Inside Passage – Afterthoughts

Overall, I enjoyed the trip through Alaska’s Inside Passage on the Ruby Princess even though there were some disappointments. I would not repeat the Inside Passage cruise, but I want to return to Skagway and visit Alaska again via a cruise ship.

I am going to look into the Anchorage and Denali areas (the real Alaska as I have been told) for the next Alaska cruise and maybe even try to get to the town named “North Pole”. I want to see some wildlife next time.

The views of the water and land masses were mostly repetitious when I sailed the Inside Passage during the day. As a result, many people took to spending their daytime hours engaging in the on-board activities or drinking and looking out the windows.

Many people recommended the Inside Passage cruise, but people also recommend the Panama Canal which I do not find particularly interesting. It really is based on what vacation style you prefer. I mentioned in a previous post that I do not think I would enjoy 4-5 days on the open ocean. That is because I want to do stuff, see new things, talk with people I have never met before; and not just immerse myself in on-board entertainment options.

Whatever option I choose, I will also most likely use Affordable Tours to do my basic research again even if I don’t use them to purchase travel. They have good information and some nice discounts, but I would always weigh the difference in supplier rates with the benefits (or lack thereof). I used the Princess Cruises web site because they offered the Sip + Sail promo and prepaid gratuities with certain cabin classes.

My next cruise will be returning to France in a couple of years and taking a river cruise in the Rhone region that is sponsored by a winery I like.