Best Cruise and Ship for Alaska? Pros Only

[hamlettm]

Hey cruise people, I wanted to do a great Alaskan cruise! Can someone who has been a few times suggest the best ship and cruise?

 

We have cruised on Carnival, RCCL and NCL if you have the BEST suggestion let us know. THANKS

[CruiserBruce]

"Best" is a totally subjective, personal opinion. You could ask 10 people, get 10 different answers, and NONE would be wrong. There is rarely a true "right" answer to these "best" questions.

 

If you read down the board, you will see many similar discussions, with a common theme of routes including Glacier Bay are very desirable. Also, routes that go out of Vancouver, with true Inside Passage travel, are also very desirable.

Edited March 31, 2014 by CruiserBruce

[ghia007]

The 14 day roundtrip Seattle on the Holland American Amsterdam. It's a midsize ship, very relaxing and a good taste of Alaska (the coast anyway).

[CruiserBruce]

The 14 day roundtrip Seattle on the Holland American Amsterdam. It's a midsize ship, very relaxing and a good taste of Alaska (the coast anyway).

 

Haven't done this cruise, so can't recommend it as the "best", but it is high on our bucket list, probably for 2016, if they offer it.

[hamlettm]

We want to do a 7 day cruise, just getting opinions I know they will all be different.

[Glaciers]

There are many good reviews on the smaller lines that cruise Alaska. Un-Cruise, Lindblad and Alaskan Dream are a few although there are many. Usually pricey in comparison to the main lines although the experience can be fantastic. Some have kayaks onboard. Glacier Bay is a wonderful experience which is just enhanced when you can kayak in front of one of the glaciers there.

[Budget Queen]

You could do a poll? :) What you are going to find, is raves for the particular ship people took. And depending on the lines and how many ships they have sailing Alaska will likely be ranked as such.

 

I have been on every major line that sails Alaska with the exception of Disney. Not likely to have other posters in this "boat". I do have my preferences, but will never "recommend" any as "best". There are too many variables that impact a visit- cost, ports, port times, glacier. I suggest you figure out some of those issues, first, to point you in the direction for your cruise. It doesn't matter what anyone else has done.

[puppycanducruise]

Can't tell you what's best - I've only done one Alaska cruise.

We sailed on HAL, the Volendam, Inside Passage from Vancouver. It's a 7 day cruise that includes Glacier Bay. It's a smaller ship than some (1400 passengers) and the cruise leaves on Wednesday.

We loved it!

[Kesstral]

Figure out what ports you want to do and which glaciers you want to see. Then see what cruise lines offer that itinerary. For example you can't cruise Royal to Glacier Bay. Do you need a round trip or can you fly to or from Alaska? One way trips can offer different port options and usually Hubbard glacier.

 

Also, are you only ever going to Alaska once or will it be a repeat destination? I live near Vancouver, BC so preparing for our 3rd Alaskan cruise (on a 3rd cruiseline) in 2 years whereas we did the Caribbean last October and might never get to go again.

[huskyguy]

Hey cruise people, I wanted to do a great Alaskan cruise! Can someone who has been a few times suggest the best ship and cruise?

 

We have cruised on Carnival, RCCL and NCL if you have the BEST suggestion let us know. THANKS

 

I've been on many, but since 2 of the 3 lines you've sailed with (and I assume liked) are ones that I sailed on once and will never get on again, my views would be of no use to you. As has been said, it's very subjective and even a poll is meaningless. Only reading a LOT of reviews can you get a good idea. Or you can work on the assumption that ANY Alaska cruise is a good cruise - that may be the closest to the real truth :)

[CowPrincess]

>SNIP<

 

Or you can work on the assumption that ANY Alaska cruise is a good cruise - that may be the closest to the real truth :)

 

I think you nailed it :D

[DougH]

I've sailed Alaska numerous times, mostly Princess but also HAL, Celebrity and RCL. My preference is Princess but that may not be yours as each had good/bad points .I'd recommend either a one week cruise plus a land tour, or either a B2B or 14 day route to maxamize sights.

 

My personal preference would be a 14 day small Princess ship mid June.

[Budget Queen]

Figure out what ports you want to do and which glaciers you want to see. Then see what cruise lines offer that itinerary. For example you can't cruise Royal to Glacier Bay. Do you need a round trip or can you fly to or from Alaska? One way trips can offer different port options and usually Hubbard glacier.

 

Also, are you only ever going to Alaska once or will it be a repeat destination? I live near Vancouver, BC so preparing for our 3rd Alaskan cruise (on a 3rd cruiseline) in 2 years whereas we did the Caribbean last October and might never get to go again.

 

There are plenty of one way cruises that do Glacier Bay, actually the majority. HAL offers Haines on some one way cruises. Otherwise you have the same port selections as the round trips. There is a difference in the Alaska start/finish port.

