Please help...

[scooton]

We're planning a trip to Alaska in August for my bf's 30th. I'm completely at a loss as to which cruise line to book!

I've tried to read up on them all but they all seem really good. Can somebody please help me pick between Royal Caribean, Princess and Celebrity. Or recommend any others?

The itinerary isn't a huge issue to us because this will be our first time in Alaska and on a cruise and if we like it we will definitely be back to spend more time on the itinerary.

 

I really would appreciate any tips on which cruise line to go with!

[rjscott]

Scooten, check out which ships of those cruise lines are doing Alaska when you want to go. Then, check for comments on the ships under those cruise lines' forums. That may help you narrow your choices down. We've sailed on all 3 of the cruise lines you've mentioned, and they are all good, but I prefer some ships in the lines to others.

[thinfool]

Go with Princess...but if you are looking at August 08 you should get cracking!

 

August is "high" season for Alaska cruising and the ships fill early.

 

I suggest either the Diamond or Sapphire Princess, northbound or southbound.

 

2nd choice is Holland America.

[scooton]

Scooten, check out which ships of those cruise lines are doing Alaska when you want to go. Then, check for comments on the ships under those cruise lines' forums. That may help you narrow your choices down. We've sailed on all 3 of the cruise lines you've mentioned, and they are all good, but I prefer some ships in the lines to others.

 

I don't mean to dismiss your advice but I've done just that! And everytime I read a review I think "ya, that sounds good" and then I read the next one and that sounds just as good lol

 

Total indecisiveness.

 

I'll have a look at Diamond and Saphire. Thanks!

 

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated!

[gazingm42]

It really hard to make a decision for anyone. Its like asking some

one to tell them which truck mfg they should purchase.

 

Some factors to look at his age of cruisers, ports, round trip or one way,

price (A big), Balcony or no Balcony.

 

We personally stick with Carnival because of the age of the cruises seem

to be younger where some lines have a older medium age. The main reason

we pick CCL is price.

 

Everyone has their line they are cheerleaders for. It comes down to personally

choice.

[cjnky]

Princess and HAL have the most experience with Alaska. We loved the Coral Princess - a smaller ship than the Diamond and Sapphire.

[scooton]

Ok, thanks. I think from what i've been reading Princess is getting the thumbs up at the moment. I guess now it's just a case of picking which Princess ship to go with!

 

Do ppl recomend forking our for a balcony room? There seems to be a massive difference in price. Is it worth it?

[scooton]

Ok i'm back with even more questions. What websites do people recommend for booking?? I was on cruisecheap.com but apparently you can't book princess cruises from that site if you're outside the US.

[vbmom87]

Ok i'm back with even more questions. What websites do people recommend for booking?? I was on cruisecheap.com but apparently you can't book princess cruises from that site if you're outside the US.

 

One of the rules of cruise critic is we are not allowed to recommend travel agencies of any kind...free standing or online discounters.

[scooton]

One of the rules of cruise critic is we are not allowed to recommend travel agencies of any kind...free standing or online discounters.

 

Okey doke! I guess i'm on my own on that one :D

[vbmom87]

We're planning a trip to Alaska in August for my bf's 30th. I'm completely at a loss as to which cruise line to book!

I've tried to read up on them all but they all seem really good. Can somebody please help me pick between Royal Caribean, Princess and Celebrity. Or recommend any others?

The itinerary isn't a huge issue to us because this will be our first time in Alaska and on a cruise and if we like it we will definitely be back to spend more time on the itinerary.

 

I really would appreciate any tips on which cruise line to go with!

 

Although you say itinerary isn't a big issue, perhaps you should reconsider. Alaska vacations are very expensive. I just find it hard to believe that someone would not want to get the most for their money.

 

As someone already said, we all have varied interests, so what one considers a great trip, another might find lacking.

 

I suggest you study ports and glaciers. Which cities seem most attractive to you? Which glaciers appeal to you? Glacier Bay seems to get the edge on this board, with Hubbard a close second.

 

For me, I wanted to see glaciers, so I picked a cruise that went to Glacier Bay and College Fjords. I also picked a cruise with long times in port. Many are disappointed after selecting their cruise when they find out they won't have time to do the things that wanted when they are in port. I have a long enough day in Juneau to go on the all day Adventure Bound boat tour into Tracy Arm Glacier area. As I said, glaciers were a priority.

