Alaska - HAL or Princess?

We are looking to take our first trip to Alaska in 2020. We plan to spend a couple days in our own in Alaska before taking a southbound cruise. It looks like both HAL and Princess have similar itineraries. We do want to go to Glacier Bay. We are in our late 30s, early 40s and looking for a low key and relaxing trip without our children. Is HAL too old for us?

We are looking to take our first trip to Alaska in 2020. We plan to spend a couple days in our own in Alaska before taking a southbound cruise. It looks like both HAL and Princess have similar itineraries. We do want to go to Glacier Bay. We are in our late 30s, early 40s and looking for a low key and relaxing trip without our children. Is HAL too old for us?

Have you look at Celebrity or RCI . HAL and Princess tend to be older people .

One to look at which one stops in Skagway. HAL tends to stop in Haines southbound.

Glacier Bay is a nice day of cruising,

Look at port times to see what works for you the best.

We are looking to take our first trip to Alaska in 2020. We plan to spend a couple days in our own in Alaska before taking a southbound cruise. It looks like both HAL and Princess have similar itineraries. We do want to go to Glacier Bay. We are in our late 30s, early 40s and looking for a low key and relaxing trip without our children. Is HAL too old for us?

If you cruise with HAL while kids are NOT in school, there will be the same mix of ages as on other cruise lines. HAL has a huge market for folks who can cruise while kids are IN school. That demographic tends to be those who no longer have kids at home.

Have you look at Celebrity or RCI . HAL and Princess tend to be older people .

One to look at which one stops in Skagway. HAL tends to stop in Haines southbound.

Glacier Bay is a nice day of cruising,

Look at port times to see what works for you the best.

Neither Celebrity nor RCI go to Glacier Bay, and the OP specifically stated that they DO want to go to Glacier Bay!

I've been on both Princess and HAL in Alaska. The demographics are similar, though HAL does tend to have more older folks. There were younger people and families on both, but I'd say the average age was higher on HAL.

Neither Celebrity nor RCI go to Glacier Bay, and the OP specifically stated that they DO want to go to Glacier Bay!

 

I've been on both Princess and HAL in Alaska. The demographics are similar, though HAL does tend to have more older folks. There were younger people and families on both, but I'd say the average age was higher on HAL.

Thank you. We don't necessarily have a problem being part of the younger age onboard. Did you have any other thoughts or comparisons between the two cruiselines? From what I've seen, other than age they seem fairly comparable.

I have sailed both lines in Alaska, and including all the other majors- the demographic claim above- is invalid. With Alaska sailings they are very similar on ALL the major lines. (and yes, I've sailed Carnival as well- multiple times and NO party ships there yet either :) )

I guess I don't get the concern about other passengers. They have NO impact on my selections. I'm not concerned with it at all. :)

With your 2 choices, doesn't HAL have Haines in the itinerary? I'd suggest taking a deep look into the differences of the ports, and determine- YOUR preference with, now, figuring out what you want out of your port time. Alternatively, Princess- should have Hubbard Glacier in the itinerary? Have you considered, perhaps, looking more at the differences?

You also are a LONG way off. I'd suggest, also being more open at this point. There are a LOT of options. The best selections, come from multiple fine tuning adjustments in my opinion. Keep reworking your ideas and don't think you are "done" too early. The more you find out the better.

I have sailed both lines in Alaska, and including all the other majors- the demographic claim above- is invalid. With Alaska sailings they are very similar on ALL the major lines. (and yes, I've sailed Carnival as well- multiple times and NO party ships there yet either :) )

 

I guess I don't get the concern about other passengers. They have NO impact on my selections. I'm not concerned with it at all. :)

 

With your 2 choices, doesn't HAL have Haines in the itinerary? I'd suggest taking a deep look into the differences of the ports, and determine- YOUR preference with, now, figuring out what you want out of your port time. Alternatively, Princess- should have Hubbard Glacier in the itinerary? Have you considered, perhaps, looking more at the differences?

 

You also are a LONG way off. I'd suggest, also being more open at this point. There are a LOT of options. The best selections, come from multiple fine tuning adjustments in my opinion. Keep reworking your ideas and don't think you are "done" too early. The more you find out the better.

Thank you. I know it's a ways of still but I like to plan. Starting early gives me time to work out all the little details. I've looked at ports and excursion options also. I'm still pretty open but am looking for feedback on the two cruiselines. I've only been on a carnival cruise and that was a completely different trip.

I was considering a Southbound Alaskan cruise for this Summer, but waited too long to book it. Now, expecting to make a booking for 2019. I had decided on Princess because of the itinerary. Princess visits both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier as well as Skagway. HAL's itinerary visits only Glacier Bay and replaces Skagway with Haines.

Budget Queen's advice to take your time and, since you like to plan and I assume research, be sure the ports and the on-board experiences offered meets your criteria. I also would not be concerned about the demographics of your fellow guests. It will be wide ranging, I can almost guarantee.

Cunard's former slogan was "Getting there is half the fun". I agree; the other "half", at least for me, is the planning "to get there". Enjoy!

We are looking to take our first trip to Alaska in 2020. We plan to spend a couple days in our own in Alaska before taking a southbound cruise. It looks like both HAL and Princess have similar itineraries. We do want to go to Glacier Bay. We are in our late 30s, early 40s and looking for a low key and relaxing trip without our children. Is HAL too old for us?

Alaska is primarily about the ports and scenery more than the cruise line or specific ship. For many, the ship is used primarily for sleeping, eating breakfast and dinner and as transportation between ports. I would research the main Alaska ports and Glaciers and find things that interest you. Once you decide what you want to do, find an itinerary that spends the most time in those ports.

