Alaska Cruisetour by Princess Or NCL?

[CricketCruiser]

Hello,

 

We are planning our first Alaska cruise and would like to take the train and have a few overnights in Alaska. I was considering only Princess but it looks like NCL has newer ships going and may provide more fun for 2 teenagers. Price is a big consideration, but if they are close to the same in terms of pricing, which one would you choose and why? Responses are greatly appreciated.:)

[Keith1010]

Alaska is all about the itinerary.

 

If the itineraries are the same then I would think through the ships but start with the itinerary.

 

What are the itineraries that you are looking at?

 

Keith

[CricketCruiser]

For the Princess Sapphire trip, we are looking at:

Sat: Vancouver, B.C.Sun: At SeaMon: KetchikanTue: JuneauWed: SkagwayThu: Glacier BayFri: College FjordSat: WhittierSat: Mt. McKinleySun: DenaliMon: FairbanksTue: Fairbanks

 

For the NCL trip, we are looking at the Sun, I can't find any other ships that do either a North or Southbound. Here's the itinerary:

 

Ports of Call: Whittier; Hubbard Glacier; Icy Strait Point; Juneau; Sawyer Glacier; Skagway; Ketchikan; Cruising the Inside Passage; Vancouver, Canada

 

It seems that Princess has the whole cruisetour thing pretty organized.

 

We were wanting a new, fun ship. Maybe this time we'll just do the cruise part and forget the land tour because we can go on the Pearl and do a round trip from Seattle.

 

Any advice is appreciated.

[olemissreb]

When are you planning on going? You should probably do a little more research to find out what all Alaska has to offer and then narrow down what you are truly interested in. Alaska is HUGE and there is no way you will ever be able to see & do everything you want in one visit.

 

Depending on how much time you have either pre or post cruise, you could design your own cruise tour. I won't say it's easy because there are so many things to see & do, but once you've set up your priorities it is fairly easy. Doing everything yourself allows you to be on your timetable and you can stop along the way to take in sites that those on the tour buses won't be able to.

 

I have been planning my trip for 2 years and I can't believe we leave in about 32 days! Originally I thought about a Seattle roundtrip, but then with all the good advice I received on the Alaska boards (you should check those out - extremely helpful), decided on a one way. By putting off the trip for a year, I was able to finagle an extra week of vacation out of my DH so now we will have one week inland and then a week southbound on the Celebrity Millennium. I planned everything myself and all our excursions are through local vendors. We will have 2 nights in Anchorage, 3 nights in Denali and 2 nights near the Matanuska glacier before taking the train to Seward.

 

There are still a whole bunch of things I would like to do in Alaska, but they will have to wait until next time.

[Kamloops50]

For the Princess Sapphire trip, we are looking at:

Sat: Vancouver, B.C.Sun: At SeaMon: KetchikanTue: JuneauWed: SkagwayThu: Glacier BayFri: College FjordSat: WhittierSat: Mt. McKinleySun: DenaliMon: FairbanksTue: Fairbanks

 

For the NCL trip, we are looking at the Sun, I can't find any other ships that do either a North or Southbound. Here's the itinerary:

 

Ports of Call: Whittier; Hubbard Glacier; Icy Strait Point; Juneau; Sawyer Glacier; Skagway; Ketchikan; Cruising the Inside Passage; Vancouver, Canada

 

It seems that Princess has the whole cruisetour thing pretty organized.

 

We were wanting a new, fun ship. Maybe this time we'll just do the cruise part and forget the land tour because we can go on the Pearl and do a round trip from Seattle.

 

Any advice is appreciated.

 

My preference would be Princess. If you can do a southbound cruise on Princess.They cruise thru two Glaciers on the SB cruise.They are the company with the longest track record in Alaska besides HAL. They have there own train , motor coaches and hotels . NCL , RCI and Celebrity usually contract with Princess or HAL for facilities. Princess has four ships doing NB & SB cruises in Alaska. HAL has at least two ships and a third those cruise tours thru Skagway. NCL.RCI and Celebrity have one ship each that do cruise tours.

[CricketCruiser]

Alaska is all about the itinerary.

 

If the itineraries are the same then I would think through the ships but start with the itinerary.

 

What are the itineraries that you are looking at?

