Jump to content

Best line for Alaska for multi-generations??


aggie_gal
 Share

Recommended Posts

I'm not even sure where to post this.

 

 

We're currently booked on the Norwegian Bliss for 2019 for an Alaskan cruise. It's my parents 50th wedding anniversary so they're taking my family and my brother and his wife along. :) Myself, my husband and our son (will be 9 when we cruise to Alaska) have sailed Carnival and Disney (complete opposites, I know). My parents have cruised Holland twice and commented how they were some of the youngest on the ship...they'll be 70 when we go to Alaska. My brother and his wife have never cruised, but do enjoy all-inclusive resorts.

 

What would you suggest for the best line for our family? Disney is out as the prices for Alaska are just ridiculous. My mom doesn't think Holland is a good fit as it is geared to a more senior crowd. We need something fun for our son, but not a huge party atmosphere because that's just not my parents cup of tea (they're footing the bill).

 

I *think* we'll be fine on Norwegian, but just wanting to make sure we didn't miss something. The Bliss is a brand new ship with some really fun features, but does it draw a party crowd, similar to Carnival? I've heard great things about Royal Caribbean. I've heard great things about Princess.

 

Our travel agent said Norwegian built this ship specifically for Alaska. Then my son saw the go-cart and laser tag, so my mom booked it. He's their only grandchild. ;) None of us have ever sailed Norwegian but the ship looks amazing! I tend to second guess everything and this is a lot of money. Just want to make sure we picked correctly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not even sure where to post this.

 

 

We're currently booked on the Norwegian Bliss for 2019 for an Alaskan cruise. It's my parents 50th wedding anniversary so they're taking my family and my brother and his wife along. :) Myself, my husband and our son (will be 9 when we cruise to Alaska) have sailed Carnival and Disney (complete opposites, I know). My parents have cruised Holland twice and commented how they were some of the youngest on the ship...they'll be 70 when we go to Alaska. My brother and his wife have never cruised, but do enjoy all-inclusive resorts.

 

What would you suggest for the best line for our family? Disney is out as the prices for Alaska are just ridiculous. My mom doesn't think Holland is a good fit as it is geared to a more senior crowd. We need something fun for our son, but not a huge party atmosphere because that's just not my parents cup of tea (they're footing the bill).

 

I *think* we'll be fine on Norwegian, but just wanting to make sure we didn't miss something. The Bliss is a brand new ship with some really fun features, but does it draw a party crowd, similar to Carnival? I've heard great things about Royal Caribbean. I've heard great things about Princess.

 

Our travel agent said Norwegian built this ship specifically for Alaska. Then my son saw the go-cart and laser tag, so my mom booked it. He's their only grandchild. ;) None of us have ever sailed Norwegian but the ship looks amazing! I tend to second guess everything and this is a lot of money. Just want to make sure we picked correctly.

We took a family cruise to Alaska (bill footed by my dad) on Princess. It was fabulous. Ages: 78, 76, 55, 45, 43, 40, 15, 13, 10, 7, 7. There was stuff for all of us. Not a party ship but plenty to do for the kids (lots of kids because school was out- so they made friends in the kids club and then hung out outside of the club) Plenty of trivia for the older people. More formal dining than NCL which appealed to the elders.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Princess does a great job in Alaska (HAL also has a great reputation in Alaska). The Coral and Island Princess are Panamax ships and they're smaller and older, and wouldn't have quite as much for the kids as a brand new ship. I sailed to Alaska when I was pregnant with my oldest, so we didn't look at the ship amenities - we were just trying to find the best itinerary. I'm not sure if Princess has any newer ships in Alaska. They have other ships, I just don't know how new they are or how strong the kids amenities are on them. We sailed the Coral Princess again to the Panama Canal, and my son was very happy on this ship because the kids club was incredible. But he doesn't know that some ships have bumper cars!

 

We sailed the NCL Star to the Baltics with our family. Their kids club is great - they even had a show on the main stage where my then 3 year old got to dress up like a tiger and jump through a hoop, which he loved. The older kids learned circus tricks. The one bad thing about NCL was the free food. There are many people who are happy with NCL's food, but we were disappointed with their main dining room, and considered it to be the weakest of all the lines we've sailed (Princess, HAL, Cunard and even Carnival). When we went to Versailles, it took 30 minutes before our order was taken and the servers cleared all of my husband's silverware prior to his entree being served. This turned out not to be a problem, since when he borrowed my fork to try his entree, it turned out that his short ribs were completely inedible. But the Star is one of NCL's older ships, so maybe the food is better on their newer, more expensive ones?

 

We were very happy with the food at the specialty restaurants on NCL (and you may be able to get some of these meals included in a perk offered by NCL). Children can eat for free off the kids menu in a specialty restaurant, but are charged full price if they eat off the specialty menu.

