Which line for my roundtrip cruise??

[NancyIL]

I looked through the requested Celebrity cruise brochure when we were planning our cruise as well and noticed too that all of a sudden, here was a cruise that went East of Vancouver island! Even in my "newbie" planning I could see that was a shock, since I hadn't seen that in a Seattle trip before. If the Celebrity company is telling you it is a new route, then I'd go for it. However I would be a little more concerned about the issue others have raised (fti, BQ) regarding a NB sailing vs. SB. Will it be light enough to enjoy that scenery on your sailing?

I hope that the route is as they describe. Please report your experience here when you return so others might enjoy it as well. (I know it is very far away!).

 

I will however strongly defend ANYTHING NancyIL states on these boards. If you read them for a week, you will see she has done so much homework for her trips, and will give her opinion (either positive or negative) to HELP someone else in their trip planning. It might not be what someone wants to hear, but it is one person's experience and if it helps the next vacationer, then it should be stated on these boards. That way the people reading these boards are at least informed about their trips. Her up front opinions helped me see the benefits of booking Princess next year for our cruise, and it also helped me see that I can have a great Alaskan experience while skipping Misty Fjords!

Thanks for your vote of confidence! :) I really do hope the Infinity travels east of Vancouver Island in one direction, as AZjohn hopes. However, the map and description of both Infinity's and Mercury's routes don't match. The Infinity's itinerary says "sea day" on day 2, but shows inside passage sailing. The Mercury is the opposite - with text saying "inside passage cruising" on days 2 and 7, but the itinerary map shows it going west of Vancouver Island both ways. (It's a poor map to begin with, as there is no space between mainland BC and Vancouver Island for the route to be illustrated correctly.) When in doubt - I generally choose words over illustrations. Personally - I wouldn't mind doing a round-trip cruise from Seattle if the ports were right, and I happen to like the itinerary on HAL's Westerdam out of Seattle. But if it is of supreme importance to AZjohn that the ship NOT sail west of Vancouver Island in both directions, then in my opinion he should choose a different ship, or be prepared to make the best of the situation if the route taken isn't what he expected.

 

sharp_cruiser - I didn't mean for you or others to skip Misty Fjords due to our underwhelming experience! I read very few negative reviews of Misty Fjords flights before our cruise - except from those who didn't like flying in small planes to begin with. Any excursion can be less wonderful than the reviews would have you believe - IF the weather is less then optimal! For example - we enjoyed our Kenai Fjords cruise, but I know people (stired was one) whose tour boat didn't leave Resurrection Bay due to rough waters. Based on our positive experience, I would recommend a Kenai Fjords cruise to others, and I plan to go on one again next summer with friends. But those who either didn't get out of the bay or whose sailings were so rough that they got sick - wouldn't feel the same way.

[AZjohn]

Well, first I want to tell all of you I’m not upset or mad at anyone. I just got a little frustrated that I went to a lot time researching and checking (and double checking) about the different cruise lines itineraries and felt like I had what sounded perfect (and I still may have it).

So, I guess my plan of action will be to just leave it alone now (the great debate of the Infinity northbound route). I will just not have any great expectations on that part of the cruise and just enjoy the journey, regardless which way the wind blows us.

Thanks for everyone’s help and I will report on which real route we took in about 8 months.

Thanks,

John:)

[NancyIL]

Well, first I want to tell all of you I’m not upset or mad at anyone. I just got a little frustrated that I went to a lot time researching and checking (and double checking) about the different cruise lines itineraries and felt like I had what sounded perfect (and I still may have it).

So, I guess my plan of action will be to just leave it alone now (the great debate of the Infinity northbound route). I will just not have any great expectations on that part of the cruise and just enjoy the journey, regardless which way the wind blows us.

Thanks for everyone’s help and I will report on which real route we took in about 8 months.

Thanks,

John:)

 

That's a good attitude, John! Hopefully you will be rewarded with the routing that you desire. If not - you will still enjoy a FABULOUS time in Alaska!

[sharp_cruiser]

Thanks for your vote of confidence! :) I really do hope the Infinity travels east of Vancouver Island in one direction, as AZjohn hopes. However, the map and description of both Infinity's and Mercury's routes don't match. The Infinity's itinerary says "sea day" on day 2, but shows inside passage sailing. The Mercury is the opposite - with text saying "inside passage cruising" on days 2 and 7, but the itinerary map shows it going west of Vancouver Island both ways. (It's a poor map to begin with, as there is no space between mainland BC and Vancouver Island for the route to be illustrated correctly.) When in doubt - I generally choose words over illustrations. Personally - I wouldn't mind doing a round-trip cruise from Seattle if the ports were right, and I happen to like the itinerary on HAL's Westerdam out of Seattle. But if it is of supreme importance to AZjohn that the ship NOT sail west of Vancouver Island in both directions, then in my opinion he should choose a different ship, or be prepared to make the best of the situation if the route taken isn't what he expected.

