Alaska: Carnival or Princess

[bigred4770]

Hi all.

 

I have never cruised on carnival before but have sailed nine times (princess, celebrity, rccl, HAL). I have been to Alaska before (both with RCCL). I was interested in going to Alaska this summer with Carnival because it offers a cheap one way (ports I have never been too) and it would be a different experience.

 

The problem that i am having is that I am brining my 69 year old mother with me on this one and I am worried about the atmosphere on Carnival for her.

 

So here's my question:

 

How do Carnival and Princess compare? How do they specifically compare for Alaska.

 

Thanks in advance to all who respond.

[DeltaDL]

I don't know how much help I will be but here is my opinion....

 

I have never sailed on Carnival, have first cruise scheduled for April. I have sailed both Princess and RCCL for a total of 7 cruises. We went to Alaska in May 2006 on Island Princess. DH and I are early 30's. We were by far the youngest people on the cruise. Depending on what month you decide to sail might have a lot to do with the other passengers aboard. I would schedule prior to school ending if you are concerned about lots of children. However, my personal opinion would be there would be less "riff raff" on an Alaskan cruise compared to a Caribbean cruise. I believe you will have smooth sailing with whatever line you decide to go with. We went with Princess over RCCL because we heard that Princess "knows" Alaska. it was an enjoyable trip and you will have a blast. The scenary is to die for! :D

[bigred4770]

Thanks for the reply DeltaDL

[RYPERO]

We are cruising to Alaska on Carnival this summer and chose them mainly because they were so much cheaper then Princess. We have cruised on Princess and RCCL before and loved it but we have cruised Carnival a bunch of times and never had a bad trip. I have heard that the atmoshpere on Carnival is much more subdued in Alaska then on their other itineraries and is not to disimlar to Princess.

[jspirit]

We are cruising to Alaska on Carnival this summer and chose them mainly because they were so much cheaper then Princess. We have cruised on Princess and RCCL before and loved it but we have cruised Carnival a bunch of times and never had a bad trip. I have heard that the atmoshpere on Carnival is much more subdued in Alaska then on their other itineraries and is not to disimlar to Princess.

Last summer we loved our Alaskan cruise on the Spirit. One thing about Alaskan itinerary is that the days are so full and everybody is so tired by night that it is not a party ship like the old Carnival reputation. I really think your mother would be fine! The shows were great and we had a fantastic time with a wonderful itinerary on a super ship with friendly and very efficient crew. What else can you ask for?

[Elawies]

We went to Alaska a couple of years ago with a group that was full of seniors. We had a great time, and so will your mother. If she doesn't want to party-party, there are plenty of places to go to be quiet and since there is so much to see every day, she will be tired and in bed by 10 every night. Wonderful place, I would go back in a heartbeat. Probably will next year. We are getting ready to celebrate 50 yrs together and can't think of a better place to do it. If you haven't tacked on the visit to Denali Natl Park and Victoria, think about it. They were both worth the trip. Elawies:) :)

[sodsmom]

Hi there

From what I am understanding, one of the biggest reasons people sail princess to Alaska is that they have the largest # of balconies.

We spent almost the whole cruise on our balcony! We had a very rounded mix of passengers on the cruise. Definitely a lot of extended families! We loved cruising to Alaska! We did the interior passage which was great. Cabin steward was great, cabin was great, food was hit and miss in the dining room but was hot and plentiful in the Lido (great pizza on deck). Spa package with heated chairs were great!

We did not do a lot on the ship because we spent so much time watching the scenery go by (incredible).

Have not sailed on Carnival yet (Christmas 08)

[yuckylucky]

We sailed the Spirit in 2002 and booked her again for July 2008. The crowd was not the "stereotypical" crowd Carnival has a reputation for. It was a more subdued crowd and of all the Carnival cruises I've been on, the Alaska trip had the least number of kids running around or people being rowdy as well. I wouldn't say the Spirit was a "party" ship at all actually. I have always had fun on our Carnival cruises to Canada and to the Caribbean as well. and the atmosphere on board for each trip was completely different. The Spirit is also a very elegant ship and not too flashy with the decor, IMO. I think your mom would be impressed and very happy, in that regard. The food was very good too, as I recall. The Supper Club was lovely in the red solarium and the food and ambiance was fantastic as well. I recall that being a lovely meal.

