Best ship for Alaska

[MinnieFan4ever]

I am in the process of gathering some information for next summer. My daughter (15 at the the time) wants to go on an Alaskan cruise. Has anyone gone with teenagers? I don’t think we are interested in a Disney cruise. Any suggestions? Would prefer a newer ship with some activities. Thanks!

 

[CapnCrunch]

I've never done RC so can't speak to the experience, but if I'm not mistaken, I believe Quantum of the Seas (started sailing in 2014) does Alaskan sailings. I'm looking at booking something on one of RC's newer ships in the near future myself.

NCL also has the Bliss in Alaska, which has an onboard go-kart track as their claim to fame.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

Thanks, I’ll look into that ship.
a friend recommended Celebrity, any experience with them?

 

[CapnCrunch]

Only what I've read online and the YouTube vlogs I've watched so far I can only speak to DCL for firsthand experience.

Celebrity is the more premium sister cruiseline to RC and looks to be a more laidback experience. The onboard activities appear to be quite a bit less adrenaline focused (i.e. no skydiving simulator, no bumper cars, no rock climbing wall, etc.).

 

[RAD]

Thanks, I’ll look into that ship.
a friend recommended Celebrity, any experience with them?

We did the Vancouver to Seward one way sailing on the Celebrity Millennium last August, we've also done the 7 night Alaska cruise on Disney. IMHO, unless you have children with you that would love the kids programs that DCL has, or you're an adult that just has to have the Disney show, I say go with Celebrity. The service that we have was just as good if not better than DCL for less cost. But what you really should base your decision on is which itinerary meets your needs IMHO.

 

[MouseOfCards]

We've done Alaska with Disney, Celebrity, and Royal. Everyone really enjoyed Royal's Quantum of the Seas with so many activities for the kids. We stayed in Junior Suites which felt much roomier than Disney's family verandahs and was less expensive, too! Even for such a huge ship (especially compared to Disney), it never really felt crowded (especially getting on and off the ship). Loved the food in the main dining room, too. We did miss some Disney things (such as rotational dining, and Disney theatrical shows), but everyone was still very happy with the Royal ship and looking forward to booking another cruise with the larger Royal ships.

 

[MouseOfCards]

By the way, if you're not a vegan, highly recommend the all-you-can-eat lobster excursion. We've done it twice. Yummy (just thinking about it)!!!

 

[OKW Lover]

We have done Alaska on Royal twice. Both were round trip sailings out of Seattle and we enjoyed it very much. This was several years ago and the Royal ships were on the smaller side (Radiance class) but that wasn't an issue for us at all as we had done an 18-night cruise on one of them.

You'll find the cost of a Royal cruise to be significantly less than a DCL cruise in the same cabin type. The ships pretty much make the same stops so there isn't a significant difference in your overall experience.

We especially liked the Seattle departures as it's an interesting city to explore if you get there a few days early.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

Thanks everyone for your tips!

BTW… the all you care to eat lobster excursion sounds amazing

 

[Lesverts]

Also you need to understand that ship size determines the glaciers you can see. So a smaller ship that goes to Hubbard or right into Glacier Bay might be right for you if that is your primary goal. If not Dawes Glacier might be enough.

 

[ScooterScott44]

We did the inaugural sailing on Ovation which was the first of the Quantum class ships to do Alaska. That ship/class had more for the tween - teen groups than the other ships sailing Alaska itineraries. The larger ships will likly be found doing round trips out of Vancouver or Seattle, the smaller ships will also but add the one way (north or south between those ports and Anchorage/Seward).

They all will have pools, kid/teen clubs and climbing walls and arcades may be found on other ships but the SeaPlex sets this apart from the others. If your child is interested there are lots of activities that will take place there like roller skating, sport times, bumper cars and our sailing had trapeze. There is always the Northstar which can be enjoyed by everyone, not just the kids.

Agree with others that the itinerary is important and should factor into the decision. Still if you want keep teens busy, this should be considered. BTW, we did Hubbard and Dawes on this sailing, so check different dates as actual stops may change. Glacier Bay is restricted, since it is a national park, to the contracted cruise lines and a certain amount of ships per day. (Cruise lines that visit Glacier Bay: Cunard, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess, Seabourn, American Cruise Lines, Lindblad, UnCruise and Alaskan Dream Cruises.)

 

[skramer100]

We are going next year and chose the northbound passage on Princess specifically due to the amount of time they get in glacier bay. We have 7 full hours in there vs some that were only 1. That was the most important part to us as well as the dog sled racing on the glacier.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

Thanks guys! You have been very helpful.

 

[danceintherain]

We were on Ovation of the Seas last summer. It was great for my oldest, who turned 12 a few days before our trip. He spent most of his time in the teen club, and the SeaPlex, playing ping pong and video games.

 

[ChanaC]

I did Quantum last year in Alaska. We didn't travel with kids or teens, but some pros and cons of the ship specifically I experienced:

Pros:
- Lots of activities. Not sure what was happening in the kids clubs, but outside of it there was the Northstar, the skydiving simulator, the Flowrider, bumper cars, and a rock wall, plus lots of trivia games.
- Three pools, two of which were covered, which was great. The adult only solarium was huge and beautiful, and depending on the age of your teen and their maturity level they should be able to enjoy this as well. Even having an enclosed top deck was nice so you can sit "outside" while staying warm.

Cons:
- A lot of those activities I mentioned above were outside, so if it's cold, rainy, and windy (which it was on our sea days when you would be most likely to do these activities) it might be canceled, or just not be a fun experience.
- The Quantum has kind of a weird layout, and because of it it felt really crowded at times. For example, trivia was in a bar that was small and was also a walk through area, so it was hard to claim a seat and people were always moving through the area. The covered pools were great, but since the ship is large it was also hard to get a seat in there. We felt like we spent a large part of the day just looking for places to sit and hang out.
- The food was really hit or miss.
- Barely anything felt "Alaska". There was one shop they set up selling Alaska merch, but there were no guest speakers, Alaska specific events, or special items on the menu that reflected where we were. We're trying Princess this year for Alaska because I heard they are great for Alaska and incorporate the location into the cruise, if that makes any sense.
- Quantum (and Ovation) are big ships, and they can't sail the inside passage, so our sea days were true sea days with nothing to look at besides water.
- This year we are sailing out of Vancouver instead of Seattle, and I think we'll enjoy that more. Seattle round trip ships have to stop in Canada, which is usually Victoria. It was a lovely town, but we only got to spend like four hours there in the evening. It feels like the ships just "tag" in to meet the legal requirements of visiting Canada. Thus, it feels like a waste of a day. On our seven night cruise we only spend three of them actually in Alaska. I would look at the itineraries and try to find one that maximizes your time in Alaska, if at all possible. The one plus side of sailing Seattle is that if you are in the US it's usually easier to fly there than Vancouver.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

Thank you for both of your reviews. I have a lot the chew on.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

We loved our experience on the newer NCL ship in Alaska. The Observation Lounge and outdoor promenade was the biggest hit for the adults, but tons to do on board for the teens (and adults too) between race track, laser tag, VR pavilion, mini golf, etc.