RCI vs. Princess Northbound Alaska

[rayliang]

I'm thinking between two cruises. Can anyone give me suggestion as to which route I'd see more interesting things? It going to be 4 adults + 1 child 3 yr old. Its our first time to Alaska.

RCI has 4 port of call in between Vancouver & Anchorage, while Princess has 3. While it seem like Princess cruise to more glaciers then RCI. Can anyone compare and contrast for me which one is best in seeing natural beauty & do fun stuff? I'm looking to maximize my Alaska experience.

For that matter, can anyone also compare the two ships? Which would be best?

Option 1: RCI Radiance of the Sea 9/2
1 Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia --- 4:30 p.m.
2 Cruise Inside Passage, Alaska --- ---
3 Ketchikan, Alaska 7:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.
4 Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska 9:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m.
5 Juneau, Alaska 7:00 a.m. 8:30 p.m.
6 Skagway, Alaska 7:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.
7 Cruise Hubbard Glacier --- ---
8 Seward, Alaska 4:00 a.m. ---


Option 2: Diamond Princess 9/3
1 Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia --- 4:30 p.m.
2 At Sea --- ---
3 Ketchikan, Alaska 6:30 a.m. 2:00 p.m.
4 Juneau, Alaska 8:00 a.m. 9:00 p.m.
5 Skagway, Alaska 7:00 a.m. 8:30 p.m.
6 Cruise Glacier Bay 6:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m.
7 Cruise College Fjord, Alaska 5:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m.
8 Whittier (Anchorage), Alaska 12:30 a.m. ---

[Trackypup]

For us, Princess because I can't recommend Glacier Bay highly enough, it's fantastic and Royal Caribbean isn't going to get a license to go back anytime soon.

[Donna]

I too would go with the glacier itinary. Having been to Hubbard, which was amazing, I would want to see Glacier Bay as well...I will say also, Princess really does Alaska well....

[ruthlessboss]

At first I went with RCL, but studying it closer, Princess won out.

[rayliang]

should I be worried about Diamond Princess the ship? I read some recent reviews of the ship as it is at China now, and seems like many reviewers complaint about the food and more "worn" out decor of the stateroom. I'm especially concerned about food. There's also the question of my 3 yr old and whether Diamond Princess is "kid friendly".


My TA actually suggested Princess instead of RCI to me, because apparently the RCI trip already had their standard dinning time all booked up, so if I'm to book RCI they will force me to pre-pay gratuity in order to do the "dine anytime" option. My TA and I found that to be ridiculous, as if the gratuity was already prepaid, where's the incentive for the service team to treat us right?

[Donna]

I haven't seen any bad reviews of Diamond, don't think you'd have any problems...

[PeterC]

I'm with the others and say choose Princess due to Glacier bay alone. While Hubbard is spectacular....Glacier Bay is better IMO.
You'll find all ships in Alaska kid friendly, as long as you're cruising after school's out.