If I were to do a cruise, based on what I've seen, I think I would like Celebrity the best. I would keep a FT cruise as a 'maybe' option depending on timing in relation to other planned FT events that I'm already committed to through mid-2006.

Punki, if you spring for a balcony, by all means make sure it faces the land! One other piece of advice: when you get to Juneau, take the city bus to the glacier - very cheap! Cruise tour there is very expensive considering the city bus cannot be more than $2 now. We paid one buck. Best food on a Princess ship is in the pizza parlor! Have fun and give us a report.

I would like a cruise that begins and ends in SF! I certainly agree about the end of August. Great weather. We also took in the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, an hour from Anchorage. What a hoot!

There are a few Alaska cruises that start and end in SF, BUT it seems to me that adds two or three sailing days to the schedule, and more cost, but no benefit, unless you really enjoy just being on a cruise ship.

If it were me, I would prefer to fly to Vancouver (or Seattle) and spend a couple of days there before leaving on the cruise.

I would love to cruise to Alaska in 2006 and would possibly sign up for this. I doubt that many FTers will sign up, because of everyone's scheduling constraints, the time commitment (a week minimum), the high cost, etc., but even if the group is small (e.g., three or four FTers), that could enhance the experience immeasurably. ^

And I appreciate all the helpful tips and knowledge that the experienced cruisers are posting here. ^

My cruise experience is quite limited: I did five days of the Norwegian Coastal Cruise (certainly one of the classic cruises, like Alaska) several years ago, one way from the northern point (Kirkenes) south to Bergen. (That was a much smaller ship than Princess, Celebrity, and the other big cruise lines operate.) And I've taken the overnight ferry (actually a huge cruise ship) between Stockholm and Helsinki, both directions. But that's it.

Alaska is on my list of "must-see" places to cruise to. And I'd like to do BOTH the Inside Passage AND the Gulf of Alaska (not in the same trip). So either one would work as my first Alaska cruise. (However, the logistics are different, given that Gulf of Alaska cruises are "one-way" rather than "round-trip" and therefore one's flight itinerary has to include a one-way flight.)

A question (or a repeat of one): Would it be worth doing a "cruise run" (similar to a "mileage run" or "mattress run") on a short repositioning cruise (such as SFO-SEA) in order to get the bottom level of status on a cruise line and therefore be eligible for special deals, etc.?


P.S.: This thread is MUCH better placed here in the Community forum than in the Women's forum, and the Cruise Do should be open to all FTers anyhow, not just women travelers!

Thanks, Karen2. We do have a mini-suite with a balcony on the starboard side, on our northbound cruise. Hunki, along with many of his classmates (this is a class reunion cruise), fished in Alaska during high school and college, so this is sort of a trip down memory lane for them. Hunki can still pretty much name every light, head, and inlet along the inside passage. Alaska is part of my sales territory so I usually make several trips up there each year. Although my trips are mostly just to Anchorage, I have had the good fortune to visit Sitka, Barrow, Junueau and Ketchkan on occasion.

I had that same idea, KathyWdrf, of taking short little repositioning cruises to get status, if it turns out that we like cruising well enough to do it again. I was thinking of trips like SEA/SFO in the fall and then SFO/SEA in the spring, using the opposite halves of one airplane ticket. Whether this is something we are willing to try again, all depends on how things go on this first cruise.

While we have never, heretofore, had any inclination to take a cruise, it might have more appeal when we retire and have less pressure on our lives.

Reading opinions for cruises is very similiar to reading the Las Vegas buffet reviews. Such variety. Such passion.

"See Alaska and die." That is how many of the crew described their (typical) passengers on Alaskan cruise.