Alaska Cruise Help

[tvguy]

We checked it out and looks really good. Reviews say it’s an older/retired crowd. If it were just DH and I we would do it, but our DD (25) probably would feel out of place. This will be a family trip.

My kids were 21 and 25 on our last HAL Alaska cruise. Didn't feel out of place at all.

 

[Blondie58]

We cruised the inside passage with American Cruise Lines a couple years ago and it was amazing. We wanted a small ship that was able to get to all the nooks and crannies and be up close and personal with wild and marine life. We had an absolutely amazing time. We love small ship cruising. We had about 90 passengers. The service is amazing, the food spectacular, and historian Todd Weber and his wife Nadine are wonderful. You get to know so many passengers and the crew so well. I have also done Adventures by Disney (not a cruise) to Alaska which I hope to do again. Yes, it was that good. I wish Adventures By Disney had some small ship cruising on the inside passage.

 

[Ronneeaght]

We've only done Alaska on Princess and for me the Inside Passage was the best part even though our itinerary did include Glacier Bay. We had rotten luck with weather all week and both Glacier Bay and College Fjord were busts as they were too foggy to see anything. It rained in all our ports (Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway) but we still really enjoyed those. Just my two cents, seems like all of Alaska is beautiful (when you can see it). I did like the calmer waters of the inside passage since I'm prone to seasickness.

 

[ITGirl50]

We've only done Alaska on Princess and for me the Inside Passage was the best part even though our itinerary did include Glacier Bay. We had rotten luck with weather all week and both Glacier Bay and College Fjord were busts as they were too foggy to see anything. It rained in all our ports (Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway) but we still really enjoyed those. Just my two cents, seems like all of Alaska is beautiful (when you can see it). I did like the calmer waters of the inside passage since I'm prone to seasickness.

How was Princess? We are also looking at the new Discovery Princess. How is service and quality of the food? Here is its itinerary.

 

[ITGirl50]

My kids were 21 and 25 on our last HAL Alaska cruise. Didn't feel out of place at all.

I just checked and the HAL we can take does not stop at Skagway....bummer

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I just checked and the HAL we can take does not stop at Skagway....bummer

Why is Skagway important?

 

[ITGirl50]

Why is Skagway important?

We want to take the White Pass railway. Maybe it’s not that great, but it seems like a must do in Alaska

 

[tvguy]

I just checked and the HAL we can take does not stop at Skagway....bummer

Certainly something to consider if that is a port you are interested in. One thing I didn't mention about my last cruise, with both kids over 21 my bar tab was shocking!

 

[jtntx34]

Alaska is a destination where the ship is VERY secondary to the destination.

Long days in port are a bonus, so pay attention to port times when it comes to itinerary. Even when a ship stays the same number of hours in port, if they arrive at 6am, there may be less hours when shops and restaurants are open. They don’t all open early just because a ship is in port though some do (I’m thinking more of ports like Juneau).

If you are watching your budget, spend the money on excursions, which can be expensive, and scale back on room. A balcony is amazing in Alaska because there is almost always something beautiful to see outside. (It will be less so going out of Seattle when you are on open ocean first and last night vs going out of Vancouver where there is land on both sides of the ship for almost the entire trip). If you aren’t watching your budget, I hear NCL Haven class is AMAZING, and most suites on other cruises are less expensive than Disney. (I know third passengers get no discount on Disney but usually do on other cruise lines as well.)

A buffet at night is a godsend. This is one reason I cannot see spending the DCL premium. We were tired after long port days and often ate in the buffet or opted for Anytime dining (Princess). I loved having the International Cafe and a buffet which was open pretty much all day for two reasons. First, they afforded the most flexibility so that we could be on deck watching scenery or in port. Second, the time difference. If you are not from the west coast, there could be a huge time difference for you. We had a 3 hour difference being from central time zone. That meant I was waking up much earlier than usual, and that fact alone threw my hunger schedule off track a bit. I am not a morning person by nature, but I was on that trip.

The real show is outside. Theater shows are just not as interesting as what is outside your window!

I honestly thought glacier days would be super boring. But we had two (Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay) on our trip, and they were great days. I preferred Hubbard personally because we had perfect sunny weather and got to watch a momma harbor seal and her cub for about half an hour just off our balcony. Plus, it is just massive.

I’d go back to either in a heartbeat!

All this to say, I would skip DCL in your situation. I would only do DCL in Alaska if I had small kids that would benefit from the kids’ clubs.

 

[ITGirl50]

Alaska is a destination where the ship is VERY secondary to the destination.

Long days in port are a bonus, so pay attention to port times when it comes to itinerary. Even when a ship stays the same number of hours in port, if they arrive at 6am, there may be less hours when shops and restaurants are open. They don’t all open early just because a ship is in port though some do (I’m thinking more of ports like Juneau).