If you are down to choosing between the 2 lines mentioned, Princess generally offers more food and entertainment options than HAL, if that is of importance to you. The passenger ages will be similar in Alaska across all lines and the atmosphere onboard is much less of a party atmosphere than in the Caribbean.

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I looked at itineraries for both HAL and Princess, couldn't find anything for 2020 yet. I'm assuming you are beginning in Central Alaska then going south, crossing the northern portion of the Gulf of Alaska and not doing a round robin in just Southeast Alaska. We have 200 days sailing on HAL and 300 on Princess, I recommend either one for Alaska. They have the most visitor experience, cruising experience and investment up here, in HAL's case since 1971. We live here so haven't did much cruising to Alaska but did one a few years ago, a two weeker, San Fran to Vancouver with the northern turn around being at Valdez in Prince William Sound, on Regent.

My personal preference for these is to get on a cruise that voyages through the "Canadian Inside Passage" as well as the "Alaska Inside Passage". Meaning, they travel to the east of Vancouver Island as opposed to the west of the island, west of the island places the vessel out into the North Pacific where scenic voyaging is limited to non-existent, rougher water there too, sometimes. Beware when the line or your agent simply says you are going to be in the "Inside Passage". Our Regent cruise was excellent, the downer was, both north and south, we skipped the Canadian Inside Passage and traveled to the west of Vancouver Island. Some Canadians on board weren't very happy in that they had been led to believe they would be cruising on the east side of Vancouver island.

Vancouver is the best originating/terminating port for this although many Seattle embarkations and disembarkations, for both lines, also cruise east of Vancouver Island, sometimes both north and south and sometimes only one direction. HAL uses Seward for their Anchorage port while Princess uses Whittier. By using Whittier, Princess also jogs up into Port Wells and College Fiord for more glacier viewing on some itineraries.

You indicate a preference for Skagway and Glacier Bay. That's good, I agree, both lines do both, Skagway over Haines is best, but you have to look close at the itineraries. Sometimes they have Hubbard Glacier which is good too because Hubbard happens to be my favorite. They may not do Glacier Bay though if they do Hubbard; also Tracy Arm is often on the schedule, Tracy Arm is okay but it is not Glacier Bay or Hubbard.

Thank you. We don't necessarily have a problem being part of the younger age onboard. Did you have any other thoughts or comparisons between the two cruiselines? From what I've seen, other than age they seem fairly comparable.

They are very comparable. Pros and cons on both sides, but not necessarily things that make a huge difference. For example, I like the buffet, International Cafe, and pizza more on Princess, but I loved that I could get fresh eggs benedict every morning in the buffet on HAL, and their burgers are pretty good too. Personally we prefer Princess, but I'd gladly take HAL again if the itinerary was right.

All HAL ships have a wonderful forward enclosed observation lounge (The Crow's Nest), which offers great viewing in comfort, if you get there early....Princess ships do not have these. I especially like the older, smaller HAL ships for cruising in scenic area's, and on port-intensive cruises. Another HAL tradition, while cruising in scenic places like Glacier Bay, is to let passenger's out onto the normally crew only bow, for 'up close and personal' glacier viewing. And the stewards come around with steaming cups of split pea soup.....:)

I also have done Alaska multiple times but only on Princess once, and that was enough. I am an avid HAL fan in both Alaska and the rest of the world. HAL's crew is what makes it stand out. Well that and the most comfortable beds on sea. It's a little bit old school classic and that is what makes the experience for us. It's fun to dress up cuz we never do that at home. You are soooo going to love Alaska. Get up early and head outside and just wait for the wildlife to show up. It's amazing!

All HAL ships have a wonderful forward enclosed observation lounge (The Crow's Nest), which offers great viewing in comfort, if you get there early....Princess ships do not have these.:)

On my one HAL cruise, there was some art auction group on board. About half of this area was CLOSED for good portions of every day, limiting the use of this area for other passengers. It was very disappointing. I really do not see why they would need this premium space for an art auction anyway. I did enjoy the Crow's Nest when we were able to use it, but would have liked to have had full access to it.

On my one HAL cruise, there was some art auction group on board. About half of this area was CLOSED for good portions of every day, limiting the use of this area for other passengers. It was very disappointing. I really do not see why they would need this premium space for an art auction anyway. I did enjoy the Crow's Nest when we were able to use it, but would have liked to have had full access to it.

Art Auctions---I agree can be a real pain, particularly when they hold them at the most inopportune times in the most illogical locations. But apparently guests like them or they wouldn't have them so often on almost all lines.

Speaking of which, we just got off the Pacific Princess, no art auctions or exhibits, hurray. Also the Pacific has a huge lounge, Pacific Lounge, top deck, 10, and facing forward, 90 degree panorama.

I'd suggest giving a close look at Whittier and Seward. I include both for my priorities, but a lot of people do not. Each of these areas are jackpots for touring- are you investing additional time for this?

wonder what you mean when you plan on spending a couple of days in Alaska before getting on a cruise. Alaska is big......really big....the city of Anchorage is bigger than the state of Delaware....the state stretches from the Canadian border to the Arkansas border...the Aleutians hand out over San Francisco and the Southeast falls somewhere around Jacksonville...so there is a lot to think about. I would suggest you go to VisitAnchorage.com and look at some of the options in this area to see what interest you have. Lots of really good advice. Cruising? I think that Princess has a better presence in Alaska....They bring on Alaskans to talk about our state. In Juneau, Libby Riddles comes on board....and in Skagway, Ryan Redington comes on board with his puppies...There is usually a naturalist and is on board....not the glacier bay naturalists, but just a regular naturalist which I find very interesting...anyway, lots of time to think about it...:)