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I moved last year from Savannah, GA (my family is still there) to Seattle, WA for a new job. This summer I want to take my first cruise so I figure I have 2 options...
1) Fly back to Georgia, visit family, then take a cruise out of Florida
2) Stay here in WA and cruise Alaska
I'm leaning towards Alaska because if there is one thing I don't miss about living in the south is the heat... I can only imagine it's a lot worse down in the Bahamas or Caribbean.
Actually, the heat in the Caribbean is generally not as bad as it is in the Southern US during the summer months. Since the islands are all relatively small plots of land surrounded by water, they tend to remain fairly comfortable. More often than not, there's a nice sea breeze (especially in the evening) to cool you off. I'm not a fan of heat at all. However, few things are more pleasant (in my opinion) than a Caribbean evening. Your cruise ship will most likely be fairly comfortable as you'll be moving at a good pace and you'll be out on the water. I would not compare the temperature to Savannah in the summer. What you'll experience onboard and in the bahamas will be more comfortable.
Personally, I loved the Alaskan cruise I went on. Beautiful! ...but there were only a handful of people near our age onboard (30). The Caribbean will be more of a younger crowd.
I've done both, and definitely prefer Alaska. To me, there was a different feel to both. Cruising the Caribbean felt very much like a party trip; where you were going was secondary. Alaska was a much more casual trip, all about the views, the partying was much less noticeable.
You have a huge cost advantage by doing an Alaska cruise since you're in the PNW. As Hemlock mentioned there are significant savings by going in May or September. May is normally the driest month in Alaska and September can be wet with less light. There are other considerations like if you want good glacier viewing or wildlife viewing or both which can depend on the month you go.
For some really good info on cruising, particularly to Alaska check out CruiseCritic. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55
They are 2 different creatures, an Alaskan cruise and a Caribbean cruise! In Alaska, you'll want to see ALL the sights...it's more touristy and "go, go, go" than the Caribbean, where it's all about relaxation and fun, unimportant things!
I moved last year from Savannah, GA (my family is still there) to Seattle, WA for a new job. This summer I want to take my first cruise so I figure I have 2 options...
1) Fly back to Georgia, visit family, then take a cruise out of Florida
2) Stay here in WA and cruise Alaska
I'm leaning towards Alaska because if there is one thing I don't miss about living in the south is the heat... I can only imagine it's a lot worse down in the Bahamas or Caribbean.
Thoughts?
They are such different experiences. Alaska you do for the sites and it is what we call a very port intensive experience. Of course, for you, it would be a lot less expensive even though Alaska is more expensive than other cruises, you won't have to worry about transportation.
Cruising the Caribbean will be very warm during the summer and you do not have as many cruising options as some of the lines move their ships from the Caribbean to Bermuda, the Meditaranian and Alaska. You also will encounter a lot more families on a Caribbean cruise. Of course, you haven't said if you will be cruising with a family or just yourself, maybe someone else.
There is no right or wrong answer as they are very different. 1/2 of me says, for a real, true cruise experience you need to start with the Caribbean and the other 1/2 says, do Alaska,it is a wonderful adventure.
Nita
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