DCL or RC for Alaska? What would you do?

[lazibones]

We are in the planning stages for our Alaska cruise in 2017. We have sailed DCL 4x and RC 1x. We sailed Oasis this Summer and while I really enjoyed the ship the rest of my family was eh about it. My son and husband are not rock climbing, flowriding, zip lining kind of people. They are more movies, shows, relaxing kind of guys. While we did not have a horrible time by any means on Oasis we didn't have a DCL kind of time. Plus the other big thing for me was my DD. She liked the kids club on RC but the set times drove me crazy because it just always felt like "hey the clubs are open, if you want to go you have to go now". Again, not bad, just different.

 

So my dilemma is this. Maybe Oasis is not for my family and the smaller ship like Radiance is more our speed. The price difference is definitely a factor. Is the smaller ships closer in line with DCL?

 

What would you do?

[Essiesmom]

Are you going to Alaska to use the kids clubs, or to see Alaska? You need to concentrate more on the ports and time in port than what the kids are going to do when you are not in port. EM

[Coral]

I think Disney has the weakest schedule in Alaska and personally, I was not impressed with RCCL (Radiance) in Alaska. I thought they were weak when it comes to Alaska enrichment programs and on my sailing, Radiance had the worst times in port.

 

All cruise lines have kids programs. Maybe look at some of the other itineraries and lines. Look at some ships that go to Glacier Bay. If it was my first time in Alaska, I would aim for Glacier Bay.

Edited October 20, 2015 by Coral

[LEtue]

I agree, don't limit yourself to DCL or RCI.

 

Alaska is so different than sailing the Caribbean and you need to spend some time researching the itineraries, port times that allow you to take advantage of longer excursions or independent touring, and on board programs :)

[dijid]

Read the reviews for Radiance cruises in Alaska and see if that sounds like what you're looking for.

 

If you enjoy DCL, (and can afford it) I don't think there's anything wrong with choosing to sail Disney in Alaska. I did Disney when my kids were little and really wanted to do it again, but never was able to make it happen. I know someone recently did DCL's Alaska. Yes, they wanted to see Alaska, but seeing it with their young son through DCL made it a very special vacation for them. When she was telling me about it and sharing the pictures on her phone, there were pictures of Alaska, as well as her son's interactions with the characters. To their family, it was the combination of Disney and Alaska that made for what they thought was their best vacation ever.

 

We're going NCL to Alaska next summer and we chose it first and foremost because of their KSF promo. I happen to think the itinerary is great, but I'll admit we didn't chose based on itinerary like everyone here recommends you do. Everyone has to make the choice that is best for them.

[Casey12]

I also would look at other lines. I would avoid Tracy Arm as ships often don't make it there. It is missed many times each year. Disney only goes to Tracy Arm. There are better lines than Royal Caribbean in Alaska. Look at NCL and Princess. Both go to Glacier Bay and both have great childrens' programs. Other lines have more of a commitment in Alaska and it shows.

[Budget Queen]

I disagree with a lot of the above- it could very be- you do not want- to consider other lines for their various reasons. BOTH lines can offer you an excellent experience.

 

I suggest you FIND OUT what your group wants out of this vacation. Are the Disney activities a significant enhancement you want? Is the "Disney" element a priority?

 

It could be Alaska isn't as important as the ship is to you?

 

NOBODY can determine this for you.

 

There are multiple cruise line, if anyone wants to look further.

 

BUT you do realize- you are looking at 2 very different itineraries? Doesn't matter to you?

 

You have made it very clear, you like the Disney product and found RCI lacking. The Oasis has a lot more going for it than than the Radiance, in my opinion. :)

 

Take a hard look at what you want out of your trip. Have you done your homework with Alaska? Know- about each port and have determined what activities you are going to do?

[JimAOk1945]

We sailed on the Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas on the southbound route in mid-August 2012. We loved it! We had four ports of call, Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway and Icy Strait Point located in the Alaskan town of Hoonah.

 

When we booked the cruise, we arranged to have transfers through RC and I'm glad we did. We didn't have any trouble at all.

 

We flew into Anchorage the day of the cruise due to scheduling conflicts. When we landed in Anchorage, we asked for the RC representative. We were directed to a kiosk where the friendly RC staff checked us off their list, and then told us when the next bus was leaving for Seward. I think we had about a one hour wait.

