My personal choices in visiting Alaska

Yesterday, a caller asked me my preferred choice in visiting Alaska.  Well, it’s not quite a white and black answer.  Would actually be determined by the specific question your asked or the type of response you’re looking for.

As a general question, my foremost thought … My choice would be to visit Alaska every year  !  Alaska is a place I totally fell in love with years back, and would have to problem visiting every year.  Like some folks like to go to the beach.

If you’re asking, “What’s my preferred venue in visiting Alaska”, it would be by cruise ship.  Like I tell folks who basically only have a 7 day opening for vacation, I suggest a cruise.  Cruising takes you to at least 3 ports … And opportunity to see a glacier … And there are many options for tours ashore !  Your cruise ship is your floating transportation with only packing and unpacking once.

Do I enjoy seeing the land only areas of Alaska, not reached by sea ?

I do.  Such as, I love visiting Anchorage because I have a friend there !

And like many travelers feel, if not at least touching the ground of Anchorage, you’ve missed a special part of Alaska.   And why not, while there, go into the National Park of Denali, in hopes of seeing many of the wildlife that inhibits here !  And Fairbanks offers lots of history with the gold dredging and float pilots and Iditarod insight !

Then the question was brought to me more directly.  Which cruise company would you use ?  I have to admit, in my 13 times there, I have never been to Alaska with Carnival nor Norwegian.   I enjoy cruising Carnival and hope to make this visit someday.   Norwegian is never my 1^st choice for any cruise, though I have sailed over 25 cruises with NCL (have one booked right night, to include an Alaska cruise in 2016).  I have cruised in Alaska with Princess, Holland America, Cruise West, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity. 

I’ve only ventured on a “land package” with Princess and Holland America.  Though many of my clients have used “land” with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, and have brought back high remarks,  my first preference is actually Princess.

It may be that Princess in Alaska is my first choice, no differently than Princess in the Caribbean is actually my first choice.  Just feel it’s an overall rounded product and I feel more comfortable sending folks on Princess, like my mother !

Also love the fact that they:

·         Own most their own properties in Alaska.
·         Have the last car on the Alaska RR with the option to go out back (platform) and take pictures
·         Like Holland America, they get the Alaska RR from Denali to the ship (Royal Caribbean & Celebrity have the portion from Fairbanks to Denali).
·         Usually have to glaciers on their North/South bound cruises (Versus a 4^th port with Royal Caribbean & Celebrity
·         You can purchased transportation to/from Seattle to get to Vancouver sailings (Holland America does too.  Not RCI/Celebrity).
·         Provide a great knowledgeable team of folks at their headquarters for doing business with !

My downfalls with choosing Princess

·         She can often leave to early, in my opinion, from Ketchikan
·         And I prefer to leave out of Seward, because I love the train ride past Whittier !

 

There is a lot to look at when deciding Alaska.  It’s not a quick answer.  I'll give you all the goods/bads to help you make your own choice.  CALL ME TODAY !