FManke Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 Looking at possible Alaskan cruises for 2021. Does northbound or southbound make a difference except the starting and ending points? If so, why? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F1guynz Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 We did north bound a few years ago and enjoyed it. We spent a couple of weeks in Alaska after the cruise and headed up to Coldfoot for a bus tour as well as Denali National Park. The advantage I see going south bound is you would end up in Vancouver. We really loved Vancouver and would love to spend some more time there. Big Tule 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mworkman Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 The Advantage of doing the southbound, is that you can spend more time in Alaska if you so choose too. Then rest on the ship. Baked Alaska and Big Tule 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baked Alaska Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 We did the southbound this past July. We spent 4 days in Anchorage fly-fishing with Rusts and enjoying the area. Then we took the Alaska Railroad Goldstar Service to Seward and boarded Radiance OS. We will be doing the same thing July 2021, except that we will reserve an Airbnb in Anchorage. As @mworkman noted, yes, if you do it right in Anchorage, you'll appreciate the rest on the ship. The cruise is VERY port intensive, so the first two days are good to rest up for the next part of your trip. It's a TRUE ADVENTURE!! At the end of the cruise, we hope to find the MLS teams Seattle Sounders or Vancouver Whitecaps playing at home the weekend of debarkation. If the Seattle team is in town, then will take the Amtrak Cascade service to Seattle to catch that game and fly out of Seattle, otherwise stay in Vancouver for a bit and fly out from YVR. Big Tule 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FManke Posted September 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 What if I plan on just flying in the day before? Is there any actually difference in the cruise besides direction? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baked Alaska Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 1 minute ago, FManke said: What if I plan on just flying in the day before? Is there any actually difference in the cruise besides direction? Customs and immigration in Vancouver. . . that's about it, I think. Research where the better process is. I will say that embarkation in Seward was seamless. We were in suites, so our concierge Ricardo walked us off in Vancouver, so I can't comment on the usual Vancouver/Canada Place debark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 5 minutes ago, FManke said: What if I plan on just flying in the day before? Is there any actually difference in the cruise besides direction? I haven't paid attention to the direction of the cruise but I've seen that Glacier Bay is not in all itineraries. For those who have done the Northbound, is it easy to "fly" out of Seward? I know you have to go to Anchorage to fly out from there. How was it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 I would just book it in whichever direction has the best flight/transportation prices or timing if not extending the trip on either side. Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FManke Posted September 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 If the cruise is the same both ways, then it would come down to transportation and travel conveniences. Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baked Alaska Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 5 minutes ago, PG Cruiser said: I haven't paid attention to the direction of the cruise but I've seen that Glacier Bay is not in all itineraries. For those who have done the Northbound, is it easy to "fly" out of Seward? I know you have to go to Anchorage to fly out from there. How was it? You could take the train, a bus, or a rental car to ANC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FManke Posted September 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 20 minutes ago, Baked Alaska said: You could take the train, a bus, or a rental car to ANC. Not liking that 2.5 hr drive to Anchorage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitsmom Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 We did the Northbound and did Royals 3-day inland tour then flew home from Anchorage. We would totally do it again as there is just so much more to see and do. Also, we have AT&T and had actual AT&T cell service the entire time. We were shocked about that. As a matter of fact, we had better reception there than at our own house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baked Alaska Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 41 minutes ago, FManke said: Not liking that 2.5 hr drive to Anchorage. SWD to ANC: https://www.linearair.com https://www.flyravn.com https://www.alaskaair.