Appreciate Advice on Cruise Line

[Fyrefly]

Hello everyone,

 

I was directed here from the people at the New Cruisers board. I've managed to get the go-ahead from my father to plan an Alaska cruise. Major victory on my part, he was pretty sure he'd never do a cruise but we all agreed an Alaska cruise would be perfect. None of us have ever been.

 

My parents are late 50's and I am 22. We have decided that we are going to do a 1-way 7 day cruise, and Glacier Bay is a requirement. We're considering spending a few days on top of that in the Anchorage area. Maybe we could go up to Denali for a few days, that hasn't been entirely hashed out yet, but we will be doing it on our own. None of us really have much patience for large tours so being herded about and forced to stay in certain hotels won't work. A train trip or something out of a port, not so bad, but any more and we feel like surly cattle. :rolleyes:

 

My research has given me Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Holland America as the lines that do 1-ways. I'd like to know your opinions on the lines and recommendations if you have them.

 

Things I'm particularly interested in:

1. Food. If we're already paying so much to take the cruise, it would be nice to not pay even more to eat in the fancy restaurants each night because the main stuff tastes bad. None of us are gourmets by any means, but it would be nice to have some nice stuff, meat not cooked to death, maybe lots of seafood since it's Alaska. I'd also be interested in buffet options because neither parent is big on dressing up so we'd have to eat elsewhere on formal night.

 

2. Activities. I heard Princess offers naturalists and other educational activities, but someone else also told me RCI and HAL do as well. We're big on learning things while on vacation. I'd like to be able to know what I'm seeing, not just be like "Look at the bird." Example: I'll probably be looking into an excursion to give us the history of Skagway, since the gold rush is a really fascinating topic for us. Even though Alaska is a lot about the ports, we'd like to have more than gambling and magic shows as our options for things to do while on board.

 

3. Overall room comfort/size. We're probably going to do oceanview, although a balcony MAY be possible depending on if frequent flyer miles work out with the cruise in question. It's just a balcony as you all know is very expensive and the $ could be used for excursions, but having one would give us both the benefits of the balcony and having a slightly larger room. I know it's not going to be a fancy hotel in there, but it would be nice to not have someone stand on the bed while another person has their suitcase open...

 

4. The "vibe" of cruising if that makes sense. I like the idea of a really classy sounding ship, if that makes sense. But this doesn't matter as much. I'm just so new to cruising in general that I don't know what to expect. Just the idea that people will bring you whatever food you want and you can go in and do activities without paying for them is a weird concept for me. Also are there certain things I should expect? Are you nickled and dimed for lots of "extras" on board they don't tell you aren't included, or are lots of sales pushed on you?

 

Thanks so much for everybody's help.

[chipmaster]

Welcome to CC,

 

As to the lines, you have 4 lines that offer similar price but different marketing spins. I'm partial to a line as you can see in my past cruise experience. They seem to balance things and their included dining is good enough for me.

 

Food in general is very personal, as is service, and ambience. Each line approachs it with a different style that becomes personal. There is no best! No matter how you spin it except for the specaility resturants that cost extra its mass cooked and served food. Think 8-15 dollar entree like quality. What you get with the extra speciality resturant is food made to order. I've never tried them but doubt beyond the fresh and custom cook the starting stuff is any better. Depending your expectation you could be impressed with the value/quality or dissapointed. If you will at least put on a nice dress shirt and slacks you can likely get by for elegant/formal night. If you are totally a jeans/tshirt-sweats and sneaker you will need to find another vacation option or try NCL or be happy with the buffet all the time.

 

Excursions, go where possible with independent. In Alaska some things are cruise exclusives. If you do ship, expect to be herded that is part of the deal to give you the price and for them to make a profit. Do the leg work yourself and your excursions will be more personal.

 

Balcony/Interior you can scan the threads here its a huge debate. Its all about value, if you can afford it there are perks. I'm a value guy and don't find it much value, even though I can afford it. Everything I see out the balcony I can find up top or mid ship, why did I pay that for the balcony again :eek:. Others will only sail with a balcony.

 

The vibe, unless you are on a very high end you are going to be hounded for upsell for everything from soda to art auctions. They need to upsell to make a profit. Like every business they need to make a profit and those of us who don't buy a lot its a value, for those that spend a lot its a value too as they enjoy those.

 

Hope my post doesn't make you change your mind, sailed Alaska twice loved it. Food is okay, service is okay, ports are great, value as awesome. Like all things in life you have to pay for what you get, but don't always get what you pay for.

