Pros and Cons of Ships on Alaska Itineraries

[Georgia_Peaches]

DH and I are considering an Alaska cruise in 2019. NCL appears to have 3 different ships that run the AK circuit. Am looking for feedback on any of these ships as it relates to the over all AK experience. For example, is a smaller ship more advantageous than a larger on? What kind of stateroom on any of them offer the best views? Or does it really matter? Most of our cruising experience is in the Caribbean so when we select a cruise it’s more about the ship than the ports bc we’ve visited most of them already. AK is a first so everything is new.

Perplexed...

[RD29P5]

Alaska for me is about the experience, not so much the ship. I know other's feel differently, I just don't see the allure of the megaships, honestly I don't think you can go wrong with any sized ship. Although it does remain to be seen what Glacier Bay aboard the Bliss will be like.

 

I think at the very least you want to have a balcony room, especially for glacier viewing. If the weather isn't the best you have a place to warm up all to yourselves.

 

Itinerary is also important Glacier Bay is pretty much a must do, then it's pick out what you want to do in the ports. Keep in mind that there are round trips out of Seattle for two of the ships and the third does one way trips north and south.

[PATRLR]

I've only done Alaska once, on the Bliss. Been on a lot of ships on a lot of crusie lines - the Bliss is a beautiful ship.

 

Like you, we'd previously done a bunch of Caribbean itineraries, multiple times. We seldom did tours/excursions in ports and when we got off at various stops it was to find a beach or resort to spend the day at.

 

We learned early on in our research that Alaska was going to be a big change for us because it's all about the ports and excursions. What you see from the ship is beautiful, but, it's a small part of the experience, IMO. My recommendation is to hop over to the Alaska forum and research the various ports and decide which ports and sights you want to see. Once you know where you want to go, then pick the itinerary that matches.

 

Lastly, get ready for sticker shock. If you haven't been doing excursions in the Caribbean, you might be shocked at how expensive they are in Alaska. But, I have to tell you, the ones we did were expensive but worth every last cent.

 

Good luck...

[PATRLR]

To add more, to directly answer part of your question about the ships. The Bliss went up the Endicott Arm to view the Dawes glacier (Tracy Ford had too much ice so we didn't got to Sawyer Glaciers). I can't imagine any of the smaller cruise ships would be able to get much closer than the Bliss did. Maybe Glacier Bay will be a test, but, I think the Bliss has already proven she can get up to the glaciers.

 

We had a balcony because that is the minimal we will book. But we didn't spend much time on it. On the other hand, for some of the most scenic parts of the cruise, we were on the Tracy Arm excursion (small boat excursion). But, even if we were on the ship, I suspect we'd either be on deck or in the OL, not our balcony. I think.

[Hearthosesteeldrumsplayin]

I'm headed for my 4th Alaska trip in August. Seems friends we want to cruise with always want to go there :) Been on RCCL, Princess, and NCL. Always on a mid-sized ship, as they seem best able to navigate in the tighter areas. Great cruise, but the costs have skyrocketed in the past few years. Yes, beware of sticker shock! Lots of port time, plus cruising through the iceburg fields, so usually I don't get the Thermal suite....although I have for this next cruise (since we have done lots of the excursions and all of the ports multiple times!) We have started branching out and doing our own excursions, since it is usually much cheaper, and the same basic experience. You just have to be prepared for getting back to ship on time! Alaska is certainly a wonderful wilderness; what a plus for the US!

[lax19]

As others have said...Alaska is more about the ports and the on-land experience and less about the ship.

Look at the itineraries and compare them. For my first trip to Alaska, I built a spreadsheet with ports and times in port. The times in port varied greatly. It really helped to make a decision. I looked at all cruise lines and ended up with NCL - (longer stay in Victoria).

The second trip was a last minute decision and price was the driver (Obstructed Outside on HAL Eurodam was cheaper than Inside on NCL Pearl).

[BirdTravels]

DH and I are considering an Alaska cruise in 2019. NCL appears to have 3 different ships that run the AK circuit. Am looking for feedback on any of these ships as it relates to the over all AK experience. For example, is a smaller ship more advantageous than a larger on? What kind of stateroom on any of them offer the best views? Or does it really matter? Most of our cruising experience is in the Caribbean so when we select a cruise it’s more about the ship than the ports bc we’ve visited most of them already. AK is a first so everything is new.

Perplexed...

We sail Alaska often and have been on the different itineraries on different cruise lines.

 

We would not recommend the Bliss.

 

We would recommend sailing the Vancouver to Seward itinerary. Being on the inside passage is much better than the open sea adventures out of Seattle. Lots more sea life (whales, dolphin) on the inside passage.

 

When you get to Seward, catch the domed train to Denali (either with the NCL land excursion or on your own).

 

Wonderful total Alaskan adventure.

[roger001]

To add more, to directly answer part of your question about the ships. The Bliss went up the Endicott Arm to view the Dawes glacier (Tracy Ford had too much ice so we didn't got to Sawyer Glaciers). I can't imagine any of the smaller cruise ships would be able to get much closer than the Bliss did. Maybe Glacier Bay will be a test, but, I think the Bliss has already proven she can get up to the glaciers.

 

We had a balcony because that is the minimal we will book. But we didn't spend much time on it. On the other hand, for some of the most scenic parts of the cruise, we were on the Tracy Arm excursion (small boat excursion). But, even if we were on the ship, I suspect we'd either be on deck or in the OL, not our balcony. I think.

 

 

Wow! And I thought that was a tight squeeze on the Jewel! Dawes, that is.

[Markanddonna]

IMHO, going to Glacier Bay is more important than the ship. Unless your ship has an enclosed pool (which I don't think NCL has), the pools will be pretty chilly once you leave WA. These are port intensive cruises, so the ship is secondary.

[Laszlo]

DH and I are considering an Alaska cruise in 2019. NCL appears to have 3 different ships that run the AK circuit. Am looking for feedback on any of these ships as it relates to the over all AK experience. For example, is a smaller ship more advantageous than a larger on? What kind of stateroom on any of them offer the best views? Or does it really matter? Most of our cruising experience is in the Caribbean so when we select a cruise it’s more about the ship than the ports bc we’ve visited most of them already. AK is a first so everything is new.

Perplexed...

 

Not the best video, but this is a time lapse I did from our balcony one the Jewel at Endicott September 2016. You can see how close you from your balcony. We spent half the time there and the other half on the bow and upper decks...