Cruising newbie second-guessing choices...

[pangyal]

I think the title says it all!

We are trying out our first cruise next May to Alaska and are booked on the Wonder in an ocean view room with the large porthole. We are two adults and a then- 9 year old. I am starting to think perhaps we are not making the right choices for this trip, which will be a one and done for us as we likely won't do Alaska again. I'm hoping somebody can jump in and help me with questions such as:

-should we spring for the balcony instead?

-how hard is it to get a spot to sit and view the scenery on any given day for these cruises? As in, if we forego the balcony and want to take a glass of wine to a viewing deck, will we be fighting crowds for even a standing spot or are there lots of places around the ship for people to spread out and chill?

-is there absolutely no internet service on these ships from regular cell phone carriers and it's only through their onboard internet packages (both hubby and I usually have to work at least a bit on vacation)?

-I priced out one of the suites on Royal Caribbean and for $3000 more, we'd get a balcony and more than double the space, but we are not sure if the quality and customer service are comparable. I keep reading about how other cruise lines charge you for pretty much everything onboard including food. I'm not sure how accurate this is? And I'm also not sure if spending that much more is even reasonable, as we have no idea how much time cruisers actually spend in their rooms or how the days usually flow on this type of cruise.

I've been reading as much as I can, but would love some real-life experiences and opinions. Thanks in advance !

 

[DLgal]

If you will only do Alaska once, do it right. Sail Princess on an itinerary with Glacier Bay. Disney is overpriced for the itinerary they offer. Princess is consistently rated the best cruise line for Alaska.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I think the title says it all!

We are trying out our first cruise next May to Alaska and are booked on the Wonder in an ocean view room with the large porthole. We are two adults and a then- 9 year old. I am starting to think perhaps we are not making the right choices for this trip, which will be a one and done for us as we likely won't do Alaska again. I'm hoping somebody can jump in and help me with questions such as:

-should we spring for the balcony instead?

-how hard is it to get a spot to sit and view the scenery on any given day for these cruises? As in, if we forego the balcony and want to take a glass of wine to a viewing deck, will we be fighting crowds for even a standing spot or are there lots of places around the ship for people to spread out and chill?

-is there absolutely no internet service on these ships from regular cell phone carriers and it's only through their onboard internet packages (both hubby and I usually have to work at least a bit on vacation)?

-I priced out one of the suites on Royal Caribbean and for $3000 more, we'd get a balcony and more than double the space, but we are not sure if the quality and customer service are comparable. I keep reading about how other cruise lines charge you for pretty much everything onboard including food. I'm not sure how accurate this is? And I'm also not sure if spending that much more is even reasonable, as we have no idea how much time cruisers actually spend in their rooms or how the days usually flow on this type of cruise.

I've been reading as much as I can, but would love some real-life experiences and opinions. Thanks in advance !

An oceanview room is fine. A verandah is also fine. Just depends on what you (and your budget) want. We've had an oceanview in Alaska, as well as a verandah. While having the verandah was nice, if we needed to be in our room for something and we wanted to pop out to see something, we spent most of our viewing time on the upper decks where we could get the 360 degree view.

On the Wonder there aren't a lot of inside viewing areas. There is quite a bit of open deck viewing. So it could be pretty easy to get a spot to "chill out", depending on the weather.

While onboard the ship, you must use the ship's signal for internet service. No getting around that. You can sign up for 50mb free the first night of the cruise, but any use above that will have a cost. In ports, you are able to find "free" internet locations.

For me personally, I'm not impressed with the DCL Alaska itineraries. I like Holland America and Princess (they've "done" Alaska the longest) for the best itineraries (in my opinion).

 

[tellumom]

We did HAL and had an oceanview on the promenade deck, 6 cabins from the exit onto the promenade deck. We spent NO time in the room, and as much time as possible up top. Most evenings we had the aft pool deck all to ourselves to enjoy a cocktail while looking at the sparkling water. On Glacier Bay day, we were up top first thing to get our spot for viewing. We dressed for the weather, and by the time we got to Glacier Bay, it was a perfect sunny day and we had the best spot for pictures. Get the oceanview, and use the money for special Alaska excursions...they are expensive.

