Planning 1st Alaskan cruise on Princess & have ???"s

[From Air to Sea!]

DH and I just finished our first cruise and we LOVED it! Considering we have nothing to compare it to, we felt that our experience on Princess was wonderful. I don't know what took us so long but now that we have caught the "cruising bug" we are trying to plan our next cruise. We have decided to do an Alaskan cruise and are heavily leaning towards Princess.

 

I just wanted to ask those of you who have done these a few questions:

 

1. I have noticed that there are different ships that cruise Alaska: Coral, Sapphire, Island and Diamond. Which is your favorite?

 

2. Favorite cabins on any of these?

 

3. How important is it to have a balcony? (Had one on this last cruise & it spoiled me:rolleyes:!) And am I wrong to assume that getting a stateroom on either port or starboard side is important because of the views?

 

4. What month is the best time to go?

 

I know I have a lot of questions and I want to say thanks in advance for your help. This board really helped me be much more prepared for my first cruise than I would ever have been had I not found this site. And that made our cruise more enjoyable than we could have ever imagined:D!

[Druke I]

You are going to get a whole range of responses.

 

Of the ships you listed, I prefer either the Coral or the Island. I am not a fan of the larger ships.

 

I like close to midships on Caribe Deck, if choosing a balcony.

 

Balconies are nice, but it is sometimes chilly in Alaska.

 

I like September, after Labor Day, when the crowds are gone.

 

Check out the various itineraries. Some people (including me) really enjoy the RT sailings out of San Francisco.

[mytime53]

If you go to the Port of Calls--Alaska section here you will find lots of advice regarding this.

[ggprincess2004]

Coral and Island are sister ships, as are Sapphire and Diamond. DH and I took the "kids" and did b2b2b on the Sapphire in Alaska last May/June and loved it. The Sapphire/Diamond are nice if you prefer anytime dining, as they have 4 themed anytime dining rooms. The Coral is our favorite ship in the fleet - we think you will be pleased on any of the 4 ships.

Favorite cabins - any with a balcony, and even more so a minisuite. We did use our balcony in Alaska almost every day - the weather was great for the most part, and since a huge part of Alaska is the scenery - the balcony was just great for that. Which side? Well, the scenery doing the inside passage is great from both sides. In Glacier Bay, the captain spins the ship on a dime, so that both sides get the same views in succession. But don't forget, when going for a view, the open decks are important places to be as well. And, we found that the most underused open deck was Promenade. You could easily move from port to starboard and back by just going through doors back inside, and then outside again.

The Coral and Island have space on the bow on Baja, Caribe and Dolphin which also offers great views.

Which month? They say the weather is hit or miss. We were very happy with being on the first sailing in late May, etc., as not all ships had gotten to Alaska yet and for a few days the ports weren't quite as crowded. Downside of late May - salmon are not running yet. This year we will take a 14 day RT in September, and look forward to the salmon run, and the close out sales in some of the ports, since we will be the last ship.

Whatever you choose, try to include Glacier Bay in your planning.

Also, leaving from Vancouver or Whitter gives you more time in Alaskan waters, as opposed to leaving from San Francisco and needing a day and a half to get there. The trip north from San Francisco can be pretty choppy, as well.

Have a great time - pick up a copy of the Alaska Cruise Companion to take with you.:)

[Papermaker]

My DW and I took our first cruise in 2002 to Alaska on the Ocean Princess which is now the Oceana with P&O. We just came back from a Panama Canal Cruise on the Coral Princess which is a similar ship with respect to size. We absolutely loved both. We had a restricted ocean view stateroom on the Alaskan cruise and a dolphin deck minisuite with balcony on the Panama Canal cruise. I must say we now wish we had been able to afford the balcony on the Alaskan Cruise! Because the captain rotates the ship in Glacier Bay and College Fjord, it doesn't matter much if you have a port or starboard side stateroom. As others have stated, the Island and Coral are identical ships and I know you would really enjoy them.

[Griff4AU]

Well, to me it sounds like you'll be hooked on Princess. And that may be a good problem.

 

I went to Alaska last year on the Coral. I was tentative at first as it was my first smaller Princess ship. My concern was unfounded as I was immediately familar with the ship. I actually enjoyed the smaller ship for the Alaska sailing.

 

As for Cabins, mid-ship, and on a deck where you have cabins both above and below you. I am a light sleeper, and the one time I had a common area above me (pool deck) was the last time I had a common area above or below me. To me, having cabins above and below is more important than Fore & Aft.

