Which cruise would be best for us in Alaska?

[carlsbadbruin]

Hi everyone!

 

I am new to the boards. Our family has previously enjoyed two cruises, both on the Disney Magic, and we would like to plan a cruise to Alaska for June 2013. Our choices include Celebrity Solstice, Norwegian Peal/Jewel, Star/Golden Princess, or Carnival Miracle. We are a couple mid-40s travelling with our two sons, 13 and 15, and 68 year old grandma. We are not partyers; don't drink or smoke. My husband may play some blackjack. We like good food and entertainment (shows, live music), but are generally low-key. Any suggestions? I am leaning toward Celebrity, but I am unsure whether there will be enough to keep my sons busy on sea days. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you!

[poolwife]

Aren't all of these cruises you are considering round trip Seattle cruises?

 

Is there a reason you are not considering a one way cruise either Vancouver to Seward (Celebrity, Royal Caribbean or HAL) or Seward to Vancouver? Or Vancouver to Whittier (Princess) or Whittier to Vancouver.

 

The scenery on the one way cruises are so spectacular. If you think this is your one and only time to Alaska, think about doing a one way. The scenery from Anchorage to Seward around Turnagain Arm is simply awe inspiringly beautiful.

 

I am sure others will comment on this as well.

 

Whatever you decide, you will have a great time though and if you decide on a round trip Seattle cruise perhaps it will wet your appetite to go back again and see what the rest of us have fallen in love with.

[Ashland]

The inside passage really should be considered..We love the Northbound on RCI out of Vancouver.

[Cruiser304958]

The inside passage really should be considered..We love the Northbound on RCI out of Vancouver.

 

All Alaska cruises sail the Inside Passage, as that's where most of the cruise ports are.

[Budget Queen]

All Alaska cruises sail the Inside Passage, as that's where most of the cruise ports are.

 

But there are many routes to get there.

[Budget Queen]

Hi everyone!

 

I am new to the boards. Our family has previously enjoyed two cruises, both on the Disney Magic, and we would like to plan a cruise to Alaska for June 2013. Our choices include Celebrity Solstice, Norwegian Peal/Jewel, Star/Golden Princess, or Carnival Miracle. We are a couple mid-40s travelling with our two sons, 13 and 15, and 68 year old grandma. We are not partyers; don't drink or smoke. My husband may play some blackjack. We like good food and entertainment (shows, live music), but are generally low-key. Any suggestions? I am leaning toward Celebrity, but I am unsure whether there will be enough to keep my sons busy on sea days. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you!

 

I want you to ask yourself what you want out of this cruise? For many it is Alaska which will have a different answer, then your current post asking about food, shows and activities on sea days. Some, like myself, never even bother with any shows on the ship, the show is Alaska. :)

 

You would likely get a similar experience with any choice from your list. I have sailed all these likes and found demographics will also be similar. Kids will be on board, just not in the numbers of the Caribbean.

 

With those though provoking questions :) IF you wish to consider Alaska your priority, then you need to find out about the ports, what they offer and decide how you wish to spend your time, look at the route of the cruiseships. Seattle is the least scenic sailing, with 2 open sea days. Round trip Vancouver, in my experience has the most, with sailing up and down inside Vancouver Island. one way cruises a close second, but few now sail coastal across the Gulf, and do open ocean. Determine if it matters what glacier you can see. Tracy Arm itineraries have to be accepting of no glacier viewing from a cruiseship, and approx $200pp, highly recommend, (necessary in my opinion) add on ship tour.

 

So think about and repost, for some better answers. :)

[chipmaster]

Scenic cruising is the number one thing to decide first. Will you make Glacier Bay / Hubbard a priority or not. Will you be willing to do one way north or south bound and save the roundtrip sailing.

 

Next one way our roundtrip. Roundtrip spends/wastes another day doing sailing back. Saves you airfare if you live in the NW, less a factor IMHO if you are flying a signficant distance. Others make a lot of noise about sailing "inside" passage from Vancouver. It is a novelty and the views are very cool doing the inside from Vancouver, but the reality is that is about 6 hours of sailing prior to the real highlights in Alaska.

