KC512

This sounds awesome - it makes me sad that on both cruises we are considering we are only there until mid afternoon! Thank you for the ideas!

Thank you! I guess I underestimate them meeting other teens, but I am sure they do and that fills their down time.

Out of curiosity - what are your favorites in Ketchikan?

Thank you so much! This makes me feel so much better pulling the trigger with Princess.

Thank you so much for this information! It is great to hear from someone who has taken kids on their cruises and had a good experience. You mentioned that Princess does Alaska better than NCL - what do you think is the difference? The port times seem similar, but it sounds like NCL doesn't have the premier docking locations that Princess does.

This is a great point. I had not thought to determine which excursions we would want to do vs their proximity to Ward's Cove. Thank you!

Thank you all for your responses! They are very helpful! I guess my biggest concern is entertainment on the boat - if you have sailed NCL and Princess I am curious which one you feel excelled in this area? I am most worried about my teens and them being bored on the day at sea or in the evening.

I have read that the Freestyle dining can be tricky - I've read about people having trouble securing acceptable times to dine, etc. I am not sure if that is really a concern.

I read in one post that the person providing the commentary during Glacier Bay cruising on NCL was more like an advertisement for excursions, etc and that Princess was much more informative. I don't know if that's true. I was also worried about the one port that you had to take a shuttle to if you were on NCL - other posts said that was a real hassle and wasted port time.

I am in the process of planning my families' very first ever cruise. We will be doing a 7 day Seattle cruise to Alaska that includes Glacier Bay. My husband and I will be travelling with our two boys ages 13 and 16. I have it narrowed down to NCL and Princess. Which to you recommend? It seems from what I read that Princess really has the best programming for Alaska. I have read many, many posts about how wonderful their park rangers are who board the ship and how great their staff is. My hesitation is that it doesn't seem that there is a lot for my two teen boys to do when we are on the boat. NCL seems to have the most for teens to do. But I have read that NCL's Alaska programming is not that great and that their dining can be tough to deal with. I'd love some advice! This is a ton of money we are spending and its a once in a lifetime trip, I want to get it right!