Departure city for Alaska cruise

[chrismelissa]

What is the best depature city for alaska cruise, is Seattle or Vancouver, 

[SpeedNoodles]

It depends on what kind of cruise you want to do (closed loop that leaves/returns to the same port) and even possibly what ports you wish to visit.  Also, which departure city you'd like to visit, if you like to do that.  Seattle tends to be cheaper for Americans (at least to fly into), but Vancouver is a great city with fantastic food and things to do.  I don't think one is any better than the other, they are just different.  

[Traveling Mike]

I know I am going to make some people mad, but I cruised out of Seattle this summer and after talking to locals did not tour the city.  The crime and drug use has made the city not a good place to be a tourist.  I did not see that personally, but I talked to a few people from their including the night desk person at the hotel I was staying at and all told me the same thing.  Now with that said... if you are just flying in and getting on the ship Seattle was great.  The airport is a long way from the port, but they had great transportation options.  After the cruise they have the option to take your bags from the ship the night before getting off and you do not have to see them again until you are at your home airport.  Now with that said... my next Alaska cruise will be out of Vancouver.

[steverk]

I've done 2 northbound alaska sailings out of Vancouver and one round trip Seattle.  I enjoyed all of them but recommend the one way, which means Vancouver. 

Royal's northern most port is Seward, which is too often overlooked.  Plan to spend at least a day there and enjoy the national park and quaint town.

[WAYNO]

I live out here.  Yes, Seattle is a town that we avoid like the plague, but logistically it's easier for an American to cruise from Seattle than from B.C.  I go straight to the pier without spending any time in Seattle itself, and everything works okay.  I reverse the process when I get off the ship, as fast as I can to the next mode of transportation and get out of Dodge.

[CruiseMom82]

We did a round-trip out of Vancouver in late May of this year, and ended up with an extra day in Vancouver because of flight changes. We had a fantastic time biking around and visiting some restaurants. We also saw the steam clock and did a bit of high-end shopping. After this we apparently wandered into the rundown, homeless camp side of town, then we decided we were done sightseeing in Vancouver and went back to our hotel. We stayed very near the port and had no trouble getting there with our luggage on foot. The procedures for boarding the ship were really messed up though, I believe because they were trying to offload a bunch of people with Covid from the previous cruise. I know people were getting sick on the cruises at that time but we managed to avoid it. We chose Vancouver because my husband refused to go to Seattle, even though that would’ve been easier for us to document wise. I think the route you take going up the coast is a bit different when you leave from Vancouver as well, and I wanted a smaller ship which ruled out some of the cruises from Seattle. On the whole, it was a good experience.

[twangster]

Vancouver is better when sailing small ships, Seattle is better for large ships.  

[foxrunner]

Is this your 1st time going to Alaska? If so and you think you'd like to go back, I'd go with the convenience of Seattle. Bye the way you will want to go back! 2nd cruise one way out of Alaska with a land tour. Start saving now as it isn't cheap. 

[Temeculaguy]

We did the open jaw on radiance this last summer, starting in Seward, ending in Vancouver and loved it. We had 3 days before the cruise in Alaska and 4 in Vancouver and it seemed just right. Anchorage mid summer is neat just because the sun hardly goes down, took the train the morning before to Seward and stayed the night, liked that town too. We loved Vancouver with one small exception of one street (Hastings street) which is trying to impersonate Seattle. We made the mistake of walking from Gas town back to our hotel near Robson and my wife made me throw away my shoes once we arrived. But other than that, amazing city, glad we did the open jaw. Radiance is an older and smaller ship but I liked it for Alaska, but we traveled as a group of middle aged couples and it doesn't have things I'd want had we brought grand kids and it's specialty dining is limited but I was full from halibut as it was in season and we had lots of port days and we came back on board so full from freshly caught fish we weren't hungry anyways. Very different cruise, not pool centric, we were the only men in tuxes on formal night, it's more of an expedition but it sure is wonderful.

[CynBeth]

When we went on our Alaskan cruise a number of years ago it was one way from Vancouver and flew in the day before.  We went through the inside passage and ended in Sewer where we began the 3 day land tour in Denali and Fairbanks before flying home.

[Zacharius]

On 12/11/2022 at 2:29 PM, Traveling Mike said:

I know I am going to make some people mad, but I cruised out of Seattle this summer and after talking to locals did not tour the city.  The crime and drug use has made the city not a good place to be a tourist.  I did not see that personally, but I talked to a few people from their including the night desk person at the hotel I was staying at and all told me the same thing.  Now with that said... if you are just flying in and getting on the ship Seattle was great.

