Do we Jump Ship or stick with the DCL we love for Alaska?

[Bonnie1222]

I am looking for honest opinions from anyone who may have debated Disney, but chosen another line to go to Alaska, especially if you have gone on Princess I would really love to hear about your experience.

DH and I have been on 11 cruises.
All Caribbean (10 western, 1 eastern)
10 with Disney, 1 with Princess (a gift from MIL 15 years ago)

Here is my (our) dilemma. The last time we sailed on Princess we found ourselves saying: "Disney doesn't do that" "Disney does this better" "I like the way Disney does this".......... We had a very nice time on the Princess cruise, but it just wasn't Disney. And since we didn't pay for any of it we really don't know what the extra incidentals add up to compared to what Disney includes.

We originally had written Disney out of the picture because we figured it would be way too expensive and we would get more for our money with another line. This is a port intensive destination and we thought no big deal, just go with someone else. When the prices came out yesterday and saw we can book the same category room on DCL as we have right now on Princess for a little less. But with Disney we obviously loose the land portion. (we have a deluxe inside stateroom on both reservations)

We currently have a deposit on a 4 day land -7 night cruise combo from Anchorage to Vancouver on Princess. We start on land - go from Anchorage to Mt McKinley, Denali and Wittier, then cruise to hubbard Glacier Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau Ketchican and end in Vancouver

We also now have a hold on a 7 day with Disney round trip from Vancouver visiting Dawes Glacier Skagway Juneau Ketchikan

We are seriously wondering if we could go 3-5 days early and plan our own mini land trip between Anchorage and Fairbanks then Fly to Vancouver for the Disney Cruise which we have no doubts we will love, even though in the end it will cost us more. We are even considering cancelling our Very Merry later this year to put the money toward this option. Or do we stick with Princess (Coral Princess) and have the all included package.

Your thoughts, suggestions, comments and experiences are greatly appreciated.

 

[Rjw615]

For my family, DS and DD (6), while we love all things Disney and have sailed twice with Disney and looking forward to sailing with them again, it was just financially smarter for us to go a different route in Alaska at least this time for 2020. It will be our first trip to Alaska, we chose to do the 7 night Northbound tour on the NCL Jewel from Vancouver to Seward and we will do four days (planned on our own) mixed between Seward and Anchorage before flying home. We chose this cruise just based on the itinerary because it goes to Glacier Bay and ends in Seward so we get to see a little more and come out cheaper with our planned excursions then it would be with Disney and having no land tour.

Every family is different, just have to decide what makes your family happy and is it worth that cost. There is no right or wrong answer to me at least.

 

[iivye]

I would stick with the Princess land and sea. We did Alaska on NCL so we could go to Glacier Bay which is definitely a must do. Glacier Bay was one of the biggest highlights of the trip. After six Disney cruises there were things about NCL where I was saying "Disney does it better" but overall we really enjoyed the cruise. As you also mentioned, it was a very port intensive cruise so we did a lot of amazing excursions which took the sting out of it not being a Disney ship. Alaska cruises to me are more about being in Alaska whereas my Bahama/Caribbean cruises were more about the ship.

 

[dcassetta]

I am looking for honest opinions from anyone who may have debated Disney, but chosen another line to go to Alaska, especially if you have gone on Princess I would really love to hear about your experience.

DH and I have been on 11 cruises.
All Caribbean (10 western, 1 eastern)
10 with Disney, 1 with Princess (a gift from MIL 15 years ago)

Here is my (our) dilemma. The last time we sailed on Princess we found ourselves saying: "Disney doesn't do that" "Disney does this better" "I like the way Disney does this".......... We had a very nice time on the Princess cruise, but it just wasn't Disney. And since we didn't pay for any of it we really don't know what the extra incidentals add up to compared to what Disney includes.

