For Alaska, RCI Serenade OTS or Celebrity Mercury?!

[allisons]

Opinions please! We have booked an Alaska cruise on RCI Serenade of the Seas. We were quite dissatisfied with our last RCI cruise. My parents have been bugging us to try Celebrity. They are particularly recommending that we try celebrity for Alasa. We are looking at the Celebrity Mercury. Our main concern is the ages of the passengers. We are both 33-years-old. My parents are almost 60-years-old. The differences in itinerary are: (1) RCI Serenade OTS visits Icy Straight Point and Skagway, while X Mercury visits Sitka and Ketchikan, (2) RCI Serenade OTS cruises Tracy Arm Fjord, while X Mercury cruises Hubbard Glacier, and (3) RCI Serenade OTS is in Juneau 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., while X Mercury is there 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. Thank you for your opinions!

[The Big Booper]

My initial question to you was, "what didn't you like about your last RCI cruise". Then I looked at your cruise history and saw the Legend. I know that several posters have expressed dissatisfaction with that ship recently.

 

The advantages to the SOS are the large amounts of glass which enables viewing of the scenery while staying warm inside. Also it is a much newer ship than the Mercury, by 5-6 years. But the Mercury itinerary looks more interesting.

 

<<edit>>

 

You have already sailed the SOS once so you know about the ship. Celebrity tends to attract an older crowd which likes things more formal. We have 2 X sailings and many RCI sailings and prefer RCI: I might add we are older than your parents, at 66 years young. I would check out the Celebrity board to get a feeling for the ship.

[wrp96]

Itinerary wise I think Celebrity Mercury's Alaska itinerary is much better. And in Alaska the age groups skew older even on RCCL. If you were dissatisfied with RCCL on your last cruise, I would take this opportunity to try a new cruiseline, especially one that offers a better itinerary.

 

That being said, please let us know why you were dissatisfied. It may be that it was a one off thing that has been addressed or because Celebrity and RCCL are owned by the same company you may see the same issue on Celebrity.

[klingoncruiser]

With 16 years now going to Alaska each summer, the Mercury is hands down the better from a port standpoint.

 

The Serenade is a beautiful ship and wins that hands down. Hard to find a better laid out ship and one with so much beauty than the Radiance class of ships. Much better ship than the Mercury. (Some forward viewing windows often frosted and of little use. Ship set up a bit choppy and getting old in areas. Hard to view forward much of the time as forward decks remain closed due to the Spa area.)

 

Edge to Mercury for food. (So subjective, but food on Celebrity is really great, IMHO.)

 

Let me know if you have any questions, that would make it much easier to figure out what you are looking for.

[allisons]

My initial question to you was, "what didn't you like about your last RCI cruise". Then I looked at your cruise history and saw the Legend. I know that several posters have expressed dissatisfaction with that ship recently.

 

The advantages to the SOS are the large amounts of glass which enables viewing of the scenery while staying warm inside. Also it is a much newer ship than the Mercury, by 5-6 years. But the Mercury itinerary looks more interesting.

 

<<edit>>

 

You have already sailed the SOS once so you know about the ship. Celebrity tends to attract an older crowd which likes things more formal. We have 2 X sailings and many RCI sailings and prefer RCI: I might add we are older than your parents, at 66 years young. I would check out the Celebrity board to get a feeling for the ship.

 

The Big Booper,

 

Thank you! I appreciate your prompt and helpful response. Actually, our last cruise was on the Voyager of the Seas out of Galveston, TX. What we are unhappy with on RCI is the terrible food, poor guest entertainers, decline in service, cutbacks, nickle-and-diming, etc. It is not a ship issue, but rather a cruiseline issue.

 

Thanks,

Allison

[startwin]

My understanding from a news item here in Vancouver over the weekend is that RCI has pulled out of the Alaska cruise and Serenade is going to be sent to another route.

[allisons]

Itinerary wise I think Celebrity Mercury's Alaska itinerary is much better. And in Alaska the age groups skew older even on RCCL. If you were dissatisfied with RCCL on your last cruise, I would take this opportunity to try a new cruiseline, especially one that offers a better itinerary.

 

That being said, please let us know why you were dissatisfied. It may be that it was a one off thing that has been addressed or because Celebrity and RCCL are owned by the same company you may see the same issue on Celebrity.

 

wrp96,

 

Thank you! I appreciate the quick and helpful response! What we are unhappy with on RCI is the terrible food, poor guest entertainers, decline in service, cutbacks, nickle-and-diming, etc. Would you say that the ages will be just as old in Alaska on RCI as on X?

 

Thanks,

Allison

[allisons]

With 16 years now going to Alaska each summer, the Mercury is hands down the better from a port standpoint.

 

The Serenade is a beautiful ship and wins that hands down. Hard to find a better laid out ship and one with so much beauty than the Radiance class of ships. Much better ship than the Mercury. (Some forward viewing windows often frosted and of little use. Ship set up a bit choppy and getting old in areas. Hard to view forward much of the time as forward decks remain closed due to the Spa area.)

