Daily activities and amenities comparison

First time cruiser AND first time poster! I first want to say you all are a wealth of information, I've learned so much from here.

A brief intro: my family (husband & I (both 55) and our two kids (daughter 26 and son 22) want to do an Alaskan cruise mid-to-late May. I know it's not ideal, but this is the first time since the daughter was in high school that all four of us have a two week block of time off at the same time. We're all active and enjoy the outdoors. Hiking, camping, kayaking....

That said, it seems like most cruises stop in 3 ports and have 3 sea days. I'm looking to compare activities available on each ship (both a daily itinerary and amenities) to see if one ship would be a better fit than another for us.

Your help is much appreciated!! thank you.

Which cruise line? If you are asking for a comparison of every ship that visits Alaska in May, you are asking a lot.

Incidentally we did a 14 day Alaska cruise on Holland America and it was mid-May. Perfect weather and lots to see.

If the "sea" days are Glacier viewing days, don't worry about activities since you will be spending your time viewing the beauty.

Have you discovered the Alaska forum? Lots of info there.

Hi Mary Kay & Joe,

I've narrowed it down to a round trip departing from Seattle or Vancouver, and from there to HAL, Carnival, Norwegian and Princess.

The AK boards are where I found out that Glacier Bay is not to be missed so I crossed off cruises that don't go there (VERY helpful). Thank you!

An Alaskan cruise is all about Alaska...not so much about the ship and it's amenities....you will likely be off the ship more than you're on it! I'd choose by itinerary for an Alaskan cruise...and do your research (a guidebook is VERY helpful), so you'll know what's in each place, and get an idea of HOW to do it! (You can save a bundle if you don't need a ship's excursion!)

Most cruise lines offer the same types of daily activities....some ships have more 'bells and whistles", but again, you will be ashore most of the time!

Try to learn about the activities for a sea day. Wen did the 14-day Holland America itinerary (great itinerary!) but we were a little disappointed in the ship's activities on a sea day. Other than the excellent Cook's Illustrated cooking demo series we really didn't have many sea day activities. Well, the bar. We spent time in the bar. But we weren't interested in art auctions.

First time cruiser AND first time poster! I first want to say you all are a wealth of information, I've learned so much from here.

 

A brief intro: my family (husband & I (both 55) and our two kids (daughter 26 and son 22) want to do an Alaskan cruise mid-to-late May. I know it's not ideal, but this is the first time since the daughter was in high school that all four of us have a two week block of time off at the same time. We're all active and enjoy the outdoors. Hiking, camping, kayaking....

 

That said, it seems like most cruises stop in 3 ports and have 3 sea days. I'm looking to compare activities available on each ship (both a daily itinerary and amenities) to see if one ship would be a better fit than another for us.

 

Your help is much appreciated!! thank you.

Do you really want us to do ALL of your research for you. Don't you think that this is a bit of a presumptuous request. Go to the library and do some research. Compare the ship reviews on CC. Do some research on the WEB. Then when you come back with some SPECIFIC questions, we will give you answers.

Most of us have better things to do than to answer a "tell me everything about everything" question.

DON

To narrow further between your choices, advise you stick with HAL or Princess, and depart from Vancouver.

Now, start researching :).

My word, some of the replies are downright rude to a first time poster who probably knows nothing about all the different cruise lines, esp so when some cruise lines are renown for having more activities than others. I’m sure a bit of generic advice from people, who have been to Alaska, would be far more welcome.

After the above posts, I’m not sure the OP will brave returning to CC :(

My word, some of the replies are downright rude to a first time poster who probably knows nothing about all the different cruise lines, esp so when some cruise lines are renown for having more activities than others. I’m sure a bit of generic advice from people, who have been to Alaska, would be far more welcome.

 

After the above posts, I’m not sure the OP will brave returning to CC :(

Thank you, you are correct, I was looking for some generic "this was helpful for me" advice as a starting point, not a full on report.

I was quite shocked at the one reply and yes, I am considering bowing out from these boards and go back to lurking.

