Alaskan Cruise Info
 

Looking for general or specific information on Alaskan cruise and those who have gone on one.

Currently planning on going with the future wife for our honeymoon next May, and looking into the must do, don't do, need to bring, 101 stuff. I have found the main cruise companies and pricing is about equal, I am leaning towards Princess right now with the mini-suite (and balcony).

Norwegian is the "best" I think?

When I went to AK I didn't do the cruise, so I can't be too much help on that. It's amazing up there. I need to go back sometime. Best rafting and kayaking I've ever done.

Wild Alaska Cruises :: Hunting

Nothing says eternal love like holding hands while you field dress a bear, just throwing that out there. Bear season starts in May

Just ran the numbers, they are only about $300 more, need to compare room size, quality of room features, etc.

Yeah, things like this we have to decide. I have been reading that it is great to get off the boat and do some day events but reading up on only doing so many. Take time to stay on the boat and just relax. On that note, hunting a bear would be something fun to do!!

The fishing is amazing too. We went rafting, camped out on an island in Theodore of a glacier lake, camped on another island to watch bears (much, much closer in than I expected) and some hiking.

Also, one of the restaurants we stopped at before leaving anchorage had all you can eat king crab for $10. Turns out I can eat a huge amount of them if its not $20/lb like down here.

For those who have gone, it seems many offer $50-100 "onboard credit," how does this go towards anything? I know alcohol is not included in the price, and then things like spa or special dining is separate pricing.

A good buddy of mine told me to sneak your own booze onto the ship in shampoo bottles.

Yeah, I have been reading up on some of the "techniques" to get alcohol on board, since they randomly search bags.
Mouthwash = vodka plus blue food coloring or something.

The Alaskan cruise is the only cruise worth getting a balcony, because you go through the middle of land, you have a great view on both sides. I brought a bungee cord on my cruise to prop open the door so I could get the fresh air, which was a great decision. The cruise is loaded with booze, so I assume you just want to smuggle some on to save money? the mouthwash thing is a good idea, but don't do it to the top because if it's completely full without the wrapper on it, it would look suspicious imho. I've done excursions in all the ports of call except Anchorage. I can make some recommendations there if you like, but really that's personal preference.

I had the most incredible time when I went on my last cruise. Being a young guy, I didn't really care about the "quality" of the ship. I was more concerned with having a cheap great time. So I chose the "dreaded" Carnival Cruise for a 7 day trip to Cabo. My best friend and I paid $397 each for a balcony room with 2 beds. I spent a couple hundred on alcohol at the clubs and at the Premier Steakhouse. But my total for the 7 day trip was $580. I can't beat that anywhere...

I have gone on 2 cruises now, Norwegian & Carnival.

I wont even try to compare the two because Norwegian was a much older crowd then Carnival. And the quality of Norwegian was better.

Although, I LOVED the food on carnival. When people say you will gain 10lbs, they arent kidding. Every night I was ordering the all inclusive lobster and steak. Chocolate souffle with ice cream, creme brulee, roasted chicken etc.. Loved that it was all free. Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner,Snacks. 24/7.

To help with your alcohol, I hope I don't get arrested for this somehow:
Carnival allowed 1 Bottle of Wine per person, as well as 12-12oz Bottles Of Your Choice
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There is 6 12oz bottles of Svedka Vodka
6 Cokes for Mixers because we weren't going to buy the soda wristbad/card.

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Here are my 12 -6oz bottles of Rum & Rasberry Vodka

We purchased the cheapest water bottles at the store and bought another set so that we could get the tops off the bottles without removing the seal.

We cut the tops off 18 water bottles and boiled their caps off. Youtube how to do this. Really easy..

Anyways we put the brand new caps back on and placed the water bottles back into the original shrink wrap from the store.

We made it all the way onto the ship and our bags took a little longer then usual. We thought we were screwed... Sure enough, they noticed the drinks but let us know that we passed :)

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We spent the 7 days mixing vodka with the free juices they gave you in the morning and with each meal. A small bottle lasted most of the day. We actually had enough to throw a small party with some sorority chicks from San Diego State.. Ill say thats a success :tup::happydance:

The free room service provided us with sandwiches and lots of cookies so we can store them for late night snacks.
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Good luck & have fun!

Bring a music device for the rooms and a small hammock for the balcony haha!

Any suggestions are welcomed, only thing the misses has said she wants to do is ice fishing.
And good idea on the bungee cord, never would of thought of that. Was it a super long one you brought or short?

The doors they used on carnival were sliding glass doors that were sprung to shut. In theory, you could jam a chair in the way and keep the door open, but then you obviously cannot walk in and out. I just bought the typical 1 - 1.5 foot bungee and it worked fine. You would rather have one that's too long as opposed to too short, because you can always knot it to make it shorter, but obviously you can't make it longer.

The excursions I did were 4 wheeler riding, kayaking, hiking ... all of which were great. I'm not into fishing, but I can see the appeal. The absolute BEST excursion I did was in Juneau where we did a helicopter dog sled combo. First, you toured Juneau in the chopper, seeing sites you would not be able to see any other way. Then, you land on Mendenhal (spelling?) glacier where they have sled dogs. Again, not something you are going to be able to do anywhere else. The quad riding, and kayaking, etcetera were all fun ... but you can do them a lot of places. It was by far the most expensive excursion, and I had to have my arm twisted to do it because it didn't sound fun, but I was super glad I did it.

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