Which cruise line best for Alaska and why?

[Guest Nellsmom58]

We want to book Alaska for 2015 but don't know which line would be best for nature-lovers who are older folks (75 and 60). We don't want to hike or fish or raft, but do like walks, nature, history, and culture. We'd like to avoid lots of kids (sorry, we teach them all year!), and like quieter crowds who are into learning. We're looking at cruise tours with HAL, Princess, RCI, or ? This may be our only trip there, so we want to choose the best cruise line for the area.

[JDinWA]

We want to book Alaska for 2015 but don't know which line would be best for nature-lovers who are older folks (75 and 60). We don't want to hike or fish or raft, but do like walks, nature, history, and culture. We'd like to avoid lots of kids (sorry, we teach them all year!), and like quieter crowds who are into learning. We're looking at cruise tours with HAL, Princess, RCI, or ? This may be our only trip there, so we want to choose the best cruise line for the area.

 

I expect that you'd enjoy either HAL or Princess, both of which have excellent reputations for their Alaska cruises. Compare the available itineraries to see which offers a package you'd prefer. Look at which ports they visit and how long they spend in each. You might also get some value out of reading the HAL and Princess forums to help you decide.

 

Decide if you want to round-trip out of Seattle, or out of Vancouver, or if you want to do a northbound or southbound (one-way). Where you have to fly may make a difference to your priorities.

 

I've done Alaska a number of times on HAL and enjoyed it immensely. This time, we're taking Princess so we can round-trip out of Seattle and go to Skagway (our favorite port). HAL out of Seattle goes to Sitka rather than Skagway.

[mapleleaves]

I suggest reading thru the trip reports in the STICKY above called "2013 Alaska cruise reviews". Go to reply #45 where the reports are grouped by cruiseline. The reports are quite detailed and include cruises, cruisetours, and DIY land travel. Reading about other peoples experiences might help you with your decision. Also, check your library for Fodors "alaska, ports of call" or Ann Viponds "Alaska by cruiseship". Both books discuss cruiselines, ships, itineraries, ports, activities, etc

If you choose a cruisetour, be VERY mindful of the details. ie if Denali is a priority make sure you're there long enough to actually get into the park. Some of the cruisetours offer 2 days in Denali but you arrive midday on Day 1 and leave at noon on Day 2 so you don't have time to ride a shuttle along the park road to see the wildlife and scenery. Some of the tours are a lot of travelling time but not much time at the destination. (It's easy enough to go DIY ... book the train, bus or rental car and your own hotel room.)

[rjgdjg]

Hi-

 

I can only tell you of our experience, which was on Princess in May 2012 (we did roundtrip out of Seattle). I thought they did a fabulous job; here are a few highlights:

* The itinerary was great--Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria

* They had a terrific naturalist (a great speaker, knowledgeable and personable) give a number of talks on board and then he narrated over the PA during our passage through Glacier Bay. It was well orchestrated and an incredible experience

* One of the speakers was a woman who won the dog sled race, the Iditarod; she was quite captivating

* There was a special lunch buffet featuring all kinds of salmon

* The day of Glacier Bay, you could order (for a fee) a special champagne brunch in your room to kick off the event

 

I have a few postings (Cruising Alaska 101 and Quaint and Quirky: Alaska's Ports) on my blog if you're interested. - Diana, http://musingaboutcruising.blogspot.com

[bonvoyagie]

I think that you will find that AK is less about the cruise line and more about the area - AK. If you want to avoid kids then cruise while school is in session - May/June or Sept. I have always liked NCL and have done three AK cruises with them - the last was in June 12 when I saw Glacier Bay for the first time - and like a previous poster - we started the day with breakfast in our room and then followed up a bit later with some special coffee drinks. BTW all cruise ships have a Ranger from the NPS board the ship to do the Glacier Bay presentation.

