Royal Caribbean or Celebrity for Alaska?

[alj1208]

Hi... We are considering an Alaska cruise in August. We have only been on Celebrity, and we love it. We love the service, standards, etc. Our son will be 8 when we go. We are thinking maybe Royal Caribbean would be better because there's more to do on the ship for kids. In the Caribbean, Celebrity worked for us, because our son could enjoy the pool, and the kids club was great. But, Alaska will likely be too cold for the pool. It looks like Royal Caribbean has older, smaller ships in Alaska. What are they like? Is it a big change from Celebrity? We considered Disney but the price is outrageous, and we are not big Disney fans.

[cb at sea]

Just remember that Alaskan cruises (and Med. and European) cruises are NOT like Caribbean cruises...you will be busy, busy, busy with sightseeing in Alaska....so really, go by the itinerary you want...not so much the ship!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Royal Caribbean is more casual. The ships aren't as sophisticated but they aren't terrible. It's not my favorite line. The food on RC was fine- the buffet was very good. The entertainment is on par with Celebrity.

 

I have done Alaska on NCL, Princess and Celebrity and had a wonderful time on each one. I suspect you would have a good time just based on the scenery, which is fabulous.

 

Personally- I think your 8 year old will have the best time on Princess. There is so much to do on that ship- the youth program, outdoor movie theater, and there are huge hot tubs on Deck 16 aft that no one finds right away. This is a great place for viewing the Glaciers. The indoor pool is better on Princess and available to children all the time- unlike Celebrity that offers limited hours for kids to use the pool when the weather is bad. The entertainment was more to my son's liking with the comedy shows, etc. Princess does roundtrip Seattle cruises that include Glacier Bay,which is better than Tracy Arm (on Solstice).

 

I just got off the Solstice with my 13 year old. Apart from the youth program on Celebrity- which is awesome- the ships are a bit dull for kids. One thing that my son did like was Brent Nixon who is on Solstice this year. He is a very entertaining naturalist and we are huge fans of his (we've been on three of his cruises). Brent probably will do Celebrity Alaska in 2015 but he may not necessarily be on Solstice.

Edited May 29, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[Kerry's Girls]

Royal Carib opened the indoor pool twice a day for kids on our Alaska cruise(usually it's adults only).

 

Best,

Mia