Prince William Sound/College Fjord

[sdzonker]

Hi - My husband and I are planning our first ever cruise for May 2004 and we would like to go on an Alaskan Cruise. I have been reading these boards and everyone offers so much hepful advice. I was hoping to ask a few questions:

1. My husband REALLY wants to see Prince William Sound. I have been scouring all the cruiselines and it seems that only Princess and Carnival actually go into it. The others just cruise past it. Is this the case. We were interested in Royal Carribean, but even their Gulf cruise doesn't seem to cruise there.

2. The options I have found that cruise there are the Princess Sun and Carnival Spirit. What are your opinions on these two? Are there others that I haven't found?

3. We were thinking about staying in Anchorage for a few days after the cruise. Is there anything there worth seeing? Any suggestions for lodging?

Thanks so much for all your advice. I have been taking lots of notes. I want this to be the perfect trip. We have 6 children and don't have the opportunity to take vacations often.

Shelly!!

[Kennicott]

Here is the list of ships that actually visited Port Wells and College Fiord this season. You can find them at www.alaskacruises.org/101.cfm As you can see the entire insdustry is pretty well represented when it comes to Prince William Sound.

PORT SCHEDULE FOR COLLEGE FJORD:

Date Ship Arrival Departure
May 13, 2002 SEABORN SPIRIT 06:00 16:00
May 17, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
May 19, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
May 19, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
May 20, 2002 STATENDAM 06:00 09:00
May 21, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
May 24, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
May 25, 2002 VEENDAM in port
May 26, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
May 26, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
May 27, 2002 VEENDAM 06:00 09:00
May 28, 2002 CARNIVAL SPIRIT in port
May 28, 2002 SPIRIT OF OCEANUS in port
May 28, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
May 30, 2002 CARNIVAL SPIRIT in port
May 30, 2002 SUMMIT in port
May 31, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jun 02, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jun 02, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jun 03, 2002 STATENDAM 06:00 09:00
Jun 04, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jun 07, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jun 09, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jun 09, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jun 10, 2002 VEENDAM 06:00 09:00
Jun 11, 2002 CARNIVAL SPIRIT in port
Jun 11, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jun 13, 2002 SUMMIT in port
Jun 13, 2002 CARNIVAL SPIRIT in port
Jun 14, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jun 15, 2002 STATENDAM in port
Jun 16, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jun 16, 2002 NIPPON MARU 09:00 24:00
Jun 16, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jun 17, 2002 STATENDAM 06:00 09:00
Jun 18, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jun 18, 2002 SEVEN SEAS NAVIGATOR 16:00 20:00
Jun 21, 2002 SPIRIT OF OCEANUS in port
Jun 21, 2002 CLIPPER ODYSSEY 08:00 23:00
Jun 21, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jun 22, 2002 VEENDAM in port
Jun 23, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jun 23, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jun 24, 2002 VEENDAM 06:00 09:00
Jun 25, 2002 CARNIVAL SPIRIT in port
Jun 25, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jun 27, 2002 CARNIVAL SPIRIT in port
Jun 27, 2002 SUMMIT in port
Jun 28, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jun 29, 2002 STATENDAM in port
Jun 30, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jun 30, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jul 01, 2002 STATENDAM 06:00 09:00
Jul 02, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jul 05, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jul 06, 2002 WORLD DISCOVERER 12:30 18:00
Jul 07, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jul 07, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jul 08, 2002 VEENDAM 06:00 09:00
Jul 08, 2002 WORLD DISCOVERER 06:00 15:00
Jul 09, 2002 CARNIVAL SPIRIT in port
Jul 09, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jul 11, 2002 SUMMIT in port
Jul 11, 2002 CARNIVAL SPIRIT in port
Jul 11, 2002 SPIRIT OF OCEANUS in port
Jul 12, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jul 13, 2002 SPIRIT OF OCEANUS in port
Jul 13, 2002 STATENDAM in port
Jul 14, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jul 14, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jul 15, 2002 STATENDAM 06:00 09:00
Jul 16, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jul 19, 2002 CLIPPER ODYSSEY 11:00 24:00
Jul 19, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jul 20, 2002 VEENDAM in port
Jul 21, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jul 21, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jul 22, 2002 VEENDAM 06:00 09:00
Jul 23, 2002 CARNIVAL SPIRIT in port
Jul 23, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jul 25, 2002 CARNIVAL SPIRIT in port
Jul 25, 2002 SUMMIT in port
Jul 26, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jul 27, 2002 STATENDAM in port
Jul 28, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jul 28, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Jul 29, 2002 STATENDAM 06:00 09:00
Jul 30, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Jul 31, 2002 SPIRIT OF OCEANUS in port
Aug 02, 2002 SPIRIT OF OCEANUS in port
Aug 02, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Aug 03, 2002 VEENDAM in port
Aug 04, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Aug 04, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Aug 05, 2002 VEENDAM 06:00 09:00
Aug 06, 2002 CARNIVAL SPIRIT in port
Aug 06, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Aug 08, 2002 CARNIVAL SPIRIT in port
Aug 08, 2002 SUMMIT in port
Aug 09, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Aug 10, 2002 STATENDAM in port
Aug 11, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Aug 11, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Aug 12, 2002 STATENDAM 06:00 09:00
Aug 13, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Aug 16, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Aug 17, 2002 VEENDAM in port
Aug 18, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Aug 18, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Aug 19, 2002 VEENDAM 06:00 09:00
Aug 20, 2002 SPIRIT OF OCEANUS in port
Aug 20, 2002 CARNIVAL SPIRIT in port
Aug 20, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Aug 22, 2002 CARNIVAL SPIRIT in port
Aug 22, 2002 SUMMIT in port
Aug 22, 2002 SPIRIT OF OCEANUS in port
Aug 23, 2002 SEABORN SPIRIT 08:00 17:00
Aug 23, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Aug 24, 2002 STATENDAM in port
Aug 25, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Aug 25, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Aug 26, 2002 STATENDAM 06:00 09:00
Aug 27, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Aug 30, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Sep 01, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Sep 01, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Sep 02, 2002 VEENDAM 06:00 09:00
Sep 03, 2002 CARNIVAL SPIRIT in port
Sep 03, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Sep 05, 2002 SUMMIT in port
Sep 05, 2002 CARNIVAL SPIRIT in port
Sep 06, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Sep 08, 2002 STAR PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Sep 08, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Sep 09, 2002 STATENDAM 06:00 09:00
Sep 10, 2002 SUN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Sep 13, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Sep 14, 2002 VEENDAM in port
Sep 15, 2002 OCEAN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30
Sep 15, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 15:00 18:00
Sep 16, 2002 VEENDAM 06:00 09:00
Sep 17, 2002 DAWN PRINCESS 06:30 09:30