 

sharp_cruiser - I didn't mean for you or others to skip Misty Fjords due to our underwhelming experience! I read very few negative reviews of Misty Fjords flights before our cruise - except from those who didn't like flying in small planes to begin with. Any excursion can be less wonderful than the reviews would have you believe - IF the weather is less then optimal! For example - we enjoyed our Kenai Fjords cruise, but I know people (stired was one) whose tour boat didn't leave Resurrection Bay due to rough waters. Based on our positive experience, I would recommend a Kenai Fjords cruise to others, and I plan to go on one again next summer with friends. But those who either didn't get out of the bay or whose sailings were so rough that they got sick - wouldn't feel the same way.

 

 

Nancy: Just wanted you to know that I didn't plan to skip Misty Fjords due only to your experience. It just helped me in two ways. One way is to know that the "must do" list in Alaska isn't the ONLY list of things to do! I bet alot of people have a great day in Ketchikan w/out Misty Fjords. Secondly, it helped me have more realistic expectations for my trip. I know that all my plans my not work out as I hope, and that's ok. You just have to make the best of the situation. I am glad that you voice your experience w/ the flightseeing, although I am sorry for you that it turned out the way it did. If we leave those sorts of comments out of the discussion, everyone would have the same Alaskan experience with no deviations! And all of us sure would be surprised on a trip where you couldn't leave Resurrection Bay, your dog sledding was cancelled, or you saw only a squirrel in Denali Park! :o

[CBowling]

Thank you all so much for all your input! I ran into a discrepancy with Infinity info. The website shows Day 2 "at sea", Day 3 in Sitka, and Day 6 at Ketchikan. My 2008 brochure shows Day 2 as "Inside Passage", day 3 at Ketchikan and day 6 "at sea". Sitka is not on the brochure. I haven't contacted a TA or Celebrity regarding the info.

 

Now to confuse the issue; we have almost decided to do a North or Southbend instead of RT. I keep going back to the thought that we will see so much more. We are leaning toward the Princess line. Any thoughts? I am just so confused! Too much Alaska not enough time.

[NancyIL]

Thank you all so much for all your input! I ran into a discrepancy with Infinity info. The website shows Day 2 "at sea", Day 3 in Sitka, and Day 6 at Ketchikan. My 2008 brochure shows Day 2 as "Inside Passage", day 3 at Ketchikan and day 6 "at sea". Sitka is not on the brochure. I haven't contacted a TA or Celebrity regarding the info.

 

Now to confuse the issue; we have almost decided to do a North or Southbend instead of RT. I keep going back to the thought that we will see so much more. We are leaning toward the Princess line. Any thoughts? I am just so confused! Too much Alaska not enough time.

 

See this thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=652713

I think Princess has a great itinerary for its one-way cruises.

[kellywhitehills]

I am just beginning research for our 1st cruise to Alaska. I need a roundtrip from Seattle or Vancouver. Trying to decide between Infinity, Norwegian Pearl, or Holland Amsterdam. I have cruised Celebrity's Mercury and wasn't that thrilled. We also have cruised RC, and Princess a couple of times each, and enjoyed both. We like the newer ships with the larger cabins. We also like the anytime dining, but also enjoy formal night. Any suggestions? I am at a loss and need insight.

 

Last July we did a southbound cruise..Next Sept we have booked a Roundtrip cruise out of Vancouver..Our Glacier Sailing will be Glacier Bay and we will hit Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan and Inside Passage sailing for 2 days...You might want to consider Carnival...The cabins are spacious and the price is right..We got a catagory 11 corner wrap balcony for the price that most other cruise lines charge for a regular balcony..

[CBowling]

Which cruiseline did you do the southbound? Why south vs north? Who are you doing the roundtrip with? This may be our only trip to Alaska and I want to do it right. Which month do you recommend? We are leaning toward August.

[NancyIL]

Which cruiseline did you do the southbound? Why south vs north? Who are you doing the roundtrip with? This may be our only trip to Alaska and I want to do it right. Which month do you recommend? We are leaning toward August.

 

 

I'm not Kelly - but she was on Carnival Spirit in 2007 (one-way), and booked it again for 2008 (roundtrip from Vancouver in September).

