DCL V RC to Alaska

[Garyjames220]

We are planning in doing Alaska in 2020. Done 2 Disney cruise and one planned for next year plus not long off symphony of the seas

Just wanted some advice for a young couple, early 30s, no kids, planning Alaska

Was planning to go with dcl or RC ovation at the seas

Just wanted some advice between the two or from someone that's mybe done both and who u would go with

Thanks

 

[Garyjames220]

Also I think you can do 11 nights on the ovation of the seas with all inclusive drinks for the same price roughly as Disney of a 7 night plus drinks so wondering if the extra is worth it for less time too

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are planning in doing Alaska in 2020. Done 2 Disney cruise and one planned for next year plus not long off symphony of the seas

Just wanted some advice for a young couple, early 30s, no kids, planning Alaska

Was planning to go with dcl or RC ovation at the seas

Just wanted some advice between the two or from someone that's mybe done both and who u would go with

Thanks

Well, since neither DCL or RCCL have permits for Glacier Bay, itinerary-wise they'd be quite similar. I've not done Alaska on either line, but have done it on Holland America. For the price difference (same cost for 7 night vs 11 nights), I'd give RCCL a shot.

 

[AgentMama]

If you're not sold on a bigger, newer RCCL ship, I'd consider one of their north or southbound cruises on their smaller ship (blanking on the name right now, sorry). You'll get to see more ports.

 

[cmhguy]

I loved Anthem, her sister ship, and her solarium was my favorite cruise ship feature ever. I was excited to see Ovation in AK, but when I compared her ports and port times with other Seattle options, I made another choice. Ports were more important to me than the ship. DCL wasn't an option due to price, and we will use SW points to fly...so Seattle was our choice. I ultimately chose the Solstice.

 

[Dug720]

If you're not sold on a bigger, newer RCCL ship, I'd consider one of their north or southbound cruises on their smaller ship (blanking on the name right now, sorry). You'll get to see more ports.

Radiance of the Seas usually does that route. She’s a beautiful ship.

 

[Garyjames220]

Well at least everyone is honest

I'm surprised no one has voted dcl

 

[AgentMama]

I'm surprised no one has voteddcl

I love DCL, but I think Alaska is really more about the scenery and there are other options that are cheaper and have better itineraries. I'm sure you'll love whatever you choose.

 

[cyclenut]

I have sailed DCL to Alaska and would not do it again and routinely recommend that others choose a different line when sailing Alaska. DCL is fine, but Alaska prices are high anyway and DCL is outlandish. We will do Alaska again but it would likely be on Princess one way to or from Denali.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

We did Alaska on DCL this year, it was a great cruise but we will definitely do either NCL or RCCL the next time we go there. I have some friends that did Norwegian Bliss and said it was the best cruise and ship they’ve ever been on, they’ve sailed RCCL, NCL, Princess, HAL and Celebrity.

By the way, Bliss has a go kart track on the top deck!! I think the Solarium would be a huge positive for Ovation.

 

[Garyjames220]

Looks like RC ovation of the seas then. Guess 11 nights instead of 7 is a big thing too

Am supprised some people saying they have done Disney but they wouldn’t do it again to Alaska

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Looks like RC ovation of the seas then. Guess 11 nights instead of 7 is a big thing too

Am supprised some people saying they have done Disney but they wouldn’t do it again to Alaska

Generally, cruising Alaska is more about the itinerary, and not the ship. DCL is heavily geared toward the ship being the destination. So, DCL often doesn't compare well in Alaska.

 

[Shanti]

Looks like RC ovation of the seas then. Guess 11 nights instead of 7 is a big thing too

Am supprised some people saying they have done Disney but they wouldn’t do it again to Alaska

We sailed Disney to Alaska in June and would do it again. It was a phenomenal cruise.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I’m doing Princess next year. Glacier Bay and land trip to Denali sold us, but we are on DCL to Vancouver to meet the Princess ship!

 

[Garyjames220]

The ovation does look a massive and fun ship. Anyone else been on it or it's sister ship been interested to no what u thought of it

 

[NancyIL]

Ovation has an 11-night cruise only on May 13, 2019: https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/c...460?sail-date=2019-05-13&currency=USD&wuc=USA There is no way to know if that itinerary will be repeated in 2020, so wait until the 2020 itineraries are available on both cruise lines before deciding.

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

Although you you didn’t ask, I would also look at Celebrity. We sailed with them to Alaska this past June and loved it. We added a pre-cruise land tour to Denali through them and stayed at the same hotels that Adventures by Disney uses.

 

[aggiedog]

Looks like RC ovation of the seas then. Guess 11 nights instead of 7 is a big thing too

Am supprised some people saying they have done Disney but they wouldn’t do it again to Alaska

I think the issue is that while DCL would be a great cruise to Alaska, is it 50% better than another line, to justify paying the same price for 7 days instead of 11? Most people, even DCL cruisers, would say no. Alaska is about the destination, not as much the ship

I did the same math for our Med cruise and chose MSC instead. A DCL cruise would not have been at least twice as better to justify over twice the cost.

 

[AnnaS]

We are also planning on cruising to Alaska in 2020. We have done 8 DCL cruises but I think for the Alaska cruise, we are considering other cruise lines. The Princess being one of them. Keep the info. coming . Thanks everyone.

 

[Shanti]

Alaska is about the destination, not as much the ship.

That isn't necessarily true. The destination and the ship were equal parts of the trip for us, as half of our cruise was days spent not at ports. For the Alaskan itinerary that I looked at for DCL and other lines (before choosing DCL), there were two days at sea, plus one glacier-viewing day that guests spent onboard. That was three out of the six full days of the cruise we spent onboard. So the quality of the ship & our experiences onboard were an important part of that cruise. It was just like any cruise in that respect. The ports and the scenery were more engaging than on a Caribbean cruise, but the shipboard experience was the same and was equally important as on our other cruises.