Celebrity or Princess to Alaska

[PoppyandNana]

We are dyed in the wool Celebrity cruisers. Unfortunately they only have seven day cruises to Alaska. Princess has a ten night from San Francisco.

 

After so many Celebrity cruises we are a little hesitant to sign on with Princess. But it's a long flight from NJ for a seven day cruise. We almost never take seven day cruises. They're just too short.

 

Any thoughts, pros and cons on the issue?

[SMadden]

We are on a 12 day on celebrity infinity cruise in August. Out of Vancouver with a San Francisco return.

[GottaKnowWhen]

We are dyed in the wool Celebrity cruisers. Unfortunately they only have seven day cruises to Alaska. Princess has a ten night from San Francisco.

 

 

 

After so many Celebrity cruises we are a little hesitant to sign on with Princess. But it's a long flight from NJ for a seven day cruise. We almost never take seven day cruises. They're just too short.

 

 

 

Any thoughts, pros and cons on the issue?

 

 

I agree; seven nights is too short, particularly for a cruise involving long distance travel to/from.

 

For our Alaska trip next year, we started with a 7-day northbound to Seward. Then time in Alaska. The more I thought about it the more it thought that the cruise portion was too short. So I added a southbound from Seward, B2B northbound from Vancouver back to Seward. More time aboard, a bit simpler air with a straight round trip to Anchorage.

[Cruising Is Bliss]

We are dyed in the wool Celebrity cruisers. Unfortunately they only have seven day cruises to Alaska. Princess has a ten night from San Francisco.

 

After so many Celebrity cruises we are a little hesitant to sign on with Princess. But it's a long flight from NJ for a seven day cruise. We almost never take seven day cruises. They're just too short.

 

Any thoughts, pros and cons on the issue?

 

Seven days is way too short for me also and would be even without a long flight. We did a 14 day B2B from Vancouver to Seward to Vancouver on Millennium and had a fantastic time. The itineraries were the same both ways but Alaska is so port intensive, stopping twice in every port allowed us the freedom to pick days to sleep in and stay on the ship to relax.

 

Another possibility would be to do a B2B with a repositioning cruise, either before the first Alaskan cruise of the season, or after the last Alaskan cruise of the season.

 

They still do a very few longer Alaska cruises. The first time we went to Alaska was a 12 night round trip San Francisco cruise in May 2004 on Mercury but that year they had multiple San Francisco departures.

Edited July 12, 2015 by Cruising Is Bliss

[CineGraphic]

I've sailed with Princess several times and just returned from 7 days in Alaska aboard the Millennium, my first time on Celebrity. I was expecting Celebrity to be superior due to their marketing, but there is no clear winner. Both lines could learn from each other.

 

Here are the winners in my mind.

 

Food: Princess, the buffets are about equal

 

Waitstaff: Princess

 

Cabin Size: Celebrity

 

Cabin Furnishings: Princess

 

Restrooms: Celebrity

 

Production Shows: Princess

 

Musicians: Celebrity

 

Comedians: Celebrity

 

Cruise Director: Celebrity

 

Cabin Attendant: Tie

 

Casino: Princess

 

Daily Activities: Celebrity

 

Photo Department: Princess

 

Check-in: Celebrity

 

Bar: Celebrity

 

Wine Selection: Celebrity

 

Pizza: Princess

 

Baked Goods: Tie

 

Ice Cream: Celebrity

 

Coffee/Tea: Celebrity

 

Room Service: Princess

 

Muster Drill: Celebrity

 

Officer Visibility: Celebrity

[Cruise Raider]

We are on a 12 day on celebrity infinity cruise in August. Out of Vancouver with a San Francisco return.

 

Not sure if you were looking for a cruise this summer .... but this does look like a fantastic cruise. Was thinking about it myself but ended up with other plans. Alas, doesn't look like Celebrity will be doing this again next year if 2016 was what you had in mind. Plus, the Infinity, although I love her, is getting a little long in the tooth. We did an 11 night last year on the Solstice up to Alaska and it was amazing Seattle to Vancouver... spent the night at the Pan Pacific right there at Canada Place and sailed on Princess back down to SF from Vancouver. As mentioned, an amazing trip all the way around. They are also doing this trip again on the Solstice (I think...in Sept) but alas, nothing like that for next year.

