Need advice on Alaskan cruise

[snykymom]

My priority would be the wonder of Alaska that I was planning to go see.

Not all cruises and cruise lines are created equal.

I am thinking that Princess might be the only cruise line that offers cruises that include both Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay.
Their Voyage to the Glaciers, SOUTHbound, from Anchorage/Seward, is huge on my bucket list.

I did the southbound on the Coral Princess. We had the most spectacular weather - it actually didn't rain at all, until the final sea day going into Vancouver. This is exceptional, though, as southwestern Alaska is actually a rain forest! (And Princess's Voyage of the Glaciers sail between Vancouver and Anchorage/Whittier, not Seward.) We went into Glacier Bay, saw the tops of the glaciers, which is unusual, saw a number of glaciers that usually are fogged in. So much so that the Park Ranger on board was excited, saying that she hadn't seen some of the tops in years! We got very close to Hubbard Glacier, too.

The round trip cruises from Seattle, if they're only 7 days, don't go far enough north into Alaska. Round trip to Vancouver is better, but the best scenery and the most varied scenery are on the one-way trips. And you can only do a land tour (which we didn't have time for) on the one-way trips.

 

[tvguy]

I love the NCL anytime dining especially with such a port intensive cruise. .

The anytime dining is something for folks to consider when picking a cruise. Glad it worked for you. Our NCL anytime dining experience convinced us we never ever want to do that again. It was "get in line to wait 90 minutes to dine" on our cruise.....except for the extra cost restaurants, which always had immediate seating.

And another vote for HAL, they have been doing Alaska longer than anyone, much longer than Princess. We've done 2 to Alaska, both great.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Anytime Dining is not an NCL exclusive, either.

We've done the anytime dining on Princess. HAL probably offers this now.
And both cruise lines have sailed Alaska for many years, and have permits for some of the best itinerary's, times in ports, etc...
They have one of the main Dining Rooms for the set seating times... Same waitstaff that gets to know you, etc... and the other dining rooms and venues are walk-in. Yes, there can sometimes be a wait, but never as long as the prev. poster just reported on NCL. I would not consider NCL over Princess or HAL.

I hear that RCL's Radience of the Seas is a beautiful ship, with tons of huge wall to wall windows for the views.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I did the southbound on the Coral Princess. We had the most spectacular weather - (And Princess's Voyage of the Glaciers sail between Vancouver and Anchorage/Whittier, not Seward.) .

That sounds amazing!

Yep, I misspoke and wrote Seward, when actually, the departure is Whittier. (sorry!) Both are up near Anchorage...

 

[bellebud]

we're going on our first Alaskan cruise next month. I researched for quite a while, and ended up picking Princess Diamond northbound (Vancouver to Whittier).

From what I've read, you really don't want to do roundtrip if you don't have to. They just don't go far up enough. Also, beginning the cruise out of Vancouver is supposed to be a more pleasant experience than out of Seattle, because the waters are much calmer. And Glacier Bay is a must (or so many people say).

Good luck deciding!

 

[tvguy]

Anytime Dining is not an NCL exclusive, either.

We've done the anytime dining on Princess. HAL probably offers this now.
And both cruise lines have sailed Alaska for many years, and have permits for some of the best itinerary's, times in ports, etc...
They have one of the main Dining Rooms for the set seating times... Same waitstaff that gets to know you, etc... and the other dining rooms and venues are walk-in. Yes, there can sometimes be a wait, but never as long as the prev. poster just reported on NCL. I would not consider NCL over Princess or HAL.
.

Like I said, it is a personal choice, but if you frequent other cruise boards, you know long waits are the biggest complain with Freestyle.
NCL staff said the issue on their newer ships is they were designed expecting lots passengers to opt for the extra cost dining rooms, or eat in port. Passengers are instead opting for the free dining rooms, as one staffer put it, they were really shocked at how many passengers come back to the ship and eat dinner when it is docked in the evening, then get off the ship again afterwards. Their free dining rooms just aren't big enough.