Try to learn about the activities for a sea day. Wen did the 14-day Holland America itinerary (great itinerary!) but we were a little disappointed in the ship's activities on a sea day. Other than the excellent Cook's Illustrated cooking demo series we really didn't have many sea day activities. Well, the bar. We spent time in the bar. But we weren't interested in art auctions.

Sea day activities are what always seem to keep me from cruising. I agree, the Cooks cooking demo looks great, but other than that what do you do all day? The cruises we are looking at have three sea days (well one is Glacier Bay, but do you really stand there for six hours?).

Every line has trivia, and on Princess (and probably HAL) there are lectures from the naturalist. When he/she isn't lecturing he is on the bridge with the captain looking for wildlife. EM

You can keep your focus more on Alaska by sticking to Vancouver cruises - all the Seattle RTs stop in Victoria, but mostly for not long enough to remotely do it justice and the extra time taken to visit means they likely spend less time in their last AK port than Vancouver RTs do (you will have to check port times of each cruise to confirm that last point, but since the ships have to find at least 4 hours and sailing faster is more expensive, cutting port time is the money-saving choice). Victoria's a nice place, but a few hours late evening is not the way to see it.

Plus with the extra week to wrap around your cruise, you can enjoy our beautiful Vancouver outdoors before and after the cruise - tire yourselves out enough and you'll really enjoy relaxing on those sea days;-) In May you can often ski, golf, and ocean swim all in one day - using public transit.

Edit - onboard activities are quite varied, and there's a gym if you want to burn a few extra calories. Search the boards (and Google) for pics folks have posted of the daily activity sheets from the lines you're considering to give you an idea of what the offerings tend to be.

Will the daily activity sheets vary by destination? I mean, if I see a 'Sea Day' sheet for a Carnival Caribbean cruise will it generally be the same for a Carnival Alaskan cruise?

The cruises we are looking at have three sea days (well one is Glacier Bay, but do you really stand there for six hours?).

I was out there three or four hours. DW had a good seat in the Crow's Nest with attentive waitresses.

(Not Glacier Bay, but Dawes Glacier and Hubbard Glacier. Similar experiences but maybe less "wow" factor.)

Will the daily activity sheets vary by destination? I mean, if I see a 'Sea Day' sheet for a Carnival Caribbean cruise will it generally be the same for a Carnival Alaskan cruise?

They will vary yes - outdoorsy activities around the pool etc. are not as popular in Alaska, between possibly low temps on deck and way more scenery than Caribbean cruises, and every line seems to add at least a little destination-specific programming (talks from AK personalities like Libby Riddles, axe-throwing contests, sled dog puppies brought onboard for example) so examples from AK cruises will be a much more accurate representation. If this sort of stuff is of real interest, Princess should jump up a notch or two on your list - they go big with the on-board AK programming.

Sea day activities are what always seem to keep me from cruising. I agree, the Cooks cooking demo looks great, but other than that what do you do all day? The cruises we are looking at have three sea days (well one is Glacier Bay, but do you really stand there for six hours?).

We did not stand in one spot but in various areas of the ship including the bow which was opened specially for viewing.

I have done Alaska two times on Princess. Out of Seattle and Vancouver (round trip and one way northbound). Lots of active excursions for Alaska. We have done zipline trip out of Juneau (highly recommend-Ultimate zipline I think. Boat then truck then 11 ziplines/2 rope bridges). Train ride in Skagway. Chilcoot lake kayak in Skagway. Ketchikan-bus to the totem pole park or just walk around town. Naturalist on board for narration and presentations too I think.

Princess is a bit more sedate. You see all ages. Our college age girls enjoyed our trip to the Caribbean on PCL. My two cents worth. We are trying HAL in March. You will have fun no matter what trip you choose.

I should clarify. On excursion days it'll be tough to narrow down the choices, we'll have to make some hard decisions on those days. It's the non-excursion days I'm wondering about. What's there to do all day? I see a few daily activity schedules out there, but honestly many of the activities I'm seeing don't seem all that interesting, at least to me. And if we have equal number port days and sea days, I don't know that a cruise will be a good fit for us.

Maybe we'd be better off flying to Juneau and using the Alaskan Marine Highway as our transportation. THAT sounds so cool and maybe more our speed.