 

I'm a balcony addict myself, and I couldn't imaging not having one in Alaska. I just went to the Caribbean without a balcony, and I was OK with it. I'd even be willing to go without a balcony again to the Caribbean. However I wouldn't go to Alaska without a balcony. However in this area, everyone's opinion will vary.

 

Port or Starboard? I have seen very contradicting information on this. I took a one-way inside passage sailing, so I booked the side that faced the land. For most of the cruise, that was the correct side to be on, but not the entire cruise. Sometimes it was nice to avoid the crowded decks and enjoy the scenery from my balcony.

 

We went in July and had wonderful weather. One day was actually in the 70's and we laid out by the pool.

 

For my Alaska cruise, and more so than any other cruise I have ever been on, the independant excursions FAR FAR and AWAY exceeded the Princess excursions. I would suggest you spend some time in the Alaska section to learn about the excursions. I've had good luck with Princess excursions, however the quality and value of the independents was simply better. I believe that is true with just about any port, but especially so with Alaska.

 

Good luck, and let us know what you decide.

[miss honey]

I have cruised 7 times. Alaska was the greatest. We cruised on the Diamond. We cruised the first cruise of the season in May of 2006. We chose this because it worked for vacation scheduling and it was least expensive. The only glitch was the ship was 6 hours late coming in from San Fransisco. Princess took care of everbody, for the afternoon. She ship is large, buts lots to do , and lots to see. We liked the Vancouver to Whittier route. We had and aft cabin. We had no wind on our balcony. Had lots of sunshine in the morning, hubby wore shorts most mornings on the balcony. Being we had no wind on the rear of ship, we never wore a coat unless we went out on the sides of ship. We had 50 plus everyday so we had good weather. Alaska took lots of planning , but well worth it. find a good TA and they should be lots of help. This board will give you a wealth of information. Carolyn

[Mbouck1]

We just got back from our Alaska cruise on the Star Princess on sunday. This ship was all that I have expected sailing on many Princess ships. I would highly reccomend a balcony for any cruise,especially Alaska just for the cruising through Tracy Arms. If it gets too cold out on the balcony you can always go inside and view the cruise in a warm room than outside on a cold deck. We also were on the Lido deck room 243. Right down the hall was the outside grill,pizza stand and Horizon court. We were also able to walk the stairs to the 6th floor for the dining room. I think anytime is a good time to view Alaska. If you want to see a lot of snow on the mountains and a lot of waterfalls I would say to go in May also. Enjoy

[LoveSanibel]

We were on the Sapphire last June 9 -16 in Alaska. This was the 2nd trip on the Sapphire ~ we loved it the second time around as much as the first.

 

We are mini suite fans as we travel with our DS(now 12). We love the bigger bathroom, the storage space, the balcony and the couch.

 

We were very happy with the time frame of the trip. We had fabulous weather (only a couple of cool days and only drizzle once or twice ~ no really rain.) We also did not have ANY mosquito issues.

 

We did a 5 day cruise tour prior to the cruise and it was actually in the 80's in Fairbanks! We did took Under Armour, turtlenecks, fleece and windbreakers. Did not take our real winter coats.

 

We too were bitten by the cruising bug after the first one (Sapphire to Mexican Riviera) and are planning the new Ruby next March.

[edYYZ]

Having been on both classes, I would say they are very different and it depends on what you're looking for. The Diamond/Sapphire have more public areas since it's a bigger ship, but those spaces are often very busy. The Coral/Island on the other hand, feel much "emptier", which makes sense when you compare the number of passengers on each (something like 1950 vs 2700) and the difference in size of the ship (around 10000 tons). My personal opinion is the Coral class makes for a more relaxing trip since you don't really encounter the same kind of crowds everywhere, but because of how dead the ship felt, especially late at night, wasn't as much fun in some ways. I think the Coral also wasn't full on our cruise so maybe it's not as big of a difference as I remember.

 

As for the balcony, I know some swear by it but I don't think it's necessary for Alaska. I think you get better views on the top decks, since you can see all around you. That's probably the best way to really get a sense of how magnificent some of the scenery is, like in Glacier Bay. But maybe that's just my bias since I've never had a balcony on a cruise before (trying one for the first time this summer).

 

In terms of the open decks up top, I liked the ones on the Diamond better than the Coral because I couldn't find a good place on the Coral where you could sit on a lounger and have a great view (less glass or something). With that said, the open deck was way busier on the Diamond, which wasn't as nice as the Coral.

 

Now I'm just rambling, but I hope that helps with your decision!

