Alaskan Cruise

Boxer_21 · #1 09-25-2004, 04:16 PM

I'm thinking of going to Alaska either this upcoming year or next and I was wondering how many of you have been there. I've been wanting to go for sometime, but just finally started to do some research and planning. I'll be going to do a cruise mainly to see the whales (Humpbacks and Orcas) out there and of course to see the glaciers. I've seen some unbelievable photos and I'd really to see it for myself in person.

Have any of you ever been and could you share your experiences and recommendations ?? Also, does anyone know how long of a flight it would be from either Manchester, NH or Boston, MA (those are the two closest airports so I'd like to depart from there).

Thanks in advance!!

- Mandy

BeckyNC · #2 09-25-2004, 04:37 PM

I have not been to Alaska, but I can tell you I know a number of people who have taken Alaskan cruises the past 2 years. All of them raved about the cruises and they all went on different cruise lines. I think Alaskan cruises are kind of "in" right now!

I think my friends that went on the cruises from NC flew through Chicago to either Seattle or Vancouver. From Boston, you might be able to fly through Detroit or somewhere else in Canada, but I guess it depends on the port of departure.

Have fun!

Lousabelle · #3 09-25-2004, 04:59 PM

We went on one with Holland America a couple of years ago and it was terific...
We went on something called the Inside Passage and loved it.
If you go...the helicopter glacier hikes are amazing!!!!
I would highly recommend it...
We flew out of Vancouver by the way....

Ronin1 · #4 09-25-2004, 07:07 PM

I used to travel to Alaska every year (worked for a cruise company). The Inside Passage is beautiful, or you could take a coastal cruise up to Anchorage. Either way - if you are game and have the time, there are wonderful land tours you can add to your cruise. Denali National Park, Kenai, the Yukon ...there's just so much to do and see. The scenery is breathtaking and the ships that are in use right now are incredible (some of them are HUGE) - you will love it!

Most cruise companies will fly you in the day before the cruise and they will have a hotel package w/a transfer to the ship all arranged as part of your hotel stay.

I could go on forever about Alaska - so let me know if you have any ??? on different Ports or Tours.

~~Megan

Boxer_21 · #5 09-25-2004, 07:20 PM

Thanks for the info. I didn't even think about the layovers that will be involved in the flight. I don't fly very often (I've actually only flown once on an hour and a half flight to PA) so I know very little about that part.

I'm so excited to go, but I'm also very nervous about leaving my boys at home. I have a few relatives that will be willing to house and dog sit for me, but I'm still nervous about it.

- Mandy

**Jan** · #6 09-25-2004, 11:20 PM

I went on a cruise to Alaska a few years ago. It was great, but I didn't see too many whales. You still have to be pretty lucky to see whales. I went on a excusion from Ketichan and we did see a humpback, but he wasn't being very co-operative. If you weren't looking in the right direction you missed it.

I still had a great time though.

If your sole purpose is to see whales you might want to consider just going to the West Coast of Vancouver Island, to either Uclulet or Tofino. There are lots of trips to go see whales from there and I think your chance would actually be better than from a cruise. If you flew into Vancouver, you could take the ferry accross to Vancouver Island. You can often see orcas from the ferry. I've never been very lucky, but some people see them all the time.

Humpbacks travel up the west coast of Vancouver Island. I believe it's in the early spring. Orcas you can see anytime of year.

Good luck in deciding what to do.

Dodgn_AK · #7 11-11-2004, 04:45 PM

Hi Mandy,

I just saw this post. I can tell you that the best time for viewing orca's in Resurrection Bay (in Seward) is May and June. Just this last summer I got to see two large pods feeding on red salmon up close and personal. A large male surfaced about 5 feet off our bow, it was awesome! Humpbacks you can see just about all summer, its just hit or miss if you actually run into one though. As for flight time, you can take a direct flight from Minneapolis to Anchorage on Northwest, its about 5 hours. Alaska Airlines flies direct to Anchorage from DC, New York, Chicago and Denver I believe. If you need any more info or would like a personal tour guide should you choose to come up, pm me

Tara

Luvnmyboxer · #8 02-19-2005, 08:35 PM

My boss just went to Alaska last May. Supposedly rains like 360 days out of the year!! They got lucky and no rain while they were there though. They took the Holland America cruise and loved it. Saw lot of whales and did some cool things- they never got off the boat though, so I dont know what else there is to do on land. But sounds awesome and the pictures were beautiful. They were relatively cheap tickets too- I would love to go there too.

naomi1025 · #9 02-20-2005, 07:24 AM

My Husband and I went on our honeymoon to Alaska. We went through Holland America and went to Juneau and Skagway, and Ketichan. It was a beautiful wonderful cruise. We saws tons of whales and dolfins and even some bears. The glaciers were incredible and the service aboard this ship is impecable. We are going to the western carribean this April on Holland also. I would almost require that you pay the extra and get a room with a verandah. There is nothing like eating your breakfast and sitting on your deck and watching all the sights uninterupted. It is incredible, can you tell that I enjoyed myself. We took 18 rolls of film that trip and they are amazing. About the whales when we went they we all over, a herd.. i think thats what they called them, kept following us at one point and kept jumping out of the water and breeching, the guides said it was common for them to do that, but they kept doing it. It was just so wonderful! Enjoy your cruise, if you have any questions let me know.