Best cruise line for Alaska

[wailea4me]

My husband and I are going to book a cruise to Alaska for 2012. If money were no object, what is the very best cruise line for seeing and experiencing Alaska?

 

Also, what is the very best month to go?

[Keith1010]

I say this with all sincerity there is no best for everyone. Each person needs to figure out what is best for them.

 

Each person has there favorite months. For us it is from May thru September. Some don't like September because there is a higher probability for more rain. I would pick the month that works best for you.

 

In terms of the ship, I would first figure out what itinerary you want to do and whether or not you want to do a pre or post land package in Alaska. If you want to do a land tour then look at cruise lines such as Princess and Holland that offer land tours. If not then find the itinerary you like and then start reading about the cruise ships and lines that sail Alaska.

 

But remember what is best for one person is not necessarily best for you. If it was the same then we would all sail the same cruise ships/lines within a particularly category of cruise (eg, mass market, premium, luxury lines)

 

Keith

[Cbears]

As Keith said, no one but you can decide what the best cruise experience for you is.

 

But if money (and unlimited time and good health) were no object, if it was ME I would do this:

 

http://www.americansafaricruises.com/destinations/alaska/famed-inside-passage-2011-3

 

These small cruises are the only ones that travel the real inside passage, and this one looks soooo amazing. Of course if money were no object we'd charter the yacht my entire family would be on board!

 

Having only 7 days and being on a budget we choose the most inside passage we could find, RT out of Vancouver. July or August are the warmest months, but we choose May as the price fit our budget.

 

Itinerary was the number one priority for us. You might be more interested in the ship with the most 'bells and whistles' or the most pampered service or the best party ship. Decide what matters and then start looking for that!

[chipmaster]

DO you choose your car, clothes or other thing with the same criteria?

 

Without knowing what is important to you how do you expect anyone to answer. In general the more expensive the cruise the more amenities you get, the better the cabin the more space and more dollars.

 

As to best month, you want blooms, whales, bears, salmon fishing? There is a better month for each.

 

Personally I like Princess for their wide selection of sailings, good value and ambience.

 

My husband and I are going to book a cruise to Alaska for 2012. If money were no object, what is the very best cruise line for seeing and experiencing Alaska?

 

Also, what is the very best month to go?

[tallship]

I have sailed Regent several times and we are sailing to Alaska on them very soon. You can't go wrong with Regent or Crystal

[Sailkeywest]

Holland America's Zuiderdam Inside Passage cruise r/t from Vancouver was my ultimate choice after having done my research for a few YEARS. I chose it based on:

 

1) Itinerary -- Inside Passage, less rocky seas, more views. Goes to BOTH Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay. We did not want to do a one way cruise having to fly back from Alaska to Florida.

 

2) Ship. Larger staterooms and reportedly the 'best beds at sea.' Hubby has a bad back and the last cruise we took was PAINFUL sleeping on what was essentially just a step up from a concrete slab. Also, the verandas look like verandas with teak decks and not white plastic floor covering.

 

I also loved the fact that the Zuiderdam has wrap around promenade decks for more walking and viewing pleasure. HAL also opens up the front decks of the ship on Glacier Bay days, photos of which I have seen are breathtaking. (Other cruiselines do not allow passengers in this area)

 

Big selling point: Princess only allows suite guests to order from the full restaurant menu for room-service meals. HAL allows everyone to do this. (We took a suite, but still, I think this is a nice selling point)

 

Also, the suites were much more affordable than Princess. (Princess has a great product, but these were my reasons for choosing HAL)

 

HAL also has less passengers on it's ships. For me, this means being able to get on and off the ship easier and quicker. I also don't like crowded spaces, it makes me feel as though I am being corralled from port to port.

 

Princess I think allows 2 bottles of wine to be brought on board while on HAL you can bring unlimited bottles of wine/champagne on board. Hubby and I have different tastes than what is offered on the cruiselines (I have seen the wine lists) and would like to bring what we prefer to drink. (Molly Dooker, for the win!)

 

Having said all that, I would like to say that Princess does indeed seem to have an excellent product and I hope to enjoy one of their ships in the future. The Golden Princess itinerary out of Seattle was running neck and neck with the HAL cruise which we ultimately chose. I would have liked to have taken the first Golden cruise of the season which leaves out of Vancouver and returns to Seattle (all other sailings of the Golden for the season are round trip out of Seattle).

 

Good luck and Happy Planning!

[Budget Queen]

Responding purely with no regard to price, I would say, it would be one of the independent SMALL boats, NOT a cruiseline sailing. :)

[Keith1010]

Let me just add one more comment to my first post and that is that I would recommend that you speak with a travel specialist who specializes in cruising as you really need to talk all of this through with them.

 

Keith

[Coral]

Princess I think allows 2 bottles of wine to be brought on board while on HAL you can bring unlimited bottles of wine/champagne on board. Hubby and I have different tastes than what is offered on the cruiselines (I have seen the wine lists) and would like to bring what we prefer to drink. (Molly Dooker, for the win!)

 

I do not know of anyone who has been restricted bringing wine on Princess. It may say that on their website but I have friends who bring cases of wine onboard and have never had it confiscated. They did not hide it and Princess did not care.