Alaska on RCCL vs other lines

[cjankowski]

Hi

 

I have been on RCCL (3) and Carnival (1).

 

I need help - Will we regret taking an RCCL ship to Alaska?? We have enjoyed our cruises on them before and I would like to stay loyal, but I need help in understanding if RCCL is the best line for Alaska or should be go on a different line for this area.

 

Thanks

Carol

[Emeripsni]

Not sure what kind of assistance you are looking for, but we absolutely loved the Royal cruise we took there several years ago.

 

Can't imagine why anyone would regret a cruise to Alaska.

[Miss Fig]

Hi

 

I have been on RCCL (3) and Carnival (1).

 

I need help - Will we regret taking an RCCL ship to Alaska?? We have enjoyed our cruises on them before and I would like to stay loyal, but I need help in understanding if RCCL is the best line for Alaska or should be go on a different line for this area.

 

Thanks

Carol

 

Based on what criteria????

[hollon]

I have to say we went to Alaska on the diamond princess, we chose princess because Glacier Bay is a Must See, at least to a lot of people, and rccl doesnt go there and I feel like you would miss out if you didn't see it. Our itinerary went to both glacier bay and Hubbard glacier, as rccl only goes to Hubbard, Also there was so much ice and fog this year that we completely missed Hubbard, so if you went on rccl and got fogged or iced out that's missing alot, make sense?

[xxoocruiser]

Hi

 

I have been on RCCL (3) and Carnival (1).

 

I need help - Will we regret taking an RCCL ship to Alaska?? We have enjoyed our cruises on them before and I would like to stay loyal, but I need help in understanding if RCCL is the best line for Alaska or should be go on a different line for this area.

 

Thanks

Carol

 

 

Depends on what you're wanting to see. RCCL does not go to Glacier Bay. Which in my opinoin is a must see and does not compare to Sawyer Glacier and Hubbard Glacier. On one RCCL Alaska Cruise and one HAL. Though I enjoy my RCCL alaska cruise , I will only go again to Alaska if I take HAL so I can go to Glacier Bay .

[galavant3]

We love Royal Caribbean but we did an all inclusive to Alaska. I would at least take a look and make a comparison. Once you add fare, tips, drinks, airfare, pre-cruise hotel, transfers and all excursions the price wasn't that much different.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Itinerary and times in port would be my only consideration. I've sailed four times to Alaska - all on HAL. Two 7 day roundtrips from Seattle on the Oosterdam, and then the last two were the 14 day itinerary (also roundtrip Seattle), which I think is pretty darn hard to beat. Been to Glacier Bay once (outstanding), Tracy Arm once (beautiful scenic sailing), and the mighty Hubbard Glacier four times (absolutely drop dead gorgeous - by far my favorite glacier sailing). Agree w/previous posters that Glacier Bay should really not be missed for a first timer, BUT I also highly recommend Hubbard for its sheer massiveness and the numerous instances of non-stop calving we were fortunate enough to witness three of the four times we sailed there.

 

Times in port are so important for us - we're adventurous and like to see and do active excursions in port - 4X4 in Sitka, sea kayaking in Sitka and Juneau, flightseeing over Misty Fiords in Ketchikan, whale watching in ISP (fantastic!) and Juneau several times, car rentals in Anchorage to drive to Martin Buser's Happy Trails Iditarod Kennel (twice), Hatcher Pass, Independence Mine, and the Reindeer Farm, car rental in Skagway to drive ourselves up to the Yukon, flightseeing trip to Neets Bay out of Ketchikan to see the bears fishing for salmon literally yards away from me (awesome, and by far my favorite excursion:p), and so many other things that we enjoy which can only be accomplished by having longer port times.

 

We have no interest in shows, rock climbing whales, ice skating or other types of activities aboard a ship in Alaska - because for us anyway, its ALL about Alaska. We want to be on deck enjoying the amazing scenery, searching the sea for whales and other marine life, and breathing in the undescribable beauty that is Alaska.

