Young couple, trying to decide on a good cruise line for Alaska

[GreenGiraffe]

My husband and I are both in our late twenties, and are planning on going on an Alaskan Cruise in 2015 or 2016. There are MANY threads that I have seen that touch on this topic, but as younger cruisers, I want to be sure the cruise we choose will fit our personalities, beyond the obvious itinerary criteria. We have cruised many times before, mostly in the Caribbean, and have thus far tried Holland America, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. My husband has wanted to go to Alaska for a while now, so we are planning on heading to Alaska for our next vacation.

 

After reading through a number of reviews and threads, I have narrowed it down to either Princess or Celebrity. I understand that Princess is favored by many because they are able to go into Glacier Bay National Park, but I am still unsure if this makes it a hands-down better option than Celebrity, which does stop by Hubbard Glacier and from what I have heard, tends to have nicer looking ships and better food.

 

While I agree the itinerary is important, I honestly don't picture my husband and I sitting in a chair looking at the views for any more than an hour or so at a time, even when we are sailing through the glaciers (which will undoubtedly be breathtaking) - so we are looking for a bit more from the ship and shore excursions than perhaps other cruisers who typically go to Alaska.

 

We love to eat, especially on vacation, so we want the quality and variety of the food/wine to be good. We would also like to have something to do at night once it gets too dark to look at the views, so we would ideally love the ship to have somewhat of a night life - whether through shows, trivia or a great piano bar with an engaging entertainer. We don't typically stay up too late, but we would like the opportunity to meet some new couples and have things to do until 11:30- midnight.

 

With these points in mind, I am wondering if Princess or Celebrity would be a better option for us when cruising to Alaska?

 

Thank you for your advice!

Edited June 8, 2014 by GreenGiraffe

[MNfamilycruiser]

My husband and I are both in our late twenties, and are planning on going on an Alaskan Cruise in 2015 or 2016. There are MANY threads that I have seen that touch on this topic, but as younger cruisers, I want to be sure the cruise we choose will fit our personalities, beyond the obvious itinerary criteria. We have cruised many times before, mostly in the Caribbean, and have thus far tried Holland America, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. My husband has wanted to go to Alaska for a while now, so we are planning on heading to Alaska for our next vacation.

 

After reading through a number of reviews and threads, I have narrowed it down to either Princess or Celebrity. I understand that Princess is favored by many because they are able to go into Glacier Bay National Park, but I am still unsure if this makes it a hands-down better option than Celebrity, which does stop by Hubbard Glacier and from what I have heard, tends to have nicer looking ships and better food.

 

While I agree the itinerary is important, I honestly don't picture my husband and I sitting in a chair looking at the views for any more than an hour or so at a time, even when we are sailing through the glaciers (which will undoubtedly be breathtaking) - so we are looking for a bit more from the ship and shore excursions than perhaps other cruisers who typically go to Alaska.

 

We love to eat, especially on vacation, so we want the quality and variety of the food/wine to be good. We would also like to have something to do at night once it gets too dark to look at the views, so we would ideally love the ship to have somewhat of a night life - whether through shows, trivia or a great piano bar with an engaging entertainer. We don't typically stay up too late, but we would like the opportunity to meet some new couples and have things to do until 11:30- midnight.

 

With these points in mind, I am wondering if Princess or Celebrity would be a better option for us when cruising to Alaska?

 

Thank you for your advice!

 

I can't give an opinion on Celebrity vs. Princess... but I can say that you don't need to use the cruise line for your excursions, so that doesn't need to be a factor in your decision.

Using tripadvisor and reviews and information here - we booked ALL our excursions independently, directly with the tour operators. We were extremely happy with our choices, got everything figured out and booked well before we sailed.

 

In Juneau for example, we did an 8 hour trail and glacier hike at the Mendenhall Glacier. We hiked up to and then ON the glacier, into an ice cave, VERY Active - I can't imagine that the cruise lines offer anything like it.

[swoonx]

Hi,

 

I'm in the same age as you (my wife is some years younger) and I'm only cruising with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.

 

We cruised with Celebrity in Alaska and and we really enjoyed the trip. The Solstice class ships are the best on market. But I have to say that we expected more and were a little bit disappointed. We were on Solstice for 5 weeks and we had ups and downs, e.g. the food sometimes was excellent, sometimes it was a disaster.

