Why is Princess considered THE way to do an alaskan cruise?

[RedE2Go64]

I realize there are other cruise lines that do a great cruise in Alaska, but Princess is one that keeps popping up as one of THE preferred lines if your are doing Alaska. But I can't seem to find any examples of what is meant by that. What does Princess do on Alaska cruises that I wont find on NCL? Because of vacation time and financial l constraints, we have narrowed down to 2 options that work for us. Both are 7 day round trip from Seattle and visit Glacier Bay. We have never sailed on either line....always did Royal Caribbean and Carnival in the past.

 

1) Emerald Princess...older ship. In Juneau from 11:00 - 10:00pm

2) NCL Encore....newer ship. In Juneau from 2:30 - 11:00pm (is this enough time do do any major excursions? Concerned since we don't get there until 2:30.)

 

The itineraries are very similar, EXCEPT for time spend in Juneau and number of ships in ports. The days that Emerald is in each port, there is one less ship there (4 ships in Juneau vs 5 when Encore is there).

NCL Encore appeals to me because of the newness of the ship.  But if this is my only trip to Alaska, I want to do it right, as much as possible. 

 

So WHAT IS PRINCESS DOING THAT NCL doesn't do? Thank you for any guidance you can give to this first-timer. 

[1025cruise]

Princess has been in Alaska longer, that's why some say its better.

I know personally, I wouldn't want to do Alaska on a huge ship.

[dmdiver]

I have always heard that as well.  However, my hubby won't sail Princess again.  Our criteria when searching for an Alaskan cruise was to go into Glacier Bay.  So, we ended up booking NCL.  Our neighbors cruised Alaska with them last year & loved it, so we will give it a try.  We don't get into Juneau until 2:30, either, but apparently it doesn't get dark until later in the evening.  We are scheduled to do a whale-watching excursion there, so I guess there's plenty of time to see things in spite of the late arrival.

 

While I would still be willing to give Princess another try, it would have to be a really good deal.  We found the staff to be a bit stand-offish, with the exception of our cabin steward, who was great.  The ship we were on was beautiful.  I liked the food, but it was no better than anyone else's.  

 

I have heard also that if you do a combo land/sea trip, Princess offers a great trip, handling the luggage transfers from ship to hotel so you are not bothered with it.  So, that might be a factor for those wanting a longer vacation.  

[martincath]

The onboard experience is also fine-tuned for Alaska much more than NCLs. Princess have naturalists on all their ships - though in Glacier Bay you'll get the local Rangers boarding regardless of the line. Princess bring husky puppies onboard, do an axe-throwing contest, and have speakers who are professional lumberjacks or Iditarod racers.

 

I actually prefer NCLs product across the board compared to Princess, from food to entertainment to just how the ship works due to being all-eat-whenever-you-want instead of a mixed traditional/flex time. But Princess most definitely offer a more Alaska-focused experience on board - and the bells & whistles of a big new ship will only get used on sea days if you're doing Alaska right (i.e. getting off the ship and exploring). Plus, one less ship per day will make a noticeable difference in how crowded some of the ports are, unless all those other ships are big monsters. Skagway especially - it's tiny and only has ~900 actual residents, so even a single ship is dumping 2 or 3 times the town's population onto them.

 

Plus a smaller ship = more efficient getting on and off, which is another nice little perk for folks who do not have high Status on the line to get first dibs on tenders especially (with 5 in Juneau there's a good chance one is tendering, and NCL are low on the totem pole - Princess/HAL will always get a real berth before they do, another benefit to their long-standing relationships in Alaska!)

 

I'm going to assume you have priced up Vancouver RTs as well and discounted them - but if not, you should, as more Inside Passage time (including the most scenic parts of the entire coast) is definitely a big perk compared to 2 whole days of seeing diddly-squat except waves and other ships...

 

[CruiserBruce]

Princess (and Holland America) typically have 7 ships in Alaska...more than NCL. Don't think NCL does the land tours...do they?

