Alaska or Western Europe?

[LarryF]

I am trying to make final decision on either an 7 night Alaska Cruise with a 4 night land tour or a 12 night mediteranean cruise for late May '07. We will be celebrating our 30th anniversary. We will either sail the Celebrity Millineum Venice to Barcelona cruise or either the Celebrity Summitt or Coral Princess to Alaska.

 

The cost of the Mediteranian cruise is about $400 more than Alaska. We are comparing standard balcony cabins and oceanview cabins on the two itineraries. We don't want an inside as we are somewhat claustrophobic. We have never been to Alaska or Europe and we really don't have a big preference of one over the the other; although if the prices were equal we probably opt for the Mediteranean. We are seasoned cruisers and have been on 15 cruises on princess, ncl, rcl and Hal, but all in the Caribbean. We haven't cruised on Celebrity yet. One thing that would help us make the decision would be if there was a significant difference in the costs of tours and off ship meals between Alaska and the Mediteranean. I would like to hear from those of you who have traveled both itineraries and could tell me how your total expenditures compared between Alaska and the Mediteranean. Any other comments or insights would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Larry

[catmand]

Larry, what a delema......:)

You did ask for comments...............we have taken Alaska over Europe for several reasons, the main being adventure and majesty over history. I don't think you can compare these two locations even with an attempt at costs. Which is of more interest to you and your wife? Age old mountains and glaciers, whales and dolphins, bears and eagles, rainy and cool (maybe) or age old structures, art and architecture? Beautiful waters and sunny shores? I can tell you Alaska is a humbling experience.

[Lobbylin]

Good Evening LarryF,

 

I have done both an Alaska cruise and a Mediterranean cruise and whilst I don't know exactly what ports you are planning on visiting, I have to say personally that even though I loved Alaska, the ports that we visited on our Med cruise were just that bit more exciting and individual, compared to Alaskan ports.

 

I'd genuinely have to say that the Med cruise wins hands down for us - and this came as a big surprise to us as we live in Europe (England) with most of these ports on our doorstep:o ....And we actually loathed the ship we were on at the time, but we'd still say that the diversity of the Med ports made this one of the BEST cruises ever!

 

To answer your questions further,

 

1) Quite a few European ports are doable on your own if you do your research properly, and each port is hugely different both in language, heritage and customs and scenery. Exceptions to this rule are Civitavechia (sp?) for Rome and Livorno for Pisa and Florence - both are well worth the visit, but be under no illusions, they are some distance from the port!!!!! (But let's be honest, don't we all get fed up with how far some of the attractions turn out to be from the advertised port???!!!:mad: )

 

2) Pricewise, I have to concede that European ports are properly more expensive in terms of food/drinks vs Alaska etc. but the food and culture in every European port/country is very different from the next port you will visit, whereas there were no specialities IMO when it comes to Alaska. ( Every Alaskan port seemed to offer trips to one or another salmon bake....)

 

3) Alaska does have some mega-expensive excursions - lots of floatplane and helicopter trips for scenery and glaciers, which I won't deny really are mega expensive, but they equally are excellent! (I loved the Taku Lodge floatplane trip)

 

4) Alaska cruises offer glacier cruising - and this was an absolute highlight that my hubby still raves about, and if you've been to the Panama Canal, you can easily see why "one" day really can make your whole trip......We loved our day on traversing the Panama Canal too.

 

5) We expected the Alaska cruising scenery to be more diverse, but it ended up with a lot of channels with lots of pine trees (or perhaps I am being unkind here....) Though, we also saw a lot of whales sailing alongside that we would never have come across elsewhere....

 

 

So, for us personally, Europe is more expensive, but every port is so different that you come away having experienced a lot more. (That's not to say that you can't do it on a budget and still have fun too;) )

 

We had wonderful company on our Alaska cruise - and that really made it one of our most enjoyable cruises, but I'd still would have to give my vote to the Mediterranean for overall diversity and cultural entertainment value!:D

 

Whatever you chose, it will be good!