We originally had written Disney out of the picture because we figured it would be way too expensive and we would get more for our money with another line. This is a port intensive destination and we thought no big deal, just go with someone else. When the prices came out yesterday and saw we can book the same category room on DCL as we have right now on Princess for a little less. But with Disney we obviously loose the land portion. (we have a deluxe inside stateroom on both reservations)

We currently have a deposit on a 4 day land -7 night cruise combo from Anchorage to Vancouver on Princess. We start on land - go from Anchorage to Mt McKinley, Denali and Wittier, then cruise to hubbard Glacier Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau Ketchican and end in Vancouver

We also now have a hold on a 7 day with Disney round trip from Vancouver visiting Dawes Glacier Skagway Juneau Ketchikan

We are seriously wondering if we could go 3-5 days early and plan our own mini land trip between Anchorage and Fairbanks then Fly to Vancouver for the Disney Cruise which we have no doubts we will love, even though in the end it will cost us more. We are even considering cancelling our Very Merry later this year to put the money toward this option. Or do we stick with Princess (Coral Princess) and have the all included package.

Your thoughts, suggestions, comments and experiences are greatly appreciated.

You could plan a trip like that, but I would let Princess do it. HAL and Princess really have the whole land-and-sea thing down and Denali is amazing.

 

[NancyIL]

Alaska is all about the itinerary. Princess's southbound cruise wins hands down, as it goes to both Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay. I personally would do my own land trip, but a Princess cruise tour isn't a bad idea for a first-time Alaska visitor. My preference though is for a longer land tour. With only 1 night at Denali, you are probably doing the Natural History Tour - which barely gets into the national park.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We have chosen Princess for Alaska because of the Land portion this year. DCL is getting some business because we are doing the DVC Member Cruise from San Diego to Vancouver. We are staying in Vancouver for two nights, then doing Princess north then a three night excursion to Denali.

We already have done an inside passage cruise in the ‘90’s but feel we have missed something by not having seen Denali National Park.

We have taken incredible Princess Cruises, but on our last one we sorely missed DCL’s lunch buffet. In fact we are looking ahead to fall 2020, and a cruise that stops in Israel. If Princess falls short on the lunch buffet in Alaska, we will book Celebrity for that cruise to Israel.

So, if you think you will do Alaska again, go on DCL, otherwise, I would go on Princess. My opinion.

 

[AnnaS]

We have cruised DCL 8 times I believe (see my signature)

Next year we knew we were going to Alaska and more or less knew it would not be DCL. We chose the Princess after doing a lot of research. I also know of two TA who prefer Princess and one had booked Princess for her family. I keep reading that Princess and Holland are the way to go.

We booked a land tour/cruise. Flying to Anchorage from the East Coast 7 1/2 hour flight. Staying at the two same resorts as you. Southbound cruise to Vancouver. Would love to try to add a few nights at Vancouver also but not sure it's possible. Both set of grandparents are cruising and we help with the babysitting of our grandchildren .

I know what you mean about comparing everything to Disney. When my SIL cruised Royal Caribbean, she did nothing but compare everything to DCL. I am sure I/we will do the same. This trip is more about Alaska, the ports, etc. We are staying put. The company will be great, Alaska will be great. If the food is decent (okay, good), then we are happy campers.

Good luck deciding.

 

[FSU Girl]

My last cruise with Princess was to Alaska, but it was 11 years ago. My parents love that line so it was what I sailed as a kid up until 18. I enjoyed the cruise, the ship was fine and I've hear that Princess has higher priority over other lines for ports so you'll get a better itinerary. I wouldn't pick Disney to sail Alaska, I don't like that they leave from Vancouver and the cruises are expensive and times in port are short. If I go back to Alaska I'd try out the Norwegian Bliss, it's a new ship that looks really nice.

 

[Geomom]

While I loved our DCL Alaska cruise and would do it again, for your situation, I'd keep the Princess Land/Sea combo. If you had a round trip Alaskan cruise from Seattle or Vancouver, I'd say switch to DCL--as the itineraries would likely be very similar (my cousins did a Princess cruise without Glacier bay--same itinerary as DCL but leaving from Seattle instead, and shorter stops at the Alaskan ports). With your Princess one way you get to see things the DCL boats don't go to--Glacier bay, etc--and you'll have the land portion as well.

