NCL but considering HAL or Princess

[Firehunter]

We are still trying to find an Alaskan cruise to take with grandma (89 with walker and wheelchair) and our teenagers. We love NCL and NCLs freestyle, but may also consider HAL and Princess. The three are the only ones that go into Glacier Bay.

 

We are not into the night life, drinking or casinos. We are pretty casual and laid back and like to dress casual at dinners and only eat at a table with our family and not also strangers.

 

And we love aft balconies and fewer crowds. The Encore is a bit big for us, but is an option we are considering since the Sun does not have any wheelchair accessible aft balconies. Still researching afts on the other lines.

 

If you have cruised HAL and Princess before do you think they could be a good fit for us to consider too?

[luv2kroooz]

Princess pretty much owns Alaska. Great onboard experience and program. Food geared to Alaska. NCL has great rates to Alaska. Just pay attention to port times and docking locations, which can be far from the city center in some ports.

[OHCruiser]

I've cruised to Alaska on HAL, Princess, and now NCL.  I plan to go back and it WON'T be on NCL.

 

We had many issues on the NCL cruise that I've never experienced on HAL or Princess, but we were very disappointed in the way ports were handled. 

 

There were no talks about the ports other than shopping info [HAL often has history/nature talks]. 

NCL has a 30 year contract to dock 20 minutes away from downtown Ketchikan.  Shuttles are SCHOOL BUSSES.  I saw NO options for mobility impaired guests.  Once downtown, you...are...on...your...own to figure out the town operated shuttle.

 

Intense heat & melting is causing increased calving in Glacier Bay.  Our ship sailed in for about and 2 hours and then turned around and went out--too many "icebergs"...I don't see that improving much this summer, but I feel that on my HAL & Princess trips that conditions were similar and we were taken to the faces of glaciers without incident.

 

Other issues included a 3 hr. wait to board being held in a crowded, hot, unventilated area with no explanation ever, no fans or bed padding [the beds were rocks] available and unless USB powered guest supplied fans were confiscated, 2 bottles of wine confiscated rather than charged corkage and took 2 days to get it delivered to the room, ridiculously small buffet [The Garden Cafe] that offered repeat menus & barely cooked meats [had to request that truly bloody--not just rare--meat be put on the grill EVERY SINGLE TIME].  Not impressed.

[minabruuke]

Princess does an excellent job with their Alaska cruises.  Honestly, with your preferences, Princess sounds like a significantly better fit than NCL for you.

 

You will have no trouble getting a table just for your family on Princess and can dine at whatever time you wish; they have moved away from the "traditional" cruise dining style.  You can dress casually for dinner with the exception being that they do not allow shorts in the MDR. They do still have formal nights but I saw very few people in formal attire on my last Princess cruise, you could barely tell it was formal night in the MDR. If you wanted to avoid formal night entirely and the ship has an Alfredo's or Gigi's pizzeria, it is an excellent included dining venue that you could try out. It is a sit down restaurant with table service and they have more than just pizza. In my opinion, the food in the MDR on Princess is very good and they do a nice job of theming the menus for Alaska. I never feel any need to pay for speciality dining on Princess which is the total opposite of how I feel on NCL. 

 

Princess it is not a party atmosphere and it is rare to see over-intoxicated individuals on Princess. The casino is completely avoidable.

 

You're definitely making a good choice when it comes to choosing a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay!

 

I have not travelled with HAL but I have heard from many people that they also do an excellent job with Alaska cruises.  They are definitely comparable to Princess but skew slightly older so I am thinking with your teenagers Princess may be the better choice.

[fredflint]

You don't mention dates or size of all of the ships, early season there can still be ice so you cannot go down all the way to glaciers.  Smaller ships can usually go  down further too.  Later in the season is usually better than early, I sailed the end of June one year and it was great, also did May and it was disappointing. 

[mjkacmom]

16 hours ago, OHCruiser said:

I've cruised to Alaska on HAL, Princess, and now NCL.  I plan to go back and it WON'T be on NCL.

 

We had many issues on the NCL cruise that I've never experienced on HAL or Princess, but we were very disappointed in the way ports were handled. 

 

There were no talks about the ports other than shopping info [HAL often has history/nature talks]. 

NCL has a 30 year contract to dock 20 minutes away from downtown Ketchikan.  Shuttles are SCHOOL BUSSES.  I saw NO options for mobility impaired guests.  Once downtown, you...are...on...your...own to figure out the town operated shuttle.

 

Intense heat & melting is causing increased calving in Glacier Bay.  Our ship sailed in for about and 2 hours and then turned around and went out--too many "icebergs"...I don't see that improving much this summer, but I feel that on my HAL & Princess trips that conditions were similar and we were taken to the faces of glaciers without incident.