 

There will be a ton of kids on a cruise to Alaska in the summer. One place to try to save money would be to book all your excursions independently - most ports in Alaska are really small, and you can easily reach many excursions by yourselves. Your son might love the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour, and Temsco's helicopter to a dogsled excursion (which is unsurprisingly really expensive). Please note that Temsco is the subcontractor for the helicopter tours for the cruise ships, and you can save 10% by booking directly through their company. Also, if you choose to visit a dog sled camp, please make sure you do it in Skagway, not Juneau since the weather is a bit more stable in Skagway. Also, please try to book your helicopter tour in the morning, since helicopter tours are often cancelled due to inclement weather. If your helicopter is scheduled for the morning, you will have a better chance of it being rescheduled for the afternoon, instead of the tour being cancelled outright. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that you will be able to participate in this amazing activity due to the unpredictable Alaskan weather).

 

It'll be a great trip no matter which line you take!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me, Alaska is all about the ports...the ship is secondary...it's simply a place to sleep and eat. You will be unlikely to have time to use any "bells and whistles" the ship might have....you'll be in Alaska, exploring!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We looked at Bliss and had a hard time deciding between it and Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas. We have history with Royal Caribbean. I also liked the interior virtual balcony- so we could book the cheap interior room, but still pretty much get a view. I also liked the interior general viewing areas and that the pool could be covered if the weather is cold. It has the interior area that can be used for roller skating, bumper cars, or trapeze school as well. I admit though, I am going to miss racing on the upper deck!

 

I think you will have a great time on Bliss, but if you really want to compare there is a good video on youtube about Ovation in Alaska:

It sounds like an ad for the ship, but one of the CC members actually put this together.

 

It is a multi-generational cruise for us as well. My husband and I, our boys (ages 5 & 9 at sailing) and my in-laws.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks so much for the input!

 

As far as NCL food, we have 3 specialty dining meals (part of a promotional package). Hopefully the other 4 meals will be edible. We've had subpar meals on even Disney. I can't imagine trying to feed 3000 people each evening. We don't have extremely high expectations....and we have the drink package, so hopefully that will help curb any poor quality entrees. ;)

 

We almost book our excursions independently. Some say we're crazy, but these businesses rely on reputation. They're going to get you back in time.

 

Princess was our other main option. I think I'm mostly worried about a party atmosphere. I think Princess is a great fit, but the Bliss simply looks amazing and they had a great promotion running when we booked.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We looked at Bliss and had a hard time deciding between it and Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas. We have history with Royal Caribbean. I also liked the interior virtual balcony- so we could book the cheap interior room, but still pretty much get a view. I also liked the interior general viewing areas and that the pool could be covered if the weather is cold. It has the interior area that can be used for roller skating, bumper cars, or trapeze school as well. I admit though, I am going to miss racing on the upper deck!

 

I think you will have a great time on Bliss, but if you really want to compare there is a good video on youtube about Ovation in Alaska:

It sounds like an ad for the ship, but one of the CC members actually put this together.

 

It is a multi-generational cruise for us as well. My husband and I, our boys (ages 5 & 9 at sailing) and my in-laws.

I hope you enjoy the Ovation....not a fan of Sailing out of Seattle and the itinerary for this new to Alaska ship....It's Radiance that has always had the better options...at least for us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honestly, Alaksa is not really a party destination on any cruise line. It's more expensive than the Caribbean, and while beautifully, the scenery doesn't exactly scream "put on tour bathing suit and get wasted". I wouldn't worry about NCL in Alaska being too much of a party atmosphere.

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope you enjoy the Ovation....not a fan of Sailing out of Seattle and the itinerary for this new to Alaska ship....It's Radiance that has always had the better options...at least for us.

While I like the itinerary better for Radiance we booked this for two reasons. We wanted to go on this ship for some of the features since we will have kids with us. Also, my sister-in-law lives in Seattle, so we will get a chance to visit post cruise. I hope to do at least one more in the future, and will be more port attentive on that one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We chose Princess for our Alaska vacation - they have a reputation for being a leader in Alaska cruising. It is not snobby but is more a classic cruise experience. The Carib deck balconies are wonderful for holding a family as they are huge, without paying extra. The naturalist on board kept everyone informed throughout the day. And it was nice to have the options of daytime movies and educational talks that are certainly missing on Carnival. Our kids had a fantastic time in their program and our then approx. 9 yo son said that he liked it better than Carnival as it was a more active program.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We chose Princess for our Alaska vacation - they have a reputation for being a leader in Alaska cruising. It is not snobby but is more a classic cruise experience. The Carib deck balconies are wonderful for holding a family as they are huge, without paying extra. The naturalist on board kept everyone informed throughout the day. And it was nice to have the options of daytime movies and educational talks that are certainly missing on Carnival. Our kids had a fantastic time in their program and our then approx. 9 yo son said that he liked it better than Carnival as it was a more active program.

 

We did Princess as well (a couple of times) and were very pleased. Now we have moved to Celebrity for most cruises and find they fit our expectations better in a cruise market that is constantly cutting corners.

