Alaskan cruise for first timers???

[jdplawman]

HI,
My wife and I are looking for a cruise in September of 2008 out of the Seattle area. My question is should we do a round trip or a straight through trip north or south? If we do a round trip, which side of the ship should we be on, looking from a balcony room? And to show my ignorance, which side of the ship is leeward and windward?? Thanks for your help, Jeff

[colorcrazie]

I personally did not think that the north or south itinerary was worth the extra money for flight to or from. Plus the long bus ride to/from Anchorage to Stewart. I much prefer the round trip, but then one side of the ship faces land going and the other one coming back. So, it doesn't really matter which side you book. Same with leeward vs. windward. Actually, those don't mean much in today's cruising world anyway. There was a time when whether you were in the wind meant a lot, not so much now. You will probably love Alaska whatever you do. It is truly awesome.
Marty

[Marc]

Definitely take a one way trip so that you can tack on a land tour in Alaska either before or after the cruise. This means that you wll need to either start or end in Vancouver instead of Seattle. As for side of ship, it makes no difference. For, most of the daytime inland cruisng, you will want to be on the weather decks or observation lounge. If you do take a true inland route, there will be scenery on both sides of the ship.

[Kamloops Cruiser]

Originally Posted by jdplawman

HI,
My wife and I are looking for a cruise in September of 2008 out of the Seattle area. My question is should we do a round trip or a straight through trip north or south? If we do a round trip, which side of the ship should we be on, looking from a balcony room? And to show my ignorance, which side of the ship is leeward and windward?? Thanks for your help, Jeff

I don't know of any NB/SB cruises from Seattle. Most NB/SB cruise
start in Vancouver (something to do non US flag ships carring passengers
between US ports).
All cruise s from Seattle stop in a canadian port (usually Victoria) to get around the law.
This also applies to cruises to Hawaii from Calif (thats why the stop in Ensenada Mexico)

Most , not all cruises sail to the west of Vancouver Island not between the island and the mainland.

It seems most cruises from Seattle have one less stop in Alaska or reduced time in port.

[Mike M]

I don't know of any NB/SB cruises from Seattle. Most NB/SB cruise
start in Vancouver

This is true. There is no practical place to stop on a, North Bound, cruise out of Seattle. The Passenger Services Act dictates that a ship embarking passengers in a U.S. port must make one "foreign" stop before disembarking passengers in a U.S. port.

Because of the close proximity of Vancouver and Victoria Island, to Seattle, the logistics are too complex and a seven day cruise would turn into an eight day cruise in order to make the stop in a Canadian port. Vancouver and Victoria Island are too close to Seattle to make these stops (about the only ones you can make) practical. There would be one day of sailing around in a circle outside of Vancouver or Victoria Island.

Take care,
Mike

[Marc]

Mike, the law says that you must stop in a "distant" port if you start and end your cruise in different US ports. Canada does not qualify as a distant port. That is why you can't sail from Seattle to Seward (or Whittier).

[Mike M]

Originally Posted by Marc

Mike, the law says that you must stop in a "distant" port if you start and end your cruise in different US ports. Canada does not qualify as a distant port. That is why you can't sail from Seattle to Seward (or Whittier).

Marc: You are absolutely right. The only exception is Cruise West, that is American Owned and staffed. U.S. flagged ships are exempt.

Take care,
Mike