Royal Caribbean operates three ships in Alaska each summer:
Radiance of the Seas, which sails between Vancouver and Seward
Serenade of the Seas, which sails round trip cruises out of Vancouver
Vision of the Seas, which sails round trip cruises out of Seattle.
Holland America operates eight ships in Alaska each summer:
ms Oosterdam, which sails 7-Day Alaskan Explorer Cruises, roundtrip out of Seattle
ms Westerdam, which sails 7-Day Alaskan Explorer Cruises, roundtrip out of Seattle
ms Zaandam, which sails 7-Day Alaskan Explorer Cruises, roundtrip out of Seattle
ms Zuiderdam, which sails 7-Day Glacier Bay Inside Passage Cruises roundtrip out of Vancouver
ms Volendam, which sails 7-Day Glacier Bay Inside Passage Cruises roundtrip out of Vancouver
ms Veendam, which sails 7-Day Glacier Bay Inside Passage Cruises roundtrip out of Vancouver
ms Ryndam, which sails 7-Day Glacier Bay Inside Passage Cruises roundtrip out of Vancouver and 7-Day Glacier Discovery Cruises between Vancouver and Anchorage.
ms Statendam,which sails 7-Day Glacier Bay Inside Passage Cruises roundtrip out of Vancouver and 7-Day Glacier Discovery Cruises between Vancouver and Anchorage.
Princess Cruise Lines operates seven ships in Alaska, including:
Coral Princess, sails a 7 day Gulf of Alaska cruise between Vancouver and Whittier
Dawn Princess, sails a 10 day Inside Passage cruise, roundtrip out of San Francisco
Diamond Princess, sails a 7 day Gulf of Alaska cruise between Vancouver and Whittier
Golden Princess, sails a 7 day Inside Passage cruise, roundtrip out of Seattle
Island Princess, sails a 7 day Gulf of Alaska cruise between Vancouver and Whittier
Sapphire Princess, sails a 7 day Gulf of Alaska cruise between Vancouver and Whittier
Sun Princess, sails a 7 day Inside Passage cruise, roundtrip out of Seattle
Holland America and Princess offer the most ships and cruises in Alaska by a longshot, with Royal Caribbean a distant third.
Another advantage held by Princess and Holland America is that both offer numerous cruises to the magnificent Glacier Bay National Park. Alaska cruise line traffic into the park has been severely limited for environmental reasons (only two cruise ships per day are allowed in the park). In fact, Royal Caribbean has no cruise ships scheduled to visit Glacier Bay in 2007.
Therefore, my pick for top Alaska Cruise Line would have to be Princess, followed closely by Holland America. Also check out my choice for the five best alaska cruise options for 2007.
