Help deciding which Cruise line for Alaska

[RICKAR]

I am looking at surprising my DH on an Alaskan cruise for a joint graduation present. We will both walk in May 2011 with BS degrees. Will be taking our 3rd cruise in Sept 2010. I am not sure if we would want a regular 7 day cruise or one of the cruise tours that are offered. This will be a once in a lifetime trip for us. Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[CowPrincess]

This will be a once in a lifetime trip for us

 

Yeah, sure -- that's what EVERYONE says :D and then after their FIRST Alaska cruise they are posting about the NEXT one they've just booked :D

 

Sorry I can't help you choose a cruise but would suggest that you look at the various itineraries and the shore activities available in each port, and the port times you get on the different itineraries. Consider ALL the cruise lines. An Alaska cruise is not much about the ship, all about the itinerary. Once you have 3 or 4 sailings that you like, and have the reasons you like them, you'll be able to get lots of input on the pros and cons of each.

[donmattox]

Really cant go wrong with any cruise to Alaska! Just back from my first, and there is still so much more to see. Pick based on itinerary. Glacier Bay was a priority for my group. Glad we chose it. From all of my research, Princess and Holland America get high marks, and have the most ships in Alaska. Loved Ketchikan, but not enough time there. My itinerary spent oo much time in Skagway. Victoria was a nice surprise too. Good Luck, you'll love it.

[foodgirl]

I agree that the itenerary should be first priority. Look at the ports of call and find what is important to you. I learned so much on these boards about the ports and what I would find interesting. I wanted to go to Glacier Bay as well so that was a must. I loved my HAL cruise and highly recommend. When others have asked me about my trip I tell them I could have sat on my balcony and done nothing and still had an amazing time. The scenery is just awesome. I will be going back for sure....once was not enough for me or DH. Good luck.

[RICKAR]

There is sooooo much to view when trying to decide on which cruise or cruise tour to take.:p

 

DonMattox & Foodgirl - How long was your cruise or did you do the cruise tour?

 

I personally would like to do the cruise tour of about 2 wks, if possible. We spent 2 weeks at Fort Lewis, in the Seattle area, this past Feb, due to our oldest son's unexpected surgery and enjoyed the sights. We did manage to see the some of the sights in the immediate area. I was the only one with a passport and I thought about going to the Olympics, but just could not bring myself to go alone.:rolleyes::p:rolleyes::p

[cruisingmimi]

We have booked a cruisetour w/ HAL and leave 7/1. I can post after we return if that would be of any help in your planning.

 

I agree w/ what the others have said. It's about the itinerary for Alaskan cruises. 2nd would be the cruise line. I spent a lot of time doing research and narrowed down the cruiselines to Princess and HAL. I found Princess to be more expensive and HAL came up w/ some nice specials so we booked them. However, I would suggest that you review the itinerary very carefully if you book a cruisetour vs just an inside passage.

 

We have 3 days on our land tour. We will fly into Fairbanks and cruise southbound to Vancouver. I do not think that 3 days is going to be long enough based upon what I have received from the cruiseline for our itinerary. I wished we had booked more time on the land but it is what it is at this point. We will still have a wonderful cruise no matter what.

 

You will spend a lot of time going from point to point on a land tour and you don't have as much time as you would like to spend more time at the different stops. I thought we were going to have more time to spend in Denali but we won't. We will not arrive via the train from Fairbanks until noontime, then we are doing a Natural History Tour as part of our itinerary. This is approx. 4-5 hr., not nearly enough time to see Denali. We may decide to upgrade to a longer tour which goes deeper into the park. However, this would mean we would be spending 8 hr. on a bus and not getting back to our hotel until 11 pm. I would suggest that you find an itinerary where you would have a minimum of two days in Fairbanks or Anchorage so you would have at least one full day (2 if you can afford to do it this way) to tour Denali.

 

The distances from Anchorage to Denali require an 8 hr. bus or train ride and Fairbanks to Denali 4+ hrs. via the train or bus. So think about this when you pick your itinerary. I would suggest that you find a really good travel agent that can advise you when you plan your itinerary.

 

Good luck. These boards are an invaluable source of information. I used them to access so much information for our cruise. However, it does take time to do this and if you are going in Sept. you should try to narrow down your itinerary and cruiseline.

 

I would be happy to email you w/ any info that may assist you. My email: socolady@msn.com

 

Enjoy your cruise. BTW, congrats to you and your husband upon such an accomplishment - both of you getting your degrees together!

 

Sept. is a less expensive time for Alaskan cruises.

