anything. I told my wife that we should go out crab fishing one day and she looked at me like I had lost my mind. She said only if she can quadruple the life insurance policy!
And Bobby, I hear you about the Carribean. I love it, matter of fact I would love to retire down there. We love to scuba/snuba when we can and actually in Alaska you can do it, but you have to have a special 1 1/4 thick insulated wet suit. Its pricey and being a big fellow like I am I kinda outweigh the 250lb limit for it as well.
Oh and Chris, if what you did was anything like the show "Deadliest Catch" you got balls of steel brother. I wouldnt set foot on the Bearing Sea for anything. I told my wife that we should go out crab fishing one day and she looked at me like I had lost my mind. She said only if she can quadruple the life insurance policy!
none
Nitro Member
No, I wasn`t crabbing Justin, we were up there from about June 1 to Aug. 15 gilnetting for salmon, and the Bering Sea that time of year isn`t anything remotely close to how rough it is on "Deadliest Catch" (though it could get nasty for us at times). Those crab guys are up there in Nov. for king crab and then again in Jan/Feb for snow crab...NO THANKS!! If it came up stronger than anything 35 mph Westerly, we were running in! The crab boats are a lot bigger than what my brother in law and I fished on. I had plenty of friends that crabbed and the salmon fishing was like a vacation compared to being up there in winter. I had plenty of offers to go up with them and do crab, but I just took my salmon $$ and hightailed down to SoCal for the winter instead!
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murdock
Nitro Member
The scenery in Alaska is more beautiful than you can imagine. You really hve to see it to believe it. Spent 10 days in Alaska in 2001, and barely scratched the surface of things to see. Spent most of the trip inland, but went on the "S. S. Minnow" tour, a 4 hour cruise into the Prince William Sound to do some glacier sightseeing. It's very humbling to see what nature can provide. And yes, it does stay light around the clock. Takes a little getting used to, but at the end of the day I was usually so tired, it didn't matter. Have a great trip, wish I was going to be there with you!
Murdock.
Murdock.
Bob
Nitro Member
I haven't been on an Alaska cruise (lived in Fairbanks when I was little), but I have cruised to the Bahamas and to Central America. If your ship offers cabins with private balconies, GET ONE! I had a balcony cabin for a 9-day cruise to Central America, and I will never cruise again without a private balcony. They cost more, but they are worth it!
Jenn
Nitro Member
What's a float plane?
Nick Name
Nitro Member
One that takes off and lands on the water.
As for the pilots sitting in the bars waiting for someone who wants to fly.... Well, it is a different world up there.
Jay
vegasnitro
Nitro Member
Did an Alaska Cruise on the Norweigan Dawn (or Star ... I can't remember which, but they are identical ships) last August.
My cruise left Seattle, went to Juneau, Ketchican, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Victoria BC before going back to Seattle.
The Yukon Train in Skagway is great. Glacier Bay is phenomenal, I was not prepared for how loud it was when the glaciers cracked and fell into the sea. You will get lots of good pics in Glacier Bay and on the cruise in general, so I would recommend a camera upgrade or a memory upgrade for the camera you already have. We had whales following our boat several times during the trip, in fact, by the end of the trip everyone on the boat was blase' about the whales. We also saw Grizzlies fishing the streams running into the inner passage, but you will need a hell of a zoom lens for the pics to come out well(ask a resident camera expert such as Joe Sherwood for recommendations). My digi has a built in 10x zoom and it was not adequate.
Victoria BC was gorgeous as well, and the Canadians were overly friendly as usual. The city has a lot of great architecture and is spotless. I hope your cruise is stopping there instead of Vancouver.
I will post some pics when I get back to Vegas at the end of this work week (I am in Lexington Park - Solomon Island, Maryland this week).
PS I do 4-5 cruises per year, and as a general rule I don't book excursions through the cruise line. You can generally go ashore and find the exact same excursion for 33-50% less. The cruise lines will usually give all of the info necessary in their daily bulletins or excursion materials to know who to contact once you get ashore.
