I need help -- which cruise to do

[cl.klink]

I want to surprise my wife with a cruise for her 60th birthday (she's not happy about that number). Her birthday is April. I have been able to get off of work for all of memorial day week (a month later), so I can squeeze in a 1 week or so cruise, but not sure I can get any more time off. So, on her birthday I'll say "Surprise, next month we're cruising to ___."

 

We have loved our 3 Celebrity cruises, never been on another line. We've liked sea days, being on the ship. We love the food and feel of Celebrity, but to be fair, do not know how it compares to Princess or HAL, both of which have good sailings for the week I can get off. We don't need party or nightclub atmospheres, nor a ship with bumper cars or pools with water slides. We like ports that have physical beauty or interesting geology, or where we can get to know an interesting culture, but sea days are fine too. We've already planned to do Celebrity Infinity to South America in 2016 and Antartica in 2017, and she has said she wants to see Alaska some time. Here are my options:

 

5/24 sailing to Bermuda on Celebrity Summit. PRO - we like Celebrity, can rack up Celebrity "Captain's Club" points, we'll like the sea days, she'll think Bermuda is pretty, easy flight for us to go from Missouri to New York. CON - not sure how much she wants another island/beach experience. Caribbean was OK but did not love it (except Puerto Rico).

 

5/22 saling on Celebrity Solstice Seattle round trip to Alaska. PRO - We still like Celebrity (same as above). She can see Alaska, cheaper option. CON - Will be hard for me to get off work to make that date - tight squeeze. Does not get us up to Denali. A bit longer air travel.

 

5/22 sailing on Celebrity Millennium from Vancouver to Seward. PRO - We still like Celebrity (Same as above). She can see Alaska. Can see Denali. CON - hard for me to get off 5/22. More expensive cruise and air travel, also long air travel coming home. A bit longer air travel.

 

5/23 and 5/24 Alaska sailings on Princess and HAL (various options). PRO - She sees Alaska. Dates work out well. Some less expensive options. CON - never sailed HAL, Princess (will we like?), won't get CC points, depending on option may still not get up to Denali. Longer air travel.

 

5/23 HAL sailing to Canada/NE. PRO - She loved Boston and Bar Harbor on a special trip we did when we were young(er). I think she would really like Montreal and Quebec City. CON - never been on HAL (will we like?), won't add CC points, I think she might think of this as more of a trip that I've wanted to do (I mentioned once and she said something like "sure, that'd be fine").

 

Europe sailing options on HAL and Princess sounds like more than I want to bite off logistically and financially for a week at this time (but, what d'ya think?).

 

So, in short, if we go to Alaska (which I think she might prefer), it'd likely not be Celebrity and would be either HAL or Princess (and which should it be?). Else it's NE/Canada on HAL or Bermuda on Celebrity Summit, unless we splurge time/money/logistics on a Europe option. I'm leading to a HAL or Princess Alaska option probably over a Celebrity Summit to Bermuda. She'll like any option, truly, but I am vacillating and conflicted.

 

Help advise me, folks.

 

- Joel

[Msail]

Sounds like you are a very good fit for Princess and it's very comparable to celebrity we love princess and if we were looking at another line celebrity is one that I would look at.

[shredie]

Princess does Alaska best.

[Buck Turgidson]

I've been on HAL, Princess and Celebrity. I am easily pleased and enjoyed all three lines. :)

Food was similar, on all three,

[MOcruiserman]

5/23 HAL sailing to Canada/NE. PRO - She loved Boston and Bar Harbor on a special trip we did when we were young(er). I think she would really like Montreal and Quebec City. CON - never been on HAL (will we like?), won't add CC points, I think she might think of this as more of a trip that I've wanted to do (I mentioned once and she said something like "sure, that'd be fine").

 

This is the only one of your options I can comment on. We did this last August (on the HAL Veendam) and loved the cruise. We're both in our 60's and this was our first cruise.

[Duck Duck Cruise]

Hi Joel,

 

First, you are so sweet to surprise your wife like this. 2015 is also my 60th birthday in January....I am looking forward to it because.......it beats the alternative! LOL

 

We have sailed Celebrity, Hal and Princess. Our first cruise was Princess and after sailing all three we choose to stay with Princess unless we find a really great deal somewhere else.

 

We have been to Alaska twice, Grand Princess and Zuiderdam for Hal. We are like you in that we do enjoy scenery, culture, quiet and are not bar hoppers. We felt Hal was way too old for us and way too quiet. The demographics were at least 80's and 90's. There were a lot of scooters, oxygen tanks, walkers, canes and wheel chairs. It really felt like we were vacation in a rest home.

 

While I applaud those that can still travel in their elder years and I certainly hope we are in that group, I felt that I need a bit more liveliness to my cruise and interactions with with passengers.

