Best cruiseline for Alaska?

[Lady_Jag]

Hi!

I'm doing some preliminary planning for an Alaskan cruise. (It's on my "bucket list.") I will be sailing with my hubby and our little girl, who will likely be 8-9 years old when we sail in a couple of years. I would also like to talk my mom into cruising with us, as it's on her "bucket list" as well. She's currently in her mid-60s.

 

So my question is...which cruiseline do you think offers the best Alaskan cruise (and at a fairly reasonable price) for 40-somethings, school children, AND seniors?

 

I've sailed only Carnival (platinum status) and the now-defunct Big Red Boat, but I'm willing to try other lines.

[Cabunit]

That's a loaded question - one person's best cruise line is another person's 7 days of misery. Two quick thoughts, for what they are worth:

 

1. If by "bucket list" you mean this will probably be your only trip to Alaska, then I would strongly suggest only choosing an itinerary/line that includes Glacier Bay.

 

2. Beyond that, pick a cruise line that fits your group's personalities best. Other than the luxury lines most of the ships visit the same ports, offer similar excursions, etc.

[Liffey]

So my question is...which cruiseline do you think offers the best Alaskan cruise (and at a fairly reasonable price) for 40-somethings, school children, AND seniors?

 

What kinds of amenities do you like?

 

We chose NCL for Alaska because freestyle dining is insanely attractive to us. Also, we wanted at least a co-ed thalasso pool with a steam room option.

 

We didn't choose HAL, despite some equally attractive amenities, because when we went to book, we discovered that they were charging my father-in-law MUCH than us in America more simply because he was booking through the Australian site. (Much more even after currency conversion.) It's easy to work around that, of course, but since my f-i-l then realized he must've paid more than he had to for his previous HAL cruise, just because he's Australian and their economy is in a better place, we decided to vote with our dollars, as they say, and switch lines rather than support the policy.

 

So, what's important to you matters. (Many people don't like freestyle dining, don't care about the spa's facilities or whether it is co-ed, and aren't affected by HAL's business practices in Australia, lol.) From what I've read on the boards here over the past year, all of the "reasonably priced" lines are attractive to all age groups - it's all about personal preferences for itineraries and amenities when picking the ship. :)

[Keith1010]

Alaska is all about the itinerary. I would start by finding the itineraries that interest you the most. From there you can narrow it down to cruise line and ship.

 

If the itineraries meet your needs take a look at Princess. They have been sailing Alaska for many years and offer a product that is nice for families. Outside of Disney, in my opinion they have the best children's program of any cruise line.

 

Keith

[Budget Queen]

What kinds of amenities do you like?

 

We chose NCL for Alaska because freestyle dining is insanely attractive to us. QUOTE]

 

All the major cruiselines now offer this type of dining. With, maybe the exception of Disney?

[Budget Queen]

There is no perfect cruise.

 

And you need to make more decisions, before you even start looking at ships.

 

Determine- how much time you have, and if you want a round trip or one way cruise.

 

With a one way, I never consider these, unless I have at least a week for mainland Alaska touring.

 

Round trip can be Vancouver, which is a loaded scenic sailing itinereary, to the least scenic sailing itinerary round trip Seattle.

 

Find out about EACH Alaska port, there are only 6. Each is unique and offers it's own touring options. Find out about scenic glacier sailing areas.

 

THEN look for a ship that fits. Your selection will be available from a much more manageable list.

[chipmaster]

Ah what is "best" resturant, car, neighborhood.. can you imagine the suggestions you'll get.

 

IMHO decide on the destintation must sees, the price, and time. If this is once in a lifetime than must include Glacier Bay, nice to really figure out how to do a one way either northbound our southbound, possibly extend to a two week and include a land tour.

 

Research the excursions as they can easily run 100-200 / person if you really want to flightsee or do the more exotic stuff.

 

Notice that none of the above have much of a ship/line listed.. The most important thing IMHO is get the excursions/ports lined up than figure out which ships sail it. Usually when I do cruise planning that way the ship/line/food/entertainment is bonus, sometimes better sometimes could have been better but I never come away dissapointed because the food wasn't such and such, the entertainment wasn't such or such or service.. as after all I'm after the stops :D

 

Hi!

I'm doing some preliminary planning for an Alaskan cruise. (It's on my "bucket list.") I will be sailing with my hubby and our little girl, who will likely be 8-9 years old when we sail in a couple of years. I would also like to talk my mom into cruising with us, as it's on her "bucket list" as well. She's currently in her mid-60s.

 

So my question is...which cruiseline do you think offers the best Alaskan cruise (and at a fairly reasonable price) for 40-somethings, school children, AND seniors?

 

I've sailed only Carnival (platinum status) and the now-defunct Big Red Boat, but I'm willing to try other lines.

[cellyml12]

There are actually more then 6 Alaskan ports. While trying to decide for our cruise, we were REALLY interested in a HAL cruise that includes ports that the other lines don't include in a 14 day trip. Had we had the time, we would have gone with that cruise, and if it's still available will try for it the following year.

