Jump to content

What are the best cruise lines for Alaska?


applehazar
 Share

Recommended Posts

Looking for a recommendation for the best cruises in Alaska

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Your question is the equivalent to going on a car site and posting "what is the best car" or a pet site and asking "what breed of dog should I get". Considering how much information you have given us as to what you are looking for in a cruise (at least you told us AK) or telling us anything at all about you, it is hardly worth our time to bother to answer you. Come back with specific questions and you will get lots of responses.

 

DON

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok don. Sorry to bother you. I usually sail on Royal carribean. I have been to carribean many times Royal has good ports and packages. They also go to Alaska but maybe there are better packages that combine land and sea that Royal seems not to have. I am looking for recommendations for cruise lines and packages and no I am not renting a car nor do I want a recommendation of a car I know the best car and labs are the best dogs. Again sorry to have bothered you I am mistified why you took the time to berate me

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We booked through a TA, but her recommendation was to sail one way either northbound or southbound. Cruises that sail RT from Seattle require a stop in Vancouver, but since the whole trip is RT the times in port tend to be shorter. This has been confirmed since we booked and I have been reading up here on CC. I have also read MANY times on CC that Alaska is about the ports, not the ship. We considered when we wanted to sail and the TA found the best prices.

 

In the end, we chose RCCL on Radiance of the Seas due to times in each port, but also because we need 2 rooms (one of which must be an accessible cabin) and wanted them to be next to each other. We booked in September for an August 2018 cruise, and cabin choices were already extremely limited.

 

Happy planning!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok don. Sorry to bother you. I usually sail on Royal carribean. I have been to carribean many times Royal has good ports and packages. They also go to Alaska but maybe there are better packages that combine land and sea that Royal seems not to have. I am looking for recommendations for cruise lines and packages and no I am not renting a car nor do I want a recommendation of a car I know the best car and labs are the best dogs. Again sorry to have bothered you I am mistified why you took the time to berate me

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Because "best" is a terribly vague and subjective term. What is "best" to me, will likely be entirely different to the next 5 people you ask. Again, not knowing anything about your interests makes recommending something for you very challenging.

 

Some reading on the board would see many comments on the importance of going to Glacier Bay, which not many cruise lines do. So maybe that is "best". Others will say length of time in port. Or quality food...another tremendously subjective topic.

 

Budget is a factor as well. Length of trip is another...not many lines go longer than 7days.

 

I would suggest some research, then narrow down this very broad question.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Because "best" is a terribly vague and subjective term. What is "best" to me, will likely be entirely different to the next 5 people you ask. Again, not knowing anything about your interests makes recommending something for you very challenging.

 

Some reading on the board would see many comments on the importance of going to Glacier Bay, which not many cruise lines do. So maybe that is "best". Others will say length of time in port. Or quality food...another tremendously subjective topic.

 

Budget is a factor as well. Length of trip is another...not many lines go longer than 7days.

 

I would suggest some research, then narrow down this very broad question.

 

Thanks. At least someone sees my point. BTW - did you notice that in his original post, the OP did not even mention that he was interested in a cruise tour. The little additional piece of information could have a big effect on which "best" cruise line to recommend.

 

I have done several cruises to AK on different lines without ever taking a cruisetour and all were the "best in their own way. One was on HAL because it was a 14 day cruise that went as far a Kodiak. One was on Princess because they do Glacier Bay. One was with a company that is no longer in business because the ship held only 50 people. The ship is now owned by Alaska Dream Cruises. We also had a wonderful day in Glacier Bay with this small ship. One was where I used Alaska Marine Highway ferries to jump from port to port.

 

Which of my "best" cruises should I recommend to the OP.

 

Sort of like I have 3 "best" cars - a Ford Escape which is my practical car; a Mazda Miata which is my fun car; and a 1959 race modified Austin Healy Sprite which is the car that I truly love.

 

DON

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If money is no concern then cruise lines such as Silversea, Seabourn, Crystal and Regent will offer a luxury cruise.

 

For cruise lines that are not luxury but have been doing Alaska for a very long time look at ones such as Princes and Holland.

 

As some have said I would begin with the Itinerary and then go from there.

 

Keith

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We booked through a TA, but her recommendation was to sail one way either northbound or southbound. Cruises that sail RT from Seattle require a stop in Vancouver, but since the whole trip is RT the times in port tend to be shorter. This has been confirmed since we booked and I have been reading up here on CC. I have also read MANY times on CC that Alaska is about the ports, not the ship. We considered when we wanted to sail and the TA found the best prices.

