We are taking our 22 yr. old son to Alaska this summer. We have taken him on RC in the Caribbean and it was great. Does HAL have an older crowd? What about Princess, Celebrity or RC?
Suggestions please, there are so many choices. I heard that HAL "owns" Alaska, is that true?
Thanks.

My question would be why are you taking a 22 yo with you... he is an adult and can look after himself. If he is going because your paying then he should be happy with whatever ship you pick. As an adult he should be able to make friends and converse with ppl of any age. If your worried he won't make friends then don't take him!
BUT since you asked... RCCL usually has a younger age group on their bigger ships although going in peak time most ships will have families so there should be a wider age range anyway, Princess and Celebrity would be a good choice too. Look at itinerary, length in port before choosing and one cruise line. My opinion would be that HAL is not the ship for you as they do tend to have an older crowd an no HAL does not 'own' Alaska.

HAL and Princess do have the best reputation in Alaska -- one reason is that they have been there longer than the other lines and seem to always do a great job. Many HAL and Princess ships go to Glacier Bay (not all of them) which is a huge plus. RCCL and Celebrity do not have permits to Glacier Bay.

I am 33 and have sailed both RCCL and Princess to Alaska and Princess by far did a much better job. On Princess, we had a naturalist all week on the ship (who was excellent) and then park rangers for Glacier Bay. On RCCL - there was no naturalist at all on the ship and only a park ranger on Hubbard Glacier. Princess had better docking positions then RCCL from my experiences.

I would look at port times, try to find a ship that goes to Glacier Bay and College Fiords and go from there. I think your son would probably enjoy Princess over HAL. He probably would enjoy RCCL over Princess but for me, RCCL did not do Alaska well.

Good luck! Also, save $$$ for Alaska - the excursions are very $$$!

Thanks for the information. There are so many choices that it is overwhelming.

We have decided on Celebrity's Summit as it has the one way trip and is in the timeframe that we were thinking about.

To: See Me Fly: I didnt appreciate your commentary on what my family wants to do, I simply asked for insight about the ships, etc. Please remember to keep your personal remarks to yourself.

I have sailed Alaska on 4 different cruiselines. And by far RCI would be my last choice and HAL my first. Factors in Alaska are different then just picking a ship. What is important to consider- time in ports, ports, glacier, route, price. I also would never consider a one way cruise for myself without adding several days for interior touring. Especially on a one way celebrity which does not go to College Fjords (a must do for me) nor Glacier Bay. Take advantage of being all the way to Anchorage- for most people this is not a frequent trip. Just excellent touring opportunities vastly different from the cruise. HAL ships are superior for their smaller size and supurb deck viewing space. Some ships now have full front blue wind screens that I avoid like the plague My opinion only based on my many Alaska trips.

First of all, I think it's wonderful that you're including your 22 year old son. Good for you! I have heard read excellent reviews on all the Alaskan cruises so I don't think you can go wrong with any choice you make. You may need to consider the size of the ship, number of passengers and how long you're in port at each call. Also, how important is food and cabin quality? This would be how I would choose. Alaska does have a bit of an older crowd but that is not necessarily a bad thing...well seasoned travelers are great. You'll have a good time whatever you ultimately decide. If Celebrity is your choice, it's probably not that far behind HAL. Have a nice time.

BudgetQueen: of those four times you have sailed to Alaska, were ANY of them on a HAL ship or on RCCL or are you just blowing smoke here.
It isn't as if Glacier Bay has ALL the ice up there, either!

Yeah- I'm blowing smoke. You miss read- I stated I sailed on 4 different LINES to Alaska- which equaled 10 cruises (I just got back from my 17th trip to Alaska). Yes I did sail HAL- and RCI other 2 were Princess and Carnival. My top choice of the 4 is HAL
I have also sailed all 3 glaciers now sailed by cruise ships. My opinion only- Glacier Bay is my clear preference.

yes, RCCL is your best bet. The crowd on Princess and Celebrity are much older, as they are more upscale cruise lines.

