Celebrity or Princess to Alaska?

[petergrebe]

I have so many questions about our next cruise to Alaska next summer (June/July). Far away from the westcoast in Germany I appreciate any tips:
At first the cruiseline: Celebrity, Princess or HAL? In 3 weeks we will experience Celebrity´s Constellation again. Should we try another line?
One-way to Alaska or roundtrip? Southbound or northbound?
Embarkation for a roundtrip: Seattle or Vancouver?
Inside or stateroom/w balcony?
We are in the fiftys and will stay two more weeks after the cruise in BC., Wa. and Oregon.
You see, there are so many questions. Any replies are required.
Peter

 

[Jeannine]

Hubby and I sailed Celebrity Infinity 9/7/01 and right in the middle 9/11 happened. We did inside passage which I feel is perfect for cruising Alaska for the first time. Inside passage for Celebrity Infinity is roundtrip out of Vancouver, We are going back and repeating this cruise same ship in September of 2004. The ship was wonderful and the food and service were outstanding. I have sailed Princess and HAL also but we are going back with Celebrity. I feel the balcony is the best way to see it. We had video camera and digital camera at the ready by the balcony the entire cruise. We would eat breakfast on the balcony almost every morning and saw so much wildlife.

 

[Frank Black]

I have been on 4 Alaska cruises. Two one ways and two round trips via Vancouver. First, those one way cruises really don't offer that much more that it's worth the long flight to Anchorage and a 3 hour trip to or from the ship.


In my opinion, the Vancopuver aiport has become a pain in the butt. Very long lines. An extra departure fee. Etc Etc. For me, I would take a round trip Alaska cruise out of Seattle. And you get a few hours in Victoria too.

 

[halfdome86]

I've never gone the one-way trips however if you're doing a land tour up to Denali for example you must go one way. Also the one-way trips visit College Fjord (not sure if all go there) and imho you can't see too many glaciers so that's another advantage.

We've done both the Seattle and Vancouver round trips and thought that the scenery leaving and returning from Vancouver is much better since you stay longer in the inside passage.

I agree however that Vancouver airport is a nightmare. Too many ships arrive and bus passengers to the airport at virtually the same time. It's very crowded and slow to get through all the security, customs, etc.

 

[Mary Sunshine]

H-m-m,Peter, where do I start? I believe any of the three cruise lines will be just fine. Yours is the typical age group for these cruise lines. One-way Alaska or round trip is entirely up to you and depends on what you want out of your trip. If you want more of the Alaska experience, I would actually take 1 week prior to your cruise to visit Alaska, and then take 1 week after your cruise to visit BC, WA, and Oregon. This way you will be able to experience several parts of the world all in one trip! I just returned from my third trip to Alaska and can't wait to go back. To begin with, I would suggest Denali National Park, Talkeetna (flightseeing), Hatchers Pass (Independence Minte), etc. Or, visit Valdez -- it is absolutely magnificent!! I would then recommend a Southbound cruise to Vancouver. This will give you an opportunity to take the train (on the morning of embarkation) from Anchorage to Seward. This has been noted as one of the most scenic train rides in the world and is only about $59.00 p/p one way. You will need to stay at a hotel close by the night before as the train leaves at approximately 6:45 a.m. (It is about 4 hours short!) Cruising Southbound will also afford you an opportunity (onboard Princess) to cruise Glacier Bay -- NOT an area that all cruise lines visit!! Make sure it is on your itinerary!! (It is absolutely surreal!) If you do roundtrip Vancouver, you don't get the full Alaska feeling. If you embark in Seattle, and even though you will visit Victoria, B.C., this port of call is probably on the last day of your cruise. Never again will I cruise where there is a port of call on the last sailing day as it is MUCH TOO STRESSFUL to try to pack up and prepare for debarkation and visit a port of call all on the same day. Think about it.

NEVER CRUISE ALASKA IN ANYTHING OTHER THAN A BALCONY STATEROOM!!! Enough said?

As far as which cruise to book, try them all. Never limit yourself to just one cruise line. And besides, each and every cruise is a new experience!!!!!

Good luck, and HAPPY CRUISING!!!!!

 

[jcb-mommy]

Hi Peter,

I've cruised on both Celebrity and Princess. I did Cruise with Princess on my Southbound Alaskan cruise. I would definately recommend this cruise. Personally I like the one way trip because I feel like I get to see more. Also, I definately would book a balconey room. I had one on the left side (sorry folks, don't know my starboard from port sides...) anyway.... It was terrific especially since early in our trip we hit the fjords very early in the AM.....It's great to sit your robes with hot cocoa or coffee and look at the glaciers.

I am an Oregonian and personally didn't see much on the excursions I picked that I can't see here.....but they are still really nice . Next time I will pick differently. The main difference for me was that the trees were smaller and the mountains bigger. I had a great time on the White Pass RR excrusion, but make sure you take the one that only does the RR, I took one with a before tour on a bus and was not that impressed with that portion.

You'll have a great time visiting Oregon, Washington and BC.....Make sure you get to visit Crater Lake in Oregon!

