Celebrity Infinity VS Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas Alaska cruise

[seadays4me]

My DW and I currently have booked with a TA two Alaska Cruises and have to choose between one of them this weekend. Both are transitional cruises in mid September sailing from Vancouver. We have a simular balcony cabin on both ships.

 

The Radiance of the Seas is a 14 night Crown and Anchor Members Cruise. We are at the Gold Level for the beginning of this trip. How special are member cruises? This also stops at SF and ends in LA.

 

The Celebrity Infinity is a 13 night cruise and ends in SF. We have never sailed on Celebrity.

 

Is mid September a good time to see Alaska? What is the better ship for seeing Alaska (will not use the rock climbing wall)? Also the Celebrity cruise is $700 less for two then the RCL cruise. I could take 3 nine night Explorer cruises out of Bayonne to the Caribbean for the price of this one, but we have done that to many times already.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Ron

[caviargal]

C&A Member cruises can be really nice, but the real perks on those sailings are for Diamond and DPlus. You will receive gifts in your cabin and more than the usual number of free cocktail parties. For GOLD, I think that is about all. C&A Member cruises are always more expensive than the norm and they are generally very popular.

 

Radiance and Infinity are built on the same hull, with Radiance carrying 400 more passengers. This is noticeable when the sailing is full.

 

IMO, food and service in the main dining room is better on Infinity but I like having two specialty restaurants on Radiance. At 20pp it is affordable to dine there several times throughout the cruise. On the flip side, Infinity has the Aqua Spa Cafe, my favorite breakfast and lunch venue at sea. The SeaView Cafe and Johnny Rockets (extra charge) are fast food places so if that appeals, Radiance might be a better fit.

 

Although RCI has become a family cruise line and therefore quite casual, the ship itself is beautiful and I imagine you will not have as many issues with badly behaved kids on a longer C&A sailing. Plus, these cruises IME are quite festive with lots of extra touches.

 

RCI takes much better care of past passengers than does X, their new bedding is very good and their staff friendly and warm, where X's is more polished and formal in general.

 

Wine service is infinitely better on X as RCI has eliminated the Sommelier position entirely. Good luck getting a proper glass for wine.:(

 

RCI excels in activities and entertainment and has a great fitness center, sauna and steam room.

 

It really depends on what you are looking for. After my last weeklong RCI sailing in December, I would never sail them again unless booking a long cruise where the onboard atmosphere might be more appealing.

 

You should also consider the potential for pod problems on the Infinity as the M class of ships (except the Connie) are plagued with them. Radiance, although using azipods, does not have these issues.

[seadays4me]

Caviargal - Thanks so much for your reply. We deceided to do some more research and look into going to Alaska next year, and book when those cruises are announced in the April time frame. It seems that the Alaska cruise prices are at there lowest when announced and increase as time goes on. We booked a Feb. 2008 Explorer of the Seas cruise out of Bayonne, NJ to the Caribbian last August and that price has gone up $1000.00 for two since we booked it.

[caviargal]

Yes, when you see a good deal, book it! Especially on balconies.

 

I suggest you consider HAL as they are well known for their Alaska itinerairies and their ships are very nice.

[cruizenisgreat]

My DW and I currently have booked with a TA two Alaska Cruises and have to choose between one of them this weekend. Both are transitional cruises in mid September sailing from Vancouver. We have a simular balcony cabin on both ships.

 

The Radiance of the Seas is a 14 night Crown and Anchor Members Cruise. We are at the Gold Level for the beginning of this trip. How special are member cruises? This also stops at SF and ends in LA.

 

The Celebrity Infinity is a 13 night cruise and ends in SF. We have never sailed on Celebrity.

 

Is mid September a good time to see Alaska? What is the better ship for seeing Alaska (will not use the rock climbing wall)? Also the Celebrity cruise is $700 less for two then the RCL cruise. I could take 3 nine night Explorer cruises out of Bayonne to the Caribbean for the price of this one, but we have done that to many times already.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Ron

 

Hi Ron,

 

I would recommend Princess or Hal for any Alaskan cruise. Celebrity also offers nice sized ships for Alaska but does not go to Glacier Bay and with the chance of mechanical breakdowns on their M-class ships, I would think long and hard before taking that chance.