Seattle is tricky these days. I am a regular visitor since I work in the aerospace industry. Downtown/City Center isn't as enjoyable as it was even just a few years ago, for sure. But I still like to stay down there sometimes, as recently as a few weeks ago. There are places to avoid, especially at night, and places where you should keep your head on a swivel. On top of that, I fully admit that I am an adventurous traveler by nature and have no problem visiting places most tourists would avoid. BUT, I still don't worry too much in most of downtown Seattle, and will be staying downtown again on my next trip in mid-January. 

[AandD]

On 12/12/2022 at 5:48 AM, foxrunner said:

Is this your 1st time going to Alaska? If so and you think you'd like to go back, I'd go with the convenience of Seattle. Bye the way you will want to go back! 2nd cruise one way out of Alaska with a land tour. Start saving now as it isn't cheap. 

Thats us. We did a cheap one right after restart out of Seattle. Didn't have to mess around going to Canada. Seattle transportation is easy with uber. The one week inside passage gave us a good taste for Alaska.  Now saving for one way with land tour. 

[Buzzard]

Completely agree with other posters regarding ship class / size / features influencing which city to choose if that is important to anyone.   That said, I think one aspect which to me seems overlooked is the Canadian portion of the inside passage.  Ships sailing from Vancouver get to see this part, while sailings out of Seattle skip it and sail up the western edge of Vancouver Island in the open ocean. 

Maybe it was the fantastic, warm, sunny weather on my sailing in late June (Serenade) but I think the scenery on this part of the sailing was spectacular.  I enjoyed the views just as much there as anywhere in Alaska, aside from Hubbard.    

[12thman]

Living here I've noticed that a few years ago the Seattle city council decided that instead of funding the Seattle police department it would be better to cut the number of police officers by about half, yes that's not an exaggeration. Instead they wanted to use those funds that paid for the police officers to be used in other community outreach programs. Well if you were a police officer and saw the writing on the wall what would you do? That's right they started leaving for other police departments. Now the crime rate is worse than before. Unless you're literally under harms way the police will not respond immediately. If you have been robbed at gun point but the robber has left then you'll be waiting a while to talk to an officer. Now the local voter's who put the people in power have gotten fed up and this cycle it seems the city council has realized it's mistake and is trying to recruit officers with bonuses and trying to retain them. They are still leaving in large numbers. Hopefully it'll get better. According to the downtown association more people are coming back to visit. 

My preference is Seattle but none of the Royal or Celebrity ships stop in Hubbard glacier so we'll be going to B.C.

If you do come here just use common sense don't be flashy or dress like they do in NYC. Dress is low key comfortable. At this posting I'd stay away from Capitol hill, be cautious in the SOD area that's by the stadium and China town. 

The city is making an effort to clear the homeless and clean the streets. 

Hopefully the port authorities will resurrect the plans for a new cruise terminal it scrapped when Covid-19 hit.

Here's a copy:

In April 2020, the Port of Seattle suspended its planning for a new cruise terminal to serve the Alaska market, citing a need to better understand the short and long-term cruise industry market impacts from COVID-19 before continuing its project investment in additional cruise facilities. As a result of this current analysis, the Port will cancel its request for industry proposals for a joint investment to build and operate a proposed new cruise terminal at the preferred location of Terminal 46. …

Cruise has become an integral leading business line for the Port of Seattle and an important part of the region’s maritime and regional economies. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Port of Seattle was forecasting a record year for 2020 with 233 cruise vessels scheduled to sail from Seattle. With an estimated 1.3 million revenue passengers expected to travel to and from our terminals this season, cruise supports 5,500 jobs, and provides nearly $900 million in economic activity for the region. …

Prior analysis of the cruise market and cruise ship deployment supported the need for a fourth berth to meet the demand for Port of Seattle cruise services. A cruise terminal requires a deep-water berth, a building to process passengers, a ground transportation area, long-term parking for cruise passengers, associated utilities, and connection to the local transportation system.

