Best Alaskan Cruise??????

I'm looking to book an Alaskan Cruise next June around the time of the Summer
Solstice for my wife and I. We normally take Princess and they seem to have an
interesting one on the Saphire Princess that departs Anchorage on June 20 and
Arrives in Vancouver on June 27. However I've been watching a Travel Channel
program highligting cruising on RCI's Radiance of the Seas and it looks very
nice. I just want to canvas opinions here on which one people think is better
and why.

Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

TIA

Spike

"Spike" wrote in message
...
I'm looking to book an Alaskan Cruise next June around the time of the
Summer
Solstice for my wife and I. We normally take Princess and they seem to
have an
interesting one on the Saphire Princess that departs Anchorage on June 20
and
Arrives in Vancouver on June 27. However I've been watching a Travel
Channel
program highligting cruising on RCI's Radiance of the Seas and it looks
very
nice. I just want to canvas opinions here on which one people think is
better
and why.

Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

TIA

Spike


I would probably go with the Sapphire Princess. I've been on both the Star
Princess and the Radiance, and they're both nice ships. The things I liked
about Princess was the anytime dining and there were more activities on
board.

The Radiance is a beautiful ship, but it doesn't have as many public rooms
and activities as some of the newer ships. I was impressed with the
beautiful architechture and glass elevetors in the Centrum. Wasn't quite as
impressed with the buffet and didn't think they used some of thier lounge
efficiently (such as they were closed or mostly empty for a lot of the
time). It also had a rock wall and mini golf which didn't interest us.
Also, there was only 3 or 4 hot tubs that were always full (Star Princess
had 11 hot tubs).

I talked to several people who were on the Diamond Princess (Sister ship to
the Sapphire Princess) and they said it was step up in class from the Star.
The Sapphire was the boat that burned to the ground in Japan if you're
superstitious (It was actually the Diamond but renamed the Sapphire when
they switched hulls).

I suppose it comes down to this, if you like a nicer appointed ship, then go
with the Radiance. If you want a larger ship with more activities and
dining/drinking choices, then go with Sapphire. Really can't go wrong with
either.

I hope my Alaska cruise is the best..lol.
Going Aug. 22nd til the 29th on Holland America Amsterdam out of
Seattle.

On Jul 31, 4:55*pm, (Joyce) wrote:
I hope my Alaska cruise is the best..lol.
Going Aug. 22nd til the 29th on Holland America Amsterdam out of
Seattle.

I just took a cruise on Holland America Westerdam out of Seattle and
it was fantastic. I am sure yours will be too.
gfc

Spike wrote:
I'm looking to book an Alaskan Cruise next June around the time of the Summer
Solstice for my wife and I. We normally take Princess and they seem to have an
interesting one on the Saphire Princess that departs Anchorage on June 20 and
Arrives in Vancouver on June 27. However I've been watching a Travel Channel
program highligting cruising on RCI's Radiance of the Seas and it looks very
nice. I just want to canvas opinions here on which one people think is better
and why.

Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

TIA

Spike


We have done Alaska on Holland America, Princess and NCL and of those,
we liked the HAL best. The ships aside, HAL seemed to have more
activities going on during the week and the route was just a lot more
interesting (went into College Fjord). Plus, the kids in our family
liked it better too!

No matter which you choose, just remember to watch out the window and
watch the beautiful scenery go by.

--
Ray Contreras
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
http://www.coltri-usa.com
http://www.rayzplace.com

We were on the Radiance this past March, and I have to say it was by
far our favourite ship that we've sailed on.

It's the perfect size, the decor is tasteful, it's so easy to find
things on this ship and the staff were incredible. As far as Princess
line goes, we found the RCCL line to be so much more fun. You
honestly can't go wrong with the Radiance.

Larry

On Jul 31, 4:49*pm, Spike wrote:
We normally take Princess. *However I've been watching a Travel
Channel
program highligting cruising on RCI's Radiance of the Seas and it looks very
nice. *
Spike

We enjoyed our cruise on the Radiance, but I wish the hot tubs were
larger. This is a lovely ship, though.

Becca


Larry & Kim wrote:
We were on the Radiance this past March, and I have to say it was by
far our favourite ship that we've sailed on.

It's the perfect size, the decor is tasteful, it's so easy to find
things on this ship and the staff were incredible. As far as Princess
line goes, we found the RCCL line to be so much more fun. You
honestly can't go wrong with the Radiance.

Larry

"gfc" wrote in message
...
On Jul 31, 4:55 pm, (Joyce) wrote:
I hope my Alaska cruise is the best..lol.
Going Aug. 22nd til the 29th on Holland America Amsterdam out of
Seattle.

