Princess Alaska Expert Cruisers

Greetings -

We are planning our first Alaska cruise for Aug 2017. We are loyal Royals, but selecting Princess to give us the Alaska experience.

Is there any real difference in the ship we select for the cruise portion (Coral, Island, or Star)?

Should we stay two nights at the Denali Lodge or will one suffice for the experience?

Any other tips are welcome.

Thank You!

I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I've gone several times and I'm familiar with those ships.

I'd choose the Star, because I love the front of ship, wrap-around promenade deck on that class, and I like the Star.

I'd definitely recommend two nights in Denali. One just doesn't cut it, in my opinion. You need a full day in the park, however you choose to spend it. Park shuttle is my first choice on that, rather than Tundra Wilderness Tour or other.

As I'm sure you'll be told multiple times, please check the Alaska board here for lots more info.

Many people prefer the Coral (and to a lesser extent the Island after its stern rebuild) because of the amount of open space that those ships have, making them favorable for on-deck viewing. As that pertains to Coral, I think that claim is inarguable. (Less so now on Island since they eliminated the stern viewing areas). Others prefer those two ships because they sail with fewer passengers. That too is inarguable, but I find that distinction to be less important because the effect gets watered down when you are in port. When there are 5 ships in Ketchikan on any given day, the fact that your particular ship only has 2,500 people on it is largely overshadowed. No one has ever walked the streets of Skagway on a day when 4 ships were in port and bemoaned the fact that they arrived on the Star instead of the Coral. Crowds are crowds.

All that said, I have simply never warmed to the design and layout of Coral and Island with their bump-outs and covered/non-covered balcony situation. And there are little things (like having a Bayou Steakhouse instead of a Crown Grill; not having an International Cafe (on Island); and not having "Skywalkers") that cause those ships to slide down my preference order. But if those things are not important to you, then disregard my concerns. First, choose the itinerary and direction that you want to travel, then choose which date(s) work best for you. Once you figure that out, odds are that you will be down to 2 or 3 cruises to choose from, and the ship you sail on becomes less important. The Princess experience will be provided on all of them.

It would come down to dates and pricing..Island would be my last choice overall after the changes they made to it - adding cabins, eliminating viewing decks, eliminating lounge, shrinking casino, etc. Just not as good as it used to be overall in our opinion.

Star and Coral would be s close tie, but we'd probably pick Star overall. We enjoy Skywalkers during the day if it's cool or wet - amazing views from up there. And we much prefer Crown Grill to Bayou Steakhouse, vastly. Larger international cafe, overall lots of indoor and outdoor space, etc all play into it for Star too.... You won't notice a whole lot of difference on the number of people onboard overall,both Coral and Star handle flow very well.

You wouldn't go wrong with any of them, but if I had to put in order, Star, Coral (barely second) and distant third of Island.

And yes, two nights at Denali for sure...

Absolutely 2 nights at Denali. This is my latest review. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=50350384

I would choose Coral first then Star. Either ship would be fine with me.

Island is officially my least favorite Princess ship since they have hacked it up and made the entire rear portion of the ship cabins. It used to be a copy of Coral Princess which we love but, having sailed on Island earlier this year, I can definitely say that my wife and I were quite displeased with the new configuration. It wasn't a horrible cruise but the ship definitely felt truncated after having sailed on Coral.

Coral then Star.

Island and Coral have an indoor swimming pool/hot tubs with a glass enclosure. You can sit in well-padded loungers and watch the scenery, then step outside for photos. Star doesn't. Have done four trips in Coral and Island, most recently Island.

As far as Denali Lodge - two nights allows the Tundra Wilderness Tour (9 hours) into the park. This gets you into bear country and a good view of the mountain (if visible, we are two for two on this). The Natural History tour has neither.

We would skip the McKinley Lodge in a minute if possible. It is 45 minutes west of Talkeetna by hotel bus. All tours go back to town first. South side of mountain and great view (if visible, we are one for two on this one). Nice place for northern lights if they are out since NOTHING else around.

Just a quick answer, I liked the Coral Princess and stay two nights at Denali Lodge.

Tony

Island and Coral have an indoor swimming pool/hot tubs with a glass enclosure. You can sit in well-padded loungers and watch the scenery, then step outside for photos. Star doesn't.

This is inaccurate - the Star DOES have a glass enclosed pool area (as do her sister ships Grand and Golden), though arguably I find the enclosed pools on Island/Coral to be superior spaces from a design/decor perspective.

