Decisions, Decisions

[LatinaInTexas]

   I have a FCC I need to use this year before summer. I can only take 2 cruises this year and am ok doing semi-last minute. I really wanted my next cruise to be Alaska but while doing research pretty sure that won't be happening.

   First issue is the ships, both the Spirit and the Luminosa are small ships. The smallest ship I have sailed has been Valor, I prefer bigger ships. It looks like the Luminosa doesnt even have a Guys Burger??

Second issue is the travel dates, they both leave during the week adding on extra vacation days compared to leaving on a weekend day. Basically to make it work I could only do a date that would include Memorial Day to help minimize using vacation days.

Third issue is so far I haven't gotten an offer to make the other two issues at least worthwhile putting up with. Earlier this year I got a unbelievable offer for Alaska that I couldn't make work so I have a tiny glimmer of hope that I could get even a decent offer for this year.

   My next plan would be to use my FCC on a short cruise and pay for an Alaskan cruise on another cruise line, one that does weekend to weekend sailings. I have only sailed RC and MSC and prefer not to sail RC.

   I'm going to start looking into Holland, NCL, Celebrity, and Princess. I'm ok with an ocean view or inside as long as there are nice viewing spaces to spend time at. I'm looking to do a bundle offer that could include drink packages, dining, wifi etc thanks to some recent gambling winnings 😁

   I know everyone has opinions but out of those 4 cruise lines Im considering is there one or more I should scratch off my list immediately? Are they all worth spending time researching? I know nothing about Alaska so any of the itineraries will prob excite me. I'm a simple person easy to please lol.

   Another option would be to save Alaska for next year and take my time planning and wait for the perfect offer to appear. I did get a decent Black Friday offer for Panorama that I booked with the $50 deposit promo for this April as a backup in case nothing better comes along. Final payment is due end of this month so the clock is ticking and decisions have to be made ughhh.

   

   

 

   

[spleenstomper]

Large ships have more amenities, yes. But for Alaska, you want a smaller ship because smaller ships can go closer to glaciers and inlets etc. Same with New England and Canada. For Alaska, I took HAL Westerdam with 1200 people and for Canada, Zaandam with 1400. We can stop at Bar Harbor, Maine and larger ships have to skip that port because the city can’t handle larger ships so they made an ordnance about it.  
 

I booked this Alaska cruise a week or two before, so it was very last minute for me. 

Edited January 1, 2023 by spleenstomper

[spleenstomper]

Some Alaska pics from September 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 1, 2023 by spleenstomper

[spleenstomper]

It took me a while to figure out why we passed this celebrity ship at the glacier and after a while I realized it’s  because they were larger than we were so they had to stay farther back. The camera is on zoom so it’s father back than it looks and we were still going toward the glacier. 

 

 

Edited January 1, 2023 by spleenstomper

[LatinaInTexas]

16 minutes ago, spleenstomper said:

Large ships have more amenities, yes. But for Alaska, you want a smaller ship because smaller ships can go closer to glaciers and inlets etc. Same with New England and Canada. For Alaska, I took HAL Westerdam with 1200 people and for Canada, Zaandam with 1400. We can stop at Bar Harbor, Maine and larger ships have to skip that port because the city can’t handle larger ships so they made an ordnance about it.  
 

I booked this Alaska cruise a week or two before, so it was very last minute for me. 

Good to know about smaller ships. I wouldn't mind a smaller ship as long as it has decent amenities.

[LatinaInTexas]

17 minutes ago, spleenstomper said:

Some Alaska pics from September 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gorgeous pics! 

[jsglow]

Princess to Alaska.  Do the one way Glaciers cruise out of either Whittier or Vancouver.  You won't be disappointed.

[spleenstomper]

34 minutes ago, LatinaInTexas said:

Good to know about smaller ships. I wouldn't mind a smaller ship as long as it has decent amenities.

They don’t. With Westerdam, you don’t even get a grand lobby or staircase. One dining room, one (two maybe) speciality dining. You do get a spa and a mini bar in your room stocked with water, sodas, cocktails etc. 

 

Room service is amazing and you can order the dining room or speciality restaurant menus. 
 

They do have solo get togethers and lunches. I found a solo group and the ship is so small that you see them everywhere, so 5 of us still keep in touch. 
 

Smaller ships might not be your thing. Just know that you might have to give up some amazing experiences with a larger ship. 
 

NCL epic was in Alaska with us and that is a mega ship. So larger ships do go to Alaska and I guess that is what excursions are for. 