If you are watching your budget, spend the money on excursions, which can be expensive, and scale back on room. A balcony is amazing in Alaska because there is almost always something beautiful to see outside. (It will be less so going out of Seattle when you are on open ocean first and last night vs going out of Vancouver where there is land on both sides of the ship for almost the entire trip). If you aren’t watching your budget, I hear NCL Haven class is AMAZING, and most suites on other cruises are less expensive than Disney. (I know third passengers get no discount on Disney but usually do on other cruise lines as well.)

A buffet at night is a godsend. This is one reason I cannot see spending the DCL premium. We were tired after long port days and often ate in the buffet or opted for Anytime dining (Princess). I loved having the International Cafe and a buffet which was open pretty much all day for two reasons. First, they afforded the most flexibility so that we could be on deck watching scenery or in port. Second, the time difference. If you are not from the west coast, there could be a huge time difference for you. We had a 3 hour difference being from central time zone. That meant I was waking up much earlier than usual, and that fact alone threw my hunger schedule off track a bit. I am not a morning person by nature, but I was on that trip.

The real show is outside. Theater shows are just not as interesting as what is outside your window!

I honestly thought glacier days would be super boring. But we had two (Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay) on our trip, and they were great days. I preferred Hubbard personally because we had perfect sunny weather and got to watch a momma harbor seal and her cub for about half an hour just off our balcony. Plus, it is just massive.

I’d go back to either in a heartbeat!

All this to say, I would skip DCL in your situation. I would only do DCL in Alaska if I had small kids that would benefit from the kids’ clubs.

We almost booked a suite on NCL Haven class, but then read how NCL is having major financial problems so we cancelled. Also they started calling us wanting us to pay $150 to get $300 in onboard credits. I asked about free non-alcoholic beverages availability in the lounge and he didn’t know or wouldn’t tell us we had to buy our soft drinks and coffee. I would buy a package for that, but it’s not available. I’ve stopped drinking alcohol on cruises, I just get too drunk because I really don’t drink. so I will avoid the bar and opt for non-alcoholic drinks. I was also disappointed that we were trying to book a Haven class room to get great service and our first encounter was with someone who could barely speak English and didn’t know anything about the Haven. If were stuck with him as our pre-cruise concierge, that would suck.

Now we are looking at the new Princess Discovery.

 

[jtntx34]

We almost booked a suite on NCL Haven class, but then read how NCL is having major financial problems so we cancelled. Also they started calling us wanting us to pay $150 to get $300 in onboard credits. I asked about free non-alcoholic beverages availability in the lounge and he didn’t know or wouldn’t tell us we had to buy our soft drinks and coffee. I would buy a package for that, but it’s not available. I’ve stopped drinking alcohol on cruises, I just get too drunk because I really don’t drink. so I will avoid the bar and opt for non-alcoholic drinks. I was also disappointed that we were trying to book a Haven class room to get great service and our first encounter was with someone who could barely speak English and didn’t know anything about the Haven. If were stuck with him as our pre-cruise concierge, that would suck.

Now we are looking at the new Princess Discovery.

Princess was amazing! We were in a handicapped balcony room and had a great time. We had an excellent crew on our ship.

And if you happen to have the funds to book a suite on Princess, it comes with some nice perks (if they don’t change when they come back) including free laundry and double credit for your cruise towards the loyalty program.

And the desserts on Princess are delicious. I did not find anything nearly as good on my Disney cruise (except maybe the Grand Mariner soufflé), and trust me, I tried.

 

[tvguy]

Alaska is a destination where the ship is VERY secondary to the destination.

Not for us. Cruising the inside passage the ship ......actually the upper decks....is the place to be as you go past iceberrgs, bears, and all the wild life. And on HAL, they hand out blankets and mugs of piping hot split pea soup, The ship IS a huge destination taking you so close to nature.

 

[Ronneeaght]

How was Princess? We are also looking at the new Discovery Princess. How is service and quality of the food? Here is its itinerary. View attachment 552290

Granted, this was in 2014 so things might have changed, but we quite liked Princess. I don't remember the service blowing me away, but it was perfectly satisfactory (except the push to buy the drink package on the first night). I agree with previous posters that the food was really good (I'm pretty easily happy with food I don't have to cook and clean up from, ha). We especially liked the pizza specialty restaurant. We were on the Coral Princess. I really liked all the activities they had on the ship. We attended Nature Presentations, watched a recorded Mumford and Sons concert at a bar, did Zumba classes... Lots of different things to do.

Our itinerary was a bit different from yours. Same Alaskan ports but we left from Vancouver so got more of the Inside Passage. Fwiw, the White Pass railroad in Skagway is our favorite excursion we've ever done. We did the train up/bike down combo. (No kids at the time).