[CBowling]

So the Spirit is the cruise of choice??? Never been on a Carnival cruise. I have heard rumours that it is geared to a "younger" crowd, and the food is not the quality of RC and Princess. Maybe I should re-evaluate? Thanks Nancy!

[Chat Noir]

So the Spirit is the cruise of choice??? Never been on a Carnival cruise. I have heard rumours that it is geared to a "younger" crowd, and the food is not the quality of RC and Princess. Maybe I should re-evaluate? Thanks Nancy!

 

Spirit is not my cruise of choice, but then again, I happened to be on what has likely been the only sailing the Spirit did which skipped the only glacier sailing (College Fjord) and Sitka, and shortened Ketchikan, in the last several years. Might feel differently if Carnival had informed us prior to boarding that our ship had iceberg damage and would be making a straight slow beeline for Juneau... or if they had offered any compensation for missing the glacier day and a port, and shortening another port.

 

I suggest to anyone who has glacial viewing priorities and chooses to sail Carnival in Alaska to consider adding a glacier excursion. Juneau timing is right on the Spirit for a fabulous day trip to Tracy Arm and the Sawyer Glaciers via small boat, and Whittier has companies offering glacier viewing in Prince William Sound pre or post cruise.

 

I have sailed Princess, Celebrity, and Carnival in Alaska. Demographics are pretty much the same on all three in my experience. I didn't note a huge difference in food quality either, but then again, I am there to enjoy the scenery and majesty of Alaska, and am really not particular about the food. It's ALL good!

 

Do your research... you will find the cruise which is right for you, and one you will be comfortable on. Be aware of pros and cons, and you really can't go wrong. :)

[kellywhitehills]

Which cruiseline did you do the southbound? Why south vs north? Who are you doing the roundtrip with? This may be our only trip to Alaska and I want to do it right. Which month do you recommend? We are leaning toward August.

 

I booked our cruise before I found CC Boards...We chose SB because I hate to fly and it would be a shorter flight home...We chose Carnival because the price was right and they stopped in Sitka..We had one glacial sailing and 4 ports of call plus the inside passage..Sitka, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan..We also had a long time in Juneau which worked out well because we could book a full days excursion through Tracy Arm...We cruised in early July and the weather was pretty good...Next year we decided to see Glacier Bay so we booked a roundtrip out of Vancouver..Once again SHORT FLIGHT..:) This time we are going mid Sept hopeing we might see the Aurora Borealis..I know the chances are slim and the weather will most probably be wet..We booked an aft wrap around cabin again but this time on the main deck because it has a big overhang to protect us if it rains..I wished we had more time because I would have loved to do a precruise land tour..You may want to consider that as an option since this will be your only trip to Alaska..

 

As far as when to go..I would just plan for what time best suites your schedule..The weather is unpredictable...When you go just layer your clothing and know it will most likely rain..That way when you have EXCELLENT weather you will feel like the luckiest person in the world!!!

 

OH and we chose Carnival and were very very happy..If youd like You can read the review in my signature..:)..The Spirit is a lovely ship very well maintained and layed out..We never felt crowded and were very comfortable in our surroundings..It was definately not a party boat..The on board Naturalist was excellent..

 

This board is an excellent source of information with some very helpful people..I am sure you will beable to find the answers to all of your questions!..Read and figure out what you want to do! Then start your planning!..If you are Flying by the seat of your pants in Alaska youll miss out on alot!:)

[Sunshine Gal]

Thank you all so much for all your input! I ran into a discrepancy with Infinity info. The website shows Day 2 "at sea", Day 3 in Sitka, and Day 6 at Ketchikan. My 2008 brochure shows Day 2 as "Inside Passage", day 3 at Ketchikan and day 6 "at sea". Sitka is not on the brochure. I haven't contacted a TA or Celebrity regarding the info.

 

Now to confuse the issue; we have almost decided to do a North or Southbend instead of RT. I keep going back to the thought that we will see so much more. We are leaning toward the Princess line. Any thoughts? I am just so confused! Too much Alaska not enough time.

 

Trying to get the truth about which way the Celebrity ship is going to cruise, from Celebrity customer service will be next to impossible. On our last Celebrity cruise to Alaska we came back through the Inside Passage at night. When I mentioned to one of the ship's officers that we were missing the Inside Passage he smugly replied that we were going through it right now - we were not missing it! My DH had to pull me away as I replied but IT IS DARK!

 

Doing a North or Southbound is going to give you a much better Alaskan experience. You will indeed see sooo much more on a north or southbound cruise. If you can extend your stay for a few days while in Alaska before or after your cruise there is so much to see and do.

