First time cruise: Norwegian Pearl vs. Crown princess vs. Westerdam?

[cruisingattitude]

Hi, a total newbie here, and I am really excited to join this cornucopia of information!

 

I've never cruised before, but while my aging parents in Asia can still travel to the United States, I'd like to take them to a cruise to Alaska, their dream destination, with my two young children (9 and 6) in June 2016.

 

I ordered a copy of "Alaska by Cruise Ship" (it's on its way), and I read a number of important guides and posts here and tentatively concluded as follows.

 

1. A 7-day round-trip from Seattle would work well, as we don't plan to have Alaska inland tour.

 

2. Glacier Bay is a must, and it's better than Tracy Arm.

 

These two conditions combined, I think I have three choices for June 2016.

 

1. NCL - Northwegian Pearl

2. Princess - Crown Princess

3. HAL - Westerdam

 

And here are my three questions.

 

1. If prices are comparable, which one would you choose out of these three options?

 

2. Do you think it's necessary to pay significantly more for balcony or suite? Or would rooms with windows be sufficient? Even interior rooms are fine?

 

3. Is there something I am totally missing in my assumption?

 

I'd welcome any suggestions. Thank you.

[Budget Queen]

Consider your parent's style. I'm a cheap inside cabin person- who doesn't care what cabin I get. My preference is for the expansive, superior views from open cruise ship decks. I have no restrictions in movement and spend my time out for hours. Nothing else much matters. :)

 

It could be , with this your parent's "dream", a ship naturalist could really enhance their trip? You mention, Asia, so there could be some language concerns? NCL does not have a ship naturalist on board, the other 2 do.

 

All things equal, determine, what you will be doing in port. Select your tours before booking, then look at the cruise ship port times, and make sure your touring preferences fit the time.

 

I sail on all three of these lines in Alaska. They all do very nice jobs, with many happy cruisers. :)

[greenbbs]

Having been on the Crown before, it's a fabulous ship. I looked into her this May but I couldn't make her schedule work with ours, so we went with a Royal Caribbean itinerary instead.

 

Crown is big enough to have a ton to do, but you won't get lost doing it!

[cruisingattitude]

You mention, Asia, so there could be some language concerns?

 

Thanks Budget Queen for taking the time to respond to my query. Yes, both of my parents do not speak English, so I am concerned that most programs that have significant 'lecture' components will not be of interest to them.

[cruisingattitude]

Having been on the Crown before, it's a fabulous ship.

 

I am glad to know that the Crown worked well for you. For the date I want, I am looking at around $6K for all six of us for two oceanview rooms. I will keep checking.

 

THANKS!

[Budget Queen]

Thanks Budget Queen for taking the time to respond to my query. Yes, both of my parents do not speak English, so I am concerned that most programs that have significant 'lecture' components will not be of interest to them.

 

A lot of programs do have a lot of visuals, so that may be of interest?

 

During your Glacier Bay sailing- you will be with them? It would be helpful for them to have the translations from you.

[TheCalicoCat]

Hi, a total newbie here, and I am really excited to join this cornucopia of information!

 

I've never cruised before, but while my aging parents in Asia can still travel to the United States, I'd like to take them to a cruise to Alaska, their dream destination, with my two young children (9 and 6) in June 2016.

 

I ordered a copy of "Alaska by Cruise Ship" (it's on its way), and I read a number of important guides and posts here and tentatively concluded as follows.

 

1. A 7-day round-trip from Seattle would work well, as we don't plan to have Alaska inland tour.

 

2. Glacier Bay is a must, and it's better than Tracy Arm.

 

These two conditions combined, I think I have three choices for June 2016.

 

1. NCL - Northwegian Pearl

2. Princess - Crown Princess

3. HAL - Westerdam

 

And here are my three questions.

 

1. If prices are comparable, which one would you choose out of these three options?

 

2. Do you think it's necessary to pay significantly more for balcony or suite? Or would rooms with windows be sufficient? Even interior rooms are fine?

