CJS2766 Posted May 21, 2020 Report Share Posted May 21, 2020 Hello all! I have always cruised the Caribbean (ie. East, West, South) Now, I am looking for something different. I am looking into a Alaska cruise for the near future. I have some questions though that I'm hoping you Alaska cruise veterans can answer for me: 1. I see that the Alaska cruises are only a few months during the year. What is the best month to cruise Alaska? 2. While these cruises tend to be during the Spring/Summer months, how cool/warm does it get? Just have no clue what to pack? Shorts/bathing suit or jackets/gloves and warmer clothing. 3. Is there a preferred ship to cruise Alaska? If so? Which one? 4. What are the must see/must do things in Alaska? (Excursions??) 5. Wife and I LOVE seafood. What is the best place/port for crab, seafood, etc... Those are just a few for right now. I'm sure I will have more though. Thanks all! Carlos CannukCruiser and CFL 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted May 21, 2020 Report Share Posted May 21, 2020 18 minutes ago, CJS2766 said: I see that the Alaska cruises are only a few months during the year. What is the best month to cruise Alaska? Check out this blog post for a month by month breakdown 18 minutes ago, CJS2766 said: While these cruises tend to be during the Spring/Summer months, how cool/warm does it get? Just have no clue what to pack? Shorts/bathing suit or jackets/gloves and warmer clothing. I think this What should I pack for a cruise to Alaska post should answer this sort of question 19 minutes ago, CJS2766 said: Is there a preferred ship to cruise Alaska? If so? Which one? Here is a post comparing the Royal Caribbean ships sailing in Alaska CannukCruiser, CFL, Ogilthorpe and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanelli56 Posted May 21, 2020 Report Share Posted May 21, 2020 1 hour ago, CJS2766 said: Hello all! I have always cruised the Caribbean (ie. East, West, South) Now, I am looking for something different. I am looking into a Alaska cruise for the near future. I have some questions though that I'm hoping you Alaska cruise veterans can answer for me: 1. I see that the Alaska cruises are only a few months during the year. What is the best month to cruise Alaska? 2. While these cruises tend to be during the Spring/Summer months, how cool/warm does it get? Just have no clue what to pack? Shorts/bathing suit or jackets/gloves and warmer clothing. 3. Is there a preferred ship to cruise Alaska? If so? Which one? 4. What are the must see/must do things in Alaska? (Excursions??) 5. Wife and I LOVE seafood. What is the best place/port for crab, seafood, etc... Those are just a few for right now. I'm sure I will have more though. Thanks all! Carlos We are in the same boat as you.. pun intended. Been to the Caribbean multiple times, and wanted a change. We are supposed to be on the Ovation of the Seas tomorrow 5/22 for our Alaska cruise... but alas; THE RONA's!!! This site was invaluable to our research over the past year leading up to what should of been our cruise. Personally, we like the newer more modern ships, hence our choice of the Ovation. With lots of help from this site and also youtube, we were going to rent a car at both ports of call, Juneau and Skagway. This would allow us see and do a couple of the main attractions (Glacier, salmon bake, Klondike Hwy, breweries, etc.) on our own time and allow us to explore some more on our own. From everything I have heard and read... asking when is the best time and what is the best ship is like asking, would you like a free $100 bill, or 2 x $50 bills? There is no wrong answer and you will have a great time either way. But I completely understand where you are coming from.... I obsessed over finding the best way to maximize our first time there. We ended up shifting our cruise to next year... so now I have a whole new year to review and obsess again. If I remember correctly... I think @twangster has done some fairly recent trip reports on here. (great reads, highly recommend) Good luck on your research Ogilthorpe, CFL, CJS2766 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 21, 2020 Report Share Posted May 21, 2020 You won't regret cruising to Alaska. If you are like me you'll only ask yourself why you didn't go sooner. Here are my Alaska trip reports: Explorer - https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/6634-explorer-alaska-62218-7-nights-rclblog-group-cruise/ Radiance - https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/9160-not-so-live-blog-radiance-of-the-seas-alaska-southbound-83118/ Ovation - https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/12630-ovation-goes-north-way-north-to-alaska-11-nights-may-13-2019/ Celebrity Millennium - https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5211-alaska-recap-celebrity-millennium-june-2017/ On this day one year ago today I was on Ovation visiting Dawes Glacier. As far as time of year, for me that is influenced by cost. I have flexibility so I like to sail during the shoulder season May and September which are off peak (kids are in school). You do see different things at different times. Salmon run in mid to late August so if you want to see pink Salmon in the rivers that's your time. The longest day of the year is June 21 so to get long days of sunlight you'll want to look earlier in the Alaska cruise season. I did a comparison of daylight hours in this post: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/9160-not-so-live-blog-radiance-of-the-seas-alaska-southbound-83118/&do=findComment&comment=83956 For me since I like to take pictures I gravitate to May cruises which offer long days and cheaper rates, the best of both worlds for my needs. As you look through my pictures note what other guests are wearing. That will give some ideas what you need to bring. The other consideration is balcony or not. All things being equal balconies are great but they often carry a premium in Alaska. I've sailed twice in interior cabins and still had a great experience simply by not staying in my cabin often. I've saved thousands by doing so which I put into awesome excursions. Alaska excursions are expensive but can provide over the top experiences so plan a healthy excursion budget if you can afford it. CFL, Ogilthorpe, billdauterive and 4 others 5 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJS2766 Posted May 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2020 10 hours ago, Matt said: Check out this blog post for a month by month breakdown I think this What should I pack for a cruise to Alaska post should answer this sort of question Here is a post comparing the Royal Caribbean ships sailing in Alaska Thank you @Matt Exactly what I was looking for! You're the best Ogilthorpe and Matt 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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