Princess - Alaskan Cruise - HELP!!

[relo854]

Fist time cruiser, first time on this board. Thinking about a Alaskan cruise..one of the cruise lines recommended was Princess..we're looking at the 7 night.

 

We are so confused...looked thru travel agent brochures and on line......ANY information/comments are greatly appreciated...thank you.

 

[zaandam_2]

no matter the destination you have to ask yourselves what type of atmosphere you like.

 

are you 'party people'? do you like/need non-stop activities? would you like more of a 'vegas' atmosphere vs. country club? do you need ammenities like a rock-climbing wall?

 

princess is a bit more elegant than say, carnival (party/vegas) or RCI (rock climbing). there are lines for everyone.

[relo854]

We are interested in the wildlife/scenery of the Alaskan cruise. We are 50ish..not party people, too old for rock climbing ..the ship activities are not really of interest to us.

[relo854]

I think I need to talk with our TA and get some specifics before I post any more questions, there's way too much to chose from!!

[benmon]

We think you chose the right cruise line. We going next summer on the Island Princess. We also chose a 3 day Denali trip at the end of the cruise. Since were making the treck across the country we wanted to see more of Alaska. We read the brochures and spoke to our cruise agent. She booked the 3 day motor coach, train, riverboat extravaganza. It looks great and we cant wait to go.

[doven]

i think perhaps you'll find more to do on the ship once you get going--even if it is to people watch, visit bingo or trivia games, see a movie. We took the 7 day cruise to Alaska - a trip of a lifetime. Take the Coral Princess - holds about 1950 - not too big and not too small - a lovely ship. We cruised in May and it was wonderful!

[jean s]

We cruised on the Coral (our all time favorite cruise ship). We flew from Boston to Vancouver and stayed at the Westin Bayshore Resort right on the waterfront for 4 nights. Great decision because this is a beautiful city and we also were able to take a day trip to Victoria. That was well worth the time and money. We loved our cruise to Alaska and I liked the fact that we traveled northbound....the scenery just kept getting more and more beautiful. We did an excursion in every port, mainly fishing and off roading. Our pictures are spectacular. We stayed in a mini suite so we had the balcony to view the wonderful scenery every day. I loved having breakfast out on the balcony while watching for whales and we saw plenty of them. At the end of the cruise we did the 4 night land tour. We took the train to the Princess Denali lodge. The white water rafting here was spectacular! The lodge is nicely decorated and very comfortable. My only complaint was the lodge's food is really expensive. We saw Mt. McKinley and finally ended up in Fairbanks where we flew home from. We had a wonderful experience and I would do this cruise and land tour again. My dh and I are both in our fifties. Our friends who came with us are in their early sixties. There was plenty to do on the ship and the demographics were very interesting. There were lots of American and Canadian families and there were also many people from all over Europe and Asia. We had great fun meeting people from all over the world. My dh has traveled all over the world but this was his all time favorite trip.

[CruisinKiki]

Sounds like you would probably like Princess or Holland America. I don't know if you posted on the Alaska board, but there is tons of info there and a lot of helpful folks who can answer specific questions. I would also recommend some of the independent excursions so you can get out into the country and also away from the large groups on the ship excursions. The Alaska board has a lot of recommendations for private whale watching, flightseeing and other excursions. Alaska is amazing and you'll enjoy whatever you choose!

[prophotogirl]

I've cruised twice to Alaska on Princess and both times they "fit" my group. I was the youngest with both groups ( was 26 and 29 at cruising time). But then again I'm not into Vagas or Rock climbing or Large Amounts of kids but still a nice mix of ages onboard. Princess is just that for me.

[skandls]

We are booked on the Island Princess to Alaska next July. We usually cruise on Royal Caribbean or Celebrity but because Princess offers a better cruise/tour package we are sailing with them. They were one of the first with the land/cruise packages.

 

We sailed with HAL once (2003) and found the average age of the passengers was much older than any of the other cruiselines - which meant nighttime activities ended very early - before midnight most nights.

 

The one thing we do not really like about Princess is the Anytime Dining. We like Traditional where we get to know our table mates during the cruise. It is difficult to get Traditional on Princess as they seem to have much more Anytime available.

 

Keep reading these boards - and read the brochures - check the ports the ships stop at and decide what things you must see and do and then find the ship that fits the itinerary and your schedule the best.

[Lodger]

My wife and I did Alaska late last June, right after the 21st, with early mornings, LOOOONG days and beautiful late evenings. It was the most spiritual experience of my life.

We went on the Pacific Princess, small but PERFECT for this 7 day trip - the destination was our object, not cruising, per se. BE SURE your trip includes College Fjord as well as Glacier Bay - they are SPECTACULAR and MUSTS. We sailed N. to S. out of Anchorage/Whittier to Vancouver - a perfect trip. I'd go again in a NY SECOND.

We went on the hellicopter trip onto a glacier, sport fishing for King Salmon and whale watching in the 3 ports - I'd absolutley recommend ALL of them as MUSTS.

If you go to my Profile I think you'll see my "As Good As It Gets" favorite photo, taken as we were leaving Glacier Bay after a wonderful day watching glaciers up-close.

You'll never regret going and you will if you don't. We had a mini-suite on Pacific and it was fantasticly spacious. If going N. to S. try to book on port side and visa-versa if going S. to N., but not a real critical thing.

HAVE FUN!

