Question by Jason K: Which Alaska cruise company is the best?
Cruising to Alaska this summer, but don’t know which cruise line yet.
Best answer:
Answer by rick d
For a 7 day cruise all lines stop at pretty much at the same ports of call. Besides price the only real difference is personal choice.
For a cruise tour Princess is #1 by the Travel Channel. I have just returned from my 26th cruise tour there. I have sailed with 3 different lines Holland, Norwegian & Princess and had a great time on each. Find a line that offers what you are looking for. Which ever line Alaska is well worth the time to go see.
Enjoy.
Add your own answer in the comments!
I also would have to say Princess because even on the sea days, many activities are related to Alaska like a Reindeer chili cook off, the food, or having an ididerod winner on board to give lectures. But Alaska by far the the most exciting cruise you can take. It is very different from all other cruises.
Personally, I like to read reviews from people who have gone on the alaskan cruises. People tend to leave reviews if they really liked or disliked an experience. I found reviews at http://www.alaskareviews.net/ Seems Princess and Holland America are the best.
A lot of the cruise lines are pulling out of Alaska, if you going to go, go this year because next year there will be more demand than berths and it’s going to get expensive.
I have cruised and toured Alaska with Celebrity and it was a great experience. No doubt we could have had a cheaper cruise with Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Costa, or a more expensive cruise with Seaborne. Their ships were all in port at the same time as ours. I mean that there is an abundance of choice, Pick a line and a cruise that suits your budget, goes to places that you want ot explore.
Personal opinion – Princess is one of the best lines, especially if you want to do a cruise tour, before or after your cruise.
It depends on what you want
The Best Ships for Families: All the major lines have well-established kids’ programs. Holland America and Norwegian Cruise Line win points in Alaska for their special shore excursions for kids and teens, and Carnival gets a nod for offering shore excursions for teens.
The Best Ships for Onboard Activities: The ships operated by Carnival and Royal Caribbean offer a very full roster of onboard activities that range from the sublime (lectures) to the ridiculous (contests designed to get passengers to do or say outrageous things). Princess’s ScholarShip@Sea program is a real winner, with excitingly packaged classes in such diverse subjects as photography, personal computers, cooking, and pottery (they even recently added scrapbooking to the roster).
The Best Ships for Entertainment: Look to the big ships here. Carnival and Royal Caribbean are tops when it comes to an overall package of show productions, nightclub acts, lounge performances, and audience-participation entertainment. Princess also offers particularly well-done — if somewhat less lavishly staged — shows. Holland America has not, historically, been noted for its entertainment package, but the company has improved considerably in that department in recent years.
-Michael