 

Edge to Mercury for food. (So subjective, but food on Celebrity is really great, IMHO.)

 

Let me know if you have any questions, that would make it much easier to figure out what you are looking for.

 

klingoncruiser,

 

Thank you! I appreciate your fast and helpful response! What about the itinerary is better? Are Sitka and Ketchikan better ports than Icy Straight Point and Skagway? Are the excursions better? Is Hubbard Glacier better than Tracy Arm Fjord?

 

Thanks,

Allison

[allisons]

My understanding from a news item here in Vancouver over the weekend is that RCI has pulled out of the Alaska cruise and Serenade is going to be sent to another route.

 

Not until 2010. We're looking at 2009.

[polodad]

Been on both. Took Serenade for a 2 week Canal frepo from San Juan to SF last May and did a 9 day Alaska repo on Merccury about 5 years ago.

 

Serenade is a much nicer ship. However Mercury was acceptable. Loved the naturalist that Celebrity had on board doing talks every day about the wildlife we would encounter that day. I think we booked our own excursions and the average age didn't bother us since we were 50.

 

What did bother us was what seemed to be a Celebrity habit of considering advertised port times as simply marketing advice. They cut short several of our port times including Skagway and DW will not sail with them again because of it.

[allisons]

Been on both. Took Serenade for a 2 week Canal frepo from San Juan to SF last May and did a 9 day Alaska repo on Merccury about 5 years ago.

 

Serenade is a much nicer ship. However Mercury was acceptable. Loved the naturalist that Celebrity had on board doing talks every day about the wildlife we would encounter that day. I think we booked our own excursions and the average age didn't bother us since we were 50.

 

What did bother us was what seemed to be a Celebrity habit of considering advertised port times as simply marketing advice. They cut short several of our port times including Skagway and DW will not sail with them again because of it.

 

polodad,

 

Thank you! I appreciate your prompt and helpful reply! That is really terrible about cutting short the port times and that would upset us terribly! Maybe we should stick to RCI!

 

Thanks,

Allison

[klingoncruiser]

klingoncruiser,

 

Thank you! I appreciate your fast and helpful response! What about the itinerary is better? Are Sitka and Ketchikan better ports than Icy Straight Point and Skagway? Are the excursions better? Is Hubbard Glacier better than Tracy Arm Fjord?

 

Thanks,

Allison

 

Icy Straight is an "artificial port" made by RCL. That being said, there was some serious whale watching out of it. If ya take the ride into town, it will give you a really good idea what a "real" Alaskan town looks like. (not much) If you are in to thrill rides, the giant cable ride will curl your hair. (1000 ft drop)

 

Skagway...... AKA Disneyland. At least 4 cruise ships in a town with a population of 500. (Now add in 10K Pax) It is rich in History, cheap shopping, and lots of crowds. I have been there many times and now just go hiking above the town to Dewy Lakes.

 

Ketchikan. Love that place. Not sure why. Shopping there is pretty good and often with the best bargains. Our favorite Chinese (well Thai) restaurant is back near Creek street. You can sit on the cruise ship, watch float planes land, eagle fly, boats of all types, kayaks, fishing vessels, Alaska Ferries, tenders and God knows what else all try to use the same small area all at the same time. Too funny.

 

Tracy Arm. Beautiful and amazing to watch them put a ship into that tight a place. However every time I am there it is dinner time and I must rush off to eat and miss so much. Ya would think they could time it out better than that. However is is NO match for Hubbard Glacier. This is the most active tidewater glacier in Alaska. Weather is usually crappy, but who cares. It is just something everyone who goes to Alaska must see at some point. If (twice now in 12 trips) the weather is clear, you will need a hard drive for your digital camera. They will have to wire your jaw shut to keep if from dropping non stop.

 

Sitka.... our favorite city in all of Southeast Alaska. Known as the emerald city, it lives up to its name. Lots of old Russian history, wildlife viewing that is really a cut above and a charm that is hard to miss. Town will become way too crowded though not as bad as Skagway. We try never to miss Sitka if we can. Fishing is the best of all the ports BTW.

 

Well, to end this long winded review (just a hint of why we keep coming back for 16 years) to say that we are probably going to book the Mercury August 2nd. We were going to drive to Prince Rupert, B.C. and then take the ferry to Sitka for a week. Then the economy set in and we changed that to 5 days in Ketchikan. Things just got worse and now we are going to spend 4 days in Victoria B.C. or Hope B.C. (I will let you figure that one out with google maps and scratch your head on what on earth is in Hope.) It is cheaper to cruise for 7 days than drive and ferry for 12. Go figure....

 

Let me know if I need to clarify.:D

[allisons]

klingoncruiser,

 

Thanks again! Wow! That is such helpful information! That really makes us lean toward the X Mercury itinerary! It just sounds so much better to go to Sitka than to Skagway, and to Hubbard Glacier than to Tracy Arm Fjord!