 

In the end, we chose RCCL on Radiance of the Seas due to times in each port, but also because we need 2 rooms (one of which must be an accessible cabin) and wanted them to be next to each other. We booked in September for an August 2018 cruise, and cabin choices were already extremely limited.

 

Happy planning!

 

 

 

Thank you very much. You have been very helpful

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't give up, applehazar!

 

At the top of this board are three Trip Reports threads, and you should find some helpful information about cruise lines in there.

 

Many people will tell you that HAL and Princess are the two "best" lines cruising Alaska, because they have been doing it longer and have figured out how to do it. Those two lines also cruise in Glacier Bay, which rates very high on many cruisers' must-see lists.

 

If you decide you must do Glacier Bay, eliminate cruise lines and cruises that don't go there (RCI doesn't cruise in Glacier Bay). Other glaciers that lines cruise to are Hubbard and Sawyer, but sometimes ships cannot get close to those two glaciers because there is too much ice. With Glacier Bay, ice is not an issue.

 

Figure out how long you want to cruise, whether you want to cruise one way (Seward or Whittier to Vancouver or vice versa) or round trip, whether you want to cruise from Vancouver or Seattle, then sit down in front of your computer and look at the various cruise lines' itineraries. Your choices may eliminate some lines. I know it takes a long time, but it will be worth it in the end.

 

I have cruised in Alaska on HAL, NCL and RCI, and I really liked all of our cruises and would happily go on any of those lines again. My favorite itinerary is one way because I like to see more of Alaska than I can experience on a round-trip itinerary. We have an Alaska cruise coming up in 2019 that is 21 days!

 

Take your time, read as much as you can, and don't get frustrated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Take a look at what HAL has to offer. They will also take you into the Yukon as well as to Denali. Spend as much time on land as you can. Don’t do ‘Direct to Denali or the ship” unless you are short on time. You need two to three nights in Denali. If you want to add the Yukon be sure to have two nights in Dawson City.

We’ve been on several HAL land itineraries and enjoyed all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I cruised Alaska with Princess I think it was Dawn and with Celebrity I did the Solistice. My favorite was the latter one. The ship was amazing so pristine. They had a Naturalist who was very informative and entertaining and whenever there was a whale sighting he was so excited and communicated it to us. He had several talks with audio visuals that were amazing. The food was great, well prepared and proportionate. The staff was excellent catering to our every need. The only thing was the Princess cruise was able to get closer to the icebergs because it was a smaller ship no big deal as you can use binoculars.

The entertainment was superb on the Celebrity overall a very memorable and fun vacation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went through a similar exercise a month ago. We are not doing a land tour but are doing a round trip Seattle. I decided on the Princess (Ruby) as providing us the best value for what we wanted, with a balance in on board entertainment/activities as well as the ports/destinations and the time spent on each. This is our first trip, so we wanted to make sure to see glaciers and picked a cruise that went to glacier bay. Since you are wanting a Land tour i know Princess is very highly rated and recommended for their Land-tour packages, that you may want to look into.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I cruised Alaska with Princess I think it was Dawn and with Celebrity I did the Solistice. My favorite was the latter one. .

 

That is comparing a very old ship with a newer ship. Probably not a valid comparison as there were no ships that resembled the Solstice when the Dawn was in Alaska. The Dawn Princess came out in 1997 and the Solstice came out in 2008. The Dawn Princess isn't even with Princess anymore. The itinerary of the Solstice in Alaska has been mediocre but has had a great Naturalist.

 

I have done Princess and RCCL in Alaska and I will not do RCCL again in Alaska (we were on the Radiance). They had no enrichment programs and they can't go to Glacier Bay.

 

I also have done RT Seattle, RT Vancouver and one ways. Much prefer one ways. Times in port are better, with Princess you get 2 real glacier days (at no additional cost) in case you miss one glacier due to weather conditions and they do a ton of really cool Alaskan programs on the ship. Unless you go to the high end lines and very small boats, I don't think the other lines can compare enrichment programs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was simply making an observation about each ship on their own merit I know the Princess ship was older but it was still a great vessel. I also think the itinerary was much better on the Dawn as I saw 3 different glaciers.

