Ship Selection, 1st Cruise, Alaska 2017, Husband Issues!

[Hdnwaters]

I know there are many cruise lines to choose from. I've read multiple reviews both good and bad.

 

I have a very difficult to please husband who wants a nice big room, good food, and drinks. Mid size ship. We are just going to do a one way voyage not sure which direction Anchorage to Vancouver or in reverse. Crystal Serenity fits the bill but there is only 1 voyage in 2017 and for a larger room it's like $12,000. Insane!!!! I would agree to half that for a suite on another cruise line. I have looked at the Coral Princess but review for food has not been good. I also have looked at Holland America.

 

Any suggestions on a ship (any line) would be appreciated. My husband is ADHD and cannot do long waits in lines or large group tours. I will have to schedule our own land tours and probably rent cars. Yeah, I know, I married him! As long as he has TV, Internet, and bourbon he will be good on the ship!

[CruiserBruce]

Wellllll, you have many conflicting needs here. Cabins on a ship are rarely called "large". So a Suite is the best solution, but suites are more expensive, of course.

 

Internet is rarely free, and typically considered expensive and slow.

 

Food is totally subjective...no way we can help you meet your needs there, as we don't know you and your husband.

 

Define "mid sized". That will determine things for you, or possibly complicate things.

 

A suite on HAL, Princess Celebrity or Royal Caribbean might be your best compromise.

[Taylor D]

We have been on two Alaska cruises, both on HAL, the first was ok and the second was not that great at all. We just got back from Cruise in Europe on Celebrity and it was great. We will only go Celebrity from now on.

 

Now regarding your high maintenance husband, leave him home take a friend leave from Seattle and it's cheaper and you will have a great time!

[Hdnwaters]

Now regarding your high maintenance husband, leave him home take a friend leave from Seattle and it's cheaper and you will have a great time!

 

Leaving him home would be the best option for sure! But then I would go back to a ranch in the Tetons!!! No cruise! LOL

 

I'm going to look at Celebrity.

 

He just told me he needed a nice toilet! :eek:

[mapleleaves]

Read some trip reports posted in STICKYs near the top of this page. Many of them are photojournals, with pictures of cabins, decks, common areas, dining & meals, excursions, views, etc. There's good bad and ugly!

The first line usually indicates the cruiseline, ship, itinerary, date. Look at a few different ships with a NB or SB itinerary since that is your interest. Personally, I'd want to get the long flight out of the way upfront so I'd look at DIY land followed by SB cruise.

[eandj]

It sounds like your DH isn't really interested in cruising. :rolleyes:

If he is, then show him the pictures of the various cabins. Then the costs.

As mentioned what good food means to him is something you'll have to judge. We enjoy choices and find good ones on Princess and X.

 

It's easy to book private excursions and you'll be in small groups and get more for your dollars. No need to rent cars.

 

Make sure your chosen ship cruises Glacier Bay. Some dont. We were happy with Coral Princess two weeks ago.

[donaldsc]

I have a very simple solution. Find a girl friend who likes to travel and leave him behind. Why do you let him ruin your trip. He sounds as if he is impossible to travel with.

 

DON

[NancyIL]

Does your husband really want to see Alaska, or just be pampered on a nice ship? If the latter, you can do it for a lot less by cruising elsewhere.

Edited September 1, 2016 by NancyIL

[NancyIL]

Leaving him home would be the best option for sure! But then I would go back to a ranch in the Tetons!!! No cruise! LOL

 

I'm going to look at Celebrity.

 

He just told me he needed a nice toilet! :eek:

 

You might be better off at the ranch in the Tetons! ;)

[alwaysfrantic]

The SS suites on Holland America might suit you. They are large rooms, but do not come with the extra perks of a full suite. They offer a larger bathroom and plenty of space inside and on the verandah.

 

The top suites, the Neptunes, come with additional perks, same bathroom, and a large room. They would not run anywhere near 12k for 2 of you for one week. I think a June week (I looked today) started at $3100 in a Neptune.

 

Actually, re-reading your post, the Neptune Suite might be perfect for you. One of the perks is you show your card and get to mostly skip lines to get off the ship, get a private lounge to avoid crowds.

Edited September 1, 2016 by alwaysfrantic

[Hdnwaters]

I have a very simple solution. Find a girl friend who likes to travel and leave him behind. Why do you let him ruin your trip. He sounds as if he is impossible to travel with.

 

DON

 

Going on this cruise is actually his idea. He travels for a living so that's one reason he is so picky. He likes the idea of the suite (for me, it just does not need to be $$,$$$!) We have been on some awesome trips but just never a cruise.

 

As far as food goes, he likes dinner to be more than Applebees or Olive Garden, and he always eats breakfast. We try to eat in non-chain restaurants when we travel. I've always heard the food was good on most ships but I've seen a lot of complaints too.

[Hdnwaters]

Does your husband really want to see Alaska, or just be pampered on a nice ship? If the latter, you can do it for a lot less by cruising elsewhere.

 

He really wants to see Alaska.

[Sequim88]

As long as he has TV, Internet, and bourbon he will be good on the ship!

 

TV and Internet are a given on all ships anymore. Newer/Bigger HAL ships )still mid-size by industry standards anymore) have interactive TVs. Internet costs a but on all but some have free minutes for suites.