[appgirl]

Hi, We went on the Golden Princess back in May to Alaska. It was a roundtrip from Seattle. I was very happy we chose Princess. I'm not sure if Princess has any "extra charge" restaurants, because we did not go to any. The food was very good and it did seem different from other Caribbean cruises I had been on. There definitely was more seafood offered. One day, there was a seafood buffet on deck. This was in addition to the regular buffet they had for lunch. They served salmon, fish burgers and fish soup, etc. Also, another day there was a dessert buffet which was really delicious. Princess does have Park Rangers come on board during the time in Glacier Bay, however, I believe this is a requirement for all the cruise ships in GB. One of the park rangers got on the speaker and pointed out many things in the area and allowed us to follow along on a map which was provided to us in the stateroom. She even found a bear on the shore and pointed that out. She also did a lecture on the area of Glacier Bay. I did not go but my husband did and he enjoyed it and felt he had learned many things about Glacier Bay. Again, they may have this type of thing on the other cruise ships too. Another thing that I noticed, there were several time the cruise director would get on the speaker and tell us about the area or point out whales if he saw one. That was great. We were leaving Skagway and I sat outside on the balcony and listened to him speak about the area we were in, the fjords, and some information about the nearby towns. My husband was taking a nap and I told him some of the things later, he wanted to know why I did not wake him up so he could hear it too. He is a history buff and is very interested in those things. We had actually booked a balcony (we had used our miles also and was able to afford a bigger room) But a couple of days before we left we found we were upgraded to a penthouse suite. This was awesome but I can't really tell you about the average size of the rooms as ours was pretty large. I did see the balconies on the rooms below us, they looked about average. I believe they each had 4 chairs and a small table. There wasn't much room for anything else, so that could give you an idea of the balcony size. I would recommend the balcony because that is where we were when we stopped and looked a the glaciers (although you can go up on deck but it was pretty crowded)and where we saw whales. As far as the vibe of the cruise, I expected people to be a lot older than what they were-it seems like that is what everybody says about Princess. But most people were in their 40-50's, I would say. There was a large number of people from Thailand. There were not very many children which was to be expected since we went in mid May. On this cruise, my husband and I had Anytime Dining. We had a really bad experience with tablemates on our last cruise so now we like to have dinner alone. We had not booked excursions through the ship so I really felt almost distant from the other passengers. Sometimes on a cruise, you tend to see the same people over and over, this was not the case on this cruise. It may have been because we never ate at the same time each night and did not socialize with people on the boat. We did dock a couple of times beside a Holland America ship. From the outside, I would say our ship was more impressive. It was bigger, looked in better shape and had more balconies. I didn't feel as if we were nickled and dimed but we did book our excursions beforehand and we don't drink alcohol or gamble, so that may be why. I will tell you that you will love Alaska. It is beautiful. I was so excited to see animals because I am an animal lover but I think Glacier Bay was my favorite part of the trip. I had never seen or heard anything like it before. Have a great time.

[chinita415]

That's great that you are planning this for your family. I totally understand your situation as I am going on a 1st AK cruise with my family as well. There are many people with great advice so ask away.

 

Many of us planning a first AK cruise fuss over the ships/lines, but those in the know will say AK is all about the itinerary. So look at the port and port times as well. If you are set on Glacier Bay, then I think Celebrity is not an option because they don't seem to have permits for 2011. See here: http://www.claalaska.com/pdf/2011/GB_2011.pdf And I think NCL Pearl is a round trip cruise. So that leaves you with HAL and Princess. Both are excellent choices. Some people say HAL is more "classy" with their teak and brass, while others scoff at the "advanced" age of the average patron.

 

As to not being led like cattle, you can easily avoid that by booking independently. Read here on the AK forum and you will get great recommendations of things you can plan on your own to suit your interests.

 

Have fun planning!

 

ETA: in case you have not found these, here are detailed reviews of past AK cruises: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/regions/alaska-cruises/

[Yukon]

4. The "vibe" of cruising if that makes sense. I like the idea of a really classy sounding ship, if that makes sense.

 

I'm going to start with this last comment and work backwards because the other aspects then fall into place nicely. Vancouver departures get you the most scenic sailing, so that gets you down to just HAL's Zaandam and Statendam, and the Celebrity Millennium. Both lines have naturalists on board, though not giving the sometimes-hours-long bridge narration that Princess naturalists sometimes do (each naturalst has their own style, though - there is little cruise-line standardization). Both have excellent "educational" activities (using that in the broadest possible sense), though I give the edge to the "Celebrity Life" program for overall quality. Food is excellent on both lines, but 1 visit to a speciality restaurant is highly recommended. To get 3 of you in a cabin in comfort may require a suite - but 2 Insides can usually be booked for about the same money.