 

[AgentMama]

I wouldn't give up the land portion of Alaska, keep what you have.

 

[Bonnie1222]

@AnnaS I'll be flying from FL to Anchorage.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

What is the makeup of your party? We chose DCL for our upcoming Alaska cruise, but we have 2 kids under the age of 8 who will love the characters/clubs. When they're preteens/teens I would love to do the Princess/Denali combo or maybe even try a National Geographic ship.

 

[jtntx34]

We did a southbound Princess Cruise last year with five days DIY on land prior. It was fantastic!

The port times are very good for excursions. Plus, you get stops at both Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay. Hubbard is one huge glacier and is actually advancing. Glacier Bay is a national park with several different glaciers.

I can not compare it to DCL as I will not go on my first DCL cruise until this coming December. However, Alaska is very port intensive, so you might find you are tired and would rather rest than do a show at night. Also, I believe any time inland is a huge bonus, because it really gives you a better sense of the whole place. I think Princess does a great job in Alaska. They have an onboard naturalist on every cruise along with some Alaska themed events and guest speakers that come onboard as well as some dishes in the dining rooms especially for the itinerary. The lectures are played again on the tv in your room in case you miss them which was something we didn’t know beforehand but enjoyed.

Whatever you do, I think you will love Alaska! Pictures are beautiful, but in person, it’s just even better!!!

 

[jiminyC_fan]

To us, Alaska was the destination and not the ship. We chose the land, cruise tour with HAL. Without hesitation, I would choose either HAL or Princess. There is much more to Alaska than the ocean.

 

[AnnaS]

@AnnaS I'll be flying from FL to Anchorage.

We can fly out of JFK or Newark. We usually fly out of Newark - much closer/easier drive (we are in Staten Island,NY).

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I am looking for honest opinions from anyone who may have debated Disney, but chosen another line to go to Alaska, especially if you have gone on Princess I would really love to hear about your experience.

DH and I have been on 11 cruises.
All Caribbean (10 western, 1 eastern)
10 with Disney, 1 with Princess (a gift from MIL 15 years ago)

Here is my (our) dilemma. The last time we sailed on Princess we found ourselves saying: "Disney doesn't do that" "Disney does this better" "I like the way Disney does this".......... We had a very nice time on the Princess cruise, but it just wasn't Disney. And since we didn't pay for any of it we really don't know what the extra incidentals add up to compared to what Disney includes.

We originally had written Disney out of the picture because we figured it would be way too expensive and we would get more for our money with another line. This is a port intensive destination and we thought no big deal, just go with someone else. When the prices came out yesterday and saw we can book the same category room on DCL as we have right now on Princess for a little less. But with Disney we obviously loose the land portion. (we have a deluxe inside stateroom on both reservations)

We currently have a deposit on a 4 day land -7 night cruise combo from Anchorage to Vancouver on Princess. We start on land - go from Anchorage to Mt McKinley, Denali and Wittier, then cruise to hubbard Glacier Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau Ketchican and end in Vancouver

We also now have a hold on a 7 day with Disney round trip from Vancouver visiting Dawes Glacier Skagway Juneau Ketchikan

We are seriously wondering if we could go 3-5 days early and plan our own mini land trip between Anchorage and Fairbanks then Fly to Vancouver for the Disney Cruise which we have no doubts we will love, even though in the end it will cost us more. We are even considering cancelling our Very Merry later this year to put the money toward this option. Or do we stick with Princess (Coral Princess) and have the all included package.

Your thoughts, suggestions, comments and experiences are greatly appreciated.

The real question is: Do you want an Alaskan cruise experience (all things Alaska), or a Disney cruise with Alaska on the side?

I've done Alaska twice (well, three times, but the last was on a RV trip), both times on Holland America. HAL & Princess have what I think are the better itineraries for actually seeing Alaska (and they do Glacier Bay) than does DCL.

