Alaska cruise...

[c-cruise]

On our NCL cruise out of Seattle we sailed on the inside of Vancouver island both directions. I know that is not typical, but check with the cruise line as some of the Seattle ships do go this route. All of our other trips out of Seattle have gone around the outside of Vancouver island. Sailing from Seattle you are really only missing one day of scenery. On the outbound day it will be dark by the time you get out of Puget Sound anyway so there is really nothing to see. Heading back though it would be nice if they sailed on the inside of Vancouver island as there really is a lot of scenery to take in.

 

Regarding the Mercury... It was ok, but just didn't compare favorably with any other ship we had been on (ok, maybe the NCL Sky). We generally try to book newer ships, but have been on plenty of older ones as well. We were in a concierge class room which was tiny, with an even smaller balcony. Ship was worn out and had a very disjointed feel to it without a wrap around promenade. Best feature in my opinion was all the open deck space on the aft which they have since largely done away with in the recent renovations. Food was great, service was great etc. just not our favorite ship. Certainly glad to see they have put a different ship on their Seattle Alaska itinerary.

[Cruisin' Chick]

quote:

"I was just thinking the other day about all the people who insist on getting a balcony for an Alaskan cruise...whether they're missing out on all the action. We had an inside cabin on the Sapphire Princess, hubby got us up really early on the glacier cruising day and we went up to an outside deck while the naturalist onboard narrated what we were seeing, even pointing out a bear cavorting on a beach."

 

Hi:)

Thanks for posting that because many of us cannot

afford a balcony. Did I have any less of a wonderful time?

Nope:D....my cabin was one deck down from the lido so I did

what your hubby did....got up early and popped right upstairs

and was outside.

I had a great cabin location too...it was very close to the

door leading outside as well.

I also chose to sail out of Seattle and had a fabulous visit:)

 

We never had a balcony cabin. So maybe we're missing something....but then, we are missing spending lots of money for a balcony and then finding out we couldn't use it because there's smoke blowing our way. My hubby feels this way we're not just hanging in our cabin and missing the action out of the cabin.

 

For the other poster who didn't think there was much outside deck on Princess, try one of the larger ships. There was plenty of space. Also, hubby bribed the girl with a hot chocolate -- she didn't want to get up that early -- which she was enjoying with pancakes in the buffet. Many people had their binoculars out while eating breakfast there, enjoying the glacier show.

[josephml1]

In Alaska the cost of a Balcony Is very expensive....

 

I try several times a balcony in the Caribean if the price is ok...

 

But does it really work a balcony in alaska?

[c-cruise]

We are in the "wouldn't cruise without a balcony" category so to us, yes it is definitely worth the extra cost. However, there are certainly plenty of people who don't get a balcony and enjoy their cruise just as much. It is really just a preference and not a matter of one being better than another.

 

If you are thinking about getting a balcony in Alaska, I would definitely look for a ship with covered balconies. We were on the Dolphin deck on the Sapphire Princess to Alaska and didn't get to use the balcony as much as we would have liked because it was completely exposed and we had several rainy days.

[CC Help Michell]

In Alaska the cost of a Balcony Is very expensive....

 

I try several times a balcony in the Caribean if the price is ok...

 

But does it really work a balcony in alaska?

 

In addition to "which cruise line to Alaska" discussions, the Alaska Ports of Call board right here at Cruise Critic also has a lot of great discussion with dozens of people offering various thoughts about whether a balcony is really "necessary" for Alaska cruising -- many of those people have cruised Alaska 15x or more. I refer you to that board again in case you missed my previous link to it (I haven't seen you post there, at least so far). So just in case you didn't realize this resource was available (many people who live in Alaska, or visit Alaska every 1-3 years or so, offer fabulous advice there) I wanted to mention it just once more -- and this will be my last post on this thread on the "West Coast Departures" board in any event. Here's a link to the wonderful Alaska board here at Cruise Critic -- http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

[josephml1]

Here's a link to the wonderful Alaska board here at Cruise Critic -- http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

Ok, I will post there thank you for mention it :)

[Crusin Karen]

Nobody mentioned CCL Spirit, RT Vancouver inside passage/Glacier Bay. We are thinking of this...anyone done this?

