Help Alaska newbie please

[kenish]

We're a family of 4, in our 40's (young at heart, though) with two sons, 12 and 16. We're trying to decide between Princess and Holland America, as they seem to have the best reputations, and we have friend who've been on both. We tend to like younger crowds, but not at the expense of nice accomodations. We're doing just a 7-day cruise from Vancouver - no land portion. What are the pro's and con's of each?

 

Buttah- My 15yo son and I are cruising with HAL for the first time in July. HAL ships receive high "user" ratings here in CC for facilities in the 15yo age group (I didn't specifically check for 12yo but I recall all the ratings were 4-5 star). The professional rating section is good too but they give one rating for all kid facilities...the user section has composite ratings by age group.

 

Celebrity is outstanding, but not for kids. They are trying to change but are definitely geared towards adults. On a cruise with a group of adults I noticed the kids facilities were sparse and the few children I saw looked very bored. I concur with the 1-2 star ratings on CC.

 

Friends with teens have taken about 15 cruises, two to Alaska. One was on RCCL and the other on Princess. They didn't like RCCL, the staff was trying hard but very overworked, causing service to suffer. Also, RCCL was very aggressive with their merchandising, in my friend's words "a floating infomercial". They enjoyed Princess. Since Princess' schedules didn't work for me, I didn't research it further.

 

Last Friday HAL told me there are 37 passengers in the 15-16 age group on our cruise. Our kids should have plenty of new friends on summer Alaska cruises.

 

Another thing to ponder is whether you want to see Alaska via cruise ship, or whether you want to be on a great cruise ship that happens to visit Alaska. That may help you rule in or rule out cruise lines based on your preferences.

 

HTH!

[buttah75]

Well, at least we've at least settled on doing a one-way (Vancouver/Anchorage or visa versa), so we're getting somewhere! Is there a better or easier direction? We're in Los Angeles if that makes a difference. We do have a lot of miles to burn, btw.

 

kenish, I don't see age group ratings in reviews. What am I doing wrong?

[vbmom87]

It's so frustrating that the "search" feature is down, though, hence my not being able to find out more before posting.

 

 

Yes, the search feature is frustrating. However, when it does work, it is much faster than it was a few months ago. Keep trying and if isn't working, just feel free to post. Sometimes it is just down for a few minutes.

[NancyIL]

Well, at least we've at least settled on doing a one-way (Vancouver/Anchorage or visa versa), so we're getting somewhere! Is there a better or easier direction? We're in Los Angeles if that makes a difference. We do have a lot of miles to burn, btw.

 

Most here think getting the long flight out of the way first is the better way to go. However, if you're not doing a land trip at the beginning, and just flying to Anchorage to get on the ship - I think THAT will be more tiring. If you're on a Princess southbound ship, the first place you visit is College Fjord EARLY the day after the cruise begins.

 

I like the "wow factor" of the cruise getting better and better as you cruise north. You also have a sea day before arriving in your first port. Since California is the same time as Vancouver, you won't get jet lagged by crossing multiple time zones.

[vbmom87]

So much to learn and decide. What is that people believe makes RCI not as upscale? At least in the photos, the staterooms look just as nice (and possibly bigger for the money). Also, is RCI the same RCCL? I'm guessing they're both Royal Caribbean? I checked out Celebrity, but they don't have the "free choice" dining that we're very attracted to.

 

 

 

I don't recall reading that RCI wasn't upscale. Maybe I missed those posts.

 

I have read that there are many people who overall like RCI. However, from my reading of this board, many seem to think that although they are a great cruiseline, they don't do Alaska well.

 

Some people cruise for the ship, some cruise for the destination. From all I have read here, if you are cruising for the destination, HAL and Princess would be your choices for Alaska. We ended up chosing HAL. Mainly because my husband new several couples who had gone on HAL and loved it. We had not come across anyone who had done Princess until after we booked our cruise. They did enjoy their Princess Cruise.

 

In the end we were glad we are on HAL because we will disembark in Seward and are looking very forward to our two days there. Also, we get to take the train from Seward to Anchorage. This train stretch is supposed to be the most scenic train ride in the interior of Alaska. If you are not doing the train in Skagway, you might want to consider HAL and disembark in Seward and take the train to Anchorage. Your boys might enjoy that experience.

