Alaska- which cruise line do you prefer?

[Dall]

For all that have cruised in Alaska, do you have a preference on the cruise line?  We’re looking at Celebrity Millennium.

[cruizergal70]

Everyone is going to tell you to choose a line that goes to Glacier Bay. I don't believe Glacier Bay is an absolute necessity. It's nice but it's not a deal breaker when choosing one line over the other. Look at all the other ports visited.

[Hlitner]

Our personal preference was Seabourn but if choosing a mass market line we would probably opt for Princess.  Why?  Princess has a big presence in Alaska including their own train cars, lodge (at Denali), buses, etc.  All this matters for folks who plan on combining a pre/post land option which generally will include some days at the Denali area.  As to Glacier Bay, we agree that it is among the highlights of cruising Alaska.  But we also enjoy Icy Strait Point which is a much less commercial port than most.  Any port that DOES NOT have a glaring Diamonds International store gets my interest :).

 

Hank

[rkacruiser]

My preferred Alaskan cruise itinerary is one that includes both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier.  Of my two preferred cruise lines, HAL and Princess, only Princess offers both ports and, unless the itineraries have changed, only on Southbound itineraries from Whittier to Vancouver.  

 

Being a part of RCI, Celebrity participates in the Alaskan land packages that Royal Caribbean operate.  But, Royal Caribbean does not have their own system of lodges, but, they do have their own rail cars and, I think, buses.  

[ontheweb]

I would add that we had a great naturalist aboard on our Princess cruise that included Glacier Bay. I don't know if other lines do the same. I suppose someone will let us know. But again, ours was really great.

[rkacruiser]

22 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

I would add that we had a great naturalist aboard on our Princess cruise that included Glacier Bay. I don't know if other lines do the same. I suppose someone will let us know. But again, ours was really great.

 

Both cruise lines have naturalists as well as NPS Rangers to provide commentary in Glacier Bay.  Both offer their own specific Alaska on-board cruise programs for their guests.  But, at least in my most recent experience with two Alaska cruises, one on Westerdam and one on Coral Princess, Princess edges HAL in that competition.  

[ontheweb]

4 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Both cruise lines have naturalists as well as NPS Rangers to provide commentary in Glacier Bay.  Both offer their own specific Alaska on-board cruise programs for their guests.  But, at least in my most recent experience with two Alaska cruises, one on Westerdam and one on Coral Princess, Princess edges HAL in that competition.  

As I said, ours on Princess was great! His name was (I guess still is!) Michael Modzelewski. I remember that because both his father and uncle were pro football players. (His uncle played for my favorite team, the NY Giants; his father played for the Cleveland Browns.)

[lenquixote66]

8 hours ago, Dall said:

For all that have cruised in Alaska, do you have a preference on the cruise line?  We’re looking at Celebrity Millennium.

We cruised on a HAL ship and loved it .

[Aquahound]

8 hours ago, Dall said:

For all that have cruised in Alaska, do you have a preference on the cruise line?  We’re looking at Celebrity Millennium.

 

Celebrity is an excellent choice, anywhere.  I've cruised Alaska on Celebrity, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean.  My favorite AK cruise was on the Celebrity Millennium.  

[wcook]

Beautiful ship, wonderful cruise. Go and have a great time. If you want to second guess something, I wouldn’t worry about cruise line, but I would think about a round trip out of Seattle or Vancouver rather than one way cruises that start or end near Anchorage. Unless you particularly want to visit Anchorage or the interior before/after your cruise of course. 
 

Note, whenever anyone insists on only picking a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay, be sure to read it with a snooty British accent overemphasizing their belief there are three syllables in Glacier. 

[crystalspin]

On 7/4/2022 at 2:16 PM, rkacruiser said:

My preferred Alaskan cruise itinerary is one that includes both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier.  Of my two preferred cruise lines, HAL and Princess, only Princess offers both ports and, unless the itineraries have changed, only on Southbound itineraries from Whittier to Vancouver.  

Holland America also has Hubbard+Glacier Bay on the 7-day Glacier Discovery Southbound Whittier to YVR. On either the Noordam or Nieuw Amsterdam.