 

3. Is there something I am totally missing in my assumption?

 

I'd welcome any suggestions. Thank you.

 

Since everyone has an opinion, here is mine. 1 I agree with your second assumption Glacier Bay is a must, but I would also confider a 7-day out of Vancouver. The first portion sails between Vancouver Island & mainland Canada (less choppy water/more scenic) vs. to the west of Vancouver Island in the open ocean. (My next cruise is a R/T from Seattle - so not a deal breaker.)

 

Based on my assumption of your parents age, they may be more comfortable with the HAL package. (We chose HAL & found it to be comfortable/classy/old-fashioned)

 

We chose an inside cabin - I'd rather spend my money on excursions/adult beverages/incidentals. You can see the glaciers in the Crow's Nest on HAL or outside on the public decks.

[CowPrincess]

Hi, a total newbie here, and I am really excited to join this cornucopia of information!

 

I've never cruised before, but while my aging parents in Asia can still travel to the United States, I'd like to take them to a cruise to Alaska, their dream destination, with my two young children (9 and 6) in June 2016.

 

I ordered a copy of "Alaska by Cruise Ship" (it's on its way), and I read a number of important guides and posts here and tentatively concluded as follows.

 

1. A 7-day round-trip from Seattle would work well, as we don't plan to have Alaska inland tour.

 

2. Glacier Bay is a must, and it's better than Tracy Arm.

 

These two conditions combined, I think I have three choices for June 2016.

 

1. NCL - Northwegian Pearl

2. Princess - Crown Princess

3. HAL - Westerdam

 

And here are my three questions.

 

1. If prices are comparable, which one would you choose out of these three options?

 

2. Do you think it's necessary to pay significantly more for balcony or suite? Or would rooms with windows be sufficient? Even interior rooms are fine?

 

3. Is there something I am totally missing in my assumption?

 

I'd welcome any suggestions. Thank you.

 

Since your parents are coming from Asia, flying them to Vancouver might be easier than flying them to Seattle. You may have more choices of flights.

 

Where are you flying from? You could fly to Seattle and shuttle to Vancouver.

 

Re cabins. I like oceanviews personally, but am wondering if your parents would find a balcony more "special". You might be able to find an interior for you and the kids, across the hall from a balcony cabin for your parents. Just a thought, a speculation. :)

 

I agree with TheCalicoCat about the more-scenic first and last sea days when you sail from Vancouver. I've always left from Vancouver, except for last year when we did the 14 day R/T on Holland America, which leaves from Seattle. There is no scenery on the first and last sea days on a Seattle sailing. There are many 7-day round trip Alaska cruises that leave from Vancouver.

[cruisingattitude]

During your Glacier Bay sailing- you will be with them? It would be helpful for them to have the translations from you.

 

Yes, I will be with them during the Glacier Bay sailing.

[cruisingattitude]

Since your parents are coming from Asia, flying them to Vancouver might be easier than flying them to Seattle. You may have more choices of flights.

 

Where are you flying from? You could fly to Seattle and shuttle to Vancouver.

 

Thanks for the great suggestions. We're currently planning to fly into Seattle, and so are my parents, as flights to Seattle are better scheduled.

[Coral]

Where do your parents live? Holland America has a large percentage of staff who are Filipinos. Princess is a more diverse in their staff. I haven't sailed NCL, I am guessing they are diverse also. You may be able to have wait staff that is fluent in your parent's language. You can always ask the Head Waiter if they have a waiter that speaks "x language". There is probably a really good chance on Princess and NCL that you would get that. I once took a cruise out of LA that 1/3 of the ship were Russians who lived in LA. While I am guessing they could speak English living in LA, they choose not to on the ship. They took all wait staff who spoke any Russian and assigned them to the one dining room. I was amazed at how many waiters who knew Russian. This may make them feel more comfortable.

