Good Alaskan Cruise?

Question

Looking for some help / opinions on what is a good cruise line / boat for an Alaskan Cruise? I am looking at taking my wife on one for our 10th anniversary. We both have never been on a cruiseand are in our 30s, so looking for one that we has some fun activites on it and not just play shuffleboard all day. Along with that, not looking for a fancy cruise (don't want to have to pack a coat and tie) - it is vacation!

I know there are a lot of questions here, but any guidence would be much appreciated.

Answer 1

Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) has some of the best cruises to offer, mainly because it's a freestyle cruising that no other cruiseline offers. You don't have to eat at a certain time or at a certain place. If you feel like eating alone at the 5-star restaurant, go for it! If you feel like eating with others by the pool, great!

Also...NO FORMAL NIGHT! Also, for your wife there's a nice chocolate buffet at midnight on the second to the last night of the cruise!

Other cruiselines, Princess and Celebrity especially, are more like party ships. NCL and Roya lCarribean are classier and offer more to their cruisers. If this is your first cruise, you'll be so lost in the activities on board and the excurisions that you'll find it hard NOT to have fun!

Also if you want to splurge on the excursions (in Alaska they offer a $200/person helicopter ride to the top of a glacier), get an inside room. You won't be spending much time in your room anyway, so why waste money on a room with a view?

Answer 2

If you are just thinking of a 7 day cruise then Norwegian or Princess. May & Sept. offers the best rates. Both lines offers an excellent buffet plus other choices where you eat when you want and jeans are welcome. Both offer great things to do while on board. If you would like to really see Alaska then Princess cruise tour is worth every penny. You still take your 7 day cruise then tour the land. See cruisetour 9N at Princess.com.

Denali National Park is something ones has to see as well as Fairbanks. You will stay at % star lodges at Denali and Pike"s in Fairbanks, see more wildlife, a native Indian village, etc have excellent food, meet people from all over the world.

Happy Anniversary and a trip neither will ever forget.

Enjoy.

Answer 3

I cruised Alaska last summer on Holland America Lines.  They do have two formal dinner nights, but there are also other dining options, so you can skip those.  I thought there was a pretty good mix age wise, it really wasn't mostly an older crowd.  And I totally disagree with the person who said to get an inside room.  The views in Alaska are spectacular and people who cruise a lot will tell you that an Alaskan cruise is the best they've ever been on.  We spent a lot of time on our balcony just enjoying the scenery with our room service.  

As far as excursions, most of the ships are in the same port on the same day and offer pretty much the same excursions, however if you are planning to do any flight excursions such as helicopter or floatplane, I recommend scheduling them later in the day if possible.  There can be a lot of morning fog and cancellation of morning flights is common.

As far as price, I don't know how Holland America compares to other lines, but we booked close to the departure date through a travel agent and got a suite with a balcony for about  $3K for three of us.

Answer 4

I don't think there are any bad ones. If you have a special interest like bridge, square dancing, etc., you can probably get a special cruise that caters to that activity. Check a publication in the interest of your choice and have a blast :-).

Answer 5

Princess and Royal Caribbean have the best cruises to Alaska and are most common for this destination. I like both of them for Alaska as well.

Princess is a little more popular for Alaska, but it is a little more formal ship, costs a little more, and tends to be more popular for older couples. (Alaska tends to be a destination that a slightly older crowd tends to visit, but is usually loved by every age, not so much by real young children, but they still like it)

Royal Caribbean is also popular, is not quite as fancy, prices are a little lower, usually more onboard activities, the average age is a little lower, but they do also attract more families, so you can expect a lot more children than on Princess.

Holland America is also good for Alaska, but you are looking at a crowd that tends to be older than Princess and they can be pretty strict with dress codes and that type thing. Also, they can be a little more expensive than the other lines.

Most cruise lines do have a formal night, or a few, and also some events where they request you dress up, such as a lunch with the captain. Some cruise lines are more strict with their dress codes than others, some don't really enforce it much, but do request that you avoid shorts, tanks, swimsuits, etc. Also, you don't have to attend on the nights where you are required to where formal attire, there are also buffet style restaurants, or hamburger/hotdog type places on most lines as well.

There are a lot of great lines out there, but Princess, Royal Caribbean and Holland America are probably the most popular for Princess. Each destination tends to have a few cruise lines that are known for offerring spectacular cruises to that destination.

I hope this helps! Congratulations on your anniversary, I think an Alaskan cruise will be a wonderful way to celebrate!

Answer 6

Celebrity and Royal Carribbean do a great Alaskan cruise. I'd recommend the one departing from Seattle. Both allow you to eat at the buffet room, which is quiter. Celebrity and RCCL are owned by the same company by the way. You mentioned that you don't want a fancy cruise. In that case Norwegian is the way to go. They offer "freestyle cruising", which means that you can wear plain street clothes at dinner.