 

My sisters are cruising with us, but they will not be doing the land portion with us. When we disembark in Seward they will be going directly on the train using the HAL transfer. The train is supposed to arrive at the Anchorage airport about 11:30 a.m.

[NancyIL]

I don't recall reading that RCI wasn't upscale. Maybe I missed those posts.

 

 

 

I posted that RCI and Celebrity have the same itinerary, and Celebrity is the more upscale of the two.

[vbmom87]

With regard to flying into Vancouver and out of Anchorage, when booking your air fare tell them you need an open jaw ticket. This is a round-trip ticket but with different origination point for the return leg. It is cheaper than 2 seperate one way tickets. If you are using frequent flyer miles it only counts as a single round trip. I do this frequently for business and it isn't a big deal, but you will probably need to call the airline and talk to an agent, as booking tickets on-line that way is next to impossible (for me anyway).

 

 

With NWA it is very easy to book a multi-city (open jaw) ticket on line. We purchased one ticket with FF miles and paid for one. We were able to do both on line very simply.

[UF G8R]

As you make your plans, remember to consider possible airline delays. Last summer we met a family on a carribean cruise who had booked their AK cruise but their flight from KC to AK had a stop over in Denver and it was was cancelled due to a thunderstorm. They ended up with no way to get to their ship. They had trip insurance and had scheduled their flights through the cruise line but when they left for their substitute cruise, they were not completely confident that they would get all their money back.

 

Learning from their experience, we are going into Anchorage a day early. My only regret is that I didnt schedule another day or 2 there. We too were confined by time issues.

 

Weather isnt the only thing that can cause flight cancellations or delays, so keep that in mind when you make your choices.

[vbmom87]

Well, at least we've at least settled on doing a one-way (Vancouver/Anchorage or visa versa), so we're getting somewhere! Is there a better or easier direction? We're in Los Angeles if that makes a difference. We do have a lot of miles to burn, btw.

 

kenish, I don't see age group ratings in reviews. What am I doing wrong?

 

I haven't cruised yet, but have read these boards a lot and can tell you what people have said regarding NB or SB.

 

SB: Those who like SB say that you get your longer flight out of the way first. Many people seem to think one hour extra is such a big deal. Personally, I don't, so that was not an issue for us. We were able to get direct flights in both directions. However, you also have an extra time zone to get adjusted to when you take the SB cruises. When you are on a SB, you are cruising along Vancouver Island in the daytime. Apparantly it is a very scenic. On a NB you apparantly miss a lot of this because you are cruising along the island during the night. As already mentioned, if you are visiting College Fjords, you will be cruising the area very early in the morning on a SB. I have read posts where people slept in and totally missed this glacier area.

 

NB: As mentioned many like the WOW factor of each day being a bit more scenic. It has been said the NB cruises are usually less expensive. Also, it seems that many of the NB cruises have longer port times. You also have one sea day to help you adjust to the the new time zone. In our case we are three time zones from Vancouver and four from Anchorage. We chose NB because our vacation time was in June and we wanted to make sure we could get all the way into Denali on our land portion. Also, since others are traveling with us and they are not doing the land, it seemed easier if we were all traveling together at the beginning of the cruise.

 

So, as you can see, there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to cruising in Alaska. You are doing the right thing by asking a lot of questions. I suggest you check your library or local book store and read a Fodor's or Frommer's Alaska book. They are quick reads and you will learn a lot in a short time.

 

Happy Planning!!!

[vbmom87]

Weather isnt the only thing that can cause flight cancellations or delays, so keep that in mind when you make your choices.

 

We are actually flying out to Vancouver two days early. It is HIGHLY recommended you fly out at least one day early. As mentioned, there are many reasons that cause flights to be delayed or cancelled.

[Budget Queen]

Well, at least we've at least settled on doing a one-way (Vancouver/Anchorage or visa versa), so we're getting somewhere! Is there a better or easier direction? We're in Los Angeles if that makes a difference. We do have a lot of miles to burn, btw.

 

kenish, I don't see age group ratings in reviews. What am I doing wrong?