 

I agree about checking to see if it is easier for them to fly into Vancouver or Seattle. I would guess Vancouver but could be wrong. Vancouver is definitely a more diverse city.

 

As far as cabins - you know your parents best. I have had everything from insides to suites in Alaska. Regardless of what I have had, I am on deck for Glacier Bay and other glacier days.

 

Also - do you and your parents prefer to dress up on vacation or prefer to not to be bothered with that? Do they like dining in a restaurant every night or do they prefer a buffet often?

 

Have a great trip!

Edited February 16, 2016 by Coral

[cruisingattitude]

Also - do you and your parents prefer to dress up on vacation or prefer to not to be bothered with that? Do they like dining in a restaurant every night or do they prefer a buffet often?

 

They prefer to not to be bothered with formal attire, and we will probably eat mostly buffets--the fact that we have two young kids also make us gravitating to this option.

[txwriter]

They prefer to not to be bothered with formal attire, and we will probably eat mostly buffets--the fact that we have two young kids also make us gravitating to this option.

 

I did a LOT of research before booking my cruise. I'm taking my mom in 2017 for her bucket list trip, so I definitely understand feeling a little pressure to make just the right choice. You have done a good job of narrowing down to a few options that work best which is really hard, so now it's down to fine tuning. Since it doesn't sound like you're surprising them, you may want to let your parents make the final pick.

 

Another option to get more details would to be visit the boards for each of the three cruise lines and ask specific questions there about the ships or food or entertainment (things that would matter to your family). I find this board has the best information for ports, but the cruise line boards have more information for specific ships and are better at answering questions about things relating to the onboard ship experience(s).

 

Of course there are many here who have great input too, but the general consensus on these boards is that the ship is secondary and the intinerary is first. If the tiebreaking question to pick between the three itineraries is to get an idea of which ship you'd enjoy most, then I'd try the cruise line boards, or you could also google videos past passengers have taken aboard. Hope this helps.

[cruisingattitude]

Of course there are many here who have great input too, but the general consensus on these boards is that the ship is secondary and the intinerary is first. If the tiebreaking question to pick between the three itineraries is to get an idea of which ship you'd enjoy most, then I'd try the cruise line boards, or you could also google videos past passengers have taken aboard. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks a lot for your thoughtful response. I am leaning towards HAL Westerdam. :)

[dhk 4537]

I don't think you can make a bad choice with what you've narrowed your picks to. We have been to Alaska 2 times previously. Trip #1 was a circle cruise out of Seattle aboard NCL Spirit. It was a great cruise that got us hooked on the majesty of this area. We booked a balcony and enjoyed coffee on the balcony in the AM's and enjoying the wildlife and scenery. We really enjoy the nature and did a lot of hiking as well.

 

Trip 2 was a Northbound to Seward aboard RCCL Radiance of the Seas out of Vancouver. We enjoyed 4 days on land to Fairbanks with a 2 day stop in Denali. Another great cruise but most of inside passage was done at night minimizing scenery. Upside was much more time in ports and of course the trip viewing the Alaskan interior and Hubbard Glacier.

 

We are going to take the Westerdam in June mostly due to the smaller size of the ship and wanting to experience Glacier Bay and Sitka as well as how HAL compares to the other lines we've experienced. Seattle works best for us due to the # of flights and times of departure and arrival.

 

Either way you go you're bound to have a great voyage. Enjoy!

[Wolfhunt]

We are doing our first Alaska cruise on the Crown Princess (got a great deal) out of Vancouver this May. While I can't help with the cruise line choices there was something that came up while researching our trip.

 

You mentioned Glacier Bay is a must (it was for us too). When looking at itineraries the Seattle trip during our time frame was in Glacier Bay very early in the morning and you were in a port that afternoon. We almost missed this, the idea of getting up early for Glacier Bay then doing a port the same day just sounded exhausting. We choose Vancouver because that trip was in Glacier Bay the whole day.