[Bruin Steve]

I just got finished answering a similar question on another board with a pair of posts...I am going to cut and paste an edited response here:

 

We did a lot of research when we planned our Alaska cruise tour a few years back (July 2004)...

 

We considered Princess--my sister and Brother-in-Law and my Parents took Princess when they did Alaska the prior year...so we spoke considerably with them...I also read the boards and comments elsewhere...

 

The Princess afficianados usually point out the following:

1. Princess has been "doing Alaska" longer than anyone else

2. Princess "owns their own hotels" in Alaska

3. Princess has an exclusive deal to visit Glacier Bay...

 

I considered all of these points and here are the general responses:

 

1. Who cares? Ford has been making cars longer than Lexus or Mercedes or Acura...doesn't make it a better car...

 

2. After researching the specific Princess owned hotels and talking to my mother and sister, I wasn't impressed...They both thought they've stayed in many nicer hotels...On the net at the time, there were a number of negative comments about those Princess hotels...The hotels Celebrity puts you in are first class all the way. Who cares who owns them?

 

3. This is the only point that really has some merit...People who have visited say Glacier Bay is spectacular...OTOH, there are, of course, trade-offs. The Celebrity itineraries take you to Hubbard Glacier instead (somewhere Princess doesn't go)...and, Hubbard Glacier is also spectacular...According to folks who have visited both, Hubbard Glacier is, by far, the single most impressive Glacier while Glacier Bay is noted for the number of glaciers that empty into the bay...Either gives you an impressive glacier visit. We also noted the Celebrity cruises offered one more port stop than the Princess itineraries (at least at that time) with a stop in the newly opened and exclusive to RCCL/Celebrity Icy Strait Point.

 

Past that, what it really came down to with us was that we love the service, food and the uncrowdedness of Celebrity...We were not as impressed with Princess...and also concerned with the older demographics on Princess...

 

Needless to say, we ended up doing a 13 night cruisetour, Southbound on the Summit, adding 2 extra nights in Vancouver... We took our Daughters, then 18 and 20, and had two Sky Suites...

 

The entire cruisetour was first class all the way...No question in my mind that we chose correctly...

 

...I would not do a RT out of Seattle--due to the Jones Act, Round trips out of Seattle have to add a Canadian Port, typically Victoria...an this ends up being in lieu of one of the Alaskan ports...Nothing wrong with Victoria--except you can get there easily enough on a pre- or post-cruise.

 

My logic in taking the cruisetour was that I wasn't going to get to Alaska that often in my life, so I wanted to "do it right"...This meant seeing the "interior" as well as the Panhandle...The cruisetour flew us into Fairbanks, took us by dome-covered rail to Denali and Talkeetna and by luxury bus on to Anchorage and Alyeska before meeting the ship in Seward...We got to see a whole lot on the way South, followed by a nice relaxing cruise...As to the expense of visiting Canada, we did only two nights in Vancouver, booking our hotel through the cruise line...the only thing we really did in Canadian dollars was meals and a couple of taxis for those two days...not really much to worry about at all...It's a very pleasant city to spend a couple of days in...

 

 

(From a second post in the thread, quotes are from another poster's response): There is a lot of propaganda flying out there regarding Princess and Alaska which a lot of people and a lot of travel agents seem to buy into...and it's generally wrong...these "points" among them...one by one:

 

"they used to have a proprietary relationship up there": No, nobody "owns" Alaska, especially by reason of longevity...What they DO have is that "exclusivity" on ship visits to Glacier Bay...Well, actually not "exclusivity", I understand HAL is allowed in there as well...You can actually visit Glacier Bay from a Celebrity or RCCL cruise as well--you just have to take a flightseeing shore excursion from Icy Strait Point...But that is the ONLY place they have some sort of "proprietary" interest...By the way, ONLY RCCL and Celebrity may call at Icy Strait Point...

 

"better docking berths": Definitely untrue...docks are competive in every port on a year-by-year basis...When we were docked for the day in Ketchikan, there were so many ships that two PRINCESS ships had to virtually share a dock...each came in and docked for half the day...