 

Glacier Bay is only visted by the 2 HAL ships on that list, but don't eliminate Hubbard Glacier - its size and calving activity are far beyond anything you'll see at Glacier Bay, which wins for variety. The HAL ships, though, do go to College Fiord as well as GB, and I hugely enjoy College Fiord, for the huge population of sea otters almost as much as the large number of glaciers.

 

Confused? Maybe go back to the idea that "any Alaska cruise is a great Alaska cruise!" and watch prices. Celebrity's prices in late May (the driest part of the year) are a fair bit better than HAL's.

 

I spent 7 weeks on Alaska ships this year (2 Celebrity, 3 Princess and 2 RCI, all as naturalist or Destination Speaker), then another 3 weeks in the Caribbean (2 on HAL and 1 on Carnival) so my recent knowledge of the different lines is fairly good :)

 

For the land portion, going independent is easy with an RV or a car and hotels/B&Bs - there's lots of help here.

[cruising grandma]

Hello everyone,

 

I was directed here from the people at the New Cruisers board. I've managed to get the go-ahead from my father to plan an Alaska cruise. Major victory on my part, he was pretty sure he'd never do a cruise but we all agreed an Alaska cruise would be perfect. None of us have ever been.

 

My parents are late 50's and I am 22. We have decided that we are going to do a 1-way 7 day cruise, and Glacier Bay is a requirement. We're considering spending a few days on top of that in the Anchorage area. Maybe we could go up to Denali for a few days, that hasn't been entirely hashed out yet, but we will be doing it on our own. None of us really have much patience for large tours so being herded about and forced to stay in certain hotels won't work. A train trip or something out of a port, not so bad, but any more and we feel like surly cattle. :rolleyes:

 

My research has given me Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Holland America as the lines that do 1-ways. I'd like to know your opinions on the lines and recommendations if you have them.

 

Things I'm particularly interested in:

1. Food. If we're already paying so much to take the cruise, it would be nice to not pay even more to eat in the fancy restaurants each night because the main stuff tastes bad. None of us are gourmets by any means, but it would be nice to have some nice stuff, meat not cooked to death, maybe lots of seafood since it's Alaska. I'd also be interested in buffet options because neither parent is big on dressing up so we'd have to eat elsewhere on formal night.

 

2. Activities. I heard Princess offers naturalists and other educational activities, but someone else also told me RCI and HAL do as well. We're big on learning things while on vacation. I'd like to be able to know what I'm seeing, not just be like "Look at the bird." Example: I'll probably be looking into an excursion to give us the history of Skagway, since the gold rush is a really fascinating topic for us. Even though Alaska is a lot about the ports, we'd like to have more than gambling and magic shows as our options for things to do while on board.

 

3. Overall room comfort/size. We're probably going to do oceanview, although a balcony MAY be possible depending on if frequent flyer miles work out with the cruise in question. It's just a balcony as you all know is very expensive and the $ could be used for excursions, but having one would give us both the benefits of the balcony and having a slightly larger room. I know it's not going to be a fancy hotel in there, but it would be nice to not have someone stand on the bed while another person has their suitcase open...

 

4. The "vibe" of cruising if that makes sense. I like the idea of a really classy sounding ship, if that makes sense. But this doesn't matter as much. I'm just so new to cruising in general that I don't know what to expect. Just the idea that people will bring you whatever food you want and you can go in and do activities without paying for them is a weird concept for me. Also are there certain things I should expect? Are you nickled and dimed for lots of "extras" on board they don't tell you aren't included, or are lots of sales pushed on you?

 

Thanks so much for everybody's help.

 

 

Welcome to cruising! You and your parents will probably becomed "hooked" after the first one(most do).

 

We have cruised twice to Alaska.......once on Holland and once on Celebrity(have been on about 50 cruises and several cruiselines including Royal Caribbean, Princess, Norwegian, Carnival also.) We were late 40's or early 50's first Alaskan cruise and the other one we took my Mom and she was 70's.

