Alaska from Seattle: Star or Ruby?

[karenor]

We are planning an Alaska cruise, RT from Seattle this August. Choosing Princess over Holland America on expectation that entertainment and food will be better on Princess. Looking for input on which ship to select, Ruby or Star Princess.

 

If we're mistaken on entertainment/food quality of Princess v. Holland, please explain your thinking. Still could be open to sailing on Nieuw Amersterdam.

TIA!

[Colo Cruiser]

22 minutes ago, karenor said:

We are planning an Alaska cruise, RT from Seattle this August. Choosing Princess over Holland America on expectation that entertainment and food will be better on Princess. Looking for input on which ship to select, Ruby or Star Princess.

 

If we're mistaken on entertainment/food quality of Princess v. Holland, please explain your thinking. Still could be open to sailing on Nieuw Amersterdam.

TIA!

Ruby Princess has a Riviera deck, the Golden does not.  

That = 500 extra passengers for basically the same ship.

Skywalker's which both ships have is an awesome place to hang out when in Alaska. The views are incredible from there.

Both have a full promenade deck with that great upper level all the way forward.

[karenor]

Oops - mistakenly mentioned wrong HAL ship. Also considering Eurodam, NOT Nieuw Amsterdam.

[1025cruise]

The Star and Ruby will be more similar than different. I've done Alaska on the Star.

 

I don't think you could go wrong with either ship.

[Coral]

Are they identical itineraries? I would go to the one that goes to Glacier Bay.

 

I prefer the Star Princess. It has a covered pool area (helpful when it is cooler or rainy) and 500 less passengers. Much less crowded.

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

Are they identical itineraries? I would go to the one that goes to Glacier Bay.

 

I prefer the Star Princess. It has a covered pool area (helpful when it is cooler or rainy) and 500 less passengers. Much less crowded.

 

Just what I was going to say.  I've sailed on the Star several times and she's a good ship ... was never impressed with the food on her, though ... but that was a long time ago.  Surely, they've swapped out their chefs by now. 

For Alaska, I have to have a covered pool area ... for me, it is a necessity so wouldn't even consider the Ruby.  

And yes ... the one that goes to Glacier Bay!!  Another great piece of advice from Coral.  

[Thrak]

I like both Ruby and Star. Star has the covered pool which I like. I don't use the pool but do like to sit in the Conservatory (deck above the pool) to read. Ruby has Adagio which we like and also Coffee and Cones and Salty Dog Grill on Lido. Ruby has Skywalker's moved forward so the Terrace Pool gets sunlight. Star has the original location of Skywalker's which puts the Terrace Pool in shade. On Ruby they served Alfredo's Pizza in Sabatini's on sea days. The last time we sailed Star there was no Alfredo's on any ship so I don't know they serve it on sea days or not.

 

We would be happy with either ship so would likely book the one with the lower price if there is a difference.

[love2relax]

For me, it would be the Star. She is just a little smaller than the Ruby. I like the layout better. Also, Captain Tuvo is a hoot. You will enjoy sailing with him. 

[GuardCruisers]

It has been years since we sailed on Holland, but back then, Holland, IMHO, had both better food and better shows.  The Holland cruises were also a tad more expensive.  For us though, it came down to the vibe on the two lines.  Loved the refined, better food and wonderful Broadway type shows on Holland, but it is an older crowd.  For us, Princess fits our fun-loving lifestyle better and just seems "funner".

[Eileen G]

41 minutes ago, GuardCruisers said:

It has been years since we sailed on Holland, but back then, Holland, IMHO, had both better food and better shows.  The Holland cruises were also a tad more expensive.  For us though, it came down to the vibe on the two lines.  Loved the refined, better food and wonderful Broadway type shows on Holland, but it is an older crowd.  For us, Princess fits our fun-loving lifestyle better and just seems "funner".

 

 

We just went on a HAL cruise ( 7th cruise on HAL) and the entertainment has all been subcontracted out. No more Broadway production shows. Most of the music was too loud to enjoy. The food was OK but nothing memorable in the MDR.

Hubby says no more HAL for us. We do prefer Princess (14 cruises on Princess) because of entertainment, better past customer perks (free WIFI) and more food options. Their ships also have more WOW factor. 

[peety3]

We've done two Seattle RT with Tracy Arm Fjord ("the Sunday sailing") and one Seattle RT with Glacier Bay ("the Saturday sailing"), along with two Vancouver->Whittier NBs and a four-night Sampler. Given how the Star and Ruby are similar (one deck different), I wouldn't pick on ship, I'd pick on itinerary and price:

 

The Saturday/GB sailing is usually $100-200 more per person (or at least for what I've shopped), and I find the itinerary more relaxing. It's "one thing a day" with mostly better timings in port: 1.5 hours more in Juneau, 5.25 hours more in Skagway, though 1.75 less in Ketchikan.

 

The Sunday/TAF sailing is a little bit more of "wait then hurry up then wait then hurry up": sea time heading to Ketchikan, a more relaxed day in Ketchikan then OMG WE HAVE LOTS TO DO AND NOT MUCH TIME TO DO IT GET UP EARLY TO SEE TRACY ARM FJORD THEN BUZZ AROUND JUNEAU SLEEP A BIT THEN BUZZ AROUND SKAGWAY then ~49 hours of relaxing at sea then (the same as GB) BUZZ AROUND VICTORIA FOR MAYBE THREE HOURS and OH POO TIME TO GET OFF THE SHIP. There is the option for the "lucky" 150-300 people who choose it to take the small boat excursion in TAF and IMHO it is absolutely money very well spent. It's almost as though you need to go to bed early on Monday so you're ready to go to bed early on Tuesday to be ready for the double-header on Wednesday, but now you've got a long day Wednesday and another early start on Thursday.

 

Disclaimer: my wife and I both enjoy photography, and it's becoming my new career. We schlep lots of gear onto the ship for our cruises, always do the TAF small-boat tour, and then go racing off into Juneau to do a whale watch with Gastineau Guiding (JNU-700 is the choice to make, if you ask me...), and then likely a private photo tour in Haines or Skagway. The TAF small-boat tour does constrain the schedule in Juneau a bit, and cuts out the opportunity for a nap in your own cabin. As a result, I find the timetable of the Sunday sailing a little more action-packed, whereas I'd prefer a more relaxed pace if I could. Your style may be different...

[BCCRUSINGCOUPLE]

I think the Star is the best choice it has Sky Walkers plus a indoor pool you can use when the weather is nice and cold outside