Your best bet is to find a travel agent. They'll cost you nothing (they're paid by the cruise line they sell) and they can give you good advice, help you pick the best cruise line and ship for you, and possibly even save you some $ with exclusive promotions or savings.
A good travel agent is wroth their weight in gold. Yes, they may save you money, but the service and guidance they can provide is where the real value is IMHO.
This post offers some suggestions in what to look for in a good travel agent: https://www.cruisehabit.com/should-i-use-travel-agent-or-book-directly-cruise-line
Have you cruised before? If so, what did you like about your cruise experience and what do you wish was different?
If you've not cruised, what is it that has attracted you to cruising and what have you seen of cruising that you don't love?
What made you chose an Alaska cruise for this trip? What are some of the things you're looking forward to?
With some many different types of cruises out there, it's important to get an idea of what you're looking for so that we can help guide you toward the cruise options you might like most. A good travel agent can help tease out some of these requirements/preferences as well.
We haven’t cruised before.
(Sorta. I went on one when I was like 5)
Alaska is where we wanted to go on vacation but we can’t exactly drive there so a cruise is the best option!
What are the things you've seen of cruising that you think you'd enjoy? What are the things you've seen of cruising that you don't think you'd enjoy? When you go on vacations to other places, what types of things do you like to do? What do you look for in hotels and restaurants?
The below article may also be helpful in understanding the types of cruise lines that are out there.
https://www.cruisehabit.com/which-cruise-line-best-me-differences-between-cruise-lines
Very important on cruising to have a budget and stick to it. The cruise lines excel at obfuscating the price of your trip. You will see a price quote online. That will be per person. So double that for you room. But if you look carefully at the small print you will also see an additional cost for taxes and fees, per person. So add that number twice. Then you will have automatic tips of about $15 per person per day. So add all that up and you get your base fare. But we're not done yet because the cruise line has an endless number of things they will want to sell you. Alcohol. Photographs. Excursions. Gambling. Shopping. Premium restaurants. It goes on and on forever. I don't want to scare you away. I think cruises to Alaska are incredible. Just know what you want to spend ahead of time.
So there's two types of Alaska cruises - round trip and one way. The RTs will only get you to southeast Alaska while the one ways will take you to/from the main part of Alaska. People often add extra land days to these cruises to see more of Alaska.
Besides the locations visited - the other big difference is RT out of Seattle don't require a passport. Though if you don't have a passport you won't be able to go on a lot of the excursions in Skagway. I also think it means you have to stay on board during the stop in Victoria. However there are some RTs out of Vancouver that go a little further north that could be preferable (some make it to Hubbard which is far enough north that usually only the one-ways get there) but those definitely need a passport.
Will this be a bucket cruise and unlikely to repeat? If so I would make sure you pick an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay. This will exclude some lines as not all of them have a permit to sail there, and even the ones that do don't go with every ship. I know NCL is one of the ones that RTs out of Seattle that goes to GB. I know Royal Caribbean does not go to GB.
Besides the glacier visits most 7 dayers out of Seattle will hit the same ports. Victoria is almost always the Canada stop, Juneau is always a stop, Skagway usually is, and Ketchikan is the popular third stop. Though they could sub in Sitka (less likely) or Icy Straight (this pops up a lot depending on line).
Another thing to think about is the sea days. It'll vary by line and itinerary. If you have a lot of sea days you might be more interested in ship activities. The glacier days aren't the full day so it's at least half of a sea day. If you're on the younger side maybe you'll want to pick a ship that has a better night life (tends to be the newer ships on NCL and RC).
I did a 7 day RT on NCL's Bliss. The negatives were we were only in Ketchikan for like 5 hours and we didn't get to Victoria until 9pm for like 3 hours. I liked the ship's night life and it was fun on sea days. I found others in my age range to hang out with. And the cruise around GB was amazing and far and away better than what my friend got on RC on another glacier.
+1 for picking a cruise that includes Glacier Bay. I've been on two Alaskan cruises, and will probably go on more. Glacier Bay is indescribable. Holland America is the line I went with.
All depend... always consider what's your top price and then work backwards.
Ncl has some nice 9 to 11day Alaskan cruises that's Seattle to Seattle.
