Princess or RCCL for Alaska??

[cukoobananas]

My wife and I are new to cruising. We will be doing our first cruise this Christmas on the Mariner. She mentioned the other day that she would like to do an Alaska cruise sometime. After twisting my arm I gave in. So now the research begines. Here are some of my questions.

 

1) Princess or RCCL? (Leaning towards Princess)

2) When?

3) Do the ships that do Alaska have indoor or heated pools or are they closed for these trips?

4) Itenerary? Roundtrip or One way? (We will only have 10 days at most to be away)

5)Best ship?

7)How cold is it??

8)Any tips? (I've heard it's cheaper to book independ excursions instead of going through cruise ship)

 

Thanks everyone for all your help!

[NancyIL]

With 10 days, I would do a one-way cruise plus spend a few days in Alaska before or after the cruise. We were on the northbound Coral Princess last June, followed by 8 days with a rental car, and it was a wonderful trip. All of Princess's ships doing one-way cruises have the same itinerary, and it's a very good one: Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, and College Fjord.

 

I personally like Radiance of the Sea's one-way itinerary, too - but you will hear from people who think Princess does a much better job in Alaska than RCI. I agree that Princess does a great job, and maybe some day I'll check out RCI in Alaska for myself. :)

 

To answer your other questions - we went in early June. Our ship had an indoor pool and an outdoor one, but we never used the pools. It can be cold out on deck - especially when you're at the glaciers. I was bundled up and was warm enough. We booked independent excursions, but there are a few that can only be booked through the ship - such as the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari out of Skagway.

[cukoobananas]

With 10 days, I would do a one-way cruise plus spend a few days in Alaska before or after the cruise. We were on the northbound Coral Princess last June, followed by 8 days with a rental car, and it was a wonderful trip. All of Princess's ships doing one-way cruises have the same itinerary, and it's a very good one: Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, and College Fjord.

 

I personally like Radiance of the Sea's one-way itinerary, too - but you will hear from people who think Princess does a much better job in Alaska than RCI. I agree that Princess does a great job, and maybe some day I'll check out RCI in Alaska for myself. :)

 

To answer your other questions - we went in early June. Our ship had an indoor pool and an outdoor one, but we never used the pools. It can be cold out on deck - especially when you're at the glaciers. I was bundled up and was warm enough. We booked independent excursions, but there are a few that can only be booked through the ship - such as the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari out of Skagway.

 

I've heard the same thing about Princess. I almost booked with them instead of RCCL for our Caribbean Cruise because I love thier iteneraries. Do the Alaska cruises still have the pools and such?

[NancyIL]

I've heard the same thing about Princess. I almost booked with them instead of RCCL for our Caribbean Cruise because I love thier iteneraries. Do the Alaska cruises still have the pools and such?

 

 

The pools will be open. Whether or not you will want to use them depends on the weather. The Coral Princess has a covered pool, but there were people in the main hot tubs and outdoor pool when the sun warmed things up nicely.

[qiangf2]

The pools will be open. Whether or not you will want to use them depends on the weather. The Coral Princess has a covered pool, but there were people in the main hot tubs and outdoor pool when the sun warmed things up nicely.

 

Depends on the weather. I used the pool on the first day leaving Seattle in September. But this year, I didn't even bother since I realized that using the swimming pool is not my priority in Alaska.

 

Also, I agree with Nancy, try to get a one way trip plus a few days for land tour.

 

May tends to be the driest month during the whole cruise season. September will definitely bring more cloudy and wet weather. The peak season is from late June through early August.

[acud]

agree w/that amount of time to do a few days pre-cruise, and prob sail south from seward to vancouver. these boards rich w/info. we're booked for july '08 on royal caribbean. that itin good also (my DS cruises RC all the time and has never been disappointed). the itin is similar: hubbard glacier, juneau, skagway, icy strait point,ketchican via inside passage. we decided against denali (tho many will say its worth the time) but we opted for other glacier and fishing activities on kenai pennisula and prince william sound - otherwise, youll probably need at least 4 days or more on land and denali is far (and slow by train which lots seem to like but some say rent car). bottom line, alaska is huge and you wont be able to see everything anyway...so unless you have a few weeks to explore, zero in on what you want: ie, glaciers, wildlife, fishing, sight/flight seeing and then make your selections. a lot of the lure of denali is mt.mckinley which is shrouded w/fog often. believe royal caribbean was one of the first big lines to cruise alaska and we've heard good things about them. its not too early to plan for summer of 2008 - good luck!

[CBowling]

Great questions. I will keep watching this thread to find the answers. I am still in the reseaching stage, the more I read on the ports, the more I want to see them all. Is there any must see's that might make or break any particular ship???

[Cruising Photographer]

2 Cruise companies have the most experince in touring Alaska: Princess & Holland America. Holland America caters to an older traveler, so we are doing Princess.

They have the 6 Princess Cruise Ships, Princess train cars to get you to Danalli Park and other locations in comfort, and 5 Princess Hotels that are rated very highly by AAA. You don't even have to book a Princess land tour to use the Princess Hotels.

Go with a company that has the most experience with the total Alaska experience, Princess.

[CaribbeanIsland]

We have done both lines in Alaska. My advice is to go with Princess. Royal Caribbean doesn't seem to have the connections in Alaska compared to HAL and Princess. The cruise on Royal at best was mediocre.

[JJ2sail]

We loved our cruise on Radiance of the Seas. The ship is beautiful and well laid out with lots of space and areas outside and inside to view the scenery. Both pools were heated and open for the whole cruise.

 

With that being said, it seems that Princess and HAL do have priority in Alaska.

Example: Princess and Hal ships were usually docked closer to the heart of activities, and in some cases we had to tender when HAL and Princess were using all the docks.

 

So I guess what I am saying is: If I were mobility challenged and all other things being equal, I might choose HAL or Princess.

 

Would I personally sail RC again to Alaska? Absolutely! But if I were taking my older family members that have health issues, I would probably look at HAL or Princess. JMHO:rolleyes:

[Sunshine Gal]

My wife and I are new to cruising. We will be doing our first cruise this Christmas on the Mariner. She mentioned the other day that she would like to do an Alaska cruise sometime. After twisting my arm I gave in. So now the research begines. Here are some of my questions.

 

1) Princess or RCCL? (Leaning towards Princess)

2) When?

3) Do the ships that do Alaska have indoor or heated pools or are they closed for these trips?

4) Itenerary? Roundtrip or One way? (We will only have 10 days at most to be away)

5)Best ship?

7)How cold is it??

8)Any tips? (I've heard it's cheaper to book independ excursions instead of going through cruise ship)

 

Thanks everyone for all your help!

 

1. I would recommend Princess by far. The food and service and entertainment are better than on RCCL. Princess ships as a whole are in much better condition than RCCL and Princess goes to Glacier Bay and College Fjord which I don't believe RCCL can do.

2. I prefer mid to late May.

3. Most Princess ships do have heated pools for Alaska.

4. I would recommend a one way trip because you will see more. If you can stay for a few days after or before your cruise there is a wealth of things to do and see. Recommend renting a car and driving to Denali.

5. I like the Island Princess or Coral Princess.

7. Temperatures vary but normal in May would be a low of about 45 and a high in low to mid 60's.

8. It is most definitely cheaper to book tours on your own and not through the ship's cruise tours.