The best sites is the cruise lines own web pages! See below for a few options. There you can book and make any ad such as shore excursion and chising cabin directly to the cruise line. Youll also be able to search through all theyre itinaryes and find correct prices. Johan.

My sister will be going on her honeymoon in october and she wants to take a cruise to Alaska. Would that be a good time to travel there?

It’s ok as long as you prepare for cold weather. I did a cruise in July down the Alaskan coast, and it was usually 50s or 60s so we almost always needed a jacket.

We would like to take a cruise to Alaska, which cruise line is best? We want something clean, fun and a great value. It will just be my husband and I. We have never cruised so we need lots of input.

My recommendation is Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean or Holland America. Here’s why.

I have been to Alaska twice, once on with some weekend sightseeing on a small ship, and then on a Princess cruise-tour. In my opinion the best cruise for you would be a cruise-tour. The cruise tour allows you to see more of Alaska by land (bus and/or train) either before or after the cruise. They typically afford an opportunity to stay a night or two in/at Denali National Park, Anchorage, Talkeetna, or Fairbanks, Alaska. There are four cruise lines that use the train to transport you from/to the cruise point to/from the park and Fairbanks. The train ride is magnificent and when you do the cruise tour you will have the best opportunity to see wildlife like bears, caribou, moose, fox, wolf, and a few others. These cruise-tours can be from 12 to 15 days or more while normal cruises are 7 days.

There are several ways to have a cruise to Alaska. You can cruise north from San Francisco, Seattle, or Vancouver Canada or cruise south from Anchorage (Whittier or Seward). Cruises typically cruise the "inside passage" which is a waterway much like a river where you can in most places see land on both sides of the ship. It provides a very smooth ride on that part of the cruise. Cruises typically go to Juneau (the capitol), and Ketchikan, Skagway, and stop at one or more glaciers like Glacier Bay National Park and College Fjord. Some cruises do other port stops. So you need to pay attention to which itinerary (port stops) the cruises will have.

The 4 cruise lines which offer the cruise-tours and all would be good; Princess Cruise line, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Holland America.

All four of the cruise lines that I have mentioned use the train for the land tour. But Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Celebrity have special domed train cars that provide great visibility. Not all tour segments are the same so you really have to pay attention to how the land tour is organized and whether it uses the train or buses.

The best time to go on an Alaska cruise is when you can get the best price. The Alaska cruise season is from May to Sept. So right now you are near the end of the Alaska cruise season and thus your best option is to plan for next year, 2010. The best prices will be in May and Sept but you will see the same things as other times. The weather is generally warmer in June, July and Aug, but it can also be pleasant in May and Sept. When we went a few years ago in May it was shirt sleeve weather (70’s) in Anchorage and Fairbanks.

You will do well to book your cruise now for next year because all of the cruise lines give the best prices for very early bookings. Also look for specials on the cruise line web sites.

These are the cruise lines that most people go on:

HOLLAND AMERICA
http://www.hollandamerica.com/

CELEBRITY:
http://www.celebritycruises.com/home .

ROYAL CARIBBEAN:
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/gohome.d..

NORWEGIAN:
http://www.ncl.com/

PRINCESS:
http://www.princess.com/index.html

CARNIVAL:
http://www.carnivalcruiselines.com/

ABOUT THE CRUISE LINES:
Princess, Celebrity and Holland America have great ships are more classy and reserved. They are just a little more upscale and luxurious than the other cruise lines. Passengers tend to be middle aged and up and have cruised multiple times. Holland America has mostly senior citizens (65 and up) cruising on its ships and very few kids and young people.

Norwegian cruise line is good, they cater to families and have mostly passengers in the range of age 35-40 and up. Its the line that you want to go on if you want to be informal for pretty much your whole cruise. They have formal nights like other cruise lines but they do not stress dressing up; they call it "dress up if you want to" night

Carnival is the budget cruise line that generally has the lowest prices. They cater to young people, first time cruiser and families. Most of their cruiser will be in the 20 to 45 age group and there will be lots of kids on board. Royal Caribbean is also a cruise line that caters to young cruiser and families; ages about 25/30 to 60. It has the advantage of having the most on-board activities.

Looking to go to either Hawaii or a cruise to Alaska. Which one’s total cost would be more expensive? I live on the east coast but have plenty of airline miles to get to the west coast. Thanks

I guess it depends on where you find your deal. For example, you can stay on Oahu island at a 4 star resort for 5 whole days for under $400 if you go through a travel broker. There are lots of them that offer vacation packages wholesale but I included a link to one of them I have used.

This one gives away Companion airfare vouchers too, so if you’re up for the heat – they can make it affordable, but if you’re up for the cold, go to Alaska!

It’s up to you of course so good luck no matter where you go!

I am going to alaska in june and i want to know what kind of animals i can expect to see either on land or at sea.
The cruise goes all around alaska so any possible animals.

I did a cruise/tour which meant I was on land for 4 days before the cruise. I saw moose, bear, bald Egales, and sea creatures. Pluss, I went to Jeff Kings’s home(he is a champion musher), so we saw about 100 of his dogs too. Alaska was my favorite cruise and I have been on 8 cruises all with Princess.

I am considering applying for a summer position. Do they provide houseing? Can I bring my dog? Any pointers?

i havent worked there but i have a pointer for you
CALL THEM AND ASK
its not going to kill you

ive been looking all over and i cant find anything in december. i know that there are cruises to alaska in the winter because my girlfriends grandparents went in the winter but they won the tickets so i cant ask them where they go it from. so if anyone knows of a website or place let me know. thanks!

Ask them what cruise line it was. They can at least tell you that and then you can check out the cruise line’s website. However talk to a travel agent… they will be best at helping you.

If we happened to hit a storm, what would the typical wave height be in the summer months cruising to Alaska?

Went to Alaska on a cruise in August. The trip was pretty calm, although on two evenings, the ship rocked quite a bit. It was funny trying to get to dinner with high heels on holding onto the sides of the walls. Do not know what the height of the seas were on these occasions, but I was not anxious. Obviously, the weather will determine the height of the waves. The cruise ships are equipped with stabilizers (sort of like shock absorbers) and they help smooth the ride. If for any reason there was a intense storm, your ship would head for the closest port able to handle their ship. Most alaskan storms happen during the winter months. Oops.. forgot to tell you… I recalled the cruise ship had a huge brandy sniffer full of Dramamine available free for anyone who needed a pill. I get easily sea sick but did not need anything on my trip.

Welcome Alaska local residents or those who ever been traveled to Alaska to answer this question.
Thx.

Whittier itself is a dump. Built by the government during WWII to be a secret alternative port in case Seward got invaded. Most people in town live in a single, ugly concrete highrise. But it is the shortest access from Anchorage to Prince William Sound (which is gorgeous). (And has the world’s only bi-directional, rail-and-car, single-lane tunnel. It’s all down with timed lights).

Seward and Valdez are both in gorgeous settings at the heads of fjords. Sort of like if you flooded Switzerland and threw in a few moose. Valdez has a big oil terminal. Seward has the Sea Life Center (a very good, modern aquarium) and access through day cruises to Kenai Fjords National Park. So I’d say Seward wins.

It is a pretty 2-hour bus ride from Seward to your connecting flight in Anchorage. To get to/from Valdez, you take a 737 on the "milk-run", a 33-seat twin-prop Dash-8 or you drive a really long ways to Anchorage.

How come cruises will only go to alaska on certain months and not year round? Obviously i am a rookie at cruising.

Thanks

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