I just took a cruise on Holland America Westerdam out of Seattle and
it was fantastic. I am sure yours will be too.
gfc

We have taken HAL ships to Alaska and they were fantastic...the Ryndam and
the Statendam. Our first cruise to Alaska was on the Carnival Jubilee and
very memorable..it is a small vessel and we experienced a 37 degree list
when we left the Inside Strait and entered the Pacific waters! Bottles in
the bar and china on dining room tables went crashing to the floor! Things
on the desk and table in our cabin all slid to the floor. I have been on the
Radiance and it is a lovely ship, (one of my husband's favorites) but I
really prefer HAL for Alaska with its wrap around balcony on the Promenade
Deck.
Happy Cruising! I have heard the Amsterdam is a great ship for Alaska.

--Jean

"Spike" wrote in message
...
I'm looking to book an Alaskan Cruise next June around the time of the
Summer
Solstice for my wife and I. We normally take Princess and they seem to
have an
interesting one on the Saphire Princess that departs Anchorage on June
20 and
Arrives in Vancouver on June 27. However I've been watching a Travel
Channel
program highligting cruising on RCI's Radiance of the Seas and it looks
very
nice. I just want to canvas opinions here on which one people think is
better
and why.

Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

TIA

Spike

I've taken 2 cruises to Alaska - both times on Holland America. My reason
the first time was : they were the first ones in Alaska and 'probably have
the best slips while in port". Had no issues so used them the second time.
Also, their ship ( then anyway - the Rotterdam) was smaller than the other
cruise lines. The only difference will be - is there a slip at the dock
for your ship ? or maybe have to tender ?( from ship to shore on small
boat). Look at the towns they visit AND how long there stay there. One may
be only 4 hours vs. another ship might be 8 hrs. If you want to shop/visit
you'd want the latter. If you want to be onboard/at sea then you'd want
the former. I'd recommend to look at the different cruises lines/ the
dates you want/ the optional trips that you want ( we went fishing most
days and still had time to tour the towns)/ prices and then decide. ...
another tour we took - helicopter ride over glaciers, another was a
wildlife boat ride, took a small plane to some island to go fly-fishing.
Again THESE were offered by Holland America and not offered on some
others.

So if you are 'into something' - bird-watching, nature trails etc you
might find some of those offered on one cruise line while the others
don't. If you just want to stay onboard - then compare what's offered -
pools/spa/dancing/etc. Again, I'd think about "what are you into" and
review the cruise ships that way. We signed up to go fishing in most ports
for a few hours, then walked into town to sightsee.

While comparing, make note - is it round trip / one-way. If one-way, is it
north-south or south-north ( where do you want to start out/end up). If
you're taking southern route and like nature, I'd arrive a few days early
( and if you're from east coast allows body clock to reset a bit) to see
Alaska from the ground for a few days. Both times I flew into Anchorage a
few days early, visited there then joined a group for the bus ride to
Alyeska Resort. Holland America offered that bundled so we arrived a few
days before cruise, otherwise fly into Anchorage, airport hotel one night,
then bus picks up at Anchorage hotel and drives to Seward to board for
cruise. If you stay at Alyeska, eat up top at Seven Glaciers - expensive
but great food/view. You don't HAVE to eat - just take the gondola up for
the view if you like.

[ If you only fish in one town - do it in Sitka - we went about 100 feet
from shore and we were in 200 ft of water - all the salmon you could
catch. ( Most of the rivers/streams go through Sitka) There used to be a
limit of 2 per person and they flash freeze them for you if you want to
take them home. ( not sure of limit now). We put most back, but in Juneau,
one of the guys fishing wanted to have a salmon BBQ when he got back to
Henderson,NV so we gave him our fish to take home. ]

The trips are not cheap but NOWHERE around here could I do some of that
stuff. And THAT is why we really went there- to see nature. So for me I'd
start with optional tours / time in port/ which ports.

On Jul 31, 12:49*pm, Spike wrote:
I'm looking to book an AlaskanCruisenext June around the time of the Summer
Solstice for my wife and I. *We normally take Princess and they seem to have an
interesting one on the Saphire Princess that departs Anchorage on June 20 and
Arrives in Vancouver on June 27. *However I've been watching aTravelChannel
program highligting cruising on RCI's Radiance of the Seas and it looks very
nice. *I just want to canvas opinions here on which one people think is better
and why.

Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

TIA

Spike

RCI's Radiance is certainly a fine ship and thousands of passengers
have been pleased with their choice. You might, however, wish to look
over the full armada of Alaska-bound ships – 46 of them scheduled for
2009 so far, representing 14 cruiselines – before you make your final
choice. They vary from big 2,000-passengers-plus ships down to much-
smaller-size vessels accommodating a pampered dozen or so. The entire
2009 roster is available at my website www.AlaskaCruisingReport.com,
although itineraries are not yet posted. (They will be posted in a
month, when I take down the 2008 itineraries.) Also at the site are
sections about family cruising, Alaska ferry cruises, cruise tours,
ports of call, valuable links, a fun Alaska cruising trivia quiz, and
much more.

Mike Miller - Publisher, AlaskaCruisingReport.com