What We Wish We Knew Before Our First Alaska Cruise
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- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
- We took our first Alaska cruise back in 2014 with Celebrity Cruises. After sailing the region multiple times since then with various other cruise lines, we have learned much about cruising way up north. To help those planning their first Alaska cruise, we have compiled this list of the 10 things we wish we had known before our first Alaska cruise!
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WHAT WE WISH WE KNEW BEFORE OUR FIRST ALASKA CRUISE
0:00 Introduction
0:58 Not All Alaska Itineraries Are Created Equal
2:22 Alaska Cruises are Expensive
3:57 The Days Are Very Long
4:56 What to Really Pack
7:05 When You Sail Can Save Thousands
8:25 Enrichment Programs Shouldn’t Be Missed
9:30 There is No One Best Alaska Cruise Line
10: 52 Upgrading Camera Gear Is Worth it
11:57 Upgrading to a Balcony is Worth it
13:18 Take Time to Explore on Your Own
14:08 Book As Early As Possible
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOUR FIRST ALASKA CRUISE
Our first Alaska cruise was a roundtrip sailing from Seattle, WA back in 2014. Since then, we have cruised to Alaska 4 additional times (and a 5th coming soon). Based on those numerous other trips to this 49th state, we have learned quite a bit about what it is like cruising to Alaska.
First, cruisers going to Alaska need to know that not all itineraries are created the same. For those going to Alaska for the first time, we highly recommend booking a cruise that visits Glacier Bay National Park. It took several trips to the region before we picked a voyage sailing this fantastic area. Now, we are hooked!
Further, there are several different cruise lines and cruise ships sailing the region. Despite what the cruise lines claim, Alaska has no best cruise line. But, there is a perfect cruise line for you and your family. Whether you want a small intimate ship or a ship with waterslides, go-karts, and virtual reality experiences, there are options for all types of travelers.
We splurged on our first Alaska cruise spending significantly more than a typical Caribbean cruise. Now, we know that the general rule is that all Alaska cruises are more expensive than other cruises. So, you should make sure you budget accordingly. We quickly spend 8K or more for the two of us back in 2014. Now, we recommend cruisers budget between $2,000-5,000 per traveler, depending on room category, shore excursions, and other upgrades.
Although, if you want to save money and still cruise the region, WHEN you sail and when you book make a big difference. We didn't know it then, but sailing during the shoulder season can save thousands. This is the beginning and end of the Alaska cruise season. Also, booking in advance can save money. For those who live in the region, a last-minute cruise deal might be a good option; however, you will need to ensure any cost savings are not eaten up by inflated airfare or other related costs.
Further, it took us a few sailings to realize it pays to upgrade. Purchasing or renting some new gear can make all the difference in capturing videos and photos. Companies like Borrow Lenses let cruisers use the equipment for a fraction of the cost of purchasing new cameras and equipment. This upgraded photography gear will ensure you capture the perfect photos of all the wildlife in Alaska.
For us, we feel that a balcony cabin is also worth the added costs. The flexibility to relax in your cabin while sailing through the fjords and glaciers is priceless.
GET MORE ALASKA CRUISE TIPS AND TRICKS BACK ON THE BLOG:
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#alaskacruise #alaska #cruisetips - Zábava
Never spent a penny on specialty dining. Included dining is more than enough for me.
Same here. Plenty of options for me , more money for beer 😂😂
Not all specialty dining are worthwhile. The exclusive small group formal dinner ones are where it's at.
And we’re opposite, we never use main dining. Speciality dining is SO much better and I’m on vacay, I splurge.
I sail out for Alaska in 7 days. It's my very first cruise. We went all out for this cruise and got a mini suite since it's my birthday and many bucket list items will be checked off. I'm so excited.
Me too, my birthday is mid cruise and we leave in 4 days .
Happy Birthday to you have fun!!
@Leightons Life my birthday is mid cruise too. Mine is the 31st and we sail out on the 28th 😀. I'll raise a glass to you.
@@andershay99212 Cheers! 😊
@@leightonslife4030 the cheers back is happening right now.
I just booked an Alaskan cruise for my birthday (September) 2024!
In Juneau, adventure on your own if you can. There's a lovely little hiking park that's never ever busy.
This alaska cruise is on my bucket list now. Thanks for sharing!!
Agree about the enrichment talks.They are part of the whole cruise experience. Most notably wonderful on a Panama Canal transit cruise. We are doing Alaska next June, R/T Seattle.
Excellent well paced and packed information.
Glad you enjoyed it! Are you taking an Alaska cruise this year?
