Which line is the best for Alaska?

[fuzzylady1980]

Hi.  I'm starting to plan a 25th anniversary trip for my husband and myself.  I've never been to Alaska and will only get to go once.  Which line is the best one for Alaska? Also is there something that is an absolutely must exsperiance?

 

Thanks 

[CruiserBruce]

Some reading on the board would be very beneficial. 

 

There is no one "best" cruise line. There are different "personalities" of cruise lines, but it is also true Alaska is about the ports, not so much about the cruise line.

 

A little reading on the board with reveal the very common statement that Glacier Bay is a very desirable destination, and not all cruise lines go there.

[skrufy]

My choices would be Princess or Holland America. There are many not to miss sights in Alaska. Mine are Glacier Bay, whale watching, bear watching, and Tracy Arm Fjord. 

[lynncarol]

Even though we have diamond/elite status on Celebrity and RCCL, (and would really miss our free drinks) we chose Princess because of the three, Princess is the only one allowed into Glacier Bay National Park. That place is beautiful and I would have hated not to have seen it! 

[TwinMamainMN]

We sailed on RCCL Radiance of the Seas and loved every minute of it. We chose mainly based on port towns, port times (no short days!), and cabin locations since we needed two of them. We thought Hubbard Glacier was amazing, even though it was foggy and overcast. Glacier Bay wasn't a "must see" for us and we don't feel like we missed anything by not seeing it.

[Coral]

1 hour ago, TwinMamainMN said:

We sailed on RCCL Radiance of the Seas and loved every minute of it. We chose mainly based on port towns, port times (no short days!), and cabin locations since we needed two of them. We thought Hubbard Glacier was amazing, even though it was foggy and overcast. Glacier Bay wasn't a "must see" for us and we don't feel like we missed anything by not seeing it.

I am the opposite - I have sailed RCCL Radiance and many Princess ships. I thought Princess did a much better job than RCCL (won't do RCCL again to Alaska). We were 9 miles from Hubbard Glacier (not RCCL's fault) and did feel like we missed it because we did. Glacier Bay doesn't ever seem to be blocked. Plus Princess has 2 glacier days on their one way trips. A huge benefit when one is blocked.

 

I have only done 2 lines in Alaska so I don't know which is best but wasn't impressed with RCCL. I think best would probably be reserved for "Uncruise" and the smaller boutique lines.

Edited March 24, 2019 by Coral

[Eileen G]

I think Princess and Holland America are the best cruise lines for Alaska. But more important is what type of cruise do you want. Round trip out of Seattle or Vancouver or a one way between Anchorage and Vancouver so you can add on days and see some of the interior of Alaska. Also the individual ship makes a difference. We are going  on the Coral Princess to Alaska for the second time, my 5th Alaska cruise over all, and while I love Princess I wouldn't go to Alaska on the Royal Princess due to the limited outdoor viewing areas. You have a lot of research ahead of you if you want the perfect Alaska cruise.

[RoyalVisit]

11 hours ago, lynncarol said:

Even though we have diamond/elite status on Celebrity and RCCL, (and would really miss our free drinks) we chose Princess because of the three, Princess is the only one allowed into Glacier Bay National Park. That place is beautiful and I would have hated not to have seen it! 

Our HAL cruise in May takes us into Glacier Bay. I'm not sure which lines are allowed in but it's not exclusive to Princess as far as I know.

[Coral]

5 minutes ago, RoyalVisit said:

Our HAL cruise in May takes us into Glacier Bay. I'm not sure which lines are allowed in but it's not exclusive to Princess as far as I know.

Princess, HAL and NCL seem to have the majority of permits. Carnival, Seabourn and Crystal also go. 

[lynncarol]

i realize that Princess is not the only cruise-line able to visit Glacier Bay. My point was that Celebrity and RCCL (the lines I usually use) were not . (Incidentally, I really like having washers and dryers available on Princess, another option not on Celebrity and RCCL). 

[FantasyGoddess]

Our first cruise to Alaska for our 15th wedding anniversary is in August and we are going on Oceania (our first time on this cruise line).  We are Norwegian cruisers and have platinum status but chose Oceania to try a more upscale line.  I have to admit I did not do alot of research on the itinerary as I am fairly certain this will not be our last cruise to Alaska.

[luvteaching]

My DH and I have done Alaska over 12 times with a mixture of Holland America and Princess. We live about 90 minutes north of Seattle which makes it a convenient port to cruise out of. From our doorway to the pier is 90 minutes. This does rule out one-way trips as those are only out of Vancouver. 

For our cruising dollars we choose Holland America. We like the ships and the itineraries. Most of the time we get to go to Glacier Bay and love it when Hubbard Glacier is included. One port, on the 7 days, that stands out is Sitka because it is definitely not touristy as Juneau and Ketchikan are. When my husband has a train urge and must ride the WPYR then we book a Princess cruise. 

The two lines are similar. HAL has smaller ships by about 1/3 and we find the dining room menus more to our liking. Both lines do a great job of giving you the Alaska experience with naturalists and other enrichment activities. The HAL ships are less "glitzy" and more to our taste (a personal choice I know). 

 

Our favorite (and we're doing it for the 5th time this summer) is the 14-day cruise out of Seattle that includes Icy Start Point, Homer, Kodiak and Anchorage as well as more glacier stops! We're counting down the days and have a 7-day booked in June just to make the wait easier and that we'll reach 4-star after the two week one! 

Karen

[donaldsc]

Your question is unanswerable.    However, if you insist on an answer, I would suggest either Alaska Dream Cruises or Lindblad Expeditions.  I have done cruises on both of them and Lindblad has a Bering Sea cruise that I would love to do.  I have been told that Un-Cruise Adventures is also good but I have not sailed on them.  Another good choice if they AK cruises is Quark.

 

DON

[Glaciers]

Our favorite Alaska trip was on UnCruise with Alaskan Dream being a close second. We did just book a 14 day Princess R/T Vancouver simply due to the superior itinerary.  It does Glacier Bay twice, Hubbard and also College Fjord.  Princess and Holland have naturalists, possibly other lines too, that really enhance the Alaska trips. 

 

The prices right now are actually pretty good. Was surprised to find a 7 day on Princess for $427.  Odd thing is that it wasn't showing on the Princess site but we contacted a TA to compare prices  who was able to see it.

[peety3]

Check out Seabourn. I've been a long-time Princess cruiser, but decided to just scour the options and their entire experience seems to be so much more relaxed, with so much more potential to experience and enjoy.