 

But anyway you should try Celebrity. Just don't expect the "modern luxury".

 

PS: The most people are doing excursions. But our sea days in the fjords were the most spectacular sea days ever. And you really shouldn't book your excursions on the ship, that's much cheaper.

Edited June 8, 2014 by swoonx

[Budget Queen]

My husband and I are both in our late twenties, and are planning on going on an Alaskan Cruise in 2015 or 2016. There are MANY threads that I have seen that touch on this topic, but as younger cruisers, I want to be sure the cruise we choose will fit our personalities, beyond the obvious itinerary criteria. We have cruised many times before, mostly in the Caribbean, and have thus far tried Holland America, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. My husband has wanted to go to Alaska for a while now, so we are planning on heading to Alaska for our next vacation.

 

After reading through a number of reviews and threads, I have narrowed it down to either Princess or Celebrity. I understand that Princess is favored by many because they are able to go into Glacier Bay National Park, but I am still unsure if this makes it a hands-down better option than Celebrity, which does stop by Hubbard Glacier and from what I have heard, tends to have nicer looking ships and better food.

 

While I agree the itinerary is important, I honestly don't picture my husband and I sitting in a chair looking at the views for any more than an hour or so at a time, even when we are sailing through the glaciers (which will undoubtedly be breathtaking) - so we are looking for a bit more from the ship and shore excursions than perhaps other cruisers who typically go to Alaska.

 

We love to eat, especially on vacation, so we want the quality and variety of the food/wine to be good. We would also like to have something to do at night once it gets too dark to look at the views, so we would ideally love the ship to have somewhat of a night life - whether through shows, trivia or a great piano bar with an engaging entertainer. We don't typically stay up too late, but we would like the opportunity to meet some new couples and have things to do until 11:30- midnight.

 

With these points in mind, I am wondering if Princess or Celebrity would be a better option for us when cruising to Alaska?

 

Thank you for your advice!

 

I don't find much difference in the food on Princess and Celebrity. Neither of these lines are 5 star. The option to consider some pay options usually offers significantly better food.

 

I will suggest you find out more about Alaska, and make sure it's the destination you think it is. Alaska doesn't have busy night life and it's usually extremely quiet. As an alternative, I suggest you might want to consider Europe, for not only the excellent food options but more for you to see and do in ports, as well as having a more active night on the ship.

[lag9122]

I would go on Celebrity . Or Royal

 

Lisa

[SparkleBee]

I'm just off Princess in the Baltics. much older crowd, fairly dead at night. excellent shows/entertainment. some of the food was excellent, some pretty good and some only ok. I chose Royal Caribbean for our upcoming trip to AK because I thought it might have more going on and the food seems to be about the same as Princess (maybe a tad less good but I don't know yet). Originally I chose the Celebrity Millenium but changed it to Royal's Radiance of the Seas due to what looked like better reviews... the itineraries are identical. basically, I don't think you can make a wrong choice! they are all going to be wonderful.

[Aquahound]

I would go on Celebrity . Or Royal

 

Lisa

 

I agree. For a couple in their 20s, Celebrity and RCI offer a good mix of ship, activities and itinerary. Look at the NB or SB Celebrity Millennium or Radiance of the Seas cruises. Actually, for you, I would recommend Radiance first. If it's a round trip itinerary you're looking at, I recommend Celebrity Solstice.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

I know you weren't asking about this line, but I would think Royal Caribbean would also be a good choice. We just returned from a northbound on Radiance, and it was amazing. There was great entertainment, and the whole ship just seemed fun.

 

Which ever you choose, have a great trip.

[frawnsay]

My husband and I are in our low 30s and just returned from our first cruise ever...Alaska on the Celebrity Solstice.

 

Had read that X was an older crowd, but I would say the average age was 45-55 on our cruise. Many generational family groups (grandparents, parents, kids).

 

The ship...is...gorgeous! The staff was so polite and accommodating--we wanted for nothing. Our fellow passengers were friendly, courteous, and well-mannered.

 

Our next cruise is with RC, but only because X doesn't offer Caribbean itineraries at a time that corresponds to child care (aka Grandma's house). Otherwise we were more than satisfied with X and would not go with another line. It was THAT fantastic!