 

Mary

[timetravler]

I have been on 3 Alaskan cruises, all with Princess. If this will be a once in a lifetime cruise to Alaska, then Glacier bay is a must see. I prefer Princess over Hal because Princess have a younger crowd. I love their food and activities. This year, the on sight naturalist was really wonderful. We had great weather in May and that was unexpected. Princess have many choices for Alaskan cruises. BTW, I heard Disney will be going to Alaska next year, so check them out too.

[Sailor2Cruiser]

Even though we were already booked this year, we went to AAA's local cruise night. I was very impressed with HAL's itineraries and will consider Princess's lodge in Denali for the future.

 

My guiding force this cruise was price. I feel Carnival had the best rates albeit not the best itinerary.

 

But as CowPrincess said, a future Alaskan cruise will be in order.

 

Only you can decide what is more important to you; itinerary, cost or perks. But after living in Alaska for 3 years, I can say it doesn't matter, you will not be disappointed either way you go.

[MercedMike]

Absolutely the best advice I can give someone asking the questions you are asking is find a good local Travel Agent who is a CLIA Accredited Cruise Counselor (look for the agent's diploma on the wall, not just an agency sticker). Ask your friends and co-workers for a recommendation. The service is entirely free to you. ACC's are trained to find the very best cruise for you, after learning your personal situation and preferences, and work hard to get you the very best rate.

 

The cruises I love might bore you, and the ones you like might kill me. A travel professional will speak not from personal opinion but from a desire to find the right cruise for YOU.

 

If you would like to see our cruise and cruise/tour reports, go to

http://www.bully4.us/cruising.html

Perhaps it will give you some good ideas to talk to the TA about.

[RICKAR]

:)I have read all the posts to my thread and several other threads as well. Since I am looking for a cruise to Alaska for after our Graduation in May 2011, then it looks like late May/early June will be the targeted cruise time.:p It appears that I will need to schedule more than one cruise, as there is plenty to see and do and I know that my DH will want to do as much as possible.:D

 

I did order a Fodor Alaska book and will have it soon to really see what to plan our cruise for. Those that are cruising this summer, I will be interested in seeing your reviews.

 

Thansk again!:D

[cruisingmimi]

I thought you were going this year & now realize it's next year! Gives you plenty of time to plan.

 

Yes, Disney is planning Alaskan cruises next year. However, I am not sure you'd want to be on that ship w/ all this kids! Just kidding, I love kids but not on a cruise ship.

 

Check out Oceania as they will be offering cruises to Alaska next year. Their ships are smaller and more elegant. You might just luck out w/ a great price where it's their first year cruising to Alaska.

 

I agree w/ Merced Mike's advice also. Try and find a really good travel agent that is itinerary saavy and not just sales oriented to assist you.

 

When I first started researching Alaska I stopped at my local AAA office to pick up some brochures. I was speaking w/ the travel person sitting at the desk and just asking some very basic questions about Alaska. She couldn't answer them and told me she hadn't been to Alaska! Knowledge is power!

 

Good luck. I'll do a post when I return.

 

Mary

[foodgirl]

There is sooooo much to view when trying to decide on which cruise or cruise tour to take.:p

 

DonMattox & Foodgirl - How long was your cruise or did you do the cruise tour?

 

I personally would like to do the cruise tour of about 2 wks, if possible. We spent 2 weeks at Fort Lewis, in the Seattle area, this past Feb, due to our oldest son's unexpected surgery and enjoyed the sights. We did manage to see the some of the sights in the immediate area. I was the only one with a passport and I thought about going to the Olympics, but just could not bring myself to go alone.:rolleyes::p:rolleyes::p

we did the 7 day roundtrip from Seattle....I would have loved to do the cruisetour, but work schedule would not allow at this time. My dad did the cruise and land tour last year and loved it....of course he loves to fish and did a lot of that. I found it to be a nice mix of busy port days and relaxing time at sea.

[CroozeAddict]

Having cruised both Royal Caribbean and HAL, these two lines are like night and day. Totally different demographics and atmosphere. HAL tends to favor the older crowd ... by older I mean that I felt like a youngster and I'm in my mid 50's. RCI ships tend to be brighter and livelier with plenty of things to do both day and night. It's true that Alaska cruises are done primarily for the scenic views, but IMHO the ship is a major influence on the overall experience. As you can see, I've got an RCI cruisetour scheduled on Radiance of the Seas. To me, choosing was a no-brainer.

 

Good luck with whatever you choose. You'll have a great time.

