Which line to take?

My wife and I are looking into taking an Alaskan cruise, but are wondering which line to take? Which cruise line is best overall and in terms of value? Any suggestions would be helpful! Thanks a lot!

There are so many factors to consider here. Budget, choice of itinerary, whether you want more traditional style cruising, or less traditional, etc.

We have gone on several cruises to Alaska, all on Norwegian Cruise lines, which we love for many reasons. Among them: their service, their freestyle concept, their suite perks, etc.

You will get a very wide range of opinions here as people come along.

Well, this will be our first time to Alaska. We would probably get a balcony on whichever line we choose. We really want to experience the best of Alaska as who knows when we would be back.

My wife and I are looking into taking an Alaskan cruise, but are wondering which line to take? Which cruise line is best overall and in terms of value? Any suggestions would be helpful! Thanks a lot!

Different people have different favorites.

All that will matter to you is which is best for you, not someone else's preference. Every cruise line has its devotees.

There are so many variables involved.

First, decide which itinerary and ports you want, which glaciers you prefer to see, and whether or not you will want to spend time touring in the Alaska interior before or after your cruise.

For starters, establish whether you want to take a round-trip cruise or a one-way cruise.

Then look at the route that each ship you are considering actually travels and compare their itineraries.

There is a big difference between traveling through the scenic and protected inside passage east of Vancouver Island and taking a cruise that goes around the west side of Vancouver Island out in open ocean, where you not only miss out on the scenery but also have the potential for a much rougher ride.

Compare the times that each ship spends at each port.

Consider what size ship and dining style and types of onboard entertainment you prefer.

Is having a qualified naturalist on board who gives informative presentations throughout the cruise of importance to you, or are you someone who prefers having newlywed or hairy chest competitions?

Some ships attract more families with children, a plus to some and a minus to others.

Differences in ship's smoking policies are very important to many.

Some passengers dislike ships that blast announcements over the PA system throughout the day or have big movie screens with sound tracks blaring away out on public decks. Others don't mind them.

Read the reviews.

When you have narrowed it down to the ships with the itineraries you want that provide the features that matter most to you, then start comparing their prices for comparable accommodations.

There are always tradeoffs.

Often a ship with better food and service has higher prices, while you can get a nice suite on another ship for the price of a lesser cabin on a ship with better food and service.

I like fleckle's explanation. The only thing I would add, is start a graph chart, as you can and do get confused or forget which line offered what.

I put the lines/ships across the top, then down the side all the things mentioned (size of ship, ports, time in ports, cabin type, entertainment, tours, cost, etc). As you research put an "X" in the conjoining box. As you near the end of your research, one should have more x's than the others.

I'm not a loyalist to any cruiseline (I've sailed Carnival, HAL(2), NCL(2), RCCL, Celebrity and Princess). I do however like the size and itineraries of HAL for Alaska.

Only you can decide what is the BEST for you. Have fun planning, then taking your cruise to Alaska, it is an awesome destination!

Princess or HAL would be my choices for Alaska.

Both have be doing Alaska for a very long time and provide an excellent Alaskan experience. :)

LuLu

Well, this will be our first time to Alaska. We would probably get a balcony on whichever line we choose. We really want to experience the best of Alaska as who knows when we would be back.

Note that the balcony only lets you see one side. I found myself on deck moving from side to side.

I would add to Fleckles comments that there is a big difference between a large ship and a small one (service, entertainment, food, etc). Also determine the level of luxury you desire 4*, 5* or 6*ie, budget, mass market or luxury cruiseline which also will depend on your budget. If you are a first time or few cruises pax, then strongly consider using a good travel agent for assistance.

Which is "best" is like asking which flavor of ice-cream is best.

Different people have different favorites.

 

All that will matter to you is which is best for you, not someone else's preference. Every cruise line has its devotees.

 

There are so many variables involved.

First, decide which itinerary and ports you want, which glaciers you prefer to see, and whether or not you will want to spend time touring in the Alaska interior before or after your cruise.

 

For starters, establish whether you want to take a round-trip cruise or a one-way cruise.

 

Then look at the route that each ship you are considering actually travels and compare their itineraries.

 

There is a big difference between traveling through the scenic and protected inside passage east of Vancouver Island and taking a cruise that goes around the west side of Vancouver Island out in open ocean, where you not only miss out on the scenery but also have the potential for a much rougher ride.

 

Compare the times that each ship spends at each port.

 

Consider what size ship and dining style and types of onboard entertainment you prefer.

Is having a qualified naturalist on board who gives informative presentations throughout the cruise of importance to you, or are you someone who prefers having newlywed or hairy chest competitions?

 

Some ships attract more families with children, a plus to some and a minus to others.

 

Differences in ship's smoking policies are very important to many.

Some passengers dislike ships that blast announcements over the PA system throughout the day or have big movie screens with sound tracks blaring away out on public decks. Others don't mind them.

 

Read the reviews.

When you have narrowed it down to the ships with the itineraries you want that provide the features that matter most to you, then start comparing their prices for comparable accommodations.

 

There are always tradeoffs.

