europe vs alaska

[jack87891]

considering either a european or alaskan cruise. any helpful thoughts?

 

[nicbic97]

we priced out both and ended up choosing Alaska for this year. DS is only 6 and we figured he would appreciate Alaska more at this age and travel would be easier. Europe was about 1k/day and Alaska is about 1/2 that price. The flights are also half that price. Excursion prices seem similar. You are getting a newer ship with the refurbished magic for the European. We have been on the Fantasy, Dream, and refurbished Magic so we wanted to try the Wonder to complete our grand slam. I don't think you can really go wrong with either one

 

[cjbcam]

My DH and I were just discussing this. We really only get one holiday a year and he really wants to do Alaska cruise for our 2015 year trip. I just can't imagine taking a trip somewhere cold. I told him we have pretty much six months of winter I want to travel some place hot when we go. We lived a couple hours from the Alaska border a few years ago so I just don't care to go on An Alaskan cruise. Am I being unfair? I did tell him he could go himself.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

considering either a european or alaskan cruise. any helpful thoughts?

Well I live in Europe and cruised the Med Caribbean, and Baltic up to this year and would always say Europe, but... Having cruised Alaska this year, it's a must do, it is a fantastic experience mother natures power in full flow.

So it's a dilemma as we are on the 12 night med cruise on the Magic next year which looks fantastic, if you were going for a long cruise I would say the 12 night med for you but if your talking seven nights only then Alaska wins.

Both are fantastic cruises both far better IMHO than sailing the Caribbean which the ship and the sun are the destination, Alaska and med the ports of call are the destination and the views, and the ship is somewhere to sleep at night.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Do you want a port-intensive cruise where you go, go, go while in port, trying to absorb all the culture and historical sites you can, or do you want to kick back and enjoy gorgeous wilderness scenery and wildlife? The European port cities are crowded and full of museums. The Alaskan port towns are quaint and easy to get from one end to the other in a short time, and full of touristy shops. Actually, Europe has its share of touristy shops too, but they offer more than figurines, fudge, and different flavors of caramel popcorn.

Will you be taking kids who will balk at yet another museum, or who will get bored at yet another glacier? What kind of shore excursions are you interested in? Would you be thrilled to see the artwork in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and take in a Russian ballet, or would you have more fun dog-sledding on a glacier? WWII memorial sites, or would you rather go flight-seeing in a sea-plane that buzzes over mountain sheep then lands on a glacier lake?

You're really comparing apples and oranges, so I would suggest doing one, then the other -- the best of both worlds.

 

[DMMarla07860]

My dad and I are also trying to decide what cruise to do Alaska and Europe are two of those, both great options for us

 

[Magic3forme]

We did Alaska this past summer, Europe is next summer.

Depending on where you are flying from airfare can be almost as much as the trip to Europe. ( our tickets would have been 1400.00 per person Atlanta to Paris.) tickets to Seattle were only 400.00 each. (there are 5 of us too.)

Alaska was our favorite place we have visited so far... even our kids loved it. the scenery is just breath taking. We spent lots of time on the top decks and outside.

 

[holula]

considering either a european or alaskan cruise. any helpful thoughts?

I lived in Europe for most of my life. If you are looking at DCL, the European ports will be hot, crowded, and hot. IMO you don't see enough of the city to make it worth your time in the port. You barely get to experience the local food and culture. Several of the cities the Magic sons at I have spent 4-7 days at and still didn't see everything. A trip to Europe is worth it but I would do a land based vacation, not a cruise

OTOH Alaska was amazing. It is like looking at a postcard every minute of sunlight. The wildlife and scenery was just amazing. I would absolutely love to redo Alaska.

 

[Gigi22]

After about 30 years of cruising, I've only ever met 1 person who didn't like their Alaska cruise. That said, I thoroughly sympathize with the PP who said she didn't want to miss hot weather at home to sail to Alaska. We have put off sailing to Alaska because we garden, and 7 days away would be enough to kill everything in our garden -- our neighbours are not trustworthy enough to help us out either.

 

[MND]

considering either a european or alaskan cruise. any helpful thoughts?

Is price an issue? Where will you be traveling from?

mike

 

[CruznLexi]

Also the price of flights to The Med can be quite pricy plus $100 dollar equals 72 euros and in the summer it can be even lower.

 

[DisneyHelen]

We did 7 day med cruise last year from Barcelona and now doing Alaska this year. Depending where you live flying to the port doubles the price of the cruise.

 

[EeyoreIsMyName]

My DH and I were just discussing this. We really only get one holiday a year and he really wants to do Alaska cruise for our 2015 year trip. I just can't imagine taking a trip somewhere cold. I told him we have pretty much six months of winter I want to travel some place hot when we go. We lived a couple hours from the Alaska border a few years ago so I just don't care to go on An Alaskan cruise. Am I being unfair? I did tell him he could go himself.

