mausigirl Posted January 14, 2008 #1 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Hello everyone, First off I would like to say thank you to everyone for their great reviews and answers to the many questions posted. I was on my first cruise last year and from that point on I understood what it means to be "hooked". Last year I went on the Diamond Princess to Mexico and it was our best vacation ever . This year we want to go away in May so we are thinking of Alaska. After reading many of the reviews and my great experience with Princess I was going to book the roundtrip from Seattle (we cannot do the one way ones because of the extra amount of airfare and hussle with a 6 yr old). But now I read a lot of post recommending the NCL Pearl. And I am confused. These are the points I am going back an forth on and I hope your input can help me make the right decision. Pros for Princess : Got covered pool , bit cheaper in price, like the food (at least on diamond) , know kids camp Pros for NCL: Brand new ship, kidscamp age group (age 6-8) better than Princess (3-6). I like her to be with bigger kids, Better itinerary ??? Now - I don't know if the NCL route is superior - it goes through Glacier Bay - which I read is supped to be great . Princess does the Tracy Arm Fjord . I would to make this another great vacation and I appreciate your input. Thank you in advance for your help!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mousecrazy Posted January 15, 2008 #2 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I'll start to say that I have not sailed Princess nor the Pearl...but I have sailed the Star. The Pearl is now doing the Star itinerary. With that said, I would go with the Pearl for the itinerary. Tracy Arm Fjord is very difficult to navigate with big cruise ships. Especially in May, when there will be plenty of ice in the water which may impede the ships ability to get to the glacier. Glaicer Bay is absolutely breath taking. The cruise into Glacier Bay to the glacier viewing point is amazing. I don't think I've heard of a ship not being able to get to see the glacier at Glacier Bay. It will be pretty cool in May. You might see some sun, but don't expect temps above 60. Our cruise on the Star was in late May, and my ds did venture into the kids pool (which was nicely heated), but he was the only one there. So, not sure a pool cover would make much difference. But, remember, I don't know anything about Princess, so that is merely speculation. One last thing. The freestyle dining is really a nice thing in Alaska. Because it is so port intensive, not having to be at the dining room at an appointed time was a really good thing for us. Good luck making your decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toyz711 Posted January 15, 2008 #3 Share Posted January 15, 2008 i am with the "mouse", i did the NCL star in 2006, before the pearl took over the route...in fact the pearl was still getting it's finishing touches. if you go over to the alaska boards http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55 you can read other posts about glacier bay vs tracy arms(sawyer glacier). last year, none of the cruise ships made it close enough to even see sawyer glaciers, until way after the 1st of june. even the small tour ships had problems. glacier bay is totally different, not as dramatic but still outstanding views. to answer the next questions, if you do a cruise ship that goes to glacier bay...and have a balcony room and plan to spend time on the balcony...get it on the port side. that's the side that the park rangers use to point out what you are seeing, also gets 1st views on the glaciers. plus the pearl has more dining venues :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calikak Posted January 16, 2008 #4 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Ditto the comments about Tracy Arm. We did a cruise there in May 2004 on Princess and the ice was still too thick to get anywhere near the glacier. I don't know anything about Glacier Bay but having seen Yakutat Bay in September 2001, we found Tracy Arm to be a bit of a disappointment. I have nothing but good things to say about Princess and I think they have an awesome excursion program in Alaska, but if you're not booking the cruise line's shore excursions, I'd go with the non-Tracy-Arm itinerary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mausigirl Posted January 23, 2008 Author #5 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Thank very much for your responses , it helped me make my decision. We are now booked on the Pearl for May 4th. I can't wait – I am so excited. Best wishes , mausigirl:o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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