[notscb]

On 7/4/2022 at 2:09 PM, cruizergal70 said:

It's nice but it's not a deal breaker when choosing one line over the other

Can you expand on this? I'm genuinely curious about your pro/con list as someone who is really interested in doing Alaska next!

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, crystalspin said:

Holland America also has Hubbard+Glacier Bay on the 7-day Glacier Discovery Southbound Whittier to YVR. On either the Noordam or Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

I appreciate the information.  I was unaware of that since I don't have a Cruise Atlas or an Alaska cruise brochure (if they exist).  I wonder since HAL is now sailing from Whittier, if that made a difference in including Hubbard with Glacier Bay.  

[crystalspin]

5 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

I was unaware of that since I don't have a Cruise Atlas or an Alaska cruise brochure (if they exist).

I only knew because I looked up a First-Time Cruiser's itinerary! It stuck in my head. 

 

I so prefer Steward to Whittier, but I can believe you are right that Whittier is a good send off for Hubbard. Interestingly, the Northbound Glacier Discovery does NOT do Hubbard -- Ocean currents? IDK.

[AKJonesy]

Holland America primarily for me because there are fewer kids and the average age is a bit older.  It's nice to mingle with people of same generation.  

[rkacruiser]

18 hours ago, crystalspin said:

I so prefer Steward to Whittier, but I can believe you are right that Whittier is a good send off for Hubbard. Interestingly, the Northbound Glacier Discovery does NOT do Hubbard -- Ocean currents? IDK.

 

Seward would be my preference as well.  But, sailing out of Whittier was something different for me and I did like it.  I have wondered, too, why Hubbard does not appear on either Princess' or HAL's Northbound itineraries.  

[skrufy]

On 7/4/2022 at 12:30 PM, Dall said:

For all that have cruised in Alaska, do you have a preference on the cruise line?  We’re looking at Celebrity Millennium.

We cruise Carnival exclusively. When a 14 day Carnival Alaska cruise pops up we book it. This cruise fills all our wants, 6 ports and many sea days at a good price.

[crystalspin]

We have done Alaska exclusively on Holland America (three times!) -- but have a Carnival booked because of their Los Angeles (Long Beach) round trip. Means no flights!

 

Princess used to have a similar LA R/T which we had booked going into the pandemic, that didn't happen and isn't offered any longer. They have R/T San Francisco but that is an additional very long day's drive coming from Four Corners area.

[Heidi13]

On 7/4/2022 at 10:30 AM, Dall said:

For all that have cruised in Alaska, do you have a preference on the cruise line?  We’re looking at Celebrity Millennium.

 

Yes, we have a preferred cruise line, but frankly, when cruising to Alaska the cruise line should be almost irrelevant. Alaska should be all about the scenery and ports. The ship is only an asset to transport you through the amazing scenery.

 

With 2 seasons working as a navigator and numerous cruises as a passenger, these are my thoughts, if you want to really see Alaska:

  - Avoid R/T cruises, unless you are starting in Seward/Whittier, as a land based pre/post tour provides a great opportunity to see more than the coast. This option isn't available for R/T out of Vancouver/Seattle and points south.

  - Most cruises state they cruise the "Inside Passage", but few of them cruise it extensively. Look for smaller ships that sail predominantly in the confined and scenic waters of the BC & Alaska Inside Passage. 

  - Avoid ships that use the Pacific Ocean. If your objective is to see Alaska, why spend numerous days pounding through the Pacific Ocean.

  - SE Alaska is OK, but most ports are too touristy, going up to Prince William Sound is amazing with the scenic cruising past multiple glaciers and snow-capped mountains.

  - Glaciers - With the exception of Prince Willian Sound, Hubbard is probably the most impressive, but you aren't guaranteed access. I have missed Hubbard a couple of times due to ice in the channel. Glacier Bay - have been way too many times (couple dozen +) and never failed to see at least 1 glacier. Bonus is the commentary from the Park Rangers. Tracy Arm - the ship rarely gets up to the glacier and often doesn't even get into the inlet.

