How in the world do you decide???

We know for sure we are going on an Alaskan Cruise in June 2018 but that's all we know!

How in the world do you decide between cruise lines? We're stuck between Celebrity, Princess and Holland America. They all look wonderful. Prices are similar.

Tell me your tips and tricks for deciding which cruise line is best for your trip!

Thank you!

We choose by itinerary as well as price. We wanted one that included Glacier Bay. We like longer cruises and HAL had a 14 day that included Glacier Bay as well as some ports not usually included so we chose that cruise. Enjoyed every minute.

I suggest you read the Alaska forum and become familiar with some of the info about ports, then choose based on specific itinerary.

Go to youtube and check out ship tours of the ships your considering. You can see the average age of cruisers and the nightlife after dinner. You can also get a feel for ship decorations and amenities. happy cruising

Price

Itinerary

Ship Size

Alaska has a fairly standard group of itineraries with the usual "fan" situation of "we like the XXX glacier" best.

So, beyond the itinerary, do not discount the importance of the ship. After all, it is where you unwind, eat and sleep after a long day of touring. If you have important preferences (e.g., excellent food and service, heavenly bedding, smoking restrictions and no thundering herds of 1000+ passengers) that ship choice will play a large part in the quality of your overall experience.

One thing I suggest is to read CC threads about the onboard experiences between and among the various cruise lines that go to Alaska (or anywhere for that matter). I'm confident that you'll quickly find the cruise line(s) that most closely fit your preferred comfort and experience profile.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Of the itineraries the first major choice is round-trip or one-way. One-way will involve a flight to/from Anchorage (usually) and also flying to/from Vancouver, BC (usually). Seattle with a train ride to/from Vancouver is an option. Cruises from Seattle are all round-trip but air arrangements in and out are simpler. One-ways from Vancouver go "inside" Vancouver Is. and the R/T from Seattle go outside (west of) the island and can get rougher water.

Once the above is decided then pick the route that has the stops you want and research them. Then look at price and line to make a final cut. For Alaska ship features usually take a back seat to the scenery. HAL and Princess have the most access for Glacier Bay NP and are affiliated with Carnival if you've done them before. Celebrity is similarly affiliated with RCCL. Availability of desired cabin type might also be a factor - such as affordability of balcony versus inside. Larger ships have more balconies and can be more affordable for that than a ship with only one deck of them.

One other factor might be whether Sitka or Skagway look more interesting as those tend to be (on 7 nt routes) an either/or deal. Skagway has a bit more to do with the railroad excursions but Sitka (if clear) is gorgeous.

For us all this was easy - HAL because it is the "home town" cruise line and R/T Seattle because no airfare is involved. :cool:

I always look for a closed loop from a departure port I can drive to (Hamburg, Warnemunde, or Copenhagen), then I consider size of the ship (prefer small-mid ), then dates (fewer kids is a plus), then number of nights (less than 14 or we get bored), then cruiseline, then perks, then overall price.

Basically, decide and rank your criteria, then take it from there.

We always look for one way cruises, and refer southbound. The smaller the ship the better, and if you can get one that is not a Saturday - Saturday or Sunday - Sunday you end up in ports with fewer other ships.

Decide WHAT you want to see (a guidebook is VERY helpful)...then pick the cruise according to that. It's not that hard!

We know for sure we are going on an Alaskan Cruise in June 2018 but that's all we know!

 

How in the world do you decide between cruise lines? We're stuck between Celebrity, Princess and Holland America. They all look wonderful. Prices are similar.

 

Tell me your tips and tricks for deciding which cruise line is best for your trip!

 

Thank you!

My wife and I did the Inland Alaska cruise (Tracey's Arm,-Juneau-Skagway-Ketchikan) June//2010 and believe me, it is one cruise you will NEVER forget. :) Just decide on the itinerary first, then what size ship, some like smaller, then price ( I believe another OP also said this) but, as usual, the final decision is yours. You might want to check the Alaska section of CC here for pointers galore. We chose in the inland passage just simply because I had NO earthly idea where to go for advice. I had no idea this site even existed and had no friends who had been to Alaska too ask advice. Best advice is be sure to take a camera w/extra batteries. You are about too see some of the most beautiful scenery in North America. Another tip, be sure to check the local weather there for the week of your trip before you pack. It was 98 degrees here (103 w/humidity) and we didn't pack a long sleeve shirt. So needless to say, our first trip was down to the ship's store for a hooded sweater. Don't OVER pack, just be aware that weather in Alaska can change at the drop of a hat. We were very lucky, we had BEAUTIFUL weather with drizzle rain only one day, in Skagway and that was only in the morning. Just relax, ENJOY your trip no matter what line you choose. It's been almost 4 years since our trip and to this day, my wife still says, 'After 15 cruises,IF I could ever do another cruise over, it'd be Alaska!!' I will look at the pictures we took and still to this day, it still gives me goosebumps. :)

Mac

We know for sure we are going on an Alaskan Cruise in June 2018 but that's all we know!

 

How in the world do you decide between cruise lines? We're stuck between Celebrity, Princess and Holland America. They all look wonderful. Prices are similar.

 

Tell me your tips and tricks for deciding which cruise line is best for your trip!

 

Thank you!

I look at everything.

Now to be fair all else being equal I go Princess first then Celebrity, just because they are the lines I prefer, in that order.

