Which cruise line for Alaska?

[Cayman1]

I am curious, as we start planning our Alaska cruise, as to who does Alaska best, if there is a clear choice.

 

It will be just my wife and I and we are in our fifties. Not sure if we will ever do Alaska more than once, so I want to make this the best possible representation to enjoy all that we can.

 

We have traveled with Carnival and Royal Caribbean many times. Also traveled once on Disney, just for a background. But I am not sure if these are the lines we would want to go on for Alaska. Maybe I am wrong.

 

Thoughts and opinions are very welcome here.

 

Thank you all.

[naturelovergirl]

Narrow down your choices with your itinerary preferences first… choose your line/ship after 😊

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, Cayman1 said:

I am curious, as we start planning our Alaska cruise, as to who does Alaska best, if there is a clear choice.

 

It will be just my wife and I and we are in our fifties. Not sure if we will ever do Alaska more than once, so I want to make this the best possible representation to enjoy all that we can.

 

We have traveled with Carnival and Royal Caribbean many times. Also traveled once on Disney, just for a background. But I am not sure if these are the lines we would want to go on for Alaska. Maybe I am wrong.

 

Thoughts and opinions are very welcome here.

 

Thank you all.

 

First and foremost, Alaska is all about the scenery and the experience, the ship is simply a means of transport. Therefore, when determining priorities, I would place the choice of ship/cruise line well below the itinerary and what you want to experience.

 

Since you mentioned you may not do Alaska again, I'll suggest a longer cruise, visiting more than the tourist SE Alaska ports of Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. You will also want to maximise your time in port, so pay attention to arrival and departure times, as all cruise lines are not equal. In general, Seattle based ships spend less time in Alaska, as they must stop in Victoria and have longer transit times. Some thoughts to consider:

  - Sitka is a great port that isn't on too many itineraries,

  - Glacier Bay, with the Ranger commentary and almost guarantee of seeing glaciers, I'll suggest is your best option for glaciers, although additional options are also worthwhile. My next favourite is Hubbard, but especially early season you may not get into the glacier. Tracy Arm, very few ships get in due to ice.

  - Prince William Sound is definitely worthwhile, as is a pre/post excursion to Denali, etc.

  - Ships, again not all are equal. Personally, I would only consider ships with wrap around Promenade Decks and other open deck viewing areas. I would not consider ships with limited manoeuvring capabilities, such as the Princess Royal Class ships.

 

You will find lots of great information in this board to assist you in your research.

[Coral]

19 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

First and foremost, Alaska is all about the scenery and the experience, the ship is simply a means of transport. Therefore, when determining priorities, I would place the choice of ship/cruise line well below the itinerary and what you want to experience.

 

Since you mentioned you may not do Alaska again, I'll suggest a longer cruise, visiting more than the tourist SE Alaska ports of Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. You will also want to maximise your time in port, so pay attention to arrival and departure times, as all cruise lines are not equal. In general, Seattle based ships spend less time in Alaska, as they must stop in Victoria and have longer transit times. Some thoughts to consider:

  - Sitka is a great port that isn't on too many itineraries,

  - Glacier Bay, with the Ranger commentary and almost guarantee of seeing glaciers, I'll suggest is your best option for glaciers, although additional options are also worthwhile. My next favourite is Hubbard, but especially early season you may not get into the glacier. Tracy Arm, very few ships get in due to ice.

  - Prince William Sound is definitely worthwhile, as is a pre/post excursion to Denali, etc.

  - Ships, again not all are equal. Personally, I would only consider ships with wrap around Promenade Decks and other open deck viewing areas. I would not consider ships with limited manoeuvring capabilities, such as the Princess Royal Class ships.

 

You will find lots of great information in this board to assist you in your research.

I agree with all of this!

 

Pay very close attention to times in port! A lot of Juneau times are 2-10 which people don't realize when they book the cruise and then they are struggling as they only find things to do until 5 pm.

 

Roundtrip Seattle cruises have awful times in port.

 

I would read up on the ports and see what you want to do and which ports you want to visit. I also put Glacier Bay first as glacier as it is very accessible. I have miss Hubbard multiple times including in July. Try to find an itinerary with 2 glacier days so if you miss one, you will hopefully see the other. I have also missed Tracy Arm multiple times, including in July.

 

I also agree about outdoor deck space. Promenade decks are great as they are covered and they have lower viewing areas compared to higher viewing areas (better for pictures). And they are not as crowded as everyone thinks the best deck to be on is the top.

[Hllb]

I’ll preface this with I haven’t been yet so am just sharing what I’ve read planning for our trip this summer. Glacier Bay should be on the itinerary which gives you (I think) only Holland America, Princess, and Norwegian to choose from. Next choice is a one way or round trip. Most people recommend one way for the best options. If, for whatever reason, you choose a round trip, out of Vancouver is better than out of Seattle as most of them travel the protected inside passage for better scenery and calmer waters (not all do, but most out of Vancouver).