 

[AquaDame]

We've done both... our first cruise to Alaska was on DCL and our second was on RCCL one way ending in Seward. I enjoyed the cruising aspect of DCL much more than I enjoyed sailing with RCCL but I greatly preferred Hubbard over Endicott. Ending in Seward and getting to go visit Denali was over the top amazing, and I really want to go back there someday. If we go back to Alaska a third time I'll want to sail with someone who goes to Glacier Bay as well, but honestly after two RCCL cruises that I didn't enjoy I'm wondering if I can just get there on my own somehow.

If I do try another line it might be Princess for Alaska from the reviews I've heard from others.... their land portion gets a lot of positive chatter but the skeptic in me wonders how much of that was Alaska vs. Princess specifically.

 

[lklgoodman]

Have you been on the Wonder for any of your previous cruises? The Wonder is my favorite ship. We did an Alaskan cruise with Disney several years ago. It was great, we did it with extended family. I haven't been on any other cruiselines, only Disney. A lot of people on here say good things about the other lines that go to Alaska. I would go with your land/sea trip on Princess. Keep your Merry Christmas cruise later this year, and then if you haven't been on the Wonder before, I'd book some other cruise on it, either in the fall of 2020 or early 2021. We did a EC(went to San Juan and was suppose to go to St Maarten, but was changed to a CC double dip) last March on the Wonder and it was a lot cheaper than cruises later in the year. The fab 5 look really cute in their Alaska outftits, but not cute enough to spend extra $$$ for less Alaska sites.

 

[NancyIL]

We've done both... our first cruise to Alaska was on DCL and our second was on RCCL one way ending in Seward. I enjoyed the cruising aspect of DCL much more than I enjoyed sailing with RCCL but I greatly preferred Hubbard over Endicott. Ending in Seward and getting to go visit Denali was over the top amazing, and I really want to go back there someday. If we go back to Alaska a third time I'll want to sail with someone who goes to Glacier Bay as well, but honestly after two RCCL cruises that I didn't enjoy I'm wondering if I can just get there on my own somehow.

If I do try another line it might be Princess for Alaska from the reviews I've heard from others.... their land portion gets a lot of positive chatter but the skeptic in me wonders how much of that was Alaska vs. Princess specifically.

You don't need to be on a cruise to do a land trip in Alaska. Fly to Anchorage or Fairbanks and rent a car. Book your own hotel in the Denali area, and book an all-day shuttle bus into the national park.

My first cruise + land trip was a northbound cruise on the Coral Princess in June 2007. We had an amazing 9-day DIY land trip, and we did NOT go to Denali. My second land trip was after a northbound cruise on HAL in July 2008, and afterwards we attended a church conference in the Anchorage area for 5 days. When the conference ended, my friends and I drove to the Denali area on Day 1 and stayed 2 nights at the Denali Lakeview Inn in Healy. We spent Day 2 taking the shuttle bus to mile 63 (Eielson Visitor Center) in Denali, then returned to Anchorage on Day 3.

Four subsequent Alaska cruises were cruise-only on the Golden Princess in May 2009 (7-night roundtrip from Seattle), HAL Amsterdam in August 2011 (14-night roundtrip from Seattle - fabulous itinerary), and b2b north and southbound cruises on RCI's Radiance of the Seas in May 2017 between Vancouver and Seward. (I would've loved to have done a land trip in Alaska after the northbound RCI cruise. However, I boarded the ship in Honolulu and was prohibited by the PVSA from disembarking in a different US port.) For the record, I really like Royal Caribbean.

 

[pixiedustedme]

We sailed DCL to Alaska in June of '18 and loved it. Considered jumping ship to Holland but so glad we didn't. DCL's Alaska cruise isn't that port-intensive, btw. It's 3 days at sea, and 3 days at ports. So half of your cruise will be at sea, and you will get to fully appreciate the Disney experience if it matters to you. We also loved Vancouver. We flew there via Westjet, which was much more affordable than other airlines.