But I do cruise others, (upto seven now, eighth in December) so timing is first, itinerary next, then $$$. If, say, NCL fits that's who I'll book with, but if multiple lines fit I'll go with my preferred line.

Thank you all so much! I want to see Glacier Bay and the RT Seattle Holland America goes there, so I'm leaning that way. Still have research to do! Thank you, again!

Some great ideas. But if you hate researching I have a sure fire way to choose between all your great Alaskan cruise options.

1. Start with writing all your options on sticky notes. Like Carnival Itinerary #1, Carnival Itinerary #2, NCL Itinerary # 1, NCL Itinerary # 2 etc.

2. Put all those sticky notes up on a vertical surface.

3. Get a blindfold.

4. Get a dart from your dartboard set. If you don't have a dart, a butcher knife will do.

5. Put the blindfold on, spin around very quickly three times and ..... fire away!:D

6. Whatever sticky get hit is the cruise you are going on. ;)

7. If no sticky is hit, repeat # 5 again and again until one is hit.

Please note that vertical surfaces like a piece of plywood are best for this selection process.

Beware using your new 4K TV or your mega-sized aquarium for the stickie’s :o

Also, clear the room of favorite pets, family heirlooms, etc.

Clearing the spouse or in-laws from the room is totally at your discretion.;p

Make sure you know things like the demographics of the lines and if they offer the type of activities you want.

... If you don't have a dart, a butcher knife will do.

My husband just got a sharpener for his birthday. I think I might try this! ;p

My husband just got a sharpener for his birthday. I think I might try this! ;p

Then you should also be looking at this Sub Forum

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=373

;)

I always look for a closed loop from a departure port I can drive to (Hamburg, Warnemunde, or Copenhagen), then I consider size of the ship (prefer small-mid ), then dates (fewer kids is a plus), then number of nights (less than 14 or we get bored), then cruiseline, then perks, then overall price.

 

Basically, decide and rank your criteria, then take it from there.

That won't exactly work with an Alaska cruise, especially if you want a southbound one-way as one can't drive from the continental U.S. to Anchorage.

To the OP, if you want a longer cruise, you can see if Princess is still doing the RT from San Francisco.

If you are planning to do a northbound from Vancouver, you definitely need to get to Vancouver at least a day before the cruise (I advise this no matter which port you're leaving from) as anyone who misses the ship on embarkation day in Vancouver won't be allowed to board at a different port due to the PVSA.

We know for sure we are going on an Alaskan Cruise in June 2018 but that's all we know!

 

How in the world do you decide between cruise lines? We're stuck between Celebrity, Princess and Holland America. They all look wonderful. Prices are similar.

 

Tell me your tips and tricks for deciding which cruise line is best for your trip!

 

Thank you!

For us it was a question of seeing as much of Alaska as possible since we figured that we'd never repeat this itinerary as many others do.

We took the land/sea trip with HAL. We started in Fairbanks and actually flew there three days early after being invited to stay with a lady we met previously on a river cruise in Europe. We liked the one week land tour itinerary and knew that we wanted to experience The McKinley Explorer train operated by HAL. Very superior to another cruise line train we saw.

We then had one week cruise with inside passage, ending in Vancouver where we stayed for an additional two days.

It took a lot of planning and we got lots of ideas here on CC with regards to private tours and things to see and do.

The friend I went with really didn't want to go but after we got home he stated that the trip was fabulous and far beyond what he has expected,

Have fun planning!! :)

between those 3 lines... you can not go wrong... I have been on all 3, very similar... pick one and go. Have fun... today we have so much information it makes it hard, when I start cruising we only had a paper brochure....it was a lot simpler. LOL

That won't exactly work with an Alaska cruise' date=' especially if you want a southbound one-way as one can't drive from the continental U.S. to Anchorage. [/quote']

 

I'm aware that you can't drive from the continental US to Anchorage. I grew up there. :rolleyes:

 

The question was: "How in the world do you decide between cruise lines? Tell me your tips and tricks for deciding which cruise line is best for your trip!"

 

That's how I decide... I establish and rank my criteria and see which cruises fit the criteria.

Itinerary is my first pick, for Alaska Glacier Bay is not to be missed so Princess would probably get the gig.

Holland America goes to Glacier Bay and so do a few of the Carnival itineraries.

Roz

We know for sure we are going on an Alaskan Cruise in June 2018 but that's all we know!

 

How in the world do you decide between cruise lines? We're stuck between Celebrity, Princess and Holland America. They all look wonderful. Prices are similar.

 

Tell me your tips and tricks for deciding which cruise line is best for your trip!

 

Thank you!

We did a 14 night land and sea cruise with Holland America and enjoyed every moment of it.

We flew to Minnesota and then to Fairbanks .We did the land tour first.

Holland America goes to Glacier Bay and so do a few of the Carnival itineraries.

 

Roz

Yes the fleet of cruise lines under the carnival banner would get there but if itineraries are similar then Princess would be my pick for both the ship and the demographic. If X went there then they would be my choice.

I'm aware that you can't drive from the continental US to Anchorage. I grew up there. :rolleyes:

 

The question was: "How in the world do you decide between cruise lines? Tell me your tips and tricks for deciding which cruise line is best for your trip!"

 

That's how I decide... I establish and rank my criteria and see which cruises fit the criteria.

Actually, you can drive there. According to Google, Seattle to Anchorage is 2263 miles and 42 hours driving time!