Alaska Cruises

[Plself]

Can anyone tell us which cruise line is best for cruising to Alaska?  We were planning to go on Norwegian Bliss but we are seeing a good many bad reviews concerning everything from charging for bottled water outside of beverage deals, food not very good and ship being so large that the crew cannot give 5 star service.  This is our first cruise so we really want to make the right choice. 

[QueSeraSera]

Hi Plself, and welcome to Cruise Critic boards.  My wife and I are also new cruisers, our first cruise is this September, to Alaska like you.  I think you are likely to get a wide variety of responses!  And you have not told much about yourself (are you cruising with kids? are you interested in some particular aspect of a cruise you think is essential? cost is most important? etc)  There are so many here with more experience than me.  Pick and choose with care!

We ended up selecting Silversea for our first cruise.  We liked that they are all inclusive, so we could understand our total cost without too many calculations, that reviewers seemed to be happy with the food & drink, good ports, and that they seemed high quality (indefinable and hard to explain).  Regent Seven Seas was our other line of interest.  Today, after reading many posts about various issues, I would include Viking Sea in our search, but we did not do so.  Higher cost = all inclusive just made sense to us.

Good luck!  I think whatever cruise you choose, you are going to enjoy it (but I don't know that either!).

 

[Sauer-kraut]

Look at ports of call first.  And then look at how long you are in the ports.  Always choose a cruise that will go to Tracey Arm that is spectacular.  Glacier Bay is also good.

We took an Alaska cruise on the Norwegian Jewel in June, it was wonderful.  We started in Seward and did the inside passage to Vancouver.  It also sailed the other way -- to make it something to remember do a back to back and make it a round trip cruise!  

Figure all costs. I wouldn't worry about bottled water, the ship's water is fine to drink and EVERY bar will have ice water for free if you ask.  You really need to do homework on what you want to do while you are in port. 

I wouldn't worry about bad reviews, you won't have anything to compare it too.  Also look at the Norwegian Joy, new ship and gets good ratings. 

[Essiesmom]

I would never say NCL, or any of the mass market lines, in the same sentence as 5 star service.  Every mass market line, and some of the others charge for bottled water.  Period.  You pay for it when you pay for the beverage package.  Or you pay ala carte.  Water from your faucet or in the buffet is free and eminently drinkable.  Perhaps you should go over and do some reading on the board here for NCL, under Cruise Lines A-O.  EM

[zqvol]

1 hour ago, Plself said:

Can anyone tell us which cruise line is best for cruising to Alaska?  We were planning to go on Norwegian Bliss but we are seeing a good many bad reviews concerning everything from charging for bottled water outside of beverage deals, food not very good and ship being so large that the crew cannot give 5 star service.  This is our first cruise so we really want to make the right choice. 

 

I like NCL, but neither NCL nor any other mass market line is a five star experience. Most are 3 star at best. If you want 5 star service in AK, your choices are Regent and Silversea.

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, Plself said:

Can anyone tell us which cruise line is best for cruising to Alaska?  

Princess and Holland America have been doing Alaska "the longest" and have the most permits for cruising Glacier Bay and possibly other scenic locales. They also both have their own facilities inland if you are able to do a cruise-tour. I'm pretty sure they both have a fine AK product.

 

Between the two lines, I have chosen HAL three times in Alaska! But, I am booked with Princess in 2020, mostly because of the roundtrip from LA requiring no flights for the five of us. 

 

I condense the decision between Princess and HAL to asking: do you want a small room on a bigger ship, or a large room on a smaller ship? If it weren't for the no-flight itinerary, we would sail Holland America every time.

 

Also be aware that Princess has removed or is removing the second chair from inside, oceanview, and balcony rooms. This made a difference for us in an oceanview room for 28 days; we voted with our feet for a HAL cruise six weeks later.

Edited August 17, 2019 by crystalspin

[Heidi13]

When selecting an Alaska cruise, I suggest deciding on an itinerary first, then selecting a cruise line that meets your needs.

 

R/T or 1-Way - R/T cruise really only see SE Alaska, while 1-way cruises also visit the Prince William Sound area. Personally, we always prefer the 1-way option, often doing B2B.