[paws10]

I have always wanted to visit Alaska because I have heard how absolutely beautiful it is. There aren't many places left that is so pristine. I made my first trip in August 2004 and have been back 4 times. Since you are planning to go in May, you should be able to get a good price since it is early in the season. If you can take one of the first cruises, you can snatch a good deal. The same goes for the end of the season in late September/early October. If you enjoy nature, you will see lots of wildlife, bald eagles flying, see/hear the glaciers calve, watch whales and dolphins alongside your ship, etc. Yes, the excursions can get pricey, but there are once in a lifetime memories. My kids will never forget the helicopter ride over the glaciers and dog sledding, ziplining in Ketchikan or catching a salmon to eat on the ship or send home. The weather is changeable and cool, but dress in layers and you should be fine. We had great weather last month.

The Med is also great. When I cruised there, it was very port intensive. If you opt for the summer, you will have crowds of tourists, warmer weather and probably higher airfare. The other consideration (your question about off ship meals) would be the value of the Euro then.

We should all be so lucky to have such a decision to make! Whatever you choose, I'm sure you will enjoy it. I happen to love cooler weather, sea days and appreciate the sheer natural beauty that can bring tears to my eyes.

Let us know what you decide.

[SheilaNC]

I, too, have done both - about to do our second to Alaska this summer and we've also done a land tour of Alaska. They are both marvelous but totally different so hard to compare. For sheer joy of living the history, visiting places I have read and heard about all of my life, I would choose the Med. For natural beauty in a pristine land, Alaska wins hands down. Two other considerations - Alaska is more low key - lots of time to be on the ship and view the inland passagee sights, be casual and ships dock at or anchor close to ports so it you're saving $$, there is much to do on your own. Excursions on both are quite expensive. We saved some in the Med but booking private tours with CC groups but it was still quite pricey. Worth every penny, but don't fool yourself about the expense. If you do ship excursions or flight tours in Alaska there are really no bargains. Med. is also VERY port intensive - off of the ship most of the days all day, tired in the evening and up early all days except sea days and a few days when you're close to the sites (Dubrovnik, Santorini, Villefranche).

 

So, bottom line...depends on what you most want to do. Hopefully you can do one this year and the other in the future. Happy 30th anniversary - you can't make a bad decision on this one!

[renebfl]

We had same stumbling block last year for this year. We decided on Alaska because we felt we also needed down time on this vacation and I don't think the med cruise provided much down time. The day trips seemed that they would be very tiring and more expensive,too. Seemed that a lot of transportation time was needed to do the excursions and we just didn't want to spend that kind of time. We worked very hard this year and really wanted a vacation with some downtime. No regrets either.

[LarryF]

I have enjoyed reading all of your replies and they have been very helpful. Still not 100% sure of our choice, but we're beginning to lean toward Alaska. With our 2 kids in college, I think the Alaska cruise will be a little less expensive. We can't afford the real expensive tours in Alaska such as helocopter tours and dog sledding, but have seen some other less expensive tours that I think we would enjoy very much. We both love nature so much, I don't think we can wrong in Alaska.

 

I think we would be better off waiting a couple of more years when the kids are done with school and then cruise the Mediteranean. I definitely don't want to be concerned about every dollar I spend in Europe....

 

So that leads me to one more question...Princess or Celebrity in Alaska? I know this may be a blasphemous question to ask on the Celebrity board, but if anyone has done both, I would love to hear your opinions....thanks,

 

Larry

[chrismch]

The previous posts offered you wonderful choices of Alaska vs The Mediterranean and if you like natural beauty as you say you will love Alaska. We went 2 yrs ago and look forward to another experience of the awesome majestic beauty that is Alaska. We just returned from a trip to Europe and the lower $$ value really made things a lot more expensive! So maybe in a couple more yrs the $$ will be better and you'll get a better value...As to the difference between Celebrity and Princess in some areas there is not that much of a difference -similar sizes, similar entertainment, room sizes etc. We've sailed both lines and prefer Celebrity as we feel the service and food edged out Princess. Our last Celebrity cruise was Jan '06 and Princess in Nov '05. Our determining factors in booking any cruise is space ratio and that is where Celebrity betters Princess. It may not sound like much to have a difference of 10 ft but when you're going to a show, going to a buffet or trying to find deck space it makes a big difference!:p

[denali1]

As an Alaska resident, I want to say that we would love to have you visit our state. We did the cruise ourselves 16 years ago, and loved the experience so much, we moved to Anchorage.