[spleenstomper]

1 minute ago, jsglow said:

Princess to Alaska.  Do the one way Glaciers cruise out of either Whittier or Vancouver.  You won't be disappointed.

This is the next Alaska cruise I want to do: anchorage to either Seattle or Vancouver. We seriously debated the New England cruise or the one way Alaska cruise, and NE and Canada won. One way Alaska will be next big cruise. 

[jsglow]

10 minutes ago, spleenstomper said:

This is the next Alaska cruise I want to do: anchorage to either Seattle or Vancouver. We seriously debated the New England cruise or the one way Alaska cruise, and NE and Canada won. One way Alaska will be next big cruise. 

I don't believe anyone does a one way from Seattle. I also strongly recommend tacking on a land portion before or after.  Our trip this summer was spectacular. 13 days in total.  The Princess lodges up in Alaska are fantastic and the logistics are extremely well handled.  HAL also packages up with the Princess lodges. Absolutely the way to go. Wouldn't do it any other way unless prices for a Seattle Carnival R/T were super cheap and I just wanted a 'little taste'.

[spleenstomper]

4 minutes ago, jsglow said:

I don't believe anyone does a one way from Seattle. I also strongly recommend tacking on a land portion before or after.  Our trip this summer was spectacular. 13 days in total.  The Princess lodges up in Alaska are fantastic and the logistics are extremely well handled.  HAL also packages up with the Princess lodges. Absolutely the way to go. Wouldn't do it any other way unless prices for a Seattle Carnival R/T were super cheap and I just wanted a 'little taste'.

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, everyone who did the land portion were raving about it. 

[jsglow]

1 minute ago, spleenstomper said:

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, everyone who did the land portion were raving about it. 

Go find your lanyard and get the sam hill outta here! Enjoy your cruise. 😆

[CruiseAdict218]

Did Alaska a few years ago on Princess, and is still probably my favorite cruise to date. You really don’t need a big “modern” ship for Alaska unlike say to the Caribbean. 
 

With that said, we did round trip Seattle, on the Golden Princess (now Pacific Adventure) and was the right size for us. Lots of open decks for viewing, I think the top of the bridge was open, etc. 
 

Excursions aren’t cheap so I would budget for that and we also didn’t do a land portion. 
 

Princess or Holland are probably the two best choices for Alaska, they’ve been there the longest but whichever cruise line you choose would be a fine choice. 

[spleenstomper]

22 minutes ago, jsglow said:

Go find your lanyard and get the sam hill outta here! Enjoy your cruise. 😆

Thank you! I’m making headway. I’m of a certain age so I have to come in the den to cool off between showering and then again after blowing dry hair lol.

[CajunOyster]

3 hours ago, LatinaInTexas said:

   First issue is the ships, both the Spirit and the Luminosa are small ships. The smallest ship I have sailed has been Valor, I prefer bigger ships. It looks like the Luminosa doesnt even have a Guys Burger??.

As many others have already said, smaller ships make for much better scenery in Alaska.  If you sail to Alaska, go there for the natural wonders.  Don't let the lack of a mediocre hamburger stop you.

 

[cruisinqt]

I was in the same situation as you a few months ago. I prefer the bigger ships but Carnival only had the Spirit class going to Alaska at the time. So I started looking at other lines. I considered Princess but on our last cruise with them everything shutdown by 10 pm and I’m a night owl. I’d prefer to have a younger crowd with a little more nightlife on the ship. So I started checking out what Royal had to offer and we settled on Quantam of the Seas. The price wasn’t bad at all, their ships tend to have younger crowds and lots to do after 10 pm. Plus this ship has lots of specialty restaurants, bumper cars, laser tag, a skydiving simulator, the flowrider, an escape room, and a rock climbing wall. We are really excited about this cruise, you should check them out and see if your dates fit. 

[CajunOyster]

25 minutes ago, cruisinqt said:

I was in the same situation as you a few months ago. I prefer the bigger ships but Carnival only had the Spirit class going to Alaska at the time. So I started looking at other lines. I considered Princess but on our last cruise with them everything shutdown by 10 pm and I’m a night owl. I’d prefer to have a younger crowd with a little more nightlife on the ship. So I started checking out what Royal had to offer and we settled on Quantam of the Seas. The price wasn’t bad at all, their ships tend to have younger crowds and lots to do after 10 pm. Plus this ship has lots of specialty restaurants, bumper cars, laser tag, a skydiving simulator, the flowrider, an escape room, and a rock climbing wall. We are really excited about this cruise, you should check them out and see if your dates fit. 