[Tami]

Hi Shelley. I think Kennicott pretty much answered your first question.

As far as Anchorage is concerned. We just returned from a cruise in September. We stayed in Alaska for an additional 2 weeks about half of that in Anchorage. There is no shortage of stuff to do and see. I don't know what your tastes are but using Anchorage as a base you can go all over southern Alaska. The Matsu valley is only a couple of hours north. It has a bunch of animal stops: The Musk Ox Farm, Wolf Country USA, the Reindeer farm. It also has Independence Mine State Historic Park, the Iditarod Headquarters and beautiful views of Mt. McKinley from Talkeetna. South is Portage Glacier. Also south there is Big Game Alaska which has Alaska big game animals in large enclosures. We didn't go there but Alyeska Resort has a ski tram that they run for sightseeing in summer. Seward is about 3 hours (depending on road construction!). You can do Kenai Fjords cruises (wonderful!) from there and their SeaLIfe Center is reportedly very good. In short, you can cover a lot of ground. Anchorage also has a zoo and some interesting shopping places too.

As far as accomodations are concerned. They have the whole range of hotels & motels you'd find in any mid-size city (pop 250,000), from the Hilton to some real dives. We wanted to save some bucks so we stayed at the Parkwood Inn. Not bad actually. Big room, king bed, sofa, table/chairs, kitchen, balcony. A little old but not bad and pretty reasonable. But you might try www.anchorage.net. It's the Visitor & Convention Bureau. Lots of good info. Use the computer. Search for stuff. I have a favorites list full of Alaska.

I'm kinda running off a the mouth here, but one personal note which most people I've talked to agree with. Anchorage is just like any middle size city anywhere, some good, some bad. Don't judge Alaska by it. Once you leave town in any direction, it gets a lot better real fast! I hope I've helped and not gotten too carried away. We loved Alaska. We will be going back. See all of it you can manage. What you see on the cruise is wonderful, but it is not a cross section of the mainland. Have a great trip!

Tami/Steve

Hi, I don't know if you are familiar with "small ship" cruising, but CruiseWest goes all over Prince William Sound. Not only to College Fiord, but to Cordova, Valdez, and Blackstone Bay. You can do Just the PWS tour, 3 or 4 nights, or a complete Alaska tour.

[Karen16]

Hi - My husband and I are planning our first ever cruise for May 2004 and we would like to go on an Alaskan Cruise. I have been reading these boards and everyone offers so much hepful advice. I was hoping to ask a few questions:



1. My husband REALLY wants to see Prince William Sound. I have been scouring all the cruiselines and it seems that only Princess and Carnival actually go into it. The others just cruise past it. Is this the case. We were interested in Royal Carribean, but even their Gulf cruise doesn't seem to cruise there.



2. The options I have found that cruise there are the Princess Sun and Carnival Spirit. What are your opinions on these two? Are there others that I haven't found?



3. We were thinking about staying in Anchorage for a few days after the cruise. Is there anything there worth seeing? Any suggestions for lodging?



Thanks so much for all your advice. I have been taking lots of notes. I want this to be the perfect trip. We have 6 children and don't have the opportunity to take vacations often.



Shelly!!


First off, I would never consider a one way trip without at least 5 additional days interior touring independently. A cruise tour would not be a good idea for your large group- on a fixed schedule and the COSTS! Consider renting a RV- an absolute ideal way of traveling with a group your size. Would allow the utmost freedom and excellent opportunites to keep everyone occupied. a necessary reference is THE MILEPOST. I toured with an RV last year, all other trips were rental car and B&B's

Stay in Anchorage for a couple of days and take a day cruise out of Whittier. Check out http://www.princewilliamsound.com/ We used to live in Anchorage and went at least a couple of times a year and did a day cruise, and loved it everytime. You can get so much closer to the glaciers and wildlife on a small day tour ship. It really is worth it to stay in Anchorage an extra day or two pre or post cruise to be able to do this. We generally paid about 100 per person and that included roundtrip train transportation from Anchorage...the train ride from Anchorage to Whittier is beautiful as well.
Hope you get to do this and have a great time!