[Jnsplace1]

I just looked at the itinerary for the Encore.   It's RT from Seattle right?   Looks like both Juneau and Keitchan short(er) port days, likely to make time for Glacier.   It's a big ship.   4,000 people?   It also looks like it goes outside Vancouver Island vs inside, likely due to it's size. 

 

I have cruised NCL several times before, I like them for their dinning service.  However, last NCL cruise (3500 people), I wasn't overly impressed due to the amount of people on the ship.  It felt less service and more frustration to me.  Since then, I've made a personal choice to try not to be on a ship more than 3000 people if I can.

 

Personally, Alaska should be experienced while on shore as well as off.  I like the one ways, but if you cannot do that, then try to be in port for about 8 hours each day so you can experience all the things.  Good luck

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by Jnsplace1

[Cruise_More_Often]

3 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Princess (and Holland America) typically have 7 ships in Alaska...more than NCL. Don't think NCL does the land tours...do they?

 

They do.

[RedE2Go64]

6 hours ago, dmdiver said:

We are scheduled to do a whale-watching excursion there, so I guess there's plenty of time to see things in spite of the late arrival.

 

I'm glad to know that. That was one of our concerns, so I'm glad to know that is an option if we do the Encore.

 

5 hours ago, martincath said:

Princess bring husky puppies onboard, do an axe-throwing contest, and have speakers who are professional lumberjacks or Iditarod racers.

 

5 hours ago, martincath said:

But Princess most definitely offer a more Alaska-focused experience on board - and the bells & whistles of a big new ship will only get used on sea days if you're doing Alaska right (i.e. getting off the ship and exploring). Plus, one less ship per day will make a noticeable difference in how crowded some of the ports

 

5 hours ago, martincath said:

Plus a smaller ship = more efficient getting on and off, which is another nice little perk f

 

5 hours ago, martincath said:

Inside Passage time (including the most scenic parts of the entire coast) is definitely a big perk compared to 2 whole days of seeing diddly-squat except waves and other ships...

Wow....those are all excellent points. Thank you for sharing this with me. I wasn't gung-ho on a smaller ship, but I see now hat it has some advantages. Also, didn't realize that Princess would take priority over NCL in case they have to tender. Bringing  people (and puppies) on board s like a big plus for Princess. The lumberjack sounds cool! I'll look again, but I think the Vancouver rt didn't work out, but that's a great point about the inside passage. I'm not looking forward to that first day out on the open water on Encore.

 

3 hours ago, Jnsplace1 said:

I have cruised NCL several times before, I like them for their dinning service.  However, last NCL cruise (3500 people), I wasn't overly impressed due to the amount of people on the ship.  It felt less service and more frustration to me. 

Sounds like a smaller ship is the way to go. 

 

 

Thank you all for your help! I feel like I have a better idea of why I keep reading about Princess. Either way, we will have a good time and experience things we've never done before. Alright, back to digging into my Alaska cruise research......

[AKStafford]

7 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

 Don't think NCL does the land tours...do they?

In my opinion and experience, the best way to do a land tour in Alaska is on your own with a rental car. There's nothing the cruiselines get you to that you couldn't experience on your own. The rental gives you more flexibility in choosing lodging and dining and activities that fit you, not the cruiselines' bottom line.

But, to each their own...

[Coral]

I think those are awful times in Juneau. Often people book a cruise with out knowing the times and come back and complain that they can't do much in that time period.

[Fairfield Nana]

My wife and I have been on NCL to Alaska, Royal Carib (Med and NE Canada), Viking (Baltic) and Oceania (Euro Coast). One of our favorites was Holland America last summer to Alaska including their 5-day Fairbanks & Denali. This entire adventure was fantastic in every way, especially the scenery we saw "up close and personal"!! Granted both Oceania and Viking were probably nicer with regard to food, but thats the difference between "very good" and "exceptional".

 

                                                                                      "Never met a cruise I didn't like"......Will Rogers?

Edited February 6, 2020 by Fairfield Nana