 

Each person is different and each person will want certain things when traveling to Alaska. I can only comment about the 4 HAL cruises I've taken to the Great Land, and each was more special than the last.

 

All cruiselines will offer a great trip to Alaska - your job is to find out what you want to see and do in port, and then base your ship choice on that. Take out some Alaska travel books from the library or purchase them reasonably at a local book store - Frommers and Fodors are my favorites, as is Moon Alaska. Read up on each of the major ports (if you're taking a 7 day trip - it will include most of the following - Juneau, and Ketchikan for sure, and then, depending on the cruiseline - Skagway or Haines, Icy Strait, or Sitka. Any itinerary will include a scenic sailing day of Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm or Hubbard. It should be noted that often ships cannot get far enough into Tracy Arm to see the glaciers due to ice flow so you'll take your chances there - either way, its a beautiful sail in and out with cliffs that tower straight up from the water, plenty of gorgeous waterfalls, and the opportunity to see marine life or bears on the shore.

 

Good luck in your mission, hope you find just the right trip for you! Oh, and plan on a second (or maybe even third or fourth;)) trip back - it is THAT special!

[TEXASMUNK]

I am diamond so my preferences show. But, if it is Alaska..look for a cruise that takes you through the inside passage. Princess and Holland America have grandfather rights and offer the inside passage on far more departures. Others that sail the inside passage, get thier weeks by lottery.

If you are looking for comparable to RCI, look at Princess.

[negc]

Depends on what you're wanting to see. RCCL does not go to Glacier Bay. Which in my opinoin is a must see and does not compare to Sawyer Glacier and Hubbard Glacier. On one RCCL Alaska Cruise and one HAL. Though I enjoy my RCCL alaska cruise , I will only go again to Alaska if I take HAL so I can go to Glacier Bay .

 

We have done two cruise tours in Alaska, one on Princess and one on Royal Caribbean. Frankly, I would be very hard pressed to claim that Glacier Bay is more of a must-see than Hubbard Glacier. Our Princess tour was wonderful but our RCI tour pretty much blew Princess out of the water. We found that the Denali Wilderness excursion provided by RCI was far superior to the Natural History Tour that Princess included. We very much appreciated having a full-time escort and bus driver included in the RCI tour, something that was only offered by Princess as an added cost. Both lines offered good lodging options although our lodging facilities in Fairbanks with RCI were much better than the Princess Lodge in that location. Our Princess cruise was on Dawn Princess which doesn't compare to Radiance of the Seas. Princess is now using newer ships so the comparison of vessels may not be as dramatically different.

When we return to Alaska, which we will most likely do, we will have no problem choosing Royal Caribbean over Princess or HAL. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend any of those lines and don't think you will be disappointed whichever you choose, but I don't want you to think that Glacier Bay is such a deal-breaker that you will be making a mistake if you choose RCI instead.:)

[KruisinKath]

Actually, the "grandfathered" rights are for permits into Glacier Bay. HAL and Princess have the most permits, although NCL goes as well, and a couple other lines may go, but only at the very beginning or end of the season (early May/late September).

 

All cruises sail the Inside Passage, although those from Seattle travel initially west of Vancouver Island (I think it's Vancouver Island - someone will correct me if I'm wrong...) and so, as people mention, can have rougher seas the first day out.

[NorbertsNiece]

I wish I was in the fortunate position to be able to compare cruise lines to Alaska. I've been the once - a cruisetour with RCCL. It really was the trip of a lifetime and far exceeded any expectations I may have had. Alaska as a destination is so amazing and varied in its scenery, towns, wildlife etc I don't feel I have missed out on seeing Glacier Bay... I'm sure there were many other sites / sights that I missed out in one visit. We had fabulous weather throughout most of the 2 weeks; the tour guides on land were outstanding; the whole itinerary well planned and impeccably executed.

[cjankowski]

Thank you for the information. We will love any criuse / ship that we take. We plan the best of any vacition with what we have.

 

My husband has MS so it is very hard for him to do alot of sight seeing that is not handicap accesable.