 

Celebrity is out absolute favorite line but do have more cruises on Princess than any other line. Princess offers a good product but with some big differences. The cruises that leave out of SF are absolutely wonderful (especially for us being right in the neighborhood). There is nothing so special as sailing under the Golden Gate. However, your first two days going north can be, take that back...will be, very choppy! If you are prone to motion sickness, this may not be the itinerary for you. If it doesn't bother you....I would say definitely give it a try. I think the food is comparable on Princess (I know I may get an argument with this statement .....and have been on ships where I wouldn't have said that) and their specialty restaurants are not only amazing but half the price of those on Celebrity. Their entertainment is great -- but I do have to say that the venues are not always conducive to the volume of people wanting to attend the events.

If you go out of SF, they are currently booking on the Grand and the Golden, both of which are older ships in the Princess fleet....and starting to show their age.....but I understand the Infinity also is showing some wear and tear. If you go on the Golden this year, be sure to check out the artist Rob Ondras....his shows are not to be missed. We were first lucky enough to sail with him on the Century and then on the Solstice and he is now over on Princess. Whichever cruise Brent Nixon, the onboard naturalist is on....that's the one I would pick.

Either way -- you cannot go wrong choosing an Alaskan cruise but if going out of Vancouver or Seattle, would spend a bit extra time in those ports before or after the cruise. Sailing out of San Francisco is always a treat but remember 2 days up and back are just sea days (sea days are my favorite -- but they are not for everybody).

 

Next May and August, they have a sailing out of San Francisco that stops at Icy Strait Point. If you want to do any whale watching, this is your spot!! I thought this area was exclusive to Celebrity and see Princess also stopping here ... very special port....mostly nature and not overly commercial....once you get out of the little buildings set up right at the port.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Celebrity doesn't go to Glacier Bay, which is the single best stop on any Alaska cruise. They do go to Hubbard, which is good, but Hubbard is one of the most likely to be fogged in or ice-berged up so you don't go at all. My recommendation is the Princess Southbound Voyage of the Glaciers from Anchorage (Whittier) to Vancouver. That makes it easy to fly out early, rent a car, and add Denali to your trip [or if you don't want the burden of DIY, take a Princess cruise-tour], and spend the afternoon in Whittier taking a Prince William Sound glacier cruise on a small boat. The SB itinerary includes both Glacier Bay and Hubbard, plus the usual suspects. And while Celebrity wins with the S-class ships and better food, Coral Princess has a full promenade deck plus public balconies fore and aft so the glacier viewing is much better. For this cruise, Princess beats Celebrity.

[neverbeenhere]

Brent Nixon has a website with a calendar so that you can locate his cruises.

[alcpa1]

Several things to muddle your decision...

Cruising from Seward on Celebrity will get you into Glacier Bay in the afternoon after the fog has lifted.

Anchorage is 1,300 miles north of Vancouver. That just means that you are that much closer to home.

You can always take the land portion to extend the wonderful Alaska experience.

You can always do the b2b. Each unique port deserves more than one day.

We have also done a repo and it was great. We did not have the first white cap while we sailed the Pacific portion. Perhaps we were just lucky, but any inland passage cruise will normally be much smoother.

And then there is Vancouver. We extended one Alaska cruise to include another few days in one of our favorite destinations.

You have a number of options.

[donaldsc]

Brent Nixon has a website with a calendar so that you can locate his cruises.

 

Who is Brent Nixon?

 

DON

[Northern Aurora]

Who is Brent Nixon?

 

DON

 

 

Don:

 

Brent Nixon is a naturalist who currently works for Celebrity. Celebrity lured him away from another cruise line -- if my memory is correct he formerly worked for Princess.

 

And a quick comment from someone who actually lives in Alaska -- I always find the fascination about Glacier Bay expressed by tourists, particularly those who have visited this state briefly, rather curious as the glaciers in Glacier Bay are in retreat (i.e. becoming smaller). Hubbard is advancing.

[GUT2407]

I find them more alike than different.

 

About as much difference between two celebrity ships as between a Celebrity and a Princess.

