As the summer of 2011 Alaska season has already begun, Princess Cruises offers six cruise ships in this region with a variety of itineraries. Start by choosing from four different departure ports. Next, consider length of time in each port, time spent glacier cruising and also time of day that the ship arrives and departs the cruise port. Here is an overview of Princess ships in Alaska for 2011.
Alaska Cruises from Seattle
The Golden Princess and the Sapphire Princess offer seven-day roundtrip Alaska cruises from Seattle for 2011. Although these two Inside Passage itineraries are similar, there are a few big differences.
For one, the Golden Princess cruises in Glacier Bay National Park from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m. Instead, Sapphire Princess visits Tracy Arm for glacier cruising from only 6 a.m. until 10 a.m. then stops in Juneau later that same day. Golden Princess visits Juneau on a different day during the cruise.
And, while Sapphire Princess spends the whole day in Ketchikan, Golden Princess only stops in Ketchikan for the morning hours. Other ports of call on these itineraries include a day in Skagway and an evening in Victoria, Canada.
Cruises from Vancouver to Alaska
The Island Princess, Coral Princess and Diamond Princess all offer Seven-Days Voyage of the Glaciers cruises from Vancouver, Canada. Cruises depart from Canada Place terminal in downtown Vancouver and feature practically identical itineraries.
The cruise starts with a sea day then features Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, College Fjord and ends in Whittier, Alaska (near Anchorage). The biggest difference is that Coral Princess and Diamond Princess offer Saturday departures every other week, while the Island Princess has Wednesday departures every other week.
Princess Cruises from Whittier, Alaska
The same Princess Cruises' ships that sail from Vancouver to Whittier also offer Seven-Days Voyage of the Glaciers cruises from Whittier to Vancouver. This means that departures are also Saturdays for the Coral Princess and the Diamond Princess and Wednesday for the Island Princess.
These cruises start with cruising in Hubbard Glacier then a day cruising in Glacier Bay National Park. Ports of call include Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan then a final day at sea before ending in Vancouver.
Alaska Cruises from San Francisco
The Sea Princess offers roundtrip 10-Day Inside Passage cruises to Alaska from San Francisco. There are a variety of itineraries to choose from on dates throughout the summer of 2011. Generally, this ten-day cruise includes four sea days, four port days and one day of glacier cruising (either Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm).
More specifically, take a closer look at times spent in each port. For example, one cruise includes a stop in Victoria, Canada from noon to 7 p.m. All other departures only stop in Victoria from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. Other itineraries to consider include two cruises that include Haines, Alaska instead of Skagway, Alaska. There is also one cruise that visits Sitka instead of Ketchikan.
When considering an Alaska cruise, one of the biggest things to consider is to book a roundtrip Inside Passage cruise or to book a Voyage of the Glaciers cruise. Cruises from either Vancouver or Whittier allow the opportunity to book a cruise tour to places such as Denali or Fairbanks before or after the cruise. Alternatively, a roundtrip Inside Passage cruise will keep the cost of the vacation lower due to lower airfare costs.
Renee Ruggero - Renee is a published travel writer and cruise industry insider with more than 1,000 days on cruise ships, visiting over 50 countries.
