Best cruise line for Alaska

[soon2bmrsspd]

Planning an Alaskan cruise, and curious as to which cruise line to use. We are veteran cruisers, just never been to Alaska. I know everyone has their brand loyalty, as do we, but I seriously want the best experience, and I will go with which ever line offers that. I know some are too short and some are too long, so what do you all recommend???? Thanks for your help.

[WisconsinFan]

"Best" is probably all relative, and might depend on what you want to do and what are "must do" things for you. If Glacier Bay is on your "must do" list you may want to check out Holland America and Princess. The federal government only allows a certain number of ships into the bay and these two lines have the most permits.

 

We cruised HAL last June to Alaska RT out of Seattle. We had 10 total on our trip as it was a 50th wedding anniversary trip and had four kids on board. HAL did a wonderful job and our day in Glacier Bay I would not trade for anything. We were the second ship in that day, so we didn't enter the bay until 11:00 AM and didn't reach the large glaciers until 2 or 3 in the afternoon.

 

Check out what you want to do, where you want to go and how long you want to go. Compare the various lines and you will find the "best" ship/line for you.

[Glaciers]

If you really want the best try American Safari or Innersea Discoveries.

[dmwnc1959]

'Best' is completely a matter of opinion. Ask who makes the best car and you'll get a dozen different opinions. Ask which airline is best and you'll a dozen different opinions. Ask which cruise line is best for Alaska and you'll get...opinions. I've cruised Alaska five times. There really is NO 'best' generic answer that's a 'one size fits all' answer.

 

'Best' is completely relative to you. What is it that you are looking to get out of the experience? What's important to you? No frills, completely dress down, 'hands in the dirt' authentic Alaska? Small ship, 200 people, close up with nature in your face Alaska? Mass market, 2000 people, creature comforts 'view Alaska from your balcony suite' Alaska? And generalizations like 'but I seriously want the best experience' is common and uninformed.

 

You're going to need to do some legwork on your own. Use the internet. Look at the ports of call, study them, see what they have to offer, and see if it interests you. Look at the different ships, the different cruise lines, and different itineraries, study them, and see if it interests you. If you already are a 'veteran cruiser' which cruise line do you prefer? See what they have to offer and start from there. Chances are they will have just as good if not better of an experience than any other cruise line someone might recommend as a matter of their opinion.

 

Like I said, I've cruised Alaska five times and still haven't seen or done it all. It's unrealistic to expect a single trip to Alaska to cover it all, do it all, see it all, and experience it all. Your one and only cruise to Alaska may be a wonderful, perfect experience, but plan to go back again to cover the stuff you didn't get done the first time.

 

Read this thread, look at some of the pictures, and start there.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1235054

 

Doing your own research is half the fun. Get to know Alaska before you step on the plane, and anticipate seeing Alaska on your own terms and conditions, not someone else's opinion.

[BIG_Steve]

As far as Alaska goes......... Figure out what ports sound best to you. Then look at the ships itinerary's to see which have the best/most port times. Then choose from whatever ships are left. Most of us feel that in Alaska, the ship or cruise line is a secondary concern.

[chipmaster]

Best, best food, best service, best value etc. etc.?

 

As another said best is in the eye of the beholder.

 

Alaska is ALL about the scenic cruising no matter what you pick get a line that stops at either Glacier Bay or Hubbard as their cruising stop.

 

Lines with lots of choice sailings to Glacier/Hubbard: HAL/Princess

 

Lines that have the most one way where you spend less time just "cruising" Princess/HAL.

 

Happy planning...

 

Planning an Alaskan cruise, and curious as to which cruise line to use. We are veteran cruisers, just never been to Alaska. I know everyone has their brand loyalty, as do we, but I seriously want the best experience, and I will go with which ever line offers that. I know some are too short and some are too long, so what do you all recommend???? Thanks for your help.

[Budget Queen]

Any Alaska cruise will offer you a great trip. :)

 

The deal breaker will be YOUR priorities. What is of the most interest to you?? Basic first decision is, round trip or one way?? With a one way- time for interior Alaska touring??

 

Find out about ports, glaciers, routes. Make a decision based on time in ports, price, itinerary etc.

 

The more you know, the better.

[TheCalicoCat]

Planning an Alaskan cruise, and curious as to which cruise line to use. We are veteran cruisers, just never been to Alaska. I know everyone has their brand loyalty, as do we, but I seriously want the best experience, and I will go with which ever line offers that. I know some are too short and some are too long, so what do you all recommend???? Thanks for your help.

 

Setting all brand loyalty aside, we chose HAL Volendam - your needs may be different.

 

We chose our cruise because I wanted round trip, sailiing east of Vancouver Island, smaller ship, & Glacier Bay cruiseing. Mid-week leaving is a BONUS!

 

This will be our first HAL cruise.

[NHCruisr]

We've cruised both Princess and HAL and enjoyed both. We have an upcoming trip on HAL which is a 14 night cruise out of Seattle. I would echo what others have said - research the ports, find out how long the ship is in each, and decide which glacier viewing opportunity is most appealing to you.

 

HAL and Princess have been sailing in Alaska for a long time. They often have the best spots when docking which maximizes your time in port. They also have permits for sailing in restricted areas such as Glacier Bay.

 

We also like cruises that go to less crowded ports such as Sitka, Homer, Icy Strait and Kodiak. Some of the more often visited ports can get very crowded and a much more touristy.

 

Have fun with your research. Plannng is one of the best parts of a cruise to Alaska!

[gymjudge55]

We are going on Celebrity Millennium. It offered the best cruisetour visiting the places we were really interested in. For our husbands who are not sure they will like a cruise, we chose the itinerary that has the most port time, only one sea day and one day cruising the glaciers (Hubbard).

[olemissreb]

We're not going until next year, but we've decided on the Millennium also. My mother will be joining us and she will be 76 when we sail, so this could very well be her one and only time in Alaska so I wanted to be sure she would have many opportunities to experience the beauty that is Alaska. We are doing a week inland before boarding the ship, but then we get 4 port stops to enjoy even more of Alaska.