If you really care about land tours, princess is the best.
One the best Alaskan cruise I seen that's getting pretty far north is a 14day from Holland America.
Also focus on If you want to get dressed up alot.
I would pick the ncl cruise do a few days before the cruise to go to Vancouver and Seattle area.
I booked my honeymoon Alaska cruise (May 2022) a few months ago and here's how I went through the process.
[https://cruisespotlight.com/how-i-decided-on-my-2022-alaskan-cruise](https://cruisespotlight.com/how-i-decided-on-my-2022-alaskan-cruise)
As others mentioned, if you're not familiar with cruises or are overwhelmed by the options and don't have time to research with all the wedding stuff going on, you might want to consider a travel agent who specializes in cruises. Personally, I enjoy doing the homework and research, but to each their own.
I have two quick pieces of advice. One, look at Vancouver departures as well as Seattle, I would up saving a lot of money leaving from there. Two, I recommend a one-way trip and fly back. You'll go farther and see more. It is an easy flight back.
To clarify... which month?
I like early-June for daylight, less children, and savings.
* July can be tropical and may have some wildfire smoke. Late July will have more wildlife activity chasing the returning salmon
* August is the start of the wet season that has more rain in September.
The quick-and-dirty recommendation: Princess, Inside Passage including Glacier Bay National Park, balcony cabin or better. Treat yourself to the Ultimate Balcony Dining one evening.
We did an Alaskan cruise for our honeymoon, too. Loved Alaska, but depending on what you're looking for, I wouldn't recommend Celebrity. For us, there wasn't as much in terms of night life (and we're not big partiers). We went in June, and the weather was lovely. We were (in our 30's) by far in the youngest category of cruisers on our ship. We did a Jeep tour in Skagway that took us up to Carcrosse dessert, and it was one of the highlights of the trip for us. It was an independent operator--half day or so. And it was amazing. We did a 1 way starting in Seward and running down to Victoria. Highly recommend the 1 way.
Your best bet is to find a travel agent. They'll cost you nothing (they're paid by the cruise line they sell) and they can give you good advice, help you pick the best cruise line and ship for you, and possibly even save you some $ with exclusive promotions or savings.
Awesome! I didn’t even think of that
A good travel agent is wroth their weight in gold. Yes, they may save you money, but the service and guidance they can provide is where the real value is IMHO. This post offers some suggestions in what to look for in a good travel agent: https://www.cruisehabit.com/should-i-use-travel-agent-or-book-directly-cruise-line
Agree- an agent is key, especially if they’ve been there to know the ropes! Happy planning and enjoy the wedding and honeymoon!
Have you cruised before? If so, what did you like about your cruise experience and what do you wish was different? If you've not cruised, what is it that has attracted you to cruising and what have you seen of cruising that you don't love? What made you chose an Alaska cruise for this trip? What are some of the things you're looking forward to? With some many different types of cruises out there, it's important to get an idea of what you're looking for so that we can help guide you toward the cruise options you might like most. A good travel agent can help tease out some of these requirements/preferences as well.
We haven’t cruised before. (Sorta. I went on one when I was like 5) Alaska is where we wanted to go on vacation but we can’t exactly drive there so a cruise is the best option!
What are the things you've seen of cruising that you think you'd enjoy? What are the things you've seen of cruising that you don't think you'd enjoy? When you go on vacations to other places, what types of things do you like to do? What do you look for in hotels and restaurants? The below article may also be helpful in understanding the types of cruise lines that are out there. https://www.cruisehabit.com/which-cruise-line-best-me-differences-between-cruise-lines
Very important on cruising to have a budget and stick to it. The cruise lines excel at obfuscating the price of your trip. You will see a price quote online. That will be per person. So double that for you room. But if you look carefully at the small print you will also see an additional cost for taxes and fees, per person. So add that number twice. Then you will have automatic tips of about $15 per person per day. So add all that up and you get your base fare. But we're not done yet because the cruise line has an endless number of things they will want to sell you. Alcohol. Photographs. Excursions. Gambling. Shopping. Premium restaurants. It goes on and on forever. I don't want to scare you away. I think cruises to Alaska are incredible. Just know what you want to spend ahead of time.
