OPINION? Princess vs NCL for Alaska.

[ajgardner]

My family has only done DCL cruises (10 in Europe and Caribbean), it is the only cruise line we’ve ever used and love it, even when our kids became young adults. Now as my husband and I have become empty nesters, we would like to give other cruise lines a try - especially on our next cruise to Alaska. We have narrowed it down to Princess and NCL, both with similar itineraries (including Glacier Bay). I am very nervous about being disappointed because I can’t imagine them comparing to the service and entertainment of DCL.

While I know much of Alaska is about seeing the sights and port days, having fun on the ship is important to us too. We love the service and friendliness of staff onboard, the beauty and cleanliness of the ships and most of all the entertainment. We like watching the movies onboard, enjoy the theater productions and love the “adult” entertainment after dinner (game shows, comedians, jugglers, etc..). We aren’t parties (in fact, I don’t drink) but we like having fun. I feel like NCL would closer match our vibe in those aspects (maybe?) while Princess might be more “stuffy” and dull? But then I read that Princess is the best for Alaska. Any thoughts/opinions/advise/input you can offer? This is our 20th anniversary trip so we want it to be special and not regret our choice.

 

[disykat]

We really enjoyed the NCL Bliss. We saw Jersey Boys, Six, and several shows done by a Beatles cover band. We never had to dress up, and the big observation lounge was great.

 

[tasha99]

I think it matters most if you want to go to Glacier Bay. HAL and Princess have most of the passes for that. Some NCL cruises do to (or at least they did when my BIL and fam went on an Alaskan cruise.)

 

[fly girl]

Did you look on YouTube for each ship you are looking at? Seeing the pros and cons of each ship may sway your decision.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We really liked Princess for Alaska. We did take their land tour up to Denali. Everything was wonderful! One activity was getting an harmonica and taking lessons. I thought I would practice when I got home, but I didn’t. We enjoyed some bead jewelry making, free. I also enjoyed movies under the stars with popcorn.

At Glacier Bay they had 2 Park Rangers on board and there were excellent presentations.

Have never been on NCL.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Never traveled on DCL, NCL or Princess though I have cruised. Have you checked www.cruisecritic.com ? So many reviews which when well written (and many of them are) help you to narrow your choice down to one.

 

[tvguy]

HAL is the cruise line with the most experience in Alaska. Best docking locations and permits to get to the glaciers. We have done two Alaska cruises on HAL. HOWEVER, I'm not sure there is a bad cruise to Alaska. The scenery is just so amazing.

 

[Meriweather]

Our first cruise was HAL to Alaska. Loved it.
We have cruised Alaska 10 times now. Princess once.....didn't care for the ship or the food.
The rest have been RCCL......no Glacier Bay though. The glaciers have shrunk so much since out first trip

 

[ajgardner]

We really enjoyed the NCL Bliss. We saw Jersey Boys, Six, and several shows done by a Beatles cover band. We never had to dress up, and the big observation lounge was great.

The show list is definitely part of what started to sway me toward Bliss/Encore

 

[ajgardner]

Never traveled on DCL, NCL or Princess though I have cruised. Have you checked www.cruisecritic.com ? So many reviews which when well written (and many of them are) help you to narrow your choice down to one.

I think that’s the problem, there are too many reviews! Once I read some and think I’ve made a decisive, I read more that sway me another way!

 

[ajgardner]

I think it matters most if you want to go to Glacier Bay. HAL and Princess have most of the passes for that. Some NCL cruises do to (or at least they did when my BIL and fam went on an Alaskan cruise.)

Both the itineraries have Glacier Bay on it, so now it’s just a matter of choosing which cruise NCL Encore or Princess Royal.

 

[ajgardner]

Did you look on YouTube for each ship you are looking at? Seeing the pros and cons of each ship may sway your decision.

I haven’t checked out YouTube yet, mostly just cruise boards. I will look at some videos though, I had not thought to do that!

 

[ajgardner]

We really liked Princess for Alaska. We did take their land tour up to Denali. Everything was wonderful! One activity was getting an harmonica and taking lessons. I thought I would practice when I got home, but I didn’t. We enjoyed some bead jewelry making, free. I also enjoyed movies under the stars with popcorn.

At Glacier Bay they had 2 Park Rangers on board and there were excellent presentations.

Have never been on NCL.

Have you cruised Disney? If so, how would you say they compared?

