Alaskan cruise for mid 50s couple

HI,

I%26#39;m trying to plan a surprise getaway for my parents 35th wedding anniversary. I know they have always wanted to go to Alaska but I%26#39;m unsure of what cruise line to send them on, they are a little older, in their 50s but still active. I want them to have fun and see wildlife, in addition to getting great pictures, does anyone have any tips for cruises geared towards romance or older people over family and young children? I have heard good things about Celebrity cruise lines out of Vancouver so far. Thanks in advance.

Alaskan cruise for mid 50s couple

Welcome to the forum. What a great idea. However, I feel so old after reading your post. Good luck with deciding what older people should do. During many trips to Alaska we met many people in 80s and a few in 90s who actively tour Alaska independently and were more adventures than many 18 year old. The easiest way would be be to ask them how they see themselves one day visiting Alaska. It is admirable for you to come up with such a great idea but I bet they are very capable to decide what type of trip they would want for themselves. Do you know they definitely want to go on a cruise? If someone one day is going to decide the cruise is the best thing for me I am going to scream. Ask them, you do not need to tell them you are planning a trip for them, just hypothetically speaking. After that return to this forum and ask detail questions. Meanwhile, read posts on this forum.

Alaskan cruise for mid 50s couple

I think a surprise cruise for their anniversary is a wonderfil idea. My wife and I went on our first cruise in 2005 with the idea that we aren%26#39;t ';cruise people'; but should try it out anyway. Well, in 2006 we went on 3 cruises - 1 in the Caribbean and 2 in Alaska. All 3 of our Alaska cruises have been with Royal Caribbean - the Vision of the Seas didn%26#39;t particularly impress us, but the Radiance of the Seas sure does! For an anniversary, it%26#39;s a great way to get away by yourselves and be pampered. A 7-night Vancouver return will probably suit your needs the best.

The busiest Alaska cruise board is at CruiseCritic.com - dozens of posts every day about Alaska cruising, with nobody saying you shouldn%26#39;t do it :)

Murray

Murray I am so happy you enjoying your cruises just like thousands other people. We went on one and would never ever do it again . Further I would never want anyone to surprise me with a cruise. Isn%26#39;t this wonderful that we all have different preferences and travel in many various ways? That%26#39;s what exciting about traveling. We all have our own unique experiences.

I remember when I thought ';mid -50%26#39;s'; was ';older people';!! My husband and I are late 50%26#39;s-early 60%26#39;s and our trip to Alaska consisted of flying there and renting an RV. I agree, I would not surprise someone with a cruise, unless they had indicated that it was their preference. It is a lovely thing to send them on a trip, but try to get an idea of what they would like.

We prefer small ship cruises to the big ships.

We took an Inside Passage Cruise (100 passengers) in May. Tune into the Travel Channel on November 30, in the evening, and look for ';The Trip of a Lifetime';. It shows the ship we were on.

These shiips are small enough to get into places the large ones cannot. We spent an afternoon in front of a glacier, watching it calve, with a ranger (who had kayaked out to us) helping us to spot wildlife. Then we got in 10 person Zodiaks to get closer to the action. The line we were on is Cruse West. Many of the %26#39;shore excursions%26#39; were included in the cost, and our ship wss small enough to dock right in the towns.

There are no casinos or big band entertainment on these ships...just great food, educational programs and Alaska. Plus the opportunity to make friends from all over, since you see them every day.

I am giggling about your parents... ';a little older, in their 50%26#39;s but still active'; I won%26#39;t tell you how old WE are %26lt;grin%26gt;. (and, yes, still active).

My wife and I are just 60 and lover the 7 day Alaskan Cruise we took out of Seattle on The Norwegian Star. There is not one bad thing I could say about it. A smaller cruise ship like the 100 person mentioned above would have been 1st choice however the cost was out of our league, being double or triple depending on the route. On the NCL Star we also had 3 US Park Rangers who motored out to join us at the entrance to Glacier Bay. They were available with literature and to answer questions for the whole day spent in Glacier Bay NP.

Check out a review with pictures from one of the side trips we took out of Skagway called the ';Ultimate Yukon and White Pass RR';.

tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60877-d1043鈥?/a>