Vancouver or Seattle Departures? NCL Sun or Pearl?

For those of you that have done both, which city do you prefer leaving from?

I am looking for round trip from either port. Spending a day or so pre and post cruise.

I know that Vancouver gives you the extra advantage of the Inside Passage (not the Alaska Inside Passage the one north of Vancouver Island)

Looking for either NCL Sun 2nd week in Sept for Vancouver or NCL Pearl first week in Sept for Seattle as both of these are Glacier Bay cruises. Only difference in the two is the Pearl stops at Victoria (from 6pm to midnight on the last night before heading back to Seattle-not really great times) and the Sun does not stop there but does an extra day cruising the Inside Passage on the way back to Vancouver as well as a longer amount of time in Ketchikan.

For those of you that have done both, which city do you prefer leaving from?

 

I am looking for round trip from either port. Spending a day or so pre and post cruise.

 

I know that Vancouver gives you the extra advantage of the Inside Passage (not the Alaska Inside Passage the one north of Vancouver Island)

 

Looking for either NCL Sun 2nd week in Sept for Vancouver or NCL Pearl first week in Sept for Seattle as both of these are Glacier Bay cruises. Only difference in the two is the Pearl stops at Victoria (from 6pm to midnight on the last night before heading back to Seattle-not really great times) and the Sun does not stop there but does an extra day cruising the Inside Passage on the way back to Vancouver as well as a longer amount of time in Ketchikan.

There aren't NCL ships that do 7 day RTN from Vancouver .

There aren't NCL ships that do 7 day RTN from Vancouver .

Not true. I am seeing the Sun doing 7 roundtrips out of VAN on September 11 and 18, 2017 But these don't appear to be Glacier Bay trips.

OP,,double check your info. Based on your first post, the choice seems obvious, for the reason you state...Glacier Bay,,and true Inside Passage. But if I am reading it correctly, that may not be available.

CruiserBruce - if I read the NCL page correctly the Sun does do Glacier Bay on those two Sept dates.

Easiest thing for the OP to do is to phone NCL and confirm that it does indeed do Glacier Bay.

Cheers!

Dennis

How ae these two NCL ships set up for viewing? We are looking for a ship with a lot of opportunity for outside views from the inside. We like the RCL Radiance Class for that, so it is an option, but we also would like to go to Glacier Bay,, which RCL does not do. RCL's Explorer does Alaska, but it is not set up as well for outside viewing, IMHO.

How ae these two NCL ships set up for viewing? We are looking for a ship with a lot of opportunity for outside views from the inside. We like the RCL Radiance Class for that, so it is an option, but we also would like to go to Glacier Bay,, which RCL does not do. RCL's Explorer does Alaska, but it is not set up as well for outside viewing, IMHO.

Have you considered Princess or Holland America? They usually have the most permits for Glacier Bay. They both do 7 day rtn cruises from Vancouver or Seattle. The only draw back with Seattle is that they have to stop in Victoria .

Have you considered Princess or Holland America? They usually have the most permits for Glacier Bay. They both do 7 day rtn cruises from Vancouver or Seattle. The only draw back with Seattle is that they have to stop in Victoria .

Yes, I am looking at all cruise lines. We plan to sail in July/August 2018 so I am starting to research now so we can book when itineraries are released after the first of the year.

I am most interested in which city might be the better choice and what ship might be better. Itineraries are different by a day Sun-Sun vs Mon-Mon but that's not an issue.

I like NCL because of their Free at Sea promos and the Sun does go to Glacier Bay as well as the Pearl

I am most interested in which city might be the better choice and what ship might be better. Itineraries are different by a day Sun-Sun vs Mon-Mon but that's not an issue.

 

I like NCL because of their Free at Sea promos and the Sun does go to Glacier Bay as well as the Pearl

If you are looking for ship comparisons, I would be asking on the NCL board.

As I mentioned, Vancouver roundtrip, with the true Inside Passage, and Glacier Bay wins for route, pretty clearly, IMHO.

I prefer the Sun over the Pearl. Plus I love leaving from Vancouver. Check out my pictures from my trip on the sun this past June in my signature line. It can give you a better idea about the ship.

Departing from Seattle on a weekend not only forces you to compete with all the other weekend cruisers for hotels, restaurants, and space in long lines. It also puts your ship into Alaska ports with all the other weekend ships. The ships compete for parking, and you compete for seats on tours and spaces standing in long lines to do nearly anything.

Departing from Seattle on any day of the week gives you 1.5 sea days on the way to Alaska, and 1.5 sea days back. During these 3 days you will have lovely views of fog, cloudy skies, choppy seas, generally windy, rainy weather, and plenty of seasick passengers. Is that your idea of a 7-day Alaskan cruise?

Departing Vancouver any day of the week:

One hour after leaving Vancouver, your ship is cruising the inside passage, with calm seas, mountains, forests, wild animals, and sea life as a backdrop for your first dinner onboard.