 

Thanks,

Allison

[GMoney]

Icy Straight is an "artificial port" made by RCL. That being said, there was some serious whale watching out of it. If ya take the ride into town, it will give you a really good idea what a "real" Alaskan town looks like. (not much) If you are in to thrill rides, the giant cable ride will curl your hair. (1000 ft drop)

 

Sorry to split hairs, but ISP was not created by RCI. It was built in 2001 by a corporation - Huna Totem (http://hunatotem.com/index.htm) - which includes the local Tlingit tribe, supposedly to help preserve the local culture. Either way, ISP was built specifically for cruise visitors. Historically, RCI, X, Princess and HAL ships have called on ISP, but HAL stopped going this year, IIRC.

[kazba]

In 2o07 we had a wonderful cruise on the Serenade to Alaska and I would have highly recommended it .However, at that time we went to the Hubbard Glacier. It was an unforgettable experience and the highlight of the cruise.

We wouldn't have enjoyed that cruise nearly as much without the Hubbard Glacier!

[cruisecrasy]

CC folks are the very best :)

 

I so agree especially if this is your first cruise to Alaska -

Do not miss Hubbard Glacier - my favorite after 10 cruises - 11th comin' up - with Glacier Bay a close second (although do not believe RCL does it)! Tracy Arm is lovely but nothing compared to Hubbard..

 

Skagway gets busy but the shopping can be cheaper there..only complaint - it is usually windy.

 

Juneau is great esp for glacier viewing by helicopter & dog sledding + the cable car ride to the top of the mountain - awesome view..down the Gatineau channel!

 

Ketchican is also one of my favs - esp Creek Street & all the totem poles & is a bit bigger so doesn't seem as crowded.

 

Icy Strait point, very quaint...a more natural setting.

 

I really enjoy Sitka - very interesting town & I loved the Raptor rescue centre..beautiful birds -well worth a visit..

 

Hope my observations help also and I wish u a great cruise whichever one u choose..

[allisons]

Thank you all so much! We took everyone's advice about the best ports and the best ships. So, we decided to do either the Northbound or Southbound on either the RCI Radiance of the Seas or the Celebrity Millenium. They have the exact same itinerary, which goes to Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Icy Straight Point, and Hubbard Glacier, with full long days in each port. And those are both big, nice, new ships.

 

Thanks,

Allison

[VickyMcG]

Klingoncruiser & cruisecrazy

Thank you so much for taking the time to print what you loved about Alaska cruises. It helps us decide on a cruise too. It's been dizzying looking at all the options. Thanks for the clarification! ;)

[cruisecrasy]

Klingoncruiser & cruisecrazy

Thank you so much for taking the time to print what you loved about Alaska cruises. It helps us decide on a cruise too. It's been dizzying looking at all the options. Thanks for the clarification! ;)

 

I have been so fortunate to have had great advice on this site from all the super CC posters so I am pleased I can 'pass it forward' so to speak :)

 

BE WARNED however....Alaska will awe u and u will want to go back - look at 'moi' - I am 'addicted'....:D

[KW_cruiser]

Sorry to split hairs, but ISP was not created by RCI. It was built in 2001 by a corporation - Huna Totem (http://hunatotem.com/index.htm) - which includes the local Tlingit tribe, supposedly to help preserve the local culture. Either way, ISP was built specifically for cruise visitors. Historically, RCI, X, Princess and HAL ships have called on ISP, but HAL stopped going this year, IIRC.

 

The Zip Rider in ISP is the coolest, most fun thing we have ever done on vacation, anywhere. Totally worth it - a 'must do' for anyone there. The view from the top was surreal

[klingoncruiser]

Klingoncruiser & cruisecrazy

Thank you so much for taking the time to print what you loved about Alaska cruises. It helps us decide on a cruise too. It's been dizzying looking at all the options. Thanks for the clarification! ;)

 

 

You are most welcome, and as stated by others, it is so addicting going to Alaska. If anyone has any more questions, just ask. Glad to help. I also lean on this site for any new places I go to.

 

Allisons, both are fine ships, and those ports will work nicely. I would try Celebrity if you have not. While I have 30 cruises with RCL, I also have 15 with Celebrity. You do need to try a few other lines. Each have strenghts and weaknesses. I keep coming back to RCL and Celebrity after trying several lines over the years. However, never judge a cruise line on one cruise.

[allisons]

Allisons, both are fine ships, and those ports will work nicely. I would try Celebrity if you have not. While I have 30 cruises with RCL, I also have 15 with Celebrity. You do need to try a few other lines. Each have strenghts and weaknesses. I keep coming back to RCL and Celebrity after trying several lines over the years. However, never judge a cruise line on one cruise.

 

klingoncruiser,

 

Thanks again! That is kind of what we're thinking too! My parents keep bugging us to try Celebrity! And we think we really should, especially since we'll be Captain's Club Elite!

 

Thanks,

Allison