Celebrity Millenium Alaska vs Princess,Regent ,HAL?

[jusjoan]

I have been trying to decide on a cruise to Alaska for next Aug. This is our first cruise, 50ish, enjoy good food, like our wine and happy hour drinks, meeting friends, 15th anniversary and want to get away from our kids and therefore other kids. Also not into crowds. I need some input. I think I have narrowed my search down to Celebrity (vs Princess, Regent or HAL) based on:

 

1. Itinerary (Vancouver to Seward) based on Inside Passage (my DH is prone to motion sicknes) and I would like to see Vancouver.

 

2. looking for a cabin that will not smell like smoke (don't know why cruise lines can't guarentee smokefree rooms). (I have been warned not to go on HAl and I think Princess).

 

3. Price. Was leaning toward Regent but can't talk my DH into $13,000 commitement.

 

Concerned about:

 

1. Crowds embarking and disembarking and at ports.

 

2. Not having enough peace and quiet. We enjoy just relaxing on our balcony, reading, good dinner/drinks, sleeping in, outdoor activities such as hiking, rafting, etc, meeting good friends with similar interests.

 

3. My DH being totally turned off from cruising by bad service, salespeople, being nickle and dimed to death for all extras. (All cruise lines have this bad rap). I shouldn't read the blogs....

 

Let me know if my concerns/expectations are valid. Would appreciate any and all input. Positive and negative.

 

Thanks!

I hope I am getting closer to booking our 1st out of many cruises.

 

 

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[AlanAllyn]

The Celebrity Millenium would be a good choice. But, I prefer the longer port times on the southbound itinerary.

 

You will find kids on all the cruise lines in Alaska in August, but on our two cruises (HAL and Crystal), we never found them to be a problem.

[jusjoan]

Thank you you for your reply. There are so many things that go into picking a cruise that I haven't even considered the port times. Quite honestly, that is the least of my concerns. I am not even sure I even care about what we do when we're on shore. We could just find a place to have a good lunch/drink, find a nice hike and settle in a read a good book. Am I crazy to think this is not possible?