I have done Alaska two times on Princess... Our college age girls enjoyed our trip to the Caribbean on PCL. My two cents worth. We are trying HAL in March. You will have fun no matter what trip you choose.

Are you saying your kids enjoyed the Caribbean cruise more than the Alaskan one? Was that because of the on board activities or the ports? Our daughter lived in the West Indies for a few years, she isn't interested in going back (wants something new - Iceland is on her list).

Are you saying your kids enjoyed the Caribbean cruise more than the Alaskan one? Was that because of the on board activities or the ports? Our daughter lived in the West Indies for a few years, she isn't interested in going back (wants something new - Iceland is on her list).

I was referring to the fact that they enjoyed the Princess experience, even though they were younger than the typical PCL passenger. We have only done the one family cruise. (Though the older daughter did an NCL cruise in Hawaii with her Girl Scout troop). (DH and I went to Iceland last year)

I should clarify. On excursion days it'll be tough to narrow down the choices, we'll have to make some hard decisions on those days. It's the non-excursion days I'm wondering about. What's there to do all day? I see a few daily activity schedules out there, but honestly many of the activities I'm seeing don't seem all that interesting, at least to me. And if we have equal number port days and sea days, I don't know that a cruise will be a good fit for us.

 

Maybe we'd be better off flying to Juneau and using the Alaskan Marine Highway as our transportation. THAT sounds so cool and maybe more our speed.

My recollection is that Juneau is only accessible by plane or boat. There is no road in. If you want to sightsee every day, a land based vacation there might be preferable. Denali is one very popular destination.

What sort of activities would you and your family enjoy on the ship? Are you looking for something in particular?

Denali is one very popular destination.

 

What sort of activities would you and your family enjoy on the ship? Are you looking for something in particular?

Denali looks amazing but I didn't think it was open yet in May. Or at least it was iffy. I'll have to look into that.

As for the type of activities, I guess I'll know when I see them. As for the ones I've seen so far: The lecture and learning series look great to me but not so much for the kids. We'd all like the trivia games, the gym and the cooking classes, but then what? The computer classes seem too basic, We don't want to sign up for a fitness class, no flower arranging, no Pamper Party (whatever that is), no to the art auction or jewelry seminar. Gotta say no the medi-ped seminar and the instant wrinkle remedy seminar haha. The health seminar is on relieving back, hip and knee pain. No to bingo and afternoon tea.

Maybe I should create a new post: Alaskan cruise sea days for 20 somethings. This is our first family vacation in a long time and I want all of us to have fun every day, not just 3/6.

My daughter and I backpacked through Italy for almost 2 weeks two years ago, and each day was something new. Venice, Pompeii, Colosseum, Cinque Terra, cooking class, the Vatican...

I am so on the fence about an Alaskan cruise, just because the sea days don't seem interesting. Am I missing something?

Not to throw off your plans but have you considered Hawaii instead? Maybe its just because I don't do cold but I can think of a million things to do that fit what sounds like your family "personality" in Hawaii. Do any of the Alaska ship options have movie theaters, rock climbing walls or ropes courses, shows, ice skating or anything like that. You really only have 2 "sea days" in the cruise you are describing. Two sit down meals alone will take up at least 4 hours between getting ready and eating. A couple of down days will probably be nice if you plan on being uber active on the other days ;)

Hi Mary Kay & Joe,

 

I've narrowed it down to a round trip departing from Seattle or Vancouver, and from there to HAL, Carnival, Norwegian and Princess.

 

The AK boards are where I found out that Glacier Bay is not to be missed so I crossed off cruises that don't go there (VERY helpful). Thank you!

We are in our mid-60's but have been cruising since 1984. For me there is no better vacation than a cruise (but that is just me). As to best cruise line, I think it is a very personal preference. These lines have a personality and a target group they are catering to. In Alaska, the differences aren't as distinctive because all passengers tend to be more mature than a ship going to the Bahamas. You just won't see a large number of small kids on Alaskan cruises. We have sailed all of these lines and prefer HAL and Princess. They seem to have the best service and food. For me, being pampered and truly relaxing is awesome. (It takes a few days to really relax and get into the cruise mode)

Carnival caters to the youngest group (more pool activities, heavier drinking, lots of late night partying). Entertainment tends to be geared to that group (games by the pool, very loud music, etc.)

