dznyacct Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 We are planning on booking Alaska for summer 2017. We are planning on a balcony. My previous cruises have all been Caribbean, and port or starboard really didn't matter. Do any past Alaska cruisers have any advice on which side is "best" for Alaska? Thanks :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRC Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Are you sailing a round trip on a one direction? Our Alaska sailing on Radiance was the southbound trip, starting in Seward and ending in Vancouver (she does she oposite the following week). We chose port side. I did this as it would be primarily toward land, but in reality it only made a difference the first morning while we finished crossing the Gulf of Alaska headed to Hubbard Glacier (we saw the mountains in the distance instead of open ocean). After that, there were wonderful sights all around and it really didn't matter. While which side of the ship faces the pier/town can and will vary from week to week, in our instance we viewed the water/inlet in Skagway, the town in Juneau, the town in Hoonah/Icy Strait, and town in Ketchikan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dznyacct Posted January 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 We are looking at round trip from Seattle. So, you don't think it really matters which side? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 It really doesn't matter much on a round trip journey, what's on the port side going will be on the starboard side coming back. Also, during the glacier viewing, the captain turns the ship so you'll be able to view the glacier from whichever side your balcony is on. DaveWithHat 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRC Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Agreed. Plenty to see in all directions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirby Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Depends on which direction boat is traveling. If southbound, then I'd prefer port (left) side and if northbound, then starboard (right) side. Regardless, think you'd want to be on the side facing land. Honestly, on my Alaskan cruise, didn't spend much time in room, but when did was nice to see land and the landscape vs. just open water. Even when walking around ship or dining, tended to always be on the "land" side of the ship. And, like prior poster mentioned, when visit Hubbard Glacier, the ship turns around so you will see from all angles. Highly recommend making your way up to bow (front) of ship best you can too. We spent quite a bit of time on the helipad and it was great vantage point. RC had table set up there with hot cocoa (free) and some spirits ($ unless you had beverage plan), which was nice. They will bring some of the glacier on board, so be sure to seek that out when they do. Pretty cool to see it up close and touch it, especially for the kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.