 

for us, the flights were too pricey for a one way or out of Vancouver so we’re doing round trip out of Seattle on Holland America. Some of the port times could be better but we have more port days so will get a little more variety for less time. We may go back though so I feel like it’s a decent compromise.

[Heidi13]

6 hours ago, Hllb said:

I’ll preface this with I haven’t been yet so am just sharing what I’ve read planning for our trip this summer. Glacier Bay should be on the itinerary which gives you (I think) only Holland America, Princess, and Norwegian to choose from.

 

The latest 10-year Glacier Bay contracts were awarded by the National Parks Service to 7 cruise lines. Of the 7, only 6 of them are using their permits
  - Princess,

  - HAL,

  - NCL,

  - Viking,

  - Cunard, and

  - Seabourn

 

Of those 6 cruise lines, Princess, HAL and NCL have the most visits.

[Coral]

20 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

The latest 10-year Glacier Bay contracts were awarded by the National Parks Service to 7 cruise lines. Of the 7, only 6 of them are using their permits
  - Princess,

  - HAL,

  - NCL,

  - Viking,

  - Cunard, and

  - Seabourn

 

Of those 6 cruise lines, Princess, HAL and NCL have the most visits.

Who is not using their permits? Can they give them away? I think CCL can exchange their permits within their company - right?

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, Coral said:

Who is not using their permits? Can they give them away? I think CCL can exchange their permits within their company - right?

 

Royal Caribbean were awarded permits in 2019, but have declined to use them. 

 

I'm not sure how the permits are distributed to ensure only 2 cruise ships per day are in Glacier Bay, but if they are assigned to specific cruise lines, my best guess is that they must be used by that line's ships. However, I have no definitive answer, as a lowly Deck Officer, I wasn't involved in that process.

[Coral]

3 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Royal Caribbean were awarded permits in 2019, but have declined to use them. 

 

I'm not sure how the permits are distributed to ensure only 2 cruise ships per day are in Glacier Bay, but if they are assigned to specific cruise lines, my best guess is that they must be used by that line's ships. However, I have no definitive answer, as a lowly Deck Officer, I wasn't involved in that process.

Ok - I knew that. I thought one of the ones you listed wasn't using them so then I wondered about Viking.

 

Yea - I am sure Corporate headquarters are the ones who deal with those decisions (and National Parks) if Princess can give some permits to Carnival, etc... It seems that Carnival would sail Glacier Bay at the beginning of the season and that was it. This was years ago (before COVID). 

[hapster85]

I thought Royal Caribbean withdrew from the process before permits were awarded?

 

Edit: Yes, only the six listed have permits according to the NPS website. https://www.nps.gov/glba/getinvolved/dobusinesswithus.htm

Edited February 26, 2023 by hapster85

[Coral]

2 hours ago, hapster85 said:

I thought Royal Caribbean withdrew from the process before permits were awarded?

 

Edit: Yes, only the six listed have permits according to the NPS website. https://www.nps.gov/glba/getinvolved/dobusinesswithus.htm

They did get them, they published cruises with Glacier Bay and then changed itineraries a few months later with out Glacier Bay.

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, hapster85 said:

I thought Royal Caribbean withdrew from the process before permits were awarded?

 

Edit: Yes, only the six listed have permits according to the NPS website. https://www.nps.gov/glba/getinvolved/dobusinesswithus.htm

 

RCCL were one of the 7- cruise lines that were awarded contracts commencing 1st October 2019. They withdrew/declined at some point, prior to awarding of permits to access the 2 ships slots per day.

 

https://www.nps.gov/glba/learn/news/glacier-bay-issues-new-contracts-for-cruise-ship-services.htm

[pdmlynek]

You probably know the stock answer to this common question, but it might be worth repeating to newbies: Princess and Holland America are considered the most experienced cruise lines in Alaska. They have the most ships, most itineraries in Alaska. 

[hapster85]

On 2/26/2023 at 5:28 PM, Coral said:

They did get them, they published cruises with Glacier Bay and then changed itineraries a few months later with out Glacier Bay.

They apparently also forgot to take down the promotional pages on their website. 🤣

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-to/glacier-bay-alaska

[kickboxrca]

On 2/24/2023 at 5:35 AM, Hllb said:

I’ll preface this with I haven’t been yet so am just sharing what I’ve read planning for our trip this summer. Glacier Bay should be on the itinerary which gives you (I think) only Holland America, Princess, and Norwegian to choose from. Next choice is a one way or round trip. Most people recommend one way for the best options. If, for whatever reason, you choose a round trip, out of Vancouver is better than out of Seattle as most of them travel the protected inside passage for better scenery and calmer waters (not all do, but most out of Vancouver).

