We went on a cruise to the Carribean for our honeymoon. We did drink more then, than we do now. There is a lot of activites planned for you to enjoy or not as you please. If you just want to sit on deck and enjoy the view, do so!

As for the sea/land trip, I have had two friends who went with thier husbands. One really enjoyed the trip, the other wasn't thrilled. The buses they were on were old and cramped, but were used because the new buses can't travel the road where it goes.

I would love the cruise, but I'm not big on buses. Hopefully, someone here has taken the package you are looking at and can give you lots more info.

Tami....counting the days!

For me, 11 days on vacation is a long time.

We went on a 3 day cruise for our honeymoon and I hated it. Our stateroom was so small, you had to leave the room to change your mind.

We were much younger and it seems we spent a good amount of time at the bar because there wasn't anything else to do. Most everybody was alot older than us.

The six days on the ship in Alaska would be okay with me because I would think there would be so much to see. That said, when we go, we plan on getting one of the larger suites that has some living area and a view window so that we can spend time in there away from all the people without being claustrophobic. That's the only way I will go.

After a few not so perfect vacations my theory is if I can't afford to do it my way, I'd rather not go!

Can you post a link to the package and ship you are looking at?

Remember, that a lot of days you will be in a port and will want to get off and go on a shore excursion. We've been on 4 cruises. Don't worry about the drinking--you won't be able to afford it!!. There's lots to do and there's always a show at night. There will be a casino and art auctions and all kinds of activities to choose from. There's even a library. I swear, one we went on had a class in napkin folding!!! But, when you're in a port most days, you won't have to worry about what to do.

Did an Alaska cruise, three years ago, this summer.
We did 13 days, part land and part sea.
That's the way to go, so you see it all.
We did sea first, land last.
Might go again, this August, and will be a reverse one.
Land first, sea last.

I'm a cruiser!

I have taken cruises on the big ships and hated them and then we started taking river cruises in Europe and elsewhere and we love them-- larger stateroom with a great view, small ship, great lectures, etc.

that said, friends we met on a Rhine river cruise went to Alaska on a larger ship last year and absolutely loved it. I don't know which company they went with, but they said it was absolutely stunning. I'd just make sure there are activities you are interested in if you're at sea for a long time without shore visits. that was the thing I didn't care for on my other cruise experiences.

i love cruising, think six days would be great!

anette

where are your starting and ending spots? my mother didn't drink at all and really enjoyed the trip. but then she was the type of person who enjoyed both the scenery and people watching. (plus i believe they had a couple ports of call...)

sept can be iffy weather-wise in the nw...but the changing color...wow...

I have been on 7 day cruises twice. There is plenty to keep you entertained.

I think that there are not a substantial number of ports of call on an Alaska cruise.

Many start from Vancouver.

Many people sing their praises, but I've never gone.

The scenery is spectacular, they say ... but some people tire of that, rather quickly ... others don't.

ole joyful

I have been on many cruises, never to Alaska though. I am not a drinker either. I was never bored, there are tons of stuff to do. You will be given a list of activities for each day. My favorites were the live shows, excellent talent and beautiful costumes. They are usually one in the morning and one in the evening. There are the casinos which I wasn't interested in. There is food all day and all night long you never go hungry. Back to the activities food always gets me...If you are in port there are usually several choices of tours you can go on or just port shopping. There are gift shops, libraries, game rooms more things than I can even remember. I never had time to do all I wanted to do. Good luck and have fun!

The company we are looking at is Princess Lines.
I haven't checked out each ship individually but the ads (and this can be deceiving, I'm sure) look wonderful.

The package we both like is the Classic Alaska Tour.
We sail from Vancouver and cruise to Anchorage. I believe there are four ports of call; Ketchikan, Juneau, Glacier Bay National Park and Skagway. Then we sail in Anchorage and start the land cruise.

From Anchorage to Talkeeta we can ride the train or the bus and from Talkeetna a bus to lodging near Danali National. From there we can ride a train to Fairbank. The tour ends there so I'm assuming we'd fly from Fairbanks to Anchorage then on home.

I have a friend who lived in Alaska for twenty years.
She recommends going on the late summer cruise for several reasons. #1 is the mosquitoes are gone. #2 the crowds have thinned out and the rates are better #3 the chances of good weather are as good as in June or July. I will trust her judgement.

I am with you Magic.
I want a decent room.
I don't care if the other passengers are older than me I just want a decent sized room and I'll gladly pay for it.

The link to Princess Cruises is below.
I haven't checked out all the ship amenities yet.

You know, now I've looked at the itinerary six or seven days at sea isn't all that bad. Most days have a port of call.
The 'down' time I can spend happily sitting on the deck, looking at the scenery and watching people.

'Onboard Experiences' are at this link:

http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/

I haven't found anything about the staterooms. This is probably covered when you book the trip.

It looks like a big boat to me.
LOL
But you have to remember, not only am I completely landlocked, I could drown in the bath tub.
LOL

Lori

Here is a link that might be useful: Princess Cruises

Lori,

if you go to your link and pick a departure date, it will show you prices and room types. Click on the room type(suite, mini suite,etc) and another window will pop up with a description and a picture of the room.

