Struggling with Choosing a cruise line for Alaska

We went with HAL for Alaska [just a couple of weeks ago] and it was fabulous. Their ships are a bit smaller than others and somewhat more sedate; subtle elegance with fantastic service is HAL's hallmark. I posted a review, with pics, on the HAL board rather than the Alaska board so here is the link if you want to check it out:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2404561

We've sailed Princess in the Caribbean before and they are a wonderful line as well. However, they do not usually, if ever, go to Sitka and that [and Glacier Bay] was a deciding factor.

Whatever line you choose, you will have a fabulous trip. Alaska truly is amazing. After going, I can totally understand why some people repeat it several times.

San Francisco to Alaska.

Ongoing trip report with over 100 pictures: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2405511

I would try to find a cruise that includes Glacier Bay. We are cruising to Alaska for our fifth time next year, first time going southbound. We are taking a land tour that I planned myself. As you can see by my signature we have cruised NCL several times. We take the same cruise every years since it fits my husband's college break schedule. The food is below average. We only eat at the upcharge restaurants which is still below the quality of Princess's main dining room. Entertainment on NCL is superior to Princess. Princess is a more elegant environment but that might not be import to you. Whatever you choose you will love Alaska. If you can, save for the plane/helicopter excursions.

You can tell that, based on my signature, I lean more towards Carnival or Celebrity for my cruises. With that said, the ship truly doesn't matter when it comes to Alaska. What does matter, IMO, is the itinerary and getting a balcony. In terms of a matter of choice, opt for one that has Glacier Bay as part of the itinerary if you can. Tracy Arm Fjords is a good second option because you can see Sawyer Glacier. Hubbard Glacier is fine, but we did not spend a lot time there.

Good luck and enjoy!

With Alaska it's all about the itinerary! We did Princess on our first cruise which did Glacier Bay, our second will be Celebrity, it hits Icy Strait which we didn't get to last time. I have family in Anchorage though so we know we'll be back up there. Would try the get Glacier Bay as one of the "stops", you don't really stop but it is amazing to see!

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We just booked our first Alaska cruise for next May. As everyone recommended, I went for the itinerary. We have cruised RCL but their Alaska itinerary didn't excite me - I don't particularly care which towns we hit but I really wanted to see Glacier Bay. Found a perfect itinerary on NCL and then hit the ceiling when I saw we could bring our adult children along free on the Free at Sea promotion. (Which is why we are going in May - Sept was also available but wouldn't have been possible for my daughter to come along then.) We live in Wyoming so a little cold doesn't bother us. lol I hope the food will turn out better than reported or at least I can find some good items to order, but seeing is my priority for this trip anyway. For 4 of us, I booked an accessible aft balcony mini-suite for the extra room and the view. DH will be complaining about the extra cost for the next 20 years. ;)

So that is what we selected and why. YMMV. I'll tell you next June whether it was a good decision or not.

I'm planning my own Alaska trip for next summer, on NCL. This is what I know about NCL -- the two-hour timeframe is only for embarkation. You need to be on the ship two hours before the ship sets sail from the home port. That is all. For the rest of the cruise, I think they recommend that you're back on board 30 minutes before sailing. I've sailed three times with NCL and the food is fine. Nothing remarkable, but not bad either. I enjoy the freestyle dining, as I can choose what time I eat, and which dining area (included options are two full-service dining rooms, the buffet, a casual sports-type dining area and various pizza/grill options by the pool). I'm cruising solo. I can choose to have my own table, or they will ask me if I want to sit with others. Depends on my mood! Sometimes I just want to sit and read, other times I'm eager for conversation. Sometimes I meet up with people on my roll call. I can roll either way.

As far as choosing your cruise line/itinerary, ask what is most important to you...

Do you want to do a roundtrip cruise (cheaper airfare) or would you rather spend some time doing a land tour in Alaska before or after your sailing? Most (not all) of the roundtrip sailings sail from Seattle, while one-way voyages usually sail to or from Vancouver.

Many people really want to see Glacier Bay, to others it's not a priority. Only a few cruiselines visit Glacier Bay, as capacity is tightly controlled. If you really want to cruise this area, you'll need to choose a cruiseline and itinerary that includes it. NCL does include this on their seven-day Norwegian Sun itinerary, but only on the northbound voyages.

If you want to include a land tour, would you prefer booking one through the cruiseline that handles all transfers, bags, and some of your meals, or are you a more independent traveler? Holland America and Princess have the most experience with these, although some of the other cruise lines (including NCL) also offer land packages. I opted to plan my own time visiting some of the inland sites.

What's your cruising style? Do you like things casual? Lively? Low-key? From what I've read, Alaskan cruises are very different from Caribbean cruises -- you're not going to get the party crowd, and there is not a lot of night life as far as dance clubs, etc. being really active. You say you like to dress for dinner, but I've read that Alaskan cruises on the whole tend to be a bit more casual.

I chose NCL because I had purchased a future cruise credit (down payment) on a previous cruise that I needed to use, but I could have used that for a different cruise if I didn't like what they offered. But they met my needs as far as itinerary. I also splurged on an aft-facing balcony for this trip (my first ever) to really enjoy my sea days (glacier viewing and other scenic views).

So I hope this helps you narrow down your choices!

