Question for those w/ experience

[lsw0224]

I am having trouble deciding who to sail with. DH and I are looking into Alaska 2013 with X or Royal. I have sailed Royal, Princess and Carnival for a total of 11 cruises and generally don’t cruise for the ship but for itinerary/price.

DH and I are late 30’s. We are looking at booking an inside room and splurging on shore excursions. I know Alaskan cruises usually have an older crowd on board so Im not worried about that but I don’t want to be bored to death in the evening or feel “out of place.” The cruise on Princess was horrible, the passengers were very rude and snooty and kinda made me feel like a kid (this was a Caribbean cruise if that matters). But with all the excursions we have planned we most likely will be ready for bed early each night.

The itinerary is pretty much the same on both lines, X is a little more expensive. The room size is pretty much the same. So my question is would you pay a little more for X? Do you think the experience will be worth the extra cost? I will be Select in the captains circle due to my status with Royal if that makes a difference. I will probably only do X for Alaska b/c I like to have a little more fun on the ship when I cruise to the Caribbean so this might be my only chance to try X. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

[Keith1010]

When it comes to Alaska I always recommend considering Celebrity, Princess or HAL. All three lines have sailed Alaska for many years.

 

It's always good to try another new line so to me this would be the perfect time to do so given Celebrity's track record in Alaska.

 

Keith

[phoenix_dream]

I have been on two Alaska cruises with Celebrity and absolutely loved them. I am a bit older than you (ok, quite a bit:)) but we often travel with my twenty something son and he loves Celebrity. It is classy, but not at all snooty or snobbish IMHO. There is not alot of nightlife but other than that I think all ages enjoy it.

 

One more point - I notice you have not posted alot. You may find you get more responses if you post a more specific question in your title. I am trying to be helpful, not critical. Just want you to get the info you need.

[bigbenboys]

I am having trouble deciding who to sail with. DH and I are looking into Alaska 2013 with X or Royal. I have sailed Royal, Princess and Carnival for a total of 11 cruises and generally don’t cruise for the ship but for itinerary/price.

 

DH and I are late 30’s. We are looking at booking an inside room and splurging on shore excursions. I know Alaskan cruises usually have an older crowd on board so Im not worried about that but I don’t want to be bored to death in the evening or feel “out of place.” The cruise on Princess was horrible, the passengers were very rude and snooty and kinda made me feel like a kid (this was a Caribbean cruise if that matters). But with all the excursions we have planned we most likely will be ready for bed early each night.

 

The itinerary is pretty much the same on both lines, X is a little more expensive. The room size is pretty much the same. So my question is would you pay a little more for X? Do you think the experience will be worth the extra cost? I will be Select in the captains circle due to my status with Royal if that makes a difference. I will probably only do X for Alaska b/c I like to have a little more fun on the ship when I cruise to the Caribbean so this might be my only chance to try X. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

 

If you have not done Alaska before. Then check out what glacier you want to see. I've seen 3 of them and the best was Hubbard Glacier. Do a search and look at pictures of the different glaciers. Richard

[ghstudio]

I wouldn't judge princess by one cruise...and for Alaska, they are the class act. One of the worst cruises we ever took was on RCL out of Bayonne....passengers were awful to everyone and the average age was 82..it was a longer trip to Canada. That's not typical for RCL but if you hit that type of cruse it can turn you off...I understand. However, that was a fluke and if you want more activity at night, then I would suggest Royal C.....

[Bruin Steve]

I am having trouble deciding who to sail with. DH and I are looking into Alaska 2013 with X or Royal. I have sailed Royal, Princess and Carnival for a total of 11 cruises and generally don’t cruise for the ship but for itinerary/price.

 

DH and I are late 30’s. We are looking at booking an inside room and splurging on shore excursions. I know Alaskan cruises usually have an older crowd on board so Im not worried about that but I don’t want to be bored to death in the evening or feel “out of place.” The cruise on Princess was horrible, the passengers were very rude and snooty and kinda made me feel like a kid (this was a Caribbean cruise if that matters). But with all the excursions we have planned we most likely will be ready for bed early each night.

 

The itinerary is pretty much the same on both lines, X is a little more expensive. The room size is pretty much the same. So my question is would you pay a little more for X? Do you think the experience will be worth the extra cost? I will be Select in the captains circle due to my status with Royal if that makes a difference. I will probably only do X for Alaska b/c I like to have a little more fun on the ship when I cruise to the Caribbean so this might be my only chance to try X. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

 

lsw,

I'm one of those who, I guess, has done a lot of cruising...