 

Other issues included a 3 hr. wait to board being held in a crowded, hot, unventilated area with no explanation ever, no fans or bed padding [the beds were rocks] available and unless USB powered guest supplied fans were confiscated, 2 bottles of wine confiscated rather than charged corkage and took 2 days to get it delivered to the room, ridiculously small buffet [The Garden Cafe] that offered repeat menus & barely cooked meats [had to request that truly bloody--not just rare--meat be put on the grill EVERY SINGLE TIME].  Not impressed.

That’s so weird about the wine, obviously it’s the port and not NCL but we’ve always just paid corkage before boarding (and now with free at sea you can bring on unlimited bottles of wine for free).

[kitkat343]

Historically, Princess and HAL both have a longstanding tradition of excellent cruises to Alaska.  We sailed Princess to Alaska, and they did a phenomenal job, especially with the port discussions and bringing puppies on board in Alaska (or dogs when there aren't puppies).

 

I'd agree that Princess tends to have younger clientele, and tends to be more supportive of families.  Their kids clubs are excellent for small children (we haven't sailed them with older kids yet).  

 

Prior to covid, we found the mainstream cruise lines to be more similar than different, and we sailed for the best itinerary but others sail for the best price.  

 

Two things to be cautious about with NCL:

 

1. They've changed itineraries after final payment.  On my cruise, they dropped one port and the morning of another for environmental reasons and continued to advertise the original itinerary for the next month.  No one was allowed to cancel or reschedule, even people who purchased  the cruise after the port cancellations who bought their cruises directly from NCL and weren't notified of the changes by NCL.  The Spirit was also affected by cancellations this season, and NCL canceled the inside passage after final payment and did not let people make changes.

 

2. NCL has "free at sea" drink packages.  You pay significant taxes and fees on these packages (and can choose to decline the free package if you don't want to pay the taxes and fees).  Recently, some NCL ships were not serving alcohol to guests in some European ports who had purchased the drink package, and at least initially refused to refund their taxes and fees (I think after some protest NCL refunded fees on some sailings but am not sure since this turned into a really long thread I haven't finished reading).

 

In Alaska, I'd strongly recommend Princess for a younger family.  Hal is a good choice for an older family or people who are happy sailing on a ship with mostly older passengers.

[Sundiego]

We have sailed Alaska on all 3 cruise lines. Our most recent was Sept 2022 on the NCL Bliss. We are big fans of NCL but honestly, the Bliss was not that great for Alaska. It's a great ship, but also a big ship and was docked far from the ports. We kept saying how relieved we were that we had been to the ports before because getting off the ship and "into town" was a hassle and I imagine some first time cruisers were surprised and disappointed by that.

 

I recommend Princess and if you have a choice of ships (and I'm guessing you will), the smaller the better.

 

Enjoy!

 

Denise

[Sigyn]

I think Princess or HAL sound like good options for you. I had a friend take the Norwegian Bliss to Alaska and while she normally likes NCL, she said that particular cruise was the worst she'd ever taken. 

Edited May 28, 2023 by njsmom

[Firehunter]

22 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

Princess pretty much owns Alaska. Great onboard experience and program. Food geared to Alaska. NCL has great rates to Alaska. Just pay attention to port times and docking locations, which can be far from the city center in some ports.

 

Thank you. Posts I'm reading through now are saying similar, food geared toward Alaska and onboard programs sound great. One big disappointment I've found is ships get in too late to Victoria. We loved seeing orcas in the wild and swimming right past our tour boat last time and I was looking forward to another Victoria orca tour. 

 

20 hours ago, OHCruiser said:

I've cruised to Alaska on HAL, Princess, and now NCL.  I plan to go back and it WON'T be on NCL.

 

We had many issues on the NCL cruise that I've never experienced on HAL or Princess, but we were very disappointed in the way ports were handled. 

 

There were no talks about the ports other than shopping info [HAL often has history/nature talks]. 

NCL has a 30 year contract to dock 20 minutes away from downtown Ketchikan.  Shuttles are SCHOOL BUSSES.  I saw NO options for mobility impaired guests.  Once downtown, you...are...on...your...own to figure out the town operated shuttle.

 

Intense heat & melting is causing increased calving in Glacier Bay.  Our ship sailed in for about and 2 hours and then turned around and went out--too many "icebergs"...I don't see that improving much this summer, but I feel that on my HAL & Princess trips that conditions were similar and we were taken to the faces of glaciers without incident.

