After researching extensively and speaking with others who have been on cruises to Alaska, we narrowed down our requirements for a 2020 summer Alaska cruise to include:
- Glacier bay (second glacier preferred, but not required)
- Smaller / mid size ship that can navigate inside passage effectively
- northbound tour (DIY land tour after)
- Extended port times in Juneau
- prefer stateroom with full shower (not combined with tub)
We will be traveling with two children (pre teen / teen) and my in laws. We have normally sailed mega ships on Royal Caribbean but are not looking for that same experience in Alaska and plan to focus on the beauty outside coupled with extensive port days / excursions.
After reviewing all of the available options that met the above requirements, we started looking at Celebrity Millennium, Coral Princess and HAL Westerdam. We like what the Millennium offers and since being updated, it seemed like a wonderful option. However, the price difference over Coral and Westerdam left us wondering if it was really worth it to spend extra just to get a particular ship experience. Not having been on any of these lines, we aren't sure how the service / food will compare, but based on reviews it seems hit or miss on all three. Therefore, we narrowed it further to Coral and Westerdam.
We really like what Princess seems to offer in terms of the onboard experience in Alaska. That said, when we compare the costs of comparable room types, the Westerdam wins. We have read the reviews here about various stateroom categories for both ships. We are looking for more insight regarding the Neptune suite amenities vs. what we might get in club class or suite class on Princess. We can get a Neptune suite on Westerdam for the same price as club class on Coral.
Any thoughts on the difference between these suite perks on each ship would be greatly appreciated!
Coral Princess vs HAL Westerdam Suite experience - Please help
in Alaska
Posted
After researching extensively and speaking with others who have been on cruises to Alaska, we narrowed down our requirements for a 2020 summer Alaska cruise to include:
- Glacier bay (second glacier preferred, but not required)
- Smaller / mid size ship that can navigate inside passage effectively
- northbound tour (DIY land tour after)
- Extended port times in Juneau
- prefer stateroom with full shower (not combined with tub)
We will be traveling with two children (pre teen / teen) and my in laws. We have normally sailed mega ships on Royal Caribbean but are not looking for that same experience in Alaska and plan to focus on the beauty outside coupled with extensive port days / excursions.
After reviewing all of the available options that met the above requirements, we started looking at Celebrity Millennium, Coral Princess and HAL Westerdam. We like what the Millennium offers and since being updated, it seemed like a wonderful option. However, the price difference over Coral and Westerdam left us wondering if it was really worth it to spend extra just to get a particular ship experience. Not having been on any of these lines, we aren't sure how the service / food will compare, but based on reviews it seems hit or miss on all three. Therefore, we narrowed it further to Coral and Westerdam.
We really like what Princess seems to offer in terms of the onboard experience in Alaska. That said, when we compare the costs of comparable room types, the Westerdam wins. We have read the reviews here about various stateroom categories for both ships. We are looking for more insight regarding the Neptune suite amenities vs. what we might get in club class or suite class on Princess. We can get a Neptune suite on Westerdam for the same price as club class on Coral.
Any thoughts on the difference between these suite perks on each ship would be greatly appreciated!