 

Your son will have a great time on any ship/line so look at what the adults will enjoy. Your parent’s 50th is really an event to celebrate. Congratulations to them!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

We've done 4-generation cruising with Royal Caribbean before, and we all enjoy it. We've all done Alaska before (separately) and we're all going to Alaska together on Royal this summer. Unless you're on a line that really caters to one particular generation (like HAL or Disney), the other mainstream cruise lines have something for everyone (arguably so does Disney, but you know what I mean, if you're focusing on the generational atmosphere).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

We're also planning to take our kids and grand kids to Alaska next summer and have been wrestling with who to go with. We've been sailing Holland for the last 12 years and worry that they may not be the best for the younger ones. Also a main point for us would be the ability to sail round trip from Seattle as we can drive and park (eliminating air fare). It sounds like NCL is an option based on comments on this board and from a discussion we had with a couple last week (while on board Koningsdam in Norway). Worried about cramming 2 adults and 2 kids into a typical state room and what the programs look like for "at sea" days on a typical 7 day cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We're also planning to take our kids and grand kids to Alaska next summer and have been wrestling with who to go with. We've been sailing Holland for the last 12 years and worry that they may not be the best for the younger ones. Also a main point for us would be the ability to sail round trip from Seattle as we can drive and park (eliminating air fare). It sounds like NCL is an option based on comments on this board and from a discussion we had with a couple last week (while on board Koningsdam in Norway). Worried about cramming 2 adults and 2 kids into a typical state room and what the programs look like for "at sea" days on a typical 7 day cruise.

Out of Seattle we looked at NCL Bliss and Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas. I believe Royal had more indoor activities and we could afford two rooms with their interior virtual balcony. We didn't want to cram 4 of us in a room either. I normally would refuse interior, but the virtual balcony made this an option. On the other hand Bliss has the cart racing and laser tag. One of my kids is a little too young for these, not sure how old yours are. Either way, I would recommend looking at these two.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking at Bliss. Two of our grandsons are 12 and 13 and the other two are 6 and 8. I suspect we're looking at 3 state rooms. I've downloaded NCL brochures but I suspect talking to somebody who really knows NCL would be my best bet - I just hate letting NCL know I'm interested for fear of the marketing onslaught.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Princess is a great fit, but the Bliss simply looks amazing and they had a great promotion running when we booked.

just be aware that Princess doesn't offer much to kids aside from a fantastic kid's club. I know because we have a 7 yo who doesn't do kid's club.

We go on Princess (Regal and Royal) for the food and free on-demand movies, but other Princess ships don't even have free on-demand entertainment.

Princess is definitely geared towards older crowd. Not old, just older.

 

I am also considering going on an older RCCL ship just for the itinerary and all the fun stuff to do on the ship.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am also looking for a multi- generational Alaskan cruise for August 2019. Just read the NCL Bliss reviews and some are not good. Wanted to book it but now I am afraid. Sounds much too crowded and too much of a hassle with sign up for activities and reservations. Travel agentmentioned RCCL Ovations. Called a second travel agent and she said Princess is the only way to go. Did Disney to the Caribbean 11/15. We loved it, but so expensive and family wants something different. Grandchildren will be 6, 8 and 10 at sailing. Also want Seattle for direct flight from Philadelphia.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am also looking for a multi- generational Alaskan cruise for August 2019. Just read the NCL Bliss reviews and some are not good. Wanted to book it but now I am afraid. Sounds much too crowded and too much of a hassle with sign up for activities and reservations. Travel agentmentioned RCCL Ovations. Called a second travel agent and she said Princess is the only way to go. Did Disney to the Caribbean 11/15. We loved it, but so expensive and family wants something different. Grandchildren will be 6, 8 and 10 at sailing. Also want Seattle for direct flight from Philadelphia.

I don't think there is only one way to go. I also don't think Princess is the best for a multigenerational group. We will be ranging from ages 5-69 when we go next year. The features on Bliss and Ovation, as well as the Seattle port, are why we considered these two. I had the same concerns about Bliss. And, while the cart racing looks like fun, I'm worried the weather may interfere with it's usage while we are sailing. So, we went with Ovation. Work the indoor viewing areas and the indoor activities for kids I believe this is the best fit for us. You know your family the best. Don't let an agent put you with a company/ship if you have concerns about it. We can't wait to sail next year!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My last Alaskan cruise was on HAL back in 2016. Lots of multi-generational families and groups of friends (20s, 30s, and 40s) traveling together. Alaska is more about the destination and ports than the ship. For a family, I would be very price conscious and pay more attention to what I want to see/do within my budget.

 

Any of the lines mentioned can provide your family with a great experience. I don't think anyone has mentioned Carnival, but I had a great experience in Alaska with them. I've taken 4 Alaskan cruises, and never experienced a drunken party atmosphere on any of them.

 

Roz

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...