Please convince me...

[Wiltony]

Greetings all, I'm wondering if I could get some input on a decision I need to make, as it's quite tough for me. In short, I'm trying to decide between a 7 night Alaskan cruise on Royal Caribbean (Quantum) for 7 people for $10,000, or a DCL one (Wonder) for more than $20,000.

I'm a fairly avid Disney fan, and my wife is even more so. We own DVC, have APs, and the SW companion pass, so the two of us get down to WDW 3-4 times a year, but we've never taken a DCL cruise. We're not avid cruisers, but have done a couple.

We've always wanted to take a DCL cruise, but with the dramatic difference in cost, we just haven't been able to justify it yet. We're certainly willing to pay a premium for Disney quality, but $10,000 just seems like too much money. Besides my wife and I, there will be our 5 adolescent kids, aged 13-18. They like Disney too, but we took a RC cruise a few years ago and they said they had a really good time, though that ship was old and boring in my opinion. The Quantum seems like it will have a lot more space and activities, like bumper cars, flo-rider, ifly, north star, and more. In looking through the attractions on the Wonder, it feels less feature-rich?

Besides the presumably better service, theming, and Disney "magic" that I'm sure they'll pull off, what kind of offsetting value to the DCL am I missing in my evaluation of these two options and whether I can justify the additional 10k+?

Based on what I've disclosed, what route would you recommend?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Greetings all, I'm wondering if I could get some input on a decision I need to make, as it's quite tough for me. In short, I'm trying to decide between a 7 night Alaskan cruise on Royal Caribbean (Quantum) for 7 people for $10,000, or a DCL one (Wonder) for more than $20,000.

I'm a fairly avid Disney fan, and my wife is even more so. We own DVC, have APs, and the SW companion pass, so the two of us get down to WDW 3-4 times a year, but we've never taken a DCL cruise. We're not avid cruisers, but have done a couple.

We've always wanted to take a DCL cruise, but with the dramatic difference in cost, we just haven't been able to justify it yet. We're certainly willing to pay a premium for Disney quality, but $10,000 just seems like too much money. Besides my wife and I, there will be our 5 adolescent kids, aged 13-18. They like Disney too, but we took a RC cruise a few years ago and they said they had a really good time, though that ship was old and boring in my opinion. The Quantum seems like it will have a lot more space and activities, like bumper cars, flo-rider, ifly, north star, and more. In looking through the attractions on the Wonder, it feels less feature-rich?

Besides the presumably better service, theming, and Disney "magic" that I'm sure they'll pull off, what kind of offsetting value to the DCL am I missing in my evaluation of these two options and whether I can justify the additional 10k+?

Based on what I've disclosed, what route would you recommend?

The question is - do you want an Alaskan cruise to experience Alaska? Or a Disney cruise with Alaska on the side.

 

[Kingkonig]

Honestly if I was to do Alaska on a non-Disney ship, I would suggest Norwegian (or Princess). But yeah that difference in price is....difficult to stomach. I would suggest you go with the cheaper option first, then try a cheaper Disney cruise in the Caribbean to see if that is even the cruise experience you enjoy

 

[jwalk03]

Personally I wouldn’t pay that much to do Disney in Alaska. If you are paying the Disney Cruise premium pick a cruise that visits Castaway Cay which is one the best parts of a Disney Cruise.

 

[MinnieInVA]

I did an Alaska cruise on Quantum 2 years ago, and I'm getting ready to do one on the Wonder next summer - I chose RCL primarily because Alaska is a port heavy(ish) itinerary, and figured I didn't need the Disney bells and whistles. I was able to get a Junior Suite for my then 12 year old daughter and me for significantly less than a veranda stateroom on DCL (no surprise there). Overall, the ship was fine. All the amenities you mentioned, we didn't really take advantage of. Bumper cars doesn't happen very often (it's a multi use space). Northstar was a 30 minute experience, not worth doing more than once. We didn't try iFly, though I was a little interested, and Flowrider didn't seem appealing with the cooler Alaska weather. My daughter had zero interest in the "kids club" activities after she went once - all of the tweens/teens were lumped together in a single area, and at the age of 12 she did not care for that at all. She did enjoy her time at Edge on our DCL cruise last summer, so it's not that she doesn't enjoy the kids clubs...RCL just didn't work for her. I didn't really enjoy the shopping mall feel of the central area of Quantum - not magical at all. And I avoided the casino like the plague. The location of the smoking areas near the pool decks on Quantum was really off-putting as well - they were generally on the quickest path for us, so we'd either have to detour or hold our breath. And I guess I'm a kid at heart, because I missed having the DCL activities like trivia, towel folding, and stuff like that. Don't get me wrong, we didn't hate our RCL cruise, we did enjoy it, but mostly for the Alaska stuff. The ship stuff was just meh for us. That being said, would I do RCL again for Alaska? Maybe, knowing what I do now. But I'm looking forward to trying Alaska DCL style!

