Comparing RCI and Norwegian to Princess please

[2Oregonians]

My husband and I have cruised 4 times, but all have been on Princess. We are now going with the other side of the family, and the arrangements are being primarily handled by someone else in the family. (I'd love to do it, but she "thinks" she knows what she's doing even though she's never cruised before! :rolleyes:)

 

Anyway, she's talking about booking either RCI or Norwegian, and all I know is Princess. Princess is still in the running as well. I told her I would get on here and see what you experts think about the differences between the 3. We loved Princess, but it's all we know.

 

We are doing the 7 day out of Seattle, which my husband and I did in 2008.

 

Thank you so much!! :D

[bonvoyagie]

Well I prefer NCL and have not strayed from them so I really can't compare based on experience. I think that all of the major lines do a good job in AK - Princess and HAL have been doing it the longest so they have the best port times, docking sites and the most sailings into Glacier Bay. NCL is a close third in terms of time in the market and is the final line to cruise Glacier Bay.

 

As for your Seattle departure, NCL still uses Pier 66 which supports only one ship at a time, while the rest of them use the new facility at pier 92 which serves two ships at a time. Ships at pier 92 have to use staggerd boarding times to avoid overloading the facility. It is also more costly to get a taxi or shuttle to pier 92 - about 4.00 pp more.

 

As for the cruise itself - I would make sure that you see Glacier Bay as it is simply wonderful and now that I have finally been there, I believe that it should be done on the first trip to AK - save Tracy Arm for another time.

 

Please do not rule out leaving from Vancouver BC either. It is a short 4hr trip from Seattle by either train, bus, or car. While most of the cruises that embark from here are one way either to or from Whittier/Seward AK, there are some RT ones as well. Cruising from Vancouver RT means that you don't have to visit Victoria and therefore can spend more time in the AK ports. You also stay on the inside of Vancouver Island and have a calmer trip with less open ocean crusing. Some say it is more scenic - well I did it twice from Seattle back in 02 and 03 and the scenic portion was done late night /early morning so there was not much to see. My last trip we did go on the outside of the island and it was smooth sailing and we could see Vancouver Island most of the time (it was a bit foggy). That said it takes about 3 or 4 hrs to sail from Seattle to Vancouver so a cruise ship leaving Vancouver at the same time as one leaving Seattle would hit the Jonstone Strait/Seymour Narrows several hours earlier so there might be a chance of seeing that area in the twilight.

 

I hope the cruise planner on the other side of the family is open to suggestions - because it sounds like for the most part you know what you are doing.

[mapleleaves]

I'd be more concerned with the itinerary than the cruiseline. Make a list of which ports they visit, how long they're in port, at what time of day. Will you be there long enough and at the right time of day to accomplish your planned activities? Viewing Glacier Bay would be a must for me.

 

Be sure to include Vancouver departures since Amtrak Cascades runs from the Portland area up to Vancouver. Parking at the seattle piers is $25 per day.

 

Read the MEMBER REVIEWS of Alaska cruises to see what past travellers have to say about the ships.

[nartex]

Here are the Alaska member reviews (all cruise lines): http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/regions/alaska-cruises/

[sherryf]

As for your Seattle departure, NCL still uses Pier 66 which supports only one ship at a time, while the rest of them use the new facility at pier 92 which serves two ships at a time. Ships at pier 92 have to use staggerd boarding times to avoid overloading the facility.

 

It's actually pier 91, but close enough. While Princess does "suggest" staggered boarding times, they are not enforced. I can't speak for HAL, which is the other line that is always there when we embark.

 

I've only sailed Princess (and one Carnival cruise a long time ago) so I can't comment on RCI or NCL, but I can say that we enjoy Princess and feel that they do a good job in Alaska. I've read some things about NCL and RCI that would make me reluctant to try them, but that's me. If I were to try another line to Alaska, it would probably be HAL, or maybe Celebrity if I was willing to sacrifice Glacier Bay. They seem to be more like Princess, from what I've read.

[rjm11]

I have sailed all three you mention (NCL, Princess, and RCI)- my favorite by far is NCL, especially for Alaska for a couple reasons: first of all, as others have stated, they go to Glacier Bay (so does Princess, but RCI does not). Second of all, they have the "freestyle" thing down to a tee- no set dining times, or eating with strangers- and no formal nights. This is especially handy in AK because you are already bringing more stuff in the form of warm clothing and extra camera stuff (so not having to drag dresses and shoes is a bonus), and because the port times are often really late or really early (so not having a set dining time is really nice on this itinerary). Also, if you're early in the season, you'll probably want to be on deck as much as possible when it's still light out, not locked into a 6:00 dining time. Finally, NCL is more affordable (in my experience), and have more balcony rooms than HAL (espeically if you need them to be a quad as we did)- I think a balcony is a great option in AK, and I was able to book a full suite on NCL for what the cost of regular balconies were on Princess or HAL. Hope that helps!

[2Oregonians]

I have sailed all three you mention (NCL, Princess, and RCI)- my favorite by far is NCL, especially for Alaska for a couple reasons: first of all, as others have stated, they go to Glacier Bay (so does Princess, but RCI does not). Second of all, they have the "freestyle" thing down to a tee- no set dining times, or eating with strangers- and no formal nights. This is especially handy in AK because you are already bringing more stuff in the form of warm clothing and extra camera stuff (so not having to drag dresses and shoes is a bonus), and because the port times are often really late or really early (so not having a set dining time is really nice on this itinerary). Also, if you're early in the season, you'll probably want to be on deck as much as possible when it's still light out, not locked into a 6:00 dining time. Finally, NCL is more affordable (in my experience), and have more balcony rooms than HAL (espeically if you need them to be a quad as we did)- I think a balcony is a great option in AK, and I was able to book a full suite on NCL for what the cost of regular balconies were on Princess or HAL. Hope that helps!

 

It helps a lot!! We became bored of the formal dining after 4 Princess cruises, so we don't care about dress up nights or 2-3 hour sessions in the dining room with strangers. So it's great to know that NCL sounds like it might fit our style. Thanks so much!

 

And thanks to everyone else for your answers. That's what I love about this site! You guys always come through!!!

[Kimf]

I have not sailed any of them.... but we just booked the NCL Jewel for a summer cruise to Alaska. The reason we finally picked it was because it sounded kid friendly (13 and 11 year old kids will be with us) with the Nickolodean theme and the freestyle dining, which i think we will prefer to the formal and early/late seatings of most cruise lines. I really wanted to go on the Pearl for the Hubbard Glacier - but wanted to make sure the kids had fun, so this seemed a good route to go. RC was also more expensive for an OV only and we were able to get a minisuite on NCL. Princess was much more expensive in general when I was checking prices. Good luck with your decision! Half the fun in the planning!

[2Oregonians]

Decided on the Norwegian Jewel July 27th, 2013. Came down to price. I think Princess would've been better, but this should be fine too. Thanks, all.