 

Vancouver is a really neat city to explore pre/post cruise as is Anchorage pre/post cruise. We haven't been to Denali, but my sister and her husband did the "cruise tour for 10 or 11 nights that included Denali".:rolleyes: I would go more like you are planning on your own.

 

Personally, I like Celebrity better for food. All of the cruise lines have a buffet and room service.

 

Celebrity does have guest speaker onboard with educational talks.

 

There is ample room to hang clothes, and put away pjs and undies and bath stuff. Best suggestion is unpack everything when your luggage arrives into the room and place your luggage under the beds. We do pack our worn clothes back nightly(just pull the suitcase out like a drawer and be packed when the cruise is over.)

 

Don't fret too much about dress clothes........a nice pair of slacks and top or sweater for the females and coat and tie for male for formal nights or Dad can rent a tux and you and Mom can wear a little dressier top with black pants.

 

Most of all enjoy your time together!:D

 

The staterooms are small, but you'll most likely only be there to sleep, shower and dress.

 

There are specialty restaurants, photos, alcoholic drinks, colas, casino, spa and excursions for an extra fee. Tips can be prepaid.(about $10- $12 per person per night)

 

Bring swimwear for the indoor pool and jacuzzis.

[Yukon]

... unless you are on a very high end you are going to be hounded for upsell for everything from soda to art auctions.

 

In years past I'd agree with you but this year the only place I felt hounded was in some ports (Ketchikan is getting bad, though nothing like Caribbean port such as Castries). While upsells are available everywhere on the ships I never got approached by anyone about them (perhaps the spa, but it may have been me who approached them :) ) and even announcements are minimal compared to what they used to be.

[cruising grandma]

Park West Art Auctions on ships are a thing of the past. (Maybe just on some cruiselines, though.:confused:)

[Yukon]

Park West Art Auctions on ships are a thing of the past. (Maybe just on some cruiselines, though.:confused:)

 

They're still on most of the main cruisleines.

[Texas Tillie]

Look at the Princess southbounds - they are going to both the Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay - a great combo.

 

At one time I was a much bigger fan of Holland America, but they are doing a race to the bottom with their cost cutting and I just don't feel that they are what they were. (Well, in this economy, you can probably say that for all the mass market lines....and HAL fans, yes, it is a mass market line!)

 

One thing - the Princess cabins are probably smaller than those on other lines - but only marginally.

 

There's no one "perfect" ship - you will have to compromise on something with all. I'd say that with Alaska, the itinerary is primary and the ship secondary. Alaska is wonderful (5th Alaska cruise in the past 5 years booked for June!)

[Budget Queen]

If you have decided on Glacier Bay, then your list is either HAL or Princess. I give HAL the edge for Seward- IF you take advantage of it??? If not, then it doesn't matter. I disagree on the above about the lower quality- I just completed my 68th cruise and ALL lines are down on "quality". :) Look perhaps, at what outside the ship can offer you- Alaska?

 

Take a look at ports, time in ports, glacier, route, PRICE. Both of these cruise lines will offer you a fantastic experience. But for the overall decision, look further in your planning and figure out it all. IF you wish to include Denali park, you need at a min. from Whittier (my opinion)- 3 more nights. From Seward- take advantage of that city's touring opportunities, looking at 4 extra nights.

[NancyIL]

I'm going to start with this last comment and work backwards because the other aspects then fall into place nicely. Vancouver departures get you the most scenic sailing, so that gets you down to just HAL's Zaandam and Statendam, and the Celebrity Millennium. Both lines have naturalists on board, though not giving the sometimes-hours-long bridge narration that Princess naturalists sometimes do (each naturalst has their own style, though - there is little cruise-line standardization). Both have excellent "educational" activities (using that in the broadest possible sense), though I give the edge to the "Celebrity Life" program for overall quality. Food is excellent on both lines, but 1 visit to a speciality restaurant is highly recommended. To get 3 of you in a cabin in comfort may require a suite - but 2 Insides can usually be booked for about the same money.

 

Why didn't Princess and RCI make the list of one-ways from Vancouver? Are they not "classy" enough for you? I think HAL does a great job in Alaska, but both Princess and RCI have much prettier ships than HAL.

[Yukon]

I think HAL does a great job in Alaska, but both Princess and RCI have much prettier ships than HAL.

 

What does "pretty" have to do with "classy"? I sail RCI a lot because I think the Radiance in particular gives me the best balance of all of the things I'm looking for - she was made for Alaska!

