Need Help Deciding - Alaska - Princess or RCCL

[Pusniski]

I posted this on the AK forum but didn't really get a response so I'm posting here and RCCL. Hope cross posting is ok. I really would like to get some fair opinions especially from those that have cruised both of these lines.

 

We are in our early 30's and our son will be 14 at the time of sailing. We are sailing 3rd or 4th week of June. I understand we'll be in the minority in age and should book base on itinerary and not ship activities. I've narrowed it down to Radiance of the Sea and Island Princess. We just can't seem to decide between these two. Here are my reasons:

 

Island Princess - Awesome itinerary with Hubbard Glacier & Glacier Bay National Park. Decent deal on mini-suite (feel we need for x-tra bathroom space). Mon-Mon may yield less crowded ports. Cons: We had a less than stellar experience on Caribbean Princess - service issues. We enjoyed the food, casino and thought it was a beautiful ship. IP is a different ship and itinerary so we're very much keeping an open mind.

 

Radiance OTS - Love the Fri-Fri sailing dates. This will give us a bit more time pre-cruise and post cruise. I've always wanted to try RCCL. Con: No Glacier Bay in itinerary since they aren't permitted.

 

I'm sure the lines are more comparable than different. Both ships seem to review about the same. If you were in my shoes, would take advantage of the extra time to see AK by land a bit more or see Glacier Bay National Park?

 

Inquring Mind would like to know: Would it be worth booking any type of suite on these sailings? Are you out of your room either in port, on deck or in common areas to view the surroundings to even take advantage of suite perks (larger balcony, concierge service on RCCL, etc)? I feel mini-suite is necessary on IS b/c of shower size (or lack thereof) though I'd really love to save money for in-port sight seeing. Should I shoot for a covered balcony on Princess?

[houch]

Alaska was my first cruise and it was on Princess, we did a land and cruise combo. I would vote for Princess as it is my favorite. However with a 14 year old your better choice might be RCI as it seems to have more kid things to do, at least that is what I have heard.

 

This cruise seems to always have mostly older folks on it, whichever cruiseline you choose. At age 50 I was the youngest on board, except for the staff.

 

I liked both cruiselines but I feel service and food is much better on Princess, at least that has been my experience. My friend did the Island Princess to Alaska last year and loved the ship.

[LuAnn]

Let me think about this! We have done both...we don't have kids that young so not a consideration...the Glaciers are wonderful and to me one of the reasons to go to Alaska. BUT..

 

having said that...when the cruising is in those areas it is alot about "scenery"...and info from the rangers/naturalist on board...maybe not what a 14 yr. old wants to hear...but would depend on that 14 yr. old? :p

 

We have cruised Princess and Celebrity...in this area...and choose Princess in May because we were doing the land portion...and IMHO I think they "do" that the best...

 

But we have been on the Radiance of the Seas and loved the ship itself (layout, decor, etc) and the Captain at that time! And they had the Rock Climbing Wall and other events that a 14 yr old. might enjoy! But we did not think that the food in the dining room was more than "boring" at best.

 

So based on this long, drawn out idea...if I were you...I would pick RCCL from a "family" stand-point. Hope this helps??? If not...ask away! LuAnn

[Solstice23]

I would say Royal Caribbean for sure, esp with teen, The RCCL ships are better overall esp radiance class versus Princess. We have done the land tour with Celebrity and they use same buses and trains as Royal, and there were better then Princess.

 

Royal and princess are more similar then different, But I do find the Service better on Royal forsure. Food well its subjective so....whatever there about equal when it comes to the end.

 

But on this board you will get princess fans and vise versa.

 

Overall I would choose Celebrity over both of these options

[Merc85]

I don't think you can go wrong either way. But here are my comments based upon visiting Alaska on both Princess and RCCL:

- if you go with Princess, DEFINITELY get a covered balcony. There's always a good chance of rain/drizzles and you can use your balcony for viewing, so get it covered.

- we've been on both ships and liked them both. But as others have pointed out, the Radiance will probably have somewhat more "stuff" for teenagers to do.

- Glacier Bay is worth seeing if you have a good weather day. But I wouldn't choose that itinerary just because of Glacier Bay since sometimes the weather doesn't allow for good viewing of it.

- if the Friday departure gives you a little more time to visit Alaska on land, that's a plus since it's worth spending some time there.

- the mini-suite is definitely worth it on Princess, but get one with a covered balcony as I said above.

- we liked the Radiance a little better than the Island Princess, but both are very nice ships. We just like the RCCL ships a little better for our tastes.

- food is similar in my opinion, or at least it was when we tool these ships a few years ago. We liked the setup of the Windjammer on the Radiance a lot since it has individual stations for the different types of food.

All in all, we (both about 60), would pick the best itinerary of these two options, which would be the one on the Island Princes because of Glacier Bay. But when our kids went with us last year, we went on the Radiance since the itinerary was still good, we spent a little time on land before the cruise, and we liked the Radiance as a ship a little better than the Island Princess, especially with our kids on board.

Good luck and enjoy. Alaska is one of our favorite places to visit for sure. And you can't go wrong with either choice.

[vmom]

I love Princess and just got off the Golden Princess to Alaska. Can't say enough great things about our cruise.

 

That said, if I was traveling with a 14 year old boy, I'd likely pick RCCL all else being equal. I just think RCCL is more geared to that age group.

 

We spend very little time in our room. For us a suite would not be worth the extra money. Keep in mind, excursions in Alaska seem to be quite a bit more expensive than in the Caribbean. You might want to stick with a smaller room and spend the money on excursions.

[katisdale]

If you are going when school is out I think the age demographics will be similar on both ships. We took our grandchildren (ages 8 and 11) last September and they were the only children in the kids area as school had started everywhere by then. However if your son enjoys science I think he would love Princess. They dissected stuff like squid and had a private program with the naturalist from Glacier bay. We chose Princess because of the Alaskan itinerary which included Glacier Bay. If we were doing a caribbean we would look more for what the ship offered rather than what the itinerary offered. I hope this makes sense.

[spunkie4]

We've cruised Alaska three times. All on Princess. The last was this May on the Coral. We also included the cruisetour. Princess is great for Alaska.

 

There were many teenagers on the ship and all seemed happy.

 

As for the room. We had an inside, but we booked the cruise rather late. We tried to change to a balcony, but all were booked. We enjoy being on deck and meeting people, so we spend very little time in our room. the room choice is a personal preference. If you feel you need the space, by all means book a suite.

 

Shirley

[jean s]

We cruised on Coral (sister ship to Island) to Alaska and also did the land tour. It was a fantastic trip. This is my favorite size of ship. It is smaller than the Grand class and carries around 1960 people. When we cruised in August there were many extended families and many children. From talking to parents and children it seemed as if most people were pleased with the children and teen programs.

[Mary Ann 2]

We did back to back Alaska on the Island two years ago and LOVED it! Especially Glacier Bay! On my recent trip, we didn't even get close to seeing the glacier because Tracy Arm is so narrow that any ice means a no go. I would definitely consider the glacier advantages. Is RCCL not going to any glacier? It really is an awesome experience!

[Pusniski]

Thank you all soooo very much for responding. :) Last night my son voted for RCCL and with all the responses I read this morning we've decided to go with them. RCCL does include Hubbard Glacier and Icy Straight. We're focusing on Denali. Plus, I'm thinking of taking a 2 night side trip to Seward to do the longer Kenai Fjords Tour I hear it terrific. I think these might make up for "missing" Glacier Bay National Park. I'm guessing we'll love AK we'll return. I would once again consider Princess.