[Keith1010]

I am a believer that while one might have a cruise line that they prefer that there are times that the itinerary should be the driver to what you book. So while I prefer Celebrity over Princess if the itinerary works for you I would book it.

 

Princess does have one clear advantage for Alaska and that is that most of their voyages include Glacier Bay and Celebrity is prohibited from sailing there.

 

Let the itinerary guide you on this one.

 

Keith

[Jane2357]

I say add on a pre or post cruise tour to extend your vacation and REALLY see Alaska - although you still only have 7 nights on the ship - so if that is what you are after then a B2B might be your best option.

 

We are going north from Vancouver (2 nights) to Seward (7 nights) and then are doing the Grand Heartland 7A Cruise Tour (6 nights) that has us ending up in Fairbanks :D a place that should not be missed in my opinion. So our trip is actually 15 nights - and we have a ways to fly ourselves coming from Florida. :D

 

p.s. - Yesterday at the mall I was in line behind a lady talking about just returning from a cruise to Alaska - we started chatting and I told her I was going next spring. She is normally a Celebrity cruiser and she went this time on Princess - for what ever reason she told me she was sorry that she didn't go on Celebrity and wouldn't go Princess again.

Edited July 12, 2015 by Jane2357

[PoppyandNana]

I am a believer that while one might have a cruise line that they prefer that there are times that the itinerary should be the driver to what you book. So while I prefer Celebrity over Princess if the itinerary works for you I would book it.

 

Princess does have one clear advantage for Alaska and that is that most of their voyages include Glacier Bay and Celebrity is prohibited from sailing there.

 

Let the itinerary guide you on this one.

 

Keith

 

I'm curious. Why would X prohibited from going to Glacier Bay?

[GottaKnowWhen]

I'm curious. Why would X prohibited from going to Glacier Bay?

 

As I understand it, you need permits to operate commercial ventures inside a National Park. Celebrity does not have any of the available permits for Glacier Bay.

[A1A]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1785121

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I've been to Alaska eight times. I've done the 10-night San Francisco journey on Grand Princess and it was very nice. San Francisco is an exciting port to sail in and out of. As for air travel- San Francisco has two airports and honestly this is an expensive city to stay in and commute to the airports is pricey. As for the Alaska experience- yes, if you do the Glacier Bay 10 night (I did Tracy Arm- which is the least interesting of the Glaciers IMO)- that would be a good choice. I like Princess and had a great time.

 

One thing that was great about the San Fran cruise was the stop in Victoria British Columbia- which is really lovely and Buchart Gardens are a must-do experience. Just beautiful.

 

The most scenic of the Alaska cruises I have done was the Vancouver- Whittier on the Star Princess (6/13/15). It did Glacier Bay and the even more beautiful College Fjords. Even the $40 1.5 hour bus ride to the Anchorage airport was really stunning and scenic. The bus ride was like an excursion. This would be my first choice of all the cruises. If you want a more lengthy vacation- I'd do a back-to-back on the Vancouver-Whittier passage. It will probably be cheaper than the 10-night out of San Fran.

Edited July 12, 2015 by rebeccalouiseagain

[hughdm]

Celebrity doesn't go to Glacier Bay, which is the single best stop on any Alaska cruise....

 

Glacier Bay is a "bucket list" experience. We've been twice on Princess. A naturalist comes aboard and narrates. The captains stop in front of two huge glaciers and spin the ship in place so all can see. Glaciers calve, wildlife is EVERYWHERE.

[thinfool]

I'm curious. Why would X prohibited from going to Glacier Bay?

 

As I understand it, several years ago there was a dustup over dumping raw sewage into the bay. Royal Caribbean was fined and lost their permits at that time.

 

Since then they have been unable to regain any permits.

 

Princess and HAL have the most permits with NCL and Carnival next and someone else (maybe Oceania?) a few.

 

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are the same company.

 

Frankly, for reliable glacier viewing it is hard to beat the Glacier Bay, College Fjord combination that Princess offers.

