Wwhat's best North or South bound

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Camryn

Guest
Hi to All,

Before I ask questions, I did try to search but couldn't find anything I wanted to hear.
I'm new here and don't know to much about cruising. Since I can't leave the
cabin on notice, I was wondering what would be better. North to south bound or
south to north. Can you see the glaciers equally from both sides of the ship?

Trying to book with Princess Coral next year in May or June. When I ask the TA,
she quoted me a better price going north to sound, than the other TA.

I wonder, if there is such a big difference?

Can anybody help? Thanks for any information. You're the experts.
This coming Monday is booking time. Can't wait.

Camryn
 
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Peter

Guest
You should be able to see Glaciers equally well from either side of the ship. In our case (we had balcony cabins) the Captain did a U-turn in front of the Margerie Glacier in Glacier Bay so both sides of the ship got equal time.

When we ended our cruise in Vancouver (round trip inside passage) there were 5 ships that arrived at the same time on a Saturday. 3 had begun in Seward. The airport was terribly crowded due to all of these huge ships unloading at the same time. So my logic....and I may be incorrect.....is that the Northern trip would be better for disembarking due to fewer ships arriving in Anchorage (no round trips).

View wise it shouldn't matter which route is taken. You'll see incredible scenery and wildlife on both port and starboard.

Either way you're in for a thrill....Alaska is awsome!!!

Peter
 
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Tread

Guest
It really depends on what you do pre / post cruise. To avoid crowds, absolutely south to north. (view better on starboard side). If you are planning on touring Denali National Park, Arctic circle, or Fairbanks, start North and go south. (View better on port side). Rationale being take local tours prior to getting on ship, then relax. Just my two cents worth . . . . In any case, I recommend coming all the way up to Fairbanks. Lots to see / do. Feel free to email me for more detailed info..... Enjoy! :]
 
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SpongeRob

Guest
I can't imagine going to Alaska and not taking advantage of some of the great facilities that the cruise lines have. If you decide on a land tour, the southbound option is the better one, since the moving from place to place every couple of days is a little hectic. It's nice to get that part done, then relax for a week on the way to Vancouver.

I agree with Tread. Fairbanks was a real treat.
 
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BarbaraK

Guest
We have done North to South, South to North and Vancouver and back :eek:)
We loved all three but as many have said it depends on what you want to do for a land tour .
We did our first ever cruise to Alaska and now we are hooked!. We did Vancouver to Seward, we hired a car in Anchorage and did Denali on our own,staying at the same lodges as the tours do.
We saved approx $800 by doing this part on our own and that included hiring the SUV for 3 days. We didn't get to Fairbanks though, maybe next time :)
 
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desertsailor

Guest
Apologize for the late response. We went north and were pleased we do so for two reasons. First, the rains were certainly a factor in the southern ports (Ketchikan and Juneau) with better weather the further north. It seemed nice to end a cruise with the better weather. Second, we also separately arranged a post cruise stay at Denali. This adventure was a wonderful ending for a great cruise.
 
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