I'm looking for specific answers about Alaska cruises.?

Question

How important is it to stay in an window cabin cabin vs an inside cabin. How much time do you spend in the cabin? Are the beds comfortable? Is it worth the extra $? I am looking into a train trip and I would like someone to comment on that aspect of the cruise. I do have borchures from several cruislines but I'd like to hear from those who actually took the cruise and the train tours. My daughter lives in Vancouver so hotel and transportation info is not needed.

Answer 1

Go to CruiseCritic.com, click on "Boards" at the top of the page, then find your topics of interest.

Answer 2

To answer your Questions;

1. Cabins - an window or balcony are nice however you only get to see a one sided view. The view from the decks are great plus you get to meet people from all over the world.

2. The beds are comfortable.

3. Worth the money I would have to say no.

4. Train - excursion or from Whitter to Denali or Fairbanks yes, well, worth it. Either of these trains allows to to see more of Alaska's beautiful scenery.

For a 7 day cruise they all stop pretty much in the same ports whether you are traveling north or southbound.

I have taken Norwegian for the 7 day and it was great.

For a cruisetour I have taken Princess and Holland. Both lines are great. Holland alittle more upscale.

I like to wear what I want (jeans) and eat when I want. That is why I prefer Norwegian & Princess. Everything from A to Z was great.

Been on 23 cruise/cruisetours to Alaska.

Answer 3

In these days cruises to Alaska are among the most popular cruise vacations available.

You can check the following links to get more info about your question.

Answer 4

I have been to Alaska on  a cruise and did take the cruise tour which included the train ride from Anchorage, Alaska to Fairbanks, Alaska.   First with respect to your question about cabins.  There are some who will tell you to just get an inside cabin because you will not be in the cabin that much.  Well that is true if you can imagine this.  You have a room with no windows or other access to outside light, only the lamp and ceiling light, and maybe a chair to sit in.  You are in a room that is about 9 feet by 12 feet with no connection to the outside world. Certainly you will not spend much time there.  You will go find a place to sit in a lounge or cafe to watch the scenery go by or read.   Ask yourself, would you stay in a hotel room for a week that had no windows.??

BUT, if you have a balcony cabin, or even an outside cabin with a window it will be entirely different.  Many outside cabins have a picture window that is about 3 ft by 4 feet so you can see quite a bit; some do just have a porthole that is about 12 inches round.  But you can with the picture window relax in your cabin, not put on clothes for example, and still see what you are sailing past.  I personally will not cruise without a balcony cabin because I have come to learn that the balcony greatly enhances your cruise experience.  On the Alaska cruise for example I spend many hours sitting on the balcony watching the scenery in the inside passage go by and also when in ports.  The balcony gives you your private space to pretty much use any way you want.  And as the expression goes, you will expand yourself to enjoy all of your space.  With the balcony the wall is glass floor to ceiling so you can actually lay in bed if you want and see the scenery go by.  

Three cruise lines do the cruise tours that use the train for the land tour, Princess, Holland America and Royal Caribbean.  All three are good cruise lines.  We did out cruise tour on Princess about 5 years ago and when we got off the ship in Seward we took a bus up to Anchorage and spent the night after a tour of the Alaska Native American Heritage Center; its kinda like an outdoor museum.  Then the next morning we boarded the train.  Princess and Royal Caribbean have a couple of special domed coaches attached to the train for their land tour guests.  Once you board the train there are several options for additional stops and tours.  Some people got off at Telkeetna and spend a day or so, we got off at Denali National Park and spend the night there.  Others did not get off the train but went straight to Fairbanks.   Getting off at Denali is your best option for seeing wildlife.  We saw, eagle, moose, caribou, wolf, but no bear.  If you want to see bears you need to spend at least two nights at Denali and arrange to ride the National Park Service buses deep into the part.  When you stay at Denali one night there is not enough time to do the NPS bus tour because of the time of day that the train arrives and leaves from there.

The scenery from the train was fabulous and they served meals which were included in the price that were comparable with the food on the ship.  The train ride is worth the price.