 

The Spirit also has a ton of balcony rooms too...a must for a cruise to Alaska, again IMO.

 

The itinerary is great...you have like eight hours in every port...and there are four of them (and they are all SO different). I think it's a great itinerary.

 

Regardless of your decision, you made a great one when selecting to cruise Alaska...it's absolutely beautiful.

 

Have fun!

[lovesublime]

Alaska is in general "sedate". The demographics of cruisers going there is "older". We cruised Alaska back in May (on NCL) and found this to be true. We liked it so much that we're now booked on Spirit for this June. We chose the Spirit for the length of times in port (superior) and because it goes to Sitka. Don't worry about your mother-it definitely won't be a "party like" atmosphere. If I thought for a minute that this cruise would be like some of the raucous 3 and 4 day cruises in the Caribbean I keep reading about-there is no way I would let my 12 y/o niece on the ship. This will be our first time on Carnival and I'm confident it will be a great experience for all.

 

As for Princess- haven't ever tried them so can't comment. They do seem quite a bit more expensive. I read a lot that the food is so-so and quite bland.

 

As for the ship being full of only seniors-not true. Yes, there were a lot of them, but we're not and there were lots of people in our age range (40's). Surprisingly, there were lots of kids on our cruise. I think there is a good mix of all ages.

 

As already stated by yuckylucky and myself-the itinerary for Spirit is fantastic. Enjoy!

[BND]

I haven't been to Alaska, but I have been on Princess and Carnival. We decided we won't do Princess again. Food and beds are so much better on Carnival. Drinks are cheaper on Carnival. We also found the age group on Princess to be older. The only thing Princess did better was entertainment. We were with a group on Princess who have done other cruises and we all agreed that Princess wasn't going to be our first choice again.

[TCF]

I think the people that are putting an emphasis on the demographics of the Alaska cruise are right on the money!! We found an older crowd and fewer kids on our cruise....mind you it was the first week in September so that influences the number of kids.

Alaska is not a party place. Those who take this itinerary seriously want to see Alaska....and it is really all about the part of the world, nature and history that they are looking for....not scuba diving and beach parties!

Unlike other itineraries...like the Caribbean...there is not a party atmosphere tied to virtually every thing one does on the ship....shore excursions most notably. It is about soaring eagles...bears wandering through medows....salmon spawning....whales....sea lions....glaciers.....the list goes on an on.

Unlike every other cruise we have taken, we found that the ship was really the minor player on this cruise.

We live in Vancouver....so frankly there is very little difference in scenery for us except for the glaciers....but beyond that this was a whole new exciting experience for both of us.

The Princess Coral sails from Vancouver...and we had sailed on that ship to Panama less than six months before our Alaska trip...people do say that 'no one does Alaska like Princess'.....but at the end of the day we ended up taking NCL's Sun. A great little ship that got us there and back in comfort and gave us everything we wanted.....good port stops...(although not long enough)...good excursions.

We have sailed Carnival before (the Triumph) and had a terrific time....so if you want a good experience we would suggest Carnival over Princess on this itinerary. Like I said....in our opinion....it is not the ship on this trip as much as it is where the ship is going that makes it what it is.

Concentrate on putting together your shore excursions in the best way you can....try not to miss the highlights. Mind you we planned to miss some so we have an excuse to do it all again!! Cruisers are really a shameless lot!!!!:D

[jlvlaw]

I would tend to agree with the overall them of the other replies. Alaska is all about "seeing" and less about partying. We're looking at sailing Carnival for the first time this year, so my reply is not directly on point. However, I'm comfortable saying Alaska, as a whole, is not a "party" destination. Choose the line you're comfortable with, the ship that has the amenities you want, and the ports of call you want to see.

 

We were up in the air about Princess and Celebrity last May. Having enjoyed Princess on more than one occassion and having one less than desirable experience on Celebrity, we were hesitant to take Celebrity. It came down to the itenerary for us. We went in with a positive attitude about trying Celebrity again and we had a great time. For what it's worth, think positively. :D

[BoilerTech1047]

You may want to post your question on the Alaska board as well. There are many cruisers with a wealth of knowledge on that board. You can get advise on ships, ports, excursions, and anything else Alaska. I will say that Carnival has a naturalist aboard that provides information while cruising. Go to the board and start your research, all your questions will be answered.;)

[sea_u_onboard]

We sailed the Spirit in July of 2007 with our older boys (16 & 20 at the time). I found a varied age range - including younger kids but not over whelming and as someone else mentioned the days are filled with ports and people aren't out late partying.