But honestly, doing Quantum for a busy port itinerary can be a good choice. Save DCL for one of the less port intensive cruises, so you can really enjoy the ship (and you won't have to pay the premium Alaska $$ they charge).

 

[Wiltony]

AWESOME thank you so much for the input! That makes total sense and so I think we will do a non DCL cruise for Alaska and plan to do a DCL cruise in the Caribbean down the road.

 

[auntlynne]

$10K? You could do AK on another cruise line AND a DCL in the Caribbean.

And jinx!

 

[auntlynne]

I have cruised DCL, then Princess x3, then NCL to AK. Notice it was DCL first and not again.

 

[CanucksRock]

RCCL

 

[Anna131517]

How much does itinerary matter? If you want to go to Glacier Bay you need to go with Holland America, Princess, or Norwegian. We cruised Alaska with NCL. Hated the ship, loved the itinerary. If we do it again we’ll do DCL because we’ve already done all the classic Alaska stuff and we just love DCL.

 

[happycamper47]

How much does itinerary matter? If you want to go to Glacier Bay you need to go with Holland America, Princess, or Norwegian. We cruised Alaska with NCL. Hated the ship, loved the itinerary. If we do it again we’ll do DCL because we’ve already done all the classic Alaska stuff and we just love DCL.

We just did an NCL Alaska on the Encore in June and went to Glacier Bay and "WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT" as compared to Tracey's Arm or Endicott Arm. We had no ice flows and the ship did not get as close as DCL does to the glaciers. This was our 4th AK cruise the first 3 on DCL and the only reason we went with NCL was we took the entire family (16 of us) and the logistics of Vancouver vs Seattle would have been very challenging. Overall it was a good cruise, but the disappointment of the Glaciers and their "Ward's Cove" dock in Ketchikan, I'll stick with DCL, which we're doing again in May.

 

[ShaneDJ]

I have cruised DCL, then Princess x3, then NCL to AK. Notice it was DCL first and not again.

Did you like Princess or NCL more for Alaska?

 

[tidefan]

We've been to Alaska once on DCL and twice on Princess (and plan to go back in 2026 when Virgin starts sailing there).

The big plus to me for the Wonder is that the R/T out of Vancouver does the full inside passage (up the east side of Vancouver Island), whereas anything out of Seattle, regardless of line, will put you around the western (ocean) side of Vancouver Island.

If not DCL (or Virgin), we would have no problem at all going back on Princess. We really enjoyed those cruises. As mentioned before, the weather really isn't condusive to some of the upper deck activities you may expect in the Caribbean. Also, I think Princess is often a better value than RCCL, but that may vary depending on the specific sailings.

One other thing to note, on NCL, you may dock at a private area in some of the towns that are not located right downtown and you would have to bus over to the town.

If $$ was a concern to do DCL, with all ages, personally I would look at a Royal Class Princess ship (like Royal Princess or Discovery Princess) that does the Glacier Bay itinerary. The kids will love when they bring the sled dogs on the ship. Our DD really enjoyed her Princess cruises actually.

 

[smacmillan83]

In May, we did Alaska on Ovation of the Seas, the sister ship of Quantum. Have also done Alaska with DCL 10 years ago. DCL was better overall but not sure its double the price better. Personally, I felt Ovation was too big for Alaska. The itinerary had some issues and we also didn't make it to the glacier due to too much ice. The size of the ship meant we had issues leaving Vancouver with the tides, compounded by a medical issue with the previous cruise. Meant we missed Sitka and Vancouver Island was added instead. Thought it was poorly handled by RCCL. Service was so so. Really wasn't blown away and came away quite disappointed. Whilst it was far more affordable, I really wasn't impressed and doubt I'd sail with RCCL again in a hurry. However, Alaska is amazing, no matter what ship.

 

[auntlynne]

Did you like Princess or NCL more for Alaska?

