Favorite Cruise Line for Alaska

[Carlyzmom]

I have only done Caribbean cruises and only done Carnival (which I love) and one RCCL. I am open to trying something new and have heard Princess is great for Alaska. It would my my husband and myself. Early 50s. This is new territory for me, so I want to choose the best cruise like for the trip. Thanks!

[CruiserBruce]

There are many threads here discussing this or very similar issues. It is one of the most commonly asked questions here.

 

If you love Carnival,  it will be essentially the same product in Alaska. Same for RCI. 

 

"Best" is totally subjective and different from "favorite". If you look around,  you will see many discussions of the fact Princess and Holland America have the largest presence in Alaska,  have been there the longest, and along with NCL have the vast majority of the permits for Glacier Bay. You absolutely can't go wrong with either Princess or Holland America. 

[Mehroswitha]

I couldn't begin to address any question about the "best" cruise line for Alaska, but since you asked about "favorite" line, here goes:

 

We've been to Alaska twice and are going again next week, so we must like it! Our first trip was with Princess (2003); second time we switched to HAL (2016) because traveling companions strongly preferred it, and 2023 will be HAL for the same reason.

 

Both were great trips, with Princess having the edge (in our opinion) on entertainment, specialty dining, and onboard enrichment program. We preferred HAL for MDR meals and "atmosphere," by which I mean no kids allowed to run wild, fewer adults who over-imbibed, and a bit more serenity overall. None of those issues were a real problem on either trip, though. And I understand HAL has recently upped their game in onboard enrichment. We'll see next week!

 

Left to our own devices, we might have booked this return to Alaska on Viking, our current favorite line, but cruising with our friends is more important on this trip than what line.

 

Whatever line you choose, I have two strong recommendations. First, do a cruise tour if at all possible so you experience a bit more of Alaska. Denali Park is a magnificent experience, and the trip from there to your embarkation port (or vice versa) in one of the domed rail cars is not to be missed! HAL and Princess both operate their own lodges at Denali, and we liked the Princess one better simply as a matter of personal preference. Not sure whether other lines have their own. Second, try to choose an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay. Number of cruise ships allowed there each day is limited, and I believe Princess and HAL have most of the slots locked up.   

 

Hope that helps a bit! Decide to make the most of whatever it is that the line you choose does best and try to overlook the things they don't. You can't go wrong with Alaska so don't waste your emotional energy second-guessing yourself!

[Carlyzmom]

10 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

There are many threads here discussing this or very similar issues. It is one of the most commonly asked questions here.

 

If you love Carnival,  it will be essentially the same product in Alaska. Same for RCI. 

 

"Best" is totally subjective and different from "favorite". If you look around,  you will see many discussions of the fact Princess and Holland America have the largest presence in Alaska,  have been there the longest, and along with NCL have the vast majority of the permits for Glacier Bay. You absolutely can't go wrong with either Princess or Holland America. 

Thanks so much for your input. I knew it was dicey to ask, but I honestly didn't see any posts on this. Guess I needed to do a search. I haven't used these forums in years. But thanks for being kind! 

[Carlyzmom]

5 hours ago, Mehroswitha said:

I couldn't begin to address any question about the "best" cruise line for Alaska, but since you asked about "favorite" line, here goes:

 

We've been to Alaska twice and are going again next week, so we must like it! Our first trip was with Princess (2003); second time we switched to HAL (2016) because traveling companions strongly preferred it, and 2023 will be HAL for the same reason.

 

Both were great trips, with Princess having the edge (in our opinion) on entertainment, specialty dining, and onboard enrichment program. We preferred HAL for MDR meals and "atmosphere," by which I mean no kids allowed to run wild, fewer adults who over-imbibed, and a bit more serenity overall. None of those issues were a real problem on either trip, though. And I understand HAL has recently upped their game in onboard enrichment. We'll see next week!

 

Left to our own devices, we might have booked this return to Alaska on Viking, our current favorite line, but cruising with our friends is more important on this trip than what line.

 

Whatever line you choose, I have two strong recommendations. First, do a cruise tour if at all possible so you experience a bit more of Alaska. Denali Park is a magnificent experience, and the trip from there to your embarkation port (or vice versa) in one of the domed rail cars is not to be missed! HAL and Princess both operate their own lodges at Denali, and we liked the Princess one better simply as a matter of personal preference. Not sure whether other lines have their own. Second, try to choose an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay. Number of cruise ships allowed there each day is limited, and I believe Princess and HAL have most of the slots locked up.   

 

Hope that helps a bit! Decide to make the most of whatever it is that the line you choose does best and try to overlook the things they don't. You can't go wrong with Alaska so don't waste your emotional energy second-guessing yourself!

Thank you for your input!! Like I said, this is completely new territory for me and as a Type A planner, I would love to get the most out of my trip! I don't know anything about Alaskan ports or excursions and this gives me a great place to start. I appreciate it!!

[Luv2cruz1000]

We are currently booked with Princess for 2024 but we sailed to Alaska pre covid with Carnival. It was a cheap, wonderful cruise. I would not hesitate to sail with them again except I do want to see Glacier bay and Carnival does not do that. 

I would go to Alaska any way you can......just go!!!

 

[gottagoacruzn]

I enjoy rcl, goin to alaska, but this time, chose princess cuz there weren't any 10 day cruises that rcl had, so...

[KnitPicker5]

I heard that Princess gets preferential treatment in Alaska.