I am a diamond Crown & Anchor member on RCI and an Elite Captains Club member on Celebrity--both independent of the reciprocity thing...So, I guess you can say I love both lines--but largely for different reasons...I've also cruised multiple times on Carnival, Princess, Oceania and others...

 

When we did Alaska, I did a lot of research aforehand and decided on Celebrity...My sister had just done Alaska on Princess and was not impressed...They had sold her on the notion that "they've been doing Alaska longer", "owned their own hotels" and had exclusive visits to Glacier Bay...None of these seemed to mean that much in the end...Glacier Bay being the only real selling point, but, as has been pointed out, it is typically a trade-off for Hubbard Glacier...and Hubbard may be singularly more impressive...

 

As between Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, it's really a close call for a number of reasons...IF you are considering doing a "Cruisetour" (We did--13 nights), then know that Royal Caribbean and Celebrity share the same land operation in Alaska--so you get the same hotels, same buses, same dome-covered rail car, etc. The land tours are segregated as to cruise line, but the basic operation is the same.

 

The main differences, for me, between Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are:

1) The ships' size and capacity...Most Celebrity ships have a smaller number of passengers for the size of the ship (divide the gross tonnage by the number of passengers, total occupancy...This results in a less crowded feel and better service.

2) The ships' amenities...Royal Caribbean devotes a large amount of its space to sports related amenities--rock climbing, ice skating, surfing, zip lines, etc. Celebrity uses its space for more "adult" pursuits--bars and lounges, for example...It makes for a different style of cruise...If one has kids with them and/or are on a more tropical route with more "at sea" days, those amenities are fun...In the Caribbean or Mexican Riviera, one has lots of days to lounge around the ship and partake in those fun activities...If you're on a more port-intensive cruise in a colder climate (It's not all that cold in Alaska in the summer--except, for example, the sea day when you visit Hubbard Glacier--that Ice can be chilling out on deck), then all of the sports stuff is sort of unneeded...

3) Food...In my humble opinion, Celebrity is clearly better in this department...better on service as well...

 

Now, Alaska, traditionally, has been known to attract an older clientele--but that has been changing over the years...A lot of younger people have been making the trek...Celebrity will attract a slightly older crowd overall than RCI, but it does have a good spread of ages...We took our 20-something daughters to Alaska on Celebrity and they loved it...Of course, they love RCI as well...for those same different reasons we do--they've usually cruised RCI in the Caribbean or Mexico...

 

Overall, I really don't think you can go wrong with either cruise line...

[lsw0224]

thanks everyone for the replys. i am looking at 2012 for all my info and will have to wait for the 2013 schedule to come out before I can really make a decision anyway. i have looked at the princess schedule and it does not fit my needs at the moment but will not rule them out. this will be a very expensive trip so im planning a head of time.

 

and i dont post alot because i know how to use the search option to find what i need! lol :p

[Lsimon]

... I will probably only do X for Alaska b/c I like to have a little more fun on the ship when I cruise to the Caribbean so this might be my only chance to try X. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

 

This is a great chance to try Celebrity! With 11 cruises under your belt you are an experianced cruiser. Take this opportunity to try Celebrity and see if it is right for you. You'll find a more refined experiance in some respects with a little less activities than on RCL - at least those aimed at people younger a little younger than you. For example X has no mini golf, water slides, rock climbing wall, etc. But it does have better service in most respects.

 

If I were in your shoes I'd definitely give it a try. We've only taken one Alaskan cruise, one on Princess in 2005. This was booked before we took our first Celebrity cruise and we've never sailed another line other than Celebrity since then. With that said the experiance on Princess was great but not quite as nice as we find Celebrity in general - although we've not yet sailed Celebrity in Alaska. We did find that on the Princess Alaskan cruise that the nightlife was quite a bit toned down from princess Caribbean cruises we'd taken despite a lot of young people and families on board.

[mcrcruiser]

We love Celebrity for all our cruises & we have sailed to Alaska 4 times .Twice with Celebrity ,once on RCCL & once on Carnival back when they owned the Jubilee.

 

Celebrity by far is more upscale & the demographics for age runs from the 30s all the way up . Their food is better quality & variety & their service is much better.