 

The one-ways that Carnival offers are great. If you book early you can get a great deal on a balcony. Keep checking the prices though. We booked a 7A towards the back (avoid those in the front). We saved money and were still able to enjoy the scenery from our own cabin. I continued checking prices right up until we left (even when my category sold out) and was able to get 2 price drops. The first one I got an upgrade and OBC. My old cabin went back on the market and for some reason was priced way more then other higher category cabins. As soon as I saw the price drop on it I called back - got our old cabin back and ended up with over $1200 OBC (4 in cabin) that was $300 each. Not bad.

 

If you want more information on the Spirit be sure to check the thread ALL THINGS CARNIVAL SPIRIT in my signature. If you do decide to go Carnival be sure to check out my website (www.seauonboard.com) to get information on cabin selection.

 

I think you would both enjoy your time on the Spirit. Be sure to surprise her with the Supper Club. I surprised my DH the night we pulled out of Sitka. It was great.

[Clutterlady]

The advice about going to the Alaska boards is really the way to go.....there, you have seasoned Alaska cruisers who will steer you in the right direction. Have been doing a lot of research as we hopefully plan to do Alaska within the next couple of years. Princess and HAL pretty well have Alaska sewn up as to the best cruise, they are allowed to enter ports the other cruise lines cannot. Please do yourself a favor and do some research because for many this is a once in a lifetime cruise.

 

Don't pay too much attention to people bashing other lines as far as the food and amenities go........as much of this is very subjective.

 

Good luck on your cruise, no matter which line you choose:)

[jkfreeman33]

We have done Alaska twice and both times on Princess. If you are doing a land package (which I think is the best part of the trip) do Princess! If you are just doing the cruise, pick any line since they all go to the same place.

Princess owns their own hotels and train cars and they are wonderful. They are all 5 star hotels and the treatment you get on board is the same at the hotels.

I think it's hard to compare Carnival and Princess on any cruise. Princess, like Royal Caribbean, is a step or 2 up from Carnival. Not saying anything bad about Carnival, I like Carnival and have always had fun on their ships. We are doing a Med. cruise with Carnival in August. I picked them because it starts and ends in Rome and it's a new ship (Freedom).

Again.... if a doing a land package, pick Princess. You won't be sorry for the extra money spent.

Karen

[LURK]

We did an Alaska cruise/tour a few years back on Princess. Our cruise was great but they messed up our tour and we were always last to do anything and no one would correct it for us. We enjoyed the tour but it could have been better. We have been on 15 cruises since then but none on Princess.

Carnival will be our choice if we cruise Alaska again.

 

Bobby

[NancyIL]

My guess is that this thread started out on the Carnival board because of all the votes for the Spirit! I was tempted by the Spirit's 4 port towns in Alaska, but College Fjord wouldn't be my choice for the only glacier-sailing day. You can see College Fjord on a small boat cruise out of Whittier, and don't need to be on a cruise ship to go there.

 

Carnival has only 1 ship in Alaska and Princess has 8 - and not all Princess itineraries are equal. Princess's one-ways all go to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and have two glacier sailing days at Glacier Bay and College Fjord. We did a northbound cruise on the Coral Princess in June 2007, and thought the ship and itinerary were great.

[Budget Queen]

I have sailed Both Carnival and Princess in Alaska. I found the passenger demographics to be similar, there aren't any party ships in Alaska. :)

 

Carnival and Princess both have top notch naturalists which definately enhance the Alaska experience if you care to take advantage of them.

 

There are pluses to both itineraries, Sitka, is a fantastic port, and I give an edge to it over 2 glacier sailings. Glacier Bay certainly is a highlight, BUT this poster states they are looking for something different than their last trip.

 

Overall, Carnival is an excellent choice to consider.

[kellywhitehills]

We sailed Alaska with Carnival last year and had a wonderful time..One plus is getting to see Sitka..Also you have a very long port time in Juneau..Long enough to take a day trip through Tracy Arm to see Sawyer Glacier by small boat...