 

After you decide that I'd than pick the ship / line that meets your budget/schedule and availability. Most lines should be enjoyable for those that aren't too picky :D

 

The other thing is budget those excursions. In each port you could spend < 50/person or more than 500/person depending on if you do the most exotic flight/helicopter/fishing excursions.

 

Hi everyone!

 

I am new to the boards. Our family has previously enjoyed two cruises, both on the Disney Magic, and we would like to plan a cruise to Alaska for June 2013. Our choices include Celebrity Solstice, Norwegian Peal/Jewel, Star/Golden Princess, or Carnival Miracle. We are a couple mid-40s travelling with our two sons, 13 and 15, and 68 year old grandma. We are not partyers; don't drink or smoke. My husband may play some blackjack. We like good food and entertainment (shows, live music), but are generally low-key. Any suggestions? I am leaning toward Celebrity, but I am unsure whether there will be enough to keep my sons busy on sea days. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you!

[TheCalicoCat]

I stand by the answer that I gave on the family board.

[Putterdude]

All Alaska cruises sail the Inside Passage, as that's where most of the cruise ports are.

 

I agree, however the ships that sail out of Seattle sail west of Vancouver Island for almost a day in either direction and miss a large portion of the Inside Passage.

[donaldsc]

Hi everyone!

 

I am new to the boards. Our family has previously enjoyed two cruises, both on the Disney Magic, and we would like to plan a cruise to Alaska for June 2013. Our choices include Celebrity Solstice, Norwegian Peal/Jewel, Star/Golden Princess, or Carnival Miracle. We are a couple mid-40s travelling with our two sons, 13 and 15, and 68 year old grandma. We are not partyers; don't drink or smoke. My husband may play some blackjack. We like good food and entertainment (shows, live music), but are generally low-key. Any suggestions? I am leaning toward Celebrity, but I am unsure whether there will be enough to keep my sons busy on sea days. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you!

 

Pick the itinerary, not the line or ship. Then pick the ship. My opinion only but I would not do an Alaska cruise that did not include Glacier Bay and/or Hubbard Glacier.

 

DON

[Putterdude]

The first step is to find an itinerary that works for you and interests you the most. Everyone has their favourite cruise line, I will say that we have enjoyed Celebrity a lot but if I had teenage children I would probably lean toward Princess for their teens programs.

[karatemom2]

The first step is to find an itinerary that works for you and interests you the most. Everyone has their favourite cruise line, I will say that we have enjoyed Celebrity a lot but if I had teenage children I would probably lean toward Princess for their teens programs.

 

I agree! We did our first two cruises on the Disney Magic, but then discovered Princess and have been very pleased with their programs for children and teens. If you like the itinerary offered I think Princess would be an excellent choice for your family.

[carlsbadbruin]

Thank you all for your advice! We loved our previous 2 cruises on Disney Magic, and we have been to Alaska before, traveling by RV (actually slept very close to Childs glacier one evening, and it kept us up with its calving!). We were the only people looking up close at the glacier, for hours! It was beautiful. We have also been to Mendenhall glacier. Having had those experiences, viewing glaciers isn't quite as critical to us as it might be to others; we are more interested in beautiful scenery and wildlife. I know we'll have a good time on our excursions; I am more concerned with picking the right ship. We enjoyed the Disney entertainment - shows, movies, trivia, parade, etc. and would love a ship with a lot going on during the sea days and in the evenings (keep in mind we don't drink). We are not interested in lectures, art auctions, etc. I am willing to sail R/T out of either Seattle or Vancouver, and I was looking at Celebrity Solstice but concerned about the entertainment options. What about Rhapsody of the Seas, Norwegian Pearl, or Star Princess? The latter two go to Glacier Bay, unlike Solstice and Rhapsody. Does anyone have an experience sailing Alaska on any of these ships?

[carlsbadbruin]

Oh, I'm not considering a one-way cruise because of the airline price difference... we need 5 tickets, so it gets pricey! I figure it will give my husband and I a reason to go back, just the two of us, later!