 

I think you MIGHT find that the amount of activity on the ship has a little more to do with the itinerary and passenger demographics than you think.  I hope not, but you might find that the "younger crowd with a little more nightlife" doesn't materialize on an Alaska itinerary.

 

[Ihearttravel11]

14 minutes ago, CajunOyster said:

 

I think you MIGHT find that the amount of activity on the ship has a little more to do with the itinerary and passenger demographics than you think.  I hope not, but you might find that the "younger crowd with a little more nightlife" doesn't materialize on an Alaska itinerary.

 

We did Alaska last August on Splendor with our 25 year old son. He was so bored. There was little to no no nightlife for a single guy in his mid-20's. Even the dance club had less than 25 people in it. And he always found a seat at Alchemy. 
This time, DH and I are going to Alaska ourselves. And DS plans on doing a more "fun" and "party" cruise to the Caribbean with his friends.

[cruisinqt]

9 minutes ago, CajunOyster said:

 

I think you MIGHT find that the amount of activity on the ship has a little more to do with the itinerary and passenger demographics than you think.  I hope not, but you might find that the "younger crowd with a little more nightlife" doesn't materialize on an Alaska itinerary.

 

True, the median age and demographics on an Alaskan cruise will be different. Definitely an older crowd for sure.But it’s been my experience that when older cruisers choose Carnival or Royal they tend to be very active seniors that like to stay up late. I think that’s why they choose these cruise lines instead of a quieter more laidback cruise line. But regardless of those things, Royal Caribbean has scheduled events well into the late evening just like Carnival. That’s why I prefer these two lines. Even if it’s off season or going to an area that attracts older crowds, there will be things to do and people milling around having fun. And if it’s quieter than usual I’ll still find lots to do on a bigger ship with lots of amenities to choose from. 

[Eli_6]

We did an Alaskan cruise with Carnival last year from Seattle and it was our favorite cruise!  Loved it!  We were on the Splendor, though. We are a family of four with two kids. We were glad we picked Carnival over the other line as I do think there is more to do on their ships than the smaller ships. Other ones in ports didn't appear to have slides, etc. when they were in port.  I highly recommend a balcony for an Alaskan cruise. 

[firefly333]

I did spirit to alaska round trip out of seattle for ease of getting there and home. Everything people above say isnt worth it. I was on spirit and it was a journey cruise which may not be the case now. They had a naturalist onboard and she would tell us what to look for the next day. I'd say my favorite cruise or close. I saw 2 glaciers and whales and lots I enjoyed. 

 

For me it was still worth it to just do the 7 day round trip cruise. And on carnival. ..though carnival was close to free last summer and I didnt go when the airfare was about 1k. I like bargains and seeing stuff on a shoe string I guess. I love seeing glaciers. I did some national park on my own where I could walk to some waterfall and see that glacier. Dont think I'd have made it on the carnival excursion that had limited time there. Rained cats and dogs. Still memorable. 

[spleenstomper]

4 hours ago, CajunOyster said:

 

I think you MIGHT find that the amount of activity on the ship has a little more to do with the itinerary and passenger demographics than you think.  I hope not, but you might find that the "younger crowd with a little more nightlife" doesn't materialize on an Alaska itinerary.

 

Right, it’s an early itinerary crowd. Everyone was in bed early and up and off the ship early. 

[LatinaInTexas]

2 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

We did an Alaskan cruise with Carnival last year from Seattle and it was our favorite cruise!  Loved it!  We were on the Splendor, though. We are a family of four with two kids. We were glad we picked Carnival over the other line as I do think there is more to do on their ships than the smaller ships. Other ones in ports didn't appear to have slides, etc. when they were in port.  I highly recommend a balcony for an Alaskan cruise. 

My offer earlier last year was for Splendor, I was surprised when I looked for this year it wasn't there. I didn't really know ships can change year to year. I would have been fine with the Splendor.

[jsglow]

I will say that a R/T to Alaska from Seattle IS worth it.  But it's simply not in the same league with a one-way with access to Glacier Bay NP and a visit to either Hubbard or the College glaciers. 

[alias47]

I did the Spirit in June, the 8 day specifically, and I enjoyed it, the stops and the excursions are the key as others have said vs the ship itself for Alaska.  Carnival did have the in addition to the naturalist some Alaska specific programming on board (local entertainer in one case, and some other passenger participation events).