[WisconsinFan]

We are doing a mult-generational trip this June. We were between HAL and Princess as well. My parents are experienced HAL cruisers, and so with the perks that are offered to them and with the itinerary HAL won. We also choose the round trip out of Seattle due to air costs.

 

HAL will have National Park rangers on board in Glacier Bay to discuss the bay, and the wildlife. As we will have kids who are 12 years old, they will also be able to do the Jr. Ranger program if they choose. The other "kids" will be a Sophomore and Senior in high school at the time we sail.

 

Yes, they do have an "up charge" dinning room but we are not planning on using it. My folks have been happy with the food on all their trips with HAL (Caribbean, Panama Canal, Hawaii, Alaska prior) and so we aren't too worried. The high school senior is a boy, and he is just thrilled at having room service when he needs something to eat- quantity is big in his book right now :).

 

We personally like the idea of a little smaller ship with the brass and teak. HAL also allows you out on the bow of the ship when you are in Glacier Bay. They serve hot soup on deck, have teak lounge chairs and wool blankets to go with them. Bigger doesn't always mean better, it does mean however more people ;)

 

Alaska port towns are easy to get around and we only have one excursion booked, that is in Ketchican and is the Bearing Sea Fisherman's Tour. We booked this one because the day we are in port there are many ships, and only one time this excursion goes out while we are in port. We wanted to make sure we were on the boat, so to speak. The 4 kids on our trip are big fans of "The Deadliest Catch" and this is a Christmas present to them. The rest of the trip we are going on our own.

 

Best advice we can give you is look at the itinerary you want to do and then the price you can afford. The ship is what fits your budget and itinerary. Have fun as you plan this amazing adventure :)

[NancyIL]

What does "pretty" have to do with "classy"? I sail RCI a lot because I think the Radiance in particular gives me the best balance of all of the things I'm looking for - she was made for Alaska!

 

I know you love Radiance, and I was surprised you didn't mention RCI in your previous post.

 

OK - so HAL is classy and kind of ugly. ;)

 

Even though you don't care for Princess, they have excellent one-way itineraries in Alaska. I have been very happy on my 2 Princess Alaska cruises (Coral and Golden) and the Crown Princess in Europe.

[Yukon]

Even though you don't care for Princess, they have excellent one-way itineraries in Alaska.

 

Princess excels in itineraries, and that's largely what will get me back on Princess some day despite my experience on the Coral Princess this year.

[NancyIL]

Princess excels in itineraries, and that's largely what will get me back on Princess some day despite my experience on the Coral Princess this year.

 

I know a lot can change on a ship in 3 years, but my first Alaska cruise on the Coral in 2007 sold me on Princess.

 

I really disliked my first HAL cruise on the Zaandam in 2004, and I had no interest in ever cruising on another "dam" ship. However, HAL Veendam had the one-way Alaska itinerary I liked best in 2008, so I gave HAL another chance. I'm glad I did, because it was an excellent cruise. I'll be on the 14-night Amsterdam in August because of the great itinerary, smaller size, and excellent outdoor viewing areas. The Amsterdam just went through drydock, so maybe it will even be pretty! :D

[CowPrincess]

IMHO HAL has nicer bathrooms, with OVs and higher having bath tubs -- unless you get a handicapped cabin. It was a long time ago that we sailed Princess, but I still remember having to stick my head and arms out of the shower stall to shampoo my hair on Princess :) I think (but am not absolutely certain) that HAL's OV rooms are larger than Princess' OV rooms.

 

As other posters have mentioned, if Glacier Bay is a "must do", your choices are Princess and HAL.

[NancyIL]

IMHO HAL has nicer bathrooms, with OVs and higher having bath tubs -- unless you get a handicapped cabin. It was a long time ago that we sailed Princess, but I still remember having to stick my head and arms out of the shower stall to shampoo my hair on Princess :) I think (but am not absolutely certain) that HAL's OV rooms are larger than Princess' OV rooms.

 

 

HAL's inside and OV cabins are generally larger than most - at least on the older R and S-class ships. (Our OV cabin on the Amsterdam is 197 sq ft.) I liked having a larger bathroom due to the bathtub in our Veendam OV cabin. I also LOVED that our HH cabin was on the lower promenade deck. I would've booked the same cabin on the Amsterdam, but there are 3 of us sharing a cabin, and the HH cabins accommodate only 2 people.

 

While Princess's inside and OV cabins are small, I think they have a better layout than inside cabins on some other cruise lines.