That’s a tough call.

First, I decide which ports matter to me.

And look at the port times for any cruise under consideration. There are cruiselines with short stops or ones that arrive late (meaning hours that don’t really work with excursions).

If a first timer, it’s perfectly fine to do the standard, traditional set: Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway. And a glacier viewing day. Both lines do this and both have the permits to go into Glacier Bay (I have gone in on all but DCL).

I am an outlier. I would rather see Hubbard Glacier over Glacier Bay. One giant one v several medium size. And I really like College Fjord (visited on a Northbound cruise).

For ship purposes, I think I pick NCL if it’s Encore or Bliss; these are perfect for viewing AK. The outside Deck 8 provides clear viewing, with seating and a U-shaped outdoor boardwalk. The forward 1/3 of Deck 15 is the Observation Lounge with tall, floor to ceiling windows and plenty of comfortable seating, giving climate-controlled viewing. I cruised AK in the Encore. I have taken her sister B2B NYC - Quebec.

NCL continuously runs 70% off 2nd guest promotions, with drink packages included offered (optional) for the price of gratuities and two specialty dinners also for gratuities (~$6 pp/meal). The specialty dining is the best food I have had at sea.

I have never looked into the Haven, their ship within a ship. Pretty sure I’ve seen it well spoken of here.

The ships I mention have go-karts, an indoor pool, an arcade. The use of their atrium (basically area around Guest Services, like a hotel lobby) for trivia, movies… seems awkward and in the small side. There is no movie theater.

They have a diner open nearly 24 hours. Dinner is a pick your choice situation.

There is a casino. I have not been bothered by smoke from it (maybe there’s a separate smoking room). And I do not like the smell of smoke.

There are Starbucks for those interested. I think you can earn rewards in your app.

They typically sail from Seattle. The port is at the base of town, very convenient. Seattle can get pricey for hotels, but early booking can help. Vancouver is similar, sometimes even higher than Seattle.

Flying can make a difference. We have flown into Seattle for Vancouver cruises to save money.

Next up: Princess

 

[auntlynne]

I have done 3 different itineraries on Princess. All have been in what are now older classes of ships. I have found Princess to very fairly uniform across the fleet. They may build bigger, but they all exude a bit of elegance. The atrium is always several stories high with marble floors.

I could imagine a family of five getting a mini suite (bed area + sofa area) with full bath (including tub) and a verandah. Then across the hall, get an inside cabin for the kids sleeping.

Dining is either fixed time or when you want. Most ships have a nice International Cafe in the Atrium, 24/7 with pasties and light sandwiches.

Many Princess ships have a pool with retractable roof.

We have enjoyed Movies Under the Stars, seated in loungers, wool blankets, munching on popcorn. Not all movies are kid friendly. We have seen Bond and Avengers movies.

Princess is known for their technology in place of room keys. Probably the most cutting edge in the industry. Puts Disney’s Magic Bands to shame.

…If I had the time and the money, I would pick a Princess cruise with the Northbound Voyage of the Glaciers itinerary. It starts in Vancouver, visits the typical 3 ports, Glacier Bay, and College Fjord (where you can see 8 glacier at one time; there are more). It ends outside Anchorage, in Whittier.

Then I would take the train from Anchorage to Denali. See some of the big NP. Train the rest of the way to Fairbanks and head home. (You could return to Anchorage, but it’s 8 hours v 4 to Fairbanks). We did this, but didn’t have time to stay at Denali. It was still worth it to see the interior of Alaska.

These can be arranged as Cruisetours. We just booked the parts on our own.

 

[auntlynne]

While I said for the price of Disney, I could do AK and a Caribbean cruise?

Well, you may need that money to pay for excursions, since there are 5 of you. It all depends on how many plane, train, boat, helicopter, dog sled, whale watch excursions you want to do.

The prices have gone up over the past few years. We have been sailing in pairs after the initial DCL cruise; last time being solo, so I saved $50 on every adventure/ no one paying full excursion price.

You can do excursions with independent vendors, often the same ones who provide these for the ships.

 

[auntlynne]

My sister and I cruised with kids 15, 18, and 20 yo on Disney. They hang together, so youth activities / clubs were not a factor. This was not their first cruise.

The middle one did DCL to AK for her honeymoon and again a few years later. She also did my first Princess AK cruise. She expects to return to AK, but is looking for a less expensive cruise.