 

Other issues included a 3 hr. wait to board being held in a crowded, hot, unventilated area with no explanation ever, no fans or bed padding [the beds were rocks] available and unless USB powered guest supplied fans were confiscated, 2 bottles of wine confiscated rather than charged corkage and took 2 days to get it delivered to the room, ridiculously small buffet [The Garden Cafe] that offered repeat menus & barely cooked meats [had to request that truly bloody--not just rare--meat be put on the grill EVERY SINGLE TIME].  Not impressed.

 

With grandma needing a walker or a wheelchair for long walks being far from downtowns and using school buses may be a problem.

 

Too many icebergs to get in Glacier Bay too far on bigger ships makes me glad we like smaller ones. I better choose a smaller ship then, because a big reason we are taking grandma to Alaska is to see Glacier Bay.

 

19 hours ago, minabruuke said:

Princess does an excellent job with their Alaska cruises.  Honestly, with your preferences, Princess sounds like a significantly better fit than NCL for you.

 

You will have no trouble getting a table just for your family on Princess and can dine at whatever time you wish; they have moved away from the "traditional" cruise dining style.  You can dress casually for dinner with the exception being that they do not allow shorts in the MDR. They do still have formal nights but I saw very few people in formal attire on my last Princess cruise, you could barely tell it was formal night in the MDR. If you wanted to avoid formal night entirely and the ship has an Alfredo's or Gigi's pizzeria, it is an excellent included dining venue that you could try out. It is a sit down restaurant with table service and they have more than just pizza. In my opinion, the food in the MDR on Princess is very good and they do a nice job of theming the menus for Alaska. I never feel any need to pay for speciality dining on Princess which is the total opposite of how I feel on NCL. 

 

Princess it is not a party atmosphere and it is rare to see over-intoxicated individuals on Princess. The casino is completely avoidable.

 

You're definitely making a good choice when it comes to choosing a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay!

 

I have not travelled with HAL but I have heard from many people that they also do an excellent job with Alaska cruises.  They are definitely comparable to Princess but skew slightly older so I am thinking with your teenagers Princess may be the better choice.

 

That all sounds great and I'm definitely leaning heavily toward Princess for our choice of lines, thank you!

 

6 hours ago, fredflint said:

You don't mention dates or size of all of the ships, early season there can still be ice so you cannot go down all the way to glaciers.  Smaller ships can usually go  down further too.  Later in the season is usually better than early, I sailed the end of June one year and it was great, also did May and it was disappointing. 

 

We were thinking late May or early June. Hope this time is good for the smaller ships to get further into seeing Glacier Bay. If not, then we'll look at late June. When in May were you disappointed? We don't want to go to far into the summer, because we don't want to be away from home during the more active hurricane season. We are from Houston.

 

3 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

Historically, Princess and HAL both have a longstanding tradition of excellent cruises to Alaska.  We sailed Princess to Alaska, and they did a phenomenal job, especially with the port discussions and bringing puppies on board in Alaska (or dogs when there aren't puppies).

 

I'd agree that Princess tends to have younger clientele, and tends to be more supportive of families.  Their kids clubs are excellent for small children (we haven't sailed them with older kids yet).  

 

Prior to covid, we found the mainstream cruise lines to be more similar than different, and we sailed for the best itinerary but others sail for the best price.  

 

Two things to be cautious about with NCL:

 

1. They've changed itineraries after final payment.  On my cruise, they dropped one port and the morning of another for environmental reasons and continued to advertise the original itinerary for the next month.  No one was allowed to cancel or reschedule, even people who purchased  the cruise after the port cancellations who bought their cruises directly from NCL and weren't notified of the changes by NCL.  The Spirit was also affected by cancellations this season, and NCL canceled the inside passage after final payment and did not let people make changes.

 

2. NCL has "free at sea" drink packages.  You pay significant taxes and fees on these packages (and can choose to decline the free package if you don't want to pay the taxes and fees).  Recently, some NCL ships were not serving alcohol to guests in some European ports who had purchased the drink package, and at least initially refused to refund their taxes and fees (I think after some protest NCL refunded fees on some sailings but am not sure since this turned into a really long thread I haven't finished reading).

 

In Alaska, I'd strongly recommend Princess for a younger family.  Hal is a good choice for an older family or people who are happy sailing on a ship with mostly older passengers.

 

Wow, I've been off Cruise Critic for a while. Looks like I have to catch up to all that is going on with NCL and the other cruise lines. I have been wanting to try the inside passage for an Alaska cruise, so I'll make sure an inside passage one is not with NCL just in case this happens again.