 

Keith

 

What if I forget about the crusetour this time and choose one of these two roundtrips on newer ships:

 

Norwegian Pearl:

Sun: SeattleMon: Inside PassageTue: JuneauWed: SkagwayThu: Glacier BayFri: KetchikanSat: Victoria, B.C.Sun: Seattle

 

OR

 

Celebrity Solstice :

Fri: SeattleSat: At SeaSun: KetchikanMon: Tracy ArmMon: JuneauTue: Inside PassageTue: SkagwayWed: At SeaThu: Victoria, B.C.Fri: Seattle

 

Which one would you choose, fi the itinerary is the main thing you're looking at? Thanks!

[Krazy Kruizers]

One thing we always check is the length of time that we are in the various ports.

I have noticed that every time we are in Juneau -- NCL is never docked near town and their ships seem to be there only a few hours.

Princess and HAL have been in the Alaskan cruise and cruisetour business a very long time.

The teenagers will not be happy on Celebrity.

[CricketCruiser]

When are you planning on going? You should probably do a little more research to find out what all Alaska has to offer and then narrow down what you are truly interested in. Alaska is HUGE and there is no way you will ever be able to see & do everything you want in one visit.

 

Depending on how much time you have either pre or post cruise, you could design your own cruise tour. I won't say it's easy because there are so many things to see & do, but once you've set up your priorities it is fairly easy. Doing everything yourself allows you to be on your timetable and you can stop along the way to take in sites that those on the tour buses won't be able to.

 

I have been planning my trip for 2 years and I can't believe we leave in about 32 days! Originally I thought about a Seattle roundtrip, but then with all the good advice I received on the Alaska boards (you should check those out - extremely helpful), decided on a one way. By putting off the trip for a year, I was able to finagle an extra week of vacation out of my DH so now we will have one week inland and then a week southbound on the Celebrity Millennium. I planned everything myself and all our excursions are through local vendors. We will have 2 nights in Anchorage, 3 nights in Denali and 2 nights near the Matanuska glacier before taking the train to Seward.

 

There are still a whole bunch of things I would like to do in Alaska, but they will have to wait until next time.

 

Wow, that's amazing. You've really put a lot into your trip and lots of planning. I'm comfortable planning my own activities in the carribean but would rather leave it to the experts when I'm not familiar with an area,just for the first time, plus this is a last minute cruise for us, I haven't had planning time. I admire you for what you've been able to put together. Thanks for the info and have a wonderful time on your cruise!

[CricketCruiser]

One thing we always check is the length of time that we are in the various ports.

 

I have noticed that every time we are in Juneau -- NCL is never docked near town and their ships seem to be there only a few hours.

 

Princess and HAL have been in the Alaskan cruise and cruisetour business a very long time.

 

The teenagers will not be happy on Celebrity.

 

Okay, I will check on those details. Thanks for the tip.

 

I took the kids on a two week so. Carribean cruise last Spring on the Constellation. You're right, there wasn't much for them and the ship was really showing signs of wear, especially in the cabin. The computer lab had really old computers, the connection speed was horrible. Things like that can affect a teenager's time onboard.

[Kamloops50]

Okay, I will check on those details. Thanks for the tip.

 

I took the kids on a two week so. Carribean cruise last Spring on the Constellation. You're right, there wasn't much for them and the ship was really showing signs of wear, especially in the cabin. The computer lab had really old computers, the connection speed was horrible. Things like that can affect a teenager's time onboard.

 

Computer speeds can be worst in Alaska than So Carib.I Alaska you spend more time in port than many Caribbean cruises . There is lot of things to do and you won't be able to do it all in one trip. If you want a newer ship you'll have to sail from Seattle and not be able to do a cruise tour.

[caa]

We took our then 16 yr old daughter on a Princess cruise tour a few years ago. She had a blast, and met another girl on the ship who was a friend-of-a-friend. She was the only teen on the land tour, but she's an only child and used to being around adults anyway, so she made friends with some of the younger couples on the bus.

 

I can tell you that everyone on our bus trip in Denali was grateful for her young eyes that were spotting animals even before the bus driver. The driver commented that we got more out of that tour than most other groups she drives, and she gave the credit to DD.

[CricketCruiser]

When are you planning on going? You should probably do a little more research to find out what all Alaska has to offer and then narrow down what you are truly interested in. Alaska is HUGE and there is no way you will ever be able to see & do everything you want in one visit.

 

Depending on how much time you have either pre or post cruise, you could design your own cruise tour. I won't say it's easy because there are so many things to see & do, but once you've set up your priorities it is fairly easy. Doing everything yourself allows you to be on your timetable and you can stop along the way to take in sites that those on the tour buses won't be able to.