I'm planning my own Alaska trip for next summer, on NCL. This is what I know about NCL -- the two-hour timeframe is only for embarkation. You need to be on the ship two hours before the ship sets sail from the home port. That is all. For the rest of the cruise, I think they recommend that you're back on board 30 minutes before sailing. I've sailed three times with NCL and the food is fine. Nothing remarkable, but not bad either. I enjoy the freestyle dining, as I can choose what time I eat, and which dining area (included options are two full-service dining rooms, the buffet, a casual sports-type dining area and various pizza/grill options by the pool). I'm cruising solo. I can choose to have my own table, or they will ask me if I want to sit with others. Depends on my mood! Sometimes I just want to sit and read, other times I'm eager for conversation. Sometimes I meet up with people on my roll call. I can roll either way.

 

As far as choosing your cruise line/itinerary, ask what is most important to you...

Do you want to do a roundtrip cruise (cheaper airfare) or would you rather spend some time doing a land tour in Alaska before or after your sailing? Most (not all) of the roundtrip sailings sail from Seattle, while one-way voyages usually sail to or from Vancouver.

Many people really want to see Glacier Bay, to others it's not a priority. Only a few cruiselines visit Glacier Bay, as capacity is tightly controlled. If you really want to cruise this area, you'll need to choose a cruiseline and itinerary that includes it. NCL does include this on their seven-day Norwegian Sun itinerary, but only on the northbound voyages.

If you want to include a land tour, would you prefer booking one through the cruiseline that handles all transfers, bags, and some of your meals, or are you a more independent traveler? Holland America and Princess have the most experience with these, although some of the other cruise lines (including NCL) also offer land packages. I opted to plan my own time visiting some of the inland sites.

What's your cruising style? Do you like things casual? Lively? Low-key? From what I've read, Alaskan cruises are very different from Caribbean cruises -- you're not going to get the party crowd, and there is not a lot of night life as far as dance clubs, etc. being really active. You say you like to dress for dinner, but I've read that Alaskan cruises on the whole tend to be a bit more casual.

I chose NCL because I had purchased a future cruise credit (down payment) on a previous cruise that I needed to use, but I could have used that for a different cruise if I didn't like what they offered. But they met my needs as far as itinerary. I also splurged on an aft-facing balcony for this trip (my first ever) to really enjoy my sea days (glacier viewing and other scenic views).

So I hope this helps you narrow down your choices!

Great post full of good advice!:)

The Norwegian Pearl also cruises Glacier Bay on a 7-day RT from Seattle. That is why I chose that particular cruise for next May.

We have cruised Alaska six times and have been on MANY wonderful cruises throughout the world on the large ships which we do enjoy, however NONE of the large ships can compare to the experience of a small boat which goes into remote areas where you get the feel of the real Alaska, see much wildlife and get to be up close to the glaciers. We recently cruised with Alaskan Dream Cruises ,just 40 passengers, which is owned by local Alaskans who are so commited to customer satisfaction. The experience and customer service was the best after cruising more than 35 times on large ships. No comparison. So much so we are going again next summer. Large ships are great when you wish to party at night, dress up etc. - but in Alaska for us it is all about the scenery and wildlife. and learning about the culture. We got up very close to glaciers in Glacier Bay and Sawyer glacier. Did kayaking from the boat so we could almost touch the icebergs! In the past we never thought of doing a small ship, never heard of Alaskan Dream Cruises and we are so glad we discovered a real Alaskan experience. Just my two cents.

I too am looking into going on my first cruise to Alaska (June 2017) as I've only sailed to the Caribbean. My traveling companions will be my niece (40) her husband (41) their children (21,18), another 21 year old and myself (55). We are from Kentucky normally do a 7 day Caribbean cruise and drive to the port in Florida. We usually have an inside cabin which is fine with us. In reading about the Alaska cruises, I'm trying to decide on an inside or balcony. We will either have 2 rooms (4 in one and 2 in the other) or maybe a suite of some type for all 6. I don't think that if we get a regular balcony room, the balcony would benefit us much since it's difficult for 4 people on a balcony. As far as viewing from the deck, is it usually cold and windy? Cost is an issue as well. We normally spend around $1000.00 per person for the cruise and excursions. Since we will be factoring the airfare on this cruise and obviously this cruise will be more that $1000 pp since the airfare will be anywhere from $800-$1000 pp. I haven't checked but from what I'm reading on the boards, the excursions for Alaska seem to be more expensive than the Caribbean excursions. My thinking is, since we are already spending $ for the airfare, we should either go on a longer cruise (> 7 days), do a land and sea cruise package (up to 11 days) or do a 7 day cruise and explore 3-4 days on our own before or after the 7 day cruise, but my pocketbook is saying just a 7 day cruise. I'm estimating that with just a cruise (7 day) + our airfare it will be around $2000pp plus the excursions for cruise and land (11 day) at least $3000pp plus excursions. Is this a good estimate? I have looked at Carnival, RCCL, Princess and NCL.

I'm estimating that with just a cruise (7 day) + our airfare it will be around $2000pp plus the excursions for cruise and land (11 day) at least $3000pp plus excursions. Is this a good estimate? I have looked at Carnival, RCCL, Princess and NCL.

Yes that is a good estimate. If you drink beyond what is part of your cruise fare - soda, adult beverages, bottled water, then you may want to look into HAL, they have an offer right now called Explore 4 that includes an unlimited beverages package. They also have great AK itineraries - Glacier Bay! (I wouldn't consider an AK cruise that does not include Glacier Bay.)