 

[pangyal]

Thanks for the quick replies !

Do the other cruise lines have kids clubs that are comparable? We are also very sensitive to cigarette smoke and I'm not sure how smoke-free other cruise lines are.

 

[apathetic]

We did the Wonder to Alaska in early June and I wouldn't pay for a balcony. When you sail in May, it will probably be too cold to sit outside much. I think you will like the oceanview. We love those rooms for all cruises but it is probably perfect for Alaska. You shouldn't have problems finding seating on the upper decks. Not many people even go in the pool at that time of year. The only time the decks were crowded were the sail away party and sailing through Tracy Arm. We did find a good viewing spot, but were completely bundled up in blankets. Alaska is still pretty cold in May.

 

[Dug720]

Thanks for the quick replies !

Do the other cruise lines have kids clubs that are comparable? We are also very sensitive to cigarette smoke and I'm not sure how smoke-free other cruise lines are.

While I have heard they have changed/are changing their smoking policies (they have been the final holdout on allowing smoking on balconies - I've heard that they have banned or are in the process of banning it though), HAL did not get the nickname "Ashtray of the Seas" for no reason. The casino in particular REEKS even when not in use, and getting to the dining room without walking through there involves going up or down a deck and walking down a passenger hallway, then going up or down a level to get to the dining room.

 

[MUN]

I think the title says it all!

We are trying out our first cruise next May to Alaska and are booked on the Wonder in an ocean view room with the large porthole. We are two adults and a then- 9 year old. I am starting to think perhaps we are not making the right choices for this trip, which will be a one and done for us as we likely won't do Alaska again. I'm hoping somebody can jump in and help me with questions such as:

-should we spring for the balcony instead?

-how hard is it to get a spot to sit and view the scenery on any given day for these cruises? As in, if we forego the balcony and want to take a glass of wine to a viewing deck, will we be fighting crowds for even a standing spot or are there lots of places around the ship for people to spread out and chill?

Our family of 5 was in 2 oceanview rooms 4 yeas ago on our Alaskan cruise and we loved our choices! Each room had a large porthole and it was fun being close to the water. We had great views. We also spent a lot of time on deck and we never had to fight anyone for a spot. There is plenty of room for everyone. Enjoy your cruise! You will love DCL and Alaska!

MUN

 

[owensamo]

We sailed the Celebrity Millenium last summer because we wanted a 1-way cruise, and Celebrity has a smoking policy very similar to DCL. They offer kids clubs as well as some adult-only areas, and the service was very similar to Disney's. It was our first non-DCL cruise (and we're platinum CC members) - and we really enjoyed the cruise. We were in an oceanview and e yed the view - it was chilly enough most evenings that we wouldn't want to sit on a balcony anyway. We spent a lot of time in the forward lounge, watching the scenery (often until 11pm - it's hard to tell time when it doesn't get dark out). We had a teen, but the kids club seemed to be very popular with the 12 and under crowd. We had no problem finding space to see the glacier - plenty of visibility.

Celebrity tends to have 3 ships cruising Alaska, and offers both round-trip and one-way itineraries. If you're not planning to go to Alaska again, I'd recommend a 1-way if you can fit it in - we spent 5 nights in Anchorage and Talkeetna post-cruise, and our day in Denali was probably one of the most memorable days of the whole trip.

 

[pangyal]

So, I just priced out Princess for the same dates and itinerary with the added Glacier Bay benefit...it's the same price for a 740 square foot suite with a gigantic balcony as it is for our 246 square foot DCL room with no balcony. Is Princess very kid friendly and do they have any major issues I should know about (thank you for the HAL ashtray of the seas tip!!!)?

Thanks again!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So, I just priced out Princess for the same dates and itinerary with the added Glacier Bay benefit...it's the same price for a 740 square foot suite with a gigantic balcony as it is for our 246 square foot DCL room with no balcony. Is Princess very kid friendly and do they have any major issues I should know about (thank you for the HAL ashtray of the seas tip!!!)?

