Just booked an Alaskan Cruise

[vegas]

We have a week without our kids this year (sister is taking them) so I've been trying to plan somewhere for us to go. DH has always wanted to go on a cruise to Alaska but I've never agreed because I'm not big on cold weather, I've never been interested in cruising and overall I just prefer beach vacations.  Yesterday I saw a smoking deal on a Celebrity cruise to Alaska from Seattle so I just jumped on it.  The more research I do the more excited I get! 

Has anyone else cruised to or visited Alaska?  Any can't miss excursions or hot spots? 

Our ports are Seattle, Victoria BC,  Icy Straights, Tracy Arm, Skagway, Ketchikan and Juneau.  We like adventure and DH loves wildlife.  I think salmon fishing is definitely on our list.  We plan to book from reputable local companies as opposed to booking through the ship.

Yay!!  Now I can consume myself with vacation research instead of house hunting!

[Deleted]

I have never been but that sounds AMAZING!!!!!

Go vegas, I am so jealous. I always felt the same way you did (hey, if i'm vacationing shouldn't it be warm?) but the more I learn about Alaska, the more I want to visit. Cruise seems the right way to go (and I am NOT a cruiser by default) - yay for you!!! I hope you see a bear (from a safe distance

[vegas]

Thanks me too! We are going in August and I hear that's a great time for bear watching. Although after that safari post the other day I'll be sure to keep a safe distance.

[Deleted]

I'm jealous! That's on our list. Susie Derkins went a while ago so hopefully she'll come in.

[BAMFMrsB]

My parents went ~10 years ago and the LOVED it. 

[vegas]

I'll be sure to update. It definitely helps that we got such a good deal. Our cruise included an upgrade to their "concierge class" and includes alcohol, gratuities and a $150 room credit. Sadly, the alcohol is what sealed the deal for me!

[sh10]

What ship? We are looking to go in August too, but I can't figure out which cruise line I want to go on. A good deal would sway me to that cruise line, lol. You will have a great time, it looks so beautiful!

[aspentosh]

I've never been but two couples I am friends have been and loved it. I'll try and remember to ask for ideas.

Sounds awesome!

[ssmjlm]

Loved Alaska, loved it! Here's a brief re-cap I did about our trip www.wivesunscripted.com/2012/09/20/bucket-list-trip-alaskan-cruise-part-2-of-2/.

We didn't do many "adventure" excursions since my parents were with us, but honestly the ports were amazing. I know some people ran into a bear family near Mendenhall Glacier, no worries, no one was hurt. We missed the sighting though.

[vegas]

Jan 22, 2013 11:56:05 GMT -5 sh10 said:

What ship? We are looking to go in August too, but I can't figure out which cruise line I want to go on. A good deal would sway me to that cruise line, lol. You will have a great time, it looks so beautiful!

It's the Celebrity Solstice.  I've only been on one other cruise--a three day on Carnival 10+ years ago. 

[Norticprincess]

Icy Strait Point aka Hoonah. fISHES whale watching max 6/ people
www.visithoonah.com/fishes/



I think there are few more non cruise ship ones now. We used them in 2008.

Skagway, we rented a car and drove to Emerald Lake see siggy pic. Check out the Alaska board on CC

[vegas]

Jan 22, 2013 11:59:55 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

Loved Alaska, loved it! Here's a brief re-cap I did about our trip www.wivesunscripted.com/2012/09/20/bucket-list-trip-alaskan-cruise-part-2-of-2/.

We didn't do many "adventure" excursions since my parents were with us, but honestly the ports were amazing. I know some people ran into a bear family near Mendenhall Glacier, no worries, no one was hurt. We missed the sighting though.

This is great, thank you so much!

[Deleted]

Haven't been yet but we are doing an Alaskan cruise with Princess in May.

[Deleted]

Haven't done Alaska, but we did a Celebrity cruise for  our honeymoon, and it's still our favorite cruise experience. Sounds like a great time!