PPS Take warm clothes ... it never got warmer than 65 degrees fahrenheit during the day, and was in the 40s at night. It also rained/drizzled pretty much everyday, so take something you don't mind getting wet. It was the only cruise I have ever been on that I did not get into the hottub or pool because it was too cold on deck!
PPPS Eat in one of the pay restaurants on board at least once. They will usually charge your shipboard account $10-20 per person, but for the quality and quantity of food, it is well worth it. If you are going on Norweigan, the steakhouse and the teppanyaki are both excellent, but you will have to make reservations.
My cruise left Seattle, went to Juneau, Ketchican, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Victoria BC before going back to Seattle.
The Yukon Train in Skagway is great. Glacier Bay is phenomenal, I was not prepared for how loud it was when the glaciers cracked and fell into the sea. You will get lots of good pics in Glacier Bay and on the cruise in general, so I would recommend a camera upgrade or a memory upgrade for the camera you already have. We had whales following our boat several times during the trip, in fact, by the end of the trip everyone on the boat was blase' about the whales. We also saw Grizzlies fishing the streams running into the inner passage, but you will need a hell of a zoom lens for the pics to come out well(ask a resident camera expert such as Joe Sherwood for recommendations). My digi has a built in 10x zoom and it was not adequate.
Victoria BC was gorgeous as well, and the Canadians were overly friendly as usual. The city has a lot of great architecture and is spotless. I hope your cruise is stopping there instead of Vancouver.
I will post some pics when I get back to Vegas at the end of this work week (I am in Lexington Park - Solomon Island, Maryland this week).
PS I do 4-5 cruises per year, and as a general rule I don't book excursions through the cruise line. You can generally go ashore and find the exact same excursion for 33-50% less. The cruise lines will usually give all of the info necessary in their daily bulletins or excursion materials to know who to contact once you get ashore.
PPS Take warm clothes ... it never got warmer than 65 degrees fahrenheit during the day, and was in the 40s at night. It also rained/drizzled pretty much everyday, so take something you don't mind getting wet. It was the only cruise I have ever been on that I did not get into the hottub or pool because it was too cold on deck!
PPPS Eat in one of the pay restaurants on board at least once. They will usually charge your shipboard account $10-20 per person, but for the quality and quantity of food, it is well worth it. If you are going on Norweigan, the steakhouse and the teppanyaki are both excellent, but you will have to make reservations.
Joker
Nitro Member
Well guys I am back and I have to say, I HAD A FANTASTIC TIME.
Alaska truly is The Last Frontier. The way of life is something almost unbelievalbe in today's world. When my wife gets the photos developed and gives me the pic card I will get someone to post some of them for me. I would highly recommend this trip to everyone.
Here is some of the wildlife I saw: Brown bears, grizzly bear, humpback whale, orca, dalls porpoise, pacific white sided dolphins, moose, caribou, eagles, red fox, dall sheep, etc etc etc. I am sure I have left out a bunch b/c I just cant remember them all. It was crazy. The weather was cool and great, though I could do without the daily little thunder showers but it is what it is. I dont think I could do the -40 below during the winter though.
My fishing trip was excellent. I caught 7 sharks, 2 halibut, 3 rockfish, 1 cod, and 1 translucent alaskan flounder. I had a blast and it all tasted great afterwards.
We did do the Yukon train in Skagway, my mother in law and wife loved it. I thought it was ok, kinda boring though the scenery was great and we were actually docked in Haines so there wasnt anything else to do that day anyways.
Glacier Bay and College Fjord were amazing sites. We took a tour to Exit Glacier as well.
The casino onboard the Statendam was very good to me as well. I won the poker tourney, and then cashed out for over $200 at 2-4 limit cash game every night. Thank God, b/c my wife found the art auction onboard!!!
