First time cruisers to Alaska

S

Suzi2

Guest
My husband & I (mid 30's) are booked on the Statendam May 9/04 Vancouver to Seward. Can someone tell us what to expect in regards to weather. What are the best excursions to do? What is our ship like?
Also can anyone recommend a hotel in Anchorage

Really enjoy reading the comments on this board.

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.
 
P

PEB

Guest
I have not been on the Statendam but have cruised Alaska multiple times and will be cruising Alaska again in May myself. May is considered one of the dryer months for Alaska but you can count on rain in Ketchikan because that is a rain forest area. Temps on average should be in the mid 50's to mid 60's but like mother nature tends to do it can be in the 40's or up into the 70's. This is the reason you bring layers to wear in Alaska especially in the begining of May.

For Alaska in May expect to see thousands of waterfalls due to snow melt. Expect to take more pictures than you have ever taken. Expect to see some extremely beautiful sites.

As far as tours go there are a wide range of tours and some can get very pricey.

In Ketchikan going on a tour to the Totem Parks can be interesting. A harbor tour I found to be more interesting than a land town tour. Kayaking out of Ketchikan is a lot of fun with some great things to see. There are also flight tours out of Ketchikan.

In Juneau whale watching is well worth trying. We personally use Capt Larry with Orca Enterprises instead of the ships tours. The Naturalists from the ships use him. A helicopter flight and landing on a Glacier is great here also. There are tours to Mendenhall Glacier at reasonable prices here. A raft ride down the river from Mendenhall Glacier can be fun if the river is flowing pretty good. There are a lot of gold mine tours here.

In Skagway you can take a tour back into the Yukon. The Whitepass Railway has some unbelievable views. Helicopter tours onto glaciers are good here. Panning for Gold tours are here. You can also take tours to Haines from Skagway, these are about a 45 minute boat ride to get to Haines.

I hope this helps you with some ideas. Flight tours and whale watches will be the most expensive. You can see most or all of these towns by just walking. Juneau will be the largest town but you can cover most the interesting parts of town by walking.
 
D

Dale

Guest
When you get off at Seward, don't let the cruise line wisk you to Anchorage. Stay in Seward and go on the Kenai Fjords National Park small boat cruise. It is the best excursion we have ever done with the possible exception of helo tours.
 
C

cruisegary

Guest
It looks like many of the cruiselines will be using the new Whittier dock this year. Any reason to spend time there, or go ahead and take the cruise line buses into Anchorage?
 
S

Suzi2

Guest
Thank you for the suggestions:) We have booked Captain Larry and a helicopter flight & Glacier tour in Juneau. We will also take the White Pass Summit tour in Skagway. One thing we can't decide on is how to get from Seward to Anchorage. Train, bus or rental car? We are not rushed for time as we will overnight in Anchorage or Seward before we catch our flight home. Any thoughts?
Thanks again.
 
B

BarbaraK

Guest
Take the scenic train from seward to Anchorage. We did the Anchorage to Seward trip , it was a wonderful train ride. We paid a little extra to have a seat in the "dome" but any seat on the train would be fine. It was a around 2- 3 hours long :)

http://www.akrr.com/passenger/seward.html

We also stayed in the Windsong Lodge in Seward which we thoroughly enjoyed, good restaurant there, scenic view from the room etc. :)
http://www.sewardwindsong.com/312.cfm

We will be taking our 4th Alaskan cruise this May :)
 
S

suzylee

Guest
As a first time cruiser, I too am confused regarding the land excursions (from the ship and on the land tour through interior) My husband has his heart set on fishing. Any fantastic experiences? Problems? We are sailing on the Coral Princess in July with 5-day land tour.
 
A

Alaskaborn

Guest
Living in Alaska, I can tell you that the train from Seward is the way to go. It is a very beautiful ride. They don't have dedicated "dome seating" this year however. It is about $89 if you book in the morning with your cruise ship, or $59 if you go in the evening with the Alaska railroad. The only rental car company in Seward is Hertz except for a local company. So it's not too good for renting.

Ohhhh, I just saw a bald eagle swoop down a grab a fish out of our creek. I still am amaxed by it here. (sorry, I diverse)

As for the ships that come into Whittier, - this is a very small community and not much to do. It has only been open by road for two years so not many businesses have gone in there yet. I would say to leave whittier and see something else.

Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.
 
B

BarbaraK

Guest
Alaskanborn, thanks for the update on the "dome seating". We did this train ride 2 years ago so I am giving out the wrong info to people! :

Please diverse as much as you like when it comes to Alaska :grin
 
Top