| Author | Message | ||
     Nevrenuf |
coming up on the silver anniversary and we want to do an alaska cruise. never taken a cruise except in the navy and there are to many choices. any recommendations. since you can't go until the first of may we have time to plan but the sooner the better. any help will be appreciated cause i'm stumped on this one. | ||
| Etennuly |
Congratulations on the silver!! When I lived there in Seffner we used to cruise to the Bahamas. The cruise lines are all related in one way or another, and I'm sure the folks at the cruise ship docks in Tampa can take care of your technical questions. I don't know if you will hit open ocean, they may require a passport and or your original birth certificate. If you don't have one it can take 6-8 weeks. Travel as light as you are comfortable with. Customs have to check much more than they used to, and some handlers are rough with your stuff. Rent the little safe in the cabin. NOTHING is secure on a ship where the cabin crew are in and out of your room every time you leave. Most ships have a safe deposit type box at the pursers office. Stand back from the toilets, they are vacuum operated and can startle you with the noise they make. Participate in activities, make new friends have lots of fun, and don't allow your wife into your game winnings, because it was "free" she will loose it all for you. | ||
| Djkaplan |
My dad and his second wife went on an Alaska cruise just recently and had a marvelous time. I'll ask them what cruise line they used. They way they talked about it, it was more of an 'adults' type thing... meaning older folks. Probably a good thing. | ||
| Nevrenuf |
thanks vern. how long ago did you live in seffner and outside of the beautiful scenery up there what took you away from the sunshine. that is one of possible places that i wouldn't mind living. and dan i would definitely appreciate any help with this one. hope to hear from you soon. | ||
| Tbolt_pilot |
My $.02..... Forget the cruise. Do Alaska on your own plan. On a cruise, like the Navy, you see everything from the deck of a ship at a distance. Worst thing, you are on their schedule and every stop you make you have to share the few hours on shore with a few thousand other people. We did our own schedule for a 2 week honeymoon and had a great time on our own. A couple of suggestions: Do the Denali tour starting in Anchorage taking the Alaska Railroad up and back and the wildlife tour thru the park. take the morning tour as the animals are more active then. Look into staying a night on Fox Island during a glacier cruise out of Seward. Trust me, you can see and do a lot more on your own. If you would like some more tips and info, just drop me a PM. I'd be glad to pass some info and a few pics from our trip. It's a beautiful state. Explore it and you won't want to come home. Dave | ||
| Hooligan620 |
All the major cruise lines run Alaska cruises out of Seattle. They vary in length and options. Some offer an chance to get off the boat and take the train through the interior then get back on the boat. REI has an Alaska cruise on a small boat that allows you to kayak during the day and live in luxury while on the cruise ship. My mother and some friends have been on the traditional cruise and loved it. The cruises are just like those that sail the South Seas. I flew to London recently with a man who had taken the train option and said it was a must. Another friend took the REI cruise and had a wonderful time. They got to see everything close up and personal. I have always traveled Alaska with people who live there so have never taken a cruise. There are lots options available it all depends on how adventuresome you want to be. | ||
| Mcgiver |
We did the Vancouver to Anchorage cruise (Princess Lines) 2 years ago. 7 days of scenery, history, shopping, dining, and fun. I highly recommend it, do take all shore excursions you can. E-mail me if you like, be glad to answer any questions, I also have a ton of pics. Brian | ||
| Nevrenuf |
one thing i need to know is whether to set this up on mine own or better to set it up with a travel agent. | ||
| Spank |
A travel agent will help you out with any possible hidden deals. We took the Alaska cruise out of Vancouver through the inside passage ( which was like a riverboat trip down the Mississippi )to Seward. It was through Carnival, which has a slightly younger crowd than most. We were on a 2 week trip which had us half the trip on the ship an the rest on land. The land part took us through Anchorage to Denali to Fairbanks. I would for sure do it again but do the land part of the trip on my own. The way the cruise line has it set up makes it very sterile. Also find tours off ship along the cruise stops. The ones on ship are not as good as the ones you can get from the locals. |
