Angrypenguin
Disney n00b!
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2007
Hi all,
My wife and I recently went on the Voyage of the Glaciers cruise on Princess Cruise Line, and I thought itd be beneficial to share our experiences with you guys in case there are others deciding between taking an Alaskan cruise through Disney or another company.
This was our second cruise, our first being a 4 night Bahamas cruise on the Disney Dream last year. We initially wanted to do the Disney Alaskan cruise, but the price point seemed too high. For our Princess cruise, we got a balcony state room for 1300 each (2600 total), and the most inexpensive Disney cruise that I could find for a Balcony (cat 7A) was around 4100. Since we believed that Alaska was the draw this time, instead of the actual cruise part, we decided to give Princess a try.
Check-in Process: Draw. Coincidentally, our embarkation day was the same as the Disney Wonder. Its always hard to see other people happily getting on a Disney cruise, and as we were at the cruise terminal, I had wondered if we had made a mistake. All cruisers use the same terminal in Vancouver, so the process is the same for everyone until you go through customs. Once that was done, Disney passengers went left, and we went right into a holding area which was really drab and boring. Disney had a separate holding area, and we could hear the Disney music from the other part of the terminal!
Ship: We were on the Island princess, which is 10(?) years old. Since our previous cruise was the Disney Dream, a much larger, newer, and more grand ship, it seems unfair to compare the two, and weve never been on the Wonder/Magic, which is more similar in size and age. However, the ship was clean; the theming wasnt very detailed, but it was nice. No Disney touches or magic, but it did its job. One thing we didnt like, however, was that we felt like they were trying to sell us something everywhere we turned. It became almost a little insulting.
Service: This is really where we noticed a difference. Disneys service is by far better (its not even close). Not to say that the Princess staff is bad, theyre fine, but thats all: fine. We noticed a few moments of unprofessional behavior, (agitated wait staff, etc.) but they did their job.
Entertainment: Princess caters to an older clientele than Disney. And by older, I mean we were two of only a handful of people on the ship that didnt qualify for the AARP. Not that its bad, but just be aware that entertainment options will probably reflect accordingly.
Itinerary: Excellent. We hit the same ports as Disney would (Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagaway) but the big difference is that Princess is permitted to go into Glacier Bay and College Fjord, which I believe were the highlights of the trip.
We did have a great time, and everyone will need to make their own decision on sailing with another cruise line. I just wanted to share our experiences in case anyone was considering it.
And now, some pictures!
Cruise terminal. Notice the Disney Wonder on the other side!
IMG_0199 by kevinkyen, on Flickr
IMG_0315-2 by kevinkyen, on Flickr
My wife on the float plane on our way to Misty Fjord!
IMG_0435 by kevinkyen, on Flickr
A lake turning into a waterfall off the side of the mountain
IMG_0538 by kevinkyen, on Flickr
Our plane landed near a little dock inside a Fjord
IMG_0553 by kevinkyen, on Flickr
Orcas!
IMG_1186 by kevinkyen, on Flickr
Humpback diving
whale_tail3 by kevinkyen, on Flickr
Glacier Bay!
IMG_1665 by kevinkyen, on Flickr
IMG_1587 by kevinkyen, on Flickr
Calving glacier
IMG_0084 by kevinkyen, on Flickr
Tons more pictures for those interested in my Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinkyen/sets