 

There are a few things you can do to help you with your decisions and some questions you can ask yourself and allow the answers to guide you down a decision tree. First you need to decide if you want to go one way or roundtrip IMHO a one way trip is better if you have more days on either end of the cruise to enjoy the interior of AK - I mean what is the use of going to Anchorage without being able to see the area around it.

 

The other option is Roundtrip - now you have choose between two ports - Seattle or Vancouver BC. In short - Seattle cruises travel on the outside or seaward side of Vancouver Island and must visit a CA port prior to coming back to Seattle - they usually hit Victoria for a few hours. Vancouver cruises travel on the inside or leeward side of the same island. These are calmer waters and, in the daylight, very scenic.

 

The Ports - there are only a handful of ports in AK that cruise ships visit - but not all ships visit all ports. Take a look here www.cruiseshipinsider.com for more info on these ports. Study the history and DIY sections for insights on these towns and how to see them on your own.

 

Every cruise line offers scenic glacier cruising - there are three main areas for this - Tracy Arm, Glacier Bay, and Hubbard Glacier. All are stunning and worth exploring. The most popular is Glacier Bay - however access is limited and only three companies have access rights on a full time basis - Princess, NCL, and HAL - so a trip here will limit your cruise line choices. Tracy Arm is the next most visited - it is a narrow fjord with a glacier at the end of it. In the early season the fjord is full of ice and passage is sometimes not possible - ships then divert to another fjord and glacier combo. Some cruise lines offer an optional tour that involves transferring to a smaller boat to get a close up look at the glaciers and fjord.

 

I hope this helps you in your decision making process.

[pusywillow]

You can also do a round trip from San Francisco on Princess which visits Glacier Bay. Not sure where you live in Northern CA, but if you can drive to the port that would be a bonus IMO.

[Ashland]

I'll be the one that would suggest a May cruise on RCI Radiance north or south bound...will be doing it again for the 3rd time May 30th.

[Guest Nellsmom58]

Thank you all for the excellent recommendations and detailed responses. We appreciate your taking the time to help us plan our trip of a lifetime. The stickies, blogspot, and suggestions are very helpful--thank you! We have a lot to consider, and more suggestions are certainly welcome :)

[Guest Nellsmom58]

I'll be the one that would suggest a May cruise on RCI Radiance north or south bound...will be doing it again for the 3rd time May 30th.

 

Sounds wonderful, but the school district wouldn't be too happy about us taking off from the classroom in May just before my students let out ;)

[Ashland]

Sounds wonderful, but the school district wouldn't be too happy about us taking off from the classroom in May just before my students let out ;)

Then it will be hard to avoid kids..however..lucky our son graduates from college the week before so the May 30th works well for us...although we have found you may really not notice many kids on the earlier months Alaska cruises...they all seem to prefer the caribbean cruises..or if they go to Alaska seems like more families book the later June/July dates.

[Guest Nellsmom58]

Then it will be hard to avoid kids..however..lucky our son graduates from college the week before so the May 30th works well for us...although we have found you may really not notice many kids on the earlier months Alaska cruises...they all seem to prefer the caribbean cruises..or if they go to Alaska seems like more families book the later June/July dates.

 

Just wondering if there may be more kids on RCI than Princess or HAL in mid-June. Anybody have thoughts on this?

[janetz]

Just wondering if there may be more kids on RCI than Princess or HAL in mid-June. Anybody have thoughts on this?

 

In order from more kids to less...;)

 

RC

Princess

Hal

[CowPrincess]

I really think you should look at the ports and what is available of interest to you in each port, then find the cruises that go to the ports that are of most interest. Then look at the boards for the various cruise lines to get a sense of what you can expect onboard.

 

Personally, with your "quieter crowds and learning" I wonder if you should be looking at the more luxury lines. Can't help you at all with those, and don't know if they offer land tours.

 

If you really truly want to see Glacier Bay, that eliminates several of the cruise lines. I think NCL (???) has a few sailings there, with HAL and Princess having the majority.

