My wife and I are not experienced cruise goers. Have done a couple 5 day trips to Caribbean and such. We are looking at a 16 day trip that departs out of Vancouver to Alaska and then winds up in Hawaii. Looks like a fun trip but we have never been at sea that long. Anyone on here done something similar and can give any feedback?

For anyone who is going to be on the open ocean for a number of days, I would highly recommend taking something for sea-sickness. Just keep in mind that Dramamine can make you really sleepy or tired. The Scopolamine patch works pretty well, but you can go through a sort of withdrawal if you wear them for too long.

The patches really saved my behind when I crossed the Drake Passage earlier this year.

C

That's a lot of dead time on a ship if you either don't have a ton of vacation days, or don't just love sea days.

It is a lot of sea days but some people really like those and the relaxation. As mentioned above, it could be rougher seas at times. I personally would struggle with seasickness but not the number of sea days. I assume this is on Norwegian. It's an older ship but it was refurbed in 2020. If you aren't working with an agent I would be glad to assist, sometimes we can save money on cruises. My email is in my profile.

How do you pack for a trip like this? Bring a suitcase for Alaska and one for Hawaii?

You've been on other cruises, are you the type that enjoys relaxing on sea days or do you need the hustle and bustle of port stops to stave off boredom? If you're not a sea day type it may not be for you.

I did a repositioning leg on a Royal Caribbean cruise in 2024. They do these 2x a year to transition a ship from Australia to Vancouver for the Alaskan season in the spring and then in reverse in the fall. There were plenty of people that boarded in Australia and were on all the way through the first Alaskan cruise of the season. Not sure how they packed for that adventure! My segment was 9 nights from Honolulu to Vancouver. The first few days were packed with port stops as we bopped around the islands but then we had 5 straight sea days to Vancouver ... I absolutely loved it and once we escaped the trade winds around the Hawaiian islands things were very smooth for us.

Also if you've never spent much time in Vancouver, I recommend staying a couple days on the front end if you can before boarding your ship. Great city.

I love sea days personally. I can get a chair by the pool, read a book, hop in the pool, eat, read, repeat for days on end. Sea days are my wife's least favorite and that cruise would drive her crazy. It really just depends on each persons personality.

I appreciate the feedback. We both actually like the sea days knowing we have zero responsibility or plans and can just truly relax with a book and a drink.

What cruise line? Probably too long for me but plenty of people like those repositioning trips

I'm guessing Norwegian based on the information provided and the timeline.

NCL built its own ports away from the other cruise terminals in some of the stops like Ketchikan. Be aware that you get off the boat and you have to bus into town if you're on NCL. And if you don't make the last bus back, you're stuck SOL in town. The biggest issue is if you want to book an excursion outside the NCL offerings.

NCL excursions are mostly crappy and always exorbitant. But I will say whale watching is fun to do once. And there's one at Icy Strait Point where you can go look for coastal brown bears in the forest. Pretty neat as long as you are far enough away.

If the cruise has Victoria as a stop, don't bother getting off. Nothing really to see, it likely will stop at night when everything is closed.

The ships will skip a destination like Glacier Bay if ice is a concern.

The onboard gym is a great way to kill days at sea.

Asians that take these Alaskan cruises are pushy and rude.

Balcony cabins are a must even if the weather sucks.

If you leave out of Seattle and explore the downtown area, you'll see bath salt zombies and poop on the streets away from the immediate touristy area around Pike's Place Market.

SacStateAg said:

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I appreciate the feedback. We both actually like the sea days knowing we have zero responsibility or plans and can just truly relax with a book and a drink.

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Can't you do that on a beach in Hawaii without the chance of getting sea sick ?

Yes of course and that would be much preferred for me. We were actually married on Maui and have been to Hawaii a couple times. My wife lived in Alaska for a couple years before we met so she has been trying to get me to go there for some time now. We were looking for a way to incorporate both but get back to Hawaii for our anniversary. Also Megalops appreciate the info on NCL and their ports. We haven't actually booked yet. Definitely something to consider.