 

"if you took a Land tour they had contracts with the better hotels": Again, as I said before, they are not "better" hotels, they are Princess' OWN hotels...I think the hotels Celebrity uses are BETTER...We stayed in some of the most phenomenal hotels you could imagine--the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge and the Alyeska Prince could not be beat...

 

"train rides": All of the cruise lines take you on the SAME trains...They each have their own dedicated dome-covered cars...and they are all attached! HAL has a couple of cars, Princess has a couple of cars and RCCL/Celebrity has a couple of cars...When we were there, the RCCL/Celebrity cars were newer and nicer...but--SAME TRAIN...

 

"access to Denali": Nope, all have the same limited access to Denali...It's a National Park...and noone is allowed to drive in the entire way...there are two different tours that ANY of the cruise lines will put you on--and those tours are run by the Park Service, NOT the cruise line...Our cruisetour put us on the longer 7-hour Wildlife tour...

 

BTW, here is a link to my full review from the time:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberre...?EntryID=11132

 

Adding on this thread: One of my prime reasons for prefering Celebrity is the "M-Class" ships...with only 2,000 passengers on a 91,000 gross ton ship, they are simply among the roomiest of any ships out there...

 

Of course, JMHO...

[josephml1]

I just got finished answering a similar question on another board with a pair of posts...I am going to cut and paste an edited response here:

 

We did a lot of research when we planned our Alaska cruise tour a few years back (July 2004)...

 

We considered Princess--my sister and Brother-in-Law and my Parents took Princess when they did Alaska the prior year...so we spoke considerably with them...I also read the boards and comments elsewhere...

 

The Princess afficianados usually point out the following:

1. Princess has been "doing Alaska" longer than anyone else

2. Princess "owns their own hotels" in Alaska

3. Princess has an exclusive deal to visit Glacier Bay...

 

I considered all of these points and here are the general responses:

 

1. Who cares? Ford has been making cars longer than Lexus or Mercedes or Acura...doesn't make it a better car...

 

2. After researching the specific Princess owned hotels and talking to my mother and sister, I wasn't impressed...They both thought they've stayed in many nicer hotels...On the net at the time, there were a number of negative comments about those Princess hotels...The hotels Celebrity puts you in are first class all the way. Who cares who owns them?

 

3. This is the only point that really has some merit...People who have visited say Glacier Bay is spectacular...OTOH, there are, of course, trade-offs. The Celebrity itineraries take you to Hubbard Glacier instead (somewhere Princess doesn't go)...and, Hubbard Glacier is also spectacular...According to folks who have visited both, Hubbard Glacier is, by far, the single most impressive Glacier while Glacier Bay is noted for the number of glaciers that empty into the bay...Either gives you an impressive glacier visit. We also noted the Celebrity cruises offered one more port stop than the Princess itineraries (at least at that time) with a stop in the newly opened and exclusive to RCCL/Celebrity Icy Strait Point.

 

Past that, what it really came down to with us was that we love the service, food and the uncrowdedness of Celebrity...We were not as impressed with Princess...and also concerned with the older demographics on Princess...

 

Needless to say, we ended up doing a 13 night cruisetour, Southbound on the Summit, adding 2 extra nights in Vancouver... We took our Daughters, then 18 and 20, and had two Sky Suites...

 

The entire cruisetour was first class all the way...No question in my mind that we chose correctly...

 

...I would not do a RT out of Seattle--due to the Jones Act, Round trips out of Seattle have to add a Canadian Port, typically Victoria...an this ends up being in lieu of one of the Alaskan ports...Nothing wrong with Victoria--except you can get there easily enough on a pre- or post-cruise.

 

My logic in taking the cruisetour was that I wasn't going to get to Alaska that often in my life, so I wanted to "do it right"...This meant seeing the "interior" as well as the Panhandle...The cruisetour flew us into Fairbanks, took us by dome-covered rail to Denali and Talkeetna and by luxury bus on to Anchorage and Alyeska before meeting the ship in Seward...We got to see a whole lot on the way South, followed by a nice relaxing cruise...As to the expense of visiting Canada, we did only two nights in Vancouver, booking our hotel through the cruise line...the only thing we really did in Canadian dollars was meals and a couple of taxis for those two days...not really much to worry about at all...It's a very pleasant city to spend a couple of days in...

