Hal vs princess, alaska

[Sailkeywest]

I noticed that some of HAL's Alaskan itineraries included longer stays at port than Princess, and yet I see a great deal of people posting that they choose Princess for their Alaskan Cruises. (SeattleCruiser are you out there for this one?)

 

I guess my question is, for those of you who have sailed both, why do you choose Princess?

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for any input :)

[catergirl]

i think it depends on whether it is a one way trip, which would give you more time in port, as opposed to a round trip(same # of days). both princess and HAl offer both, but i find the one trips a much better use of my time. i'm not backtracking over the same ground. i guess thats one of the reasons i like princess for most itineraries. they usually have more ports stops in say europe than the other lines for the same amount of days. IMO

[taszmom]

I chose Princess for the land tour, their rail cars are the best. Coincidentally even thought we booked a Princess Alaska Cruisetour, on one of the segments, we got put on a HAL rail car and was very disappointed.

 

As far as the itineraries, we did Skagway, Juneau & Ketchikan. Walking around the downtown area was all the same...100's of gift & jewelry shops. If you want to see the real Alaska, book shore excursions.

 

If doing the land tour, I suggest at least 2 nights in Denali. Lots to see and do. 1 night is cheating yourself of this great place.