 

We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the food court, then went back to the waiting area at the RC desk. When the bus arrived, we got in along with several other people and the driver loaded up all the baggage.

 

I'm not sure how long the drive was but it seemed to pass quickly. The scenery was fantastic and the driver gave information about what we were seeing from time to time.

 

Before we knew it, we had arrived at the Seward terminal. The Radiance was the only ship there! Check in at the terminal was a breeze. We walked right in, went up to the counter to check in, and went right on to the ship!

 

The quickest embarkation we have ever had.

 

The ship is fantastic and the cruise was the best we have ever had. The itinerary includes 4 ports of call. Icy Strait Point was and still is our favorite. We went on the Bear and Whale watch combo excursion through RC. We saw two bears catching Salmon and countless whales! It was absolutely breathtaking!

 

When we went through the Hubbard Glacier area, we witnessed numerous "calving" which is when great chunks of ice break off with loud cracking and rumbling then fall into the water.

 

I could go on and on. As you can see, even now I get excited just thinking about it and trying to describe what we saw.

 

At the end of the cruise, going through the Vancouver terminal was no trouble at all. We also had a transfer through the cruise line that took us to the Vancouver airport.

 

You might be interested in seeing my wife's picture slideshows. Here is a link to the page where you will see slideshows about the shore excursions at the different ports of call as well as pictures taken around the ship. The slideshow will start when you click on the link, but you can also go through the pictures if you want to by clicking on the thumbnails one at a time.

 

2012 RC Radiance of the Seas ~ Alaska Southbound

 

HAPPY SAILING! It's a great way to explore the world!

Edited October 21, 2015 by JimAOk1945

[chipmaster]

Start with the scenic cruising and decide one way our roundtrip. IMHO one way with two scenic cruise days is most desirable. Maybe in the tropics the boat is more important as all beaches are similar.

 

Last time I checked DCL has the poorest scenic sailing.

 

The one time I picked value or schedule for scenic I came to regret it.

[Coral]

Start with the scenic cruising and decide one way our roundtrip. IMHO one way with two scenic cruise days is most desirable. Maybe in the tropics the boat is more important as all beaches are similar.

 

Last time I checked DCL has the poorest scenic sailing.

 

The one time I picked value or schedule for scenic I came to regret it.

 

I agree! I go with Princess one way as they have 2 glacier days. My first cruise only had 1 glacier day and we missed it (huge disappointment) as I had my mom with me and I wasn't sure when she would make it back to Alaska.

 

DCL does have a poor schedule. Again - I was disappointed how RCCL was in Alaska. There was nothing on the ship that was Alaska related. Princess (and a few other lines) have speakers through out the week which talks about Alaska. This helps quite a bit, especially for the first timer.

[lazibones]

Thank you all for your advice. You have given me a lot to think about. The top.priority for this trip is to see Alaska, we have already ruled out cruise lines without naturalist onboard as that is also important to everyone. We have also determined a ship that either leaves or ends in Vancouver is important as that is also on out must see list. Now to weigh the cruises that fit those musts. I know how many say the ship doesn't matter, but to us it does weigh into the decision because we all want to enot our total experience. I appreciate all of the advice.

[Budget Queen]

Thank you all for your advice. You have given me a lot to think about. The top.priority for this trip is to see Alaska, we have already ruled out cruise lines without naturalist onboard as that is also important to everyone. We have also determined a ship that either leaves or ends in Vancouver is important as that is also on out must see list. Now to weigh the cruises that fit those musts. I know how many say the ship doesn't matter, but to us it does weigh into the decision because we all want to enot our total experience. I appreciate all of the advice.

 

You choices are HAL, Princess and Celebrity.

[cruisingwithcarrie]

I've gone twice on Princess and once on DCL. While I LOVED Glacier Bay, I was childless at the time. I do not regret, for a single minute, our DCL cruise. We had a naturalist onboard, we spent plenty of time in port (my 9 year old loved it but even if we'd had time to stay in port until late in the evening - she would not have lasted that long), and I loved being able to take her to the shows. Not all shows on the other lines are as family-friendly, and doing that together was a big part of our family vacation for us.

