North to Alaska

[sn-e3]

This summer a Dear friend from the Volenteer state and his Bride and my wife and I are planning to take a cruise to Alaska. The questions I want to ask you guys and gals is Has anyone of you did this cruise yet.? if so which cruise line and how wa your trip.? which is concidered the best cruise line for Alaska my Friend and I want to fish in Sitka for Salmon and Halibut so the ship has to spend a few hours there. who do we contact. and does anyone know if vererans or people over 55 get discounts we want to start planning this before everything books up. Thanks for any help you can provide ...chris

[MarineAO]

Chris I work for a cruise line that goes to Alaska.

www.americanweststeamboat.com

[sn-e3]

Sandy Me thinks that might be a wee bit out of my price range. But thanks for the responce.

[thebrad]

You could also consider doing Alaska from the land too... from Anchorage it's a two hour drive (underestimate) to Seward where you can hop on a day-long sightseeing charter to see the glaciers as the are caving and a lot of wildlife... the drive is great too... from Seward or Homer (another not-so-long drive) you can catch some fishing charters for Halibut, Sea Bass and Salmon calendar permitting... If the salmon are in the streams than you can litterally fish for them anywhere including downtown Anchorage! I just have trouble understanding why people would want to do Alaska by boat... at the mercy of the tour. All the major spots are connected by good roads.

[Tamaroa]

Sn-e3 don't think that it is out of your price range! Start a vacation account and put money in it every pay period. My wife and I aren't rich but we go on some great vacations because we are willing to wait a couple of years in between. One year we went on a Civil War steamboat cruise that took two years to save up for. Total coast was about 7,000 but there was no debt afterwards and a great time.

This past summer we spent a week at a light house keeper's cottage off the coast of Maine. Again very expensive but we had planned it for two years.

You won't regret it.

Bill

[b3196]

Did a cruise but not to Alaska. Best vacation I ever had. Royal Carribian was the cruise line. Alaska is the next place I want to go to on a cruise. I was told to pick one of the smaller ships which allows them to get into the more remote areas of Alaska.
The one thing I recommend is an outside room with a balconey
Its great to sit out there at night and watch the world go by.
Bob K

[sn-e3]

Joan and I have done three carribean cruise's with cerliberty cruise lines they were great but maybe alittle too structured. I don't really want to get dressed to the nine's unless Doc insists. and then I would just to see him in a tux.

[frisco-kid]

Chris, have the four of you pile into one of your rigs, drive to Anacortes, and take the ferry to Sidney, BC, on Vancouver Island, going through the San Juans. If the Tennessee Ridge-Runner and his bride have never been, take them to Victoria [should be able to find some good hotel rates on line; especially with the dollar exchange]. It's the closest you can get to being in London without going to England.

Next, drive to Port Hardy at the northern end of Vancouver Island. It's a beautiful drive. Catch a Canadian Ferry to Prince Rupert, BC. You can take your car, and it has berths. This is an overnite trip through the Inside Passage of British Columbia. You can eat ferry food, or pack groceries.

From there you can ferry to Juneau, where you can catch an Alaska State Ferry to Valdez or Seward. Remember, you'll have your vehicle. You can drive to Anchorage from either one of these cities. You can also make fishing side trips without worrying about catching the cruise ship; there's always another ferry. And, like Brad said, you can catch day excursions to most of the scenic spots. With some planning and some advanced reservations, I'm guessing you could put together a pretty awesome trip for pretty reasonable. Worth checking out. If you're a AAA member, have them do most of the leg work.

[sn-e3]

Tom not to bad of an Idea Doc and Shirley were up in victoria and Vancouver last time they were out and love it we'll see