I echo all the positive comments the other posters wrote. By the way, you don't have to take the expensive excursions to have a rich experience.

It is America's Last Frontier,and we welcome you!

Dave

[Lobbylin]

Larry, now you have chosen your destination - do spend some time thinking about the ports you are visiting and what you want from them from the choice on offer...;)

 

My favourite Alaskan port was Sitka because it was so pretty - and we took no tours there - just walked around town on our own and enjoyed the surrouding scenery and pretty shops. There were lovely local children who had set up tables outside their homes selling cookies and lemonade.

 

For uniqueness and get away from it all, my hubby and I loved Hoonah (Icy Straight Point)- and everyone on our cruise (Celebrity Infinity) said this was where the best whalewatching was. There's no Diamonds International here(thankfully!) but equally not many other shops either:D This place is natural and unspoilt. I have never seen so many huge eagles as we did here. And because I am an early morning person - I loved sitting out on deck at 7am watching the whales swimming around the bay near Hoonah - just magical!

 

Our best day: Glacier cruising at the Hubbard Glacier - just undescribable and magical! The crackling and thundering of the glacier as giant chunks calved before your eyes.

 

For diversity, we also loved Skagway - the town itself is not much at all so you need to plan to do something. We rented a car from Avis and drove to the Yukon, through lots of ever changing scenery - this was one of our best excursions and the Canadian customs post stamped our passport with a bear logo.

 

Ketchikan is a fun place- has the most shops and there's a few inexpensive side trips you can do there.

 

At Juneau, you have the mendenhall glacier, which is relatively inexpensive to visit, and a small modern town to wander around.

 

I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time.:)

 

I agree with all the above posters that the Med is hugely port intensive with very little time for relaxation - couple that with a long flight and you'll be feeling more tired when you return than before you left:p

 

Enjoy!

[C 2 C]

The Mediterranean is our favorite destination, especially the east.

Do you like warm weather or the chance for cool weather?

 

We just returned from the Med yesterday. We overheard a travel agent say to another passenger.. you should be glad they cancelled the Delos tour... there's nothing but old stuff on that island...just a bunch of ruins...

 

We have been to Alaska twice and drove through the Rockies to get there... nothing but a bunch of mountains and glaciers;)

 

Do you want to experience culture or nature? Can you handle a 10 hour flight? The cost of flying to Europe is much higher but to us well worth the cost. By the way, happy anniversary.... and cruising there prior to the Medit is very relaxing..

[renebfl]

We just did Summit Alaska this May.I Would not consider Celebrity again until they fix the pod issue or improve their customer service dept. Our cruise missed many of the ports. I also did not get anything much from our "on board naturalist" which is suppose to be a selling point of the cruise. We have traveled Princessa and never had an such problems.

[Lobbylin]

Here's a good Alsaka review worth reading. We also did the same trips as this person in Ketchikan (Island Wings flight trip) and Skagway(drive to Emerald Lake). Hoonah keeps getting rave reviews if you into whalewatching.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=357594

[Lobbylin]

We just did Summit Alaska this May.I Would not consider Celebrity again until they fix the pod issue or improve their customer service dept. Our cruise missed many of the ports. I also did not get anything much from our "on board naturalist" which is suppose to be a selling point of the cruise. We have traveled Princessa and never had an such problems.

 

I'm genuinely sorry you had such a bad time. I will concede that every now and then Celebrity does have pod problems with the 3 large M Class ships.

 

Personally, we found the naturalist on our Celebrity Infinity cruise excellent, and I went to every one of his lectures... I guess it's just luck.