 

I have cruised both ways several times. I will always like southbound better, as I greatly enjoy sailing inside Vancouver Island. Even on my northbounds, I am out late at night and up by 4am with twilight, getting whatever glimpse I can of BC. It is best to look at the whole picture- time in ports, route, glacier, ship naturalist, price. Then decide what's best for you. I don't find the "early" College Fjords sailing on southbound any negative. Even with coming from Pacific time zone, it is worthwhile to get yourself up early. :)

[MacThespian]

I don't recall reading that RCI wasn't upscale. Maybe I missed those posts.

 

I have read that there are many people who overall like RCI. However, from my reading of this board, many seem to think that although they are a great cruiseline, they don't do Alaska well.

 

Some people cruise for the ship, some cruise for the destination. From all I have read here, if you are cruising for the destination, HAL and Princess would be your choices for Alaska. We ended up chosing HAL. Mainly because my husband new several couples who had gone on HAL and loved it. We had not come across anyone who had done Princess until after we booked our cruise. They did enjoy their Princess Cruise.

 

We cruised to Alaska on Radiance of the Seas; I think that class of ship is the most beautiful I've been on, if that's a consideration for you. That said, we'll be taking a northbound cruise next summer on Celebrity, stay over a day, then cruise southbound on Princess. We like Celebrity a lot (and for the posters who think that the kids programs there don't cut it, my 11-year-old daughter really enjoyed the kids program on the 4 Celebrity cruises she's been on).

 

I'm a little confused about "cruising for the destination." A cruise, almost by definition, spends relatively little time in each port. You get an overview, but nothing in depth. Are the excursions better on HAL and Princess? Maybe--and these two lines are noted for their Alaska itineraries. The port times and specific ports are not all that different from line to line (and yes, I did compare Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, HAL, and NCL).

 

The things to look at, in my opinion (which obviously isn't shared by everyone on this board), include ports (especially the amount of time actually spent in each port), specific ships (even on one line, some will fit you better than others), and the excursions offered by each cruise line (especially for first timers to Alaska). Obviously, I also look at schedules and prices. We were actively considering HAL for next year, but we wanted a balcony, and the premium for a balcony on their ships is substantially more than it is for comparable ships on Princess and Celebrity.

 

I suspect the OP will have a great time, no matter which line and which ship is chosen.

[vbmom87]

We were actively considering HAL for next year, but we wanted a balcony, and the premium for a balcony on their ships is substantially more than it is for comparable ships on Princess and Celebrity.

 

Yes, HAL does seem to price their balconies very high, especially on cruises connected with land tours. Personally, I was leaning to Princess, but my DH wanted to stick with HAL, because people he knew were happy with HAL. He does not like to see out of the box sometimes.;)

 

 

I suspect the OP will have a great time, no matter which line and which ship is chosen.

 

I agree. Since we began planning we have met many people now who have cruised to Alaska on the various lines. The only couple that was not happy with their cruise had gone with Cruise West. It seemed obvious to me that they had not done their homework. They were quite bored on their cruise. They are Vegas Vacationers and Cruise West just doesn't have the amenities of the other cruise lines. They were dissatisfied with the lack of food choices and lack of things to do. The key here is to do your homework and know what you want and what the cruise will offer. All the other people we talked to loved their Alaska trips. Unless you go back numerous times on the varied lines, you really have nothing to compare to. It seems that almost everyone loves their trips to Alaska. I have no doubt that I will love it.

[vbmom87]

 

I'm a little confused about "cruising for the destination." A cruise, almost by definition, spends relatively little time in each port. You get an overview, but nothing in depth. Are the excursions better on HAL and Princess? Maybe--and these two lines are noted for their Alaska itineraries. The port times and specific ports are not all that different from line to line (and yes, I did compare Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, HAL, and NCL).

 

 

I think what those of us who talk about "cruising for the destination" mean is that the cruise ship itself is not that important to us. We are more interested in what ports and glaciers the ship is going to as well as how long the ships will be in port. When I was comparing, I did find that many itineraries spent a shorter time in some of the ports. We are willing to forgo the beautiful ships to get a ship that will go where were want and for the times we want. I have always heard that RCL has beautiful ships. However, on these boards, I also read that they don't do Alaska as well as HAL and Princess. Am I speaking from experience? No. I am reiterating what many on these boards have said. I chose to listen to them as I planned my likely (but hopefully not) once in a lifetime trip to Alaska.

