Other cruise lines

[gavin'sgrannie]

I, along with my daughter and grandson, will be taking our first cruise ever on the Wonder, February 27. I would like to take my husband on an Alaskan cruise for our birthdays in August. I'm sure all other cruise lines will take a second place after cruising Disney.
Since Disney doesn't cruise Alaska can anyone give me suggestions as to chosing a new cruise line or ship? We are both over 55 and are looking for comfort plus good food and entertainment. Thanks.
Denise

 

[GenieDana]

I, along with my daughter and grandson, will be taking our first cruise ever on the Wonder, February 27. I would like to take my husband on an Alaskan cruise for our birthdays in August. I'm sure all other cruise lines will take a second place after cruising Disney.
Since Disney doesn't cruise Alaska can anyone give me suggestions as to chosing a new cruise line or ship? We are both over 55 and are looking for comfort plus good food and entertainment. Thanks.
Denise

Try Holland America. My MIL has done Disney several times (twice with us) and HAL in Alaska twice and says for her, HAL is nice. She says it's just different than Disney, not inferior.

 

[ktink]

I've been on 2 Royal Carribean cruises and thought they were first class! I felt very pampered and was impressed with the food and staff. I was on bahamas cruises and don't know about the alaskan but I was impressed with this cruise line.

 

[WDWLVR]

I think Holland American would be a good choice for you. I have heard wonderful things about their Alaskan cruises.

 

[Asil65]

Hi Denise,
My Husband and I went on the Sapphire Princess last summer out of Seattle. We loved the food, our minisuite, the shows, the weather. It was fantastic. Seattle is a pretty fun city too. Lisa

 

[tvguy]

Our kids first cruise was on HAL's Amsterdam. It is a great line, they are the pros at Alaska since they have been cruising there longer than any other line.

 

[Donalds_best_pal]

Princess and HAL both are good for alaska. Both have been sailing there for years and priority at all docks. Princess's ships might be slightly betters for kids and offer more kids activities. HAL is nice but gears more towards an older subdued crowd. Now HAL's Vista Class ships are for sure more family oriented but they only sail seattle round trip and
I would not reccomend that at all.

Matt

 

[becobscot]

My in-laws cruised to Alaska for their first cruise on Royal Caribbean. They were both over 55 and they not only fell in love with Alaska but also with cruising. In addition, RC has cruisetours that allow you to see more of Alaska via a train tour that I believe goes through Denali National Park. I look forward to taking this cruise one day with my family. Hope you enjoy your Alaska adventure!

 

[blanq]

Princess and Holland America Line have the most experience in the Alaska cruise market, and are good bets. Also, Celebrity might appeal to you. Celebrity offers a 10 day that departs from San Francisco. Celebrity is known for their excellent food!

A number of lines are now offering ships that leave from Seattle, instead of Vancouver. Our family is taking HAL's Oosterdam from Seattle in July this summer. I have not cruised to Alaska before, but am getting excited for the experience.

I like DCL, but they really need to build some new ships and expand their destination market. I know they are starting to experiment with other itineraries, but they only have two ships for pete's sake! I realize there are DISer's who have been on multiple DCL cruises to the same ports, but there is just to much world to see for me to repeatedly book with DCL.

BTW, I would suggest you check out www.cruisecritic.com for their great message boards. You can learn a lot about other cruise lines and destinations on their forums.

 

[Houzer]

Thanks for all the info everyone!! We were on the January 15th cruise and we would love to go back again in 2007 but I need to look at our budget and wait to see what the exchage rates are like then. I figured it can't hurt to check out other lines however I am thinking we won't be as pleased with the other lines for their kids programing etc. Houzer

 

[speedpro50]

I have found www.cruiselineforums.com to be a great resource for other cruise lines. They have some quality (non-commercial) cruise reviews. Good luck!