The Port of Seattle and Northwest Seaport Alliance will continue with prior projects to make Terminal 46 more sustainable and durable for long-term general maritime use, including installing stormwater treatment infrastructure and rehabilitating the dock. Vessel berthing and maritime support will continue on the terminal. The Port will prepare a recommendation for the Cruise Terminal Project when there is greater certainty about demand for Port of Seattle cruise services

[Nathan adams]

Seattle 

[Cub]

We did a southbound out of Seward ending in Vancouver.  We arrived early in Anchorage and had time to sightsee and dine, then the train to Seward.  An outstanding trip that I would do again.  Then arrived in Vancouver stayed near the port so an easy walk with luggage and then a couple of days sightseeing and eating.  I would go to Vancouver again just to sightsee the area more.  We didn't have time to go into the nearby mountains.

[Peter D]

We did the Vancouver to Seward in May2022 on Radiance and it was great.  We spent 3 days in Seward and did a fishing trip and fjords cruise.  Both were very fun.  We then took the scenic train from Seward to Anchorage.  That was also a very fun experience.   I would do the same exact trip again in a heart beat. 

[NancyP]

On 12/15/2022 at 7:24 PM, Peter D said:

We did the Vancouver to Seward in May2022 on Radiance and it was great.  We spent 3 days in Seward and did a fishing trip and fjords cruise.  Both were very fun.  We then took the scenic train from Seward to Anchorage.  That was also a very fun experience.   I would do the same exact trip again in a heart beat. 

Hi @Peter DPeter, did you plan your extra time in Seward on your own or was it part of a Rccl land and sea package? We are trying to plan a trip just like this but I haven’t found a package that stays in Seward so wasn’t sure how to go about it. How was May weather and fishing? Thanks for any info! 

[Va4fam]

On 12/11/2022 at 8:56 PM, steverk said:

I've done 2 northbound alaska sailings out of Vancouver and one round trip Seattle.  I enjoyed all of them but recommend the one way, which means Vancouver. 

Royal's northern most port is Seward, which is too often overlooked.  Plan to spend at least a day there and enjoy the national park and quaint town.

What are your recommendations if we have one day in Seward or Anchorage area?   We plan to fly into Anchorage on a Friday night but the ship doesn't depart until Saturday at 7:30 pm or 8.   

[steverk]

1 hour ago, Va4fam said:

What are your recommendations if we have one day in Seward or Anchorage area?   We plan to fly into Anchorage on a Friday night but the ship doesn't depart until Saturday at 7:30 pm or 8.   

I'd spend the night in Anchorage and take the alaska railroad gold star service in the morning.  It arrives early in the morning so you can take the boat tour of resurrection Bay. If you can afford the time, I'd schedule it to have an additional night in Seward

[DoomSlayer]

Both places are fun.  I lived in Seattle and still visit my parents all the time.  Vancouver is also a great place too and only a short drive from Seattle.  If you have the option in the future, do both.  I don't agree with some of the people warning about Seattle being dangerous, it is no more dangerous than Vancouver, and both, in my opinion, are relatively safe compared to other big cities such as LA or NYC.

Things that lesser known and would be fun if you had a day or two before the cruise to explore are:

Seattle:

• Seattle Underground tour near Pioneer Square -- Gives history of Seattle and you learn how toilets changed the city 
• Balard Locks -- There is the bar there that they filmed the after season shows for deadliest catch
• The Freemont District -- Lots of small boutique shops, coffee shops, and restaurants in a cool neighborhood area
• Mike's Chili Parlor -- Hole in the wall chili joint, really good - but just don't order the grilled cheese
• Kirk Cobain's house on Lake Washinton -- If you are my age and a Nirvana fan, it was a bucket list attraction my wife wanted to see

Vancouver:

• Gas Town -- Lots of nightlife and restaratunts
• Stanley Park / Vancouver Aquarium -- Neat park and aquarium, I really like the beluga whales and penguins they have outside.  Also, the park is really cool during XMAS as they have a huge light display and festivities in the park (But probably no Alaska cruises near XMAS).
• China Town -- Vancouver has a huge Asian culture.  This China Town rivals San Francisco's China town in my opinion.
• Go see a Canucks game -- Hockey is more fun in Canada, LOL

[Peter D]

22 hours ago, NancyP said:

Hi @Peter DPeter, did you plan your extra time in Seward on your own or was it part of a Rccl land and sea package? We are trying to plan a trip just like this but I haven’t found a package that stays in Seward so wasn’t sure how to go about it. How was May weather and fishing? Thanks for any info! 

@NancyP  We planned the extra time ourselves and it was pretty easy to do.