 

we see in your post that you want to do a lot of tours. Recommend that you look at these tour savings books & you can see what coupons thay offer before purchasing ,on line.:

 

www.toursaver.com

[mcrcruiser]

We love Celebrity for all our cruises & we have sailed to Alaska 4 times .Twice with Celebrity ,once on RCCL & once on Carnival back when they owned the Jubilee.

 

Celebrity by far is more upscale & the demographics for age runs from the 30s all the way up . Their food is better quality & variety & their service is much better.

 

we see in your post that you want to do a lot of tours. Recommend that you look at these tour savings books & you can see what coupons thay offer before purchasing ,on line.:

 

www.toursaver.com

 

The other book of coupons is :http://www.alaskadiscountcoupons.com

[Keith1010]

thanks everyone for the replys. i am looking at 2012 for all my info and will have to wait for the 2013 schedule to come out before I can really make a decision anyway. i have looked at the princess schedule and it does not fit my needs at the moment but will not rule them out. this will be a very expensive trip so im planning a head of time.

 

and i dont post alot because i know how to use the search option to find what i need! lol :p

 

Good luck with your decision. The search function is a great capability as often the question has already been asked.

 

Keith

[pal4404]

We cruised Alaska last year on the Island Princess and it was awesome. While we are an older couple in our 60's we found the passenger demographics to be much younger and very pleasant. We were booked in cabin C309 only a few cabins from the access door to the deck at the front of the ship. Stood on that deck for Glacier viewing and it was awesome. No seating but very few people. We could go to our cabin for drinks and had a private party with those viewing with us. Hubbard was wowing but the approach to Glacier Bay was aawe inspiring. It was heavy mist in the morning and you could not see you hand before you but by the time we were approaching Glacier Bay the mist lifted and the view was incredible. Which every line you cruise with it will be a fabulous trip.

[gwynreg]

I am having trouble deciding who to sail with. DH and I are looking into Alaska 2013 with X or Royal. I have sailed Royal, Princess and Carnival for a total of 11 cruises and generally don’t cruise for the ship but for itinerary/price.

DH and I are late 30’s. We are looking at booking an inside room and splurging on shore excursions. I know Alaskan cruises usually have an older crowd on board so Im not worried about that but I don’t want to be bored to death in the evening or feel “out of place.” The cruise on Princess was horrible, the passengers were very rude and snooty and kinda made me feel like a kid (this was a Caribbean cruise if that matters). But with all the excursions we have planned we most likely will be ready for bed early each night.

The itinerary is pretty much the same on both lines, X is a little more expensive. The room size is pretty much the same. So my question is would you pay a little more for X? Do you think the experience will be worth the extra cost? I will be Select in the captains circle due to my status with Royal if that makes a difference. I will probably only do X for Alaska b/c I like to have a little more fun on the ship when I cruise to the Caribbean so this might be my only chance to try X. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

We have done 10 cruises, not many in some cruisers' estimation but having to fly to distant places to pick up the ship, being expats of UK, now living in Spain, Celebrity far outshines other cruise ships. Regarding the Alaskan trip, we were blessed with very good weather and had a fantastic trip through the Inner Passage and when we arrived at the Hubbard Glacier that was stupendous. We were there all day with ice floes all around us, yet spending time in the outdoor jacuzzi with the sun shining ... but as soon as we left the Glacier and entered the main sea, the fog horns were blaring. We couldn't believe that in just a short time, the weather had changed. Friends cruised on the same ship only weeks' before and had terrible weather.

Again, not a cruising trip but on a tour of China, we were again blessed with brilliant weather when visiting the Great Wall of China and, yet our guide told us "if we were to ask Esther Rantzen (a British celebrity) what she thought of the Great Wall, she would have replied that she didn't see it!!! You just can't forecast the weather when booking a cruise so far in advance, but good luck anyway! The Alaskan cruise gets the thumbs up in our eyes!

[Redtravel]

Alaska is a very active cruise. I was off the ship a lot. I even went off after dinner on some nights. In Juneau, after dinner, we took the tram (next to the dock) up Mt. Roberts to see the sunset....excellent at almost midnight. You will be in ports a lot of the time. I went on Royal Caribbean. I have friends who have gone on HAL,Celebrity, and Princess. All are good. Look at your ports. Decide where you want to be. Some people prefer cruises based on the ports that they visit. My favorite excursions were the train in Skagway and the seaplane over the Misty Fjords in Ketchikan. Alaska is a great cruise.