Which cruise line most enjoyable for Alaska?
 

For two adult women, mother and daughter who love to travel, which cruise line would be the most enjoyable, Princess, Holland America, or Celebrity for a seven day cruise to Alaska in September, (when all the children are back in school?)<BR>Please anyone who has been on these lines please give me some idea of what your experiences were. I've never been on any of them and don't know how to choose.

Only cruised on Princess, but loved our Alaskan trip. Everything was easy, the cabin was great, service attentive, food good, etc. Let me know if I can answer any specific questions.

I cruised on Royal Caribbean to Alaska and thought it was fabulous. The food, service and ship were outstanding. Throw in the incredible scenery and it was one of the best vacations I ever experienced! The ship was the Legend of the Seas. I won $800 on the slots too!

<BR>Hi Kay,<BR><BR>I would say if this will be your trip of a lifetime and you are not planning to go back anytime in the near future you should really talk to an Alaskan cruise expert. One important point is to not do the round trip cruises. It is less money but you will miss quite a bit of Alaska.<BR><BR>Each of the cruise lines you <BR>mentioned are very good. Look for <BR>the best price. Study the itineraries carefully. It takes quit a bit of planning to see Alaska correctly.<BR><BR>Paul<BR>

It is good to know that you had a "fabu" time on RC. We will go on it to Alaska this August and look forward to planning the itinerary. We are in our mid-40's, will bring our two kids (11 and 15) and mother in law. Do you have any advice for nice activities for my mother in law to do while the family does the outdoorsy stuff? She loves to shop and stuff like that. Thanks.

What do you miss on the roundtrip Vancouver trip? I will be on one in June. The ports look the same: Skagway, Ketchikan, Juneau, and the Hubbard Glacier. SOunds like the same thing I did on a northbound sailing on the Mercury a few years ago.. What am I leaving out??<BR>Thanks!

This is probably too late since you are going in September, but we just got back from Alaska Inside Passage and traveled on the Yorktown Clipper through Tauck World Discovery. The biggest difference in the ships you mention and the Yorktown Clipper is that the Yorktown Clipper is a small ship and carries a maximum of 134 passangers. So we got to see things the you won't because we went where the big ships can traverse. We also had the luxury of slowing down when there was wild life to see. We say Orca, humpbacks, sea otters, and Steller Seals over an extended period of time and close up. At one point on Tracy Arm, the Captain got the ship within 4 feet of a rock wall so three members of the crew could get under a water fall and collect glacier water for us to taste. At one point, he sent a zodiac out to "wrangle" a small ice berg and hoist it on deck for all of us to see. We stopped at Elfin Cove, Bartlett Cove at Glacier Bay, Haines, Skagway, and Sitka, starting and stopping in Juneau. We also got to meet passangers from all over the world because of the small size of the ship. And we didn't get lost one time trying to find our way around the ship. Also, since it is a small ship, we stayed on the inside, never going out to see, so our entire cruise was as smooth as glass. Just a different and more intimate way to see the inside passage that I would urge anyone to consider. Just a super trip with first class service from start to finish. We will continue to travel with Tauck. Have fun. It is a beautiful part of our world.

A friend of mine just returned from a small ship. Does "America West" ring a bell? Less than 200 people on board.<BR><BR>He went one way up the inside passage. Said that it was fabulous. Got to see things that the big cruise lines couldn't get close enough to see. The captain stopped the ship several times so the passengers could view things.<BR><BR>As his sister works for the company, he cruised for free. But, said that after that, he wouldn't hesitate to pay the big bucks to cruise on a small intimate ship.

Tim: It is difficult for me to believe your comment that you "stayed inside and never going out to see" . There are wonderful things to see outside and it isn't that cold yet! You really missed a lot of Alaska by using your technique. Go back to Alaska sometime to really see it!!

I think Tim meant stayed in the Inside Passage not going out to SEA. <BR><BR>

Nanette- Your friend probably travelled on Cruise West.