RCL VS HAL for Alaska cruise? Help!

[Phoogirl]

I have not posted on the boards very much so please forgive me if I have posted in the wrong area. We are diamond members on Royal Caribbean and have cruised with them frequently, mostly in the Caribbean. I heard for Alaska that Holland American was better established there and has better ability to see the glaciers and spend more time in port. we have never sailed with Holland American. I’m wondering if the benefit of changing cruise lines outweighs our status with Royal Caribbean when visiting Alaska. Kind of a bucket list visit for my husband and I. I just need some guidance as to what opinions are out there. I would really appreciate any feedback. Anyone can give me. Thank you all for your time.🌼

Edited June 2 by Phoogirl

[Hlitner]

Despite having cruised over 500 days on HAL, I am no longer a fan of that line (we cruise many other lines).  That being said, HAL and Princess are the two mass market lines that seem to be the best established in the AK market.  If one is determined to take a mass market line to that region, then we do strongly suggest looking at those two lines.  

 

I also want to be clear that we much prefer the smaller ship lines (especially the luxury lines such as Seabourn, Silversea, etc) in the Alaska market.  I also think that folks might want to consider that instead of taking a land tour/cruise tour, to Denali, they consider simply renting a car and driving to that area, on their own, from either Anchorage or Fairbanks.  There is much to say for staying in a small motel (or perhaps a cabin) away from the large cruise line owned hotel complex.  We really enjoyed staying in an cabin near Healy, dining in some of the local places used by both locals and employees of the park, etc.   

 

One interesting personal experience about the area.  DW and I spent 3 days hiking in Denali, and saw no large animals (always a matter of luck).  Then early one evening I was filling our gas tank at a station just outside of Healy, when I look up and see a large Moose just walking down the main road!  Needless to say, that Moose did stop traffic.  Another experience happened while we were staying at a small hotel in Anchorage.  One evening we were walking a few blocks to a restaurant (for dinner) when a pick-up truck stopped next to us and the lady driver said, "be careful walking down that hill because we just saw a mama bear and her cubs.  They can be dangerous if you get too close."   There is much to like about Alaska, but not so sure we want to share it with a large bus or train load of "our friends."

 

Hank

[Essiesmom]

I am of the school that says for perhaps your only cruise to Alaska you should sail on an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay.  The major lines that visit there are Princess, HAL and NCL.  Why Glacier Bay, you ask?  The other glaciers that appear on itineraries are often missed due to ice, but I cannot remember hearing a ship missing Glacier Bay.  Hubbard Glacier is equally impressive, but it can be missed, primarily due to fog.  Alaska should be for the itinerary, cruise line perks secondary unless you are traveling with children.  
   You also need to decide if you want to sail round trip from Seattle or one way from Vancouver.  I would go to cruisetimetables.com and put in Glacier Bay in ‘cruises to…’.  It will tell you who calls there and their itineraries.  There is also lots of good advice and experience on the Alaska board here under Ports of Call.  EM

[Phoogirl]

Thank you so much for such useful information and advice. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. Now that RC is matching status I will now consider Silversea instead actually. A smaller ship seems more attractive to me anyway. I do have some challenges with my back however so need some solid amenities. As we live in Maine I know the beauty and thrill of seeing a moose in person. However the idea of being on a huge ship to do so was not super attractive. I was a little uneasy for some reason about switching to HAL. Thank you again much appreciated. 

[Phoogirl]

6 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

I am of the school that says for perhaps your only cruise to Alaska you should sail on an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay.  The major lines that visit there are Princess, HAL and NCL.  Why Glacier Bay, you ask?  The other glaciers that appear on itineraries are often missed due to ice, but I cannot remember hearing a ship missing Glacier Bay.  Hubbard Glacier is equally impressive, but it can be missed, primarily due to fog.  Alaska should be for the itinerary, cruise line perks secondary unless you are traveling with children.  
   You also need to decide if you want to sail round trip from Seattle or one way from Vancouver.  I would go to cruisetimetables.com and put in Glacier Bay in ‘cruises to…’.  It will tell you who calls there and their itineraries.  There is also lots of good advice and experience on the Alaska board here under Ports of Call.  EM

Thank you so much. I did tentatively book on HAL for next year with Glacier bay on the itinerary but I did not know how to use the search feature you mentioned. Just my hubby and I!  Excellent advice, I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out. 