[SilkySal]

Just wondering if there may be more kids on RCI than Princess or HAL in mid-June. Anybody have thoughts on this?

 

We will be on RCCL Radiance of the Seas in mid-July and we can hardly wait! In my opinion, like another poster said, most kids prefer the warmth, sun and fun of the Caribbean, so I don't believe we will encounter that many children, even if it is mid-July!:p Read some of the reviews of Alaska via the Radiance and almost all of them have glowing reports! We love sailing with RCCL, as they are always very, very accommodating!;) Plus, the Radiance class of ships are absolutely stunning! With mostly glass everywhere, one can see the outside almost from anywhere on the ship! We decided to start a land tour in Fairbanks, board the ship in Seward, and sail southbound to Vancouver, where we will spend a couple of nights and then take a train to Seattle to meet up with our son flying in from San Francisco. I honestly believe you would not be disappointed with RCCL Radiance of the Seas!! Get out there!:cool:

Edited January 26, 2014 by SilkySal
wording

[sherryf]

We will be on RCCL Radiance of the Seas in mid-July and we can hardly wait! In my opinion, like another poster said, most kids prefer the warmth, sun and fun of the Caribbean, so I don't believe we will encounter that many children, even if it is mid-July!:p

 

Don't bet on it! Large family groups are very common on Alaska cruises. On one of our cruises in late July, there were nearly 500 kids on board. Maybe not as many as on some Caribbean cruises, but still lots. It seemed like they were all over the place on that cruise!

 

I've cruised to Alaska on both Carnival and Princess, and demographics were pretty much the same. Others on this site report similar experiences. You will have kids on all cruise lines, particularly mid-June to mid-August.

[Budget Queen]

There are NOT a lot of kids sailing Alaska, compared to the Caribbean. BUT there will be kids on all cruises. There is NO ONE cruise that will have the "kids edge" outside of Disney. So I suggest the look be at the itinerary and comparing routes, ports, time in ports and glacier. Don't worry about the specific line, in my opinion.

 

I have cruised all lines- in Alaska with the exception of Disney (one cruise was enough), and you will find the "recommendations" will be for those that people have taken. :)

 

I do not agree, that people should be steered to Princess or HAL, because they have been there the longest etc. who cares? :) All the lines have been sailing for years.

 

It can come down to money, time, cruise line perks etc. Many different priorities that people may have. I can say, the die hard repeaters, might, instead look for variety, or they can go on the same line over and over. I go with variety. :)

 

For mainland tours, this is the area I will always recommend, DO YOUR HOMEWORK, be certain you understand all the details of the tours you are looking at. This is one area, over and over, I see wrong assumptions and big mistakes made. It is far easier to make the right choices to begin with as few people are willing to change. Read between the lines, if you don't understand, post a question. Look at time and distances, especially. This is a common error point. Be certain to get what you want out of Denali Park, another, big mistake area.

 

Budget fully for costly excursions, this is half your trip, and not the place to skimp in my opinion.

 

Have fun and take the time to find the best vacation for you.

[prairiesailor]

Nellsmom58: One cruise line that has not been mentioned is Celebrity. They do cruises out of Vancouver, Seattle & I believe at least 1 out of San Francisco. Celebrity is using 3 different classes of ships. They use the Century-smaller ship. The Millennium which is their mid size class of ships. They are also using the Solstice which was the first of their S class ships-their largest.Alfred

[Guest Nellsmom58]

Nellsmom58: One cruise line that has not been mentioned is Celebrity. They do cruises out of Vancouver, Seattle & I believe at least 1 out of San Francisco. Celebrity is using 3 different classes of ships. They use the Century-smaller ship. The Millennium which is their mid size class of ships. They are also using the Solstice which was the first of their S class ships-their largest.Alfred

 

 

Thank you! San Francisco would be very easy, so that is good to know. And I believe Celebrity has recognition with RCI status, yes? How are their land tours?

