Struggling with Choosing a cruise line for Alaska

[rgmacm]

We're planning an Alaskan cruise for the end of next Aug.

....and before anyone tells me that we should only do Alaska in June or July, I should mention that it's Aug or nothin' for us... It's the only time my husband can (or ever will be able to ) get off... Employees with school age children get first dibs on those summer months. As empty nesters we CHEERFULLY :rolleyes: take the end of Aug and Sept....

I've convinced myself that Aug will be fine. Please help me propitiate that story haha!

There....that's said....Now I can move on to my inquiries.

 

We had pretty much decided to go with Princess. We've cruise the Caribbean with them and loved it.

 

While struggling with choosing which Princess itinerary to take, I began perusing through the offerings from other cruiselines, I came across an itinerary with Norwegian that is much MUCH more to our liking. It's a TEN DAY....all the ports Princess does PLUS Sitka....as well as two scenic cruising days (Glacier Bay and Hubbard I believe...??) Anyway, we really like this itinerary. So....I began gathering information on NCL to determine if it would be a good fit for us. That has proved to be a very frustrating experience.

I posted on the NCL board and haven't gotten many responses so I thought I'd try here.

 

Questions and Inquiries:

--compare Alaska with the various cruiselines....Princess, NCL, Carnival and RCCL. Of course, I'm interested in how they do Alaska...since that's where we're going :o

--Comparison of Food quality on these lines (we don't do the specialty restaurants...we eat 'free' on cruises) Does NCLor RCCL offer sugar-free things for diabetics?

--Lectures, films and information about Alaska. That's "entertainment" to us... :)

 

Then....

--Someone tell me about this Freestyle cruising. I know it's like anytime dining with Princess/Carnival...but beyond that, what is it like?

Strangely enough, we actually ENJOY dressing up for dinner...are we going to be 'fish out of water' :o:o if we do that? Or is everything more casual on Alaskan cruises?

-People on the NCL board were griping about being 'nickel and dimed' to death with changes going on at NCL.... Is this true? or are they just whining? :) (ya never know on boards like this.... ha) Are their 'whines' warranted?

--Lastly, I read on the NCL website that you can't disembark in ports until 2 hrs after docking...and have to be back on ship 2 hrs before sailing. In some ports, that means only 2-3 hrs... Did I read that right? I don't remember the deadlines being like that on Princess....thought it was more like 30 min. before sailing? ??

 

Anyway...I'm really hoping I get LOTS of responses here..... that will either make me feel happy with the Princess itinerary...or less apprehensive about NCL experience....or enlighten me about a cruise line I haven't yet considered.

Edited September 15, 2016 by rgmacm

[donaldsc]

Without getting into details, in AK it is only about the itinerary. The ship is irrelevant. Once you find your options with good itineraries, then worry about the ship.

 

DON

[Herfnerd]

Make sure you also look at HAL - they and Princess seem to have the most Glacier Bay itineraries

[liptastic]

We are just back from our 3rd Alaksa cruise. We left Vancouver August 24th and weather was fabulous. Wee bit of rain in Ketchikan , but not cold. Other ports also warm compared to previous cruises. Best Alaksa experience we have had. Enjoy your cruise, it's so special. Jean.

[Sequim88]

Agree - buy the itinerary, not the ship. On our last RCCL TA we got to know a couple who mostly cruised only NCL and liked it a lot. So we booked the next TA with NCL (later cancelled due to job change). My impression was they compared very closely to RCCL. Princess, HAL and Celebrity are figured by many as a step up from those two. They have both specialized in Alaska but if NCL's itinerary has all the places you want then go for it. For us an itinerary deal maker would be any that do both Glacier Bay and College Fjord regardless of line.

[AryMay]

I came across an itinerary with Norwegian that is much MUCH more to our liking. It's a TEN DAY....all the ports Princess does PLUS Sitka....as well as two scenic cruising days (Glacier Bay and Hubbard I believe...??)

 

I looked, but wasn't able to find this itinerary on the NCL site...at least not in August 2017.

 

I know you said you weren't able to cruise in June or July, but could you go in May? We are booked on a 14-day NCL cruise that leaves San Francisco on May 15th and has some unique ports before ending in Vancouver. This cruise also has three scenic cruising days (Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier & Sawyer Glacier.) We have done an Alaska cruise on the Coral Princess a couple of years ago and enjoyed it, but we were attracted to this unique itinerary.

 

[Sleddogs]

We've sailed Alaska 3 times, done the land part twice, once thru Celebrity and once on our own. Sailed the inside passage on NCL, Celebrity and HAL. Hal last year was a tremendous disappointment, food & entertainment not so good, but it was the ports and our excursions that made the trip.

 

We have always sailed early August and weather was wonderful. We always thought August was the best time to go. Now we are retired and the last Alaska cruise we sailed early September and it was great except for a bit of rain in Ketchikan. We are doing NCL from Seward next September and our own land bit.

 

We look for an itinerary that offers the most time in each port. Then we narrow down the ships and offers.

 

We have been so fortunate to have been able to see Denali in all of her glory on each trip.