[Pom]

You will have a wonderful time! Congrats on the deal

[Susie]

Jan 22, 2013 11:38:56 GMT -5 vegas said:

We have a week without our kids this year (sister is taking them) so I've been trying to plan somewhere for us to go. DH has always wanted to go on a cruise to Alaska but I've never agreed because I'm not big on cold weather, I've never been interested in cruising and overall I just prefer beach vacations.  Yesterday I saw a smoking deal on a Celebrity cruise to Alaska from Seattle so I just jumped on it.  The more research I do the more excited I get! 

Has anyone else cruised to or visited Alaska?  Any can't miss excursions or hot spots? 

Our ports are Seattle, Victoria BC,  Icy Straights, Tracy Arm, Skagway, Ketchikan and Juneau.  We like adventure and DH loves wildlife.  I think salmon fishing is definitely on our list.  We plan to book from reputable local companies as opposed to booking through the ship.

Yay!!  Now I can consume myself with vacation research instead of house hunting!

If you're interested in fishing, I can recommend this vendor in Ketchikan:  www.aurorasportfishing.com/  We did a private chartered fishing trip and really enjoyed it.  The salmon weren't running at the time we were there, so we had him take us fishing for what we'd be more likely to catch.  Turned out to be halibut and red snapper.  They took care of getting our fishing licenses (quick & easy) when we got there, and they cleaned the fish and sent it to us on dry ice when we'd returned home.  The captain did a great job.

Tracy Arm is just a cruise-through, rather than a stop, but it is very pretty.  You can get some great photos.

In Skagway we did an excursion taking the White Pass/Yukon RR up, and mountain biking down.  The train ride might sound kind of lame, but it was pretty cool.  I enjoyed it.

In Juneau we took a helicopter up to Mendenhall Glacier to go ice climbing.  Awesome.  This was the vendor we used:  www.northstartrekking.com/ and were very pleased with our guide/the experience.

[qwerty]

I went on a Celebrity cruise to the Caribbean and loved it! The food was excellent. I've heard Alaska is amazing. I am actually trying to convince my husband to take an Alaskan cruise - Costco had a pretty good deal.

[Deleted]

We went 4 years ago w/ another couple. We went the beginning of September. We did ziplining at one stop. Rock climbing at another. A helicopter ride to a glacier w/ a hike on the glacier at a 3rd and then whale watching at our final stop. I would have to really stop and think to remember where we went. I think we did Skagway, Ketchikan and Juneau and then one other stop in Canada.

[vegas]

Jenny--here's the link and the text of the email.  We booked a balcony for $300 more and were upgraded to concierge class for free.

www.crucon.com/tz15.htm

From the Travelzoo Newsdesk
Alaska Cruises from Seattle w/Unlimited Drinks Now $999

By Jaclyn Noskowicz

SEATTLE--JANUARY 21, 2013 -- This morning the cost of oceanview cabins on seven-night Alaska cruises in spring on the Celebrity Solstice was reduced to $999 per person. This deal also includes unlimited drinks for two, $150 in on-board credit per cabin and prepaid gratuities -- a $976 total value.
This offer, which is only available for 15 oceanview cabins per sailing, breaks down to less than $150 per day for an Alaska vacation including all meals, cocktails and entertainment; no airfare required as it sails out of Seattle.
The deal is available for the May 17 sailing. Sailings on May 31 and Sept. 6 are $50 more per person. The Aug. 30 sailing is $100 more per person.
This offer is part of a larger sale that also includes spring Pacific Coast cruises on the same ship starting at $849 per person for an oceanview cabin. To book with CruCon Cruise Outlet, call 800-493-6609. Final price will include $149 in taxes per person. For more information and terms and conditions, click below.