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[BruinSteve]

Peter, I think I answered you in another thread somewhere, but figured I'd go on record here as well...especially since my answers will vary greatly from some of the others on this thread...

Everyone has different criteria, different priorities, different values...You need to do what's right for you...But, here are MY preferences and reasons:

<<Celebrity, Princess or HAL?<<
I've never cruised HAL...I'm 49 and have a great fear of ships full of octagenarians...nothing against octagenarians, I hope to be one someday...But, I did a Baltic cruise on Princess two years ago and the average age of the passengers had to be well over 80...The whole ship seemed to be closed down with everyone in bed by 10 each night...not for me...

I would choose Celebrity (and I have...I'm doing Alaska on the Summit July 3 for a 13 night cruisetour)...Why? Because I prefer Celebrity...I think they do a great job all the way around...better service, more class...My one cruise with Princess was a major disappointment (the ship and service, not the ports and itinerary)...Now, Princess has a great reputation for its Alaska cruisetours, but that doesn't close the sale with me...

>>One-way to Alaska or roundtrip?<<
No question in my mind--ONE WAY...Yes, it's cheaper on airfare to do a round trip...but, seriously, you're flying a very long way...which is more important-- Saving a few dollars or deeing as much as you can? As long as you're coming this far, do it right...Doing a one-way allows you to extend your trip with a cruisetour to the INTERIOR of Alaska...

>> Southbound or northbound?<<
Either works, but my preference is Southbound...that way, you can do the hard stuff first, THEN relax on the ship...Of course, for you, if your following up with land time in BC, Washington and Oregon, Southbound is even better still...that way, you can break up the two land sections with the cruise in the middle...Go for a tour of Alaska--Denali/Fairbanks, etc., then board the ship...then off the ship for further travels in the Pacific Northwest...

>>Embarkation for a roundtrip: Seattle or Vancouver?<<
Again, wouldn't be my choice...I don't see much difference between the two except that the Seattle RT has to do a stop in Canada , usually Victoria, to avoid the Jones Act...If you're spending time post cruise in Vancouver, you can easily get to Victoria on your own anyway...

>>Inside or stateroom/w balcony?<<
Balconies are nice...But, fo me, I've opted for a Cat 4 Window...booked 7002 on the Summit--on the FRONT of the ship...When we're in port, none of it matters...I'm not on the boat anyway, let alone out on my balcony...When we're at night, I'm in the dining room, showroom, lounges...When we're at sea, cruising Fjords or whatever, I'm probably just heading up on deck (remember half of those balconies might be on the "wrong" sid eof the ship for whatever you want to see)...Besides, I enjoy the social aspects of cruising...

But, again, everyone has their own preferences and desires...

 

[elaine B]

Aloha from Hawaii!
We took the Celebrity Infinity to Alaska (roundtrip from Vancouver) in June and I can't imagine any ship being better. It was a 7 day cruise and took in Juneau (Mendenhall Glacier), Skagway(White Pass and the Yukon-rent a car or van and drive so you can stop and take photos of bear by the side of the road etc.) Hubbard Glacier (incredible) and Ketchikan (floatpane trip of Misty Fjoirds National Monument). I only wish we could have gone further north and seen puffins! Also I would have liked to have seen Sitka which has a Russian history and would have been a very different kind of port. Vancouver was a great gateway city as it is clean, friendly, and modern. I wouldn't bother starting in Seattle and taking more time to get to Alaska. The food on the Infinity was incredibly impressive and I grew up in Europe. My father upgraded after the first night to a Sky Suite with a balcony and a butler and he said it was the best $1000 he ever spent. We were in Category 8 cabins (outside, picture window) which were fine but a bit cramped, certainly compared to the suite.

 

[kat]

Hey Peter. Alaska you lucky dog!!!!!!!!!!! You are going to love it. My husband and I went in June of 2002. It was an Anniversary present to ourselves. I'm not a Veteran at this like other people on these @ddicts board. We had only taken 2 cruises, and there was about 15 years in between. But honestly we did the Ocean Princess, It was Awsome the whole experience. The ship was beautiful. Have yet to experience the Celebrity line but that will change in December. First cruise with Celebrity. So I can only tell ya about the Princess Line. We did the Northbound for 14 days. Was it too much you ask? Not at all. The only thing we would do differently next time, to each their own. I'd forget about the land portion and do back to backs cruises. We spent so much money on the land portion, no free meals, Alaska is expensive. We wish now we would have spent the extra money on a balcony cabin and forgotten about the land portion.

We flew into Fairbanks and started the land portion there. It was nice. The Princess properties are wonderful. After 5 days our land portion ended in Anchorage. The one smart thing that we did do was to upgrade to the train out of Anchorage to Seward where we boarded the ship. To me it was the highlight of the trip. It was totally AWSOME. We loved every minute of it. Was far better than a bus. The wildlife was a definite dissappointment. You never know what you will see, if anything. We saw alot of dahl sheep. 2 or 3 eagles, 1 bear, not 1 moose. But the ship made up for it. I'm so envious, I wish I was going back. Oh well, it was a trip of a lifetime for us. Enjoy and let me know how you enjoyed it.