 

Departure Port - Seattle & Vancouver are the most popular. All cruises from Seattle must be R/T & most of them head up/down the Pacific Ocean, which can be rougher. They also must make a technical stop in Victoria for a few hours. Vancouver has both R/T & 1-way options and the ships complete more of the voyage in the Inside Passage. S'bd trips start in Whittier or Seward.

 

Time in Port - check and compare how many hours the ship is alongside

 

Glaciers - Glacier Bay for us is a must, as they bring the Park Rangers aboard who provide excellent commentary. Been well > 20 times, but still enjoy the experience. I have never failed to get into Glacier Bay. Next favourite is Hubbard, which is huge, but can be missed due to fog and/or ice. I have missed Hubbard only once. Tracy Arm is a spectacular, but all too often the ships can't get in due to ice, so they visit a less impressive adjacent site. Personally, I would never book an Alaska cruise if Tracy Arm was the only glacier on the itinerary, especially early in the season.

 

Cruise Line - if you desire 5-star service and excellent meals, I would not suggest considering any of the mainstream lines, but consider one of the Premium or Luxury Lines - Viking, Oceania, Azamara, Regent & Silversea. The initial price is higher, but they are more inclusive and unless you spend nothing aboard, the final total cruise cost is fairly comparable.

[rkacruiser]

I returned from two Alaska cruises on August 7th with 10 days on land between the two cruises.  Vancouver to Seward on the Westerdam and Whittier to Vancouver on Coral Princess provided for two different itineraries.  This was my reason for choosing these two ships.

 

I recommend that your first concern would be how much you want to spend.  If cost is a concern, then ships of Silverseas, Regent, Viking, and Seabourn as well as any Lindblad/National Geographic ship can be eliminated from consideration.

 

Itinerary ought then be your second consideration.  What ports are important to visit for you?  What glaciers are you most interesting in seeing?  Personally, my favorite glaciers are Hubbard as #1 followed by Glacier Bay and the ones in Tracy Arm.  Many cruisers like College Fjord but it's been too many years since I visited that to have a current opinion.  Ports that I enjoy are, in order, Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, Sitka, and Seward.

 

Then, study carefully the deck plans of the ships that sail your desired itinerary.  In my opinion and those of the National Park Rangers, you want to sail on a ship that has plentiful exterior deck space.  Why?  One needs to be OUTSIDE to have the best opportunity to see wildlife and hear/observe glaciers calving.  On both of my cruises, the NPS Ranger repeatedly advised people to get OUTSIDE and not spend the day looking through windows.  On both the Westerdam and Coral Princess, there are plentiful exterior deck spaces that are easy to utilize quickly when wildlife is spotted on the Starboard side and one is on the Port side of the ship.  Having sailed on Royal Princess last Winter, she has minimal exterior deck spaces, so even though she is a lovely ship with many features that I enjoyed, I ruled her out immediately as a possible choice.  

 

During my two recent cruises, I collected the daily activity sheets and the dinner menus from the MDR.  Returning home, I compared the number of Alaska themed activities on she ship as well as the number of Alaska themed appetizers and entrees and desserts in the MDR.  Princess and HAL both had 18 Alaska themed activities in 7 days.  HAL had 18 Alaska themed menu items while Princess had 16.  Service on both was excellent and the Executive Chefs on both ships provided delicious meals for all three meal times.  Both ships offer their own tweaks on the Alaska experience:  Princess: a "Puppies in the Atrium" program and HAL's Dutch Pea Soup served on deck and in the Crow's Nest when in areas like Glacier Bay.

 

Which port to sail from and to?  Seattle or Vancouver?  Both cities offer great sailaway views and are cities that I never tire of visiting.  Seward or Whittier?  Whittier provided the absolute easiest and shortest path to the gangway I have ever experienced anywhere, but I did arrive around 11:30 A.M., a time well before the tour groups arrived.  Disembarkation at Seward was very easy with the transfer bus to Anchorage a 30 second walk from the end of the gangway.  Port staff at both ends of the line are plentiful and helpful.

 

As you plan, remember the old advertising slogan of the Cunard Line:  "Getting there is half the fun."  The other half is the planning , preparation, and anticipation of your cruise. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Plself]

Thank you all so much for the feed back. I have received some excellent information from all of you. This will certainly help us with our cruise decisions. 