I don't enjoy cold winter weather either, but we had beautiful weather for both of our trips to Alaska. The one naysayer in our group who didn't even want to ever go to Alaska asked for a second, and now a third, trip! Here is a link to my trip report from this year if you're interested:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3150787

 

[cjbcam]

I don't enjoy cold winter weather either, but we had beautiful weather for both of our trips to Alaska. The one naysayer in our group who didn't even want to ever go to Alaska asked for a second, and now a third, trip! Here is a link to my trip report from this year if you're interested:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3150787

Thanks I will read it

 

[jack87891]

Is price an issue? Where will you be traveling from?

mike

yes, but no. will be flying from the midwest.
we have gone on 3 caribbean cruises and loved each one. Now we are thinking about something a little different

 

[TeamH5]

yes, but no. will be flying from the midwest.
we have gone on 3 caribbean cruises and loved each one. Now we are thinking about something a little different

Well, if you've never been to Europe I agree with the PP that a land based vaca is best. We're sailing on the TA next Sept, but we've been in Europe for 2 years now so that cruise is mainly just for relaxation on the way back to the states. The Med cruises are WAAAY overpriced for the amount of time you get in ports. You could do a 3 month tour through Europe land based for the same price as the 12 day cruise.

But then, I kinda feel the same about Alaska. You will definitely get more on your port visits in AK hen you would in Europe, it's just way to much money. I spent 3 years in Anchorage and was able to do all that stuff along with the wildlife cruises for a fraction of what any of the cruise lines charge.. Lol


I'd go more for AK than Europe though.

 

[ldo]

RE. doing land vs cruise in Europe. I have done both land and cruises in Europe and both are good. I will say that my tweens/teens STRONGLY prefer cruise to land-based Europe. A cruise lets them have the same lodging every night--no repacking. Plus, unlimited food, pool, fun things for downtime. I research ahead of time, give a mini history--significant places prep prior to the city/area we are going to be in and we do mostly DIY. A cruise allowed us to see Avignon, climb the leaning tower of pisa, bike in Barcelona, tour Pompeii ruins, as well as St. Peters and the Colo.
I really like a hybrid--stay a few days pre/post with a cruise. We did a W. Med. cruise this summer and then 5 days Paris--that was perfect.
Re. Europe vs. Alaska--I would advise Europe for art, history, and for active travelers. Kids voted for Alaska next summer--DH and I would do Europe every year.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We did the Med in August 2013 and Alaska in August 2012. It was our 1st time to AK but my 2nd time to Italy, having done a 14-nt Perillo tour when I first graduated college to compare it to. It was dh's first time to these countries & my parents first time to Europe.

They're such different experiences, but both impressive, one natural beauty and one cultural/architectural.
Since we took our 2 teen boys on both trips, there's no way we could now afford the Perillo trip (5k pp not incl airfare) so this was the best I could do for now.
With the land tour experience I had, I'd have to say that a Med cruise is not the ideal way to see Europe. People say the benefits of cruising is that you don't need to pack & unpack for each city which is true. We still had to for 2 nights in Barcelona (though not a full unpack) and again for the cruise. So this was 2x of unpacking/settling in. I haven't done a price analysis but length of trip/unpacking-wise we could have done a 10 day trip of:
-fly into Rome
-3 nights in Rome
-3 nights in Florence
-2 nights in Venice
-fly home from Venice

This would have only added 1 more round of unpacking but a LOT more sightseeing in Italy and at a more relaxed pace.
Sure we wouldn't have seen Barcelona or Villefranche but we would have a lot more than 9 hrs in Florence/Pisa of which ~2 hours was driving from/to the port. Everything we saw was so rushed; it was like getting 1 lick from a lollipop and having it taken away. Instead of really spending time at each attraction, we'd have like 30-60 mins to walk around, get some pics, then move on. If I hadn't done the Perillo tour, I probably would feel differently.
Being able to see the cities at night is special too and something we couldn't do on the Med cruise. The sad thing is that ours was the 7-night cruise but the longer cruises don't give any more time in each port, just more ports to visit. It would be much better if they would overnight for both Florence & Rome and make it a 9-night cruise.

My family really enjoyed the sightseeing on both cruises but at the end of the Med cruise my ds, almost 17, said that though he loved the Med cruise, he still thinks the Alaskan cruise was better. He vows to someday spend a month in Florence to see all the things we missed.

 

[NancyIL]

I enjoy cruising, and I love both Alaska and Europe. I like going to cooler places in the summer, like Alaska and northern Europe, but the Med in mid-summer would not be my first choice.

As far as land trip vs. cruise - I like to do both. I have always added time on land before and/or after a cruise. We spent 3 nights in Rome and 2 in Florence before a 12-night Med cruise from Venice, and we spent another night in Venice when the cruise ended.

My first Alaska visit was a 7-night northbound cruise on the Coral Princess, followed by a 9-night land trip with a rental car. The cruise was great, but I enjoyed the land portion even more.

 

[jack87891]

thanks for the input. this helps alot. So, if we choose Alaska, is one month better than the other?