Not a fan of cruises though I would love the Alaskan one, regardless of the time I might have to spend on it. I was on a ship for a day and 1/2 and hated it. I just don't think cruises are for me. Wouldn't like being confined among other things.

I would love it. I'd rather not leave the ship at all.Some cruises have way too many ports of call for my taste which is one of the reasons I've not gone on the Red Hat ones. I know I don't have to leave the ship but I'd rather spend the time at sea. But then I love meeting new people,the ocean and just doing nothing but living by my own clock.

Lori, we went on Princess to New England/Canada. It was my favorite cruise as far as ports go. Each port was different, but the Princess was my least favorite simply b/c it was SO big. There were lines to the elevators, which we'd never experienced before. It was just crowded. You can look on their web site and see what the capacity is on those ships and you can choose not to go on a huge one like that. We'll do that from now on! The ship was gorgeous, the amenities top notch, it was just all those crowds. We have been on Norweigan (to Alaska) and Royal Caribbean twice and they weren't too crowded.

We took a cruise on Holland America and loved it. It was 7 days, leaving from Vancouver. One of the best things was taking a small plane to see the ice fields. Quite spectacular.

I did this cruise a couple of years ago and it was marvelous. We did the land first(which was recommended) and there is not a whole lot of down time - you have a couple of included tours and then if you do anything else... The train took us directly to the ship in Seward and I have to say, I find drinking to be a very, very small part of what happens on a cruise ship. The days you cruise the glaciers, there is a Park Service naturalist on board, giving commentary the whole day - it is fascinating. At each of the ports, we did an activity. The things that go on abord ship, range from bingo to games to music, shows, food(this is a big part), sitting in a deck chair and watching the world go by, a whole range of things - you can be busy every minute or just relax and read your book. It's up to you. On the cruise through the inside passage, there's scenery every where. Some of the ships are more crowded than others but Princess does a very nice job of handling the crowds - better than some other cruise lines. Enjoy

We did an Alaskan Cruise with Holland America...It was great...I'm pretty much the kind of person that can't sit still and there was more to do on that ship than I could handle ...The drinking/gambling is strictly up to you...If it's your thing, it is there but there are lots of stuff to do...especially if it is your first cruise...they give you tours of the kitchen and cooking stuff from the chefs...heck there is a movie every night...shows are quite good, dinner every night was a fun production...they keep you busy. Holland America does not have the "let's party" reputation that some of the other lines have....we were completely happy with our cruise...Oh and we hired our own tour guides at each port...we didn't like the idea of having to be restricted to a tour bus with a bunch of other people..Didn't really cost more and we had big car's and drivers waiting to pick us up at the port...My Beloved doesn't do a lot of walking or climbing and it worked out better for us...

Check out the reputation of some of the lines and you will find out which ones are the party boats and which ones are not..We heard that Holland America was an older crowd..what we found out was that it meant middle aged not old...but there were not a ga=zillion kids running around on the ship...

I've been on 2 cruises and will go on another in June. I really like the 7 night cruise best, because I liked having 2 days at sea. I'm easily entertained, so found enjoyable things to do, including sitting in the sun with rum drinks.

When we went on our cruise a year and 1/2 ago, we went on Princess Diamond. I suggest a balcony suite. You can go out on he balcony and have breakfast if you want, or take pictures or whatever. There was plenty of room in ours. There is also a lot to do while at sea. Ours was from Los Angeles down to Puerto Villarta, Matazlan, and Cabo San Lucas then back to LA. I'd love to go on a Caribbean cruise now.
Leslie

No, I could not spend six days on a cruiseliner (which is the original question). I don't think I could spend three HOURS on a cruiseliner. Different people like different things but the idea of being on a big boat in the middle of the ocean gives me the heebie-jeebies. I don't know how the immigrants did it!!

Now if it were a train, that'd be a different matter! :)

I do hope you have a wonderful time, although I agree - more than a week away from home is a long time.

Rose

Wow.
Great insight guys.
Thanks.

Being on a cruise liner doesn't bother me.
In fact, I love the idea.
It's the length of time that gives me pause.

Magic nailed it: two weeks is a long time to be gone from 'real life' and to be honest, I don't know if Custer and I could do it.

LOL

It would be a trip of a lifetime; the only time we'd see ALaska so it makes sense to take as much time as needed.

On the other hand, we're both homebodies.
Also, there's a lot to leave behind as well:
The ranch, the animals, our jobs, etc.

THEN there's the fear of the airliner/cruiseline/train/bus going out of business (Due to the price of fuel) after we've booked and paid for our trip.

Boy.
I sure can find a lot to worry about, huh?

Lori who is off to search more Alaska vacation sites.

Thanks everyone!

Hi Lori,

If you can go earlier than Sept., do so. It will be cooler and possibly rainy in Sept., still a wonderful trip though.

You'll be getting off the ship nearly every day, and anyway there is a lot to do on the ship, even if it's only a trip to the gym, eating, reading, looking at the scenery.