 

[ajgardner]

Our first cruise was HAL to Alaska. Loved it.
We have cruised Alaska 10 times now. Princess once.....didn't care for the ship or the food.
The rest have been RCCL......no Glacier Bay though. The glaciers have shrunk so much since out first trip

I was looking at RCCL but decided we really wanted Glacier Bay since we likely won’t go back to Alaska (we live on east coast, plus have tons of other locations on our bucket list). I definitely want to try RCCL but probably on a Caribbean sailing.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

Bliss and Encore are 2 of NCL's best ships. You cannot go wrong with either one, and many consider Encore to be their favorite of the whole fleet. What are the Princess ships sailing to Alaska you're comparing?

 

[fly girl]

I haven’t checked out YouTube yet, mostly just cruise boards. I will look at some videos though, I had not thought to do that!

Sometimes seeing the ships really sway how you feel. Hope it helps.

 

[jimmymc]

There are definitely pros and cons for each. Both can be great options, depending on what you're looking for.

Princess:

• More formal, will probably have 2 formal nights and a stricter dress code on other nights
• More traditional main dining room experience, form relationship with your server like on Disney
• Somewhat generic cruise ship entertainment (singers performing hits of the 60s and 70s for 45 minutes)
• Better docking locations in Alaska and longer port times
• More enrichment talks during the day
• The ship does get quiet at night after the theater shows. Bars will be open, but there aren't really parties

NCL:

• No formal nights, very lax dress code in MDR
• Anytime dining is the default, although you can make a daily reservation on the first day of your cruise
• Excellent specialty dining, and 1 or 2 meals are usually included with your fare
• Broadway shows and what I think of as more fun entertainment, like guitarists covering songs in the pub or the Beatles Cover Band playing the Cavern Club on NCL Encore
• Worse docking locations - you take a shuttle bus from the dock to town in Alaska and Ketchikan
• More game shows during the day than enrichment talks
• More late-night entertainment. The second theater show doesn't usually start until late, and the main club and pub have entertainment until late at night

Both lines:

• Good quality food in the main dining room and buffet
• Fun casinos
• Good package options to make the experience closer to all inclusive- Princess Plus and Premier and Free at Sea on NCL

I'm a big fan of NCL because I travel solo a lot, and I have done the NCL Encore to Alaska. My only big complaint was the short port times. We didn't dock in Juneau until 2:30 pm, and the town basically closes at 8 pm. In Ketchikan, all aboard was 1:30, and because I did an excursion that was round trip from Ward Cove, I didn't see the main town at all. But as far as time on the ship went, it was great, especially the nighttime shows and entertainment.

 

[ajgardner]

Bliss and Encore are 2 of NCL's best ships. You cannot go wrong with either one, and many consider Encore to be their favorite of the whole fleet. What are the Princess ships sailing to Alaska you're comparing?

We are still looking at NCL options but for Princess, we narrowed it down to Royal Princess - Anchorage to Vancouver with Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, and Ketchikan; or Ruby Princess roundtrip Vancouver with Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan.

 

[ajgardner]

There are definitely pros and cons for each. Both can be great options, depending on what you're looking for.

Princess:

• More formal, will probably have 2 formal nights and a stricter dress code on other nights
• More traditional main dining room experience, form relationship with your server like on Disney
• Somewhat generic cruise ship entertainment (singers performing hits of the 60s and 70s for 45 minutes)
• Better docking locations in Alaska and longer port times
• More enrichment talks during the day
• The ship does get quiet at night after the theater shows. Bars will be open, but there aren't really parties

NCL:

• No formal nights, very lax dress code in MDR
• Anytime dining is the default, although you can make a daily reservation on the first day of your cruise
• Excellent specialty dining, and 1 or 2 meals are usually included with your fare
• Broadway shows and what I think of as more fun entertainment, like guitarists covering songs in the pub or the Beatles Cover Band playing the Cavern Club on NCL Encore
• Worse docking locations - you take a shuttle bus from the dock to town in Alaska and Ketchikan
• More game shows during the day than enrichment talks
• More late-night entertainment. The second theater show doesn't usually start until late, and the main club and pub have entertainment until late at night

Both lines:

• Good quality food in the main dining room and buffet
• Fun casinos
• Good package options to make the experience closer to all inclusive- Princess Plus and Premier and Free at Sea on NCL

I'm a big fan of NCL because I travel solo a lot, and I have done the NCL Encore to Alaska. My only big complaint was the short port times. We didn't dock in Juneau until 2:30 pm, and the town basically closes at 8 pm. In Ketchikan, all aboard was 1:30, and because I did an excursion that was round trip from Ward Cove, I didn't see the main town at all. But as far as time on the ship went, it was great, especially the nighttime shows and entertainment.

Thank you this will be helpful for my husband and I to consider