 

 

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[swoonx]

Well, there are big differences between the ships, while Solstice is a quite new one and the Solstice class ships are the best on market, the Millenium and the Century are old and having many not so good reviews.

 

And because I was such a long time on Solstice, I can tell you that even on one ship there can be big differences, for example we had service teams of very different quality in those weeks.

 

But I agree that the crowd on Solstice was a good mix and I saw many younger people like us.

 

So I would recommend the Solstice and would consider Royal Caribbean if the price is much better.

[Northern Aurora]

My husband and I are both in our late twenties, and are planning on going on an Alaskan Cruise in 2015 or 2016. There are MANY threads that I have seen that touch on this topic, but as younger cruisers, I want to be sure the cruise we choose will fit our personalities, beyond the obvious itinerary criteria.

......

 

We love to eat, especially on vacation, so we want the quality and variety of the food/wine to be good. We would also like to have something to do at night once it gets too dark to look at the views, so we would ideally love the ship to have somewhat of a night life ....

 

....

 

Thank you for your advice!

 

 

The OP states that they love to eat, particularly while on vacation, and also seems to prefer some nightlife -- both of which may be an issue for my suggestion -- but I can't help but wonder if a couple in their 20s may really find the Alaska Marine Highway a hoot for an Alaska vacation. The AMH is the Alaska state ferry system. A "cruise" on the AMH would consist of segments of ferry transport alternated with stays in ports.

 

And this "off the wall" idea is offered by someone who is "Elite +" in the Celebrity loyalty program and fully expects to hit the Celebrity "Zenith" level in less than five years.

[cruisemates2]

I hope you don't mind if I ask a question here but I see several people posting here that we have met on cruises and have been to Alaska. We are D+ with RCI but wanted to try Celebrity and would like to sail on the Solstice. We have booked the Solstice for May 1st of next year and it states on our schedule that we will be cruising the Inside Passage which is another reason we booked this cruise. We will leave out of Vancouver & depart the ship in Seattle, so it isn't round trip. My question is...If you have sailed the Inside Passage, do you feel that this is a "must do" and also is it better to do round trip from one port ? We have never been to Alaska and we are needing help with this. Thank you for your advice, we really appreciate your views. Janet

[cruisemates2]

I forgot to add in my previous post that I am reading in several reviews that the Solstice actually may be too large to go through the Inside Passage even though the itinerary states it will and the passengers on the cruise out of Vancouver several weeks ago stated they didn't go through it and were indeed told that the Solstice is too large to travel the Passage . So, that is one reason I am asking if you all feel that the scenery makes it a "must do". Sorry I forgot to add that is my previous post. Janet

[OCruisers]

Princess has been cruising to Alaska for a very long tine and should work out nicely for you. :)

LuLu

[ikirumata]

I hope you don't mind if I ask a question here but I see several people posting here that we have met on cruises and have been to Alaska. We are D+ with RCI but wanted to try Celebrity and would like to sail on the Solstice. We have booked the Solstice for May 1st of next year and it states on our schedule that we will be cruising the Inside Passage which is another reason we booked this cruise. We will leave out of Vancouver & depart the ship in Seattle, so it isn't round trip. My question is...If you have sailed the Inside Passage, do you feel that this is a "must do" and also is it better to do round trip from one port ? We have never been to Alaska and we are needing help with this. Thank you for your advice, we really appreciate your views. Janet

 

I wouldn't say the Inside Passage is a must do. In fact, when we sailed in Alaska (Radiance), we went through the Inside Passage and I don't recall anything that would be classified as a must see.

Edited June 9, 2014 by ikirumata

[Aquahound]

If you have sailed the Inside Passage, do you feel that this is a "must do" and also is it better to do round trip from one port ?

 

No, I don't think so. The sights through the Inside Passage are not nearly as impressive as when cruising from port to port, like Juneau or Ketchikan.