[81Zoomie]

Celebrity doesn't go to Glacier Bay, which is the single best stop on any Alaska cruise. They do go to Hubbard, which is good, but Hubbard is one of the most likely to be fogged in or ice-berged up so you don't go at all. My recommendation is the Princess Southbound Voyage of the Glaciers from Anchorage (Whittier) to Vancouver. That makes it easy to fly out early, rent a car, and add Denali to your trip [or if you don't want the burden of DIY, take a Princess cruise-tour], and spend the afternoon in Whittier taking a Prince William Sound glacier cruise on a small boat. The SB itinerary includes both Glacier Bay and Hubbard, plus the usual suspects. And while Celebrity wins with the S-class ships and better food, Coral Princess has a full promenade deck plus public balconies fore and aft so the glacier viewing is much better. For this cruise, Princess beats Celebrity.

 

I agree! We flew to Anchorage, rented a car and toured Denali on our own, then sailed south from Whittier. It was AWESOME! We also sailed round trip from Seattle on Princess. Glacier Bay is a must see. If you sail on Princess try to select a ship with an enclosed pool. This provides for overflow buffet seating, national park lectures, and provides for shelter. Tracey's Arm which is frequented on the round trips pales in comparison to Glacier Bay.

 

I'd select a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay and has the best prices. Be sure to get a covered balcony. The scenery and wildlife are amazing. It does rain....that's why covered is key.

 

You will love Alaska!

[PoppyandNana]

I've sailed with Princess several times and just returned from 7 days in Alaska aboard the Millennium, my first time on Celebrity. I was expecting Celebrity to be superior due to their marketing, but there is no clear winner. Both lines could learn from each other.

 

Here are the winners in my mind.

 

Food: Princess, the buffets are about equal

 

Waitstaff: Princess

 

Cabin Size: Celebrity

 

Cabin Furnishings: Princess

 

Restrooms: Celebrity

 

Production Shows: Princess

 

Musicians: Celebrity

 

Comedians: Celebrity

 

Cruise Director: Celebrity

 

Cabin Attendant: Tie

 

Casino: Princess

 

Daily Activities: Celebrity

 

Photo Department: Princess

 

Check-in: Celebrity

 

Bar: Celebrity

 

Wine Selection: Celebrity

 

Pizza: Princess

 

Baked Goods: Tie

 

Ice Cream: Celebrity

 

Coffee/Tea: Celebrity

 

Room Service: Princess

 

Muster Drill: Celebrity

 

Officer Visibility: Celebrity

 

What about smoking? Would have to give the edge to Celebrity. No smoking anywhere inside the ship.

[Christine Frances]

As I understand it, several years ago there was a dustup over dumping raw sewage into the bay. Royal Caribbean was fined and lost their permits at that time.

 

 

 

Since then they have been unable to regain any permits.

 

 

 

Princess and HAL have the most permits with NCL and Carnival next and someone else (maybe Oceania?) a few.

 

 

 

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are the same company.

 

 

 

Frankly, for reliable glacier viewing it is hard to beat the Glacier Bay, College Fjord combination that Princess offers.

 

 

Celebrity and other cruise lines did not apply for a permit when they were last issued in 2009. They are not "banned"

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Alaska-s-Glacier-Bay-awards-10-year-deals-to-cruise-lines/

 

I think X is very happy going to Hubbard which is a monster glacier that is actively calving. When you are in the bay it sounds like it is alive - growling, loud bangs, and booms when huge ice falls hit the ocean!! It is spectacular:). Please note Alaskan resident Northern Auroa's post #11 comments as well.

 

I think the stop that was missed a lot because of fog and ice was Tracy Arm

[Aquahound]

I've cruised both lines and I've done a couple Alaska cruises. I agree Glacier Bay is the single best day of cruising on an Alaskan itinerary. However, Hubbard Glacier is the single best glacier I've seen on an Alaskan cruise.

 

My issue with sailing out of San Fran would be...do they skip the Inside Passage like Seattle cruises do? That would be a negative. Also, my biggest issue with Princess is, their ships feel so darn crowded and their staterooms are so darn cramped. They don't have a couch and in order to get a room the size of a standard balcony on Celebrity, you have to book a mini suite on Princess.

 

All in all, I would try to stick with Celebrity and maybe try to add a land vacation after/before in Seward.

[junetraveler2014]

Sounds like you have a lot to choose from, but when you do decide, enjoy yourself!