We enjoyed our cruise so much we aRE going back this year this time sailing a round trip out of Vancouver so we can see Glacier Bay..If youd like to read my review it is in my signature..

 

Kelly

[NancyIL]

There are pluses to both itineraries, Sitka, is a fantastic port, and I give an edge to it over 2 glacier sailings. Glacier Bay certainly is a highlight, BUT this poster states they are looking for something different than their last trip.

 

 

You give 4 ports and one glacier the edge over Glacier Bay and College Fjord? Did Hell freeze over? That's not your usual advice! The OP has been to Alaska on RCI twice previously, so I imagine it was not on a cruise that included Glacier Bay.

[Budget Queen]

You give 4 ports and one glacier the edge over Glacier Bay and College Fjord? Did Hell freeze over? That's not your usual advice! The OP has been to Alaska on RCI twice previously, so I imagine it was not on a cruise that included Glacier Bay.

 

Where have I stated 2 glacier sailings were a must??? I do state that on one ways, it is definately a preference to have College fjords rather than not. This is for the regular 3 port glacier itineraries. Carnival has a unique itinerary.

 

Why would I mention Carnival when it isn't in the post of other questions??? Sitka is a gem, and in my opinion, I like going there, plenty to see and do. The glacier boat tours out of Whittier, also are NOT comparable to the ship sailing College Fjords either. You can definately do both, and have very different experiences.

[NancyIL]

Excuse me??? Where have I stated 2 glacier sailings were a must??? I do state that on one ways, it is definately a preference to have College fjords rather than not. This is for the regular 3 port glacier itineraries. Carnival has a unique itinerary.

 

Why would I mention Carnival when it isn't in the post of other questions??? Sitka is a gem, and in my opinion, I like going there, plenty to see and do. The glacier boat tours out of Whittier, also are NOT comparable to the ship sailing College Fjords either. You can definately do both, and have very different experiences.

 

You frequently mention the superiority of Glacier Bay plus College Fjord over itineraries with just one glacier sailing day. Carnival's itinerary of 4 ports plus 1 glacier is not unique. RCI, Celebrity, and HAL Veendam also go to 4 ports and 1 glacier - with the glacier being Hubbard Glacier rather than College Fjord. (I'd say the northbound Veendam is the most unique - as it goes to Sitka and Haines, and the southbound has the same port towns as the Spirit.) If I'm going to only one glacier, I would choose Hubbard Glacier over College Fjord. You have said many times that viewing PWS from a small boat tour out of Whittier is "grossly superior" to seeing it from the cruise ship. Why have different experiences of the same glacier if you can see two different ones?

[Chat Noir]

My for-what-it's-worth :

 

I've sailed both Princess and Carnival in Alaska. Of those two, my preference is for Princess... partially because the itinerary has two glacier sailings, and we happened to be on a Carnival sailing that missed it's only glacier sailing and Sitka. My thinking is perhaps a little skewed because of this, but I am certainly one who recommends a back-up plan for glacier sailing if glaciers are of importance to you. I really enjoyed sailing Glacier Bay... mostly offered only by Princess and HAL.

 

I really think your question was about demographics, however, and you are also looking to pick up Sitka as well, so I'll hush about my itinerary preference in cruiselines.

 

We found ages to be quite similar between Princess and Carnival on our sailings. In fact, my teens (then) would venture to guess there were more young people on Princess than Carnival. They enjoyed Princess more than Carnival, also, but for different reasons than DH and I. More entertainment venues to suit them onboard Princess over Carnival. Of course, the Princess ship was larger and had more entertainment lounges than the Carnival ship.

 

We did enjoy our cabin more on Carnival. It was a bit larger and had a balcony.. something we haven't had on Princess or Celebrity in Alaska. The naturalist on Carnival was simply superb... as was the Celebrity naturalist. The Princess naturalist didn't even begin to compare to them.

 

I also like the Juneau port time on Carnival. It is perfect for a Tracy Arm day cruise with AdventureBound. That is my number one (tied with KFNP) excursion choice!

 

Either way, enjoy your cruise.

[fti]

I sailed Princess with College Fjord and Glacier Bay and loved it. In fact, going back to Glacier Bay for three days next July since I liked it so much.

 

John