 

I think that we just need to sit and keep planning. This is going to be a very long process :)

[NancyIL]

Royal Caribbean has two ships in Alaska. Rhapsody does roundtrip cruises out of Seattle, and has a mediocre itinerary, in my opinion. Radiance does one-way cruises between Vancouver and Seward, Alaska, and has the much better itinerary. If you choose to do a one-way cruise, add time in Alaska at the beginning or end to see more of the interior. You don't need to book a "cruisetour" offered by the cruise line for the land portion, as it is quite easy to rent a car and drive to Denali and elsewhere on your own.

[NorbertsNiece]

I went to Alaska with mobility issues and was well looked after on board. I rented a scooter for use on board and had the benefit of a wonderful balcony to look at the scenery. The Radiance has so much glass that you will be able to see the wonderful scenery pretty much everywhere you are. On shore I used a cane and good solid boots. If your budget can stretch to a balcony you won't be disappointed. At Hubbard glacier the captain did a very slow 360 so that even those on their balconies got a close up view.

[chipmaster]

May be harsh to put it this way but simply, If the choice is RCCL and get Tracy Arm or HAL/Princess or other line that gets Glacier Bay you are missing the whole point of Alaska.

 

Hi

 

I have been on RCCL (3) and Carnival (1).

 

I need help - Will we regret taking an RCCL ship to Alaska?? We have enjoyed our cruises on them before and I would like to stay loyal, but I need help in understanding if RCCL is the best line for Alaska or should be go on a different line for this area.

 

Thanks

Carol

[DHooch]

My wife and I are Diamond members with RCCL, so we really like RCCL. We have been on two cruises to Alaska -- one on Princess and one on RCCL. We took Princess because we were told that they have the best lodges when taking the rail trip through the interior. We agree. From what we saw, RCCL has lesser lodge accomodations, except for, maybe, Fairbanks. Princess was in Alaska first and, hence, got the best lodge views of Mt. McKinley. On the other hand, we did not like Princess' ship (Coral Princess) because of its layout, even though it was a beautiful ship.

 

Our other trip was on the Serenade of the Seas without the interior railway trip. The ship was beautiful and arranged (designed) better than the Coral Princess, in our opinion.

 

The scenery was great from both ships and you have to take trips to Alaska on multiple ships to see all there is to see from a ship, since RCCL and Princess go to different glaciers, etc. We traveled the inside passage at night on Princess and the daytime on RCCL so that was very different, also. You have to see the inside passage, at least once, by daylight.

 

Some of the stops were different between the two ships and we enjoyed all of them. Icy Point Straits, an RCCL stop, was not as nice as the rest, but interesting. After the rail and motor coach trip of the interior, Princess started its cruise from Whittier, which was beautiful. You have to go through a tunnel to get there, which was exciting.

 

As side note, you have to go to Skagway and take the White Pass and Yukon train ride when you are there. Also, you have to stop by the Red Onion Saloon to see how "old" Alaska used to be.

 

I hope this helps people when deciding on their Alaska cruise (and/or interior rail trip). No matter how you get there, you can't go too wrong when you get to go to Alaska.

[cjankowski]

We love Royal Caribbean but we did an all inclusive to Alaska. I would at least take a look and make a comparison. Once you add fare, tips, drinks, airfare, pre-cruise hotel, transfers and all excursions the price wasn't that much different.

 

Could you explain this more in detail? I have never heard of an all inclusive cruise before.

Thanks

[sunsetbeachgal]

We just booked a royal Carribbean cruise so was on this board when I saw your post...I would go with only Princess or Holland America as Glacier Bay was a highlight for us. Also, if you are including a land tour, the Princess lodges as others have said are great. Good luck...Alaska is wonderful!

[songster2]

We have been to Alaska X3 on cruises-1 rt from Seattle on the Vision of the Seas. We liked that so well that we've booked b2b X2, on the Radiance of the Seas out of Vancouver-NB and Seward-SB, the last one being June 2011. Hubbard Glacier was a favorite, as was Icy Strait. Going to Hubbard there were always seals on the ice chunks, and the thunder of calving was awesome. On 2 different occasions the captain sent out the quick rescue boat to bring glacier ice back on board so that pax could see up close. In 4 times at Hubbard we were at least within 350-400 yards of the glacier face per the captain's announcement.

