Which cruise line for Alaksa did YOU choose and WHY?

[01Sweetpea]

I know this is completely by preference, but I'm just curious. I've started to read everyone's reviews and I'm real excited.

 

DH & I (and our 3 kids) were on the 7/3 Carnival Miracle cruising the Western Caribbean, we had a BLAST :) . DH & I are now considering taking an Alaskan cruise (WITHOUT kids :D ) in either 2006 or 2007. When we were cruising with the kids it was an easy choice with Carnival, but now that I don't have to have a water slide, or a ship with good kids activities, I know my options are vast!!!

 

We're looking to do a one-way cruise with the possiblilty of a tour added on, either ship sponsored or on our own.

 

So.... who did you choose and why?

 

Thanks,

Eileen

[tetleytea]

We choose Celebrity, and the reasons are in the details. It's just an accumulation of little things that make us like Celebrity better. For Alaska, though, we're looking outside of Celebrity/Royal Carrib., because we want a different port itinerary (i.e. Glacier Bay/Prince Rupert instead of Icy Strait).

[CruiseIsGood]

I actually chose Carnival three times simply because they had the cheapest balcony cabins. I spend a lot of time on the balcony in AK.

[quickfingers]

My family had a bad experience with Princess last year.

 

We knew we wanted to go on another cruise, but with a better company. We wanted a one way, because you see more. Celebrity had the itinerary that fit our requirements. From people we talked to before we booked, all that took Celebrity loved it.

 

I hope this helps.

 

P.S. We are taking our two daughters, 14 and 16, again. They should have a great time.

[SourDoughSteve]

Choose your Alaska cruise/tour by the itinerary, not necessarily by price or quality on board the vessel. Of course to most travelers the cruise ship is their favorite part but I believe Alaska is very different. Decide what your major points of interest are then find the vessel that will get you there. If you're interested in Alaska's Russian heritage then you need to find a ship that will take you to Sitka. If you're more interested in glaciers and wildlife then you should choose a ship that will take you to Glacier Bay. On land decide how much time you'd like to spend where i.e. 1, 2 or more nights in Denali National Park.

 

Don't forget that there are small ship options in Alaska as well. They are not big and fancy with glittery shows at night but viewing a pod of killer whales from the deck of a small ship happens much more often than on the big ships. They also go to places the big ships can't giving you a much more personal Alaska experience. They aren't on a timetable like the larger ships either. If they spot bears on shore or humpbacks feeding they will stop so you can cherish the moment. It takes a big ship a mile or more to stop so they don't even try.

 

It's always casual on a small ship. No fancy dress required ever. Some even carry a fleet of kayaks on board so you can explore the wilderness even closer. They are more expensive than your mainstream cruise lines but a large portion of their passengers are folks that went to Alaska on a big ship the first time and decided they didn't see it they way they should have. One such passenger said "I'd rather the scenery be big rather than the ship".

 

To me Alaska is an experience and all options should be considered. No matter what you choose you can expect a lifetime full of memories.

 

SourdoughSteve

[Momj47]

We chose Princess because they had the land tour we wanted. Everybody does the same cruise, but only Princess had the land tour from Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Coldfoot and Prudhoe Bay. We are very pleased with Princess.

 

We don't gamble, we don't go to shows, we don't eat a lot, so all those amenities were secondary to the itinerary. The shore excursions were great, too, in Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, but I imagine all the cruise lines make the same stops and offer the same shore excursions.

 

Good luck on your trip.

[Veloran]

Well in general when cruising we take into account itinerary, sail date, port of departure, costs, ship, service (based on reviews and experiences), and excursions. We weigh some factors more then others.

 

For Alaska, we picked Celebrity for a combination of reasons as listed above.

[Chat Noir]

Our TA recommended Carnival for our teenagers. My teens didn't find the on board activites to be what they expected, but bought board games and had plenty of fun playing while watching the scenery. They also enjoyed the 'non-stop' ice cream! I went for the glaciers, and the TA again recommended the Carnival itinerary with College Fjord. Nevermind that we didn't even make it there... We also particularly wanted to go to the Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glacier area and Carnival was in Juneau at the right times.

 

We're planning to go back next year, doubtful it'll be with Carnival. Perhaps Celebrity or NCL. And I'll absolutely book at least one glacier viewing excursion independent of the ship.

[jstducky]

We had taken two previous cruises to Alaska on HAL both going through Glacier Bay National Park. This time we wanted something different, so we chose Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas going through Hubbard Glacier.

 

It was a great experience, different from my first 2 Alaska cruises.

 

I agree with previous posters that Alaska should be chosen based on interests and itineraries rather than ship or cruise line. Alaska is really about being there in the state/city and experiencing what there is to experience based upon your interests.

[01Sweetpea]

Thanks everyone.... Looks like I have ALOT of research to do. Time to start ordering some Alaska cruise brochures!

[wcal]

We choose Celebrity because of the cruise tour prior to the cruise. Also it stops at Icy Strait Point which I hear is just great. Real Alaska and not touristy. Also TA recommended Celebrity or Princess but we decided on Celebrity. Cruised previously on Celebrity and Princess, plus the other mainstreaem cruise lines and we think Celebrity is just a little better.

[zachnlucy]

Like most others have stated, we choose based on itinerary for Alaska. Last year, we chose a RT from Vancouver on NCL Sun which seemed to have the most inside passage cruising. We fell in love with Alaska and this year, we're doing a northbound on the Sun Princess with 4 days tagged on at the end for some independent touring (Denali and Talkeetna). Our requirements for this cruise were: a lot of inside passage cruising, Glacier Bay and College Fjords, along with the ports we loved last year (Ketchikan, Skagway and Juneau). Princess fit the bill perfectly.