 

Those were the ships that made me fall in love with cruising. The sister ship (Sun Princess) was the largest ship when it came out and this class of ships brought balconies to the masses! Previous ships only had a few balconies and those were only in suites. It goes to show how far cruise ships have come since the late 90's. The Dawn Princess did the one ways which IMO was the superior route.

 

I get that the Solstice ship (and her sisters) are gorgeous. I just wish cruise lines would put their best ships running the best route. They seem to do the opposite and put their best ships on the weaker routes as they know people will appeal to the nicer ship and not look at itinerary.

 

My point was it is difficult to compare the 2 due to the Sun Class ships are not even in North America and haven't been for years. I personally would sail them again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you read thru some of the many trip reports posted above, you'll see that the major cruiselines are more alike than different. But things to consider .... do you want a naturalist on board ? do you need a heated/covered pool? is a kids program important? if glacier viewing is important choose an itinerary with 3 glaciers, including Glacier Bay.

Also, as you look at itineraries, pay close attention to port times. Are you in port long enough and at the right time of day for planned activities? ie lots of whining on this board about 7am-1pm in Ketchikan or 2pm - 10pm in Juneau.

As for the land tour be very mindful of the details. Alaska is a big state and your ship will use Whittier ( 1 1/2 hrs from Anchorage) or Seward (3 hrs from Anc). The short cruisetours spend most of their time in transit with little time at the destination for activities. This is especially true of Denali where a 1 night stay usually means you arrive mid day on Day 1 and leave at noon the following day, leaving you no time to get into the park. You need 2 nights at Denali if you want to shuttle into the park to enjoy the wildlife and scenery.

As you will see from reading the trip reports, its easy enough to do the land portion on your own. 2 lane hwys so impossible to get lost. DIY allows you to go where you want to do and at your own pace. If driving isn't an option, you can book the Alaska Railroad either independently or one of their pkg tours, or use the Park Connection Bus.

There are also books specific to Alaska cruises if you want to read about the various ships, itineraries and ports.

Ann Vipond has Alaska by Cruiseship and Fodor has Alaska,Ports of Call. Maybe your library has them !

Have fun with your research and planning !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If money is no concern then cruise lines such as Silversea, Seabourn, Crystal and Regent will offer a luxury cruise.

 

For cruise lines that are not luxury but have been doing Alaska for a very long time look at ones such as Princes and Holland.

 

As some have said I would begin with the Itinerary and then go from there.

 

Keith

If money wasn't a concern, I'd say best was one of the small ship, expedition/advanture lines: Lindblad National Geographic, Uncruise or Alaska Dream. These small ships can get into ports and scenic areas that the big ships can't and get closer to the glaciers.

 

Not quite as expensive, not quite as small but still small enough to get into the small ports, fjords and small passages, I'll be on Windstar Star Legend next spring. They will have 5 expedition experts (biology, geology, etc) to conduct classes and lead excursions. It has wonderful food and lovely large cabins. I may come back and do Uncruise, Alaska Dream or Lindblad some time.

 

Of the luxury lines that Keith mentioned, the price on Crystal was much more reasonable than the others when we booked for last August. It wasn't that much more than HAL at the time we booked though the HAL cruise may have been discounted as sailing dates got closer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just booked Alaska on ovation of the seas. Sticker shock. Boy that was expensive $4k for 1 week balcony. But it might come down. And yes it will be 80 in Michigan in January [emoji3][emoji3]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

Update. Our TA just gave us an option. A 5 day land then a 7 day cruise. It’s more expensive but we are only going to Alaska once. It’s end of August 1 st of September. Any comments on the dates? Btw it is radiance of the seas

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Update. Our TA just gave us an option. A 5 day land then a 7 day cruise. It’s more expensive but we are only going to Alaska once. It’s end of August 1 st of September. Any comments on the dates? Btw it is radiance of the seas

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Honesty -Ovation of the Seas has the worst itinerary in Alaska. It has one less port then all the other lines. If you want to see Alaska - this is not the way to do it.

 

I personally avoid Alaska end of August/first of September. May has the least amount of rain and September has the most (historically) of any cruise months.

 

I would pick up Alaska by Cruise Ship by Anne Vipond and read up on the ports and glaciers and maybe one other book. Remember - this may be your only trip to Alaska, you want to do it right. You may want to look at some other lines also.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am also one who would advise against Ovation of the Seas. It is doing the same itinerary as Explorer of the Seas currently doing. I would do some research before booking your cruise to Alaska. It is very different then the Caribbean. You have plenty of time to research this before you book.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...