 

 

(From a second post in the thread, quotes are from another poster's response): There is a lot of propaganda flying out there regarding Princess and Alaska which a lot of people and a lot of travel agents seem to buy into...and it's generally wrong...these "points" among them...one by one:

 

"they used to have a proprietary relationship up there": No, nobody "owns" Alaska, especially by reason of longevity...What they DO have is that "exclusivity" on ship visits to Glacier Bay...Well, actually not "exclusivity", I understand HAL is allowed in there as well...You can actually visit Glacier Bay from a Celebrity or RCCL cruise as well--you just have to take a flightseeing shore excursion from Icy Strait Point...But that is the ONLY place they have some sort of "proprietary" interest...By the way, ONLY RCCL and Celebrity may call at Icy Strait Point...

 

"better docking berths": Definitely untrue...docks are competive in every port on a year-by-year basis...When we were docked for the day in Ketchikan, there were so many ships that two PRINCESS ships had to virtually share a dock...each came in and docked for half the day...

 

"if you took a Land tour they had contracts with the better hotels": Again, as I said before, they are not "better" hotels, they are Princess' OWN hotels...I think the hotels Celebrity uses are BETTER...We stayed in some of the most phenomenal hotels you could imagine--the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge and the Alyeska Prince could not be beat...

 

"train rides": All of the cruise lines take you on the SAME trains...They each have their own dedicated dome-covered cars...and they are all attached! HAL has a couple of cars, Princess has a couple of cars and RCCL/Celebrity has a couple of cars...When we were there, the RCCL/Celebrity cars were newer and nicer...but--SAME TRAIN...

 

"access to Denali": Nope, all have the same limited access to Denali...It's a National Park...and noone is allowed to drive in the entire way...there are two different tours that ANY of the cruise lines will put you on--and those tours are run by the Park Service, NOT the cruise line...Our cruisetour put us on the longer 7-hour Wildlife tour...

 

BTW, here is a link to my full review from the time:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberre...?EntryID=11132

 

Adding on this thread: One of my prime reasons for prefering Celebrity is the "M-Class" ships...with only 2,000 passengers on a 91,000 gross ton ship, they are simply among the roomiest of any ships out there...

 

Of course, JMHO...

 

Excellent review and comments...

 

But tell me what do you thing about the actual celebrity and RCI cruises to alaska: the Serenade and the Infinity?

 

Thanks again.

[awoltoday]

3. This is the only point that really has some merit...People who have visited say Glacier Bay is spectacular...OTOH, there are, of course, trade-offs. The Celebrity itineraries take you to Hubbard Glacier instead (somewhere Princess doesn't go)...and, Hubbard Glacier is also spectacular...According to folks who have visited both, Hubbard Glacier is, by far, the single most impressive Glacier while Glacier Bay is noted for the number of glaciers that empty into the bay...Either gives you an impressive glacier visit. We also noted the Celebrity cruises offered one more port stop than the Princess itineraries (at least at that time) with a stop in the newly opened and exclusive to RCCL/Celebrity Icy Strait Point.

 

I think things have changed a bit. Princess, HAL, Carnival, and NCL all have Glacier Bay cruises now... HAL & Princess have historical operator status, which gives them continued access to Glacier Bay. The rest of the quota for access is filled competitively.

 

Also, the docks have changed considerably in the last 10 or so years. Both Ketchikan and Skagway can each berth 4 Panamax ships at a time. Juneau is trying to catch up and will probably equal that number in the next couple of years.

[Lois R]

Hi:) Steve's last paragraph might give you the answer to your

question:

 

You asked him about Infinity which is an M-class ship.

 

quote by Bruin Steve

"Adding on this thread: One of my prime reasons for prefering Celebrity is the "M-Class" ships...with only 2,000 passengers on a 91,000 gross ton ship, they are simply among the roomiest of any ships out there"...

 

"Of course, JMHO"

[josephml1]

Hi:) Steve's last paragraph might give you the answer to your

question:

 

You asked him about Infinity which is an M-class ship.

