Which cruiseline would be best for Alaska???

[Harrylinden]

No offense to Celebrity because We love Celebrity.We want to go to Alaska next year and are debating which cruise line is best for Alaska.Any help would be appreciated! :D

[NYCcruiser86]

We also love Celebrity but did t use them in Alaska. We went with Holland America and it was really fantastic. It was quite an older crowd than Celebrity (lots in the 70+ range) but the quality of the cruise was fantastic. We chose Holland because they do Glacier Bay national park which Celebrity doesn't do. It's an entire day cruising in the park but they have park rangers on board who provide narration over the loud speakers. The quality of the cruise was similar to Celebrity and the ship (Nieuw Amsterdam) was also really great. Princess is also supposed to be great in Alaska but those shops are huge and (in my opinion) not well laid out. It was worth straying from Celebrity this once. Whatever you choose you'll def have a great time but do choose one of the departures from Vancouver to experience the Inside Passage. Our last day at sea was entirely in the passage and it was so lovely have mountain ranges going by on either side. We even saw a pod of Killer Whales! You don't get that same experience from Seattle.

 

 

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[cb at sea]

In Alaska, it's NOT about the ship...the ship is only your transportation! It's all about being OFF the ship! I would pick the cruise line depending on cost and type of cabin.....you won't be using most of the other amenities on an Alaskan cruise!

[sippican]

We did Celebrity to Alaska and it was wonderful.

We hope to return someday and add on the land extension to Denali. If we do, Princess will be our line of choice.

[edgee]

We love Celebrity but would never think of using them for Alaska as they do not choose to obtain necessary permits to include Glacier bay in the itinerary. Princess, Holland and Crystal cruise Glacier Bay which adds so much to any Alaskan Cruise.

[Bo1953]

We love Celebrity but would never think of using them for Alaska as they do not choose to obtain necessary permits to include Glacier bay in the itinerary. Princess, Holland and Crystal cruise Glacier Bay which adds so much to any Alaskan Cruise.

 

It is not about choice, but timing since the infraction.

 

A few other cruise lines have been charged and found guilty and shortly will be banned from entering GB.

 

 

bon voyage

[cruisequeen4ever]

Princess does Alaska best; it's been cruising here for like 50 years, has the best lodges for the cruisetours, takes you to Glacier Bay, and has a naturalist onboard.

 

 

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[mafig]

Princess or Holland America.:)

[Gonzo70]

We also love Celebrity but did t use them in Alaska. We went with Holland America and it was really fantastic. It was quite an older crowd than Celebrity (lots in the 70+ range) but the quality of the cruise was fantastic. We chose Holland because they do Glacier Bay national park which Celebrity doesn't do. It's an entire day cruising in the park but they have park rangers on board who provide narration over the loud speakers. The quality of the cruise was similar to Celebrity and the ship (Nieuw Amsterdam) was also really great. Princess is also supposed to be great in Alaska but those shops are huge and (in my opinion) not well laid out. It was worth straying from Celebrity this once. Whatever you choose you'll def have a great time but do choose one of the departures from Vancouver to experience the Inside Passage. Our last day at sea was entirely in the passage and it was so lovely have mountain ranges going by on either side. We even saw a pod of Killer Whales! You don't get that same experience from Seattle.

 

 

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Completely agree; Celebrity is my line of choice, but I opted for Holland America for Alaska because of the itinerary. Fantastic cruise. Also agree sailing from Vancouver or Seward is preferable than Seattle; more scenic.

 

 

If possible would also recommend spending a few days on land and hitting Denali National Park and experiencing the railroad; for the land portion IMHO it is better doing it independtly (not through the cruise line) - less expensive, fairly easy to plan, more pleasant and can customize to your preferences.

[Fouremco]

Another Celebrity enthusiast who chose HAL for the reasons previously given. Glacier Bay is stunning.

[cl.klink]

We had the same dilemma (see entry 147, page 8, at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2212647&page=8 where I compare HAL and X after we did Alaska). We love X. But for Alaska, chose HAL. The time off the ship is indeed the key to Alaska, but the HAL experience was ok. Would still prefer X on other routes. But HAL has done Alaska longer and better than most cruise lines and has gone "all in" to make it a prime focus of their line. They also bought up a lot of the shore excursion companies so can corner the market on some of those offerings. As for Glacier Bay, I believe the issue is that they are one of the few lines grandfathered to still be able to sail there. It is a nice place (also covered in my review).

 

 

 

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[eandj]

We used Princess including a 4 day land portion. Next time we'll do the land on our own. Too beautiful and interesting to do in only 4 days. Princess was great and super organized.

[DennisAndJudy]

We have been to Alaska on both Celebrity and Princess and both were good.

 

Don't consider an Alaska cruise that doesn't go to Glacier Bay. That's the most important criterion, IMHO.

 

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[renaroo]

We used Celebrity for our trip to Alaska in June 2015 and we did the cruise/land tour. We had a good time and we became Celebrity fans after that!

 

On a side note, we were very much looking forward to Denali -- turned out to be the worst part of the trip. I hated it! We did the extended tour, and the drop offs in a super crowded, very uncomfortable/cramped bus were a nightmare! We saw plenty of wildlife, about a million miles away. Just throwing that out there, because I had never heard a bad word about Denali before my cruise and thought it would be great. Since then I've wondered what other people saw in the extended trip through the Denali park.

 

 

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[midwestchick]

We have been to Alaska on both Celebrity and Princess and both were good.