 

[cruisehopeful]

I have to agree with above about having the 24 hour dining on Princess being a lifesaver! I did a weekend cruise with them once and thought the food offerings were significantly better than Disney. They were greeting us with snacks whenever we got back on the ship (not sure they will still do that because of Covid) and if you aren't drinking alcohol, they have a great coffee card package.

I did Alaska twice with Disney and had on ocean view room on deck 2. I loved it. We were low enough to have a great view of the land we were passing and sometimes wildlife in the water. We spent most of our time on the common decks walking around and having hot drinks, etc. I overheard lots of people saying they didn't enjoy their balcony because it was too cold. You don't need a balcony if you need to reduce your overall costs at least on DCL.

Also, something else to keep in mind, if you know which excursions you want, look at the vendor names and you can book months in advance directly with the vendor for a lot less money. You'll have the same experience as buying via the cruise line. Just make sure they have a cancellation policy that you can accept.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We want to take the White Pass railway. Maybe it’s not that great, but it seems like a must do in Alaska

Oh, the White Pass railway is worth it. We've done it twice. I was going to ask it they are going to Haines instead? There's a quick ferry from Haines to Skagway, but I'm not sure you'd dock in Haines in time to get to Skagway for the railroad ride.

 

[ITGirl50]

Granted, this was in 2014 so things might have changed, but we quite liked Princess. I don't remember the service blowing me away, but it was perfectly satisfactory (except the push to buy the drink package on the first night). I agree with previous posters that the food was really good (I'm pretty easily happy with food I don't have to cook and clean up from, ha). We especially liked the pizza specialty restaurant. We were on the Coral Princess. I really liked all the activities they had on the ship. We attended Nature Presentations, watched a recorded Mumford and Sons concert at a bar, did Zumba classes... Lots of different things to do.

Our itinerary was a bit different from yours. Same Alaskan ports but we left from Vancouver so got more of the Inside Passage. Fwiw, the White Pass railroad in Skagway is our favorite excursion we've ever done. We did the train up/bike down combo. (No kids at the time).

Oh my I want to do the bike down but DH thinks riding a bike in possible rain and cold is crazy. We ride on the weekends at home, but weather in the 60s is as cold as we can stand. It’s good to know the train was a great experience. That’s why we don’t want to skip Skagway.
The only suites available on the Princess Discovery are the far Aft rooms. On Disney cruises these are terrible rooms because the ship shakes and vibrates in aft. How do you think the very aft rooms will be on the Princess new ships?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Oh my I want to do the bike down but DH thinks riding a bike in possible rain and cold is crazy. We ride on the weekends at home, but weather in the 60s is as cold as we can stand. It’s good to know the train was a great experience. That’s why we don’t want to skip Skagway.
The only suites available on the Princess Discovery are the far Aft rooms. On Disney cruises these are terrible rooms because the ship shakes and vibrates in aft. How do you think the very aft rooms will be on the Princess new ships?

I've never had an issue with vibration on Disney ships EXCEPT FOR THE FANTASY.

 

[ITGirl50]

I've never had an issue with vibration on Disney ships EXCEPT FOR THE FANTASY.

We sailed the Magic and Wonder and both were really squeaky in aft. We started sailing forward to avoid the squeaky and vibrations. Forward is very bouncy though. We want to treat ourselves to a suite, which costs the same as a small room on Disney. We are afraid of aft rooms now. It’s weird that only those Princess aft rooms are open online. Maybe I need to call to make sure.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I think if you don't have young children, the "differences!" on Disney are not that relevant in Alaska. The items I am specifically thinking of is the rotational dining (as people have mentioned, long port stops are what you want, so either buffet or good walk-up dining options are key for eating on board), the shows (if you're not getting back on board until 8 or 9PM, the shows aren't super relevant on port days), the kids clubs (which actually are okay on Princess AK runs, since they teach nature stuff with a Discovery curriculum, and are less video game based than DCL).

What you want is long port stops, and ships permitted for specific glacier sails. (Activities on board don't matter whan you're sailing a glacier. You can play bingo anywhere, if you're putting down the change for an AK cruise watch the glacier!)

 

[belle032]

We have an Alaskan sailing booked for September on the Norwegian Encore. Glacier Bay was very important to us, so DCL was out from the beginning. I'm quite happy with the price we are paying for a Verandah stateroom, with a drink package, dining credit, $200 OBC and wifi package included. I didn't even price out DCL, but guarantee there's a cost savings between the two.

It will be our first time on NCL, but I'm looking forward to trying something new. And unlike in the Caribbean, I feel the ship is more of just the mode of transportation in Alaska. I felt the same on our British Isles sailing.