We were on the Coral Princess in 2018. We did
DCL Alaska in 2015 (Tracy Arm). Our cruise experiences before Princess were all on DCL, so DCL is the only point of comparison for us. Some very brief pros/cons -
- Entertainment on Princess wasn't great. We actually snuck out of a show - was so bad. However, the Princess employee in charge of Trivia and entertainment for adults was probably the funniest person I've ever met. He added lots of fun to our trip for sure.
- The onboard naturalist was fabulous! DCL's was good, but we felt Princess won here.
- We much preferred the dining choices on Princess. The buffet was always open, and we loved the aesthetic. (I don't like how DCL switches from buffet to table seating at night and limits hours)
- The pull out sofa on Princess was horrible - I mean really horrible. I believe they were getting ready to change them out.
- We missed the adult only spaces on DCL. The lounges on Princess were very nice, but we missed having an adult only pool. I believe they had something similar on Princess (a Sanctuary space) but you had to pay a fee for it.
- We enjoyed Tracy Arm, but if I had to choose just one, Glacier Bay wins!
Having said that, if I only had one shot at Alaska, I wouldn't do a cruise (I think I'm in the minority on this one). I would travel via land and do some day boat trips like Kenai Fjords in Seward. I'd also fly or take the ferry into Gustavus and do a day boat trip through Glacier Bay. And Denali was one of the most beautiful places I've been. So much to see and do there. We're going back this summer.