Help picking Alaska cruise - July 2015

I suggest checking to see if any of these ships have a dome over the midship pool. When we said on HAL to Alaska, it was great swimming in the pool as we passed icebergs. This may help you decide.

Hi CruiselineQ. The first choice when planning an Alaska cruise really needs to be itinerary. Do they want roundtrip Seattle or a northbound or southbound between Vancouver and Anchorage? (Remember, everyone needs a passport if they’re flying in or out of Canada.) Do they have the time/budget to spend any time before or after the cruise? Once they pick the itinerary, the ships and dates that are available will make it easier to give advice.

@JusMe, thx for the input. Agree, Seattle/Vancouver is easiest. I'll mention RCCL to them

@WeCruiseToo, still deciding! I'll check in with them.

Hi QruiselineQ, has your friend picked a cruise or are they still deciding?

Have you thought of RCCL ? I would look for a trip that goes in and out of Seattle or Vancouver. The air time to travel up to Anchorage and then a 4 hour bus ride to the port can be hard on young kids or older people. RCCL gets a good mix of ages and has kids activities, my niece loved being on RCCL when she was 7 and keeps asking to go back on a ship even now 6 years later. Of the 3 you mentioned I would go with Princess, Disney is to expensive and NCL is just my least favorite cruise line.

With Disney, they'll be paying a premium for both the cruise and the airfare into Vancouver, but it's hard to NOT recommend Disney when kids of that age are involved.
If Disney isn't a viable option, I would suggest Princess as a 2nd choice. They get high marks from multi-generational cruisers since there's something to appeal to everyone. And Princess does a great job in Alaska providing an authentic experience onboard.
The only other suggestion I might make is choosing a ship and itinerary that visits Glacier Bay. It's the penultimate Alaska inside passage experience and really worth seeing.
I've replaced Disney with a Glacier Bay itinerary on Princess:

http://cruiseline.com/cruise/compare/38519-2015-07-18/42607-2015-05-16/42717-2015-07-19

Good points @Johngold. Vancouver itself is really worth a visit for those that have never been. And yes, Disney is going to have great kids activities. However, I did do Jewel this past summer and my nieces loved the kids club on the ship. I'll put you down for a vote for Disney!

Well, I am Canadian. I live in Edmonton Alberta now, however, I grew up in Vancouver B.C.. I would strongly suggest that they take the Disney Cruise from Vancouver. They should at least spend two days exploring the wonders of Vancouver before setting out on the most scenic breathtaking view they will ever experience in a thousand lifetimes.

The children on a Disney cruise are pampered with activities that are tailored to their favorite characters and imaginations. I've had a friend take a Disney Cruise with kids a little older and the young ones still speak about the adventure and the activities they experienced. As for the adults, yes, the price is higher, but well worth it considering the demographics of this trip as opposed to other lines. My Son went to Alaska on Celebrity and at 25 was the young boy with the pretty wife. My sister and brother-in-law went when they were in their 50's on Norwegian once and they did not enjoy as the crowd was quite a bit younger.

I have been there for business and sailed as a young cadet on a Canadian Minesweeper through the passage. We will go there in a few years ourselves on a cruise.

So you put a check mark from me for Disney to Alaska.