Thanks again!

I've been on both HAL and Princess. I'd do either. The "ashtray" thing....not as big an issue to some as others. HAL has recently (well in Jan) banned smoking from verandahs. But, yes there are still smoking areas onboard. More than DCL, but still in limited areas. Same as Princess.

 

[mmouse37]

We did DCL Alaska in an oceanview and were fine!!! We spent a great amount of time on Deck 4 which was virtually empty!!! Had many character interactions as well on Deck 4.

MJ

 

[DLgal]

Y

So, I just priced out Princess for the same dates and itinerary with the added Glacier Bay benefit...it's the same price for a 740 square foot suite with a gigantic balcony as it is for our 246 square foot DCL room with no balcony. Is Princess very kid friendly and do they have any major issues I should know about (thank you for the HAL ashtray of the seas tip!!!)?

Thanks again!

Yes, Princess is kid friendly AND the pools are indoors and heated so kids can swim in Alaska! Princess customer service mirrors Disney's. And, with less kids onboard, attention to the kids in the clubs is much more personalized.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We sailed the Celebrity Millenium

If I was "jumping ship" from DCL I'd want to pick a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay. Celebrity doesn't.

 

[tink1970]

I went on my "one and done" Alaska trip on DCL twice It was my daughter's favorite cruise (and I think she's platinum, or almost by now-she was 9 when she went).

To answer some of your questions:

I don't think you must upgrade to a verandah. Many people enjoy their cruise from inside or porthole cabins.

There are lots of different spaces to sit out on deck, and if I recall, the crew would bring out blankets. The only time I remember some crowding was on the Tracey Arm day but most of us went up, looked, took photos and let others do the same. Honestly it was too cold for me to stay out on the deck for too long.

Internet was slow but where there are mountains and weather, that can happen (and I suspect on all cruise lines it can be an issue). There will be ports where you can go to an internet cafe.


I won't get into the DCL v. others pricing debate but think regardless of your cruise line, Alaska is an amazing trip.

 

[owensamo]

If I was "jumping ship" from DCL I'd want to pick a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay. Celebrity doesn't.

It was on our wish list, but wasn't a deal breaker for us. We had some other more important considerations that this particular cruise fulfilled better. We were debating between a Princess, NCL and Celebrity, and the Millenium cruise worked best for us.

 

[adSimba]

I'm on (probably) the same itinerary with the same family situation and room choice. For us DCL is a must because we really want a new flavor of the Disney experience. (I've been told that some people think that Tracy Arm/Endicott Arm is as good or better than Glacier Bay, but to be fair these are from people who are already sold on DCL)

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I'm on (probably) the same itinerary with the same family situation and room choice. For us DCL is a must because we really want a new flavor of the Disney experience. (I've been told that some people think that Tracy Arm/Endicott Arm is as good or better than Glacier Bay, but to be fair these are from people who are already sold on DCL)

I wouldn't say it's "better", or, even that Glacier Bay is "better". Both are quite impressive. But, IMO, Glacier Bay is more so, because the whole area is just bigger.

Yes, I've been to both. Happily, my first (and what I thought was going to be my only) cruise to Alaska included both Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay.

 

[ozliz]

You can see a lot through the large porthole and saving the money for port adventures is worth it - they really add up in Alaska where you want to get out of the towns and into the wilderness. There is plenty of space on deck and thy fill the towel cupboards half with towels and half with blankets so you can really enjoy the views. They brought out hot drinks and cookies on the Tracey Arm day so it was nice being up too to enjoy this and look on both sides of the ship.

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

So, I just priced out Princess for the same dates and itinerary with the added Glacier Bay benefit...it's the same price for a 740 square foot suite with a gigantic balcony as it is for our 246 square foot DCL room with no balcony. Is Princess very kid friendly and do they have any major issues I should know about (thank you for the HAL ashtray of the seas tip!!!)?

Thanks again!

Princess has partnered with Discovery for their new kids clubs and they have an on-board junior ranger program developed with the National Parks Service on Alaska itineraries. The activities sound really engaging for a 9-year-old.