 

 

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[agabbymama]

Nellsmom58, I like to start a graph chart when I start planning a cruise. I put the various cruiselines/ships across the top, and what I want out of the cruise/cruisetour down the side (size of ship, cost, cabin, ports, time in ports, sites that I want to see, etc.). Then as I look at each cruise, I put an "x" in the conjoining box if they have it. As you near the end of your research, one should have more x's than the others.

 

I have been on just about all the mass market lines. Carnival to Mexico, Celebrity to New England/Canada, RCI in the Caribbean, NCL to the Pacific Northwest, Princess to the Med and HAL to Alaska cruise & cruisetour.

 

There is no perfect answer, you have to decide what is best for you and your group. Our group was my husband and I (69 & 65), my husband's friend (single guy at 55), and my husband's sister (single at 71). I started with my graph chart for independent with a motorhome (absolutely no privacy), then to a car with B&B's. I finally became so discouraged I started looking at cruisetours. I searched for one that went to the Yukon (it just seemed to go with Alaska to me) as well as Alaska. Princess had a great 7 day cruise + 7 day land tour but it only did 1 overnight in Dawson City Yukon and they wanted $4500 pp for a balcony cabin. I ended up doing a HAL 11-day Northbound from Vancouver cruisetour with only 3 days on the ship and 8 days on land, from Skagway up the White Pass Yukon RR to Whitehorse Yukon, on to Dawson City Yukon for 2 nights, on to Eagle Alaska, Chicken, Tok, Fairbanks, then on to Denali and ending Anchorage. My husband and his friend shared a cabin, his sister and I shared a cabin. The routing included everything I wanted to see. The only additional excursion we purchased was Jeff King's Husky Homestead Tour (4 time Iditarod champ that I wanted to meet). If I had more time off work, I would have selected the itinerary with two nights at each stop as we really enjoyed the two nights in Dawson City.

 

While cruisetours aren't for everyone, I did research it and knew that it went where I wanted to go. We could have booked expensive excursions, but didn't feel they were necessary. We saw so much of the Yukon and interior Alaska. I love cruisetours, tell me where to be and what time to be there, I'll let the driver worry about traffic, road conditions, routes, etc. and I'll sit back and enjoy the scenery.

 

The other side of the question is presented often, that independent you get to see and do what you want to do on your schedule. And that may be true if you have all the time in the World, but when you know you only have 10 days vacation, you can't very well just take your time, or you will see nothing. We covered 1800 miles in those 8 days on land, and I feel HAL knows what is in the area that is worth seeing and was willing to show it to us.

 

Be careful of that San Francisco Northbound routing. My two Pacific Northwest cruises in/out of Vancouver, around Astoria Oregon we had terrible storms in May and September. The last cruise in Sept 2011 was so rough, it has made my cruising decisions very limited for now.

 

Have fun planning your trip, then taking it to Alaska, it is an AWESOME desintation.

Edited January 31, 2014 by agabbymama

[Coral]

Just wondering if there may be more kids on RCI than Princess or HAL in mid-June. Anybody have thoughts on this?

 

We did RCCL on the Radiance to Alaska. There were not more kids than on Princess but we were incredibly unlucky as the kids were some of the worst I have encountered on any ship. RCCL was not very cooperative in trying to control the kids. It took about 7 calls from the people on our floor in order to get someone from the cruise line to do anything. I have never seen this on any ship, even Carnival ships.

Edited January 31, 2014 by Coral

[zqvol]

The luxury lines are rarely mentioned in these discussions. If you can afford it take a look at Reagent and Silverseas. You will definitely have fewer kids, and it is nice to cruise with a lot fewer passengers.

[Guest Nellsmom58]

Nellsmom58, I like to start a graph chart when I start planning a cruise. I put the various cruiselines/ships across the top, and what I want out of the cruise/cruisetour down the side (size of ship, cost, cabin, ports, time in ports, sites that I want to see, etc.). Then as I look at each cruise, I put an "x" in the conjoining box if they have it. As you near the end of your research, one should have more x's than the others.