[cruisemates2]

Sorry, I forgot to mention that even though the Solstice Alaskan itinerary states that it does the Inside Passage, most previous cruisers state that it doesn't and someone said they were told that the ship is too large. That is why I am asking if any of you feel that the Inside Passage is a "must do." Also, is it better to do a round trip ? We leave out of Vancouver and depart the ship in Seattle. Janet

[cruisemates2]

Sorry for the double post. My computer screen didn't show my second post

[cruisemates2]

We will probably stay with the Solstice...we leave Vancouver & go to Ketchikan, Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Inside Passage, Skagway, Victoria, and then Seattle. After reading reviews, we started wondering if the Inside Passage really mattered.

[GreenGiraffe]

Thank you to everyone for their responses, we certainly appreciate all of your advice!

 

Just to clarify, we understand that Alaska will be more of an outdoor adventure, which as frequent hikers/campers we are thoroughly looking forward to! We just wanted to make sure that there would be things to do on our scenic cruising days on the ship and in the evenings, because that has been an issue on some of our past cruises. For example, we just came back from a Southern Caribbean cruise with RC on Jewel of the Seas, and the entertainment was lacking and crew seemed a bit worn out and off point, something that we hadn't run into on other RC cruises.

 

We like the idea of doing a NB or SB cruise, and plan on spending 4-5 days before or afterwards in Alaska in order to see Anchorage, Mt McKinley and Denali National Park.

 

I will look more into the particular ships that will be going on the Alaska route, because I do agree that an experience with a particular cruise line can be quite different depending on the ship. I will also look into RC as I am part of their loyalty program and it does appear that they are doing the same route as Celebrity - although after our recent experience on Jewel of the Seas, I am not so sure we would want to be on the ship again in Alaska (the ship is heading to Alaska for 2015).

[cruisemates2]

Thank you Aquahound and ikirumata for your quick replies. You both were very helpful.

[K-Dogg]

I can't speak to the other lines, but my husband and I did the inside passage on the Golden Princess in 2012 (we were 26 then) and had a great time! The crowd was slightly older, but we found plenty to do anytime of day. From what I hear Alaska in general tends to be an older crowd, so the night life is a lot less than Caribbean cruises. We're going back on the Crown Princess in 2015 and can't wait!!

[vbmom87]

My daughter and SIL (25 at the time) loved their HAL honeymoon cruise last year, however, they are not party people, so were not looking for an active nightlife. They loved the itinerary and if it weren't for the airfare, they would have gone to AK again for their one year anniversary. Instead, they are trying Celebrity to Bermuda, because they did not have to fly to a port.

 

What they loved about their AK cruise was the scenic sailing and the laid back atmosphere. They were round trip out of Vancouver, which offers the most scenic sailing because they sailed to the east of Vancouver Island. Most Seattle cruises sail to the west of Vancouver Island and miss this scenery. All AK cruises include some of the Inside Passage. The major ports are along the Inside Passage, so all cruises can advertise they sail the Inside Passage. To know if you are getting the most scenic option, check which side of Vancouver Island your ship will be sailing.

 

OP: With your requirement of an active night life, I am not sure if you will find exactly what you are looking for on an AK cruise. Those who have been on many AK cruises say the demographics are the same on all cruise lines, including Carnival. There are often multi-generational families on AK cruises. Good luck to you. I hope you can find something that suits you well.

[rjeffler]

I have done the Panama Canal with Princess (I was 29) and 2 different cruises (Carribbean and Alaska) with RCCL. Just got off the Radiance last Friday in Vancouver. We really enjoyed ourselves. There was a show 'The Quest' one night that was a LOT of fun. There were lots of dance parties in the Centrum nightly. The piano bar wasn't as much fun as we've had on a Carnival boat in a piano bar. Not many sing a longs. Never actually made it to the dance club to see how it was. When we did the Princess Cruise, we spent a lot of time in the piano bar and that was about the most entertainment we had.

 

I would prefer a NB or SB trip as you can then spend time inland before or after the cruise. We really enjoyed our pre-trip. My review is in my signature line.

[oldplayer532]

My husband and I are in our low 30s and just returned from our first cruise ever...Alaska on the Celebrity Solstice.

 

The ship...is...gorgeous! The staff was so polite and accommodating--we wanted for nothing. Our fellow passengers were friendly, courteous, and well-mannered.

 

 

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Great info! Does XX offers to take your luggage from the ship to the airport? Our flight leaves Seattle late and we want to spend a day in downtown, any suggestions?