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 2 hours ago, FManke said: Not liking that 2.5 hr drive to Anchorage. Take the train service. Completely worth it. This is where it is much easier to leave from Seward..fly into Anchorage the evening before the cruise and take the early train service from Anchorage to Seward. The train is an excursion in itself -- goes along coastline and glaciers and we saw some wildlife. We took the 7-730am train, whichever was the first one that departed from Anchorage. They had a truck for cruise luggage so you dropped it and they took it to the ship for you. There is a shuttle bus from the train to the port once you get to Seward. You will also get into Seward with plenty of time before sailaway to spend some time exploring Seward. There's a little city shuttle bus that goes around. Big Tule and Baked Alaska 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brobbins246 Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 Another thing to consider is balcony availability and price on the land side for either cruise, if that's important to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flacruiser99 Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 Southbound, do all touring first then relax on the ship. wstephensi and Baked Alaska 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 18 minutes ago, Flacruiser99 said: Southbound, do all touring first then relax on the ship. That’s what I’m planning to do. I’m also thinking it would be less stressful to fly out from Vancouver to Florida. Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baked Alaska Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 57 minutes ago, PG Cruiser said: That’s what I’m planning to do. I’m also thinking it would be less stressful to fly out from Vancouver to Florida. We had zero problems flying out of Vancouver to DFW to SGF. Agree, take the train in the morning, southbound, TOTALLY WORTH IT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 I really like taking the train from Anchorage to Seward. When you go Southbound you can catch the early morning train and be in Seward by noon. Check in and grab lunch on the ship then explore Seward. When you go North the train ride is late afternoon or early evening from Seward to Anchorage. I find that train ride at the beginning of the cruise sets the tone for the cruise and is an awesome way to start the adventure. The cruise just builds on top of that fantastic start. Going North the train is after the cruise and does not have the same wow factor. Bob_KY, BD1157, Baked Alaska and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted September 27, 2019 Report Share Posted September 27, 2019 I've never cruised out of Alaska, but I have driven from Anchorage to Seward and back a couple times. It's a beautiful ride if you have the time. A southbound cruise is on our bucket list for when we retire...we want to fly in to Anchorage and enjoy the trip to Seward. Like Twangster said, the ride down can really kick the vacation off right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted September 27, 2019 Report Share Posted September 27, 2019 Are there good, reasonably priced hotels in Seward? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 27, 2019 Report Share Posted September 27, 2019 1 hour ago, PG Cruiser said: Are there good, reasonably priced hotels in Seward? There seems to be quite a few available right now at reasonable prices..but it's also late September and not tourist season up there. I was seeing prices between $70-$150 a night for this weekend but if you search for June 2020 the prices jump to $120-$200+ a night..lots of bed and breakfast in there. My quick search only finds a single Best Western as far as chain hotels go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted September 27, 2019 Report Share Posted September 27, 2019 What would be a good plan for a self-guided tour of Seward? I've read about a free shuttle to the cruise terminal. Has anybody tried that? How was it? If I arrive in Seward days before the cruise, I would not be able to use the luggage check-in from Anchorage. I will have to have my luggage with me until embarkation day. Any potential problems with that? How many days would be needed to explore Seward just for its main attractions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted September 27, 2019 Report Share Posted September 27, 2019 This May 22nd sailing on Radiance has both Hubbard and Glacier Bay in its itinerary... looks exciting. How's Alaskan cruising in May? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 27, 2019 Report Share Posted September 27, 2019 2 hours ago, PG Cruiser said: What would be a good plan for a self-guided tour of Seward? I've read about a free shuttle to the cruise terminal. Has anybody tried that? How was it? If I arrive in Seward days before the cruise, I would not be able to use the luggage check-in from Anchorage. I will have to have my luggage with me until embarkation day. Any potential problems with that? How many days would be needed to explore Seward just for its main attractions? We actually got in off the train and were able to get on the ship then got off again and took the shuttle go to explore Seward. It went around to several stops. There's a street that had some restaurants and bars and shopping, but it's a very quaint little town. A lot of the activities would be water based. They did have a fjord cruise you could take from Seward that looked interesting but we ended up going to the Alaska Sealife Center for a couple of hours and then went back to the ship. I'd imagine that you could spend a few days there and really explore, but we had come from the cruisetour and Denali and were ready to relax by that point. We went end of May and had great weather and no fog issues. But you never know with Alaska! It never really got dark during that time of year. Even 3am was still dusk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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