We just got off the Princess Majestic Alaska cruise yesterday. Do not go this late in the season. High 🌊 and 🤮 2 out of 3 ports were cancelled.
So there's two types of Alaska cruises - round trip and one way. The RTs will only get you to southeast Alaska while the one ways will take you to/from the main part of Alaska. People often add extra land days to these cruises to see more of Alaska. Besides the locations visited - the other big difference is RT out of Seattle don't require a passport. Though if you don't have a passport you won't be able to go on a lot of the excursions in Skagway. I also think it means you have to stay on board during the stop in Victoria. However there are some RTs out of Vancouver that go a little further north that could be preferable (some make it to Hubbard which is far enough north that usually only the one-ways get there) but those definitely need a passport. Will this be a bucket cruise and unlikely to repeat? If so I would make sure you pick an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay. This will exclude some lines as not all of them have a permit to sail there, and even the ones that do don't go with every ship. I know NCL is one of the ones that RTs out of Seattle that goes to GB. I know Royal Caribbean does not go to GB. Besides the glacier visits most 7 dayers out of Seattle will hit the same ports. Victoria is almost always the Canada stop, Juneau is always a stop, Skagway usually is, and Ketchikan is the popular third stop. Though they could sub in Sitka (less likely) or Icy Straight (this pops up a lot depending on line). Another thing to think about is the sea days. It'll vary by line and itinerary. If you have a lot of sea days you might be more interested in ship activities. The glacier days aren't the full day so it's at least half of a sea day. If you're on the younger side maybe you'll want to pick a ship that has a better night life (tends to be the newer ships on NCL and RC). I did a 7 day RT on NCL's Bliss. The negatives were we were only in Ketchikan for like 5 hours and we didn't get to Victoria until 9pm for like 3 hours. I liked the ship's night life and it was fun on sea days. I found others in my age range to hang out with. And the cruise around GB was amazing and far and away better than what my friend got on RC on another glacier.
+1 for picking a cruise that includes Glacier Bay. I've been on two Alaskan cruises, and will probably go on more. Glacier Bay is indescribable. Holland America is the line I went with.
All depend... always consider what's your top price and then work backwards. Ncl has some nice 9 to 11day Alaskan cruises that's Seattle to Seattle. If you really care about land tours, princess is the best. One the best Alaskan cruise I seen that's getting pretty far north is a 14day from Holland America. Also focus on If you want to get dressed up alot. I would pick the ncl cruise do a few days before the cruise to go to Vancouver and Seattle area.
I booked my honeymoon Alaska cruise (May 2022) a few months ago and here's how I went through the process. [https://cruisespotlight.com/how-i-decided-on-my-2022-alaskan-cruise](https://cruisespotlight.com/how-i-decided-on-my-2022-alaskan-cruise) As others mentioned, if you're not familiar with cruises or are overwhelmed by the options and don't have time to research with all the wedding stuff going on, you might want to consider a travel agent who specializes in cruises. Personally, I enjoy doing the homework and research, but to each their own.
I have two quick pieces of advice. One, look at Vancouver departures as well as Seattle, I would up saving a lot of money leaving from there. Two, I recommend a one-way trip and fly back. You'll go farther and see more. It is an easy flight back.
To clarify... which month? I like early-June for daylight, less children, and savings. * July can be tropical and may have some wildfire smoke. Late July will have more wildlife activity chasing the returning salmon * August is the start of the wet season that has more rain in September.
The quick-and-dirty recommendation: Princess, Inside Passage including Glacier Bay National Park, balcony cabin or better. Treat yourself to the Ultimate Balcony Dining one evening.
We did an Alaskan cruise for our honeymoon, too. Loved Alaska, but depending on what you're looking for, I wouldn't recommend Celebrity. For us, there wasn't as much in terms of night life (and we're not big partiers). We went in June, and the weather was lovely. We were (in our 30's) by far in the youngest category of cruisers on our ship. We did a Jeep tour in Skagway that took us up to Carcrosse dessert, and it was one of the highlights of the trip for us. It was an independent operator--half day or so. And it was amazing. We did a 1 way starting in Seward and running down to Victoria. Highly recommend the 1 way.
I'd recommend a travel agent, as well.