Glacier Bay...who to cruise with?

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Hello!

With the 2018 itinerary released today, my family and I have been in talks regarding an Alaskan cruise for next summer.

My father has never cruised (mom, brother, sister in law, and myself have) and his 2 requests are a Vancouver round trip and one that includes Glacier Bay. I was sad to find out that DCL doesn't travel to there and saw that Princess, HAL, and one NCL do (but NCL out of Seattle.)

Suggestions on which to pick?

We are all adults traveling (parents turning 60 and the rest in our 30s.) We don't gamble and we drink but just socially at dinner. Mom and I have only done DCL. My brother and SIL have done only DCL and RCCL.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[DLgal]

Princess. They do a fantastic job with Alaska sailings.

 

[chaseg03]

NCL has some pretty bad reviews... so I wouldn't choose them. Princess seems to have it down. Princess I've always heard good reviews about. In the end princess. Sorry this isn't a very detailed response. Btw, how did you get that thing on the bottom that's says "20 days until our next cruise". I would like to get that coincitering I'm on the same sailing and it just looks cool. Thanks!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Thank you! My dad read that HAL can be pretty "fancy" at times and saw some reviews regarding strict evening dress codes as well as activities not extending much past dinner time (not looking for nightlife past 2am but something between dinner and midnight at least.) With only traveling DCL, this is a whole world of question marks!!!
If only DCL traveled to Glacier Bay!!!!!!

 

[AquaDame]

Agreed...! Id love to sail with them to Glacier Bay... but when we go, its going to be Princess looks like unless something changes. My coworkers, grandfather and so many others have sailed with them and come back with positive reviews. Works for me!

 

[jdb in AZ]

We've cruised to Alaska with HAL, Princess, and RCCL. I would recommend Princess because they have a great selection of itineraries. Love their fruit tarts baked fresh daily, and their shrimp salad and French pastries available all day. DCL seems to have the youngest clientele, for obvious reasons. HAL seems to have older passengers than Princess and RCCL.

Why does your father want to cruise round trip from Vancouver? We really enjoy the one-way cruises so we can include a land tour of Denali National Park. There's so of Alaska that isn't included in a round-trip cruise.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Just to add to your list, Carnival has had sailings to Glacier Bay in the past as well.

 

[xlxo]

I like HAL more, but recommend Princess for larger groups/families. When I went looking.... Princess offers more quad rooms on the larger ships.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

After pricing DCLs 9-night to Alaska this morning, I think I am going to be jumping ship to another cruise lines. I was speechless when I was given my quote this morning.

 

[NancyIL]

Princess sails mostly one-way from Vancouver, and the round trips are only in early May: http://www.princess.com/find/cruiseDetails.do?voyageCode=2807

 

[Simba's Mom]

Hi all - I need progressive lenses. Anyone know good, online, low price, sources? I will also need frames, but figure those are easier to find.

Princess. They do a fantastic job with Alaska sailings.

So glad to hear this. DS worked the Princess sailings in Alaska for 3 summers (wintertime he did the Hawaiian cruises). I remember him telling me how the ship would get in Glacier Bay and sit in one spot and rotate very slowly. He always said "Mom, I feel like I'm in the middle of a postcard".

 

[hanscarlet]

I've heard great reviews on Princess with alaska sailings

 

[NancyIL]

After pricing DCLs 9-night to Alaska this morning, I think I am going to be jumping ship to another cruise lines. I was speechless when I was given my quote this morning.

There are a few longer cruises (HAL's 14-night RT from Vancouver is very nice). Or - you could do a 7-night one-way cruise plus a land trip (on your own or with the cruise line) in Alaska.

Celebrity has a nice 8-night one-way in May 2018: http://www.celebritycruises.com/cru...Millennium&sailDate=1180510&cabincls=INTERIOR

I'm on a 9-night one-way RCI cruise this May, but I don't know if it will be repeated next year: https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/c...05-01&sDateMax=2017-05-31&sailDate=05/17/2017

Neither Celebrity nor RCI go to Glacier Bay. Nor do I think Glacier Bay is the most important reason to choose a particular itinerary.

 

[oumagic]

We did a round trip from Seattle on Princess that hit Glacier Bay (summer 2015) and it was great. I think I will try and do a one way itinerary and some days on land if I do Alaska again, but it will be with Princess again. I have really enjoyed Carnival for the Mexican Riviera and I really think it is RCCL/Disney for Caribbean. Personal preference, of course.

 

[kendall]

We sailed Princess in early September, Vancouver to Anchorage. I encourage you to do the one way north, and then enjoy a bit of Alaska when you get there, but understand if you do round trip from Vancouver. The scenery becomes more spectacular the further north you go during the cruise. Honestly it doesn't make a difference if you are starboard or port, and when you are at a glacier and stopped, the ship rotated so that each side of the ship had about 30-50 minutes facing the glacier. We had a balcony cabin and enjoyed it. Entertainment wasn't the quality of Disney. Food I would argue was as good if not a bit better than DCL. Princess does Alaska quite well. We did cruise and then 4 days on land - and Princess was masterful at moving people and luggage efficiently. We did anytime dining, and some nights joined tables, other nights chose our own tables - the result is you don't develop a relationship with the dining room staff as we did on DCL. But we enjoyed the convenience.

In Juneau, I highly recommend North Star Trekking for a hike on the Mendenhall Glacier. We booked this through the ship (there are a couple vendors, and look for the longer, 2 hour trek). Well worth it and was a highlight. If we were to go back, we would do this again!

 

[Diaz]

Another vote for Princess for Alaska. I don't have anything to compare, as I've only cruised Alaska once, but I was beyond satisfied with Princess. I DO believe that the ability of the cruise line to enter Glacier Bay is crucial to the choice of which company to choose.

 

[dcassetta]

Outside of Disney, I have sailed Princess and HAL to Alaska. Both were great, but I liked the HAL itinerary better as it included Sitka rather than Skagway.

 

[CathyCU03]

Would everyone still suggest Princess even if there are kids in the party? I'm thinking about an Alaskan cruise with a 6YO and was thinking Royal Caribbean might be the best alternative to Disney.

 

[Krissy22222]

having sailed HAL, NCL, Princess and Disney, here is my 2 cents. We sailed NCL to Alaska and it was great, much cheaper than Disney and my kids (7 and 10) liked the kids club more than HAL or Princess, but does not come close to Disney's kids club. The food on NCL was comparable to Disney. Only thing is their buffet lacked seating. Also, the shows on NCL were way better than Princess or HAL, but again, nowhere near as good as Disney. HAL caters to an elderly crowd, which was not a problem for us, but it is much quieter. Princess was full of smokers, the ship had areas that we had to avoid, or risk getting sick, it was that bad. HAL, hardly anyone smoked. Customer service was impersonal bordering on rude on Princess, much better on the other three cruise lines. Disney had a great naturalist on board to teach all about Alaska, NCL had rangers on Glacier Bay day, but I can't remember any other educational programming, except movies about Alaska. Let me know if you have any more specific questions and I will try to answer.

 

[Trip planner]

Would everyone still suggest Princess even if there are kids in the party? I'm thinking about an Alaskan cruise with a 6YO and was thinking Royal Caribbean might be the best alternative to Disney.

I was wondering the same! My kids will be 7 and 10 when we plan to go. The price of DCL to Alaska is so much higher than the other lines that we are looking. At alternatives.