My 1st solo cruise July 2023 to Alaska. Im so excited🎉
Us too! July 8 HAL Eurodam!
Hi!
We also booked it for July I'm so excited
But,have no idea what to pack...
Do you have any idea?
His did you enjoy solo on the cruise? I'm also going solo? 😊
Going in October! So excited!!!
Have a great cruise.
I highly recommend the Alaskan Dream Cruise. It's only 49 passengers max and well worth it.
Cost???? 1:31
Thanks for the tips! Especially the point about the advantages of booking at either the beginning of the season or in September, saving thousands of dollars! From what you have outlined, it does sound complicated to plan so many different items of clothing.....and the thought of itineraries on-shore and on-ship stretching from early morning to midnight or beyond could be very soon exhausting.
Beginning of the season, or September is the worse time to , kinda see bits of Alaska, worse weather and most of the migratory whales aren’t here, fishing is to early, or late if September, etc… and yes, I live here!
I’ll be on my first alaska cruise in 2 days! So excited. Flying into Vancouver tomorrow!
How was it and what company did you cruise with?
@@beautifulrose2259 I went with princess. It was truly the trip of a lifetime!! Your cruise line was perfect. The service and food were amazing. Already trying to go again. There was only one downside and that’s that my helicopter glacier trip was canceled because of the weather. But I still had a great time
@BoredPanda66 Oh wow. Hopefully next time you can go on a helicopter ride. Thanks for the info.
@@beautifulrose2259 I’ll be taking one on my next trip to Iceland and Norway next august! Hope you’re planning one to alaska- you absolutely will not regret it. My #1 advice is to splurge for the balcony
@BoredPanda66 That sounds awesome! Maybe I'll get the balcony.
THANK YOU😀
I think Princess and Holland America get priority at Glacier Bay.
Yes. I've heard this as well. We were on the HAL Zuiderdam last September and got to do the scenic cruising in the bay. Absolutely fantastic cruise.
You think so? I definitely want to see Glacier Bay so I'm checking.
@@Cenlalowell only so many ships are allowed in Glacier Bay. I know Holland and Princess have been going there the longest. Probably why they get first dibs? I heard a vlogger say they were on Norwegian so the had to dock in the ports further away from the cities too.
@@stephaniem839 thanks for replying I'm looking at a NCL ship but it's quite confusing. The map shows it's passing by glacier Bay, but I don't think it stops. Is this possible??
It also has to do with the size of ships being operated. Larger ships can’t use certain ports or get as close to shore as others (Holland America and the premium lines such as Oceana, Crystal, Seabourne, etc. operate smaller ships than Norwegian and Royal Caribbean).
Wondering what your thoughts are on as Aft balcony cabin vs a normal balcony….is an Aft worth it for Alaska?
I've read somewhere that there are more than 25 (!) cruise lines sailing to Alaska and only two of them - HAL and Princess - are allowed to sail the inside passage. (Maybe NCL now as well).
I live on the same latitude as Sitka but due to the gulf stream the weather is so different here in Göteborg, Sweden!
NCL and Disney both do inside passage sailings, NCL has been doing them for years.
one of Princess Alaska cruises come into Anchorage at 12:30 midnight Wednesdays ending their 7 day cruise. Are there any food places open at that time?
Thx for the video. Not sure it was mentioned, but if you can swing an aft balcony cabin you can avoid the cold wind that may be felt on the sides of the ship at times. These cabins are hard to find but we really enjoyed ours on Princess a few years ago.
Good tip! When’s your next cruise?
@@Eatsleepcruise1 Me and my wife are cruising on Viking from Athens to Venice in April which we are very excited about. In May we are booked on the Carnival Mardi Gras with some family members. Should be an interesting comparison taking those totally different cruises 3 weeks apart.
A small ship Alaska Cruise is on my bucket list…Uncruise or on the Ocean Victory with American Queen cruises
You should do it.
I'm so upset that our Alaskan cruise on August 7th 2023 has had it's schedule redone. We are now going to Ketchikan instead of Skagway and we no longer go into Dawes glacier viewing. This is a Royal Caribbean cruise.
Is there a cruise ship that has an indoor lap pool? I can't really tell from the photos. The pools look kind of small. And there are not lap lanes
My friends want to do a girls trip next year to Alaska. Trying to find info.
I spent $100 for my cruise to Alaska for a 7 day cruise. I book last minute all the time and always pay this amount. I also travel solo.
Wow! How do you find those deals?
@@debbiesorensen7208 Simply log into my account on the carnival website. They are there for me.
@@debbiesorensen7208easy to find the deals, hard part is if you work for someone else and need to book the time off last minute
What do you mean Only$100.00 for 7 days cruise???