 

Don't consider an Alaska cruise that doesn't go to Glacier Bay. That's the most important criterion, IMHO.

 

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Novice Alaska question...we booked the Millennium Southern Glacier Cruise. We cruise Hubbard Glacier for 4 hours...is Glacier Bay included on this cruise?

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I've been to Alaska three times, all with Celebrity. Celebrity does have a naturalist on board. Brent Nixon was my favorite. He even came along on our private whale watch in Juneau. I cruised once out of Seattle, once out of Vancouver, and once out of San Francisco. All were fabulous cruises.

I happen to think Hubbard Glacier is more interesting than Glacier Bay. Hubbard Glacier is advancing. The glaciers in Glacier Bay are retreating. So is Mendenhall Glacier in Anchorage. I was shocked to see the difference there between my second and third trip to Alaska. If Glacier Bay is a must for you, then you'll have to cruise with someone other than Celebrity.

As for HAL locking up the excursion market, I very rarely take ship excursions. I've never taken one in Alaska. The private shore ex market is very alive and well there.

[Bo1953]

Novice Alaska question...we booked the Millennium Southern Glacier Cruise. We cruise Hubbard Glacier for 4 hours...is Glacier Bay included on this cruise?

 

 

The standard/fixed Southbound Itinerary (Picked up from X's website)

 

Fri Jul 14

 

Seward, Alaska 8:00 PMSat Jul 15Hubbard Glacier, Alaska2:00 PM6:00 PMSun Jul 16Juneau, Alaska9:00 AM9:00 PMMon Jul 17Skagway, Alaska7:00 AM8:30 PMTue Jul 18Icy Strait Point, Alaska6:30 AM3:00 PMWed Jul 19Ketchikan, Alaska9:00 AM6:00 PMThu Jul 20Inside Passage, Alaska Fri Jul 21Vancouver, British Columbia7:00 AM

bon voyage

[margob111]

We went to Alaska on Princess and did their land tour prior to getting on the cruise, which worked perfectly for us. We chose Princess since the itinerary included Glacier Bay. We started the land tour in Anchorage and departed from Whittier. We ended up in Vancouver, BC and flew home from there. Enjoy Alaska, no matter which cruise line you take.

[DennisAndJudy]

Novice Alaska question...we booked the Millennium Southern Glacier Cruise. We cruise Hubbard Glacier for 4 hours...is Glacier Bay included on this cruise?

Celebrity does not go to Glacier Bay. I've seen both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. For me, Glacier wins hands down.

[edgee]

Have also done Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay. Both are an experience, but Glacier Bay is much more impressive.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

We did Alaska on Celebrity, and began to love the line. There's nothing like having hot chicken broth or Cocoa, when you return to the ship. While I wouldn't trade that cruise for the world, we're looking at Holland America for our 2nd Alaska trip.

[kayaker35]

We did a 15-day Alaska Connoisseur Cruisetour with Princess in August of last year. Eight days on land and the 7-night cruise. Started in Fairbanks and cruised out of Whittier to Vancouver. Denali was awesome! We were able to clearly see the mountain, which is often shrouded in clouds, and lots and lots of wildlife. With the Connoisseur option there were several excursions included in the package, and most meals. The meals at the Princess lodges were outstanding, as were the accommodations, We thoroughly enjoyed the trip, which was made all the more fun by our tour guide, Matt. I would highly recommend Princess for Alaska, and also highly recommend the Connoisseur option. They really took care of everything, making it stress-free travel.

 

Karen

[Baron Barracuda]

Not big fans of Princess, but after much research chose them for our Alaska family trip few years back and couldn't have been happier. We booked a 13 day package (7 sea + 6 land ) beginning in Fairbanks and ending in Vancouver. Flew in 2 days early, rented a car and did the local musuem, botanical gardens and walking tour. Princess handled everything seamlessly. They collected our bags for the ship right at the airport and we next saw them onboard 8 days later. Bus and train connections handled flawlessly. Our package included some meals which worked out well, as the food in their hotels and on the train was very good and otherwise expensive. Spent two nights in Denali and wish we had time for a third. Took the 8 hour tour there which was the highlight of our trip. Saw so much more wildlife than the folks on the 4 hour excursion. It really helped that Princess hotels and ship all have coin operated laundry allowing us to pack lighter. Island Princess was so- so, but itinerary included both Hubbard and Glacier Bay, the naturalist was very good, and food was adequate. Highly recommend Princess for Alaska.

[Bridget31]

We have been to Alaska with Princess twice. The first time, our very first cruise, was preceded by the land tour; the second time we back-to-backed two cruises and so had a round trip from Vancouver. We preferred the Rocky Mountaineer journey to the Alaska land tour and would recommend that combination plus time in Vancouver. Princess gives you seven days at sea, right through to Whittier.

[ClaudiaB]

The Alaska boards here are your best reference.

 

We plan to do a third cruise to Alaska in the future. IMHO the best naturalist about Alaska is Brent Nixon, and he was on Infinity when we went last time, and has been recently on the S class ship that sails Alaska.

 

We were going to do Alaska again and take a cruise tour but had to cancel. Also we had decided to change our plans and rent a car and do the interior on our own. I have talked to many people who said they would have preferred not to take a bus load of people that had a 'set' schedule and couldn't stop at their leisure. All those lodges can be rented without a tie to a cruise line, and there are some better options. Many reasons I could give for doing it on your own, which is what we'll do.