Lodger

[sultan_sfo]

Regardless of which cruiseline you choose, the most important choice is whether you want a roundtrip -- on Princess SF/SF, or Seattle/Seattle, or you want to start in Vancouver and finish in Anchorage, known as Northbound,(or reverse known as Southbound). On the round trip, there are wasted days and fewer ports and glacier views. On the Vancouver / Anchorage, the glaciers and ports visited are much better. But then your airfare is higher because air is not a round trip. /Sultan

[sailor602]

We went last June also. We're in our mid-to-late 40's and not big partiers, and Princess turned out to be a great choice. We chose to do some fun things, like the helicopter ride to the glacier and whale watching, but we also relaxed on the ship and enjoyed the popping glaciers and the elegant ship. We went southbound on the Diamond, which let us stay an extra day in Vancouver and see the sights.

[LoriPhil]

We took the Coral from Vancouver to Whittier last July on the advice of a long-time cruiser and loved it! The Coral is a wonderful size, has a good layout and attentive crew. Although many people will say to book a "land" side room - i.e., starboard going north, port going south - we found since much of the trip was through channels, the port side Carib deck with the afternoon sun was perfect for us, plus we got the first views of the glaciers (although the captain spins the ship so everyone gets a good look). When sailing in the open waters way up north you're a long distance from land so port or starboard really doesn't make much difference then. I remember the glorious views, and one afternoon there were masses and masses of dolphins zooming along just next to us... then there were the humpbacks (in the distance) and the orca (very close). Did lots of research on the Alaska destination boards - go there for some informed suggestions on tours and shops. Although it was a long trip home, we would love to book the Voyage of the Glaciers again on the Coral. The only thing we would do differently is to stay overnight in Anchorage and take an early flight home the next day. Whatever you chose, and whatever the weather, I'm sure you'll be dazzled by the wild beauty of the region.

[llane003]

We also took the Coral from Whittier to Vancouver in May. Most incredible trip ever. I went with my mother, grandfather, and my uncle. We started in Fairbanks and did the 4 day land tour as well. If you are planning do go there, go big. Take the land tour into Fairbanks and Denali. I don't know about anyone else, but we sure had fun panning for gold at the ElDorado mine in Fairbanks. The Denali Lodge area is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. My pictures look professional and many people have flipped them over thinking they were postcards. I would also recommend taking the train from Denali to Whittier. Amazing views. I have never ridden on a train and the experience was insanly phenomonal. It's the real "heart" of Alaska. We also had the mini suite with a connecting balcony to my grandfather's and uncle's room. It was amazing sitting outside on our own balcony in Glacier Bay and College Fjord. We had gone upstairs to view the glaciers, but the outside main balconies were full. We had a much better and private view from our own balcony. It's incredible getting up early in the morning with a cup of coffee and enjoying absolute silence. My mother and I were in awe with how quiet it was. We also splurged with our excursions. We hired Harv and Marv for a private whale watching tour in Juneau. Amazing. Humpbacks and Orcas galore. In Skagway we did the Best of Skagway tour. It was alright. But the most amazing thing we did was charter a float plane into Misty Fjord in Ketchikan. I sat up front as the co-pilot. Incredible. Must do. All in all, I enjoyed the age group on the Princess ship. Maybe it was the expense or lack of interest of people my age (i'm 25), but the older crowd really made it pleasant. No screaming kids. No 21 year old drunks everywhere. It was just so... pleasant. Alaska is incredible. A once in a life time chance. Spend the extra money and stay longer and upgrade to at least a balcony. You'll truely enjoy it.

 

Sorry I went on and on about my trip, but it's impossible to sum it up in just a few words.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Regardless of which cruiseline you choose, the most important choice is whether you want a roundtrip -- on Princess SF/SF, or Seattle/Seattle, or you want to start in Vancouver and finish in Anchorage, known as Northbound,(or reverse known as Southbound). On the round trip, there are wasted days and fewer ports and glacier views. On the Vancouver / Anchorage, the glaciers and ports visited are much better. But then your airfare is higher because air is not a round trip. /Sultan

 

I think beyond the selection of cruiseline, this is the question to ask yourself: One way or round trip.

 

If you want to add on a cruisetour (say to Denali), then you should consider the one way. You either do the tour before or after your cruise. The cruise itself is started either in Anchorage/Whittier, and goes south; or starts in Vancouver and goes north. This entails flying into one port and flying from the other. So the flight may be more expensive for you. Just about all of the cruiselines that have Alaskan cruises do the one-ways.

 

If you're not interested in adding on a cruisetour, are pressed for time (don't have the extra vacation days), or trying to save on the flight, then consider the round trip (from SF, Vancouver, or Seattle). Not all cruiselines sail the round trips.

 

After you decide on which type, then start looking into which cruiseline. There's slight variations in ports, depending on type of cruise and line. Hopefully, you're talking to a TA who's experienced with Alaskan cruising and can help you.

[willysgrandma]

We think you chose the right cruise line. We going next summer on the Island Princess. We also chose a 3 day Denali trip at the end of the cruise. Since were making the treck across the country we wanted to see more of Alaska. We read the brochures and spoke to our cruise agent. She booked the 3 day motor coach, train, riverboat extravaganza. It looks great and we cant wait to go.

 

As a TA, if wildlife is important, I absolutely agree with the poster above - consider a cruisetour before or after that goes to Denali. You might want to consider a Northbound/Southbond (or vice versa) rather than an inner passage.

 

July is very buggy, so I don't recommend sailing in July. Wildlife is most active in May and towards the end of the season, end of August and September.

 

By all means, try and contact a TA that is accredited with Princess. You can go to the Princess website and input your zip code to find a local agent that has completed Princesses Commodore training.

 

Princess has one of the best Alaska experiences of all the cruise lines.

 

Ask any TA if they have actually cruised Alaska too - that is important in finding one who can give you the best experience.

[jean s]

Rereading this thread I want to do this trip again. I loved one of the posters who wrote about this trip being truly spiritual. I agree. I also was moved by the poster who referred to the absolute silence in the fiords. It was incredible. This is a trip that in some ways is beyond description. There is so much to do and see that you need to do it more than once.