 

You also need to decide if you want one way or round trip? If you go on a one way, you would have time to spend on land either before or after. We wanted to go on an independent land tour so we chose a one way. After reading a lot on these boards, I narrowed it down to Princess and Holland. These two lines have the most experience in Alaska. They both have naturalists on board, which appealed to me. It was a toss up between the two lines. We ended up choosing Holland. We will disembark in Seward where we will spend a night...we will have almost two full days there. We will have time to go on the 9 hour Northwestern Fjords boat trip, see Exit Glacier, visit the Alaska Sea Life Center and if we want we will be able to go on Seavey Dog cart ride. We chose an itinerary that would let us do the things we found most interesting.

 

After you have narrowed down a few more things, come back and ask more questions.

 

I really think you need to spend more time deciding what you want to see, before you pick a cruiseline. If you are only about cruising and not about Alaska, there are less costly places to cruise.

[vbmom87]

Okey doke! I guess i'm on my own on that one :D

 

I would just suggest you check many of them. I must have checked at least 25 online discounters. Only two were cheaper (and not by much) than my local agent. I liked dealing with a "real" person. This was my first cruise, so for me I was more comfortable doing it this way. Since I purchased my tickets, there have been two price drops. I just called my agent and she took care of it very promptly.

 

Whoever you go with, make sure you read all the fine print. If you cancel, will they charge a fee? If there is a price drop, will they charge you a fee to make the price adjustment? If you decide to change cabins, will they charge you a fee? Just make sure you know what you are buying.

 

Many on this board book with online discounters and are very happy. If I ever cruise again, I would be more comfortable now that I know so much more. However, I would only do it, if I was able to get a much better price than through my local agent. Saving a few dollars would not cut it for me.

 

Once you book, you can keep checking until final payment. If prices go down, you can ask for an adjustment. Usually you can't get an adjustment after final payment. However, I do recall reading that some people were successful getting the price adjustment even after final payment. It might depend on the cruiseline. Right now I am at a very good price.

 

Just take a little time to get it right.

[rjscott]

Scooten, you've gotten some great advice so far. Our cruise to Alaska was on the Sapphire Princess, inside passage northbound. Personally, I wouldn't have chosen such a large ship, but our friends had already booked and wanted us to sail with them. Although the ship is large and we did a lot of walking from our aft cabin to their forward cabin, I have to say the size of the ship was very manageable and getting on/off at the ports was not a huge hassle, which was my concern. As for inside/outside/balcony, we had an inside cabin. Although our friends had a large verandah where we spent some time, there was plenty of room on the outside decks to enjoy the scenery, even during the days we were cruising the glaciers, and we spent a fair amount of time on one or another of the decks.

Hope this helps!

[judynorth]

You can't really make a wrong choice for an Alaska cruise. They are all going to show you some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. We found that there is no way that you can do it all on one trip. That is why we are heading back for the 3rd time. We have been on the Diamond and the Coral and much prefer the Coral. It is smaller and "friendlier". When we sailed the Diamond she was doing the roundtrip out of Seattle. On the Coral we did a northbound voyage of the glaciers. Our next cruise is on HAL going to Hubbard Glacier. We chose this for the different itinerary. For a 1st trip to Alaska I think I would choose an itinerary that goes to Glacier Bay and College Fjords because you are assured of seeing many glaciers. We really liked Princess but have heard great things about HAL.

 

A balcony is nice but not necessary. It just depends on your budget. If you have to make a choice of spending money on a balcony or excursions, spend it on excursions (which are expensive in Alaska). Most of the time you will be spending time on deck when you are glacier and wildlife viewing. It will probably be too cold to spend a lot of time on the balcony even in August.

 

If you are planning to go in August '08 your choices might be limited. As mentioned earlier, August is high season for Alaska. You might have to settle for what you can get booking this late. Good luck! You are going to LOVE Alaska.

[cajun-crazy]

When I was planning our trip for 2008 last summer, I made an excel spreadsheet of the ships that had features I thought were important. What is important to some isn't to others. I wanted a solarium (covered pool area), I liked the buffets that were broken up into different stations (instead of one long serving line), if a particular port was important-I included that on my spreadsheet, if a one-way trip was important (and not a round-trip)-I only listed those choices. I decided I was not going to be able to pick the "perfect fit". There were several that would've been just fine.

 

I did decide I wanted to spend time in Seward before the trip - and ended up selecting the Radiance (Royal Caribbean). It doesn't seem to be as popular among posters here as Princess, but for me it will be just fine. We're a younger bunch - and Royal Caribbean caters to a younger age demographics than-say HAL.

