Late August 2013 Questions... What Line???

[soonercrew]

just looking for opinions... my parents have finally agreed to their first cruise. they will be going late august 2013. im pretty sure they have settled on the celebrity or princess. any suggestions on which line, or particular ship? also, is this time frame a good choice to see all alaska has to offer? they are very mobile and have no health issues. probably going to go with an aft room. they are upper 50's in age and i want them to have a wonderful experience!

thanks in advance for any help/guidance!

[MSMcDuffy]

I have been on Princess but not Celebrity. I personally would choose based on itinerary first and then look at the ship, if multiple ships do the itinerary they choose.

 

Best wishes! :)

[soonercrew]

also... in looking at itenerary. what would you say is a "must" see during an alaskan cruise?

[oaktreerb]

For a cruise only your basic choices on the major lines are round trip Seattle or Vancouver or from Vancouver to Anchorage or the reverse. Most people would recommend Vancouver over Seattle as the ship goes inside Vancouver Island and the scenery is beautiful and you have smoother sailing.

 

For the major cruise lines the itineraries are very similar but port times will differ. Choose an itinerary that goes to Glacier Bay. It's amazing. After several cruises I have noticed that Holland America usually gets the best dock locations in towns like Skagway and Juneau. They've been sailing Alaska for a long time, as has Princess.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We cruised in late August/early September 2012. It can be rainier than the May-June time frame. But, the fall colors were so beautiful. We dressed in layers and ignored the weather.

 

Here is a site worth checking out.

http://www.cruiseportinsider.com/juneau.html

[soonercrew]

currently leaning towards the Diamond Princess due to the itenerary... i dont think they will want to miss glacier bay.

[agabbymama]

currently leaning towards the Diamond Princess due to the itenerary... i dont think they will want to miss glacier bay.

 

 

Absolutely, Glacier Bay is a must. I like Celebrity, but don't think they go to Glacier Bay.

 

Princess does a good cruise, I just don't care for the size of their ships, just too many passengers and long walks, and long lines to do anything.

 

HAL has been my favorite. Smaller ships, less crowds. JMHO

 

I like to do a graph chart. Put the cruiseline/ship across the top, then down the side list the things important to you (size of ship, itinerary, ports, time in ports, cabin, price, length of cruise/cruisetour, etc.) As you research put an "x" in the conjoining box. As you near the end of your research, one should have more x's than the others.

[Putterdude]

We like both Princess and Celebrity. Celebrity has become our new favourite cruise line but Princess arguably does a better job then them in Alaska. I would look at the itineraries of each line and ship before making a decision, from a customer care point of view both lines really are pretty close.

[Keith1010]

First I would select the itinerary.

 

All things being equal I would select Celebrity over Princess because it is a little more upscale.

 

Keith

[Budget Queen]

There are many factors to consider with an Alaska cruise selection. One thing- there is NO perfect cruise. I have sailed all the major lines sailing Alaska, including 3 this year, except for Disney.

 

Consider the ports- find out what each offers, and what activities are your priority- there are only 6. Look at your glaciers- having sailed them all, I will not say any are better than the others, what ever you select, you are missing the other selections. :) Time in ports, routes, money!! :) Budget fully for costly excursions, without them you get only half a trip.

 

The more you know the better your selections will be for you. Many get "stuck" with only looking at what is the most "popular", there are plenty more. I always enjoy my trips, which are for my style. Find out what yours is.

[vbmom87]

currently leaning towards the Diamond Princess due to the itenerary... i dont think they will want to miss glacier bay.

 

If you have decided the Diamond would suit them best, may I suggest you consider the SB itinerary rather than the NB? The SB goes to both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. The NB goes to Glacier Bay and College Fjord. Although College Fjords is a beautiful area, it is more like Glacier Bay. Hubbard Glacier would be a totally different experience with being able to experience the massive Hubbard Glacier. It is impressive if your ship can get close enough.

 

The plus to the NB itinerary on the Diamond is it has more time in Juneau. Depending on the times of the Adventure Bound Tracy Arm boat tour next year, that could also be a nice option. Tracy Arm is a beautiful fjord and from a small boat it is quite impressive. However, this tour takes up most of the day in Juneau and wouldn't really allow time to do much else.

 

Lots of choices that is for sure. Good luck with your planning.

[Budget Queen]

If you have decided the Diamond would suit them best, may I suggest you consider the SB itinerary rather than the NB? The SB goes to both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. The NB goes to Glacier Bay and College Fjord. Although College Fjords is a beautiful area, it is more like Glacier Bay. Hubbard Glacier would be a totally different experience with being able to experience the massive Hubbard Glacier. It is impressive if your ship can get close enough.

 

QUOTE]

 

I disagree. I have sailed Hubbard enough times to also know, it can be a big miss. College Fjords is indeed extremely scenic and highly visable more sail bys. I sailed all three this year, with Glacier Bay twice. Every trip was different and certainly top scenery. There is no way to predict anything, and accepting what you get at that time is the bonus of the constant state of change glaciers are in.

 

What is "impressive" is the boat tours, far superior viewing and closeness compared to any cruise ship. For me, it's the priority of exposure, the more opportunities the better.

[JJPacer]

We choose the S/B Sapphire Princess because it went to both Glacier Bay & Hubbard Glacier. The N/B goes to Glacier Bay & College Fjord. Everyone has their own favorites. Ours were Glacier Bay & Hubbard Glacier. We had good docking positions at each port. We did an 8 day land trip on our own prior to the cruise. We were very happy with whole trip.