[jezzdogg]

We did summit and the tour in alaska and while lovely, next time we go will do Princess( not one of my favorite cruiselines) because they have access to Glacier Bay(so do HAL) both Celebrity and RCCl do not. Also they have their own hotels with restaurants on the premises while with Celebrity u stay at hotels they book...one had no food sevice and had to take cab for dinner one night

[seadays4me]

Hi Ron,

 

I would recommend Princess or Hal for any Alaskan cruise. Celebrity also offers nice sized ships for Alaska but does not go to Glacier Bay and with the chance of mechanical breakdowns on their M-class ships, I would think long and hard before taking that chance.

 

Did not know that about Glacier Bay. Will have to also check into Princess for Alaska. Went on our first Princess cruise (Crown) last September. DW was not real happy with the food selections, but I thought it was OK. Is Glacier Bay something not to be missed?

[paws10]

Ron,

 

One other thing you might consider is that mid September is near the end of the season for cruising Alaska. Many shops close after Labor Day and many tours may not be operating. On the other hand, there will be lots of end of season sales!

 

Patty

[cruizenisgreat]

Did not know that about Glacier Bay. Will have to also check into Princess for Alaska. Went on our first Princess cruise (Crown) last September. DW was not real happy with the food selections, but I thought it was OK. Is Glacier Bay something not to be missed?

 

Glacier Bay is the highlight of the Alaskan cruise. It is far more impressive than Hubbard Glacier. I know HAL also goes to Glacier Bay and not sure who else goes to Glacier Bay, but I do know that Celebrity does not go to Glacier Bay. IN addition to Glacier Bay usually another whole day is spent cruising College fjord. Contrary to much of what you read on these boards the food is about the same on all cruise lines with some doing certain things better than everybody else. If you have been on the Crown then you will probably be expecting the ambiance that Princess offers.

Enjoy your cruise.

[caviargal]

Glacier Bay is the highlight of the Alaskan cruise. It is far more impressive than Hubbard Glacier. I know HAL also goes to Glacier Bay and not sure who else goes to Glacier Bay, but I do know that Celebrity does not go to Glacier Bay. IN addition to Glacier Bay usually another whole day is spent cruising College fjord. Contrary to much of what you read on these boards the food is about the same on all cruise lines with some doing certain things better than everybody else. If you have been on the Crown then you will probably be expecting the ambiance that Princess offers.

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Having done both twice, I totally disagree! Hubbard was the best experience in my five Alaska cruises.

 

I would choose HAL first, then perhaps the Coral Princess. The other Princess ships are simply too large.

[cruisnfool]

I have sailed on both Infinity and Radiance......Radiance hands down is the more beautiful ship.....newer and it was built for Alaska....windows everywhere.

 

We just did our first Alaska on Radiance, Aug 23rd 2006...I believe there were only 2 more sailings after ours.

 

During our planning we were told to go Princess because they were the pioneers in Alaska and did it best......price was $1000 higher....didn't consider HAL.

 

We were very pleased with the experience and amazed at how organized everything was. We did tour # 19 which was 3 days land before ship....Anchorage to Vancouver.

[kelmac]

If food quality and service are a priority, I would stick with Celebrity or Holland America. Royal Caribbean has beautiful ships, but 13, or 14 days of medicore food can take it's toll. Princess has great entertainment, but they do pack a large number of people onto their ships.

To me, the best strategy would include a northbound cruise on HAL, and a southbound cruise on Celebrity. You get the same advantages as a round trip (low air costs) cruise, with added time in Seward/Alaska if you chose to do so.

When it comes to cruising, it's difficult to make a mistake!

Enjoy!

Kel

[bubbie617]

We just got off Radiance of the Seas and I found that the food was above average. There was only one dinner in the 8 nights we were on the ship that I wasn't totally thrilled with my dinner - and I'm hard to please.

 

In terms of choosing which ship, it's a hard decision. Having been on both, I can tell you they're both wonderful ships. If I was pushed to make a decision, I guess I would choose Radiance for all the glass and views of the outdoors. After all, that's why you're going to Alaska.

 

Have a great trip whatever you decide. Alaska is an amazing place.