[Aquahound]

3 hours ago, Phoogirl said:

I have not posted on the boards very much so please forgive me if I have posted in the wrong area. We are diamond members on Royal Caribbean and have cruised with them frequently, mostly in the Caribbean. I heard for Alaska that Holland American was better established there and has better ability to see the glaciers and spend more time in port. we have never sailed with Holland American. I’m wondering if the benefit of changing cruise lines outweighs our status with Royal Caribbean when visiting Alaska. Kind of a bucket list visit for my husband and I. I just need some guidance as to what opinions are out there. I would really appreciate any feedback. Anyone can give me. Thank you all for your time.🌼

 

To be honest, I think the "better established" bit is overplayed.  

 

But that said, in my opinion, status should never outweigh a better cruise opportunity.  You clearly enjoy the RCI product, so I would suggest looking at Princess instead of HAL. 

 

If you stick with RCI, look at the one-way Radiance Class cruises between Vancouver and Seward that stops at Hubbard Glacier.  I've done that cruise it was spectacular.    

[GeezerCouple]

3 hours ago, Aquahound said:

If you stick with RCI, look at the one-way Radiance Class cruises between Vancouver and Seward that stops at Hubbard Glacier.  I've done that cruise it was spectacular.    

 

Regardless of the cruise line or ship class/category, DO seriously consider an itinerary that includes Hubbard Glacier.  I have no idea how frequently ships don't actually get in to see it up close and personal.  However, IF the rest of the itinerary is similar enough, choose one that does have that possibility.

 

We had no idea what a treat we were in for!  We had gone to Glacier Bay, and that was nowhere near as spectacular as Hubbard Glacier was... at least for our cruise.

We got quite close, much closer than to anything in Glacier Bay, and we were fortunate (no idea how much this part can differ from time to time) to experience incredible calving!  It was amazing!  Beyond amazing!  The ship stayed there for quite some time, and the Captain kept the ship slowly spinning so that the view from every part of the ship kept getting another view of Hubbard!  Obviously, it would be great to walk around and keep the Glacier in sight (!), but all of the scenery was beautiful there.

It was one of the high points of not just that cruise, but of all of our travels.

 

I'm sure some of our experience there was just pure luck, but that's what travel often is about... finding something unexpected and very special! 😁

 

If you have a balcony or ocean view, try to get a cabin on the "land side" if you are going on a one-way trip.  The scenery on the land side is wonderful.

We went in late May, and we wanted to see more of the "snow-capped mountains" (this was before our winter cruise along the coast of Norway 😉 ), and it was wonderful.
We also specifically wanted "northbound", as the scenery just keeps getting more and more wonderful. 🙂 

 

Enjoy!

 

GC

[Phoogirl]

6 hours ago, Aquahound said:

 

To be honest, I think the "better established" bit is overplayed.  

 

But that said, in my opinion, status should never outweigh a better cruise opportunity.  You clearly enjoy the RCI product, so I would suggest looking at Princess instead of HAL. 

 

If you stick with RCI, look at the one-way Radiance Class cruises between Vancouver and Seward that stops at Hubbard Glacier.  I've done that cruise it was spectacular.    

Thank you so much. I honestly did not look at Princess not knowing much about that line. It is bewildering how many options there are and I genuinely appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. I really am comfortable with RCI but think your right, don’t want to let that stop me for exploring other options. 

[Phoogirl]

2 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Regardless of the cruise line or ship class/category, DO seriously consider an itinerary that includes Hubbard Glacier.  I have no idea how frequently ships don't actually get in to see it up close and personal.  However, IF the rest of the itinerary is similar enough, choose one that does have that possibility.

 

We had no idea what a treat we were in for!  We had gone to Glacier Bay, and that was nowhere near as spectacular as Hubbard Glacier was... at least for our cruise.

We got quite close, much closer than to anything in Glacier Bay, and we were fortunate (no idea how much this part can differ from time to time) to experience incredible calving!  It was amazing!  Beyond amazing!  The ship stayed there for quite some time, and the Captain kept the ship slowly spinning so that the view from every part of the ship kept getting another view of Hubbard!  Obviously, it would be great to walk around and keep the Glacier in sight (!), but all of the scenery was beautiful there.

It was one of the high points of not just that cruise, but of all of our travels.

 

I'm sure some of our experience there was just pure luck, but that's what travel often is about... finding something unexpected and very special! 😁

 

If you have a balcony or ocean view, try to get a cabin on the "land side" if you are going on a one-way trip.  The scenery on the land side is wonderful.

We went in late May, and we wanted to see more of the "snow-capped mountains" (this was before our winter cruise along the coast of Norway 😉 ), and it was wonderful.
We also specifically wanted "northbound", as the scenery just keeps getting more and more wonderful. 🙂 

 

Enjoy!