 

Whatever you decide, I think you need to get moving. Excursions are booking up quickly - and you need to know where you're going so you can book any special excursions that are out there.

 

Have fun! To me, the most fun is planning.

[trooper 1]

Scooten, you've gotten some great advice so far. which was my concern.... As for inside/outside/balcony, we had an inside cabin. Although our friends had a large verandah where we spent some time, there was plenty of room on the outside decks to enjoy the scenery, even during the days we were cruising the glaciers, and we spent a fair amount of time on one or another of the decks.

Hope this helps!

 

We are former Alaskans and have been to, or lived in, all of the ports of call. You are going to get a ton of advice about cabin location. Some people (apparently) think "since it is Alaska, price be darned" and book a balcony cabin, IMHO. Some shore tours in Alaska are very pricey. A few hundred bucks saved on a cabin can be used to finance shore tours. You will not miss much, if any, of the glaciers, etc., because, as stated above, there is always room on the outside decks. Another advantage of inside cabins is they get dark. It was a tremendous adjustment for us to go to bed and get any sleep when it looked like it was time to get up outside.

[Sunshine Gal]

We're planning a trip to Alaska in August for my bf's 30th. I'm completely at a loss as to which cruise line to book!

I've tried to read up on them all but they all seem really good. Can somebody please help me pick between Royal Caribean, Princess and Celebrity. Or recommend any others?

The itinerary isn't a huge issue to us because this will be our first time in Alaska and on a cruise and if we like it we will definitely be back to spend more time on the itinerary.

 

I really would appreciate any tips on which cruise line to go with!

 

I also would recommend taking a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay and College Fjord. Some cruises go to Hubbard Glacier but very often, especially in May and June the ships do not get anywhere near the glacier. Of all the cruise lines that we have sailed to Alaska my favorite is Princess followed by Holland America. There are also many other very good cruise lines that sail to Alaska. The only two ships that I would not recommend that sail to Alaska this year are the Celebrity Infinity and the Celebrity Millennium because of the mechanical propulsion problems that have plagued these ships, off and on, over the past several years.

 

Princess, IMHO does the best overall job of providing a reliable and enjoyable Alaska experience.

 

You are in for a great experience in Alaska.

Enjoy your cruise!

[wolfshadow]

The only two ships that I would not recommend that sail to Alaska this year are the Celebrity Infinity and the Celebrity Millennium because of the mechanical propulsion problems that have plagued these ships, off and on, over the past several years.

quote]

Propulsion problems??? There haven't been any pod problems for almost a year and a half. But, please, keep telling people that because us X'ers like to keep the best service and food and aft cabins to ourselves. It's our little secret........lol! :p

[scooton]

Thanks everyone! I've been doing some serious reading over the last few days. I spoke to my local travel agent today. Does anyone have an opinon on the Norwegian Sun? I've gotten a great price on this from my travel agent today but I am cautious about booking it as I haven't really read any reports on here about it.

 

As for the tours I think ideally we'd like to do a helicopter trip to see the glaciers, whale watching and maybe something with huskies? Can people recommend the best places to do each of these?

[Budget Queen]

Thanks everyone! I've been doing some serious reading over the last few days. I spoke to my local travel agent today. Does anyone have an opinon on the Norwegian Sun? I've gotten a great price on this from my travel agent today but I am cautious about booking it as I haven't really read any reports on here about it.

 

As for the tours I think ideally we'd like to do a helicopter trip to see the glaciers, whale watching and maybe something with huskies? Can people recommend the best places to do each of these?

 

I really like the NCL Sun, great deck viewing. BUT I strongly suggest you budget into your funds $180++ pp and take the Tracy Arm Jet boat add on tour. Absolutely necessary in my opinion.

 

For whale watching, look for tours out of Juneau, Skagway for your helicopter and sled dogs.

 

Here is photo sample I put together about Tracy Arm and my only recommendation of always taking the add on tour. This was the 7-22-07 sailing and the ship's FIRST time that season of getting the full view of the South Sawyer. This also is the closest that ship got. My point is the significant differences you need to consider. This is not uncommon.

http://community.webshots.com/user/budgetqueen

[scooton]

I really like the NCL Sun, great deck viewing. BUT I strongly suggest you budget into your funds $180++ pp and take the Tracy Arm Jet boat add on tour. Absolutely necessary in my opinion.

 

For whale watching, look for tours out of Juneau, Skagway for your helicopter and sled dogs.