[lenquixote66]

On 8/16/2019 at 8:27 PM, Plself said:

Can anyone tell us which cruise line is best for cruising to Alaska?  We were planning to go on Norwegian Bliss but we are seeing a good many bad reviews concerning everything from charging for bottled water outside of beverage deals, food not very good and ship being so large that the crew cannot give 5 star service.  This is our first cruise so we really want to make the right choice. 

We did a 14 day Alaska ,7 days land and 7 days sea with Holland America.It was great.

[shiska]

On 8/16/2019 at 8:27 PM, Plself said:

Can anyone tell us which cruise line is best for cruising to Alaska?  We were planning to go on Norwegian Bliss but we are seeing a good many bad reviews concerning everything from charging for bottled water outside of beverage deals, food not very good and ship being so large that the crew cannot give 5 star service.  This is our first cruise so we really want to make the right choice. 

Hello We were on the Carnival Legend too Alaska this past June 4th our first time too Alaska. It was awesome. Service was outstanding no complaints. We had a balcony we were so glad we decided on the balcony. We have been cruising with Carnival

for several years.

We will going back. We sailed out of Seattle. I would recommend going out 2 or more days and see the sights in Seattle.

Have a safe and enjoyable trip

Shiska 

[MCC retired]

Compare itineraries and prices for the dates you wish.

An Alaska Cruise is all about Alaska and the ship is secondary .

Also look at the 2 lines that have the most ships as well as years 

doing Alaska , Princess and Holland America .👍

 

[Aquahound]

On 8/17/2019 at 5:33 PM, Plself said:

Thank you all so much for the feed back. I have received some excellent information from all of you. This will certainly help us with our cruise decisions. 

 

My biggest piece of advice is, the best line for Alaska is probably the line that appeals to you most.  If it's NCL, then it's NCL.  Otherwise, like the others said, pick based on itinerary.  I totally agree with the Glacier Bay recommendations.  Many lines are now sailing GB, so you should have plenty of choices.

 

One other thing...don't fall for the "cruise line xxx has been there longest."  That makes no difference whatsoever.  

[kkmiausa]

I think you are leaving out two major players in the 5 star and that is Seabourn or Crystal. Crystal I believe has better port experiences, whereas Seabourn is probably tops for overall service to passengers and all inclusive dining and beverages. The smaller Oceania ships are also great, I believe Regatta is for Alaska.   I took the wrong Seabourn itinerary unfortunately and really did not see the glaciers nearly as much as I had anticipated. 

 

 

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, Aquahound said:

One other thing...don't fall for the "cruise line xxx has been there longest."  That makes no difference whatsoever.  

 

I agree with your thinking.  While HAL and Princess have sailed in Alaska for many years, having sailed this Summer on ships of both of the Companies on the Vancouver/Whittier or Seward itineraries, both provide an excellent experience for the Alaskan cruiser in their own respective styles.  I found my experiences on Coral Princess and Westerdam to be essentially equal in what I expected and in what I received as a guest.

[angie7911922]

I agree, 

First check your budget and the pricing of a cruise. And with pricing I mean all the costs, like tours you like to do, drink package, added cost for eating in a "better" restaurant onboard, tips... Sometimes it's not that much more expensive in the end to go on the more luxurious cruise lines which mostly have all-inclusive.

Also check the itinerary.

And when good service is very important to you, definitely consider the high end cruise lines.

We went with Regent and I have only 1 thing to say...Fantastic 

[Cruzaholic41]

50 minutes ago, angie7911922 said:

We went with Regent and I have only 1 thing to say...Fantastic 

 

Agreed. Regent is an excellent cruise line. 

 

I also agree that how long a cruise line has been in a region makes no difference on the actual cruise experience. I’ve always thought that was bad advice. 

[angie7911922]

10 hours ago, Cruzaholic41 said:

I also agree that how long a cruise line has been in a region makes no difference on the actual cruise experience. I’ve always thought that was bad advice. 

 

I agree, those "smaller" cruise lines have also been sailing in Alaska for years. So I don't believe you should put that in consideration while looking for the best cruise line to book. Everybody has different things they like from being a ship with many restaurants, kids facilities or quality of service. So put your priorities on a list and do your research.

There is a cruise line for everybody!