 

At Icy Strait while on a whale watching excursion, we saw large humpback whales breeching one after the other for several minutes. They came very close to our boat, and went under a fishing boat that was close to us. They were also bubblenet fishing. On a previous cruise, while anchored at Icy Strait, I saw humpbacks bubble net fishing beside the ship, close to the shore.

 

In Juneau, we've gone to a Salmon Bake, and while we were getting ready to board the bus to go back to the ship, a young bear came into the camp looking through the bins for food (salmon).

 

In Ketchikan, we've seen bald eagles by the dozen.

 

In Skagway, we took the White Pass train into the Yukon (barely). The previous 2 times, we did the coach/train combo, which went farther into the Yukon.

 

I really want to go back-it's such a beautiful area. I know that whatever you decide, you'll enjoy it.

[pspercy]

May be harsh to put it this way but simply, If the choice is RCCL and get Tracy Arm or HAL/Princess or other line that gets Glacier Bay you are missing the whole point of Alaska.

 

Yes, you are harsh. To define an Alaska trip by one glacier or one bay is unreasonable, it's far more than that.

[dirtgirl]

Are you talking about the Rhapsody or the Radiance? The Rhapsody has a very poor itinerary, IMHO. The best Alaska cruises are out of Vancouver, where you have better scenery, seas, and itinerary. The only exception I will make for itinerary is the 14 dayer out of Seattle. Otherwise, Vancouver wins over Seattle, hands down.

Do not just pick a cruise to Alaska based upon cruise line. There is so much more involved in picking the best Alaska cruise than that. Itinerary, seas, scenery. Look at it from that perspective. ;)

[sg1phileshipper]

IF I wasn't so hooked on RCL and I would take another Alaska cruise, I'd opt for HAL since they go to places that RCI doesn't go to: Tracy Arm, Homer and Kodiak. Their 14 day cruise looks amazing and even though I would love to do it some day, if I ever go back to Alaska, it will more than probably be on the wonderful Radiance :D

 

Cindy

[Sharkb8]

We did the interior passage/cruise tour combo 5 years ago and it was outstanding. And we always said that we'd be back, planning our own land tour (for more nitty-gritty). That said, it seems that RC has eliminated quite a few of the excursions that were included in the land tour price. I've also discovered that the Alaska Railroad has similar packages at a good price. We just have to figure out if we want to eliminate Fairbanks as a destination. Beginning to plan ...

 

 

Royal Caribbean has two ships in Alaska. Rhapsody does roundtrip cruises out of Seattle, and has a mediocre itinerary, in my opinion. Radiance does one-way cruises between Vancouver and Seward, Alaska, and has the much better itinerary. If you choose to do a one-way cruise, add time in Alaska at the beginning or end to see more of the interior. You don't need to book a "cruisetour" offered by the cruise line for the land portion, as it is quite easy to rent a car and drive to Denali and elsewhere on your own.

[DT1304]

Just curious....

 

If you book a cruise out of Vancouver on Radiance, and then book the cruise from Seward back to Vancouver, do you get a better rate for the 2nd cruise?

 

How do back to back cruises work? Do you have to get off and then go through the whole process of getting back on, or just stay in your same cabins for the return portion?

[Clarea]

Just curious....

 

If you book a cruise out of Vancouver on Radiance, and then book the cruise from Seward back to Vancouver, do you get a better rate for the 2nd cruise?

No better rate for the second cruise, you pay whatever the going rate is at the time you book.

 

How do back to back cruises work? Do you have to get off and then go through the whole process of getting back on, or just stay in your same cabins for the return portion?

The back to back process varies by ship and port. Sometimes you get off the ship, briefly to go through customs, and get right back on. Other times you can stay on the ship the whole time. It's best to book early so you can get the same stateroom on both cruises. This way you avoid packing/unpacking, and you can use your stateroom during the turnaround period.