Hard time choosing cruise line

[antmintj]

Want to do a southbound cruise July 08 with four 50-somethings on our first Alaskan tour. We'll do independent land tour first, but the more we read these boards, the more we can't make up our mind about which cruiseline. If anyone out there has cruised Alaska on more than one line, let us know what the pros & cons were of each line. Thanks for any help in advance!

[Budget Queen]

I have cruised on 5 different lines- in Alaska. One factor to consider, is how tight you are going to be on your time interior Alaska?? It will be smoother, if you want to tour Seward to cruise out of there, making the most of your time. With that I would recommend HAL.

 

On one ways, I also recommend two glaciers, including College Fjords, otherwise you have a sea day crossing the Gulf, an added highlight.

 

But Carnival has 4 ports, including Sitka- which is another gem.

 

Princess one ways have a great itinerary and work especially well with adding a Prince William Sound boat tour prior to boarding. Also have those two recommended glacier sailings.

 

 

So- make a list, do your homework and determine what ports are the most interest and activites you wish to do. Look at time in ports, itinerary, ship naturalist, the above 3 lines all have one, some fantastic. Price- budget fully for costly excursions- you get only half a trip without them in my opinion.

 

Passenger demographics are pretty similar on ALL lines sailing Alaska, with middle aged and above the majority. Don't compare cruiselines to Caribbean sailings. Even Carnival fits the description, no party ships in Alaska. :)