[Trailblazer99]

Oh, I'm not considering a one-way cruise because of the airline price difference... we need 5 tickets, so it gets pricey!

 

We looked at air cost before deciding on our next itinerary - air was $60 higher per person, the cruise fare was $220 cheaper. The one-way was an easy choice.

[CruisingMouse]

We looked at air cost before deciding on our next itinerary - air was $60 higher per person, the cruise fare was $220 cheaper. The one-way was an easy choice.

 

 

I have been thinking about a one way, may I ask where your one way is from to Calagary as I am getting beaten good here in Ontario as it is much more. Round trips itself is more than the cruise.

[dmwnc1959]

I stand by the answer that I gave on the Family Board.

 

It seems OP is covering their base as I have also answered this over on the Celebrity Board.

 

It appears that MOST EVERYONE is in agreement that the itinerary is the single MOST important aspect of choosing a 'first cruise' to Alaska. That's not to say that the ship is 'unimportant'. Not at all. But if you are not focusing on the itinerary aspect of the cruise as most everyone on all three boards has stated, why even bother going to Alaska? You can do all of the things you have said that are important to you on a Caribbean cruise!

 

And all of the ships have kids programs, programs for teens, "shows, movies, trivia, parade, etc. and would love a ship with a lot going on during the sea days and in the evenings ". The ships just don't shut down just because it's a sea day in the Inside Passage. They will all have some things going on.

 

And the ships you have picked couldn't be more different; soft elegance, contemporary chic, Las Vegas at sea, modern sophistication, tacky and bright,

 

You need to go back and read Budget Queens post. And the post by chipmaster, putterdude and DonaldSC are excellent as well. Read them and understand that some of us have been to Alaska five times, ten times, fifty times. And we know what we are taking about. We are the experts.

 

And it is the BEST advice you will get on these boards.

[bonvoyagie]

Since you are asking for opinions and advice - I am going on my third AK cruise and the first to Glacier Bay.

 

I think that we all like or dislike cruise lines - I have only cruised on NCL so I really don't try to compare - I can't - I just know what has worked well for me in the past and that is Freestyle on NCL. You will have to decide on the line by yourself.

 

As for one way vs roundtrip you do get to see more of the coastline - rather than seeing the same scenery coming and going - it does look different from each direction. However I would not consider a one way without adding an additional week or more to tour the AK interior. If I had both the time and money I would cruise both north and southbound (on different lines) and spend at least a week touring the interior - either by train or rented RV - or a bit of both I would not do a cruisetour :D

 

Since you are talking about 2013 you have the entire 2012 season to research (that said I booked my upcoming cruise in May 2011 but I knew exactly which ship and what cabin type I wanted :)).

 

Since you have cruised Disney in the past would you consider them for AK as well?

 

While everyone says that AK is a "once in a lifetime" vacation, you must come to grips that you probably not see it all in one trip. You may not cruise a second time - but you probably be back a second or third (or more) times.

 

As far as sea days - I prefer to call them SEE days as there is so much to see that you won't care about what there is to do on board ship. You will also find that in late June and most of July there are 18 hrs of sunlight so you won't need much night life. I am very happy sitting on my balcony with the binoculars in one hand and a hot drink in the other.

 

I will repeat what others have said - just for re enforcement

1 decide how much time and $$ you have.

2 decide where you want to go and what you want to do

3 pick a cruise line and ship that meets items 1 and 2

4 book it and don't look back :cool:

 

Here is a link to information about AK ports it might help you decide on where you want to go based on what there is to do in each port.

http://cruiseportinsider.com/index.html

[Budget Queen]

From the post, clearly the ship is what is important. Problem is, you are not going to find everything you are looking for on an Alaska cruiise. It is very low key at night, with many people in bed- due to early mornings. Activities are less, none of the Caribbean pool stuff. Lectures are on schedules pretty frequently. Probably half the activities, you have experienced on your Caribbean sailings.

 

I would suggest you consider Disney again for Alaska. You liked that sailing twice already.