I hope you find the right trip for you. Would be happy to answer any questions. Good luck!

[rgmacm]

I looked, but wasn't able to find this itinerary on the NCL site...at least not in August 2017.

 

 

 

 

When I was looking, all I could see was that it was in Sept. I don't know if it was the website messing up or my computer but I could never open up the dates - I just assumed the cruise had multiple dates in Aug/Sept. Other cruise lines repeat itineraries over and over but I've learned through this process that NCL doesn't do it that way. :)

Anyway, today when I finally got to the 'date page" I found out that the 10-day cruises (either on the Jewel out of Seattle or on the Sun out of Vancouver) are at the END of Sept. That's just later than we want to risk going...

That changes my whole plan. I"m still looking at some 7 day cruises on NCL but will also check out HAL as other posters have suggested and re-visit our choices on Princess as well....

It's back to the drawing board for me.... :)

Thank you All!!

Edited September 16, 2016 by rgmacm

[ShipsandDipper]

We sailed on the Norwegian Sun in early August, Seward to Vancouver. We did a round-trip out of Seattle on Princess in May 2013. Since that Princess cruise we have sailed Oceania three times, so my view of the Sun probably is colored by my affection for Oceania.

 

We were quite happy with the food on the Sun. We stuck with the main dining rooms and the buffet (didn't try the specialty restaurants). I think NCL beat Princess on that. I believe that the Sun had a sugar-free dessert option at every meal.

 

Both NCL and Princess have a lot of "extras" you can buy if so inclined (pictures, drinks, etc.), and they aren't shy about selling them.

 

I think Princess maybe offered more Alaska-specific programming. I recall they had Libby Riddles (Ididarod racer) come aboard in Juneau. And since the Princess cruise went to Glacier Bay, we had ranger narration on that day.

 

As for the port times, we were able to get off promptly on both ships once they were cleared and had to be back 30 minutes before sailaway. The 2-hour thing on Norwegian was only on the embarkation day--we had to be on board no less than 2 hours before sailaway from Seward. Otherwise it was the usual half-hour.

[SightCRR]

We have really enjoyed HAL round trip 14 day out of Seattle. Lots of ports, two glaciers. Misses Denali and Glacier Bay but does Homer, downtown ANC, Kodiak & Sitka.

sightcrr

[TheCalicoCat]

My advice (worth 2 cents)

1. Don't settle for an itinerary that does not include Glacier Bay.

&

2. Worry About the itinerary not the transportation method used to get you there.

 

(On CC you will find cruise line cheer leaders, while others "hated" those lines so take it all with a grain or 2 of salt.)

[mapleleaves]

I would encourage you to read past trip reports, posted in STICKYs near the top of the page. Many of them are detailed photojournals. You'll find that most people were quite happy with their selection - the ships are more alike than different. The most frequent complaint is about port times, ie leaving port at 1pm doesnt allow much time for sightseeing. So be mindful of port times as you compare itineraries.

[Sequim88]

Another tip for selecting line/itinerary - go to the roll calls for the equivalent cruise this year and see if there are post-cruise recaps. Of course weather may (will) not be the same but ship experience insights could be useful.

 

One small factor in favor of HAL out of Seattle - that is HAL HQ so possibly a little more scrutiny by management. If they want to check out a ship on turnaround day it's a short trip to Pier 91.

[dd likes to cruise]

We just returned from doing Radiance of the Seas (RCCL) Vancouver to Seward. Aug 24 - Sept 2. After booking Royal, I read that other cruise lines do Alaska better, and I worried. BUT WE LOVED IT! There was a specialist the gave talks on the Glaciers, Mountians, Natives, Gold rush era, etc. I will be doing Alaska again, but I learned enough that the ports and iternary will be my guide. But this was my Second Royal Caribbean and I have liked them both. Ah yeah, we lucked out with weather too - perfect.

[mexico8]

We have not been on an Alaskan cruise but we have cruised with NCL and HAL and Princes and Royal Caribbean. We enjoy them all and choose based on itineraries. We liked the food on all the cruises (some more than others). We like the anytime dining on NCL and I think that Alaskan cruises tend to be less formal than Med cruises in general.

 

We never had to wait two hours after docking and be back on board earlier with NCL than with any other cruise line. The ship does need to be cleared by local authorities but it's the same for all the cruise lines.

 

The people who are complaining about being nickled and dimed on NCL are upset by changes in the past year. We are not allowed to bring our own bottled water or soft drinks on board and that upset a lot of people. They don't want to pay the higher prices that NCL charge for their water and drinks. Also the fact that there is an 18% gratuity charged for the "free" drinks package upset a lot of people. I'm not thrilled with those changes either but I do like NCL and find their prices to be very competitive.

 

Wendy

[donaldsc]

Without getting into details, in AK it is only about the itinerary. The ship is irrelevant. Once you find your options with good itineraries, then worry about the ship.

 

DON

 

I should add to my post that we have done AK on HAL and on Princess and both were good. However, we picked the cruises on the itinerary and the port times and the ship was the last selection parameter.