 

We loved Alaska and if you go, do make sure you take binoculars. The excursions are horrendously expensive so you want to take that into account. We did a whale watch with Harv and Marv which is family owned and it was outstanding. The others were just ok. Check out our blog if you want.

 

Due to my candid opinion of MY vacation I am sure it will ignite your thread! Good luck with your decision and do know everything will work out just fine no matter where you decide to go!

 

Lin

[Sissy Ruth]

This will be my 5th cruise to AK leaving 5/23 out of Seattle. It is a beautiful time to see AK...more snow, more animals, etc. Two prior were in late summer and did not compare. I am partial to Princess, but have been on 3 HAL cruises & they were good, but crowd is definitely "older".. Don't bash me, I am 72, but not ready to give up at 8pm yet!! Also, the Ruby is one of their newer ships and having been on Emerald, looking forward to sailing on her sister!! Just my opinion. Haven't sailed Celebrity yet, but with 26 cruises, will try that one yet. Have heard wonderful things about Celebrity.

[OCruisers]

We've been on all three lines -- Princess, HAL, Celebrity.

For a cruise to Alaska we would pick either Princess or HAL because they have both been doing Alaska for a very long time and have an excellent record of providing excellent cruise experiences to Alaska. :)

LuLu

[Wayfairers]

We did Alaska on Princess out of Vancouver and were very happy with the cruise. I would recommend you do this one out of all your choices....fewest cons for you and something you are already leaning towards. Sounds like you would both enjoy it.

[cl.klink]

Thanks everyone for the excellent replies.

 

I have heard for some time that "Princess does Alaska right." Why? What is it that you think separates them?

 

- Joel

[rdsqrl]

Thanks everyone for the excellent replies.

 

I have heard for some time that "Princess does Alaska right." Why? What is it that you think separates them?

 

- Joel

Most important, they hold one of the valued permits to sail into Glacier Bay National Park, which I don't think Celebrity does. And they've been going to Alaska for ages, so they have a whole shoreside infrastructure in place -- the whole thing runs like a well-oiled machine.

 

(That said, I personally would go with Bermuda. I love Bermuda. I don't like cold and I'm meh on ice unless it's the cubes in my g-and-t.)

 

If you do decide on Alaska, if I were you, if at all possible, try to pick the Coral for your ship. Its passenger load is smaller than others on that itinerary and it has lots of open decks in the bow and aft with great views -- she's a unique ship in that regard and is often cited as the fleet favourite by frequent cruisers.

Edited December 14, 2014 by rdsqrl

[cl.klink]

Most important, they hold one of the valued permits to sail into Glacier Bay National Park, which I don't think Celebrity does. And they've been going to Alaska for ages, so they have a whole shoreside infrastructure in place -- the whole thing runs like a well-oiled machine.

 

(That said, I personally would go with Bermuda. I love Bermuda. I don't like cold and I'm meh on ice unless it's the cubes in my g-and-t.)

 

If you do decide on Alaska, if I were you, if at all possible, try to pick the Coral for your ship. Its passenger load is smaller than others on that itinerary and it has lots of open decks in the bow and aft with great views -- she's a unique ship in that regard and is often cited as the fleet favourite by frequent cruisers.

 

Thanks very much!

- Joel

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Thanks everyone for the excellent replies.

 

I have heard for some time that "Princess does Alaska right." Why? What is it that you think separates them?

 

- Joel

 

I have only done Alaska on Celebrity, so can't answer your question above. But I do want to give you a "heads up" about a couple things regarding Alaska itineraries, in case you aren't aware:

 

When deciding on a cruise, brochures can sometimes be a bit misleading regarding the Inside Passage. For the most part, a true inside passage will begin (or end) in Vancouver. Cruises departing or ending in Seattle will do a (IMO) less scenic and often rougher open sea route.

 

Last I knew, Celebrity does not do a Glacier Bay itinerary. At one point, only HAL and Princess were permitted to do this, according to my TA. This may have changed, but I wanted to point that out if Glacier Bay is important to you. We did Hubbard Glacier instead on X, which I've heard is not quite as nice.

 

Hope this helps!

Edited December 14, 2014 by Ryndam2002

[cl.klink]

I have only done Alaska on Celebrity, so can't answer your question above. But I do want to give you a "heads up" about a couple things regarding Alaska itineraries, in case you aren't aware:

 

When deciding on a cruise, brochures can sometimes be a bit misleading regarding the Inside Passage. For the most part, a true inside passage will begin (or end) in Vancouver. Cruises departing or ending in Seattle will do a (IMO) less scenic and often rougher open sea route.