 

quote by Bruin Steve

"Adding on this thread: One of my prime reasons for prefering Celebrity is the "M-Class" ships...with only 2,000 passengers on a 91,000 gross ton ship, they are simply among the roomiest of any ships out there"...

 

"Of course, JMHO"

 

Yes, I read that...:)

 

But, I was looking more like a food and entertainment answer...You know like a further explanation about his preferences and opinion;)

[Lois R]

Oh, ok:)

 

I am not Steve but have sailed Celebrity (all of their ships

-1) and love them all. And I am trying the one I have yet

to sail in December too.:)

The food and service have always been wonderful

(in my opinion anyway;) ).

I just got back from a 10 nighter for my 50th birthday:D

[Bruin Steve]

Yes, I read that...:)

 

But, I was looking more like a food and entertainment answer...You know like a further explanation about his preferences and opinion;)

 

Joseph,

I have cruised on 7 different cruise lines...and Celebrity is my "overall" favorite, ranking at or near the top in just about every one of my personal criteria...But, everyone has their own criteria, their own standards and their own expectations...So, I will just say that this is it for me...It's hard to quantify some of them...

 

Like food--it's a matter of personal taste...I think Celebrity's food is outstanding (I think Oceania's might be just a touch better)...But I haven't had too many bad meals on any cruise line...I look for little things--better quality ingredients, more variety on the menus...past there, it's a matter of personal taste...

 

Service I can quantify to a degree...Celebrity does little things none of the other lines do--carrying your tray from the buffet, passing out sorbet on the pool deck on at sea days, handing you a wet cold towel on your return to the ship in hot tropical ports, etc. Their crew-to-passenger ratios are better and it shows...

 

The space-to-passenger ratios are a major thing: It translates in terms of finding a seat at a show or in a lounge, not waiting on lines for things...and just the overall ease and elegance of the ship...

 

Celebrity may be one of the more "traditional" cruise lines...You'll have traditional seating assignments, formal nights, etc. If you have bought in to the "anytime dining" thing, Celebrity might not be for you...but to me, traditional dining has its merits: Your wait staff really gets to know you and caters to you...You are not rushed along in dinner in order to free up the table for the next diners...Your evenings fall more into the ship's schedule...the Dining hours on Celebrity are an elegant experience and one of the things that makes cruising unique and special...

 

JMHO...

[josephml1]

Oh, ok:)

I just got back from a 10 nighter for my 50th birthday:D

 

Sounds like a good way to celebrate.... Congratulations.

 

And also thank you for your comments.:)

[josephml1]

[quote name='Bruin Steve']Joseph,
I have cruised on 7 different cruise lines...and Celebrity is my "overall" favorite, ranking at or near the top in just about every one of my personal criteria...But, everyone has their own criteria, their own standards and their own expectations...So, I will just say that this is it for me...It's hard to quantify some of them...

Like food--it's a matter of personal taste...I think Celebrity's food is outstanding (I think Oceania's might be just a touch better)...But I haven't had too many bad meals on any cruise line...I look for little things--better quality ingredients, more variety on the menus...past there, it's a matter of personal taste...

Service I can quantify to a degree...Celebrity does little things none of the other lines do--carrying your tray from the buffet, passing out sorbet on the pool deck on at sea days, handing you a wet cold towel on your return to the ship in hot tropical ports, etc. Their crew-to-passenger ratios are better and it shows...

The space-to-passenger ratios are a major thing: It translates in terms of finding a seat at a show or in a lounge, not waiting on lines for things...and just the overall ease and elegance of the ship...

Celebrity may be one of the more "traditional" cruise lines...You'll have traditional seating assignments, formal nights, etc. If you have bought in to the "anytime dining" thing, Celebrity might not be for you...but to me, traditional dining has its merits: Your wait staff really gets to know you and caters to you...You are not rushed along in dinner in order to free up the table for the next diners...Your evenings fall more into the ship's schedule...the Dining hours on Celebrity are an elegant experience and one of the things that makes cruising unique and special...

JMHO...[/quote]

Mhhh Little details love that part...Definitive I will have to try Celebrity in a near future.

Thank you for the full explanation about celebrity I found it very useful.

Thanks.;)