[cruisegermany]

Hello! Norwegian Bliss - I would consider it as too big for this wonderful cruise region. The pristine waters, glaciers, widl life, that makes me think of a smaller ship. Been to Alaska on Celebrity and HAL. Both cruises were breathtaking. These ships are allowed to get close to Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay, stay there for more than one hour, you can watch the glacier calving, awesome. The nature talks and presentations on both HAL and Celebrity were lovely!

 

[bbwex]

Several posters have already pointed out the different levels of service.  Many people recommend Holland America or Princess due to their extensive experience in Alaska and better access for a couple of the glacier places (Glacier Bay, etc.).  We, in fact, took HAL because we were interested in their cruisetours in addition to just the cruise.

 

But let me offer some thoughts, if it is not too late for the OP.

 

HAL is a mass market line and will not compare with the luxury lines like Seabourn, Crystal, Regent, etc.  The level of service in the luxury lines is significantly above the mass market lines. 

You would have to decide if you want the extras of a luxury line, or even the slightly smaller extras of Oceania or similar offerings.

 

On our cruise, we went into College Fjord, which has an abundance of glaciers coming in.  However, realize that a large cruise ship is only going to get within a mile or so of a glacier.  At the end of our cruisetour, and before our ship left Seward, we took the Kenai Fjords tour, and it was one of the two best parts of our cruise (Denali being the other).  The smaller day-touring boat got well within a half mile of the glaciers, and gave us the chance to not only see a glacier up close, and watch some calving, but we were close enough to hear the glaciers!  Glaciers are not quiet -- they are constantly making noise.  We were also able to have one of the seamen on the boat pick up a piece of ice for an up close view.  From the deck of the cruise ship, we could see the glaciers but were way too far away to appreciate the noise and constant motion, albeit slow, of the glacier.  Without any doubt, that tour and the tour of Denali were the two most outstanding things we did anywhere along the tour to Fairbanks, Denali and Anchorage, and the cruise down to Vancouver from Seward!

 

Alaska is, to say the least, big, and overwhelming as to what to do.  Look not so much at the stops but rather at what you can do in each of them, and then work now to get the best tours that you can put together.  Get on your ship's Roll Call once you have made a reservation, find some people to go with you to reduce the cost somewhat, and arrange stops that will be memorable.

 

To the OP, if you message me directly, I would be glad to give you the names of who we used, but don't want to post all of that.

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, bbwex said:

we took the Kenai Fjords tour, and it was one of the two best parts of our cruise (Denali being the other). 

 

These two visits were among my highlights when I visited Alaska this Summer.  Well worth the time, effort, and money, in my opinion.

[kateg]

I can only comment on my personal experience.  Getting to see Alaska is awesome-so however you do it DO IT!  We did a Seattle to Seattle Alaskan cruise last summer on Celebrity.  The cruise  was a company bonus so we did not get to pick anything about the experience.  We had a suite on Celebrity.  The suite dining room was fantastic-the room itself was no big deal.  There were a few perks-the best one was getting a private viewing session on the helipad approaching Sawyer Glacier with hot drinks, headphones and a personal naturalist to narrate for us.    I really liked the Alaska history/nature educational lectures on Celebrity-they added so much to the trip.  The ship was lovely and comfortable and clean-but had a very slow pace (we were bored several times-when there was no scenery). 
 

My mother-in-law just did a longer Land and Sea package with Princess.  I think the land portion was disappointing for her because the had very bad weather and didn't see much.  She seemed to enjoy herself but said she wouldn't cruise Princess again (although she didn't really elaborate on why). 

 

The only MUST do for your first Alaska cruise is to make sure you have a balcony.

 

If I could pick my own experience I would probably do a one-way cruise and choose one with as MANY ports as possible.  Some people prefer certain glaciers/ports but I think they are all wonderful.

[angie7911922]

I do have to admit, Alaska is one of my favourite cruise destinations! (along with the Baltic) Just love it

[Hlitner]

As others have said, you are not going to get a 5 Star experience on any mass market cruise line (Princess, RCI, Carnival, Celebrity, etc).  But those lines all do a fine job in Alaska.  If you want a 5 Star experience (or at least something close) and are willing to pay the big bucks then you can consider Seabourn, Silverseas, Regent or perhaps Crystal.

 

Hank

[Aquahound]

On 9/21/2019 at 12:11 PM, bbwex said:

Many people recommend Holland America or Princess due to their ... better access for a couple of the glacier places (Glacier Bay, etc.). 

 

That is no longer true.