  - Look for the smaller ports that don't have Diamond International, etc

  - Time of year is also a factor, as by late summer daylight is significantly less to enjoy the scenic cruising, as the ship spends the day in port. In early summer it is daylight well into the evening.

  - Weather - Alaska and the open ocean can have weather issues at any time, but the potential increases significantly by September.

  - In addition to the ports of call, check the amount of time in port and also what the actual alongside times are. An 07:00 arrival and 14:00 departure may be 7 hrs, but what is open that early in the morning.

 

Therefore, rather than picking a ship, I suggest researching Alaska and deciding what is of interest and picking an appropriate itinerary.

 

 

[capriccio]

Adding one more bullet point to Heidi13's extensive list:

 

• Investigate the enrichment programs (full time naturalists, guest lecturers, guest performers, etc.) offered on board and then ask here on Cruise Critic for passenger reviews of the programs.  They can add a great deal to any cruise, but especially if it is your first visit to Alaska.

[ontheweb]

10 minutes ago, capriccio said:

Adding one more bullet point to Heidi13's extensive list:

 

• Investigate the enrichment programs (full time naturalists, guest lecturers, guest performers, etc.) offered on board and then ask here on Cruise Critic for passenger reviews of the programs.  They can add a great deal to any cruise, but especially if it is your first visit to Alaska.

Agree, our Princess Alaska cruise was really enhanced by the naturalist, Mike Modzelewski, who was aboard.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, capriccio said:

Adding one more bullet point to Heidi13's extensive list:

 

• Investigate the enrichment programs (full time naturalists, guest lecturers, guest performers, etc.) offered on board and then ask here on Cruise Critic for passenger reviews of the programs.  They can add a great deal to any cruise, but especially if it is your first visit to Alaska.

 

Excellent point, thanks for adding.

[evandbob]

We have only sailed Alaska once, so our experience is limited.

 

However, Princess pulled off our land/sea tour seamlessly with no hitches or surprises. We flew into Anchorage and spent a week or so exploring interior Alaska prior to our one way weeklong sailing to Vancouver. 

 

We felt we optimized our time and made great memories on this one time destination for us.

[cruisemom42]

As mentioned at the top of the thread, you'll get lots of opinions.

 

I can add that we did a 7-day Alaska cruise on Millennium last year but it was a different itinerary to this year's offering.  The ship was wonderful, had recently been refurbished to update all areas and she shone. Of course, part of the lustre may have been the 50% capacity onboard and the fact that it was our first sailing post-COVID.

 

If you are somewhat interested in the Alaska scenery but MORE interested in a relaxing cruise with good food and entertainment, then I think you'd be happy on Millennium.

 

At the same time, however, we were disappointed in the scenery on the cruise. Some may say that Glacier Bay is not a "must", but we were heartily unimpressed with Tracey Arm -- not close to any glacier at all and very little "white" or stunning scenery.  

 

My other two Alaska cruises were with Princess and my son and I both agreed that the scenery on cruising day was better, the shorex offered were better, and the naturalists onboard were AMAZING compared with what we experienced on Celebrity.  (On one cruise I think we had the same naturalist as @ontheweb; every time he spoke the large auditorium was SRO.)

 

So in short, if the cruise/vacation is important, Celebrity is great. If the scenery/Alaska experience is tantamount, maybe consider a different line or at least be sure to look carefully at itineraries.

 

Edited July 24, 2022 by cruisemom42

[skrufy]

On 7/22/2022 at 8:45 PM, crystalspin said:

We have done Alaska exclusively on Holland America (three times!) -- but have a Carnival booked because of their Los Angeles (Long Beach) round trip. Means no flights!

 

Princess used to have a similar LA R/T which we had booked going into the pandemic, that didn't happen and isn't offered any longer. They have R/T San Francisco but that is an additional very long day's drive coming from Four Corners area.

We like the Carnival Journeys 14 day from Long Beach. Have done two so far and a third next year. This cruise incorporates all we like, 6 ports and a bunch of sea days.