RC or Princess for Family Alaska Cruise?

Hi all. We are planning a cruise to Alaska for 2 families, total of 6 kids between the ages of 6-12 for August 2018. I am looking at two options, one on Royal Caribbean (Radiance of the Seas_ from Seward and one on Princess (Golden Princess) from Whittier. Both have almost exact itinerary and very similar price. Do you have a recommendation between these two cruise lines based on the age of the kids? I am not concerned about other kids on the ships b/c we have plenty of our own to play with. I am more interested in the quality of the two ships and programming. Thanks so much!

Princess because they visit Glacier Bay. RCCL does not. EM

You will be OFF the ship more than on it...an Alaskan cruise is all about Alaska...not so much about the ship. Either will suit them fine, for the short amount of time they will spend in the clubs. I would book the cruise that gives me the largest room for the cheapest price!

We had a very similar dilemma. We chose RCCL because we could book neighboring rooms. My husband and I in one room with our youngest child, and my mom/Nana in the neighboring and WC accessible room next door with our 9-year old boy-girl twins. It’s our daughter that has some limited mobility and needs the WC accessible room. On Princess the closest option (for almost exactly the same price) was separated by 10-12 cabins and we did not want that.

The Princess kids club is excellent, and when we did this cruise 6 years ago, they did crafts to try to teach the kids about Alaskan wildlife in the kids club. Princess generally does a great job in Alaska (along with HAL) and visit Glacier Bay. But I would agree the ports are the most important thing in Alaska, and you will have a fantastic time no matter which ship you choose if the room options are better on RC, since that line also has a great reputation for families. Alaska is a great destination for families, and your kids are at a great age for this cruise.

Oh, and if your kids are old enough, the Bering Sea tour is amazing. And if you book the helicopter to the dogsled excursion, make sure to book it directly through Temsco to save 10% over the cruise line excursion, and do that in Skagway, since the weather is more stable there than in Juno and your helicopter is less likely to be cancelled.

In terms of the Alaska experience I would choose Princess. They have been sailing Alaska for a very long time and do it right and as mentioned they do visit Glacier Bay which will offer a nice day of seeing the glacier from the ship. Princess also has a nice children's program and personally I think the quality is better.

Keith