 

If you find a Vancouver trip that you like but Seattle flights work better you might look into what we are doing. We are flying into Seattle and taking the Amtrak Cascades to Vancouver. Prices are very reasonable and from what I have heard it is a nice scenic trip.

 

Enjoy your trip, I know we can't wait for ours to get here.

[Budget Queen]

We are doing our first Alaska cruise on the Crown Princess (got a great deal) out of Vancouver this May. While I can't help with the cruise line choices there was something that came up while researching our trip.

 

You mentioned Glacier Bay is a must (it was for us too). When looking at itineraries the Seattle trip during our time frame was in Glacier Bay very early in the morning and you were in a port that afternoon. We almost missed this, the idea of getting up early for Glacier Bay then doing a port the same day just sounded exhausting. We choose Vancouver because that trip was in Glacier Bay the whole day.

 

If you find a Vancouver trip that you like but Seattle flights work better you might look into what we are doing. We are flying into Seattle and taking the Amtrak Cascades to Vancouver. Prices are very reasonable and from what I have heard it is a nice scenic trip.

 

Enjoy your trip, I know we can't wait for ours to get here.

 

What cruise does Glacier Bay the same day as "another port". I don't know of, nor have heard of any? And frankly there isn't enough time. The earliest admission is 6am, it is then 6 hours round trip in transit, and a couple hours looking at glaciers. THEN you are no where near any ports, except Hoonah. Isn't possible with any other port.

[Coral]

What cruise does Glacier Bay the same day as "another port". I don't know of, nor have heard of any? And frankly there isn't enough time. The earliest admission is 6am, it is then 6 hours round trip in transit, and a couple hours looking at glaciers. THEN you are no where near any ports, except Hoonah. Isn't possible with any other port.

 

They must mean Tracy Arm and Juneau.

[Budget Queen]

They must mean Tracy Arm and Juneau.

 

Exactly. Problem, is someone else reading it then perpetuating wrong information. You have no idea how many emails I get, claiming "someone" claimed a,b, c.

[chipmaster]

If budget is a concern, get inside and make sure you have the budget for excursions.

 

If budget isn't a concern a balcony is a nice perk. The best views are often from the public areas, but they can also be crowded.

 

When I treated my parents we made sure hey had an balcony, now whether they got use/value, well you only live once, you don't want to regret it later. But don't get a balcony and then can't spend / budget a good excursion.

 

 

Want most formality: HAL

Want balance: Princess

Want most laid back: NCL

 

Can't imagine not enjoying either of the three with my family.

[Flafun888]

Last I heard (but please correct me if I'm wrong), Hal has the most lenient smoking policies. That's why I struck Hal from the list early on. But would love to hear that's changed - since it opens up more possibilities.

[Coral]

Last I heard (but please correct me if I'm wrong), Hal has the most lenient smoking policies. That's why I struck Hal from the list early on. But would love to hear that's changed - since it opens up more possibilities.

 

No it hasn't changed. I also look forward to the change.

Edited February 21, 2016 by Coral

[TheCalicoCat]

FWIW I don't recall a lot of smoking on my HAL cruise... (I did not have a balcony.)

[Flafun888]

Thank you for the quick response. I guess it's back to princess and NCL.

[lmintzer]

Did you make your decision? Just curious. I am finding myself in the same position: trying to decide between Norwegian Pearl and Crown Princess for summer trip. I am looking into a mini-suite for my two sons (12 and 15) and myself on each. We will also be traveling with my dad (age 69 who is not a fancy eater) and my BIL and SIL (30-somethings) who do like good food. Our travel agent is encouraging Celebrity, but I don't like the itinerary as well, and we would need 2 balcony cabins for me and the boys (since there are no mini-suites) and that would be quite pricey. Just curious as to which way you wound up leaning. So hard to decide!