I would recommend it to anyone. I had a blast.
Alaska truly is The Last Frontier. The way of life is something almost unbelievalbe in today's world. When my wife gets the photos developed and gives me the pic card I will get someone to post some of them for me. I would highly recommend this trip to everyone.
Here is some of the wildlife I saw: Brown bears, grizzly bear, humpback whale, orca, dalls porpoise, pacific white sided dolphins, moose, caribou, eagles, red fox, dall sheep, etc etc etc. I am sure I have left out a bunch b/c I just cant remember them all. It was crazy. The weather was cool and great, though I could do without the daily little thunder showers but it is what it is. I dont think I could do the -40 below during the winter though.
My fishing trip was excellent. I caught 7 sharks, 2 halibut, 3 rockfish, 1 cod, and 1 translucent alaskan flounder. I had a blast and it all tasted great afterwards.
We did do the Yukon train in Skagway, my mother in law and wife loved it. I thought it was ok, kinda boring though the scenery was great and we were actually docked in Haines so there wasnt anything else to do that day anyways.
Glacier Bay and College Fjord were amazing sites. We took a tour to Exit Glacier as well.
The casino onboard the Statendam was very good to me as well. I won the poker tourney, and then cashed out for over $200 at 2-4 limit cash game every night. Thank God, b/c my wife found the art auction onboard!!!
I would recommend it to anyone. I had a blast.
Four Kalitta
Nitro Member
Welcome back Justin!! Glad y'all had a great time. I can't wait to see the pictures!!
paoldtimer
Nitro Member
We just returned from our first cruise - 4 days to Bahamas. I opted for a short one for the first trip, just in case we didn't like it. We were wrong and would've loved to stay longer.
Had to fight hubby on this one since he wanted to do the Alaskan cruise. I won that battle but I want to start planning the next one for him - to Alaska.
Any recommendations?? Cruise line?? Summer vs Fall??
Had to fight hubby on this one since he wanted to do the Alaskan cruise. I won that battle but I want to start planning the next one for him - to Alaska.
Any recommendations?? Cruise line?? Summer vs Fall??
Joker
Nitro Member
Cheryl glad you had a wonderful vacation. Personally, I could live on a cruise ship. Something about all you can eat whenever you want, a casino aboard, and women in bikinis if your in the carribean, man thats like a dream come true!!!
But you and your husband will love Alaska. We went on Holland America's Statendam. It was the smallest ship I have ever been on and the first one I have ever felt when the sea's got bad one night but it wasnt too bad. I will say this though, we did the 4 day land, 7 day cruise and I think to truly experinece Alaska you have to take the land part as well. Or atleast spend 2 days in Denali State Park and then go on our cruise. Holland America and Princess offer the most land/cruise packages that I saw. I know Royal Carribean (my fav cruise line by the way) doesnt offer land there and I was told that they are one of several cruise lines who arent allowed into Glacier Bay. Dont know the exact reason other than environmental reasons but anyways.
The food on Holland America failed in comparison to me to Royal Carribean. The dining hall food was good, the buffet was only ok, and the desserts absolutely sucked but being in Alaska and seeing it totally makes it worth a lousy pudding or cheesecake somewhere.
I really enjoyed it and from what I was told by cruise staff and by people there who have taken the Alaska cruise several times, is that July is indeed the best time to see everything. I know they only offer cruises there May thru Sept. If your husband wants to go fishing, then I have the best hookup for him. The company I did it thru was great.
Personally, if it were me, I would try and book it thru Princess probably. I have never been on a Princess cruise so I dont know, maybe someone here has. I will say this though about Holland America: The staff was really nice and helpful and on the land deal with all the hotel/bus/train transfers, it was actually very smooth and very well organized. I would give it a 8 only b/c of the food which I thought was mediocre and b/c I like the bigger ships alot more than the smaller ones.
Hope that helps. Feel free to ask any specific questions if you have them.