Often a ship with better food and service has higher prices, while you can get a nice suite on another ship for the price of a lesser cabin on a ship with better food and service.

 

This was a perfect explanation of how to choose! I have always heard that Princess and HAL were the best and only cruises to choose for Alaska! After tons of research we are booked on Celebrity! It's not until next June so can't tell you how I did, lol!

I have always heard that Princess and HAL were the best and only cruises to choose for Alaska!

I had always heard that too, and still see people making that claim today. It's usually based on an argument they have been there longest. Other than Glacier Bay (which NCL also goes to), I've yet to hear any reasonable explanation as to how they are better at cruising Alaska. It doesn't really make sense.

I just returned from a HAL cruise and while I had a great time, my cruise last year on Celebrity was a much better cruising experience. Celebrity's on-board naturalist was heads and shoulders better than HAL's.

Personally, I prefer the one-way routes that include the Inside Passage (IP). Combining the IP with Glacier Bay is most ideal, in my opinion.

If doing a roundtrip cruise, I recommend Vancouver. I don't recommend roundtrip Seattle cruises because they skip the IP and have a port stop at Victoria, which is a waste of a day to me.

I had always heard that too, and still see people making that claim today. It's usually based on an argument they have been there longest. Other than Glacier Bay (which NCL also goes to), I've yet to hear any reasonable explanation as to how they are better at cruising Alaska. It doesn't really make sense.

 

I just returned from a HAL cruise and while I had a great time, my cruise last year on Celebrity was a much better cruising experience. Celebrity's on-board naturalist was heads and shoulders better than HAL's.

 

Personally, I prefer the one-way routes that include the Inside Passage (IP). Combining the IP with Glacier Bay is most ideal, in my opinion.

 

If doing a roundtrip cruise, I recommend Vancouver. I don't recommend roundtrip Seattle cruises because they skip the IP and have a port stop at Victoria, which is a waste of a day to me.

I was looking at HAL and princess for talk and because we wanted to do glacier bay. Buut, in the end the southbound celebrity cruise one. Number one cause of the itinerary. It does a 4th port icy straight. Doing the whale watching there gives me a free 12 hours in port in Juneau to do other things. We are also kind of foodies and have heard good things.

When our friends backed out we decided on a cruisetour to see Alaska and celebrity has 2 nights in Denali at one lodge and stops at Aleyska for a night, which we really want to see!

We are seeing Hubbard and then Mendenhall while in Juneau. So, I think we will be ok glacier wise.

Thanks for all the opinions. We have been doing some preliminary research and as you may know it is daunting. Seems that through reading what everyone has said, carnival is out. John H. would be disappointed ;) Any other insight would be great!

We were in the same boat (pun intended) last year when planing our Alaskan cruise that departs in just over a week.

We had sailed on ships from all three of the contemporary cruise lines, RCI, Carnival, and NCL and were comparing ships and itineraries.

We have heard that smaller ships leaving from Victoria offer more scenic cruises, but we wanted to go with a larger ship, what we are accustomed too sailing on, and could not get reasonable flights to Victoria from Boston, MA.

Looking over our preferences for ship ammenities, time of year sailing, and itineraries, we ended up getting a great deal on the Celebrity Solstice round trip from Seattle, WA.

We will be doing a complete review of the ship and we will be happy to share our thoughts. As we are usually Caribbean cruisers, this will be a big departure for us so we wanted to ease into.

If we like Alaska, we can always go back and do a HAL or another smaller vessel doing a one-way trip that does the true inside passage.

But, given our history, we wanted to play it safe going with a larger ship, with a sister brand we prefer, with an easy port for us to get to and from.

Not sure if I helped your decision making process at all! :eek:

It does a 4th port icy straight. Doing the whale watching there gives me a free 12 hours in port in Juneau to do other things.

Good choice. :) I very highly recommend booking that whale watching tour privately through Misty Bay. Their boat is 8 passengers max and has a viewing platform on top of the pilot house. Capt. Dan is excellent. It was one of my all time favorite excursions.

You really need to do some research in order to determine which cruiseline/ship are best for YOU. Fleckle has provided some great advice on things to consider when making your decision.

There are books specific to Alaska cruises ... Ann Vipond has 'Alaska by cruiseship' and Fodor has 'Alaska Ports of Call'. Borrow them from your library or buy. Lots of useful info.

Trip reports are a great resource. They provide detailed first-hand reports about the ship, cabin, good, activities, sights, excursions, as well as info on land travel. Fantastic photos as well. Trip reports are located in STICKYs nr the top of the page. For 2013 start with reply #45 where the reports are sorted by cruiseline/ship.

Also, keep in mind that some activities, like fishing or bear watching have very specific periods of opportunity and they vary from port to port.

Was trying to look at itineraries on a travel site of the different cruise lines through a search. When I search "Alaska-inside passage" it gives me a number of options, and when I search "Alaska" it obviously has more, but some of these options also ave "cruise inside passage" on the itinerary but these aren't under that original search. Any reason for this? Is there a difference or just a site glitch? May have to go to a TA to find heads from tails..and read those books!

