Cruise vacation from SF to Alaska - any info is welcome.?

Question

I'm considering a 10 day cruise vacation from SF to Alaska with my extended family of 11 (age 6, 12, 12, 16, and adults) this august. None of us has done a cruise trip before. what shall we do/expect on land or at see? Is the dawn princess good? do we need to buy insurance? Thanks very much.

Answer 1

Read over the insurance offer carefully.  It only covers events like death or major illness.  It doesn't cover if you change your mind, can't afford to go because your house is destroyed by a tornado, you get robbed, etc.  What to do at sea?  It's a floating city: you can do anything on the boat you would do in your hometown.  What to do on land?  Most of the cruise stops are carefully orchestrated so you are in town just long enough to visit the areas near the ship- where all the shops are owned by the cruise ship industry.  Locals don't go there. Those entire sections of town are closed down and boarded up during the off season.  I would recommend a flight-seeing trip like a helicopter tour of the ice fields with a glacier landing.  The buses will pick you up at the dock, take you to the heliport, fly for about an hour, and get you back to your ship in time.  In Juneau you can take a bus to the Mendenhall glacier, probably the only drive-up glacier in the world.

Answer 2

WE went on a cruise-tour to Alaska on a Princess ship a few years ago and it was just great.  Princess has some very lovely ships and the food and dining options are great also.

The best time to go is when you can get the best price. The Alaska cruise season is from May to Sept.  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. The odd thing was, it was cooler further south in Juneau and Skegway than it was up north. It was rainy and cloudy in Ketchkan. It will be cold, like coat, hat and gloves weather, when you get close to the Glaciers.  When you pack, think layering of your clothes. A couple long sleeve shirts/tops, a sweater/sweatshirt, a light jacket, maybe with a hood.

The best prices will be in May and Sept but you will see the same things as other times. The port stops will be the same but may be in a different order.  Some cruises ship itineraries are run in reverse order, North to South vs starting in Seattle or Vancouver. Check the cruise line web sites for variations by date, itinerary and price.

The best Alaska cruise experience is the CRUISE-TOUR. Princess, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean all run cruise tours which take you by train all the way to Fairbanks, Alaska. Princess and RC have special domed train cars for this. Your best chance to see wild animals will be if you do a cruise-tour where you go further north after cruising the inside passage. The only animals you are likely to see in the inside passage is seals.  If you get lucky you may see a whale.  On these tours you can arrange to stop for a night or two in Taketna, or  Denali National Park. This will be your best opportunity to see moose, caribou, eagle, wolf, and bear. But you really need two days at Denali so that you have time to get one of the Park Service's buses that go deep into the park. Regular tour buses , cars and campers can only go about 5 miles into the park. The Park Service runs buses about 17 miles into the park, but you must get to the visitor center very early to reserve a spot on one of their buses. The train stops going north and south do not get you to Denali in time or allow enough time for the deep back country buses.

With Princess, Holland America, and RC you can do the tour part first and then go to Seward or Whittier to get on ship for the inside passage part.  I recommend doing the tour part first.

Princess has programs specifically for kids of various ages:  http://www.princess.com/ships/dp/tour/dp...  

Here's what to expect.  When you arrive at the port to check in you (each passenger) will receive a key card which will serve as your room key, charge card for anything you buy on ship (i.e.,drinks, souvenir) and its also your pass to get on and off ship in each port. When you first board the ship the security personnel will have you insert your key card into a scanner and then will take a photo of you that is included in the magnetic strip on the card.  Each time you get off ship you will need this key card and many times also a photo ID (passport or driver's license). This card allows them to keep an accurate track of all passengers entering and/or leaving the ship.  Infants and small children may be required to wear an ID bracelet (like in the hospital) in lieu of carry a card.

Each day of your cruise you will receive in your cabin a "newsletter" listing the time, place and particulars of everything happening for you on ship. There are generally activities like demonstrations of ice carvings, napkin folding and towel folding, and cooking demonstrations.  Some ships may offer a galley (kitchen) tour or a tour of the bridge. There may be organized games and other activities around the pools. In the evenings there are generally shows, one show for those with an early dinner seating and another (same show) for those who eat late. There is always free food available. Usually there is a place in ship where you can go get something. Or, you can always just pick up the phone in your cabin and order from the room service menu (food is free). If you want, you can order breakfast room service.

All ships have a casino with slots and table games. Ships have movie theaters, generally small but nice, and you can also see movies in your room. They have ATM’s and a purser’s desk where you can cash a check or exchange currency if you need to.  There is a tour and activities desk so you can schedule land tours and activities.

Ships have free morning exercise programs, stretching and walking, etc, and on some you can pay for other things like Spinning. All cruise ships have gyms so you can go workout, usually any time from 6:00 AM to late at night. There is usually a walking/running track on one of the decks also. Some ships leave the gym open all night. They call the gyms Spa because they do promote getting pampered with things like wraps and massages with aroma therapy. They will also generally have a beauty salon to do hair and nails.

There are always pools. Some ships have more than one and the newer ships generally have an indoor pool as well as outdoor ones and all of these have hot tubs. There is generally a basketball court on the top deck, a place for scuffle board, and a mini-golf course. The newer Royal Caribbean ships have a rock climbing wall.

There are places on ships to play cards and board games, and the cards and games are provided. If you want to just sit and read, there’s a library where you can bring your books or select one from the shelf.  Ships have internet cafes and some offer WIFI if you bring your prefer to use your computer in your cabin (some ships offer notebooks for rent).  There are cocktail lounges that feature a variety of music.  Some have a piano bar with jazz. There is usually a disco that starts after 10:00 PM each night and last until everyone leave.  On certain days ships will have special activities like a chocolate lovers buffet, or a midnight deck party .      

Some people worry about getting sea sick, but the ships being used these days have automated stabilizers which minimize the rocking.  The larger ships cut through the water so easy that you don’t even feel like you are moving.  When there is bad weather the cruise lines will steer around and away from it, sometimes changing the order of port stops.  Also, the ships generally move overnight and dock in the mornings so you don’t feel much movement. Consequently, your chances of getting sea sick are minimal.

Most 7-day cruises have two formal nights when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the ship’s Captain.  

The formal nights are REQUESTED not required attire.  But most people do dress up in a tux for men and a long dress (any color) for women.  Some men just wear a suit and tie and some women wear a nice dress but not a gown.  You will not be denied access to the dining room or anything else if you choose not to dress up.  (we usually take off the formal stuff after dinner and pictures anyway).  The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM when they request that you wear "sports casual" attire.  That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, shirt with a collar, slacks, skirt, blouse, etc.  You can still wear shorts and swim wear in the pools and spas but not in public areas like dining rooms and restaurants, show rooms, bars, casino, etc.

If you leave for your cruise this August out of SF or Seattle you will not need passports.  But if you select a cruise departing from Vancouver Canada and have to fly to Canada to meet the ship you will need passports and you need to apply for them immediately because it can take 2 to 3 months to get them.  Check out this web site for passport info:  

http://travel.state.gov/passport/passpor...  

Yes you may want to consider getting travel insurance since so many are traveling.  However, I suggest a travel plan independent of the cruise line.  They cover more and cost less.  Try these:

http://www.insuremytrip.com/p/myquotecal  

http://www.insuremytrip.com/index-1000-0    

  

www.travelex-insurance.com/

Answer 3

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