 

As far as excursions being better, we are doing most excursions independently, so that is really a non-issue for us. My sister chose the cruiseline helicopter tour because of timing with another independent tour.

[kenish]

kenish, I don't see age group ratings in reviews. What am I doing wrong?

 

From the CC home page or the top of this forum page, select "Reviews" at the RH side of the gold strip. Then in the blue box, select the ship in the "Ship Reviews" pulldown menu. When the ship review page opens, click on "Member Rating" at the left, about 1/3 down the page. It will show composite member ratings, including kid facilities by age group. (This is not available on ships with few member ratings).

 

By the way, we are from OC and used AAdvantage miles. One tip- AA wanted 45k miles per person, and the routing would have been LAX-DFW-YVR and ANC/DFW/LAX !! Instead, we used a "partner award" on Alaska. It required only 25k AAdvantage miles per person, and the routing is a much nicer SNA-SEA-YVR//ANC-SEA-SNA. If you're going to use a partner award on Alaska, check their website first for award seat availability. Then contact your airline to claim the partner award. NW lets you book partner awards online, AA requires a phone call.

 

We like Celebrity a lot (and for the posters who think that the kids programs there don't cut it, my 11-year-old daughter really enjoyed the kids program on the 4 Celebrity cruises she's been on).

 

I like Celebrity too ! Your comment is consistent with the member ratings... Infinity gets very high ratings in all age brackets between 3-12 but low ratings for toddlers and 13+. It definitely depends on the age and interests of your kid(s). I agree the OP will have a great time no matter what they choose.

[buttah75]

Thanks guys! With a 16 year old and a saavy 12 year old (due to having an older brother, it's really like I've got two teens). Both would unfortunately turn their noses at "programs"!!!! It's more about maybe a PS2 here or a simulated golf thingie there, that kind of thing.

 

But here's my latest question: Yikes! My husband is 6'4" (that he'll admit to - maybe more) and I keep reading in the reviews that the showers are impossibly small on Princess. Are they any better on Celebrity or RCI? Should I just warn him and hope for the best? (It's very hard being that tall. He sees everything quite differently. And he's not big on cruising in general due to his tendency toward seasickness.... he's doing this because I've wanted to my whole life!)

 

At this point it's down to Princess, RCI or maybe HAL one-way (there's not much left on HAL on the dates we need). We will get a balcony room or a mini-suite for the two of us, and inside cabin for the teens (16 year olds are allowed their own room w/out an adult, at least w/Princess. Haven't asked the others.)

 

Thanks again, you all!

[vbmom87]

But here's my latest question: Yikes! My husband is 6'4" (that he'll admit to - maybe more) and I keep reading in the reviews that the showers are impossibly small on Princess. Are they any better on Celebrity or RCI? Should I just warn him and hope for the best? (It's very hard being that tall. He sees everything quite differently. And he's not big on cruising in general due to his tendency toward seasickness.... he's doing this because I've wanted to my whole life!)

Thanks again, you all!

 

Did you see this post?

 

"Maybe you'll laugh, but we always take a hand-held shower head for our shower. It's small and light and is not a burden to carry. We just unscrew the existing shower head (no tools needed) and screw in ours for the duration of the tripp. Home Depot sells cheap ones for $20 or so. It makes the small showers easier to use for people of all sizes - even kids. Just add it to your list.

[NancyIL]

By the way, we are from OC and used AAdvantage miles. One tip- AA wanted 45k miles per person, and the routing would have been LAX-DFW-YVR and ANC/DFW/LAX !! Instead, we used a "partner award" on Alaska. It required only 25k AAdvantage miles per person, and the routing is a much nicer SNA-SEA-YVR//ANC-SEA-SNA. If you're going to use a partner award on Alaska, check their website first for award seat availability. Then contact your airline to claim the partner award. NW lets you book partner awards online, AA requires a phone call.

 

 

 

 

On American, a 45,000 mile award is for business/first class, whereas 50,000 miles are required for an Anytime award in coach. The OP would have to be extremely lucky to get a 25,000 mile award using American miles on AA flights for an August 2008 cruise. You also have to call American when booking open-jaw award flights.

