Princess vs Carnival

[SadieN]

RCCL Radiance of the Seas sails from Vancouver or Seward on Friday. That's another option.

 

 

 

That’s better than Carnival’s midweek departures.

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A few odd observations

Carnival has free hot chocolate 24/7

HAL serves split pea soup when glacier viewing.

 

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Besides Vancouver and Seattle both Carnival and Princess are doing Alaska sailings from San Francisco and Los Angeles (San Pedro and Long Beach.)

HAL has a 14 day itin out of Seattle or Vancouver.

[Coral]

That’s better than Carnival’s midweek departures.

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There actually are benefits to midweek departures. You hit popular ports on off days and they are less crowded as most ships leave Seattle/Vancouver on weekends and hit the same ports around the same time.

 

I remember being on a Wednesday sailing and being the only ship in Ketchikan for most of the day.

 

Leaving in April for Alaska (out of LA) is a bit early for me.

[SadieN]

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Leaving in April for Alaska (out of LA) is a bit early for me.

 

 

 

We sailed in September and will repeat the itin in August. FWIW the longer Carnival itins have been demographically similar to our same length Princess cruises.

[thedeb62]

We are cruising Glacier Bay on Carnival Legend in August.

 

 

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[Coral]

We sailed in September and will repeat the itin in August. FWIW the longer Carnival itins have been demographically similar to our same length Princess cruises.

 

I know they started doing the ones out of LA at the very beginning and end of the season.

 

I think overall, Alaska has an older demographic compared to the Caribbean. I am not surprised that the demographics are the same. If you sailed in September, most kids are in school. Our schools start mid-August where I live.

 

I just could not stand the dancing waitstaff on Carnival. Do they still do that frequently? It made me want to escape the dining room early. I also could not stand the decor of the ships. I think they are now toned down a little.

 

I did find a different demographic on my RCCL cruise. Kids were out of control.

[SadieN]

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I just could not stand the dancing waitstaff on Carnival. Do they still do that frequently? It made me want to escape the dining room early. I also could not stand the decor of the ships. I think they are now toned down a little.

 

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Unfortunately, they still do but not every night. I find it all ridiculous no matter the line, including the Baked Alaska Parades. There are ways of avoiding them. Typically they dance 90 minutes into assigned time dining. We avoid that by doing ATD.

 

The ships have toned done, but even the new builds aren’t as refined as HAL or basically beige like Princess.

[Coral]

Unfortunately, they still do but not every night. I find it all ridiculous no matter the line, including the Baked Alaska Parades. There are ways of avoiding them. Typically they dance 90 minutes into assigned time dining. We avoid that by doing ATD.

 

The ships have toned done, but even the new builds aren’t as refined as HAL or basically beige like Princess.

 

Thanks!

[CanWeGoYet?]

I was just looking at carnival alaska itineraries for a friend who wants help planning a cruise. Looks like they've added some different runs for 2018. 2 7 day glacier bay cruises in May, one 8 day Glacier Bay in August and September, and a 14 day from Long Beach on the Splendor.

[Budget Queen]

I wasn't impressed with RCCL in Alaska. I thought they were disappointing compared to Princess. I think RCCL is great in the Caribbean but they just didn't embrace Alaska on our sailing. No speakers, no Alaska port talks (except for buying from Diamonds International). The kids on our sailing were out of control (destructive) and they could care less.

 

This is a common comment for you, as an alternative- it may be based on 1 Alaska cruise, you took- years ago?

 

My experience with sailing the Radiance, 3 times in the last 2 seasons has been very favorable, and itinerary was great for allowing me my preferences.

[Coral]

This is a common comment for you, as an alternative- it may be based on 1 Alaska cruise, you took- years ago?

 

My experience with sailing the Radiance, 3 times in the last 2 seasons has been very favorable, and itinerary was great for allowing me my preferences.

 

Yes - though people email me all the time saying they wished they had taken my advice. They are afraid to post to this board as they feel they will be bullied for their opinions if they differ from yours. They were very disappointed with the cruise - so it may work for your preferences but they are glad when they try a different line and experience what they missed.

 

I have a friend who works for RCCL and she also thinks they do Alaska poorly. When she goes to Alaska, she doesn't use her discount with RCCL, she goes with Princess or HAL and pays full price. Speaks volumes.

[Budget Queen]

Yes - though people email me all the time saying they wished they had taken my advice. They are afraid to post to this board as they feel they will be bullied for their opinions if they differ from yours. They were very disappointed with the cruise - so it may work for your preferences but they are glad when they try a different line and experience what they missed.

 

I have a friend who works for RCCL and she also thinks they do Alaska poorly. When she goes to Alaska, she doesn't use her discount with RCCL, she goes with Princess or HAL and pays full price. Speaks volumes.

 

Certainly something for everyone, with the multiple cruise company choices. . But with full ships on RCI, there are also, plenty of people who enjoy this cruise. Sounds like you get hundreds of emails??

Reason why "homework" is essential for choices, certainly.

[Coral]

Certainly something for everyone, with the multiple cruise company choices. . But with full ships on RCI, there are also, plenty of people who enjoy this cruise. Sounds like you get hundreds of emails??

Reason why "homework" is essential for choices, certainly.