[bradswife]

We just got back last night from our cruise with Celebrity. It could not have been any better! The service, cleanliness, food, efficiency were all absolutely fantastic. We also did a cruise tour for 6 nights after our cruise and it was wonderful! I cannot imagine a better experience. I have no complaints at all! Everyone should consider them. :)

[Budget Queen]

Just my opinion. :) You may want to do some initial "surprise" work and make the presentation special, but, you may also find your wife has some priorities of her own with Alaska- it may be a better joint decision to be made with the cruise and touring selection?? (no flames please. :) )

 

I can't agree on "finding" a "good travel agent" for Alaska. It is very rare and unlikely in a lot of areas- the bulk of them know very little outside of what is in brochures. I see this over and over and over.

 

As for cruisetours- do your homework, Find out EVERYTHING about them, so much is UNKNOWN if you only look at the cruise descriptions. ( I saw this over and over, again, on my recent trip). The more you know the better. Your two week timeframe is a good one.

 

Compare also independent options, very very easy and simple to arrange. Will allow the biggest benefit- freedom. :)

[cruisingmimi]

Good advice, Budget Queen. Planning this Alaskan cruise has been such a learning experience for me and we cruise all the time. I also plan our itinerary, book our own private tours, etc. so it's not like I don't know what I'm doing. However, Alaska has indeed been a real challenge.

 

I would reiterate that you need to do your homework, ask lots of questions, read between the lines in the brochures, itineraries, etc. I did read the HAL brochure but it didn't tell me what would happen in between what they had printed for an itinerary. I would break it down day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, and really see how much time you will actually have for any cruisetours, post or pre. It can make the difference.

 

I have finally sorted out our pre-cruise tour itinerary and while it is not going to afford us as much time as I thought it would, I am satisfied that my diligent planning will allow us to see more than I thought we would.

 

I will do a post when we return - we are leaving 7/1 and will return on 7/11.

 

Have fun planning. Ask as many questions as you need to and never feel like you are being a pest! You are your own best advocate when it comes to cruise planning. Take advantage of all the wonderful advice you will receive here on CC.

 

Mary

[MercedMike]

Having cruised both Royal Caribbean and HAL, these two lines are like night and day. Totally different demographics and atmosphere. HAL tends to favor the older crowd ... by older I mean that I felt like a youngster and I'm in my mid 50's. RCI ships tend to be brighter and livelier with plenty of things to do both day and night. It's true that Alaska cruises are done primarily for the scenic views, but IMHO the ship is a major influence on the overall experience. As you can see, I've got an RCI cruisetour scheduled on Radiance of the Seas. To me, choosing was a no-brainer.

 

Good luck with whatever you choose. You'll have a great time.

 

Especially in Alaska, some of the old rules of thumb about cruise lines are softening. Although HAL is still definitely a more laid back mature experience, last month there were over 200 kids and teens on Ooosterdam, and a large presence of young active people. Not being one of them (!) I did not check out the late night disco, however. ;)

 

RCI definitely does have the reputation of being glitzier and livelier than HAL. Their Radiance class ships compare very well to the Vista class ships on HAL.

 

A third very good choice is Princess. It has the reputation of an upscale but lively line and has some beautiful ships. The Jewel class rank right up there with HAL and RCI.

 

The fact is that each line has something for everyone. But the slight "slant" of the ship is a tiny bit toward more mature on HAL, elegant mainstream on Princess, and Great American Middle Class on RCI. (And then of course there is Carnival -- "Come on, you can sleep NEXT week!")

 

Whichever you choose I know you will have a GREAT cruise!

[lilacbirman]

One of the determining factors for our choosing the criose we did was the time in port. One had a stop in Skagway for 14 hours and only six hours (6 a.m. -noon) in Ketchikan. We found a cruise that was more balanced with 10 hours in Skagway and 9 1/2 hours in Ketchikan.

 

That said, I would definitey choose the cruise tour. We would have chosen it this time except we are going with another couple who are able to do an extended trip this time.

 

Have a great trip! Alaska is gorgeous!

[RICKAR]

1st off, I am the DW, planning this for my DH, due to our graduation in May 2011. I am a true Floridian that really does not like the cold weather. DH loves the cooler temps, so I will bundle up just for him.:D

 

We are in our early 50's and not dead yet. Not into the disco or party scene either, but we do want to relax and enjoy the seeing Alaska.

 

After researching, there is a lot to see and do in Alaska. And state that this is a once in a lifetime trip, but it may turn into 2 or 3 trips?:D

 

cruisingmimi - Looking forward to your review when you return!

 

Keep the tips coming!

 

Thanks

Karen & Rick

[cruisingmimi]

I've got my journal all laid out and ready to pack so I can take lots of notes. Will indeed do a post when we return mid July.

 

Mary

[agabbymama]

I am an advocate of bus tours. I've taken them in Australia, Europe, Great Britain and here in the US (lower 48) too. And that's what we ended up doing for our second Alaska adventure.