HAL is a good choice because you can select a dining time when you book, or do freestyle.

 

[joviroxx]

On another type of cruise, I agree, the anytime dining can be a problem. BUT, on the Alaska cruise , I found it to be great. It is such a port intensive cruise, I would hate to have to be rushed to get back to the ship for a 6pm dinner.

 

[snykymom]

On another type of cruise, I agree, the anytime dining can be a problem. BUT, on the Alaska cruise , I found it to be great. It is such a port intensive cruise, I would hate to have to be rushed to get back to the ship for a 6pm dinner.

We were lucky in that regard - we always eat late, so we opted for late traditional dining. It worked really well for us.

Before I booked dining, though, I did check the departure times for all our ports. Most left significantly before late dinner. And since I get paranoid, and plan to be back on board at least an hour before they say we have to be (just in case!), even the late departures didn't cause a problem.

 

[JLTraveling]

Another vote for Celebrity here. We did northbound from Vancouver to Seward in 2009, and we found the service, the food, and the entire experience top-notch. They do have a naturalist aboard. We opted for late dining and the ship was always well underway by time to eat.

We chose not to take a land tour. Instead, we spent a month exploring Alaska on our own. We stayed in hostels, took the train, and had the opportunity to spend time with locals. Obviously most people don't have a month to spare. But if you can possibly swing a week, I would highly recommend it. Spend a few days in Anchorage and then take the train to either Denali or Fairbanks. Cruising Alaska is spectacular, but so is seeing the interior.

One more tip--purchase the Great Alaskan TourSaver before you go. It costs $100 and is jam-packed with two-for-one coupons on pretty much everything you can imagine, from whale watching tours to dog sledding to camping. We estimated that we saved around $3,000 during our month, but even on much shorter trips, you'll still save a bundle. If you have the TourSaver, be sure to book directly instead of through the ship's shore excursion desk (a good money-saving practice anyway, IMO).

You'll have a fantastic time no matter what cruise you pick. Alaska is just magnificent!

 

[TLuvsD]

I book some port excursions independently, some through the cruise. My rule of thumb is the distance/time from the excursion to the port. And the "risk". Zip line in Mexico--through the cruise line. Helicopter to the top of a glacier, get out and walk around--through the cruise line. Beach day, kayaking, whale watching all independent.

 

[joviroxx]

We were lucky in that regard - we always eat late, so we opted for late traditional dining. It worked really well for us.

Before I booked dining, though, I did check the departure times for all our ports. Most left significantly before late dinner. And since I get paranoid, and plan to be back on board at least an hour before they say we have to be (just in case!), even the late departures didn't cause a problem.

Wow, that was a completely different kind of intinerary than ours. We were at many ports until 10 and 11pm.

 

[snykymom]

I book some port excursions independently, some through the cruise. My rule of thumb is the distance/time from the excursion to the port. And the "risk". Zip line in Mexico--through the cruise line. Helicopter to the top of a glacier, get out and walk around--through the cruise line. Beach day, kayaking, whale watching all independent.

I booked all my excursions independently and I couldn't have been happier with them! And they were all very aware of cruise ship departure time - they were NOT going to let us miss the boat!

Wow, that was a completely different kind of intinerary than ours. We were at many ports until 10 and 11pm.

Our latest departure was 8:30, I think.

 

[ironpig70]

I have yet to take a cruise but was looking at Alaska and saw Disney does it and I love everything else Disney does so I figured I would go Disney.

 

[Brandon moore]

Iam planning for a cruise vacation next month. I have 2 kids and they prefer DISNEY. Fist we considered NCL, but decided DISNEY will do found many good reviews. I have been to cruise only once. My first cruise WAS perfect. Now it is like addiction. River cruising was hilarious. We selected a cruise from Blount small ship adventures. All my expectations were exceeded and I will never ever forget this experience. Really loved the whole experience and looking forward for doing another river cruising in future