 

GC

That sounds wonderful.  I always prefer starboard and that would be land-side going north I believe. Thank you for sharing about your awesome trip 🌼💕 I love hearing about travel experiences. May I ask what line you took for the Hubbard Glacier stop?

[Mary229]

I like HAL because my personal preference is to very quiet spaces.  However I think Princess would be a more similar experience to RCL.  Both Princess and HAL have long experience in Alaska, both own lodges (Princess has more) and both HAL and Princess have more passes to Glacier Bay than most other cruise lines, yes cruise lines must have a park pass to sail into Glacier Bay.  For a once in a lifetime experience I would do the Cruisetour option 

[capriccio]

3 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I like HAL because my personal preference is to very quiet spaces.  However I think Princess would be a more similar experience to RCL.  Both Princess and HAL have long experience in Alaska, both own lodges (Princess has more) and both HAL and Princess have more passes to Glacier Bay than most other cruise lines, yes cruise lines must have a park pass to sail into Glacier Bay.  For a once in a lifetime experience I would do the Cruisetour option 

And check out the enrichment programs offered on board if that is important to you @Phoogirl.  Princess (and HAL too I think) has a full time naturalist onboard for scheduled presentations and narration from the bridge of wildlife sightings.  I know Princess brings on guest speakers and musicians at most, if not all, ports.  Ships cruising Glacier Bay have a couple of National Park Rangers on board.  Finally, when comparing cruises closely check the ports visited and the time spent in port.  They can vary significantly and I think longer is better.

[zqvol]

On 6/2/2024 at 11:26 AM, Phoogirl said:

Thank you so much for such useful information and advice. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. Now that RC is matching status I will now consider Silversea instead actually. A smaller ship seems more attractive to me anyway. I do have some challenges with my back however so need some solid amenities. As we live in Maine I know the beauty and thrill of seeing a moose in person. However the idea of being on a huge ship to do so was not super attractive. I was a little uneasy for some reason about switching to HAL. Thank you again much appreciated. 

We have cruised both Silver Sea and Regent in Alaska. I would never sail a mass market line there. With the mass market lines port times are too short, and you miss the best stops. If you can afford it Silver sea is the way to go. 

[Phoogirl]

On 6/3/2024 at 12:57 PM, zqvol said:

We have cruised both Silver Sea and Regent in Alaska. I would never sail a mass market line there. With the mass market lines port times are too short, and you miss the best stops. If you can afford it Silver sea is the way to go. 

Thank you very much, hearing others experience is incredibly helpful. I am strongly now considering silver seas. My Dad way back went with a very small family line whom was native to the area, wish I knew what it was. However I embarrassingly do like my nice amenities 😊 so not sure if I would enjoy that…

[Cruzaholic41]

On 6/3/2024 at 9:57 AM, zqvol said:

We have cruised both Silver Sea and Regent in Alaska. I would never sail a mass market line there. With the mass market lines port times are too short, and you miss the best stops. If you can afford it Silver sea is the way to go. 

 

1 hour ago, Phoogirl said:

Thank you very much, hearing others experience is incredibly helpful. I am strongly now considering silver seas. My Dad way back went with a very small family line whom was native to the area, wish I knew what it was. However I embarrassingly do like my nice amenities 😊 so not sure if I would enjoy that…

I cruised Silver Muse to AK last year, and it was one of my all time favorite cruises. It’s pricey, but worth it. I highly recommend Silver. 

[olemissreb]

10 years ago, we sailed Celebrity from Seward to Vancouver after we did a DIY week inland.  A baby moose walked in front of us as we left the airport in Talkeetna and even he was HUGE!  We trekked on the Matanuska Glacier and went as far as Mirror Lake (IIRC) in Denali Park...and the best part was seeing ALL of Denali Mountain and it was gorgeous! 

 

We cruised to Hubbard Glacier and although we didn't get as close as I'd have liked, it was still so beautiful cruising up there and hearing the "snap, crackle, and pop" of some of the smaller icebergs.

 

In doing my research, I looked at everything that fit our timeline and found that the Southbound to Vancouver port stops had the longest port times. Not sure if that still holds, but it was important to us at the time.

 

My Alaskan Cruise was the best vacation I've ever done. I need to save up my money so I can take my boyfriend up there and do it all again.

[DRS/NC]

WARNING:  you may think that a cruise/trip to Alaska is a "once in a life time" event, but it may very well be addictive!  I've been 5 times in 40 years -- and plan to go again in 2026!

 

You'll LOVE it!