[FamilyofFourtoAlaska]

We were actually leaning towards Princess, but they would not put the four of us myself, DH, DD (13) and DS (9) in a suite. They would gladly have crammed the four of us in a cabin half the size. HAL was more than happy to put us in their suite (category S) so that is who we picked. We are doing a cruisetour, and both HAL and Princess had good itineraries for our family.

[clknam]

Our choice was based on cost, ports, ship size, and reviews of the cruise and ship. This will be are first cruise and first trip to Alaska. We did not choose Celebrety because I wanted to find a ship that I knew would have a slightly older crowd for her (I could be wrong on this conclusion :))

 

Royal & Princess seemed to be the top two contendors. Finally it came to dates, ports (we wanted roundtrip), and reviews of the available ships. We finally decided on Royal - Radiance of the Seas.

 

I agree with the others in that you pick based on what you're hoping to get out of the trip. For us, we wanted relaxtion and great senery.

[jjtsfca]

I used Holland America (Volendam) in 2003 and it was outstanding. This year we're going on Celebrity (Infinity) because the Aug. 21 sailing is an Atlantis Events (all gay/lesbian and their friends) charter of the Infinity.

[flashdog_1]

I picked Celebrity Summit not only because I had already been on the ship and knew my way around, but there was a special including air that I couldn't pass up. Then there is Icy Strait Point, a fairly new port of call that is not offered by all cruise lines which is not yet touristy. I hate missing Sitka, though. I chose Anchorage to Vancouver to be able to see a little bit more of the northern part of SE Alaska rather than just the inside passage. I picked Celebrity initially, not just for Alaska, because of their good food, their wonderful service, the fact that they do not polute the atmosphere with black smoke, do not make constant annoying announcements, the fact that they still offer assigned seats in the evening for dining so I can get to know some people a little better, rather than running to a different table every night, the fact that all cabins have a mini bar and sofa and are 172 sq ft, even inside cabins, that they have classical music during dinner, and that thelosotherapy pool is for adults only! If I ever get to go again, I will choose an itinerary with Glacier Bay and or College Fjords and maybe won't take so many expensive excursions and will be able to feel what Alaska is like to be in the towns.

[jfhtn]

:) We did Alaska on Princess and did the land tour prior to sailing. If you are going to go that far, you have to do the land tour. In my opinion, Princess has the best land tours with their own lodges and trains. The scenery is magnificent. I advise doing the land first, because by the time you get to the cruise, you are ready for a rest!:)

 

jfh

 

Empress of Seas 97

Monarch Of Seas 99

Sun Princess 01

Grand Princess 04

Sovereign of Seas 05

[CruiseIsGood]

:) We did Alaska on Princess and did the land tour prior to sailing. If you are going to go that far, you have to do the land tour.

 

No, you don't.

[KFH]

We pick HAL because they have been doing Alaska for a long time and the cabins are bigger. Their will be four of us in a cabin so the size was a big factor. We also liked the itinerary.

[Budget Queen]

I have sailed 5 different lines in Alaska and definately for me, it's what's outside the ship that is my priority. So look at routes, ports, time in ports, glacier, price. Save money for those great tours. If going one way, take advantage and see interior Alaska perhaps, but I disagree that Princess cruisetours are the best option, most tours are WAY lacking in Denali Park. Research fully and know EVERYTHING important about what you are purchasing to be able to make choices for your priorities. :)

[01Sweetpea]

Thanks everyone... last night I ordered brochures from all the "Big" lines... Princess, Celebrity, HAL, RCL, Norwegian, & Carnival.

 

So now it's time to pour over them, pick an itineraty, and go from there!

 

Eileen

[Bucky3]

After looking over many itineraries we have about chosen Volendam, mid May, Juneau (2:30 - 11) Skagway (7 - 9) & Ketchikan 10 - 6) including Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay. Trip is for a couple who have been to Alaska before and a few people who have never been to Alaska or on a cruise. Your opinion please. Have very much appreciated some of the information I have read on your posts. Thank you so much!

[redrobin]

My family had a bad experience with Princess last year.

 

We knew we wanted to go on another cruise, but with a better company. We wanted a one way, because you see more. Celebrity had the itinerary that fit our requirements. From people we talked to before we booked, all that took Celebrity loved it.

 

I hope this helps.

 

P.S. We are taking our two daughters, 14 and 16, again. They should have a great time.

 

quickfingers,

Just completed my first cruise with Princess, and would cruise with them again. Just curious, what made your experience bad with Princess last year? Thanks in advance for any details!

[OnlyMe]

First I started reading cruise forums and asked questions regarding ages of passengers on ships (we are in our early 30's). I know I found a web site somewhere that basically told you what age group / activities, each cruise line GENERALLY catered for. That narrowed us down to HAL and RCCL and perhaps Princess. Since we had cruised RCCL previously and trusted that particular company and liked the itinerary, we chose them. Next was either Vision, Serenade or Radiance. Based on the itinerary times and timing of sea days (ie we didn't want three excursion days in a row), ship reviews, times in port and round trip from Vancouver, we chose Radiance.

[H2O babe]

We also sailed Carnival with sons and nieces and nephew and had a fabulous time. We aren't taking kids on our Alaskan cruise next June and I spent lots of time researching ports of call as BQ suggests to do. I had my heart set on seeing Glacier Bay which eliminated Carnival. I wanted to do a north/south itinerary and ended up choosing Princess for many different reasons. Do your research and decide what works for you. You'll find loyal and disgruntled fans for each cruise line. Good luck.