 

I have been planning my trip for 2 years and I can't believe we leave in about 32 days! Originally I thought about a Seattle roundtrip, but then with all the good advice I received on the Alaska boards (you should check those out - extremely helpful), decided on a one way. By putting off the trip for a year, I was able to finagle an extra week of vacation out of my DH so now we will have one week inland and then a week southbound on the Celebrity Millennium. I planned everything myself and all our excursions are through local vendors. We will have 2 nights in Anchorage, 3 nights in Denali and 2 nights near the Matanuska glacier before taking the train to Seward.

 

There are still a whole bunch of things I would like to do in Alaska, but they will have to wait until next time.

 

Can you help me, I've looked around and can't find any forums specific to Alaska. THANKS!:confused:

[Lookingforfacts]

NCL Sun--The Northbound cruise include Glacier Bay and Hubbard. Port times are good. Similar to the Princess Southbound itinerary. I'd go with either one.

 

Your R/T cruises won't give you the opportunity to do a land tour. I suspect your port times are less.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

[RunnerGirl26.2]

We did northbound out of Vancouver on Island Princess a year ago.

 

We booked our Alaska tour package on our own through an Alaska Tour and Travel agent. Bus transfer from Whittier; admission to the museum in Anchorage between buses; two nights in Denali; train back to Anchorage. We spent our two nights in the same hotel. (Look closely at the land packages as it seems you are moving hotels and spend one or two nights in each hotel then moving again.)

 

Our two nights in Vancouver pre-cruise were spent in a condo in Yaletown. We spent one day sightseeing on the hop on hop off trolley and free shuttle to Capilano Suspension bridge park.

 

If sailing out of Vancouver, you can get to Canada Place pier easily from the light rail.

[DukeFamily]

We did a Princess cruise/tour...it was fantastic. We never worried about a thing from the time we left our house. They definitely have on their game face. We did the land portion first, which I would suggest; it's exhausting and nice to get on the ship afterwards and just relax. They had an excellent Naturalist who spoke every day telling us where we were and what to look for. It was an amazing trip.

[Suitcasefull]

My two cents: If you can afford the time and money, do a cruise/ tour. Teens can appreciate the vastness of Alaska and expand their horizons. This may be their only chance to be up there; yours, too, so see as much as you can.

[Donder1]

We are returning to Alaska this Sept on the Grand Princess RT out of San Francisco. Our first trip to Alaska was on the Diamond Princess. But, first we flew into Fairbanks and did a cruise tour to Denali. Stayed at Princess Lodge in Denali (Fabulous!). We took the all day tour into Denali Park and saw 16 brown bears, eagles, sheep, caribou, etc. If you do this, don't do the half day tour as it only goes into Mile 15. Many more animals further into the park. A highlight was Jeff King's Homestead Princess Tour. He won the Iditarod twice and you get to hear all about his adventures while cuddling with the puppies, if you are lucky. We were.

Then took a bubble top train to Whittier. All day ride, basically, but really pretty and fun. Dining cars and outdoor platforms so you aren't just sitting all day. Cruised from Whittier to Vancouver. Great itinerary. Glacier National Park was amazing as were all the ports we visited.

 

Princess and HAL are the big players in Alaska. Truly I have never sailed on NCL but have heard on these boards countless comments that the food is not great. I'd go with Princess. Your kids will find lots to do but it might be too cold to swim. This type of cruise is very different than the Carribean. It's really about the great scenery and history of Alaska for the most part. Many of the really exciting active tours are very pricey. I guess it's time for a family meeting:)

[gators70]

We had a family of 10 do the land and sea vacation with Princess about five years ago on the Emerald Princess, southbound, Achorage to Vancouver. One thing I will say is that the Princess resorts at McKinley and Denali are wonderful. I don't know about NCL resorts. If you go on the land portion DO NOT miss the Tundra Tour in Denali (and take the early morning one). Great wildlife and scenery. A little pricey, but well worth it. The only other comment is that I think any Alaskan cruise should include Glacier Bay. It was breathtaking as the ship came to a stop and took about an hour to do a 360 degree spin so you caould get all veiws, even from your own balcony. Calving glaciers are amazing! You're going to have a marvelous time!

[CricketCruiser]

Thanks for all the responses, you've really helped me plan my trip.;)