NCL and Princess fall more in the middle age wise. NCL has no formal night requirements and that attracts a lot of people. NCL and Carnival tend to be a little less expensive.

HAL caters to the oldest (things are pretty quiet by midnight). Some things I really enjoy on HAL are the movie theater and the Music Walk (a deck that offers a jazz club, a Lincoln Center classical music venue, a piano bar and their main entertainment theater which presents either a musical presentation with house singers and dancers or individual entertainers ..singers, magicians, comedians, etc....that are brought on board in the various ports.) Also, there is a large common area on the front of the ship called the Crows Nest (on most HAL ships) that has panoramic views with lots of comfy furniture to enjoy the beautiful Alaskan scenery coupled with a library, board game selections and large jigsaw puzzle tables where passengers stop by, work a few pieces in and move on, a Starbucks type coffee shop, a dance floor, a bar, etc. There is something going on there all of the time. My husband knows he can find me there most of the time.

Princess has great floorplans for their cabins (but there is only so much you can do with that small space). They also provide self-service laundry rooms that allow you to cut down on the amount of luggage you drag around. (Great on long cruises..not so necessary on 7-day or less) Some of their newer ships are really beautiful. Food, service and entertainment (IMHO) are right up there with HAL. They have a a great pizza venue that has no upcharge. Princess has Movies Under the Stars...great in the Bahamas...a little chilly in Alaska. They also have a recording studio where they record some shows for in-cabin tv. We have attended some recordings there that we really enjoyed.

A little surprise: a lot of the ships in Alaska have a retractable roof over the main pool. On a sunny sea day, they will close the roof and your serious sun worshipers will show up for serious pool and hot tub time.

When we took our first cruise, we told the travel agents we wanted as many ports as we could get in a 7-day cruise. His response was, "That's what everyone says on their first cruise. The next year they come back requesting more days at sea." He recommended no more that 3 ports for a 7-day cruise. He was so correct. When we came off that first ship, we agreed we could that the same cruise the next year and never leave the ship. ( A little extreme maybe) We are leaving Thursday for an 11-day Panama Canal cruise. We were just there in January on a different ship and have been to every port at some point in time. I may get off the ship, I may not but I will have a wonderful, relaxing time and meet a lot of interesting people.

If you have time, look at a cruise tour on Princess or HAL. It will mean flying one direction. They have domed trains to travel to and/or from their lodges and you will likely enjoy the time on land. We did this on our first Alaskan cruise. It was a great mix and you see a lot more of the coastline on a one-direction cruise.

Hope you enjoy your cruise!

Denali looks amazing but I didn't think it was open yet in May. Or at least it was iffy. I'll have to look into that.

 

As for the type of activities, I guess I'll know when I see them. As for the ones I've seen so far: The lecture and learning series look great to me but not so much for the kids. We'd all like the trivia games, the gym and the cooking classes, but then what? The computer classes seem too basic, We don't want to sign up for a fitness class, no flower arranging, no Pamper Party (whatever that is), no to the art auction or jewelry seminar. Gotta say no the medi-ped seminar and the instant wrinkle remedy seminar haha. The health seminar is on relieving back, hip and knee pain. No to bingo and afternoon tea.

 

Maybe I should create a new post: Alaskan cruise sea days for 20 somethings. This is our first family vacation in a long time and I want all of us to have fun every day, not just 3/6.

 

My daughter and I backpacked through Italy for almost 2 weeks two years ago, and each day was something new. Venice, Pompeii, Colosseum, Cinque Terra, cooking class, the Vatican...

 

I am so on the fence about an Alaskan cruise, just because the sea days don't seem interesting. Am I missing something?

When our adult son(30) cruises with us, he enters ping pong tournaments, swims, rock climbs, etc. Some ships now have ice skating rinks, miniature golf, virtual reality skeet shooting, etc. Check the web sites to learn more about the specific ships you are considering. As a family, we enjoy board games, card games, etc. On most cruises, you can do as little or as much as you want.