[Fyrefly]

Thank you very much for your feedback, everyone!

 

It helps to know that my first instinct, that it was going to be either HAL or Princess, was true. Now it's picking between the two. Since we've never been on a cruise there is really nothing to compare it to, which is both a plus and a pain.

 

Are there any thoughts as far as northbound/southbound? I'm thinking southbound might be nicer at the beginning as we'll be go go go at the first part of the trip, then have a few glacier days to relax before getting go go go at the ports later on. Also I've heard about getting a balcony on the port side if that spring ends up being an option?

 

It's probably going to have to be a late July/early August trip. I'm a grad student so odds are I'm going to need to commit 10-12 weeks of working nonstop in the summer as an intern, so a later trip, although more expensive, would mean I could get an internship out of the way first, then have the trip. Is there anything I should be aware of going that time of year? Weird sun times affecting which port times we favor? Killer mosquitoes? Amorous whales mistaking the ships for potential mates? ;)

 

And keep the ship feedback coming if none of you mind, it's getting me all excited. :D The good news for the showers is none of us are over 5'6". So there's one problem we won't have to worry about.

[Jen1000]

We have had 2, 3 and 4 in an outside/balcony cabin on Carnival. While 2 in the cabin was most comfortable :) we were actually fine with 4 (all ladies). It was tight in the cabin with 4 but we are rarely in the cabin. We are either at day time activities, eating, shows, clubs, hanging out, in port and in Alaska out checking out the scenery. I will say when we had 4 in the cabin we had a balcony and it did help having that extra space to go hang out in, especially when we were getting ready for dinner. Yes, a suite would be more comfortable but if on a budget save your money for excursions. You could look at 2 insides but the single supplement is so high now it makes 1 in a cabin almost the same price as 2 :eek:.

 

One thing that is pretty expensive is bingo, on Carnival it is $20. That can really add up. Otherwise, they take a lot of pictures but you don't have to buy them and you don't even have to let them take them.

 

Jen in SoCal

 

"To get 3 of you in a cabin in comfort may require a suite - but 2 Insides can usually be booked for about the same money."

[NancyIL]

Thank you very much for your feedback, everyone!

 

It helps to know that my first instinct, that it was going to be either HAL or Princess, was true. Now it's picking between the two. Since we've never been on a cruise there is really nothing to compare it to, which is both a plus and a pain.

 

Are there any thoughts as far as northbound/southbound? I'm thinking southbound might be nicer at the beginning as we'll be go go go at the first part of the trip, then have a few glacier days to relax before getting go go go at the ports later on. Also I've heard about getting a balcony on the port side if that spring ends up being an option?

 

It's probably going to have to be a late July/early August trip. I'm a grad student so odds are I'm going to need to commit 10-12 weeks of working nonstop in the summer as an intern, so a later trip, although more expensive, would mean I could get an internship out of the way first, then have the trip. Is there anything I should be aware of going that time of year? Weird sun times affecting which port times we favor? Killer mosquitoes? Amorous whales mistaking the ships for potential mates? ;)

 

And keep the ship feedback coming if none of you mind, it's getting me all excited. :D The good news for the showers is none of us are over 5'6". So there's one problem we won't have to worry about.

I prefer Princess's southbound itinerary from Whittier because it goes to both Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay. The northbound cruises go to Glacier Bay and College Fjord. The Island and Coral Princess are sister ships, and are a bit smaller than the Diamond Princess. The Island departs on Wednesdays, and the Coral and Diamond depart on alternating Saturdays.

 

HAL's southbounds on the Zaandam and Statendam depart from Seward on alternating Sundays, and go to College Fjord and Glacier Bay. They also go to Haines, whereas Princess goes to Skagway.

[CowPrincess]

The good news for the showers is none of us are over 5'6". So there's one problem we won't have to worry about.

 

Re: Princess showers.... "height" had nothing to do with it. :) I'm about 5'7" and I weighed about 105 lbs when we were on Princess. Skinny. There just wasn't much (any) room to get my elbows up at my sides to wash my hair. That ship has since been retired, so possibly the newer ones are better. Though a friend who cruised Princess a couple of years ago keeps referring to the "shoilet" -- shower whilst sitting on the toilet.

 

Now that you are down to two cruiselines, you need to investigate the itineraries and the ports each visits. And the amount of time in each port. Each port offers different shore activities. Find out which appeal to you and to your family, and then start focussing on the ships that go to the ports you want to go to, to do and see the "must do" things on your list.