Need advice re: Cruise line choice

[DT1304]

Hi,

 

I just recently completed my first (and obviously only) cruise to South Pacific on Radiance. I really loved the ship.

 

I now want to plan an Alaska cruise, and am not sure if I should stick with Radiance or try another line.

 

The reason for my decision is this:

 

Radiance goes to Icy Strait Point. NCL does not, but it goes to Glacier Bay, which radiance does not.

 

It seems that Glacier Bay is a "must see" and the NCL itinerary has what seems to be nicer cruising days. (Cruising Hubbard Glacier as a day rather than the 2 hours or so that radiance does it)

 

So from this is seems obvious that NCL would be the choice, but I really LOVED Radiance and the whole Royal Caribbean experience.

 

Whichever way I decide, I will want 2 balcony rooms. Does this make a difference? And opinions or advice is appreciated. Travelling with wife and 3 kids (12, 10 and 7)

[seaver]

I had to make the same decision recently and I picked Radiance because,

1. Out of all the cruise ships I have been on( over 30 ) the Radiance class has by far more inside viewing areas to see the sights,especially helpful in Alaska when I want to take a break from standing outside in the cold and rain, not to mention there are dozens of places to have a drink in the evening and still take in the sights,since it dose not get dark till late.Not sure about NCL,but most ships I have been on I almost forget I'm on a cruise because I can't see the water LOL.

 

2. Like you said the Royal Caribbean experience is great and we now cruise almost exclusively on Royal Caribbean,and the more you cruise on one line the more perks you get( kinda like golden hand cuffs LOL)

 

However not getting to see Glacier Bay is a bummer,We have heard Alaska is so beautiful that not going to Glacier Bay may not be to much of a hardship.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We sailed on the Radiance to Alaska this summer. It was a great cruise. The ship is drop dead beautiful. We had good times in port. [ie. until 8pm in Juneau] and we enjoyed our whale watch in Icy Strait.

 

Icy Strait is a very unusual AK port. You can see a real Alaskan town and how hard the life is.

 

We knew that the Radiance would not take us to Glacier Bay this cruise. But, we decided we would likely cruise again to AK.

 

It was just a nice cruising experience. Since it was late in the season it was cool/cold in most ports. Even if we ate in port we would geta quick cup of hot soup in the Park Cafe. [no need to go to the buffet] We spent every sail away in the Viking Crown Lounge. You have a 360 degree view. Ahh!!

 

I did a live posting from our cruise this summer. You might find it interesting to scan through the pictures.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1697232

[WalleyeLJ]

We've done Alaska on Radiance twice now. We too are RCI people, so the only reason we'd switch would be see Glacier Bay. Since we've done Kenai Fjords and a couple other glacier visits, Glacier Bay isn't a big deal for us (probably because we don't know what we're missing;)), but we're ok with that. Radiance, as you know, is a beautiful ship, and in Alaska we're either on shore every minute we can be, or we're on the ship, viewing the water and shore wherever we can. With all the glass and viewing areas, Radiance is perfect for us. We hardly use any of the amenities on the ship except to eat and sleep and view the landscape, but when we do, we like what RCI has to offer. You'll find folks that will suppor their brand no matter what, but I really don't think can go wrong choosing Radiance. Here's a link to my review of our trip last July if you're interested - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1679447

Good luck and have fun!!!

L.J.