Princess IMHO is the best way to cruise Alaska and on most cruises you have two glacier viewing days. I think that you enjoy your Princess cruise and be very happy that you chose it.

[NancyIL]

So the Spirit is the cruise of choice??? Never been on a Carnival cruise. I have heard rumours that it is geared to a "younger" crowd, and the food is not the quality of RC and Princess. Maybe I should re-evaluate? Thanks Nancy!

 

 

The Spirit is the cruise of choice for some people, but it wasn't my choice. I liked the Spirit's 4 port town itinerary, but I didn't want the only glacier sailing to be to College Fjord - which you can see without going on a cruise. I initially booked a cruise on Radiance of the Seas, then changed to Princess after reading strong opinions that Princess was much better in Alaska.

 

If you took a poll, I think the majority of people would choose southbound to get the longer flight out of the way first, do the land trip first, and then "relax" on the ship. We did a northbound cruise, followed by an independent land trip. I liked it so much that I booked another northbound cruise (on HAL) + land trip for next summer. Anchorage is farther than Vancouver, but it took us 3 flights each way, so there wasn't much difference in the length of our travel day. Our land trip wasn't tiring, and arriving in port or at glaciers at 6 and 7 a.m. almost daily isn't what I'd call relaxing. Northbound cruises are usually less expensive than southbound. Finally - I liked the "wow factor" of the scenery getting better and better as you head north, as well as more hours of daylight. Some day I'd like to do a land trip and southbound cruise when the fall colors are out - so maybe 2009 will be the year for that. :)

[Chat Noir]

If you don't like Infinity so be it, but back up your stements with facts please.

John

 

I have sailed Mercury in Alaska and loved it, so I am not a Celebrity basher by any means. However, you can not trust the cruiseline website unconditionally. We booked our Celebrity cruise after finding Mercury on post-final-payment sale at an online agency, but were rather puzzled that the Celebrity website showed a different itinerary than the online agency website. Turns out, the Celebrity site was wrong. Ya just never know... so this is just an FYI for you.:) Hope your trip is fabulous, no matter how your itinerary turns out. Here is a link to my posting back then if you care to read.:)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=539478&highlight=Mercury

[Chat Noir]

Some day I'd like to do a land trip and southbound cruise when the fall colors are out - so maybe 2009 will be the year for that. :)

 

Hook, line, and sinker!!!:D

[NancyIL]

I have sailed Mercury in Alaska and loved it, so I am not a Celebrity basher by any means. However, you can not trust the cruiseline website unconditionally. We booked our Celebrity cruise after finding Mercury on post-final-payment sale at an online agency, but were rather puzzled that the Celebrity website showed a different itinerary than the online agency website. Turns out, the Celebrity site was wrong. Ya just never know... so this is just an FYI for you.:) Hope your trip is fabulous, no matter how your itinerary turns out. Here is a link to my posting back then if you care to read.:)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=539478&highlight=Mercury

 

Exactly! And even when the web site's itinerary and map are correct at the time you book your cruise, the itinerary can change down the road. In early 2006, RCI dropped Tracy Arm from Vision of the Sea's roundtrip cruises out of Seattle for the 2006 Alaska season, so that ship had NO glacier sailing days! No itinerary or routing is written in stone.

[NancyIL]

Hook, line, and sinker!!!:D

 

Yep - they got me! ;)

[Sunshine Gal]

I have sailed Mercury in Alaska and loved it, so I am not a Celebrity basher by any means. However, you can not trust the cruiseline website unconditionally. We booked our Celebrity cruise after finding Mercury on post-final-payment sale at an online agency, but were rather puzzled that the Celebrity website showed a different itinerary than the online agency website. Turns out, the Celebrity site was wrong. Ya just never know... so this is just an FYI for you.:) Hope your trip is fabulous, no matter how your itinerary turns out. Here is a link to my posting back then if you care to read.:)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=539478&highlight=Mercury

 

Hi sym1966:

 

You are correct about the Celebrity web site being inaccurate sometimes.

As I said before the folks at customer service are even less likely to tell you what the truth is. Celebrity customer service is even deceptive in answering questions about propulsion problems on Celebrity m-class ships.

 

AZ John: The facts about the Celebrity Infinity are very clear in that it has in the past and continues to suffer from many, many mechanical problems that have resulted in missed ports in Alaska and even some cancelled cruises. The onboard service and food are however, are very good. It is just that in Alaska, to me, possibly missing ports or glaciers because of these ongoing problems is very important and should be considered.