If you want to do the cruise tour you can actually do the land tour part first by train and then do the cruise back to Seattle or Vancouver.  If you really want to spend some time in Denali, fly to Fairbanks a couple days early and arrange to drive down to Denali, its about an hour or so south of Fairbanks, and do your own touring in the park.  Then catch the train and do not even stop at Denali, just go straight to Anchorage, stay a night and then got to the ship.

Answer 5

The type of cabin you get is actually just a personal preferance.  If you are travelling on a budget then opt for the interior cabin.  If you have a little more to spend or maybe have never experienced sailing, then take an oceanview if you can.  The most popular cabin for Alaska sailings is the Balcony (esp if you are sailing Princess b/c they offer specialty balcony dining at a nominal fee).  On Carnival, I know that the Oceanview staterooms are actually the most spacious(besides suites).  They are 220 sf.  and interior are 185.  Balcony rooms are 185 sf and including the outside balcony they are 220. However, deck numbers usually do not matter.  I have also heard people say they absolutely would not travel without a balcony & others say they are unneccesary and windy.  It is your personal preferce.  I have stayed in both OV & IN and enjoyed them both.  Oceanview is my favorite b/c it is more spacious and you get the sunlight in the morning.

With all the events going on onboard, you really are not in your stateroom much (this is something else you may factor into selecting your cabin).  I am only in my room to dress, sleep, and the occassional breakfast in bed.  

I have sailed Carnival and their beds are to die for.  Very Comfortable & plush!

The land tour excursions are nice (I have some friends that went on them).  They said that seeing Denali was nice but they would have rather rented a car and drove themselves because it was really too long.  Again, much is a personal preferance.  Most of the beauty of Alaska you can see from the boat (such as the glaciers, whales, water, etc)and ports off call.    Have a wonderful time and i hope this information helped.  Here are some sights for cruise lines that offer Alaskan cruises and cruise tours.

http://www.carnival.com

http://www.hollandamerica.com

http://www.royalcaribbean.com

http://www.princess.com

http://www.celebrity.com

http://www.ncl.com

Answer 6

unlike other users, i'll actually answer your questions

I have always stayed in outside cabins and i'm glad of it. especially in Alaska, the views and scenery are absolutely amazing. sometimes whales and other wildlife can be seen from the ship and it's nice not to have to run all the way outside to see.

You really don't spend that much time in the cabins. there is so much going on on the ship that you really just use the cabin to sleep. I didn't even use my cabin to relax when reading a book or anything. I'd find a nice spot somewhere else on the ship.

The beds are very nice. i mean, they're not tempur pedic matresses or anything but they are very comfortable.

If you mean extra $ as in getting an outside room, then yes. definitely. once again, the view is breathtaking in Alaska and especially if you get a balcony stateroom, it can be really nice to hang out out there on warmer days.

I'm not sure what train trip you are talking about, but if you mean a shore excursion, the train excursions were lovely. The cruise i did through Norwegian Cruise Lines went to many alaskan areas and in two of them, my parents and i went on train tours. One of them went up in the mountains and was aaamazing. if you are afraid of heights, make sure your train tour doesn't conflict with that because many of them go around tight cliffs without guard rails. i like that kind of thing but many people dont.

happy cruising!

Answer 7

We did an Alaska cruise 3 years ago and are going again in 3 weeks time (I can't wait!!)  The first time we did a Rockies tour by coach prior to joining the cruise. This time we're doing the Rockies tour by coach and train.

We always book a balcony cabin and wouldn't entertain the idea of an inside cabin. I've seen lots of them and they are so dark because there is no natural light.

As for the amount of time you spend in your cabin, that varies from person to person. Sometimes its nice to get away from everyone and sit on your private balcony with a drink, watching the scenery. I love sitting out there last thing at night with a cup of tea enjoying the peacefulness.  When you are on top deck, you don't really tend to be sitting and looking out.

i think it's definitely worth the extra money for an outside cabin at the very least but if you can push it, go for a balcony.

Our last Alaska cruise was with Princess cruises and we're going with them again. We've also cruised with Carnival, Cunard and Ocean Village which I would recommend if they offer the itinerary you are looking for.