Crowdsourcing an Alaskan cruise

We did Princess.

We did the helicopter up onto the glacier, which was SO worth it.

We did the sled dog thing which was a LOT more fun than I thought it would be.

And you should, if you can, do the lumberjack show... it was a hoot.

unicorn33 said:
We narrowed the choice down to Princess and NCL for the particular time period and budget we wanted. Although NCL was a bit less expensive, we liked the Princess itinerary better, so that's the one we picked. Now, on to pondering the excursions...
Another poster mentioned helicoptering onto a glacier, which sounds awesome. But I imagine it must cost a bloody fortune. Considering the high expense of the cruise-tour itself, our budget may not be able to handle another major hit, especially since I'm sure all the excursions are pricey.

@gerardryan and I went together, @unicorn33. The excursions are really key. I was scared to death on the helicopter ride, but the views were extraordinary. Glacier Bay was the high point for me (no excursion needed..it is all around you!) We skipped the nature tours and whale watching (bec we were already on a boat) but people raved. Hiking would also have been very worth it, anything to bring the experience up close and personal.

The towns mostly exist as jump off points to seeing the wilderness areas -- worth a quick walk around but definitely plan on going further.

Enjoy!!

Do you recall about how much that helicopter ride was? It really intrigues me. Many, many years ago my spouse and I did a helicopter ride in Kauai, and I recall that it was terrific.

All the excursions mentioned above sound very cool. It'll be fun pondering them ... for the next 8 months!

deborahg said:
@gerardryan and I went together, @unicorn33. The excursions are really key. I was scared to death on the helicopter ride, but the views were extraordinary. Glacier Bay was the high point for me (no excursion needed..it is all around you!) We skipped the nature tours and whale watching (bec we were already on a boat) but people raved. Hiking would also have been very worth it, anything to bring the experience up close and personal.
The towns mostly exist as jump off points to seeing the wilderness areas -- worth a quick walk around but definitely plan on going further.
Enjoy!!

It was a lot..over $250..and worth every penny. Seriously.

Check the Princess Website as well as cruisecritic.com, they have all the tours (rated and recommended).

One more cool thing (and it's free)...write to Princess and see if you can take a tour of the Bridge during your cruise.

Thanks. Great suggestions.

deborahg said:
It was a lot..over $250..and worth every penny. Seriously.
Check the Princess Website as well as cruisecritic.com, they have all the tours (rated and recommended).
One more cool thing (and it's free)...write to Princess and see if you can take a tour of the Bridge during your cruise.