 

Here is photo sample I put together about Tracy Arm and my only recommendation of always taking the add on tour. This was the 7-22-07 sailing and the ship's FIRST time that season of getting the full view of the South Sawyer. This also is the closest that ship got. My point is the significant differences you need to consider. This is not uncommon.

http://community.webshots.com/user/budgetqueen

 

Thanks BQ, the Tracy Arm Jet boat tour add on, is that from the ship? Or a private operator?

 

The pics are absolutely fabulous!

[Budget Queen]

Thanks BQ, the Tracy Arm Jet boat tour add on, is that from the ship? Or a private operator?

 

The pics are absolutely fabulous!

 

NCL tour.

[love to cruise 55]

The only two ships that I would not recommend that sail to Alaska this year are the Celebrity Infinity and the Celebrity Millennium because of the mechanical propulsion problems that have plagued these ships, off and on, over the past several years.

quote]

Propulsion problems??? There haven't been any pod problems for almost a year and a half. But, please, keep telling people that because us X'ers like to keep the best service and food and aft cabins to ourselves. It's our little secret........lol! :p

 

wolfshadow: Unlesss you have a different calendar than I have, I am afraid it has not been almost a year and a half since the last propulsion failure on Celebrity ships and Sunshine Gal is correct in what she said. I too have been concerned about these ships and after much research have found that the Millennium did suffer from propulsion problems from the first of the year until drydock, in mid April 2007. During this same time frame the Infinity was suffering from these same exact propulsion problems from November, 2006 until dry dock on May 20, 2007. I also enjoy the food and service on these ships but I agree with Sunshine Gal that it is more important to be on a ship that is reliable. It is certainly not a deal breaker for everyone but for me it would be a dela breaker for a cruise to Alaska where getting to see all of my itinerary is a huge deal. For others, this on-going problem should at least be something to consider. After all, this is an information board and all opinions and correct facts should be welcomed by all.

Thanks to Sunshine Gal for your accurate information and opinions.

[wolfshadow]

 

wolfshadow: Unlesss you have a different calendar than I have, I am afraid it has not been almost a year and a half since the last propulsion failure on Celebrity ships and Sunshine Gal is correct in what she said. I too have been concerned about these ships and after much research have found that the Millennium did suffer from propulsion problems from the first of the year until drydock, in mid April 2007. During this same time frame the Infinity was suffering from these same exact propulsion problems from November, 2006 until dry dock on May 20, 2007. I also enjoy the food and service on these ships but I agree with Sunshine Gal that it is more important to be on a ship that is reliable. It is certainly not a deal breaker for everyone but for me it would be a dela breaker for a cruise to Alaska where getting to see all of my itinerary is a huge deal. For others, this on-going problem should at least be something to consider. After all, this is an information board and all opinions and correct facts should be welcomed by all.

Thanks to Sunshine Gal for your accurate information and opinions.

My, you are taking this quite personally, aren't you? So, okay, I was told 18 mos., but I guess it's almost 12 mos. And, they have had good reports since the pod's modifications with all four Millie-Class ships. But, like I said before, keep up the good job on discouraging cruisers from booking with Celebrity, we Xer's will be more than happy to cruise without you and your fears.

[love to cruise 55]

My, you are taking this quite personally, aren't you? So, okay, I was told 18 mos., but I guess it's almost 12 mos. And, they have had good reports since the pod's modifications with all four Millie-Class ships. But, like I said before, keep up the good job on discouraging cruisers from booking with Celebrity, we Xer's will be more than happy to cruise without you and your fears.

 

Actually I am not taking the known pod problem personally at all. I only corrected the mis-information that you probably got from some on the Celebrity board who tend to want to gloss over this problem and often stretch the truth. I am sure you are not one of those people who seem to want to spread that mis-information but when they try to tell you it has been a year and a half since the last propulsion failure when in reality it has been only ten months. BTW the average time between failures is about 14 months. The average time between failures can be deceiving because in 2006 the Infinity had a propulsion failure and went into emergency dry dock for a week to make repairs and then had another propulsion failure within two months.

 

As a point of interest to your comment about what someone told you was a pod modification, the work being done to the m-class ships is to install an auxiliary diesel generator and has nothing to do at all with the pods that have had so many problems over the years. The same work is scheduled to be done on the c-class ships in future years. The auxiliary generator is a cost saving measure to generate electric power for the ship when it is in port, by not having to run the main engines to generate power. I am not trying to discourage as you put it "you Xer's" or anybody else from sailing Celebrity m-class ships and only want to make passengers aware of the additional risk involved in sailing the Infinity, Summit or Millennium.

 

Happy Sailing to all.