 

2 hours ago, Sundiego said:

We have sailed Alaska on all 3 cruise lines. Our most recent was Sept 2022 on the NCL Bliss. We are big fans of NCL but honestly, the Bliss was not that great for Alaska. It's a great ship, but also a big ship and was docked far from the ports. We kept saying how relieved we were that we had been to the ports before because getting off the ship and "into town" was a hassle and I imagine some first time cruisers were surprised and disappointed by that.

 

I recommend Princess and if you have a choice of ships (and I'm guessing you will), the smaller the better.

 

Enjoy!

 

Denise

 

Thank you, this is definitely good to know since we will have mobility challenges with grandma and being closer with a smaller ship may be better for her.

 

2 hours ago, njsmom said:

I think Princess or HAL sound like good options for you. I had a friend take the Norwegian Bliss to Alaska and while she normally likes NCL, she said that particular cruise was the worst she'd ever taken. 

 

Thank you. Looks we are strongly considering Princess and if NCL then definitely on a smaller ship.

[OHCruiser]

We were actually on the NCL Sun, considered a smaller ship, in mid-May. That ship hit an iceberg in Alaska last year, was damaged, and limped back to Juneau.  It was a mess, so maybe the company or the park service is being more cautious this year?

 

HAL goes to Stehen's Passage, Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, and Endicott Arm/Dawes glacier, depending on the itinerary.  The 7 day "7-Day Glacier Discovery Southbound" hits 2 of those.  You'd be sure to see something, I'd think.

[Firehunter]

2 hours ago, OHCruiser said:

We were actually on the NCL Sun, considered a smaller ship, in mid-May. That ship hit an iceberg in Alaska last year, was damaged, and limped back to Juneau.  It was a mess, so maybe the company or the park service is being more cautious this year?

 

HAL goes to Stehen's Passage, Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, and Endicott Arm/Dawes glacier, depending on the itinerary.  The 7 day "7-Day Glacier Discovery Southbound" hits 2 of those.  You'd be sure to see something, I'd think.

 

 

Oh wow! Yes, we were considering the Sun over the Encore due to it's smaller size and extra 2 days. Did everyone's cruise end at that point?

[toyotamom]

We have done Alaska on the 3 lines you are thinking of.  The only one we would not consider doing again is HAL.  We did HAL twice thinking maybe the first time wasn't typical but the second time was the same.  It was a very stuffy feeling group on board.  The funny thing was both times we took it, it was because it was the cheapest.  But the passengers all acted like it was a country club, not the bargain cruise it was.   The people didn't have a reason to be uppity.  We are very laid back travelers and getting dressed up for meals isn't a vacation for us.  Unless HAL has changed they were very rigid about that.  We had a great time on both our Alaska cruises on Princess and have been numerous times on NCL and will be going again in July.  We will be traveling with family and friends on this one with passengers ranging from 21 months to 90 years old.  NCL has always been a pleasure no matter the age of the travelers.  I hope you have a wonderful time on the cruise you choose.

[RB9643]

9 minutes ago, toyotamom said:

 We are very laid back travelers and getting dressed up for meals isn't a vacation for us.  Unless HAL has changed they were very rigid about that.  

 

I have heard HAL is changing. We'll be taking our first cruise with them next year.

 

I think as we Gen-X'ers start pushing 60 and are looking for that more subdued type of cruise, they are changing some of their more "rigid" policies, especially concerning dress code. I still believe pants and a collared shirt should be prerequisites for any line's MDR, but you can throw out the tie and/or sports coat.

 

We ain't Boomers.

 

 

[toyotamom]

41 minutes ago, RB9643 said:

 

 

 

We ain't Boomers.

 

 

Actually, we are Boomers.  Born 1957 and 1959.  We love cruising and have cruised Carnival, Princess, Royal, Holland and Norwegian.  Since first cruising NCL in 2007 it has become our go to.(As stupid as it sounds I never wanted to cruise them because I thought the outside of their ships were ugly.  A travel agent convinced me to give them a try for my husbands 50th birthday.)  We have traveled some of the other lines since then but always compare them to the rooms and service we have on NCL.  We haven't found anything to compare.  We have had great cruises on some of the other lines though.  Cruising is definitely our happy place.

[Sigyn]

10 hours ago, RB9643 said:

 

I have heard HAL is changing. We'll be taking our first cruise with them next year.

 

I think as we Gen-X'ers start pushing 60 and are looking for that more subdued type of cruise, they are changing some of their more "rigid" policies, especially concerning dress code. I still believe pants and a collared shirt should be prerequisites for any line's MDR, but you can throw out the tie and/or sports coat.

 

We ain't Boomers.

 

 

We ain't Boomers. 🤣

 

That's the best line I've seen on CC!

