Information on Alaska Cruise Please

We have been on many cruises but have not done an Alaska cruise.
We are planning one on Royal Caribbean in the summer of 2010.
Here is what we need to know that will help us select the cruise.
What is the best month for seeing Glaciers and scenery (not that much
interested in the towns)
What is the best direction to cruise, North to South, or South to
North.
Which cruise type (inner passage, etc.)
AND what side of the side if the best with a balcony to see the
scenery.
Thanks to all

On Mar 18, 12:42*pm, "
wrote:
We have been on many cruises but have not done an Alaska cruise.
We are planning one on Royal Caribbean in the summer of 2010.
Here is what we need to know that will help us select the cruise.
What is the best month for seeing Glaciers and scenery (not that much
interested in the towns)
What is the best direction to cruise, North to South, or South to
North.
Which cruise type (inner passage, etc.)
AND what side of the side if the best with a balcony to see the
scenery.
Thanks to all


Hi, Bushwick1,

Alaska remains one of our top favorite cruises. You are in for a
treat!

I think July and August are best for scenery and animals and overall
enjoyment without risk of too much bitter weather (whenever you go,
come prepared for rain and cool temps, though, and be pleasantly
surprised if you get warm and sunny). There is a fairly focused time
period for bear viewing tied to salmon runs--if you are interested, I
think it's late July/early August, but check me out on that. Glaciers
are great anytime you go, but I think there is more glacial activity
as the warm months continue. If you want to do some glacier hiking,
there are a lot of those types of excursions out of Juneau--I don't
guess it can get too warm for that? I dunno. We did our glacier treks
post-cruise inland and chose a whale watch in Juneau.

The port stops are probably identical whether you go N-S or S-N. If
you are keen on glaciers, then the important thing is to get on a
cruise with an itinerary that includes a day cruising Glacier Bay
National Park. For environmental protection, permits allowing cruise
ships to enter the park are limited, so not every cruise goes there.
We happened to cruise S-N, but the choice was really made by date and
cost of open jaw airline configuration. I don't recall much in the way
of material reasons to choose one direction over the other. Some say
the food is better S-N because the ship is provisioned in the Pacific
Northwest, where fruits and produce in particular are spectacular.
Alaska imports most of that stuff.

Inner Passage is better for scenery on both sides of the ship. It also
offers a different type of cruise experience, as the ship speed is
slower and the waters are calmer, so you feel like you are gliding
through some amazing, misty vistas. Inner Passage voyages allow you to
see more Alaska, too, as the others tend to go around Vancouver Island
with a stop in Victoria, which often eliminates some other "usual"
stop along the Alaskan coastline. Victoria (and the island generally)
is a wonderful place to visit, but if you cruise in/out of Vancouver
or Seattle, you can do it as a part of a pre- or post-cruise land
extension.

Speaking of which, if you have the time, consider a land extension to
Denali. It was a highlight for us, and on the theory that getting to
Alaska can be quite a trek for many and very costly, if there's a
chance you might not return, you should try to pack as much into your
trip as possible.

Selecting the side of the ship for your balcony, conventional wisdom
is, if you are doing a S-N, select starboard so you see the land on
your way up; reverse if you go N-S. However, the fact is, if you do
Inner Passage, both sides see land during that stretch, and certainly
wherever there is glacier viewing, the captain will 360 or otherwise
maneuver the ship so all pax get a good view.

Have fun planning your trip!

Diana Ball
Austin, TX