 

They only have 2 ships. One has the worst itinerary in Alaska. They are usually considerably cheaper compared to the other lines also.

 

I do get tons of emails. They are afraid to post their opinions of fear of being attacked on these boards.

[JT1962]

They only have 2 ships. One has the worst itinerary in Alaska. They are usually considerably cheaper compared to the other lines also..

 

 

 

We were on Radiance of the Seas the first sailing of the year this year and loved the ship and itinerary. We had 6 ports with long days in each port plus a great day at Hubbard Glacier. I have cruised Princess in Alaska and found very little difference between the two.

 

The round trip itineraries, especially from Seattle, are not the best on any line, but many people choose them for various reasons.

 

I find all of the current mainstream lines very similar. I prioritize all of my cruises first by itinerary, then price, with cruise line being last. I have cruised with Carnival, Norwegian, Princess, Royal Caribbean and several now defunct lines and will be cruising with Holland America in a week. I find them all satisfactory and comparable as long as the ships are of similar age.

 

As far as cost for RC, I count being "considerably cheaper compared to the other lines" a major plus. Although I found Norwegian and Holland America to be cheaper when we were pricing our trip.

 

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[Casey12]

We also thought RCCL did a crappy job in Alaska compared to Princess and our Holland cruise. They really don't have a commitment to Alaska like Princess and Holland America does. We also have good friends who work for Royal Caribbean and they dis RCCL and Celebrity in Alaska. They tell their friends to do RCCL in the Caribbean and Europe but not in Alaska. That speaks volumes.

[Budget Queen]

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I do get tons of emails. They are afraid to post their opinions of fear of being attacked on these boards.

 

 

Really??? I get "attacked" all the time, by claims of Glacier Bay being the only worthwhile place to go. And that is the "only" choice to make by some posters. :) :) :)

 

I instead make claims of Alaska cruises will offer something unique for that particular journey. And there is no perfect cruise. :) I favor looking at the entire itinerary.

 

I truly hope wonderful Alaska experiences for everyone.

[Coral]

Really??? I get "attacked" all the time, by claims of Glacier Bay being the only worthwhile place to go. And that is the "only" choice to make by some posters. :) :) :)

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It is the only "guaranteed glacier day" compared to the other choices. Most people only go to Alaska once.

 

That is the most frequent email that I get. They are disappointed that they listened to you and missed seeing their glacier day. You highly recommend other glaciers and that is their only glacier and they are often missed. You fail to point that out because if you miss it, you have seen it a dozen times before and will have an opportunity to see them a dozen more times that summer. Most people have one shot in Alaska and that is it. I do like the other glaciers but if they are only going once, it is important that they have a chance to see a glacier as most have never seen one before in their life and won't have another chance. I am not counting seeing Mendenhall glacier on the same scale as Hubbard or Glacier Bay glaciers.

[Budget Queen]

It is the only "guaranteed glacier day" compared to the other choices. Most people only go to Alaska once.

 

That is the most frequent email that I get. They are disappointed that they listened to you and missed seeing their glacier day. You highly recommend other glaciers and that is their only glacier and they are often missed. You fail to point that out because if you miss it, you have seen it a dozen times before and will have an opportunity to see them a dozen more times that summer. Most people have one shot in Alaska and that is it. I do like the other glaciers but if they are only going once, it is important that they have a chance to see a glacier as most have never seen one before in their life and won't have another chance. I am not counting seeing Mendenhall glacier on the same scale as Hubbard or Glacier Bay glaciers.

 

Ok, blame me, for your hundreds of disappointed emails. sounds good.

 

My posts clearly suggest finding out what each person wants out of their trip, good idea to ignore that too. I post on doing your homework and that every trip can offer you a wonderful trip depending on the interests. It would seem that if glaciers are the only priority of posters that you claim email you. They can easily figure out to book cruises that offer this, never do I claim Glacier Bay isn't the most glacier viewing, or not to book it.

[Coral]

Ok, blame me, for your hundreds of disappointed emails. sounds good.

 

My posts clearly suggest finding out what each person wants out of their trip, good idea to ignore that too. I post on doing your homework and that every trip can offer you a wonderful trip depending on the interests. It would seem that if glaciers are the only priority of posters that you claim email you. They can easily figure out to book cruises that offer this, never do I claim Glacier Bay isn't the most glacier viewing, or not to book it.

 

I am not saying glaciers should be a priority but having 1 day or 2 days incase one doesn't work out maximizes your chances. Most new Alaskan cruisers don't know if they like glaciers or not. On many itineraries if they don't have a 2nd glacier day, they have another sea day. I think most would prefer to have a 2nd glacier day (especially if the first doesn't work out) as opposed to a sea day.

 

Also, most books don't say "your chance of seeing this glacier is x percent." They just boost the qualities of that glacier.

 

The emails that I get just confirm that letting people know that missing Hubbard and Tracy Arm are real possibilities and to be aware of it and make choices based on that. If that means booking a different itinerary with 2 glacier days or landing on a glacier as an option.

 

Not everyone has the opportunity to go 10x each year so if you miss a glacier, you may have seen it last week, last year or will see it later that year. Most don't have that option. They go to Alaska once.