 

NancyIL: We cruised to Alaska in the fall a few years ago and enjoyed the change of colors. Give it a try sometime. BTW, enjoy your posts and appreciate the information that you provide.

[AZjohn]

I have sailed Mercury in Alaska and loved it, so I am not a Celebrity basher by any means. However, you can not trust the cruiseline website unconditionally. We booked our Celebrity cruise after finding Mercury on post-final-payment sale at an online agency, but were rather puzzled that the Celebrity website showed a different itinerary than the online agency website. Turns out, the Celebrity site was wrong. Ya just never know... so this is just an FYI for you.:) Hope your trip is fabulous, no matter how your itinerary turns out.

LOL... This is now starting to get fun:p

I'm starting to think it will be fun showing up to the port on June 27th and asking the Captain "Well, what's the flavor of the day"? "Where are we going and how are we going to get there":rolleyes: (lol).

 

 

AZ John: The facts about the Celebrity Infinity are very clear in that it has in the past and continues to suffer from many, many mechanical problems that have resulted in missed ports in Alaska and even some cancelled cruises. The onboard service and food are however, are very good. It is just that in Alaska, to me, possibly missing ports or glaciers because of these ongoing problems is very important and should be considered.

 

Oh, I know all about the previous pod problems. As I explained in a previous post, I got stuck on the Oosterdam last year when one of their pods broke down. Does it concern me, sure. Will I let fear stop me, no.;)

I will have insurance if it has to go to dry dock and if it happens to me twice in a row (on two different cruise lines) well then I will have a story to write about here on CC. I'm now hoping everyone will be scared of the Infinity and the price will continue to drop and I will save money (lol).

 

As I said, I will be happy to sail which ever way the wind blows us:D

Thanks,

John

[Chat Noir]

LOL... This is now starting to get fun:p

I'm starting to think it will be fun showing up to the port on June 27th and asking the Captain "Well, what's the flavor of the day"? "Where are we going and how are we going to get there":rolleyes: (lol).

 

 

 

 

Oh, I know all about the previous pod problems. As I explained in a previous post, I got stuck on the Oosterdam last year when one of their pods broke down. Does it concern me, sure. Will I let fear stop me, no.;)

I will have insurance if it has to go to dry dock and if it happens to me twice in a row (on two different cruise lines) well then I will have a story to write about here on CC. I'm now hoping everyone will be scared of the Infinity and the price will continue to drop and I will save money (lol).

As I said, I will be happy to sail which ever way the wind blows us:D

Thanks,

John

 

If I'm not mistaken, Celebrity does a decent job of compensating passengers who have a cruise cancelled or when the itinerary goes completely haywire? More than I can say for a different cruiseline we've sailed Alaska with.

 

I finally decided that as long as I wasn't 'cruising' in a life-boat or as a 'guest' of the Coast Guard, I'm doing okay. Not that I still don't occasionally have a thing or two to say about my first Alaskan cruise experience!:)

[AZjohn]

If I'm not mistaken, Celebrity does a decent job of compensating passengers who have a cruise cancelled or when the itinerary goes completely haywire?

Well, from what I read here the past few years there are a few passengers that would argue that statement. I remember talk about class action law suites and such:eek: .

 

I finally decided that as long as I wasn't 'cruising' in a life-boat or as a 'guest' of the Coast Guard, I'm doing okay. Not that I still don't occasionally have a thing or two to say about my first Alaskan cruise experience!:)

Do you have a link about it? Sounds like it was very interesting:rolleyes: .

Thanks,

John

[dbh62ark]

Trying to get the truth about which way the Celebrity ship is going to cruise, from Celebrity customer service will be next to impossible.

Exactly. And then they can change it later anyway. We had itinerary changes several months before our Baltics sailing in 2005, and as someone stated, four different reps will give you four different answers. If you check the Celebrity threads on these boards, messages are posted daily complaining about misinformation from the Celebrity offices. So I wouldn't advise anyone to book based on any information from Celebrity "customer service."

 

Donna

[dbh62ark]

Doing a North or Southbound is going to give you a much better Alaskan experience.

We really enjoyed Princess northbound because of the scenic cruising out of Vancouver (most passengers are asleep while the ships are sailing into that area on southbound cruises), Glacier Bay, and Prince William Sound. And of course the opportunity to visit Denali after the Kenai Fjords cruise and overnight in Anchorage. But since we've just cruised the area once, I always enjoy reading the opinions of those who have sailed several itineraries and can add information for consideration.

 

Happy travels,

Donna

[dhmom99]

we booked HAL out of Seattle and cannot wait for it.