Considering going in July. Seattle to Skagway.



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We did a 10 day land-sea on a Holland-America liner some years ago. It was outstanding.

The itineraries are usually very similar.

The only suggestion I have is to go the last southward voyage, due to weather and mosquitoes. Usually that is in mid-September.

We have not been on any of the Norwegian ships. We did the same Alaska trip on the Celebrity Solstice in June 2015 and it was wonderful

Yup. Left from seattle, went to Victoria and 3 AK stops. Awesome. The train into Canada from Skagway is cool.

In 2007 I did a 20-day Alaska/Yukon/BC land/sea tour that included the 7-day Inside Passage cruise from Seward, Alaska to Vancouver, BC on Holland America. I had a great time. I think all the major cruise lines have very similar itineraries and facilities. You'll enjoy it. (My cruise was the last one in September.)

flashguy

Yes, took the NCL Pearl from Seattle to 3x Alaskan stops plus Victoria BC last July. It was great, beautiful scenery and lots of wildlife. Saw whales, eagles, etc. The three Alaskan ports were Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. We're considering going a second time.

my wife, daughter and mother in law did, they all got lice.

Yes, we did that trip twice with the kids. They all agree it was the best vacation ever. We liked it so much we went back two more times.

quote:

Originally posted by rch73:
Yes, took the NCL Pearl from Seattle to 3x Alaskan stops plus Victoria BC last July. It was great, beautiful scenery and lots of wildlife. Saw whales, eagles, etc. The three Alaskan ports were Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. We're considering going a second time.

Same trip, even the same ship.
We quickly learned that the shore excursions filled up quickly. We missed the eagle float trip as it filled almost immediately. I did the glacier dog sled trip and and really enjoyed it. The whale watching was also great. The train was reported as fun or "up and back." The tour of Victorian was a dud bore. Just houses own by somebody, then a stop on a hill.
There was a small place that served what can be called "comfort food." Eggs, bacon, omlets, hamburgers etc. It allowed us to avoid the main cafeteria mess and the heavy meals in the resturants.
Shopping was, well, interesting. You soon realized that no matter the port, you saw much the same stuff. Jewelry in particular. There's a on board guide who seems to know the deals for the stuff you want. Also, there are stores that don't appear on the ships guides. Some stores even advertise that they aren't on the list. The ship had art sales etc. the push seemed to be more investment the quality.
I was seasick for much of the trip. Going again I'd stock up on medication.

I have a friend leaving Sunday. I prefer Norwegian due to the lack of formality.

RMD

Did Norwegian approximately 8 years ago on that trip. Also enjoyed the lack of formality. Salmon served at every meal - yeah. Did one paid excursion: helicopter ride to a glacier. Absolutely recommend it. Would love to do it again.

Lots of onboard entertainment, but not the big crowds occurring on Caribbean cruises - don't know why.

Would easily do it again....

Just got back Monday from a 7 day Holland-America cruise. It was the wife's bucket list trip and I was just trying to keep an open mind. I'm not much of a cruise guy (too many people, too many other ships in ports, too many lines, and too little time in port), despise long flights, and packing winter clothes for vacation in June seemed bonkers. I was generally right about the cruise thing, but it was worth it. Every bit of it. Very, very memorable, and truth is, these places are so inaccessible, it's about the only way to do it reasonably.

We traveled from Seattle to Junneau/Mendenhall Glacier, north to Hubbard Glacier in Desperation Bay, south to Sitka, then Ketchikan, and Victoria, BC with lots of hiking, kayaking, ziplines, whalewatching, etc. I figure we traveled close to 3000 nm for the week. The weather forecast was terrible. I didn't realize it rains about 300 days a year up there, but in the end while blue skies weren't plentiful, we saw very little rain, and none that impacted our activities. High's generally stayed in the mid 50's to upper 60's. Seas were quite moderate, though a few in our party of 11 had some issues.

I have little doubt we will go back.

This is Hubbard Glacier. For scale it is 9 miles wide (about 1/3 of its length extends behind the point) and 350 feet high. Photos do not do Alaska justice.

Sounds very cool. Thanks for the info.

Wife and I went last year on Princess on the inside passage tour. Went to all the ports mentioned, I thought the best excursion was the eagle float trip, the others were basically sight seeing for bears, sea lions, seals, etc.
Jigray3 is right, the photos don't do it justice, everything just seems to be on an immense scale. The Mendenhall glacier was one of the coolest things I've seen, chunks as large as houses breaking off and creating waves. The food was honestly great, gained almost 10 pounds, finally got that off. I would do it again. Seattle is a pretty place, but the week we went was hempfest. Never seen so many hippies. Find the kayakers, middle of pic near the shore...

quote:

Originally posted by rch73:
Yes, took the NCL Pearl from Seattle to 3x Alaskan stops plus Victoria BC last July. It was great, beautiful scenery and lots of wildlife. Saw whales, eagles, etc. The three Alaskan ports were Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. We're considering going a second time.

Did this trip with my wife and my mother, except in September. Cold and wet but still very cool. Would do again. My only problem was the 1st day out to sea. Got seasick during the presentation in the nose (prow?) of the ship. Had to spend the rest of the day sleeping off the nausea in our cabin.

Never been on a cruise, so I'm confused about the tipping policy. They seem to add 18% to pretty much everything already. Beverage service per day + 18%. Meals per day + 18%, etc....

I don't carry wads of cash. Are you supposed to tip on-board? For stuff that you already paid 18% gratuity? How does this work?

Your cruise package includes tips. I have tipped an exceptional cabin steward but it is not expected. Your booking agent should explain what is customary

Went Holland America like JAllen.
No cash used on board at all, no tipping.
Enjoyed it but raining in Ketchikan which is the most scenic part of the cruise; went kayaking anyway, got wet, saw bald eagle.

Head over to Cruise Critic and check out the forums. They actually host forums on each individual Cruise. Very interesting and informative.

Mike

Cruised
Royal C.
Princess
USS Truxton
USS Klondike
USS Jason

Cruise completed.




What I learned:

1) Alaska is amazing.
2) I HATE being on a cruise ship with 2100 people and 1000 crew.
3) Personal space and hygiene appears to be taboo in non-American culture
4) I don't get sea-sick, but I do get land-sick. I'm still having vertigo and nausea 3 days later.


My dad doing the zipline tour in the rainforest canopy. 150 feet off the ground. Awesome!



Mendenhall glacier


Somebody our host may know:


Glacier outside Skagway: