Going to Alaska (back to Princess for good this time)

[CricketCruiser]

Hello,

 

I am generally not a complainer, but after a partially disappointing experience this last Spring on our 14-night so. caribbean cruise on Celebrity Constellation, I want to do a better job of selecting a ship this time.

 

I am planning a 16th birthday celebration for my son and we want to go to Alaska. We want to do a 7 day cruise with a land tour. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.

 

We are a family of 4, 2 teenagers. Really wanting advice on ship and TA selection. What is the best strategy for finding the best pricing? We are flexible on our cruise date, can go August or September and don't mind doing last minute booking. One more question, we would prefer the newest ship possible and I want to research the cabins, what is the best website to locate this type of information?

 

Thanks for any help. I don't want to be critical here, and the staff was great, but it just wasn't a match for us. We just want to live/learn and move forward with Princess.

 

Thanks!

[provencedelsol]

We like the last cruises of the Alaskan season. Fewer people and many of the shops are running clearance sales before they close. Check the Princess site of course to see what ships are doing the itinerary. We use a WONDERFUL TA who knows about the ships and the cabins as well. If you wish her contact info you may contact me at provencedelsol at rglobal.net.

[cr8tiv1]

There are several Princess ships that tour Alaska. Not sure which ones do a cruisetour. I would think they would be cruises out of Vancouver, Anchorage, and/or Fairbanks.

 

My personal preference is the Coral or Island because they are smaller. The Sapphire has Alfredo's; an upscale free pizza restaurant. The Golden has Window Suites. I can't speak about the other ships since I've not traveled on them.

 

If you are looking for a bigger ship, you will probably find more teen offerings.

 

Good luck. I've been on a cruisetour and it is a nice way to see more of Alaska. Do the land portion first to unwind and then you will enjoy the cruise even more. Check to see if they have a Kenai Peninsula tour. You might see more animals or go fishing.

 

A must is the Glacier Bay cruising. This is only on a few itineraries. But a not to be missed opportunity.

 

Let us know what you finally decide on.

 

Renee

[sunsetbeachgal]

I think the newest of the ships doing Alaska may be the Sapphire, and we loved her. Lots of dining options and a beautiful ship. We did Alaska on the Coral, also a wonderful choice..

 

princess does a great job with cruise tours...subscribe to the email specials as the Alaska cruises appear to be on sale now.

[cruisequeen4ever]

Go with the Sapphire Princess. It was refurbished last year and has (in my opinion) the most bells and whistles of the Alaska Princess ships...Alfredo's pizza (amazing!!), International Cafe, dessert station (cupcakes are scrumptious), lawn court (this is a downgrade to me, but it offers lawn sports if you're interested in them), upgraded Movies Under the Stars, and 4 themed dining rooms (they all offer the same menu but different atmosphere). The ship has more action for young people than the Island and Coral Princess. The teens we saw on this ship were having a blast all over the ship. This is our fav ship, and we are sailing aboard one more time this summer before she leaves the west coast. As for last minute deals, so far, great deals have been coming out for this summer. If you want the best deal last minute, book through a travel agent because travel agents can offer Flash fares after final payment (75 days in advance) that can be significantly less. I say that, BUT, Alaska can also sell out, so keep a close eye on availability and pricing. Enjoy! Alaska's beautiful!

[ldubs]

There are several Princess ships that tour Alaska. Not sure which ones do a cruisetour. I would think they would be cruises out of Vancouver, Anchorage, and/or Fairbanks.

 

 

Renee

 

Maybe not out of Fairbanks:)

[rachelfran]

Don't do a cruisetour - rent a car and plan your own land tour! Much more flexibility ... I booked the island because of dates but the Coral is the same ship only upgraded so if I had to book again if go with that one.

[5326jan]

Whatever ship you chose, make sure the itinerary includes Glacier Bay! :)

[ChiefBoats]

My DW and I would recommend doing the land portion first. That will let you relax since your land portion will be busy and could be some long days. Up early most of the days on land. We have another cruise-tour book for the end of may in Alaska. Enjoy you trip....

 

______________________

Previous Cruises

Alaska - 2008 Island Princess

Alaska - 2009 (B2B) Island Princess

Alaska - 2010 Royal Princess

Alaska - 2011 Golden Princess

Panama Canal - 2012 Coral Princess

Alaska - 2012 Star Princess

Western Caribbean - 2013 Crown Princess

 

Future Cruises

Alaska - 2013 Island Princess

Western Caribbean - 2013 Caribbean Princess

Eastern Caribbean - 2014 Royal Princess

[Woobstr112G]

Definitely do the land portion first. A number of years ago we did a cruise tour and experienced, just my observations, constant on the go activities. We were soooo ready to get on the ship and relax when the land portion was over.....:):):)

 

Bob

[rachelfran]

I keep seeing references to relaxing on the ship - and while we won't need to be driving daily - we will be up very early for port excursions each day and glacier viewing on those days ... I think the last day is at sea so we can relax a d then 4 days on Vancouver where we will be taking it easier...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[5326jan]

I keep seeing references to relaxing on the ship - and while we won't need to be driving daily - we will be up very early for port excursions each day and glacier viewing on those days ... I think the last day is at sea so we can relax a d then 4 days on Vancouver where we will be taking it easier...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Make sure to go to Granville Island while you're in Vancouver! We went there twice because we liked it so much. You can get tickets for the HOHO bus and get there that way or rent bikes and go across on the Aquabus with your bike. Fun!!! We rode all around Stanley Park on bikes. Easy ride, great scenery!

 

I agree with the people that recommend the land tour first! :)

[RickEk]

Be aware that the southbound (tour first) are typically more expensive than the northbound...

[StLouisCruisers]

We recommended the Sapphire to our family members doing their first cruise this summer. They booked a 6 day land tour beginning in Fairbanks followed by the 7 day SB Alaska cruise ending in Vancouver. Originally they booked a late Aug./Sept. cruise tour but changed to mid June when they found a steep reduction on that particular June date. I'm so glad we recommended the Sapphire because I think it has everything they could want on a ship. Bet they'll be hooked on cruising after this!

[melody hounddog]

We like the last cruises of the Alaskan season. Fewer people and many of the shops are running clearance sales before they close. Check the Princess site of course to see what ships are doing the itinerary. We use a WONDERFUL TA who knows about the ships and the cabins as well. If you wish her contact info you may contact me at provencedelsol at rglobal.net.

 

May I contact you for your TA info? I am working with someone that is not discounting my next cruise. Thanks.

[melody hounddog]

Hello,

 

I am generally not a complainer, but after a partially disappointing experience this last Spring on our 14-night so. caribbean cruise on Celebrity Constellation, I want to do a better job of selecting a ship this time.

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

Do you mind me asking what happened with Celebrity? I was actually thinking about trying them out.

 

Thanks

[provencedelsol]

May I contact you for your TA info? I am working with someone that is not discounting my next cruise. Thanks.

 

of course. Hope you see my response in your email. Susan

[BlueEyesMI]

We'll be celebrating my daughters 16th birthday on the Golden Princess out of Seattle on Aug 11. We wanted a round trip cruise and this date worked the best for us. We'll be with my parents (who cruise often, and always on Princess), but this is our first cruise. These kids sure are lucky, I don't remember how I celebrated my 16th, but it sure wasn't on an Alaskan cruise!

[UpcountryTravelers]

We've done Alaska twice on the Coral Princess. One of our (2) favorite ships! Both times out of Vancouver with a long land tour afterwards. Excellent cruises; our best of all!! Didn't need "rest" after the land tours (with lots of travel) because of the relaxing transportation - especially the train - but then we are only 60s+.

[Cruisin' Chick]

One think to note in terms of your kids: that as you get later in the season, there will be less kids on board, as schools go back in action. Yes, there it's a port intensive cruise, but for some families this could be important for the time on the ship.

[donaldsc]

Hello,

 

]I am planning a 16th birthday celebration for my son and we want to go to Alaska. We want to do a 7 day cruise with a land tour. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

Regardless of which cruisetour you select (my recommendation would be to do the land portion as a DIY) but you appear to have decided on a cruise tour, make sure that you read the itinerary very very carefully. I will not say that Princess as well as the other tour companies lie when they describe how much time you will have at different sites and how much you will see but they certainly stretch the truth a lot.

 

DON

[ldubs]

Do you mind me asking what happened with Celebrity? I was actually thinking about trying them out.

 

Thanks

 

Hi, I'm not Cricketcruiser, but will share some info. I am a Princess and RCI fan. I also thought highly of Celebrity from past experience. We took a Adriatic cruise last Oct on Celebrity Silhouette. Great ship. Food was pretty good. Their buffet area (forget the name) was very well done IMO. However too many of the staff, and especially our MDR staff, were constantly whining about one thing or another the entire two week trip. It got really tiresome and eventually we just tuned them out. Probably they wanted us to feel sorry and up our tips.

 

I will add that I'm pretty easy going and wouldn't condemn the whole cruise line for this. However it is a negative mark.

[CruisinChris]

I'm a bit in the minority on this but my recommendation would be to put the emphasis on a smaller ship (COral or ISland) over a newer ship for this itinerary. And for me, I prefer northbound. I love delayed gratification and the trip builds and builds and builds as just keeps getting better the further north you go. I like that. SOuthbound is ok, but it's a like starting hard with a bang and then dying off...:)

[CricketCruiser]

Do you mind me asking what happened with Celebrity? I was actually thinking about trying them out.

 

Thanks

 

Hi Melody,

 

I was just disappointed with a few things I guess, and when you are on the ship for 14 days...Just select a newer ship on Celebrity is my advice. We were in one of the Aft two room cabins with the balcony that is on the corner on the back of the ship. The room wasn't that clean and was showing signs of wear. The bed wasn't comfortable so I asked for an upgraded pad, they took the old dirty one I happened to see when I opened some furnace closet doors leading to our room. The pillows were old and rock hard and flat. For what I spent on the vacation I expected to be surrounded with luxury and I wasn't. I was so glad to get back to my own bed. The balconies are solid so you can't see the water while lying on a chair on the balony or from inside the cabin, really missed that about the Grand. The prominade deck was the smoker's deck and didn't go around the whole ship, just one of my favorite things about some other ships. I also prefer the food on Princess, but this is a personal thing, my husband prefers the food on Celebrity.

 

I might go back on Celebrity but it would need to be a brand new ship. For now I want to go back to Princess.

[CricketCruiser]

Thank you everyone for all the great advice. I really appreciate it. I came back from a business trip and was thrilled to see all the responses to my post. Your advice will make the difference for us, I'm sure we will have a great trip.

 

Now all I have to do is work some extra projects and get the money together...:D