To Budget Queen....this may be a bit off topic but since you've done so many Alaskan sailings I'd appreciate your comparison between cruising Alaska on Celebrity, Radisson and Silverseas (if you can shed any light, it would be appreciated). The ports are important but not as much as the ship, food and overall quality. Thank you, you seem to be the perfect person to ask (we won't be taking our children).

Most everything I sail Alaska for is outside the ship. If the ship is important- your choices would be wonderful with probably Celebrity the 3rd choice of the 3 you have listed.

If you really want to see Alaska, go over to www.cruisewest.com and check out their small ship approach. It only stands to reason that a ship with only 100 people aboard can go places the biggiest can't. And the logistics of getting on and off need to be taken into consideration. Hiring a local car/driver vs. taking the bus trips is much better, as well. Cruise West does a wonderful job and we thoroughly enjoyed our trip on the Endeavor which is one of the original small Ren ships.

To the original poster: Bravo on your comments to the "flyer" We too have a 22 yr. old son and we have vacationed with him since before he could walk so it is our family tradition to take a trip yearly and we look forward to it. As you we are concerned with his well being as well as ours and in the past we have managed several times to have a friend of his come with us so he has a pal especially during those teen years and all has gone well. Its called caring. Enjoy your cruise. I luved what you said. Larry

Dear Jacketwatch,
We often have a friend along, as we will this time. And in the past, on other lines, they have seated us at a table with another family with adult children in their 20's. It is always nice to meet new people , at every age, so the company is welcome, tho he has a friend along.

Because he is with us, we deliberately steered away from HAL . When it is just my husband and myself, we adore Windstar but there isnt enough nightlife for our son.

Thanks for your response.

You're welcome. Alaaska is on our list and hopefully we can do it one day soon. Bon Voyage!

I can't comment on Alaska cruises but do want to mention that when I was 24 (not that long ago) my parents and I went on QE2 cruise to Norway, Iceland, Dublin and Edinburgh. We realized that there woulnd't be many people anywhere near my age on the ship (although there are for transatlantic crossings) but chose the cruise because the itinerary was perfect for us-- especially me-- I'd dreamed about Iceland forever! If one of the Alaska cruises really seems better than others-- in every way but age range-- I would choose that trip.

My opinion only- HAL is a superior line for Alaska and I would never discount it due to being an older group, or less "activities" - ALL Alaska cruises have middle aged and above the majority- even Carnival. HAL is superior for the number of passengers vs space and has supurb deck space. They go to Glacier Bay too. Consider many factors in choosing Alaska- least important for me is fellow passengers.

BudgetQueen - why do you prefer Glacier Bay to Hubbard Glacier? Thanks for the info you share with us all.

Dear Jacketwatch,
I have never been to Alaska, but I have read extensively about it. There seems to be people who prefer Glacier Bay and just as many others who prefer Hubbard Glacier.

Budget Queen has been immensely helpful, not just on this site, but also on Cruisecritic.
Having said that, my preferences are not hers. For us, the beautiful scenery , wildlife, etc is only half the experience. The other half, to me, is the shiip experience. IU believe that Budget Queen is all about what is outside the ship and that explains why she has cruised Alaska so many times.
We are very experienced travelers and do go back to some places, 2-3 times, but probably wouldnt go back to Alaska, unless it was specifically for fishing,etc.

I have read that Hubbard Glacier is huge and that the cruise ships get mucher closer to the face than they do in Glacier Bay, tho I imagine that depends upon circumstances at that moment.
For us, we will enjoy exactly what we have picked and I am not sorry that we didnt choice HAL, rather than Celebrity.We like both our ship and the itinery.

Quite true. We all have our priorities and needs and must choose accordingly. I would look for the best of both personally, i.e. the scenery and the type of ship that we enjoy. This yr. we are heading for Kona for some R and R. Cheers, Larry