[vegas]

Jan 22, 2013 12:15:26 GMT -5 Susie said:

Jan 22, 2013 11:38:56 GMT -5 vegas said:

We have a week without our kids this year (sister is taking them) so I've been trying to plan somewhere for us to go. DH has always wanted to go on a cruise to Alaska but I've never agreed because I'm not big on cold weather, I've never been interested in cruising and overall I just prefer beach vacations.  Yesterday I saw a smoking deal on a Celebrity cruise to Alaska from Seattle so I just jumped on it.  The more research I do the more excited I get! 

Has anyone else cruised to or visited Alaska?  Any can't miss excursions or hot spots? 

Our ports are Seattle, Victoria BC,  Icy Straights, Tracy Arm, Skagway, Ketchikan and Juneau.  We like adventure and DH loves wildlife.  I think salmon fishing is definitely on our list.  We plan to book from reputable local companies as opposed to booking through the ship.

Yay!!  Now I can consume myself with vacation research instead of house hunting!

If you're interested in fishing, I can recommend this vendor in Ketchikan:  www.aurorasportfishing.com/  We did a private chartered fishing trip and really enjoyed it.  The salmon weren't running at the time we were there, so we had him take us fishing for what we'd be more likely to catch.  Turned out to be halibut and red snapper.  They took care of getting our fishing licenses (quick & easy) when we got there, and they cleaned the fish and sent it to us on dry ice when we'd returned home.  The captain did a great job.

Tracy Arm is just a cruise-through, rather than a stop, but it is very pretty.  You can get some great photos.

In Skagway we did an excursion taking the White Pass/Yukon RR up, and mountain biking down.  The train ride might sound kind of lame, but it was pretty cool.  I enjoyed it.

In Juneau we took a helicopter up to Mendenhall Glacier to go ice climbing.  Awesome.  This was the vendor we used:  www.northstartrekking.com/ and were very pleased with our guide/the experience.

Ok this all sounds perfect.  Thank you so much!

[kateross]

Jealous! I hope to go next year, as our one big week-long trip for the year.

[Deleted]

My friend went gliding over the glaciers and the pictures are breathtaking! Tha tis a great deal, especially since it includes alcohol which can be $$. You will love Celebrity!! Is it possible to upgrade to Aquaclass for a small charge? With Aquaclass, you get access to the spa facilities and special dining room. Instead of the main dining room, it's kind of like a small nice restaurant you can go to whenever you want for dinner.

[vegas]

Missy--aquaclass was actually cheaper by $100 but we thought we'd get better use out of the Concierge Class amenities.

[abramos]

DH really wants to do this. Where did you get the information to book the cruise? We may do this in a few years....

[Deleted]

I thought AQ had all of the same amenities as concierge class plus spa and Blu restaurant access?

[steph96]

Sounds amazing!

[vegas]

Jan 22, 2013 13:40:58 GMT -5 @missy1 said:

I thought AQ had all of the same amenities as concierge class plus spa and Blu restaurant access?

That's weird, wonder why it was cheaper?  Maybe we'll look into it now.

[vegas]

Jan 22, 2013 13:39:49 GMT -5 abramos said:

DH really wants to do this. Where did you get the information to book the cruise? We may do this in a few years....

I posted above with the link to the company I used and the email I received from travelzoo.  We just needed a good deal to come along so when I saw this I knew it was a good opportunity.

[dcn]

We live in anchorage, August is a lovely time to visit! We haven't been to the SE where you are going, but have a wonderful time!!

[gtkim]

We went on the Sapphire Princess last year and absolutely loved it!

Here's what we did for excursions:

Ketchikan - ziplining!  Loved it.  Really enjoyed walking around the town afterwards.

Juneau - whale watching with Harv and Marv's.  Same price as the ship, but we were on a boat with 8 instead of with 100.  We got into the middle of a pod of Orcas and it was amazing.

Skagway - rented a car and drove up into the Yukon Territory.  Came back, and took a helicopter to a glacier where we went dogsledding.  It was awesome!

We were just amazed by Alaska.  Words cannot prepare you for how beautiful and majestic it is.  You are going to have a great trip.