Babalomus

This topic has come up before, but the most recent I find is 2 years old. We are planning an Alaskan trip next summer, and are trying to decide between Norwegian and Princess. The rooms we are looking at are actually comparable in price, pretty much the itinerary, but Norwegian has a promotion right now offering free wifi, excursion credit, specialty dining, or free drink package (which is what we would choose and is big plus for us). What would you choose and why?

Gardyloo

What's the itinerary? Sailing from Seattle or Vancouver?

jacketwatch

What are the ships?

I can't say what i would do w/o knowing more about the ships and the itinerary.

mikesmom

I have cruised to Alaska twice - once on Holland America and once on Princess - both roundtrip from Seatlle. Enjoyed both very much. In late September, I took my first NCL cruise out of NY to New England/Canada on the Gem. My friend and I had the free drink package on that trip and it was a lot of fun not to worry about a bar bill at the end. I am not a huge drinker and would never purchase the package because it wouldn't be worthwhile, but it sure was fun to have the drinks included.

Does the NCL itinerary include Glacier Bay? That would be important to me because I think Glacier Bay is a must. Cruising to Alaska is more about the itinerary than the ship. In my experience, the food and entertainment were better on NCL, but the Golden Princess was prettier than the NCL Gem.

I can't compare cabins because I had an inside cabin on Princess and a mini-suite on NCL. It isn't fair to compare them.

Alaska is spectacular! You will love it!

Frank

Princess and HAL have the most experience in cruising Alaska. Having said that, we generally find that Princess gives a better cruise experience than NCL. Have enjoyed both but would always choose Princess all thing being equal.

mikesmom

I agree with Frank. All things being equal, I, too, would choose Princess (especially to Alaska).

ira

IMO Holland America and Princess are your best choices.

They have been there the longest and have the licenses for Glacier Bay as well as the best berths in the towns.

Have a good trip.

cheezz

I cruise solely on Princess because it is the only ship that doesn't allow smoking. I had 2 cruises ruined because I could never open my balcony door due to the smokers next door who lived on their balcony for 7 days.

If smoking is not an issue with you, then make sure the ship you choose goes by Glacier Bay.

Also keep in mind that NCL will draw a younger crowd of guests. I sailed Princess to Alaska and there were exactly TWO kids onboard and only a few passengers under 20.

JetLagViajes

I'd try princess, as ex-Celebrity employee I noticed that consistently Princess had very good docking spots, which normally means saving your time and money.

Also check that there are no Tender operations expected, as this will be very time consuming, and I assume you won't enjoy standing in line during rain and waiting for a tender boat to come.

rjgdjg

While I have not taken NCL and cannot comment, I did take Princess (Golden Princess) to Alaska on a roundtrip out of Seattle. In fact, it was our first Princess cruise and we were so smitten that we've since taken many on the line (upcoming cruise overall is #18). Reasons I'd recommend Princess to Alaska:
* Longevity cruising in Alaska--Princess has been cruising Alaska for a very long time
* Glacier Bay--as others have mentioned, Princess is one of the few lines with permission to sail through this unbelievably pristine and haunting channel
* Guest speakers--on our trip, there was an excellent lecturer on Alaska culture who not only gave many presentations, but also narrated the trip through Glacier Bay. There was also a naturalist and woman who won the Iditarod dog sled race
* Extra stuff--Princess put on a very nice salmon buffet with salmon every which way, offered a champagne brunch (at a cost) the day we went into Glacier Bay

It's overall a very good line, with attentive staff and decent food.

If you're interested, I have some Alaska postings on my blog, http://musingaboutcruising.blogspot.com