We stayed two nights at Harborview Inn at Seward AK, because it was reasonably priced and  pretty central to everything in Seward and it happens to be on one of the free bus stops for https://sewardcitytours.com/free-shuttle/.    This Inn (and others I am sure) will pick you and your luggage up at the cruise port.  I thought it was a pretty good place to stay and would definitely stay there again, but there are many other options right in that area.

We took our fjord cruise on debarkation day (Friday) through 'Kenai Fjord Tours'.     https://www.alaskacollection.com/day-tours/kenai-fjords-tours/  We did the full day guided tour with dinner at Fox Island.  I loved the tour.  We saw just about every type of sea life you could hope for including orca, whale, porpoise etc as well as an up close look at Aialik Glacier.  We were back in time to watch the Radiance of Seas set sail for southbound cruise.  The weather for this tour was extremes.  On open water it was freezing cold due to the winds and we were bundled tight, but in the coves and on Fox Island where the wind was less, it was much more moderate.  There was plenty of indoor seating/viewing, but I stayed outside most of the time.

On Saturday, we did a full day halibut fishing excursion through Anchor Down Sportfishing and it was really fun.  We found them fishing through https://fishingbooker.com/.   We were on a boat with 8-10 other passengers and everyone caught fish.  You need a single day fishing license which is easy to get through alaska.org website.   The fishing trip was not cheap, but it was still worth the experience to me.  We had the fish cleaned and packed at the pier and arranged for shipping back home, which was very expensive.  If I were to do it again, I would have tried to bring the fish home in insulated coolers on ice as checked luggage which was a very common sight.  The weather for this tour was much milder than fjord tour.  Bright sunny day with no rain.  We were dressed in layers, but at one point I was just wearing a T-shirt.

On Sunday, we checked out of Harborview Inn and they allowed us to store our luggage for the day in the office.  We walked the scenic path along the harbor all the way to 'downtown' Seward.  We went to the Alaska Sealife Center.  The Alaska Sealife Center is a small aquarium, but it is a decent place to go if you are staying there.  You could easily go there off the ship as well on your own, again, using the free bus.

On Sunday afternoon, we stopped back at Harborview to pick up our luggage, and hopped on bus to the train depot for our 6pm departure.  We took the Goldstar Service on  https://www.alaskarailroad.com/.  Overall, I liked it quite a bit.  pros: outside viewing platform (I stayed outside the entire trip)   Con: food in dining car.   The dining experience was awful.  Half menu was 'unavailable, food was cold, and service was sub-par.   I suspect (hope) it was just because we were one of (if not the first) trip of the very early in season.  That said, if I were to take the train again, I would still do Goldstar, because I loved the outdoor viewing platform that much and would give the dining the benefit of the doubt.

We arrived in Anchorage at about 10 pm and from there we took a waiting taxi to our hotel.  We stayed at Comfort Suites Anchorage International Airport.  It was fine and I would stay there again, but I am sure there are other (better?) options.  On Monday, we checked out and hotel had luggage storage which we used while we went around Anchorage.  We were only in Anchorage for a partial day so we took an Uber to the zoo which was just ok and took free zoo shuttle back to downtown Anchorage and walked around a bit and had dinner before taking Uber back to hotel to get luggage and shuttle to airport.  If I were to do it over again, I would have tried to plan a longer stay in Anchorage area.

Regarding the weather.  Locals told us the weather we were experiencing in May was unusually warm and dry.  We had way more sunny, mild days than rainy cold ones.  You still would want to plan for both.  I would not hesitate going again in May if the opportunity arose.

Final notes regarding booking this myself.  With Covid rules still in place for travel (especially to Canada) at that time, there was certain risks with booking on my own.  The railroad is non refundable within 35 days of travel.  I tried as best I could to cover the risks with travel insurance.

I hope this info helps!

[NancyP]

Wow thanks! Just saw your reply now, much appreciated!!  Can’t wait to read through this.  We are “hearty Minnesotans” (ha) and were on the Radiance in Vancouver for her repositioning in Oct, unseasonably warm this year but still quite cold on the open water for a whale watching trip we did before the cruise.  So I agree, pack for anything.  Thanks again @Peter D!

[Maggie M]

We did in/out of Seattle as that was cheaper for our flights but Vancouver was one of our stops so we got to enjoy both destinations. I've spent land vacations in Vancouver before sailing there - it's a wonderful city and I highly recommend trying to check it out!