"Inside Passage" is a term thrown around a lot for Alaska and you can take different routes through this area.

As folks on other threads point out, when you leave from Vancouver on smaller vessels you sail on the east side of Vancouver Island, which is more scenic. We have never done this, so I can not personally atest to whether this is true or not.

Smaller ships can also take different routes through the various glaciers and other islands that dot the coast of Canada and Alaska. They took can get closer to the coastline and glaciers as they are smaller.

Larger ships, tend to sail west of Vancouver Island, but they still call these voyages "Inside Passage" cruises as they do re-enter the area to go to places like Juneau.

Yes, it is all a bit confusing.

I agree with Flecke and Mapleleaves about figuring out some basic information before looking at Itineraries.

Decide on the type of ships you would consider sailing on, whether you want to do a one-way or roundtrip, as well as your budget.

Excursions, even when booked privately, in this area can be expensive for the unique types of things you can do, like whale watching, glacier hikes, fishing, etc. Budget what experiences you also want to do and factor that into the costs.

For us, our first Alaskan cruise was a special trip so we wanted to do a helicopter flight tour. Does not matter who you cruise with, that excursion is expensive. So we saved knowing this was going to be part of our trip.

Happy Planning!

While I have not gone to Alaska yet, I too was seeking advice. I decided on the Pearl for three main reasons. One, was the long hours it spends in each port, two, I was looking for a round trip from Seattle and what really was the final deciding factor was that I was told on these boards to pick an itinerary that goes by Glacier Bay. I was originally going to go Solstice but it goes by Tracy Arm and not Glacier Bay. Hope this helps you in your decision which is best for you.

My wife and I are looking into taking an Alaskan cruise, but are wondering which line to take? Which cruise line is best overall and in terms of value? Any suggestions would be helpful! Thanks a lot!

This post is the equivalent of going on a car site and asking "which car is best" or going on a real estate site and asking "which house should I by". Once you have done some research and defined your selection parameters, come back and we can give you some useful information.

I can absolutely guarantee that the cruises that I would define as the best overall and the best value to me would have no chance of being your best choice. It definitely was the best for me, however.

DON

"Inside Passage" is a term thrown around a lot for Alaska and you can take different routes through this area.

 

As folks on other threads point out, when you leave from Vancouver on smaller vessels you sail on the east side of Vancouver Island, which is more scenic. We have never done this, so I can not personally atest to whether this is true or not.

 

 

I agree with Flecke and Mapleleaves about figuring out some basic information before looking at Itineraries.

 

Decide on the type of ships you would consider sailing on, whether you want to do a one-way or roundtrip, as well as your budget.

 

Happy Planning!

I'm pressing a LIKE button for these comments ..especially about the "Inside Passage"

May have to go to a TA to find heads from tails..and read those books!

If you use a TA, choose one that has been to Alaska. Many of them haven't so whatever info they provide is what they read in a brochure.

Regardless, YOU still need to do some research, in order to make an informed

decision.

In general:

- Vancouver ships travel on the east side of Vancouver ( between the mainland of BC and Vancouver Island) so more scenic and sheltered sea.

- Seattle ships travel on the west side of Vanc Island so they're basically in open ocean. No scenery and higher potential for rough water

Look at the itinerary map and you'll clearly see the difference.

I'm pressing a LIKE button for these comments ..especially about the "Inside Passage"

Thanks! We spent a lot of time planning our Alaskan cruise and know there is so many things to consider. Just trying to pay it forward! :D

Also keep in mind that Alaska is a very big state so you will have to visit multiple times to see the best things.

I know that Princess offers very good cruisetours that are guided. They have 5 lodges in Alaska and they take care of all luggage transfers. They even have a cruise train that takes you right from the ship all the way up to the Denali Princess Lodge. Lots of tours are offered there too. You get checked into your hotel room while you are on the train and the train depot is a one mile bus ride from the lodge so it is very close. And the bus takes to your hotel building so no need to go to the main lodge. It really is very convenient. Check out Princess cruisetours very carefully because there are so many they offer.

Alright, have been doing some research. We are looking to go out of Vancouver, as it goes on the east side of van. island and thus the more scenic inside passage. This then excludes carnival as they go out of Seattle. We would like to go to glacier bay. Size of ship does not matter to us, we are in it for the experience and views of nature. That being said, NCL, Holland and Princess all have itineraries that include this. Never sailed on any of these lines. Any experiences on these? On multiple lines in Alaska to compare? Getting ever so slightly clearer.

Alright, have been doing some research. We are looking to go out of Vancouver, as it goes on the east side of van. island and thus the more scenic inside passage. This then excludes carnival as they go out of Seattle. We would like to go to glacier bay. Size of ship does not matter to us, we are in it for the experience and views of nature. That being said, NCL, Holland and Princess all have itineraries that include this. Never sailed on any of these lines. Any experiences on these? On multiple lines in Alaska to compare? Getting ever so slightly clearer.

On second thought there is a Carnival cruise leaving from Vancouver that goes to Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, and Ketchikan before ending in Seattle. Looks to be a great cruise at a good price. Will have to make sure on the ports, but for now its a go!