 

We did our first Alaskan cruise (great price at last minute cruise & airfare from LAX to Anchorage, ocean view cabin Southbound Seward to Vancouver for $459) on HAL (old) Noordam. We absolutely loved Alaska, but missed Denali as we left Seward on May 10th and Denali wasn't even open yet then. I like the smaller ships of HAL, the elegance with wood and brass (like sailing ships of old), a teak wood promenade deck that circles the ship, and fresh flowers on every table (even outside by the pool IN ALASKA). The friendliest crew and the best beds afloat. Cabins seemed a little larger to me too.

 

Decided to return in 2007, so I started researching. I went to the library for travel books (Fodor's & Frommer's). I even bought the Milepost book. There were my husband, myself, husband's sister, and a friend from work. So lots of different ideas and personalities. First stab was around $5000 pp. My husband said he wasn't interested in going back for that amount of money. I worked and worked to try and get it down. We finally cancelled. The friend from work wouldn't let go of the idea, so I again started looking, only this time I looked at cruisetours.

 

I knew I wanted to do the Yukon as well as Interior Alaska. I finally settled on HAL Yukon Wilderness Tour #1. Or at least that's what it was called that year. It went to the places I wanted to go, and everyone was agreed that it was a good itinerary. We flew from LAX to Vancouver (with HAL air), cruised to Tracy Arm (even saw the Twin Sawyer Glaciers), on to Juneau and Skagway. We debarked the ship in Skagway, went up the Whitepass Rail Road to Fraser, bus to Whitehorse, Dawson City, then onto a Riverboat on the Yukon to Eagle Alaska, back on the bus to Chicken, Tok and Fairbanks. Domed railcar to Denali and took the Tundra Wilderness Tour at 2:30 pm, arriving back to McKinley Chalet Resort at 11:00 pm. We were some tired puppies after traveling all day from Fairbanks, but wouldn't have missed it. The next morning went to Jeff King's Husky Homestead (4 time Iditarod Champ) and back to train station by 12 for departure to Anchorage. Last night HAL put us up at the Hilton, then transferred us the next morning to the airport.

 

The second trip came in at $3000 pp (a lot of money, but it did what I wanted to and it was 3 days on the ship and 8 days on land). It was absolutely awesome, I saw and did everything, and don't feel a need to go back and see anything else. While Alaska is awesome, there is still a whole lot of this big old World I want see. A place has to be extra special to get me back a second time.

 

So do your homework, read these boards, and make the decision that is best for you. Not everyone likes the regulated travel of bus tours, I do, tell me where to be and what time to be there. I'll trust the driver and tour guide to get me to the sights in the area and worry about the driving. I sit back in my seat, relax and enjoy the scenery.

 

Have fun planning your trip to Alaska (it is half the fun), then enjoy your trip to the fullest!

[hollon]

I'm in my 40's and have only sailed w/ rccl - which cruiseline would you take princess or radiance(rcc) assumming the iterinary's are basically the same?

[Budget Queen]

I'm in my 40's and have only sailed w/ rccl - which cruiseline would you take princess or radiance(rcc) assumming the iterinary's are basically the same?

 

The itineraries are NOT the same. :) In fact VERY different. Glacier Bay/Hubbard, Seward/Whittier etc etc. You need to find out for yourself- glacier and port differences and what YOU wish to see and experience. There is NO "right" answer, and the responses you are going to get are going to rave about their experience with most probably not having taken both. I have multiple times, along with 3 other lines to Alaska, and find both can offer you what you want.

[RICKAR]

I was hoping for this summer, but plans have caused my to wait until the summer of 2012....:( Prices not posted as of yet, so I still have time!:p

 

Receive the newsletter that my TA sends out peroidically and they are having an Alaskan Planning show and I am going to check it out. I have researched and have decided that this will not be a trip of our lifetime... it may take 2 or 3 or 4 or 5....:p

 

Anyway I can't wait for 1/22 to arrive as this is the show with hopeefully, all my questions or my DH's questions are answered!;)

[Budget Queen]

I was hoping for this summer, but plans have caused my to wait until the summer of 2012....:( Prices not posted as of yet, so I still have time!:p

 

Receive the newsletter that my TA sends out peroidically and they are having an Alaskan Planning show and I am going to check it out. I have researched and have decided that this will not be a trip of our lifetime... it may take 2 or 3 or 4 or 5....:p

 

Anyway I can't wait for 1/22 to arrive as this is the show with hopeefully, all my questions or my DH's questions are answered!;)

 

They have these shows in my area too. Problem was, the reps, didn't know what they were talking about and the "descriptions" were full of misinformation. :)

 

So if you come upon any significant points you wish to include in your visit, verify.