[kenish]

On American, a 45,000 mile award is for business/first class, whereas 50,000 miles are required for an Anytime award in coach. The OP would have to be extremely lucky to get a 25,000 mile award using American miles on AA flights for an August 2008 cruise. You also have to call American when booking open-jaw award flights.

 

Nancy- You're correct that it's 50k, not 45k for a AAnytime award. On AA codeshares through SEA there were only 50k awards available. The only 25k sAAver awards were through DFW. However, there were all sorts of 25k awards available on Alaska (this was in late Feb. for early July travel). So I called AA and booked an open-jaw "partner" award on AS. Same flights, half the miles, still booked through AA!! :)

[buttah75]

Kenish, but this only works if we go to John Wayne airport, no? And I suppose non-stop flights are a dream?

[NancyIL]

Kenish, but this only works if we go to John Wayne airport, no? And I suppose non-stop flights are a dream?

Check the web site of the airline on which you have lots of miles and see what flights are available. If your miles are on American, also check Alaska Airlines' web site, as they are a partner - as kenish mentioned. You can check award availability to Vancouver and home from Anchorage (or vice versa) on American's web site - but you have to check each direction as a one-way. The web site won't allow you to book multi-city awards online. It will also show only American's flights and not those operated by partner airlines.

[doogs27]

Anyone have experience with Carnival in comparison with RCI (Spirit vs Radiance in particular)?

 

 

I really wanted to sail on the Pearl (dining choice and casual really appealed to me, plus I love the idea of a bowling alley on a boat!) but since this is our first and possibly only trip to Alaska this August, we are looking to do a pre-cruise trip around Fairbanks, Denali, and Anchorage on our own and both Carnival and RCI seem to be a little less formal than HAL and Celebrity. Any opinions out there?

[sunvalley cruisers]

My opinion...so don't bash me!:)

 

I've taken my teen son on Carnival, RCI and Princess. Hands down, he would choose Carnival or RCI again. He prefered the pizza, disco, music, game room and atmosphere on those 2 lines. 40 something teens on a ship that has 3,000 isn't much. Less complaints from teens makes for a more relaxing cruise for parents.

 

Princess will have kids and so will HA but both cater to more of an older adult crowd whether it's Alaska or the Caribbean. If your kids are more active, then stick with RCI or Carnival, less stuffy and less complaints that "my waiter/purser/captain/waitress/deckhand/cruisedirector/shopclerk/etc...

was rude, the dessert was terrible, no mint on my pillow, sun didn't shine".:p

 

We sail Princess without him now.

[the2006Junket]

Buttah,

 

Like you, I was perplexed and at times my head was swimming with the choice that would be right for my group of 6 families with kids ranging in age from 9 - 20, but most are teens. Though we sailed with Celebrity in the Medit. and loved it...for Alaska, we have chosen the RCI - Radiance of Seas for Aug. '09 Seward to Vancouver.

 

We plan to do some interior touring prior to the cruise (want to do our land tour at the beginning when we are full of energy), so we choose a Southbound.

 

Why the Radiance vs. the much touted HAL and Princess in Alaska? Frankly, we want this gang of kids to be as happy as possible and we think the Radiance will be a better fit for this trip. We have the rest of our lives (post kids at home) to sail on the "best" ships in the world from the standpoint of food, wine and the like. But for now, a ship that seems to offer more things for the kids to enjoy during our days at sea AND more other younger adults and kids appealed to us.

 

We also are fine with seeing Hubbard vs. Glacier Bay.

 

One of my son's best friends (age 17) and a family with 3 kids from 8 - 14 sailed on HAL last summer in AK and in both cases the teens announced that the HAL ships were "kinda boring," that there wasn't much for the teens to do, that there were not many teens and that there were alot of "grandparents" on the ship.

 

I'm sure that HAL and Princess do a wonderful job and there are probably things that would be better on the ground with those companies. However, we're planning to do mostly independent touring at port stops (with 21 people, it's often way cheaper to do our own tours vs. going with the ship), so I'm not sure we'd benefit from the "smoother ground operations" that other posters have discussed with HAL and Princess.

 

So, thought I'd share how another family with kids made their decision.

 

Happy Planning!

 

Lynne