Alaskan cruise: What line has the nicest ship(s)?? :)

[ssa444]

i have decided our next cruise will be alaska. thinking summer of 2015.

 

ive always sailed on RCI ships (5 cruises total) but am willing to make an exception if there is a line that has dedicated a nice new ship for alaska. it has become my understanding that difft cruise lines will focus their nicer ships in different areas to try to appeal to their clientele such as: RCL for caribbean or celebrity for alaska (these are just hypotheticals to make sure im clearly communicating).

 

is this indeed the case? if so, which line is more devoted to alaska?

 

thanks :)

[Shmoo here]

i have decided our next cruise will be alaska. thinking summer of 2015.

 

ive always sailed on RCI ships (5 cruises total) but am willing to make an exception if there is a line that has dedicated a nice new ship for alaska. it has become my understanding that difft cruise lines will focus their nicer ships in different areas to try to appeal to their clientele such as: RCL for caribbean or celebrity for alaska (these are just hypotheticals to make sure im clearly communicating).

 

is this indeed the case? if so, which line is more devoted to alaska?

 

thanks :)

 

Define "nicest".

 

Holland America and Princess have been doing Alaska longer. But there are lots of "nice" ships that go there.

[Illyria]

Celebrity has very nice ships doing Alaska itineraries (Solstice, Millennium, Infinity). But then again, "nice" is hard to define.

[ssa444]

LOL okay,

 

"nicest" : biggest, newest, cleanest, best food, best entertainment, least crowded, best service, most luxurious cabins, most relaxing. at a fairly decent price.

 

that descriptive enuff? :)

[CruiserBruce]

No, because most of those things are incredibly subjective (best food, for example) and many others are contradictory. For example, best food and best service are frequently found on small luxury cruise lines that cost far more than the standard mass market lines.

 

If you read over on the Alaska board, you will gain lots of info on things most people want in an Alaska cruise, like Glacier Bay stops (mostly Princess and Holland America), and incredible scenery.

 

If you are happy on RCI, I am sure you will be happy in Alaska on RCI.

Edited July 11, 2014 by CruiserBruce

[ssa444]

No, because some of those things are incredibly subjective (best food, for example) and many others are contradictory. For example, best food and best service are frequently found on small luxury cruise lines that cost far more than the standard mass market lines.

it seemed like a pretty straight forward question.

 

subjective opinions are welcome.

 

kind of like the best bang for the buck kinda thing.

Edited July 11, 2014 by ssa444

[Shmoo here]

it seemed like a pretty straight forward question.

 

subjective opinions are welcome.

 

kind of like the best bang for the buck kinda thing.

 

OK, purely my opinion, Holland America gave us the best experience. Because they had the itinerary we wanted. As to the food, it has been hit and miss on HAL, in our experience. 2 cruises, the food was fine, one cruise the food was outstanding. The shows onboard HAL are currently in a stage of flux right now (I believe they are changing production companies) We saw the best show I've seen on any cruise ship on our last HAL cruise. But, for the most part, their shows are just fair to OK. Certainly not the newest ships up there, but clean? Yes. Depending on what type of room you book, could be luxurious or not. We've always had good to outstanding service on HAL.

 

BUT, I'll just point out that cruising Alaska is really about itinerary, not the ship. As Bruce says, you'll get lots of opinions as to the best way to see Alaska over on the Alaska board. Most of which is not necessarily cruiseline specific - only about Alaska.

 

I agree that if you like RCI, you'll probably enjoy it for Alaska.

[SparkleBee]

I decided to go with Radiance of the Seas bc it seemed to be the best combo of all the stuff you mentioned. it has lots of glass so good for Alaska viewing.

[Illyria]

I like food on Celebrity better than RCCL (but I've only been on one RCCL ship). Any ship will be clean; you're unlikely to get the newest ships up there because a) there are more high-profile itineraries, and b) most of the newer ships tend to get larger and larger in size, and aren't well suited for Alaskan ports and glacier cruising. Most ships are pretty well-designed not to feel crowded regardless of their size, with the exception being something like having everyone out on deck all at once looking at a glacier.

 

There are good prices and deals to catch for any mass-market cruise, really. I usually just start watching cruise listings for my chosen itinerary on cruise discounter websites - I won't necessarily buy through them, but it gives me a comprehensive idea of what ships are sailing out of which ports, what the price ranges seem to be for that season, etc.

Edited July 11, 2014 by Illyria

[Keith1010]

If you want something luxurious then look at the luxury lines. In 2016 Crystal Serenity will be sailing Alaska but other choices include Regent and Silversea who have Alaska sailings.

 

Also take a look at Celebrity. They have attractive ships.

 

Keith

[geoherb]

I like Princess, Holland America, and Celebrity. They're substantially the same (although a lot of people would argue differently)--a step up from Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian.

[ducklite]

LOL okay,

 

"nicest" : biggest, newest, cleanest, best food, best entertainment, least crowded, best service, most luxurious cabins, most relaxing. at a fairly decent price.

 

that descriptive enuff? :)

 

You are asking for an awful lot. Most of those words and decent price don't belong in the same sentence. I would suggest Regent, which would probably have everything you are looking for, except the price point.

 

You know what they say about Champagne taste and a beer wallet...

[Ashland]

"Nice" in my personal opinion = RCI :)

[JimAOk1945]

We have cruised in Alaska twice. We enjoyed our Star Princess cruise the first time. We chose RCI Radiance of the Seas for our second based on the itinerary which includes Icy Strait Point. It was a fantastic experience.

 

Some say Icy Strait Point has nothing to offer. I disagree. It still has that "un-touristy" natural look. Our whale watch/bear watch combo tour was amazing, and Hubbard Glacier was phenomenal.

[TracieABD]

I have done both Princess and HAL to Alaska. The advantage to Princess is the food and there is a lot going on for activities. The advantage to HAL (Rotterdam) is the decor and the smaller ships could get closer to the glaciers.

 

I tend to avoid the mega-ships. Actually, I prefer to cruise with less than 2800 passengers. Once a ship reaches the 3K mark, it gets too busy for me!

[DaKa2002]

We have lived in Alaska, have taken the Alaskan Marine Highway from North to South, have cruised to Alaska out of Seattle and Vancouver Northbound and Southbound from Seward - twice on HAL, twice on Celebrity, and once on Disney.

Our two cents:

Read the Alaska threads on CC -

1) Select and prioritize your most desired stops, such as College Fjord, Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan, etc.

2) Take a cruise ship that matches the maximum number of your desired stops.

Alaskan cruises are more about the itinerary then the ships. Scenery is spectacular, local history and "First Nations" cultures are fascinating.

[JimAOk1945]

We have lived in Alaska, have taken the Alaskan Marine Highway from North to South, have cruised to Alaska out of Seattle and Vancouver Northbound and Southbound from Seward - twice on HAL, twice on Celebrity, and once on Disney.

Our two cents:

Read the Alaska threads on CC -

1) Select and prioritize your most desired stops, such as College Fjord, Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan, etc.

2) Take a cruise ship that matches the maximum number of your desired stops.

Alaskan cruises are more about the itinerary then the ships. Scenery is spectacular, local history and "First Nations" cultures are fascinating.

 

Good advice. Thanks for your comments!