[Budget Queen]

There are actually more then 6 Alaskan ports. While trying to decide for our cruise, we were REALLY interested in a HAL cruise that includes ports that the other lines don't include in a 14 day trip. Had we had the time, we would have gone with that cruise, and if it's still available will try for it the following year.

 

Sorry, HAL is discontinuing this cruise the end of this season. There are 6 Alaska ports-for the OP, they appear to be indicating the cruise is NOT for this year.

[cellyml12]

Sorry, HAL is discontinuing this cruise the end of this season. There are 6 Alaska ports-for the OP, they appear to be indicating the cruise is NOT for this year.

 

Really?? Well, that will make the choice for the OP easier. It will make it easier for us too after this cruise. Sounds like a cruise may not be the best way to do Alaska on a yearly basis after all.

[kaswife]

Hi!

I'm doing some preliminary planning for an Alaskan cruise. (It's on my "bucket list.") I will be sailing with my hubby and our little girl, who will likely be 8-9 years old when we sail in a couple of years. I would also like to talk my mom into cruising with us, as it's on her "bucket list" as well. She's currently in her mid-60s.

 

So my question is...which cruiseline do you think offers the best Alaskan cruise (and at a fairly reasonable price) for 40-somethings, school children, AND seniors?

 

I've sailed only Carnival (platinum status) and the now-defunct Big Red Boat, but I'm willing to try other lines.

 

 

I haven't been on my Alaska cruise yet but I can share my experience with the research part. We are a family of 5 (couple in our late 30s/early 40s, our daughter 3, plus her grandfather in his 60s) traveling to the inside passage in August. We also wanted a good kids club as part of our plans. We were flexible enough on our travel dates, plus we all live in California so we basically had our pick of late summer departure dates and ports (SF, Seattle, or Vancouver). I have family in Vancouver so we decided to go there first for a visit. Months ago I set an internet alert to watch for low airfares out of LAX/SFO and managed to get great deals for all of us.

 

I spent a lot of time reading the boards and cruise reviews on Cruise Critic, researching cruiselines, itineraries and ports on the internet, went to the library and checked out some cruising/Alaska guidebooks (I finally bought Frommer's Alaska Cruises and Ports of Call 2012), and listened to the advice of seasoned CC'ers like Budget Queen and vbmom. We considered NCL, Celebrity, Princess and HAL itineraries. We ultimately went with outside verandah staterooms on the HAL Volendam, roundtrip out of Vancouver (Aug 15-22). This cruise visits Glacier Bay which was a high priority for our itinerary. This cruise is later in the season but not so late (like Sept) where we will have significantly less daylight hours and risk freezing our butts off in rain the entire time (although we are still prepared for rain, after all it is Alaska!). HAL's Signature of Excellence program, 'As You Wish' dining and 24 hour room service options were big selling points for my father. I was impressed with the Club HAL kids program offering which HAL seems to have stepped up on in an effort to stay competitive and attract more families. I'm confident my daughter will have fun no matter what ship/kids program we had chosen, since she is a social child who attends preschool full time already.

 

Another interesting consideration was HAL's option of the mid-week (Wednesday) departure out of Vancouver. At the start of any given year you can check each port's website for the cruise ship calendar. You can see charts that show how many other ships will be in port the same day as the ship you are considering, as well as the size of those ships/passenger & crew count. This will give you an idea of how crowded the port will be the day you are there, as well as the demand for excursions you want to take. It was by doing this that I found out that we are going to be the only (big) cruise ship in Glacier Bay the day we are there. And the other ports we visit will be much less crowded than if we had taken a Saturday departure. Not sure how much of a difference it will really make in our trip experience, but it was interesting info nonetheless.

 

We have booked 3 excursions, 2 of which my husband and I will do alone and the 3rd we will all do together as a family. All of these were booked independently of HAL (saving some $$), although I did consider booking through the ship initially. In Juneau, my husband and I are going on a helicopter/dogsledding adventure on Mendenhall Glacier with TEMSCO. In Skagway, we are all taking a bus/White Pass rail trip to Fraser with Chilkoot Charters. And in Ketchikan my husband and I will do a flightseeing/bearwatching tour with Island Wings.

 

I started my trip research last December 2011. We booked with HAL in March. We all got our passports in May/June and we are now registered for the cruise. It is now June 30 and our excursions were booked this past week. I am still researching our packing list, dining/spa reservations, etc. but the basic trip essentials are in place: passports/air/hotel/cruise. We are going to a civilized place so anything we forget I'm sure can be purchased somewhere!

 

Good luck in your planning. I learned that there are no shortcuts; it will take some research to find the cruise that is right for you, but I hope you enjoy the process as much as I have!

[Lady_Jag]

Wow, thanks for all the answers! Keep them coming!

 

I realize the question is subjective, but I really am interested in everyone's opinions and personal experiences/preferences to help me figure out the ideal cruise.

 

I live in Florida, so it will be a very long flight - about 5.5 hours in the air. I doubt we will be making such a long expensive journey more than once in our lifetime...or at least not more than once every 30-40 years. ;)

 

Kids program is a definite draw, although at this point, my little one likes to hang out with us at the pool/hot tub. Then again, she will be older then and the pool will be considerably colder.

