Aquahound

Just do both. The costs are minimal. Personally, I like the view from Alyeska better, but the ride up in ISP was a lot of fun and very relaxing.

My favorite was a 2-week cruise on HAL Nieuw Amsterdam from Venice to Barcelona. Best sailaway ever, and a fantastic itinerary through Croatia, Greece, Italy, and Spain.

Definitely not. Unless you’re going to become a very frequent cruiser, the perks aren’t much to speak of. Just stick with the lines you like and let the perks eventually come to you.

Probably not, but I’m not aware of any other line adding a surcharge to something they advertise as free. I’ll never be supportive of NCL doing that, regardless of how much I enjoy their product.

IMO, you're overthinking this. NCL is known for their nickel and dime culture, especially charging gratuities on their so-called "free" packages. No, NCL is not so much a bargain as the original sticker might indicate. However, it is my opinion that NCL did a great job reimagining their product with Breakaway and newer ships. I also cruise mostly RCI and I had a great time on a Breakaway sister ship. My advice is just go with it. Go enjoy your cruise.

As usual, Chengkp hit very valid points and I do not disagree with him at all. On the ship breaking side, the environmental impact is huge. Cruise lines send their ships to be scrapped in places like Bangladesh and India where the environmental laws are very relaxed....if they exist at all. There are laws in the United States that prohibit shipping companies from sending their ships to these unregulated shipbreaking yards but extending that jurisdictional nexus to the foreign flagged cruise lines that are incorporated overseas has been problematic.

Too many people think a CD is just what they see on stage before a show. If you're happy with the entertainment and activities on board, then yes, the CD made a positive difference.

I think this just highlights the fact that cruise ship tourists always seem to get sucked into the manufactured shopping area immediately adjacent to the docks instead of getting out to see the true location. But yeah, this is a combination of a few problems.....too many people, and too few places to sit and congregate in that small downtown area. The sidewalks outside the shops are very narrow.

Yeah, Princess' new ships are too big to cruise the IP. If I remember the story correctly, Princess planned those itineraries but were denied by the Canadian pilots.

Definitely K'dam. Cruising the Inside Passage out of Vancouver is far superior, and they are not obligated to make a Canadian port call in Victoria like the Seattle cruises.

So, do you want to know why Carnival ships are more fun? It's because they shove that word down your throat every chance they get so in the end, when someone asks about your cruise, your answer is "fun." Seriously. I think it was even stenciled on the dining room napkins. I'm surprised it wasn't on the toilet paper. In reality, there is no more "fun" to be had on Carnival than there is on the Bliss or any of the new mega ships of NCL and RCI. I cruised Bliss' older sister, Escape, and had a blast on board. Regarding included meals, in addition to the dining room and buffet, NCL has O'Sheehans, which is a 24/7 menu-order eatery. It's mostly comfort food, but still pretty good. I'll double-down on my recommendation for Bliss. I cruise

If Navigator of the Seas is an option, I recommend it over the other two. In general, I recommend RCI over both Carnival and NCL.

I've cruised RCI 4x in the past couple years and there were no fees with any of the lectures I attended. Notice that disclaimer says fee may apply. I suspect if there is a fee, it's for something spa or excursion related. Typical lectures do not have a fee.

I'm having a hard time understanding this. What's to stop anyone from driving to the parking lot and viewing the glacier? Tickets? What tickets? There's no gate. It's wide open. Ref the city bus, it does not visit the glacier. It's a city bus on a standard route. The stop closest to the glacier is about a mile away. But again, what's to stop people from walking to the lot? But to naturelovergirl's point, that bus is not meant for tourists. Filling that bus will not go over well.

Yeah, the nickel and dime culture of NCL is like no other. You have to go into it knowing that or else you're in for a surprise. Charging mandatory gratuities on what they advertise as free packages shouldn't even be legal. But that said, those new ships are a lot of fun. Once on board, there's a lot to enjoy.

I have cruised Ruby, Koningsdam, and a sister ship to Encore. By far, Encore will be the liveliest ship with a ton of activities and great entertainment. The other 2 ships do not compare in that regard. I recommend avoiding Ruby. The ship looks and feels dated and has small standard cabins. You have to book a mini suite in order to get a couch in your room. I'll never book that ship again. Koningsdam is a really nice ship and they do have some lively entertainment options. I think the stateroom showers are the nicest in the business. If the ship and activities are your priority, Encore is your ship. If Alaska is your priority, I'd lean more toward K'dam.

If this helps you decide.....if RCI assigns you to a cabin that is undesirable, you can call them and move to another available room of the same category, or even pay the difference to upgrade to the next category.

With the exception of maybe a couple older ships, HAL has also banned casino smoking.

The absolute worst casino smoke I ever encountered was on Carnival Liberty. I'm not a gambler so it shouldn't bother me but, on that ship, the main fore/aft corridor went through the casino, so it was hard to avoid. It's one of many reasons I haven't cruised Carnival since.

IMO, this is a 6 in one / half dozen in the other. I've read a ton of negative reviews on the Carnival Vista Class ships, so I'd say those are also love it / hate it ships as well. Personally, I'd lean toward Bliss in this case. I cruised an older sister ship of Bliss and really enjoyed it. My one and only Carnival experience was not so great but again, it's only one cruise on that line.

One stop on Alaska. Their reliability for getting into AK is unrivaled. But I’m only saying that by a slim margin. Delta is excellent.

It's the AJ.

Anecdotal thing about Encore and Juneau. I spent last week in Juneau, so was able to see this from my hotel balcony. Bliss arrives early in the morning, and Encore takes Bliss' berth later in the afternoon. So, you're also hoping Bliss doesn't get delayed in port for any reason. They also use the furthest berth south which requires about a 15 minute walk into town, or a shuttle ride.

I've been on all 3 ship classes and have been on several AK cruises. HAL is definitely the least kid friendly.....although, I do like K'dam and would recommend it for you as a couple. Frankly, I think you should stick with Encore. The itinerary doesn't suck, it's very kid friendly, a beautiful ship, and I think it'll be most like your experiences on other lines.

I didn't know anyone took their place. I was in Hoonah last summer and the building was boarded up.