Alaskan Cruise, any advice??

So my girlfriend has been wanting to go on an Alaskan cruise for a while now.  I've never been on a cruise, anyone have any cruise advice??  Anyone ever been on an Alaskan cruise?

 

Larry, I have been on 4 cruises and they kind of suck in my opinion. The boat gets old after a few days and they're usually loaded with blue hairs and/or kids. If my parents weren't forking the bill for the last 2, I def wouldn't have gone.

But, I have never been on an Alaskan cruise, so they might be a little better.

watch out for bears

Good advice all around so far.  I must say I would rather be heading to Amsterdam... but this vacation is about the woman.

Why Alaska? From Mass, you could easily hop on a cruise to Caribbean, Bermuda and I think Nova Scotia (among other places probably).

 Well no shit, man. Georgraphically that makes sense.  However there is a factor involved called box, and makes men do illogical, irrational, and crazy things sometimes.

I have been on two cruises both of the Caribbean and enjoyed them immensely. The ship usually stops at 3 or 4 places for about 8-10 hours and you can get off the ship and explore the city for a reasonable price. The advantage of this is that you get to see places which you probably would not visit otherwise on its own. The ship is usually associated with a tour company and you can book your tours with them or you can leave the ship and hire a local cab or tour bus and they will take you wherever you want to go. The latter will be a bit cheaper. You can also stay on the ship if you are not interested in exploring that city. There is plenty of shopping, food and bars right outside where the ship docks. 

correction- the gratuities are $10-15 per person per day.

Very helpful Sharp... thank you.

I've been on one cruise -- Caribbean last year. I was skeptical, but the gal pal said I needed a break after three years of balls to the wall without a vacation.

I took my laptop and cell, but never used them. Instant vacation. I liked that. Service was great, the staff and crew all very friendly and professional.

Skip the formal wear: bring classy casual, but that's all you need unless you're going to have one of those formal portraits taken.

Don't pay for the upgrade to the nice restaurants. All the food is made in the same kitchen. At least it was on Princess. The restaurants that were part of the package on Princess were excellent.

Pay extra for a room with an outside balcony, and spring for a breakfast on the balcony with your lady. Very nice.

If you want, smuggle your own booze on board. It will save you money.

The downsides of the cruise is that it's hard to explore anyone place to deeply.

If it's available on your cruise, watch the morning rise and shine show on the closed circuit tv channel. You'll likely pick up tips about the ship and your stops that may make your trip more rewarding. I found out about a restaurant off the beaten track in Cozumel I never would have known about or stumbled across otherwise It was worth the trip.

Some people will tell you to arrange any off-board activities through the ship. Others say do it on your own. I say go through the ship. Saves you time, unless you really know what you're doing. We did a deep sea fishing tour, and a couple who had arranged one privately wound up joinging us because their trip fell through and they lost their money on the deal.

I thought a cruise would suck, but it wasn't bad at all. I've heard only good things about the Alaskan cruises, and probably will do it in the next couple of years.

Good luck!

My new wife and I did a 7 day Alaskan cruise in Sept. for our honeymoon...round trip out of Seattle. This was my first cruise and I liked it, the only downside was we took the last cruise of the season due to our wedding date, and the weather was overcast or raining each port, and the first full day at sea we had 17 foot swells and a lot of people (including some crew members) got seasick, so go earlier in the season.

Also, we booked a whale-watching trip ourselves with a group of folks I met on cruisecritic.com, and that was a good move as we had a boat of 12 versus the cruise-booked groups which put you on larger boats

My wife and I have been on 2 cruises, a 14 day Western Mediterranean on Norwegian for our honeymoon and a 7 day Eastern Caribbean on Carnival.  Whatever you do plan your own shit, don't book anything on the boat and if you're a drinker find a way to sneak alcohol on.  I prefer cruises to all-inclusive Caribbean resorts because the food and entertainment are infinitely better.  I always find a way to sneak alcohol on so I don't really care about the no free drinks.  I'm not a person who can sit by a pool or on a beach all day every day.  I enjoy seeing the world.  

Cruising is fun but like everything else, not everyone's cup of tea.

I've been on a bunch of cruises, all to either the Carribbean or Mexican Riveria.

Larry went on an Alaskan cruise a year ago august 2010. It was with a company called Cruise West, unfortunately they have ceased operations in Alaska. It was incredible. Overall it was a 10 day deal with 1.5 days in Fairbanks, 4 days in Denali National Park (a must see) 1 day in Anchorage, and the rest was on the boat cruising Prince William Sound. It was awesome! Alaska is a beautiful state and I would highly recommend going in August. The Aurora Borialis is awesome to see. I could go on and on about this trip but whatever you do go see Prince William Sound and Denali National Park.

All very helpful information.  Thank you covers brothers.

Train through the Canadian Rockies far better and a lot more romantic. Go 1st class top notch with Orient.

Cruises suck unless you have a private charter with only 6 people.

My .02.

....And if you go to Alaska, see it from a cabin or high end lodge/hotel.

Cruise is just standing on a deck with binos and not getting any real exposure to local people and the wilderness in a a settled environment. imo

Ive gone about half a dozen cruises mostly through carnival...

Some pretty good advice here...

1.  If you get sea sick bring meds/patches... I dont get sea sick, my girlfriend at the time did... the meds dried her out (literally) so I actually had to go to the infirmary and ask for lubricant/KY and they refused to hand it out...  It might not be a bad idea to bring some if she is taking bonine and or the scopolamine patch

2.  When you have a chance to leave the boat always do so... the little towns and gift shops are nothing special, but there are some great activities...  I think your cruise should have the dog sledding excursion...

3.  I know on carnival cruises food is free, but you can order more then one entree or dessert...  It is implied that you can only order one, but I often would order multiple entrees or double up on something good...  desserts are the same deal...  you might get a chance to pick early or late dining and I would recommend later in terms of being seated with people you might get along with...  Early is sometimes less effort, but it is all a gamble you get seated with...

4. Another thing if you are on the carnival cruise is that if your significant other has been on a cruise you get invited to an alcohol free for all hour where they just have tons of drinks on trays and you can drink as much as you like...  other then that I think you pay per a drink with your card/tab... even though my girlfriend at the time was on her first cruise she crashed the event so if you hear about just go...

5.  Dont flush the toilet while seated...

Cruises are fun especially with the casino and the ability to completely relax with out worry because all your needs are taken care of...    have a great time...



 

TAKE A COAT.......AND RUBBER SHOES..........

I almost forgot about the welcome back party they throw. Royal Caribbean has one. If it's the OP's first cruise he won't get to partake in it but boy was it awesome.

Make sure the captain is not a drunk.

More geriatrics take the Alaskan cruise b/c they've already done the Carib cruises and there are fewer kids.  Depending on the time of year, the decks are less decked out with things to do b/c of the potential for cold weather.

It's more a a sight seeing and relaxing cruise than a booze cruise but it is what you make it.

Have fun regardless.

I'd cut down on the Titanic jokes if you saw an iceberg in the water........

DONT GO...