 

Last I knew, Celebrity does not do a Glacier Bay itinerary. At one point, only HAL and Princess were permitted to do this, according to my TA. This may have changed, but I wanted to point that out if Glacier Bay is important to you. We did Hubbard Glacier instead on X, which I've heard is not quite as nice.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Appreciate.

- Joel

[MaChere]

We LOVED our Princess Alaska cruise. Our Caribe balcony midship was awesome for the scenery. Highly recommend. What a great birthday treat!

[sandyss]

Hi Joel.

 

We are also loyal Celebrity cruisers - we like their ships and their non-smoking policy. (We're also elite on Celebrity, which gives us lots of benefits.)

 

We haven't sailed on Princess for many many years.

 

Since we wanted to book a cruise to Alaska in May, we carefully compared the itineraries for Celebrity, HAL, and Princess.

 

We decided that Princess had the best itinerary - with both Glacier Bay and College Fjord (both scenic sea days) for their one-way cruises. We ended up booking the Coral Princess for Alaska, sailing from Vancouver to Whittier. (The Coral Princess is a smaller ship, comparable to the Millennium in size.)

[KruzeKrazy!]

We have done Alaska on both HAL and Princess. We loved them both.

 

I, too, turn 60 next year - and my wife 59 - and we cruise for scenery, R&R, the itinerary, and we also love sea days.

 

We've considered a Bermuda cruise but worry it may feel too "one dimensional" compared to itineraries that go multiple places.

 

If you do Alaska going out of Vancouver can be a bit more scenic up and back but once at Ketchikan and North embarking Vancouver or Seattle doesn't matter as far as the rest of the cruise. Also, check airfares and schedules as going to/from Seattle is sometimes easier and usually costs less. Plus no customs when going in/out of Seattle.

 

If you decide on Alaska, as a first-time Alaska cruiser I'd encourage you lean toward an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay. It will likely be the highlight of the trip so I'd opt for that as a strong decision factor.

 

And since time and logistics are a concern a first-time Alaska cruise can be more convenient going round trip from Seattle or Vancouver versus a one-way North or South their more complicated flight arrangements. You'll just have to look forward to Denali and other parts as a future return trip... :- )

[Pierlesscruisers]

I want to surprise my wife with a cruise for her 60th birthday (she's not happy about that number).

You might remind the dear lady of two things. First of all, growing old beats the heck out of the alternative; and, second, the only thing bad about birthdays is when you stop having them! :D

 

Tom

[LoriPhil]

I'm with those that recommend Princess for Alaska (it's our favorite cruise destination). In addition to Glacier Bay, Princess has excellent programs including an an on-board naturalist who broadcasts through the ship as you sail, and the Park Service Rangers that board the ship in Glacier Bay and provide commentary as you sail through the park with displays including critter pelts, maps, park-service stamps, books etc. Princess also hosts Libby Riddles while docked in Juneau - she's first woman Iditarod winner and gives a terrific presentation on her experiences. We prefer the inside passage (love the southbound out of Whittier so we can fly in the day before and then fly home out of Vancouver with better-timed flights), but would certainly cruise out of Seattle if finances were a major consideration.

 

Whatever you select, I'm sure the two of you will have a lovely time being together sharing a new adventure!

Edited December 14, 2014 by LoriPhil

[Cruisin' Chick]

Our Alaskan cruise was on the Sapphire Princess when it was brand new in August 2004. We did the RT out of Seattle because we weren't going to do a cruisetour and so we wouldn't have to fly in or out of Anchorage (we took the train from Southern California.

 

It turned out to be the smoothest cruise we've ever been on (so a counterpoint to one post above) and we were in a far forward cabin too.

 

One important thing to note: if you're selecting a northbound cruise out of Vancouver, you must get on board there (so an arrival in Vancouver or Seattle with a pre-cruise night is essential). If you miss embarkation, you won't be allowed to board at any other port due to the PVSA.

[BroncoLvrs]

We sailed on the Coral Whittier to Vancouver (GREAT Ship). It was AMAZING! We flew into Anchorage and out of Vancouver. We rented a car (though you can also take a Princess Bus or Train) and took a day driving down to Seward. What a gorgeous trip! If you do drive I highly recommend "Mile Post" which provides great information as you travel down the Seward Highway. We used it to plan out our trip. We also purchased "Seward Highway Audio Guide" for the trip itself. One of the BEST things we did was stay two nights in Seward. The first night we arrived late (we took our time traveling down) and the next day we did a marvelous full-day (7.5 hrs) with Major Marine. We saw every animal we hoped to see (Humpbacks, Orcas, Eagles, Seals, Puffins, Sea Otters, Black Bears, Sea Lions, Dall's Porpoises, Mountain Goats and numerous other birds.

 

Wonderful of you to surprise your wife!