 

Alaska is Alaska. The ports are the same. True, Glacier Bay is amazing, but so is Hubbard Glacier and College Fjord. And the entire inside passage. I did a day by day trip report for my family who couldn't go. Lots of pictures, some video... http://travln1.blogspot.com .

Edited April 7, 2016 by cruisingwithcarrie

[NancyIL]

I like DCL, but their itinerary doesn't particularly impress me. However, it is by no means the worst Alaska one available. I think that honor goes to the ship RCI sails round trip from Seattle - and in 2017 that will be Explorer of the Seas: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruises/7NightAlaskaSawyerGlacierCruise-EX07A146?currencyCode=USD&sCruiseType=CO&sDateMin=2017-06-01&sDateMax=2017-06-30&sailDate=06%2F02%2F2017 Although Disney goes to Tracy Arm rather than Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier, they have a pretty good track record of getting to the end of the fjord.

 

Ten years ago at this time - I was deciding which ship to sail for our first visit to Alaska in 2007. I was well aware of my cruise options as well as the ports vs. glaciers debate, and I initially booked the southbound Radiance of the Seas. However, I second-guessed my decision after reading some strong opinions from those who didn't think RCI did a good job in Alaska, so I changed to a northbound Princess ship. I have no regrets about the Princess one-way, and that was followed by a HAL one-way, a Princess round trip from Seattle (a poorer itinerary than DCL's), and a wonderful 14-night round trip from Seattle on HAL in 2011.

 

After a 6-year hiatus - I'm excited about returning to Alaska in May 2017. :) My DH and I are cruising from Honolulu to Vancouver on Radiance of the Seas, and I also booked the following two Alaska cruises on Radiance. The 9-night northbound cruise has a particularly good itinerary: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruises/9NightAlaskaNorthernGlacierCruise-RD09A005?currencyCode=USD&sCruiseType=CO&sDateMin=2017-05-01&sDateMax=2017-05-31&sailDate=05%2F17%2F2017http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruises/9NightAlaskaNorthernGlacierCruise-RD09A005?currencyCode=USD&sCruiseType=CO&sDateMin=2017-05-01&sDateMax=2017-05-31&sailDate=05%2F17%2F2017 The southbound cruise was booked to avoid violating the PVSA, but the repeated ports allow me the opportunity to do some excursions I've always wanted to do. I'm planning to do Glacier Bay flightseeing, and I might take the small boat excursion to Tracy Arm from Juneau.

[donaldsc]

I will summarize the AK decision very simply - you are there for what is outside of the ship and not what is on the ship. Regardless of which line you have cruised on in the past or what status you are on your favorite line, when you define your selection parameters, the ship should be the last one on the list.

 

DON

[Smeecanada]

We have done 3 trips to Alaska. In 2009 we did an extended family celebration trip with Royal Caribbean. In 2010 we returned with DCL - just our family of 4. Then, just my husband and I sailed in 2014 on HAL. All have been a different experience.

 

Our teenagers were along for both the DCL and Royal Caribbean trips and the Royal Caribbean cruise was a bust for them. They hated the ship part - especially the activity offerings. It was a tough trip with the kids not happy - plus we weren't overly impressed the cruise experience either.

 

When looking at Alaska cruise offerings now - I look to see what HAL , Princess, DCL , and Celebrity are offering. However, we are now at a stage that we don't have to take the teenager's happiness into consideration - which gives us a few more choices. I would still pay the extra to sail DCL if the kids were a consideration.

 

We went into Tracy Arm with the both DCL and Royal Caribbean. Amazing day - especially with DCL and a bbq on the back deck. On the HAL trip, we did Tracy Arm again - but as an excursion that left from the ship at the entrance to Tracy Arm and returned us to Juneau by small boat. We also experienced Glacier Bay on the HAL trip for the first time.

 

Definitely sail out of or back to Vancouver - so that you can experience the Island Passage.

 

I would weigh all the different things you want out of the cruise and make a decision from there.

 

The kids loved the excursions where they were actively doing something. Biking in Juneau and then the Tram up Mount Roberts / or the blue bus (on our own - very easy to do) out to Menderhall Glacier, Bear watching in Ketchikan - best excursion ever, or just walking out to the point in Skagway.

 

Good luck - and you'll love Alaska.