 

Bourbon... check carefully each line's policies if he wants a bottle in the suite. RCCL does not allow even purchasing a bottle from them for use in cabin. In general their policies are pretty restrictive. HAL allows purchasing a bottle from them for use in cabin at prices that are comparable to grocery store prices (with tax) in Seattle - not gouging but still pocketing the 50% state tax. The rest of the lines have varying policies. Oddly Celebrity is less restrictive than sister line RCCL.

 

Basically select line first, then check itinerary and see if ships doing that are acceptable.

 

As for which direction... we preferred northbound for one-way because the scenery just builds and builds until it is spectacular and there is a sense of "going to" Alaska. SB starts great and peters out which sort of seemed depressing to us.

[NancyIL]

He really wants to see Alaska.

 

I'd let him pick the cruise. Then if it doesn't meet his standards, he can't blame you.

[Coral]

HAL, Princess and Celebrity are not even close to being the high quality that Crystal is.

 

Crystal really is the best!

 

Just tell him in Alaska, you don't spend much time in the cabin as you want to be outdoors!

[Hdnwaters]

Why does this Forum not have a LIKE button!

[mapleleaves]

The 2nd page of this report shows a suite on the Grand Princess.

And on the first page she explains that she took the cruise with a friend instead of her husband since doesn't he enjoy travelling. Maybe give that some thought......

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2243510

[xlxo]

I'm going to look at Celebrity.

 

He just told me he needed a nice toilet! :eek:

Thoughts....

• how often have you seen a glacier? Does the idea of "blue ice" interest you? Seriously look for a ship that includes Glacier Bay. Holland America and Princess offers the most sailings for glacier seekers.
  
• In addition to the cruise line.... have you thought about which month? May is cold and cheap. September is wet and cheap. June has lots of daylight and dry. July is warm and dry. August starts to get wet... especially going into storm chasing September. I will pay a little more for statistical dry weather when in port.
  
• Alaska has lots of bushes
  

 

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[Coral]

Thoughts....

[*]

[*]In addition to the cruise line.... have you thought about which month? May is cold and cheap. September is wet and cheap. June has lots of daylight and dry. July is warm and dry. August starts to get wet... especially going into storm chasing September. I will pay a little more for statistical dry weather when in port.

 

I disagree with your characterizations of temps. IMO, May is perfect weather - it is not cold. It is comfortable weather. And Mid-May to late May (along with June) have a ton of daylight and dry. I have gotten sunburns on several of my May cruises.

 

July has far more rain compared to May and June (if you look at stats). I have gone 2x in July and my least favorite months between May, June and July.

 

I have looked up all the stats and that is why I cruise often at the end of May. Maybe what you consider cold I don't consider cold. I love May as I find it the perfect weather (and others here say the same thing).

Edited September 2, 2016 by Coral

[Coral]

Leaving him home would be the best option for sure! But then I would go back to a ranch in the Tetons!!! No cruise! LOL

 

I'm going to look at Celebrity.

 

He just told me he needed a nice toilet! :eek:

 

I would look at what glaciers are important.

 

I think RT Seattle on Celebrity has one of the weakest itineraries in Alaska.

 

Celebrity (and RCCL) can not go to Glacier Bay. This summer, if you wanted to see a glacier, your best bet was Glacier Bay. Both Hubbard and Tracy Arm were iffy.

 

You need to get a few books and read up on Alaska. Try Alaska by Cruise ship. In Alaska - it is the itinerary that you want!

Edited September 2, 2016 by Coral

[Coral]

 

Any suggestions on a ship (any line) would be appreciated. My husband is ADHD and cannot do long waits in lines or large group tours. I will have to schedule our own land tours and probably rent cars. Yeah, I know, I married him! As long as he has TV, Internet, and bourbon he will be good on the ship!

 

I would look at a ship with under 1000 people.

 

I would rule out all the main cruise lines (Princess, Hal, Celebrity, RCCL, Carnival) based on your description. I have been on all of these lines and they do not meet the needs of your husband.

[gottagoacruzn]

I'm with the others, leave him at home and you will have a good time, without all the worries.:rolleyes::eek:

[denatravels]

Crystal is totally out of my price range so I didn't even look at it. Glacier Bay was on my must-do list, so celebrity and Royal Caribbean were out. My options at this point were NCL, HAL, and Princess-- given the high quality Alaska program on princess (including an on board naturalist), this became my choice for a NB cruise in July--and although it was partially timing that settled it, my research showed that the Coral was the best ship because of the better viewing areas. It did not disappoint!!

 

 

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[Alaskanb]

Mini-suite on Princess --maybe Coral if it's in Alaska.

[peety3]

How big is a big room for you (him)? We've done most of our Alaska cruises in mini-suites on Princess and found them plenty large. We typically take 4-5 cameras, 6-10 lenses usually including one that's about 2' long before the camera gets attached to it, a pair of tripods, a pair of monopods, and perhaps a fold-up portable studio light, and still have no trouble enjoying the wonderful space.

 

The one time we cruised in a full suite, I'd say the layout of the room allowed for a curtain to separate the living area from the sleeping area. The bathroom was much bigger: full tub plus stand-up shower in one room, toilet/sink/mirror in the other, and accessible from either the sleeping area or the living area. The closet was bigger and/or more usable. The balcony was HUGE. There was a second desk (makeup area?) in the bedroom. But overall, I wouldn't say the square footage was that much more than a mini.