new comers to cruising

[pm]

My son is graduating from college in May and my husband and I want to take him to Alaska as a gift. We have never been on a cruise. Any advice on ships, places to go, see, etc etc

[f-mattox]

Hello pm and welcome to cruise-chat;
first, congratulations on your son's graduation--what a wonderful way to celebrate. Be forewarned--cruising can become addictive--ask anyone on this site.
Since you posted on the Holland America forum I assume that is the line you are interested in--and an excellent choice it is!
The best advice I can give you is, seeing this is your first cruise, get together with a reputable travel agent that specializes in cruses; once the agent knows a little about you, he/she can make appropriate recommendations; how long a trip you want to take, what your budget is, do you want to include a land excursion; these all need to be considered.
Being your first cruise, I would suggest starting easy--a 7 day Inside Passage round trip from either Vancouver or Seattle.
Of course you may have something much more elaborate in mind. This is why you need to sit down with a cruise professional--and I would do it pretty soon. Assuming you are talking about May of this year, I wouldn't wait to long, as your choices could become limited; Alaska is a popular destination.
Whatever you decide, have a wonderful trip and congratulations again.

[fruby]

Hello,

A cruise to Alaska is a nice graduation gift. There are several excellent ships that cruise to Alaska from Seattle, San Francisco, and Vancouver. Seattle has several 7 day cruises round trip that will probably save you some money on airfare. Please note that allof the majors will provide you with a nice cruise experience so do not agonize over this. Select the date you want to go, find the best price for three people in a cabin and make your reservation.

I would suggest that you rent a car in Juneau and Skagway Alaska as this will be much cheaper than ship excursions for three people. And find a cruise that spends the most time in each port so that you really get to see these ports and Alaska.

Hope that this helps.


Fred