[wolfie11]

My personal preferences:

No round trips (except a 14-day)

No cruises out of Seattle

The smallest ship possible

No cruises that have Tracy Arm as the only glacier on the itinerary (you won't get to see a glacier)

Glacier Bay is a big plus

Hubbard Glacier is a big plus

 

Don't care about the line, but I don't go to much in the way of shows, bingo, etc. The attraction in Alaska is outside the ship. If you get good perks from a frequent passenger program, that would be a plus...

[Giantfan13]

Like ANY cruise, what's 'best' for me may not be 'Best' for you. We know nothing of your likes and dislikes, age, where you are traveling from and if this is a family thing.

 

There are certain cruise lines that do family better than others, while other cruise lines, like a Carnival, cater more towards a party type cruise. We are seniors and we look for certain things from a cruise line and ship. Those same things may not interest you if you are a lot younger than us. I think you can get the picture.

\ Do you want to do a one way where you will get to see parts of Alaska that a round trip cruise doesn't do, but airfare will be much higher?.

 

The one thing I would try and look for is a visit to Glacier Bay and good times in ports.

 

 

After that, the rest is up to you.

 

Cheers

 

Len

Edited April 1, 2014 by Giantfan13

[chipmaster]

I detect one theme, must have Glacier Bay, everything else comes to budget, timing, priority, taste etc. etc.

[Aquahound]

Hey cruise people, I wanted to do a great Alaskan cruise! Can someone who has been a few times suggest the best ship and cruise?

 

We have cruised on Carnival, RCCL and NCL if you have the BEST suggestion let us know. THANKS

 

There's a lot of good advice in this thread and I agree with huskyguy's comment of there not being a bad Alaska cruise.

 

My personal preference...I recommend booking a cruise that starts or ends in an Alaskan port, unlike the roundtrip Seattle/Vancouver cruises. This allows for a land tour in Alaska, whether organized or on your own. Driving the Seward Hwy is beautiful and I'll never forget the time we spent in the towns of Seward, Hope, Whittier and Girdwood.

 

Also, I do not recommend booking a cruise based on one particular port or glacier. Look at the bigger picture. Glacier Bay is excellent (and prefered), but Hubbard is no slouch. Concerning cruise lines, I recommend a line that offers private balconies and does not allow smoking. That would be RCI, Celebrity and Princess (unless you're a smoker...in that case, forget that advice).

[donswife]

One factor you may wish to consider is how crowded the ports will be on the day you visit. I used this website to help us choose, once we ad it narrowed down to 3 itineraries and 3 different sail dates. Sitka is nice because it rarely has more than 1 ship, occasionally 2).

 

http://ports.cruisett.com/

[dsw39]

Hey cruise people, I wanted to do a great Alaskan cruise! Can someone who has been a few times suggest the best ship and cruise?

 

We have cruised on Carnival, RCCL and NCL if you have the BEST suggestion let us know. THANKS

 

Every reply has added insight to an Alaska cruise. I found the first thing to do is look at the ports (itinerary) offered and the times in port. The timing is important for planning your excursions. We prefer Glacier Bay over Tracy's Arm. Hubbard Glacier is well worth a visit! We prefer to go in late season for the weather and ability to get as near to the glaciers as possible. If you can afford a cruise/tour either through the cruiseline or on your own for the land portion, by all means do it. You can also take a return cruise which can offer a slightly different itinerary. Look for people sailing with you to setup private tours in the various ports for a personalized experience and probably a savings over ship tours. Participate in a meet and greet on your ship with fellow cruisecritic pax. If you decide to sail you will be pleasantly surprised at this experience.

Dave

[donaldsc]

The best cruise I ever took was on a small boat that held only 50 people. It beat that big ships which I have taken in AK by a mile. My dream is to do AK on one of the trawler yachts such as this one - http://www.myursamajor.com/.

 

DON

[luv2kruz]

You could do a poll? :) What you are going to find, is raves for the particular ship people took. And depending on the lines and how many ships they have sailing Alaska will likely be ranked as such.

 

I have been on every major line that sails Alaska with the exception of Disney. Not likely to have other posters in this "boat". I do have my preferences, but will never "recommend" any as "best". There are too many variables that impact a visit- cost, ports, port times, glacier. I suggest you figure out some of those issues, first, to point you in the direction for your cruise. It doesn't matter what anyone else has done.

 

I agree. You may want to decide what are must do vs it would be nice and then look at the itinerary closely. Also consider what your budget is and if you want an inside, ocean view or balcony cabin. It can be very pricey and each line has specials.

 

Allow enough time to decide & plan especially when it comes to shore excursions. You may want to consider some time for touring Alaska on land either before or after the cruise. Good luck!

[petlover]

We've cruised Alaska quite a few times...our favorite was on Regent. Our least favorite was NCL. Like everyone else has said...so much depends on your budget and personal preference. IMHO, the smaller ships are better no matter where you're cruising.

 

Whatever you chose, I hope it's wonderful. Alaska is so beautiful.