Greece or Alaska-Which would you do?

[o&smom]

We are going to take one of these next summer and I am so torn on which one to take. What would you take and why? They both sound amazing. We are looking at 8 night Greece and 9 night Alaska. Thoughts?

We have done both and both are amazing! I would go with Greece for next summer because of the fact that Disney has not scheduled these every summer like Alaska. Also, the cost of the Greece cruises keeps increasing at a higher rate than the Alaska cruises. We did a 12 nt Med with Greece and Turkey. Family of four in a deluxe inside stateroom near aft elevators was $10,800, now it seems like it is close to that for just two adults.

 

[Dizney73]

Do you think Disney is worth the cost for Alaska cruises? I watched the podcast and he raved that Disney does matter when it comes to cruising AK.

We are doing our first DCL Alaska Cruise this summer! We have sailed Alaska before with 2 other lines and absolutely loved our experiences! If you want to go to "mainland" Alaska you will have to go with another line. Denali is simply majestic! We are truly looking for the Disney experience this time around. I am super excited for the Wonder this summer for Tiana's, the characters in their Alaskan outfits and Frozen night!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If those are your only two choices, I would do Alaska. Greece is best done, IMHO, as a land tour (with some island hopping thrown in via ferry or plane). You will miss out on so much of mainland Greece by only going to Athens for a day and possibly Olympia (if that's on your itinerary). You couldn't pay me to visit Santorini as a cruise passenger either. That island is so oversaturated with tourists - especially at sunset time, it's not enjoyable at all.

 

[travelmomof3]

We're off to Alaska this summer with DCL so I have no experience but the cooler climate appealed to me (I don't like hot summers!) as well as the scenery.

I had hoped to book Greece next summer but we are a fam of 5 (3 adults, 2 kids) and the price just isn't justifiable to me. Not to mention the flights to Europe are a lot higher than the flights to Vancouver.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

I've sailed to Alaska on DCL and on a Greek cruise on a smaller, local liner, and that's what I would do again. On the Alaska cruise, you have 3 sea days, so being on DCL made a difference in terms of the onboard entertainment, kids clubs, character greetings, etc. On my Greek cruise we were onshore from the minute the boat pulled into port until all aboard, and I liked the fact that it didn't take long to disembark even in tender ports because it was such a small ship that there weren't that many people onboard. Likewise, that cruise was in May, and while we still had some days that were hot, they were not scorching. I would never cruise to Greece in July. Most of the interesting archeological sites offer little to no shade.

 

[NancyIL]

For a summer cruise - I will always choose somewhere cool - like Alaska, Canada, or northern Europe. The Med during the summer is too warm for me.

I took my first Greek Isles cruise last October on Royal Caribbean. The weather was great: not too hot, and not as crowded as summer.

I've been on 6 Alaska cruises - twice each on Princess, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean. Alaska is a wonderful destination.

 

[jenmsmith]

For a summer cruise - I will always choose somewhere cool - like Alaska, Canada, or northern Europe. The Med during the summer is too warm for me.

I took my first Greek Isles cruise last October on Royal Caribbean. The weather was great: not too hot, and not as crowded as summer.

I've been on 6 Alaska cruises - twice each on Princess, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean. Alaska is a wonderful destination.

We’re looking at Alaska and are open to other cruise lines than Disney. Which of these would you recommend?

 

[NancyIL]

We’re looking at Alaska and are open to other cruise lines than Disney. Which of these would you recommend?

I would happily go on any cruise line that has the itinerary I like best, at a price I'm willing to pay. I'm not interested in DCL because of the roundtrip itinerary with a secondary (in my opinion) glacier day...not to mention the high price. I prefer one-way itineraries so you can add a land trip (either on your own with a rental car, or a "cruise tour") before or after the cruise. Look at the itineraries, and see which you like best. If you can go to Glacier Bay - great, although not all ships go there. Hubbard Glacier is also wonderful, and some ships go to both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier (Princess southbound and some NCL ships).

 

[Intr3pid]

For us, Greece is just another Mediterranean destination. Some ports are amazing, while others simply stressful. The best cruises sail out of Venice and visit Dubrovnik/Kotor/Corfu on the way to the crowded trio of Santorini, Mykonos, and Athens. That sailout from Venice is breathtaking.

Alaska - plus Yukon and British Columbia - is a place of superlatives. There are very few places in the world with that combination of mountains, rainforest, glaciers, fjords, and wildlife. As adults, we can spend all day on our balcony cruising through the majestic Inside Passage. It's the kids you have to worry about - and that's why Disney still has a place in Alaska.