I'm 55, so an older Gen X, and I'm tired of my teenage son calling me a Boomer, damn it! 😜

 

We definitely have our own style of dress and preferences to older generations, and the younger generations coming after us. The Breakfast Club is real!!!!!

[Sigyn]

9 hours ago, toyotamom said:

Actually, we are Boomers.  Born 1957 and 1959.  We love cruising and have cruised Carnival, Princess, Royal, Holland and Norwegian.  Since first cruising NCL in 2007 it has become our go to.(As stupid as it sounds I never wanted to cruise them because I thought the outside of their ships were ugly.  A travel agent convinced me to give them a try for my husbands 50th birthday.)  We have traveled some of the other lines since then but always compare them to the rooms and service we have on NCL.  We haven't found anything to compare.  We have had great cruises on some of the other lines though.  Cruising is definitely our happy place.

You're young boomers tho, so it doesn't count. 🙂

[toyotamom]

7 hours ago, njsmom said:

You're young boomers tho, so it doesn't count. 🙂

You are my new best friend.

[Sigyn]

9 minutes ago, toyotamom said:

You are my new best friend.

You're the same age as my best friend, and she dresses just like me, so, I know what I know. 🙂

[OHCruiser]

21 hours ago, Firehunter said:

 

 

Oh wow! Yes, we were considering the Sun over the Encore due to it's smaller size and extra 2 days. Did everyone's cruise end at that point?

Yep. Norwegian Cruise ship hits iceberg near Alaska, video shows (nypost.com)

[OHCruiser]

18 hours ago, toyotamom said:

We have done Alaska on the 3 lines you are thinking of.  The only one we would not consider doing again is HAL.  We did HAL twice thinking maybe the first time wasn't typical but the second time was the same.  It was a very stuffy feeling group on board.  The funny thing was both times we took it, it was because it was the cheapest.  But the passengers all acted like it was a country club, not the bargain cruise it was.   The people didn't have a reason to be uppity.  We are very laid back travelers and getting dressed up for meals isn't a vacation for us.  Unless HAL has changed they were very rigid about that.  We had a great time on both our Alaska cruises on Princess and have been numerous times on NCL and will be going again in July.  We will be traveling with family and friends on this one with passengers ranging from 21 months to 90 years old.  NCL has always been a pleasure no matter the age of the travelers.  I hope you have a wonderful time on the cruise you choose.

Well, we're, as some have said above, "young boomers"--66 & 67. 

Yes, HAL has changed. No more Gala nights.

At 4* Mariners, we just can't beat the fares, itineraries, loyalty benefits, service, & comfort.

We just dress the way we want, eat where we want, and don't worry about others.  

[2bc cruisers]

I’ve done two HAL cruises to Alaska.  I really liked being able to go out on the bow while in glacier bay.  For me that was a definite highlight.  Got my glacier bay NP stamp and blacktop NP pamphlet from the rangers on board.  
im not a big fan of HAL overall,I like NCL and my perks there, but HAL was a great cruise to Alaska twice. 

[Liljo22]

On 5/29/2023 at 8:32 AM, njsmom said:

We ain't Boomers. 🤣

 

That's the best line I've seen on CC!

I'm 55, so an older Gen X, and I'm tired of my teenage son calling me a Boomer, damn it! 😜

 

We definitely have our own style of dress and preferences to older generations, and the younger generations coming after us. The Breakfast Club is real!!!!!

Ok Boomer.

 

 

 

 

 

J/K

[cruiseny4life]

On 5/28/2023 at 11:06 PM, RB9643 said:

 

I have heard HAL is changing. We'll be taking our first cruise with them next year.

 

I think as we Gen-X'ers start pushing 60 and are looking for that more subdued type of cruise, they are changing some of their more "rigid" policies, especially concerning dress code. I still believe pants and a collared shirt should be prerequisites for any line's MDR, but you can throw out the tie and/or sports coat.

 

We ain't Boomers.

 

 

Uh oh! My Millennial self feels targeted. ❄️

 

NCL is great at allowing us wear what we'd like in the restaurants. My husband and I purposely avoid Le Bistro, Ocean Blue, the aft dining rooms as pants and collared shirts are required. 

 

We enjoy our flippie floppies, t-shirts, and shorts. It's the way we roll! I dress up too much when I'm in the office...I realize the irony of saying this as I am currently sitting at my desk with socks on, but no shoes! What can I say? It's a slow day and you can't see my feet on Zoom. 🙂 

[RB9643]

7 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Uh oh! My Millennial self feels targeted. ❄️

 

 

It's good to be an Xer.  The Boomers and Millennial's always seem to be in a constant battle, while we just kick back and laugh at both of you.  🤣