 

We will be at the mercy of my daughter's school schedule. Her last day of school is usually the Friday before, or sometimes a couple of days after, Memorial day. Her first day of school falls around the second week of August, so we pretty much have to consider June and July only.

 

We enjoy anytime dining. Traditional dining is okay, I guess, but our bodies are on an Eastern time zone schedule, and it might take us a little while to adjust.

 

Disney is way to rich for my blood. Otherwise, I have no other specific requirements that I can think of.

[Dawn1004]

Wow, thanks for all the answers! Keep them coming!

 

 

 

I live in Florida, so it will be a very long flight - about 5.5 hours in the air. I doubt we will be making such a long expensive journey more than once in our lifetime...or at least not more than once every 30-40 years. ;)

 

 

Disney is way to rich for my blood. Otherwise, I have no other specific requirements that I can think of.

 

You'd be surprised we said coming from OZ, so 12 hr drive to Perth, 7 hr flight to New Zealand, 12 hr flight to LAX, plus travel to Seattle, we said we'd go just once.

 

We fell in love with Alaska and will be returning in 2014. i know of other Aussies who have returned to Alaska too, I'm sure many other international travellers feel the same way.

 

I hope you find the ideal itinerary for you and your family, and belive me Alaska is just magical.

 

Enjoy!

[geoherb]

We took our first cruise to Alaska in 2003, our second in 2010, and are going again this year. It was hard to resist some of the deals they had after the final payment date. This will be our first time visiting Glacier Bay. I'm really looking forward to that. It's also our first time going to Denali National Park. For this trip that was a must. DH did not want to go back on another roundtrip cruise from Seattle--although that would be a lot cheaper in airfare.

 

The thing to think about for Alaska for me is that the cabin is not important. Just getting on a ship is the main thing. The beauty is in the ports.

[cellyml12]

Well, planning is a lot of fun, & can be overwhelming at the same time. We live in the Bay Area (California) and our first instinct was to do the Princess Grand 10 day out of San Francisco. After much discussion, we decided to do a 7 day, one way, that included Glacier Bay & Hubbard Glacier. While we did look into other cruise lines (just to be sure), we were set on Princess from the get go. I'm 40 & my soon to be DH is 57, so we weren't looking for a party on the water. Since it's a honeymoon, we did want some elements of romance (Ultimate Balcony Dinner & Breakfast). Another huge factor for us was decor. I know it sounds crazy, but we looked at A LOT of pics. We didn't want loud, garish decor. We wanted soft & natural colors that we could look at for 7 days without getting a headache. Of course itinerary was the most important part. Princess had it all for us. Had the 14 Day with HAL worked out, we'd be on that one (for the itinerary), but that was the only thing that slightly swayed us from Princess. We had thought maybe another time for that one, but it appears it isn't meant to be. :( Soon to be DH LOVES fishing, so we are going into Anchorage a few days early (that part is still being planned, it's a battle between Kenai & Mat Su Valley) & then set sail out of Whittier on the Sapphire.I think every cruise line has something to offer & there is a cruise line for everyone. Just have fun & really look at the details of every cruise line for the things you really want. We are pretty excited & think we've made the right choice for us, as long as we don't get seasick...

[cellyml12]

One other thing I want to add, is the balcony. You'll read A LOT of mixed reviews on this one. We decided to go with a mini suite (just enough extra room) & wanted the balcony. Some people say that the with the weather in Alaska you might not get a lot of use out of it. We figure that even if the weather is rainy we can still have a great view out the window. Otherwise it'll be nice to enjoy early morning & evening views from the privacy of our balcony. Sure there are the deck, but we want to miss as little as possible without spending ALL our time with crowds.

[olemissreb]

I've been planning our Alaska vacation off and on for about 2 years now. These boards have been tremendously helpful! BudgetQueen has been a font of information and because of her suggestions, we decided on a one way Southbound cruise for June of next year. I was also able to convince DH to take an extra week of vacation so that we can explore inner Alaska. I wanted to go to Denali National Park and if we had just done the cruise, this would not have been possible. By doing an extra week inland, I'll now also get to hike on a glacier without having to take a helicopter to get there and the odds of it being cancelled are a lot lower.

 

Since I'm not sure when we will get to Alaska again, I thought it would be better to see as many ports as we could. So we will forgo Glacier Bay this time around in favor of Hubbard Glacier and an extra stop at Icy Strait Point. My boys will be 17 & 13 at the time of sailing, so the kids club wasn't as important for me. Since this will be a very active vacation for us, I wanted a ship that had a relaxed atmosphere and that led me to Celebrity (Royal Caribbean was the other line we could have chosen). DH and I have sailed Celebrity before and knew this was the right atmosphere for us. Plus my mother (who will be 76 when we sail) will be with us and I know that it will be right up her alley!

 

This trip is an early graduation present for our oldest - the summer after graduation will be too busy to fit something like this in. Who knows - maybe in 2017 our youngest will choose another Alaska trip and we'll choose another cruise line that goes to Glacier Bay.