[riteonglor]

If you ever want a balcony, the Alaskan cruise is when you want one. I think of all cruise's you might take, thats the one you want your own balcony so you never miss any of the beautiful scenery. If you are heading north to Alaska go for the star board side of the ship, you will see more on that side. Unless of course you got lucky and get a cabin at the very back of the ship then you can see both sides. We went on the Saphire Princess in the middle of August and had great weather, temp was about 75 degree every day. No rain in 7 days, one foggy day which didn't last all day.

We loved the ship, the food, everything about that cruise. Would love to go again.

[grandmato4]

If you should decide on the Coral or Island here is a site that may help you decide which balcony cabin you might wish to choose.

http://mysite.verizon.net/res76zxu/p...ies/index.html

 

One can certainly enjoy an Alaska cruise without a balcony, but we certainly did enjoy ours last August. It often was cool (only cold while viewing the glaciers) but no problem to slip on our sweater or jackets to step ouside and enjoy the beautiful scenary and watch for the dophins and whales, both of which we saw many as we cruised. I was also able to catch a view of the Northern Lights one evening which were spectacular ! For Alaska I would suggest a covered balcony and not a room on Dolphin deck without any covering over your balcony.

 

I'm sure you will enjoy which ever ship you choose to sail on with Princess.:)

[sandinmyshoes]

We cruised the Diamond Princess in Alaska last May. It was way too cold (and we lived in N. Canada at the time) and we were glad we had our parkas and didn't pay extra for the balcony room. We didn't spend much time on deck because of the weather. I would suggest Sept. as well, because the temps are so much better. In May, we couldn't go up to the glaciers while cruising because there was still too much ice in the water. You will see more wildlife also this time of year and the people crowds will be thinner.

We loved the size and amenities of the Diamond Princess. We have cruised the Grand twice and Caribbean once and found the layout to be similar so it was comfortable for us from the beginning. Then again, we love big ships and nooks and crannies for mostly-private indoor viewing of the outdoors you can find because of the large number of bars and lounges that aren't used during the day.

Please feel free to ask your questions on this board. They are Princess related and you don't have to go to the Alaska board just because there is one. For non-ship, Alaska-specific questions, you may find better answers there, but more people who have experience with Princess in Alaska will be on this thread and will respond quicker, so don't feel like you are being run off by those who make it their mission to "guide" you to the "appropriate" board. We are here to help too!

[mytime53]

Please feel free to ask your questions on this board. They are Princess related and you don't have to go to the Alaska board just because there is one. For non-ship, Alaska-specific questions, you may find better answers there, but more people who have experience with Princess in Alaska will be on this thread and will respond quicker, so don't feel like you are being run off by those who make it their mission to "guide" you to the "appropriate" board. We are here to help too!

 

I assume you were directing this at me, since I was the only one who made the suggestion...I was not "running her off", "guiding" her, or anything other than offering a helpful suggestion. On the Alaska board you will find people who have cruised to Alaska MANY times, and can offer suggestions based on experience with more than one ship, itinerary, time, etc. Just because I suggest an alternate board does not mean I advocate abandoning this one. But someone awaiting answers in anticipation could find them already answered to some extent on the other board and spend their time waiting for answers here by reading what has already been posted on the other. Since the OP is "leaning towards Princess", it would be important to read opinions about other cruiselines with Alaska on their itineraries. Also, there are people who don't realize that the Ports of Call section exists, just like they don't realize the Roll Calls exist. So, whether or not you believe I was "on a mission", I believe my post was of use, if not to the OP, then to someone else considering cruising to Alaska.

[LoriPhil]

We cruised in a Carib-deck cabin on the Coral last summer and loved the experience. Spent a large amount of time on the balcony and were rewarded with unexpected sightings of dolphin zooming next to the ship, humpbacks and orca. And then there were the glaciers... wonderful! Coral/Island have very nice public decks spanning the aft of the ship on the Dolphin and Carib decks which also provide a lovely place to sit, read and get a panoramic view.

 

The posters on the Alaska boards are extremely active and provided us with very helpful information on shore excursions and what to expect in the various ports. We booked independently with Captain Larry for whale-watching in Juneau, with DH on the ship-sponsored glacier/helicopter tour in Skagway. BTW, Skagway was my favorite port - once you're past the standard jewelry stores you get in every port, there are the local shops with local and Alaska-made items plus a very active National (Parks?) walking tour system. We enjoyed everything so much we've booked a b2b on the Coral for June 09. Wowsers, only 12 months or so left to go!

 

Alaska is beautiful, and I'm sure you'll have a great time whichever ship/cabin you choose.