Which Alaska cruise line is best for a group of young adults?

Question

Which Alaska cruise line is best for a group of young adults?

Answer 1

Probably Carnival or Royal Caribbean are best for a young crowd, they're livelier and have more activities than most of the other cruise lines. Holland America has far older passengers & is much quieter. Celebrity & Princess are kind of a mix. The sight-seeing tours on all the main cruise lines are pretty much identical. The weather in May & September tends to be a bit rougher so you might want to avoid those months if you get seasick easily. If you haven't been to Vancouver you should pick a ship that starts and finishes there, it's a great port to hang out for a few days. Check the port times on each ship as well, since some of them leave earlier than others.

Answer 2

I suggest Princess, Royal Caribbean or Norwegian.  I have sailed with all three but did Princess to Alaska.  The Alaska cruise season will start next May, the lines do not go up that way in winter months.  So you have plenty of time to shop around and get your group together.  The prices on all three lines will be about the same.  The differences in price will be related to whether you want to do a cruise-tour.  

I do recomemnd the cruise tour if you have the money and time.  On the cruise tour you get off of the ship in Alaska (one of several ports depending on the cruise line) and then take a train all the way to Fairbanks Alaska.  You can elect to stay in Anchorage, Telkeetna, Denali and or Fairbanks overnight to sightsee more.  The train ride (we did that) is fabulous.

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 Skagway 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. Otherwise they would melt. 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.

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.  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 busses that go deep into the park. Regular tour busses , cars and campers can only go about 3 or 4 miles into the park. The Park Service runs busses about 17 miles into the park, but you must get to the visitor center very early to reserve a spot on one of their busses. The train stops going north and south do not get you to Denali in time or allow enough time for the deep back country busses

Alaska cruises and tours are mostly scenic and cultural.  The usual stops for the inside passage portion are Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and College Fjords.  The scenic parts are the animals, mountains, glaciers, fjords, and waterfalls.  The cultural parts are the Alaska Native, gold rush, fishing industry, and historical sites.

http://www.alaskanative.net/    

http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm  

http://www.travelalaska.com/  

http://www.alaska.com/

Answer 3

you dont need to look up all those websites. just go to http://www.travelingdestination.com