Alaska comparison - Carnival vs. Celebrity

[BRC6C]

We're planning a June cruise to Alaska (summer plans just changed!) and are making the decision soon! So to people who have done one or both, or sailed either cruise line, help us decide.

 

For both we are looking at a cruisetour. 7 night northbound cruise followed by a land package. The choice is coming down to Celebrity Summit or Carnival Spirit.

 

Our group consists of myself and DH (mid-thirties) and our DS3 and my parents (late sixties, very active). We have sailed Carnival and the folks have sailed Princess.

 

Any advice, food, activities, kids programs, cabins, anything appreciated!

[DrKoob]

Do you cruise to drink alchohol or to see the world. On Carnival (we call it the cruise from hell) most of our shipmates were drunk most of the time. We saw fist fights, stumbling drunks and so much more that I have detailed on these boards and on epinions.

 

We have done both and X is the Nordstrom of cruising and Carnival is the Walmart. You can choose.

 

Be smart, choose X.

[ECCruise]

We're planning a June cruise to Alaska (summer plans just changed!) and are making the decision soon! So to people who have done one or both, or sailed either cruise line, help us decide.

 

For both we are looking at a cruisetour. 7 night northbound cruise followed by a land package. The choice is coming down to Celebrity Summit or Carnival Spirit.

 

Our group consists of myself and DH (mid-thirties) and our DS3 and my parents (late sixties, very active). We have sailed Carnival and the folks have sailed Princess.

 

Any advice, food, activities, kids programs, cabins, anything appreciated!

 

Obviously your experience on Carnival must have been different than DrKoob's or I would guess that you would not be considering them again. You may get a skewed opinion on this board so you may want to post on the Carnival board also to get a good cross section. In many ways the Carnival today is nothing like the Carnival of the past, especially in Alaska where there probably will be many families aboard. Plus, it depends alot on the ship, the timing, port of departure. We are firmly devoted to Celebrity (CC Elite) but our worst experience with drunks (screaming in the hallway at 3:00 AM two nites in a row) was on a Celebrity ship and the most boring cruise we ever were on (much older crowd, no activity in the disco or bars) was on a Carnival ship. There are no absolutes.

 

Get a lot of input before you make a decision and you will probably choose the right line for you.

[NancyIL]

I would post this on the Alaska Ports of Call board, too. Summit sails to Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Icy Strait Point, Hubbard Glacier, and Seward. Carnival Spirit sails to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, College Fjords, and Whittier. Which itinerary do you prefer?

 

If I had this decision to make for 2006, I'd go with Celebrity Summit or Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas (same itinerary on northbound). That's the itinerary I prefer, and I'd rather sail into Seward than Whittier.

[JimHam4]

We are in the same boat (not literally) as the OP, but my question focuses more on the kids program. I have been told X kid's programs are excellent, but on the Alaska cruises there are almost no children. We have a family reunion with kids age 2 to 16 who have all sailed Carnival. Some really want to try Celebrity, me included, but have concerns about keeping the kids involved. Any comments on Alaska kid's program?

[DrKoob]

For the best comparison I have ever seen check out

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=300561