 

Our best cruise to AK was on the Alaskan Dream which is a ship that you have never heard of - http://www.alaskandreamcruises.com/ships-deck-plans/alaskan-dream/. The reason was again the itinerary and the fact that ship got into places that larger ones can not get into and also because the itinerary was somewhat flexible. I should also point out that the ship holds only 40 passengers which was to us a plus. We dislike any large ship and to us a large ship is defined as one that hold more than 800 or so passengers.

 

 

 

DON

Edited September 16, 2016 by donaldsc

[ShipsandDipper]

 

Our best cruise to AK was on the Alaskan Dream which is a ship that you have never heard of - http://www.alaskandreamcruises.com/ships-deck-plans/alaskan-dream/. The reason was again the itinerary and the fact that ship got into places that larger ones can not get into and also because the itinerary was somewhat flexible. I should also point out that the ship holds only 40 passengers which was to us a plus. We dislike any large ship and to us a large ship is defined as one that hold more than 800 or so passengers.

 

 

DON

 

Similarly, our very best cruise to Alaska was on the Wilderness Discoverer, a 76-person ship that carried kayaks and zodiacs. I believe it's part of UnCruise now. When we got off in Juneau our ship looked tiny next to the regular cruise ships!

 

But our last-minute Princess cruise was probably 1/8th of the price.

Edited September 17, 2016 by ShipsandDipper

[OCruisers]

Princess and Holland America both have been cruising to Alaska for a very long time and provide wonderful Alaskan experiences.:)

[cowbob]

I'm sailing rccl to Alaska next May

 

 

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[PoohUnderstands]

One small addition to the decision making process.

 

If where you dock is important to you for mobility or any reason, then if itineraries are the same, etc., chose HAL!!!!!!!! They always get the prime dock location in ports of call and that makes just doing a town thing or running into town after a tour so much easier.

 

Princess seems to dock the furthest away and NCL was somewhere in the middle of the two.

 

This from just getting off my Alaskan cruise on Sept.18th on The Ruby Princess.

 

Pooh

[Coral]

 

One small factor in favor of HAL out of Seattle - that is HAL HQ so possibly a little more scrutiny by management. If they want to check out a ship on turnaround day it's a short trip to Pier 91.

 

Technically - Princess falls under the Holland America Group (which is based in Seattle). So if you go by your premise, the HAL Group can check on Princess ships in Seattle also.

 

 

If where you dock is important to you for mobility or any reason, then if itineraries are the same, etc., chose HAL!!!!!!!! They always get the prime dock location in ports of call and that makes just doing a town thing or running into town after a tour so much easier.

 

Princess seems to dock the furthest away and NCL was somewhere in the middle of the two.

 

 

Princess does dock far away in Juneau. They worked with the city of Juneau and built 2 docks that they can plug into and use Juneau power as opposed to run the power off of the ship - just being environmentally friendly!

Edited September 20, 2016 by Coral

[illiniwahoo]

I found the free ncl food highly dissappointing. I think celebrity had the best food, followed by pricesss, rccl, and finally NCL. That said, I would cruise NCL again, but just build the cost of the specialty restaurants into the budget up front. Pick your favorite itinerary and enjoy! Celebrity in Alaska had a great naturalist and historian aboard. I'm not sure how NCL customizes their alaska experience, so that's another great thing to research. Enjoy! Alaska is amazing!

 

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[knotgillty]

We're planning an Alaskan cruise for the end of next Aug....

 

We had pretty much decided to go with Princess. We've cruise the Caribbean with them and loved it.

 

We just got off a Princess cruise to Alaska (8/29 - 9/8). If you want to see some of the pics, I'm doing a trip report over in the Princess section. The ongoing trip report and photo's can be found here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2405511

[Wunderdoc]

Went in early September for 4 day land followed by cruise on Princess. Princess did a great job on the the land portion. The cruise was also good. This was my first time on Princess. I thought the food was good and comparable to Royal Caribbean. Did not think the Bayou Cafe was worth the extra money( Brazilian lobster tail was large bur flavorless and not worth the money). Sabitin's was great and highly recommended.

 

 

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[Sunny AZ Girl]

I will be looking for itineraries for July/August 2018 when itineraries are released after the first of the year. My dream itinerary is a one way NB that includes Glacier Bay. I also want a ship that allows for a lot of outside views. I did Alaska with my DD a few years ago on the Carnival Spirit and it was wonderful, but did not go to Glacier Bay. The ship allowed for outside viewing from inside, though.

 

We are usually RCI cruisers, but the ship does not go to Glacier Bay. Budget is a factor and when I look at the itineraries that include Glacier Bay for that time frame now on Princess the prices are ridiculous compared to NCL and RCI, but I am not happy with the port times offered by NCL. I also am not familiar with the NCL Pearl, so not sure about the views offered. So, all factors have to be considered for us. This is an extended family cruise so I don't want to leave anyone out due to high prices.

 

Any suggestions? I hope prices will be at their best when itineraries are released. I will also be contacting my TA who seems to do pricing magic soon after itineraries come out.