@joethecomputerguy1 you believe the last minute booking is the key to getting such a deal? What type of cabin and cabin location do you typically get when booking last minute? And how close to departure are you calling “last minute?
Is it possible to get back onto the cruise ship early after an Excursion?
We are not huge fans of seafood. I assume there are plenty of other options to keep us satisfied?
Yes there are many options
I have lived in Alaska the past 43 years, I have worked in our visitor industry for years, seeing bits of Alaska by a huge cruise ship is “ not even seeing real Alaska “! Simple!😳😉
Thanks for watching. What would you say is the best way to visit Alaska?
@@Eatsleepcruise1 independent ! Get off the few roads we have! Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, etc… is not “ real Alaska @! Get it now???😳🤣🤪
Hi sir, how are you, I would like to visit Alaska, can you please help me out for itinerary, n also if possible drop your WhatsApp number in advance thanks
@@Eatsleepcruise1
@@user-re6nn2qb7x This state is huge, remote, it’s own country up here, literally! It all depends what your looking for. Fishing, hiking, boating, camping, tours, etc… depends hot physically fit you are also. Just saying.😉👍
I’m going to Alaska on a cruise on regal princess cruise ship from San Francisco,what do I bring and what do I wear
The video goes over that.
Disney is 14 days
Thanks so much for this vlog! Helped us immensely in prepping for our first Alaskan Cruise 🥰 We just uploaded a Skagway vlog if you wanted to check it out 🚂
Joyce
Save your money on excursions.
Our advice is local, smaller excursions booked ahead of time. Easy to research and find no matter where you're sailing. Always at least half the price of ship excursions and more immersive & fun with the smaller groups.
I was, however, puzzled that you spoke about spending up to U.S.$10,000 per cruise? Are you referring to Suites? Or are the excursions so expensive? Did that include extra days of pre-cruise and/or post-cruise land-tours?? In the end, you have added to my conclusion that the Caribbean remains the best value for money in the world's cruising regions. Tip: it is authentically pronounced KAH-ruh-bee-un and not Kuh-RIB-bee-un...in honour of the Caribs.[KAH-ribs]
I can definitely see people spending $10,000 on this vacation. I haven’t even gone on my cruise yet and I’ve already spent nearly $4,000, and that’s as a solo cruiser. I’ve booked a balcony suite, round trip tickets to Vancouver, 2 excursions (one of them being a glacier hike with was almost $500) 2 hotel rooms for 3 nights, prepaid gratuities and got the Wi-Fi package. I’m expecting to spend at least another $1,000 or so during my time in port and in Vancouver.
Some excursions can be $2K or more per person.
@@allargon What excursions are $2k? I'm curious.
inside cabin, $4k; fairly basic shore excursions, $1k, plus some airfare and a few onboard extras, we're already at $6k. if you had a fancier cabin, more than 2 travellers, or exotic shore excursions (helicopter out to the glacier with a dog sled ride, for instance) you could get to $10k pretty quick.
@@RealJohnnyDingo switch those costs around. An inside cabin isn't $4k except on a line like Regent or Oceania. However, I could easily see excursions topping $4k for two people, let alone a family of 4.
how did you know the walls would be magnetic?
All cruise ship cabin walls are magnetic. What cruise line are you sailing on?
HollandAmerica Koningsdam.
Most of the video has drone footages, which I believe you didn't film. So, why show those unrealistic views? Try to be truthful in what views to expect while onboard.
Can a disabled man have a memorable adventure on an Alaskan cruise ?
Of course!!! He will definitely have a great time
You'll have a great time! This cruise journey is spiritual. It's beautiful and unexplainable. If you want to truly disconnect, don't hesitate!
Never forget about God. He hasn’t forgotten about you. Let him in.❤Please don’t make songs that even insinuate inappropriate language and please dress modestly.
😴😴😴HARD PASS for me!
Too bad, Alaska is amazing!
I could not get through more than 2 min of this video. Voiceover was absolutely unbearable to listen to. Voice is hard to understand but the way it was spoken was absolute nails on a chalkboard to me.
You may suffer from something called misophonia. That's what I have. Once you find out about it, it's absolutely like you have found your people who all suffer the same. I hope you look into it
His voice is sharp and choppy and very hard to listen to. I turn the volume way down
one of Princess Alaska cruises come into Anchorage at 12:30 midnight Wednesdays ending their 7 day cruise. Are there any food places open at that time?
Agree about the enrichment talks.They are part of the whole cruise experience. Most notably wonderful on a Panama Canal transit cruise. We are doing Alaska next June, R/T Seattle.