Let me approach things differently here. In looking at the ship amenities on your last five cruises (Oasis and Freedom) I think you could be bored silly on the Coral and the Island. Of the three options you gave, the Star would be my recommendation simply because it has more public areas for you to enjoy. Yes, the scenery is the main attraction in Alaska, but I am thinking about what sorts of activities you are accustomed to onboard. Having been on those two ships for your last five RCL cruises, tell us what you like about the atmosphere onboard those two ships and why you have returned to them multiple times. It could make a huge difference in meeting your expectations.

Is there a reason you really want the Princess cruisetour? Royal offers very similar cruisetours, and given your affinity for Royal you could either book their cruisetour or a DIY land tour before/after a cruise on the Radiance OTS.

Yes, Princess is the big player in that market, but your line of preference is in the game. Why are you not considering them? The answer could be very helpful in making recommendations for you. :)

Bigger picture, for me, it's Coral, Ruby (and sisters), Sapphire/Diamond, Grand-class except the Grand, Island, Grand.

Coral has a forward-facing Horizon Court, which can be fantastic for watching the world go by morning/noon/night. Great viewpoints if you know the secret spot. Smaller feel, with the good layout for Wheelhouse Bar.

Ruby and her sisters have Adagio Bar, which we really enjoy.

Sapphire/Diamond have a unique way of splitting up/theming the midship MDRs, which makes ATD much easier to use.

The Grand doesn't have a central passenger staircase above deck 7, which IMHO is a burden. As an avid photographer who tends to go perhaps overboard for Alaska, getting my 30+ pounds of camera gear (large, bulky, valuable) down and into port is a chore unless we intentionally pick a cabin that's less favorable for getting to most anything else we tend to do on the ship.

Bigger picture, for me, it's Coral, Ruby (and sisters), Sapphire/Diamond, Grand-class except the Grand, Island, Grand.

 

Coral has a forward-facing Horizon Court, which can be fantastic for watching the world go by morning/noon/night. Great viewpoints if you know the secret spot. Smaller feel, with the good layout for Wheelhouse Bar.

 

Ruby and her sisters have Adagio Bar, which we really enjoy.

 

Sapphire/Diamond have a unique way of splitting up/theming the midship MDRs, which makes ATD much easier to use.

 

The Grand doesn't have a central passenger staircase above deck 7, which IMHO is a burden. As an avid photographer who tends to go perhaps overboard for Alaska, getting my 30+ pounds of camera gear (large, bulky, valuable) down and into port is a chore unless we intentionally pick a cabin that's less favorable for getting to most anything else we tend to do on the ship.

Peety3, "Secret Spot" on Coral ? ? Are you sharing?

Thanks

Excellent tips from all, and every comment has valuable data.

Two nights in Denali it shall be based upon everyone's comments.

Interesting comments on the Island, post refurb. RCI had issues like this too including taking away a great bar on Oasis for a suite guest only restaurant.

We understand Princess has a co-marketing/branding program with National Geographic, so we may get some better info on Alaska during our cruise, and we have heard about the better excursions.

Cherylandtk, you have an interesting question. Ill say that we enjoy the Cafe Promenade on Oasis and Freedom class ships - great place to get coffee, tea, and a snack, and relax inside between activities. Recall a similar spot on our other only Princess cruise.

Sea Hag, why not Tundra Wilderness?

Thanks again cruisers - this is very exciting!

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Let me approach things differently here. In looking at the ship amenities on your last five cruises (Oasis and Freedom) I think you could be bored silly on the Coral and the Island. Of the three options you gave, the Star would be my recommendation simply because it has more public areas for you to enjoy. Yes, the scenery is the main attraction in Alaska, but I am thinking about what sorts of activities you are accustomed to onboard. Having been on those two ships for your last five RCL cruises, tell us what you like about the atmosphere onboard those two ships and why you have returned to them multiple times. It could make a huge difference in meeting your expectations.

 

Is there a reason you really want the Princess cruisetour? Royal offers very similar cruisetours, and given your affinity for Royal you could either book their cruisetour or a DIY land tour before/after a cruise on the Radiance OTS.

 

Yes, Princess is the big player in that market, but your line of preference is in the game. Why are you not considering them? The answer could be very helpful in making recommendations for you. :)

I honestly do not recommend RCCL in Alaska. I have done the Radiance. They do not go to Glacier Bay and that is the one glacier that is guaranteed in Alaska. The others are always a chance to see and we missed the one glacier (Hubbard) on Radiance. I think the Radiance and Coral are very similar IMO ship wise.

