We are going on Norwegian, leaving from Seattle round trip, with Glacier Bay. So, Norwegian also has glacier bay permits.

I’ve done it twice—it’s great and here are my thoughts.
1. I think the one way trips from Vancouver to Alaska (or reverse) are best so I recommend that.
2. The Seward highway from anchorage to Seward is gorgeous with many great stops. Anchorage is also fabulous. I recommend renting a car one way to get from anchorage to port. But there are very few one way rentals so reserve that (hertz) as soon as you make cruise reservation. If you can’t get that, the train or bus tours are also good.
3. It’s a rain forest. There will be rain. August has shorter days but will have more bears because the salmon have started running.
4. Don’t expect the tricked out boats that cruise the caribbean—they can’t dock at Alaska ports. Smaller, older boats.
5. Only Holland and princess have permits to go into glacier bay. But Hubbard glacier (alternate used by rcl) is also awesome.
6. When budgeting, you may want to save money for some expensive excursions. Personally, I wouldn’t spend extra on disney for Alaska. I’d rather save the money for a helicopter trip to a glacier or a floatplane trip over misty fjords.
7. Check out cruise critic’s Alaska forum for more detailed info. Those folks know everything (often too much....).

I went with Royal Caribbean out of Seattle in 2009 and loved it. It was and still is my only cruise experience so I can't really compare. I went in August and it was rainy, highs in the 90s. we stopped in Juneau , Skagway, but can't remember names of other towns. Did a whale watching your, saw a glacier, dogsled training, it was good.

Anonymous wrote:we did Princess one way from Vancouver to Alaska. Princess is one of the few lines that has permits to go into Glacier Bay, which is absolutely amazing. I would also say that the balcony is worth the premium here--we would be getting dressed for dinner and would hear people outside, go out and see whales/bears/ whatever...We even got room service and ate on the balcony once. It is not like the Caribbean where you see nothing but water - here you see land most days. We had gorgeous weather and went the second week of August. Kids swam in outside heated pool.

We did the same one. It was great with extended family -- teenage kids, 40-something parents, 70ish grandparents.

We did the July trip on Princess. 4 of us, inside room, no balcony. There was plenty of storage, and we were really only there to sleep anyway (we did an inland trip for a week afterwards, so we had a lot of stuff)! Had no regrets about not having a window or balcony. Topside was fine with great views and didn't cost extra.

I recommend doing a land tour (either on your own with a rental car or part of the package) if you have the time and budget. If Alaska will be once in a lifetime there's a lot more to see than the ports.

We're doing Disney in the end of May. Can't wait! We decided on May to save a little money since Disney is more expensive than the other lines. We have younger kids and have done Disney in the Caribbean and love it. We have also done other lines but think the extra money is well spend on the Disney touches when you have younger children. If you have tweens or teens I would absolutely book with another line.

we did Princess one way from Vancouver to Alaska. Princess is one of the few lines that has permits to go into Glacier Bay, which is absolutely amazing. I would also say that the balcony is worth the premium here--we would be getting dressed for dinner and would hear people outside, go out and see whales/bears/ whatever...We even got room service and ate on the balcony once. It is not like the Caribbean where you see nothing but water - here you see land most days. We had gorgeous weather and went the second week of August. Kids swam in outside heated pool.

I haven't done it but we've priced it out...Disney is amazingly expensive. I've been on their ships before but was shocked at how much they wanted for Alaska. I also think they sail in out and of Vancouver so you don't see as much as you do on some of the other cruises.

Left from Seattle on Princess, visited Glacier Bay (amazing!). Awesome voyage, something for all ages (we had kids, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousons). We did late July and had zero rain. 2 families we know did mid- and late- August and had rain every day.

Trip of a lifetime....

did a trip on celebrity left from Vancouver and returned to Vancouver did all the usual stops inside passage

booked all my own tours

get a room with a view. sun comes up at 4 and sets at 10. lots to see sitting on the balcony in your room

be prepared for an older ship.

You might look for a line that visits Glacier Bay-- probably would require leaving from Vancouver instead of Seattle. Disney is unlikely to be the best "value" (depending of course on what you mean by that). Cruisecritic will have a ton of infp (both editors reviews of line, and forums on ships and ports).

I went with Royal Caribbean out of Seattle in 2006 and loved it. It was and still is my only cruise experience so I can't really compare but i had no complaints. I went in August and it wasnt rainy, highs in the 70s. I know we stopped in Juneau , Skagway, but can't remember names of other towns. Did a whale watching your, saw a glacier, dogsled training, it was awesome.

Our family is looking at an Alaskan cruise next summer. Which cruise lines are the best? Best value? We will have grandparents and my family of four. Disney? Would August be too rainy? Which ports should we aim for? TIA.