[cl.klink]

We LOVED our Princess Alaska cruise. Our Caribe balcony midship was awesome for the scenery. Highly recommend. What a great birthday treat!

 

Thanks for the tip!

 

Hi Joel.

 

... Since we wanted to book a cruise to Alaska in May, we carefully compared the itineraries for Celebrity, HAL, and Princess. ...

 

... We ended up booking the Coral Princess for Alaska, sailing from Vancouver to Whittier. (The Coral Princess is a smaller ship, comparable to the Millennium in size.)

 

Hope you have a good time!

 

... We've considered a Bermuda cruise but worry it may feel too "one dimensional" compared to itineraries that go multiple places.

 

If you do Alaska going out of Vancouver can be a bit more scenic up and back ...

 

If you decide on Alaska, as a first-time Alaska cruiser I'd encourage you lean toward an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay. It will likely be the highlight of the trip so I'd opt for that as a strong decision factor.

 

And since time and logistics are a concern a first-time Alaska cruise can be more convenient going round trip from Seattle or Vancouver versus a one-way North or South their more complicated flight arrangements. You'll just have to look forward to Denali and other parts as a future return trip... :- )

 

Lots of good tips -- thanks.

 

You might remind the dear lady of two things. First of all, growing old beats the heck out of the alternative; and, second, the only thing bad about birthdays is when you stop having them! :D

 

Tom

 

Well put!

[cl.klink]

I'm with those that recommend Princess for Alaska (it's our favorite cruise destination). In addition to Glacier Bay, Princess has excellent programs including an an on-board naturalist who broadcasts through the ship as you sail, and the Park Service Rangers that board the ship in Glacier Bay and provide commentary as you sail through the park with displays including critter pelts, maps, park-service stamps, books etc. Princess also hosts Libby Riddles while docked in Juneau - she's first woman Iditarod winner and gives a terrific presentation on her experiences. We prefer the inside passage (love the southbound out of Whittier so we can fly in the day before and then fly home out of Vancouver with better-timed flights), but would certainly cruise out of Seattle if finances were a major consideration.

 

Whatever you select, I'm sure the two of you will have a lovely time being together sharing a new adventure!

 

This sounds excellent -- and do the other lines not have people to do similar educating?

 

...One important thing to note: if you're selecting a northbound cruise out of Vancouver' date=' you must get on board there (so an arrival in Vancouver or Seattle with a pre-cruise night is essential). If you miss embarkation, you won't be allowed to board at any other port due to the PVSA.[/quote']

 

Wow - great to know. Thanks.

 

We sailed on the Coral Whittier to Vancouver (GREAT Ship). It was AMAZING! We flew into Anchorage and out of Vancouver. We rented a car (though you can also take a Princess Bus or Train) and took a day driving down to Seward. What a gorgeous trip! If you do drive I highly recommend "Mile Post" which provides great information as you travel down the Seward Highway. We used it to plan out our trip. We also purchased "Seward Highway Audio Guide" for the trip itself. One of the BEST things we did was stay two nights in Seward. The first night we arrived late (we took our time traveling down) and the next day we did a marvelous full-day (7.5 hrs) with Major Marine. We saw every animal we hoped to see (Humpbacks, Orcas, Eagles, Seals, Puffins, Sea Otters, Black Bears, Sea Lions, Dall's Porpoises, Mountain Goats and numerous other birds.

 

Wonderful of you to surprise your wife!

 

This sounds like just what I want. Not sure the dates available are what I can do this time around, though. If I go to Anchorage and take a southbound tour, how much time should I set aside to get to see Denali?

[BroncoLvrs]

This sounds like just what I want. Not sure the dates available are what I can do this time around, though. If I go to Anchorage and take a southbound tour, how much time should I set aside to get to see Denali?

 

Sorry...I forgot a very important bit of info...we did our Major Marine Cruise in Kenai Fjords National Park. Denali is about 4 hours north of Anchorage (Whittier and Seward are south). There are also great driving guides for Anchorage to Denali You can also take a train or bus between Anchorage and Denali. A good site to check out if you want to go to Denali is: http://www.alaska.org/advice/how-many-days-in-denali

 

Enjoy!

Edited December 15, 2014 by BroncoLvrs

[godawgs2012]

I've saild to Alaska on both HAL and Princess. Both were enjoyable (although I thought HAL was a bit better - but I'm a sucker for the split pea soup they serve on deck during glacier cruising). I felt the service was a bit off on the Princess cruise we went on to Alaska, but it was probably just the sailing. If you're going to Alaska, you should choose either Princess or HAL (I don't think you can go wrong with either) as they're both legacy lines having been in Alaska the longest. As a previous poster said, the shore operations run like a well oiled machine and they know Alaska better than anyone. I would advise going on the cruise that goes to Glacier Bay and works with your schedule.