Alaska is a different type of a cruise.

I personally don't think the Star is that much more exciting than the Coral. I can honestly say there were not more activities in Alaska on the Radiance compared to any other Princess ship I have been on in Alaska. IMO - Princess offered more as there were more enrichment speakers. Also, remember that Alaska gets a different demographic in Alaska. There are a lot more older people on all lines (including Carnival) so it is not the party atmosphere at night compared to other itineraries.

We did a Princess tour last summer. We stopped at multiple lodges. I'd agree with others on two nights in Denali. The tundra wilderness tour is long and we saw a lot of wildlife. Two nights gives you time for this. We also loved the coral for this trip

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I'll comment on the Tundra Wilderness Tour and the shuttle.

For first time Alaska folks I recommend the Tundra Wilderness Tour. After your first visit to Alaska, the shuttle would definitely be worth considering.

Note: Many, if not most, Princess itineraries include the Natural History Tour. If you are in Alaska to really see Denali, the mountain, wildlife, etc, this tour is worthless. First timers often report that they thoroughly enjoy the NHT, but they have nothing to compare it to.

If you are on a cruisetour with the NHT I strongly suggest that you ask for it to be changed to the TWT. If they say the TWT is full, call the TWT folks directly and get on their cancellation list. We did...and had a wonderful time.

We had just one night at the Denali lodge on our cruise tour and still had time for the Tundra Wilderness Tour. It was one of the highlights of our trip. Our train got to the station near the lodge around noon and the tour left at 2. The only downside to the tour was that the bus had picked up other passengers before picking up another couple and the two of us. We were the last ones on the bus and had to sit separately. I had a great family group sitting with me near the front of the bus--parents and teenage son and uncle and aunt. DH was near the back of the bus. He did not get to see as much as we did at the front.

As I shared in my review (previous post) it is much much cheaper to do the Eielson Shuttle than the Tundra Wilderness Tour. It is easy to do. The 8:30 am shuttle we were on only had about 25 passengers.

Princess offers Discovery excursions.

 

Sea Hag, why not Tundra Wilderness?

You don't get as far into the park on twt. I like going on the shuttle to see more. :)

You can see our experience on a Princess Alaska land tour at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858

Post #8 shows the Tundra Wilderness Tour we had

I definitely recommend two days at each Princess lodge you go to. One day makes it very hectic with travel and sightseeing upon arrival the same day.

Also, as time and budget allows, I suggest having a tour that includes two or three lodges. You might only get to Alaska once and having traveled a long way to get there, you really want to see as much as possible.

As for the ship we would recommend... it has to be the Coral (Stay Off Island... their retro fit ruined one of the best ships in their line) as we have not sailed on the Star.

We have done Alaska CruiseTours several times. If we were to cruise Alaska again we would definitely stay with the cruisetour. Absolutely stay at Denali two nights... (we took "the tour to the end of the road" called Kantishna Experience... took thirteen hours but it was fantastic!)

We would not go back to Fairbanks... lots of reasons... poorest of all of the Princess lodges... not much to do other then the the nightly salmon bake which is way over priced and not very good.

Alaska is amazing... so much to see... of all of our excursions the highlight was landing on and walking on Ruth Glacier. The colors of the ice are hard to explain... beautiful! Also in Juneau make sure to stop at Tracy's... best crab we have ever had!!

Absolutely wonderful info and recommendations! Based on all of your comments we have selected the 11-day Cruisetour, with two days in Denali.

Any must-do on board experiences, or Alaska tours you've loved?

Also, best to fly in to Vancouver, or fly to Seattle and drive?

This is getting exciting!

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Also, best to fly in to Vancouver, or fly to Seattle and drive?

 

This is getting exciting!

 

Delta had a nonstop to Vancouver from ATL, but the last time I looked there were stops or connections in the route. :confused:

Still, flying to Vancouver is IMO, the best. Others will tell you to fly to Seattle and train, bus, rent a car, etc. Be sure to count all the costs when you decide.

An arrival in Vancouver about two days early will give you time to explore the marvelous sites available around Vancouver or out of Victoria. Butchart Gardens is hard to beat.

ATLFOLKS...

We had air booked thru Princess, but decided we didn't like their return flights, so I did research and ended up booking WESTJET Cinti to Toronto to Vancouver, and it was the best pricing we could find $217 including seat choice.