Planning Trip in May or June of 2007

[jo from montana]

We are a couple in our late 40's who are in the early planning stages for a trip to Alaska in May or June of 2007. This will be our first cruise. We are fairly conservative (not party animals), however, we are not really into playing bridge, either! No offense to any of you who do love this! We are wondering which cruise line would be the best fit for us. We are interested in doing the south to north cruise and adding a land tour onto this. Any advice you have for us would be greatly appreciated.

[jo from montana]

We are a couple in our late 40's who are in the early planning stages for a trip to Alaska in May or June of 2007. This will be our first cruise. We are fairly conservative (not party animals), however, we are not really into playing bridge, either! No offense to any of you who do love this! We are wondering which cruise line would be the best fit for us. We are interested in doing the south to north cruise and adding a land tour onto this. Any advice you have for us would be greatly appreciated.

[BSeabob]

I would think that the best itinerary...best price for you on
Celebrity or RCL
Holland America
or maybe Princess

would find you in a comfortable place. I have not done a land based tour of the north but those lines have been doing it for years.

I would also recommend that you do the land first and then relax onboard going south unless you have a specific reason for the other way around. Enjoy planning

[BSeabob]

I would think that the best itinerary...best price for you on
Celebrity or RCL
Holland America
or maybe Princess

would find you in a comfortable place. I have not done a land based tour of the north but those lines have been doing it for years.

I would also recommend that you do the land first and then relax onboard going south unless you have a specific reason for the other way around. Enjoy planning

[jo from montana]

Thanks for the information BSeabob! We will definitely look into doing the land tour first - that makes a lot of sense to us. (tu)

[jo from montana]

Thanks for the information BSeabob! We will definitely look into doing the land tour first - that makes a lot of sense to us. (tu)

[halfdome86]

I highly recommend opting for a ship that goes to Glacier bay. It's awsome. And if you can swing it find one that goes to College Fjord's as well. This will eliminate some lines such as Celebrity and could help narrow your search for a line and specific ship.

LInes such as HAL have a reputation for having very old passengers. This is not so much the case in Alaska. You'll find cruisers in your age brackett very easily. You'll also probably have many kids on your cruise when school's out.

If you like lying around the pools you might opt for a ship with a covered pool. You will get some rain on the trip and some chilly days regardless of what part of the summer you cruise.

IMHO a balcony is also a must for Alaska. You want to soak in as much scenery as possible. Of course you'll want to wander the decks as well, especially fore and aft to get the full sweeping views.

There are plenty of non party animal type of activities on the ships, including my favorite......sitting on the balcony with my feet up and watching the coast float by. :^)

[halfdome86]

I highly recommend opting for a ship that goes to Glacier bay. It's awsome. And if you can swing it find one that goes to College Fjord's as well. This will eliminate some lines such as Celebrity and could help narrow your search for a line and specific ship.

LInes such as HAL have a reputation for having very old passengers. This is not so much the case in Alaska. You'll find cruisers in your age brackett very easily. You'll also probably have many kids on your cruise when school's out.

If you like lying around the pools you might opt for a ship with a covered pool. You will get some rain on the trip and some chilly days regardless of what part of the summer you cruise.

IMHO a balcony is also a must for Alaska. You want to soak in as much scenery as possible. Of course you'll want to wander the decks as well, especially fore and aft to get the full sweeping views.

There are plenty of non party animal type of activities on the ships, including my favorite......sitting on the balcony with my feet up and watching the coast float by. :^)

[chuckc54]

Jo from Montana, my wife and I also are planning to do an Alaska cruise in 2007. The plan is to do the southbound after the land tour and hopefully a night in Vancouver because I understand it's a must see and who knows when the chance will come again. I think we have it nailed down to RCI but I'm not sure yet, have to see when the companies release the info on 2007 sailings, I called RCI and they said the end of April. Seems from what I've been reading, Jun-Aug is the best time to go. Let's exchange info as we find it.
This will be our second cruise, the first was on the Carnival Fantasy to the Bahamas and we loved it.

[BSeabob]

Hey Chuckc
June would be my pick of time. Remember 21 June longest daylight. Over all weather is a crapshoot anyways as you will be in Alaska first and the cruise is on the northern coast right?

And your ar ecorrect about Vancouver. Check out the posts on the PAcific North West Forum