We're doing a similar trip this year, only a little earlier in the summer, but I think we're only on the ship 4 days (northbound). I'm concerned about being tired of changing hotels a lot for the land portion. I guess I won't unpack much each time! LOL!

Have you checked out cruistcritic.com? Lots of Alaska info there--actually, too much to take in!

DECORPAS--have you cruised the Elbe River? Would love to compare notes with you on that if you have! We cruised with Deilman on the Katharina von Bora in 2002. What a great memory that is!

Susan

I don't think so. I can stand on shore watching sail boats and get sea sick.

I have never been on a cruise Socks.
This will be a first for me.

I'll check out the sites.
Thanks!

LORI

I'm sure you'll find enough on board activities to keep you busy - here are a few off ship entertainment ideas you may not have seen -
Ketchikan -
Alaska Under Sea Tours - www.alaskaunderseatours.com
First People's Theatre Performance - www.firstpeoplesperformance.com
Juneau-
Alaska Sate Museum
Cannery Tour
Trolley Tour
Rainforest Adventure - who knew they had one...lol.
Glacier Bay National Park -
all manner of tours and guided/unguided trails etc.
Skagway-
tours revolving around the Klondike Gold Rush
Sculpture Garden
Starbucks..lol
Many of the stores in these towns are open seasonally, so you might want to check out what you think you might like to shop for before you depart - lots of gift/art/traditional type stores abound.
Hope you decide to go and from what I've heard it's a breathtaking trip that people return to again and again.
Suzan J

Lori - We haven't cruised, but I did sail the Atlantic and Med, NYC to Haifa, three times during the sixties, when the ships were real passenger liners, not cruisers. There were no casinos, no floor shows (just a band in the lounge), no auctions, etc., not even constant food available - and it was terrific! I made many friends, read, relaxed, and no one was bored, even on the 3 - 5 days across the Atlantic.

What would sell me on your trip is the land tour of Alaska. My parents took me to Alaska when I was a child, drove from Chicago to Fairbanks and back. Denali, Anchorage, Fairbanks - that is the most awesome country in the world, magnificent scenery. You will never forget it. That trip, plus the nice cruise up the Inland Passage, would be tremendous. BTW, any way you plan it, the cabins will be tiny, compared to what you're used to. You and your hubby really need to like each other!

Bon Voyage!

Sable, you bring up a point hubby and I have discussed; driving to Alaska, doing the land tour thing then sailing back.

My friend drove the Alaskan highway several times. She said if you don't mind three or four broken windshields it's not too bad.

Actually, hubby and I do pretty good on road trips.
And we're gravel road kind of people.
He drives and I point out all the sights.
LOL
We like the idea of stopping and seeing what we want to see closeup.

This is all in the planning stages.
It's going to be fun planning the trip, I can tell.

Thanks again!

Lori

Due to sable's suggestion of driving the Alaskan highway I did a little googling and came up with the following link.

I sent for my driver's guide.

Are you paying attention Magic?

LOL

Lori

Here is a link that might be useful: alaskan highway

Lori, we drove it up and sailed back on the Alaska Highway System. It was great and we had the time of our lives, but we also had 5 weeks to do it in. My suggestion is to buy The Milpost Magazine. It gives a rundown, of everything you could possible want to know, and then some. Milepost is what it means. It gives you a mile by mile rundown of what you can see or do, at each milepost, city and wide spot in the road. It is about $20 but worth every penny. The Alaska Hiway has ferry boats, they are not luxury liners, but we had a ball. We stopped at different ports, and spent as much time in them as we wanted. If you have to catch a different ship because you want to linger, it can be arranged, but safer in advance. The rooms have bunks, but most have bathrooms. Adequate but not lurious. People even camp out on them, but I am too old for that! LOL WE have been planning to do it again, but now that gas is so high, taking the motorhome may be out. But I highly recommend the Milepost.

Lori - If you and your DH enjoy road trips and don't mind gravel, IMO you might think about driving the Alcan Highway. We took a week and a half up, three weeks in Alaska, and a week and a half back (my parents were both teachers, so they had summers off). No blown-out windshields, but at one point the road was washed out and the crews were using bulldozers to pull the cars through the flowing mud. They told my father that it could break the axle on our car. He said "Go ahead", and the car made it intact.

We had camping equipment for meals on the road, but only slept in motels and lodges, not at all fancy, but very colorful and rustic. We also had good rain gear, as it rains every day from the northern Yukon into Alaska. The rains aren't so bad, usually brief. Also a LOT of bugspray, as the mosquitoes are fierce. We saw so much wildlife - bear, moose, deer, and all sorts of small critters and birds. People were very, very friendly, went out of their way to be helpful.

When we got to Fairbanks we checked into a "hotel" that my mother had reserved in advance. It was, ah, "primitive". The next morning she went down to check something at the front desk and rushed back in a huff and told my father and me to pack up, that we were moving out, as the "hotel" was off-limits to military personnel. I asked what that meant and she and my dad looked at each other, and my dad had a big grin on his face.

As I wrote before, you will never forget this trip. Just plan it carefully, know where your stops are, keep your tires in good condition, and take everything you think you might need. I hope you go and that we'll read all about it here on KT someday!

Sable