 

 

 

I have been on just about all the mass market lines. Carnival to Mexico, Celebrity to New England/Canada, RCI in the Caribbean, NCL to the Pacific Northwest, Princess to the Med and HAL to Alaska cruise & cruisetour.

 

 

 

There is no perfect answer, you have to decide what is best for you and your group. Our group was my husband and I (69 & 65), my husband's friend (single guy at 55), and my husband's sister (single at 71). I started with my graph chart for independent with a motorhome (absolutely no privacy), then to a car with B&B's. I finally became so discouraged I started looking at cruisetours. I searched for one that went to the Yukon (it just seemed to go with Alaska to me) as well as Alaska. Princess had a great 7 day cruise + 7 day land tour but it only did 1 overnight in Dawson City Yukon and they wanted $4500 pp for a balcony cabin. I ended up doing a HAL 11-day Northbound from Vancouver cruisetour with only 3 days on the ship and 8 days on land, from Skagway up the White Pass Yukon RR to Whitehorse Yukon, on to Dawson City Yukon for 2 nights, on to Eagle Alaska, Chicken, Tok, Fairbanks, then on to Denali and ending Anchorage. My husband and his friend shared a cabin, his sister and I shared a cabin. The routing included everything I wanted to see. The only additional excursion we purchased was Jeff King's Husky Homestead Tour (4 time Iditarod champ that I wanted to meet). If I had more time off work, I would have selected the itinerary with two nights at each stop as we really enjoyed the two nights in Dawson City.

 

 

 

While cruisetours aren't for everyone, I did research it and knew that it went where I wanted to go. We could have booked expensive excursions, but didn't feel they were necessary. We saw so much of the Yukon and interior Alaska. I love cruisetours, tell me where to be and what time to be there, I'll let the driver worry about traffic, road conditions, routes, etc. and I'll sit back and enjoy the scenery.

 

 

 

The other side of the question is presented often, that independent you get to see and do what you want to do on your schedule. And that may be true if you have all the time in the World, but when you know you only have 10 days vacation, you can't very well just take your time, or you will see nothing. We covered 1800 miles in those 8 days on land, and I feel HAL knows what is in the area that is worth seeing and was willing to show it to us.

 

 

 

Be careful of that San Francisco Northbound routing. My two Pacific Northwest cruises in/out of Vancouver, around Astoria Oregon we had terrible storms in May and September. The last cruise in Sept 2011 was so rough, it has made my cruising decisions very limited for now.

 

 

 

Have fun planning your trip, then taking it to Alaska, it is an AWESOME desintation.

 

 

Thank you so much for such a detailed response! I think your chart idea is terrific, and I appreciate the info about going north from SF. We, like you, really want to see the interior, so your ideas are very helpful.

 

 

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[Guest Nellsmom58]

The luxury lines are rarely mentioned in these discussions. If you can afford it take a look at Reagent and Silverseas. You will definitely have fewer kids, and it is nice to cruise with a lot fewer passengers.

 

 

We had a similar experience on one of our Caribbean trips, so I get that RCI is geared toward the younger crowd sometimes. I looked into both Regent and Silverseas but they are quite expensive, which may be why there are fewer kids LOL! Thanks for your feedback and helpful input :)

 

 

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[petlover]

We've been on 4 Alaska cruises, each on a different cruise lines. For the best experience and fewest number of children I'd highly recommend Regent cruise lines. It was definitely our favorite. It's all inclusive, including gratuities, liquor and your excursions. At the end of the day, it will probably be less expensive than the larger ships that charge for everything once you're on board. The ships are smaller and you can get much closer than with the large ships.

[rjrpar]

In order from more kids to less...;)

 

RC

Princess

Hal

 

Agree with your order. Also, longer cruises = less kids