 

for us, the flights were too pricey for a one way or out of Vancouver so we’re doing round trip out of Seattle on Holland America. Some of the port times could be better but we have more port days so will get a little more variety for less time. We may go back though so I feel like it’s a decent compromise.

 

When are you travelling?  We are doing that trip out of Seattle on April 29.

[Hllb]

2 minutes ago, kickboxrca said:

 

When are you travelling?  We are doing that trip out of Seattle on April 29.

We are June 24.

[ClaireyBear]

We cruised to Alaska with Celebrity in 2014. Had a great time, both in port AND on the ship. I would disagree with some who say it’s “all about the ports.” The ship and the vibe, the food quality, the room quality, all of it are important to us as well as the ports. 

We liked that cruise so much that we’re going again this June, same room, different S-class ship, almost same itinerary. We’re in our 40’s now. 

[Heidi13]

14 hours ago, ClaireyBear said:

We cruised to Alaska with Celebrity in 2014. Had a great time, both in port AND on the ship. I would disagree with some who say it’s “all about the ports.” The ship and the vibe, the food quality, the room quality, all of it are important to us as well as the ports. 

We liked that cruise so much that we’re going again this June, same room, different S-class ship, almost same itinerary. We’re in our 40’s now. 

 

I'm not aware that any of us on this thread mentioned that in Alaska, it is all about the ports. In my post (#3) I mentioned Alaska is about the scenery and the experience, which is a comprehensive expectation and/or goal. The ports are only a single component of the overall Alaska scenery and experience.

 

Having worked 2 full seasons in Alaska, standing on the Bridge for 8 + hrs per day, I have seen most of the coastal scenery, which I note changes by the month, as does the wildlife you can see. The itinerary is a critical component, as it is more than ports of call and time in port, as for pax wanting to see the scenery, the route, transit times and available daylight hours are more important than ship entertainment and cabin facilities.

 

Cruising with Celebrity, you are also missing out on Glacier Bay. While it may not have the most spectacular glaciers, you are virtually guaranteed to see at least 1 glacier. In all my cruises to Alaska spanning over 30 yrs, both working and latterly as a pax, I have never missed Glacier Bay, but have missed Hubbard multiple times and only every got into Tracy Arm once. Glacier Bay is also about the experience of having the Park Rangers board the vessel and provide informative commentary throughout the day.

 

The reason many of us that have cruised extensively, or reside in Alaska, place the ship well below the Alaska itinerary, is that most cruise lines charge a premium in Alaska. Pax wanting to enjoy the ship's facilities, entertainment, cabin, etc can get a cheaper shipboard experience in the Caribbean.  

[Oakman58]

I would love to know why Royal Caribbean decided not to finalize its contract with the National Park Service for Glacier Bay.  I mean really, Glacier Bay is not only a spectacular national park, it's also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

[wolfie11]

I'm not sure if it's related, but Royal Caribbean was banned from Glacier Bay in 1999 for dumping oily waste and hazardous chemicals into the bay.  Coincidently, GLBA announced in 2020 they would have inspectors on cruise ships at least twice a season.

 

Carnival was barred from renewing their permits, also in 1999.  They had dumped oil overboard and falsified their records. 

[donaldsc]

18 hours ago, ClaireyBear said:

We cruised to Alaska with Celebrity in 2014. Had a great time, both in port AND on the ship. I would disagree with some who say it’s “all about the ports.” The ship and the vibe, the food quality, the room quality, all of it are important to us as well as the ports. 

We liked that cruise so much that we’re going again this June, same room, different S-class ship, almost same itinerary. We’re in our 40’s now. 

 

If the ports and the port times were totally identical, then I agree with you.  Otherwise I would completely disagree.  What is outside completely overrides what is inside.  Alaska is not the Caribbean.

 

DON

[Ineke]

We’ve cruised to Alaska 3 times so far. The first time Princess 7 day Southbound to Vancouver; second time Celebrity 7 day Vancouver return; third time Holland America 14 day return from Seattle. The 14 day one was by far the best one with a great itinerary, and we enjoyed both the ship and the cruise immensely. We are not all that able physically, so spent most of our port days just exploring the town - taking HoHo buses or a local bus when we could, but the cruise experience was wonderful. We didn’t expect to do it again, but here we are, scheduled on HAL for a 14 day return from Vancouver, in May. We probably won’t do any more than before, but sure looking forward to it.  It will be at least 2 months earlier than previously, so I expect things may look (and feel) quite different weather wise, but that’s OK.