So. Many. Choices. Cruiseline help

[mrsmichaelene]

Looking for a cruise line that would be appealing to a hesitant first time cruiser (54 year old husband) and my 10 year old daughter. I have only ever cruised on RC or Disney but open to others. Definitely would like to see a glacier, need a larger room, and plenty of things to do onboard. Looking to sail either May or Aug 2023.

[JT1962]

If you want to see glaciers from the ship, an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay is your best option since Hubbard, Dawes and Sawyer Glaciers are sometimes missed due to ice / fog.  Glacier Bay is rarely missed. Holland America and Princess have the most sailings to Glacier Bay, with Norwegian Cruise Lines having multiple sailings as well. Norwegian would probably have the most things to go onboard, especially for a 10 year old. 

If you just want to see a glacier, most ships stop in Juneau which has Mendenhall Glacier nearby. You can take a shuttle to the glacier and see it from a distance or take a helicopter tour that will actually land on the glacier, but is relatively expensive.

 

A one way itinerary between Vancouver and Alaska (or Vice Versa) will give you the more time in ports and possibly an additional port / glacier visit vs. the roundtrip cruises from Seattle.With a one-way tour, you can also add on a land tour before / after your cruise to see even more.

 

[harryfat1]

What is the cause of the hesitancy of the husband in not wanting to cruise? 

 

The answers others will give you are from cruise lovers so they will just talk about various cruises to take to maximize your trip experience but may not address the issue your husband has against cruises.   

 

The bigger ships (Quantum class from RCI) and NCL Encore will only sail round trip from Seattle and have plenty to do while on board. Many first time Alaska cruisers picks the Seattle round trip as it's easier/cheaper to fly into Seattle instead of Anchorage/Vancouver one way cruises.  The drawback of round trip Seattle is that you give up on seeing the some of the bigger glaciers being offered on one way trip. 

 

Many of the purists on the boards will say to pick itinerary first and then pick the ship but most of them are cruise lovers not having to worry about family member's hesitancy.  I suspect in your case, you may want to find the ship/cruise company that will make all 3 of you happy first and then find the Alaska sailings that fits your schedule within that cruise company.

[ABQrobin]

Alaska cruises are different in the way people spend their time.  Most people spend onboard time looking at the views out the windows or from the top deck as you pass through amazing mountains, fjords, with waterfalls and wildlife you can see.  There is also a "Nature expert/Naturalist" onboard giving talks about what you might see on your land excursions, like whale watching tours, whale behavior, how glaciers are formed, etc.  Alaska is all about the scenery and wildlife, not so much about "activities" on the ship, like a Caribbbean cruise where there is nothing to see but the ocean on Sea Days.

[mrsmichaelene]

Thank you for all who responded and your input. It is appreciated!

 

[Oakman58]

For a first time cruiser to Alaska, Glacier Bay National Park is a must do.  Just remember that Royal Caribbean doesn't do Glacier Bay anymore.

 

I would consider Princess or NCL.

[Thunderbird19]

Just got back from Princess cruise (on the Majestic) that went into Glacier Bay.  Highly recommend it - fabulous trip, ship, staff, etc.