This is an Alaska Cruise Rating guide, intended to give you an idea of how the major cruise lines serving Alaska and the Pacific Northwest are rated by passengers.
Of course, any ratings system must be taken with a huge grain of salt, and what might be the perfect cruise for one person would be too stodgy or informal for another.
With that in mind, I will first list the rankings for the major cruise lines that sail to Alaska. Then I will highlight the best cruise lines for various kinds of passengers.
According to passengers (as compiled by Cruise Ship Ratings), the top major cruise lines ion Alaska are:
1. Radisson/Regent 2. Celebrity Cruises 3. Royal Caribbean 4. Princess 5. Holland America 6. Carnival 7. Norwegian Cruise Line
Now, many people will take issue with the ranking of their favorite cruise line.
Norwegian, in fact, offers some of innovative features on ships sailing to Alaska, including great dining options.
Princess and Holland America both have the most ships sailing in Alaska, almost three times more than the next largest lines.
The best Alaska cruise lines for different kinds of passengers
Again, it is hard to rate all these cruise lines together in one group, since each has a slightly different target audience.
Therefore, here is a list of the top cruise lines for each of four different passenger types:
Upscale passengers - The very best large cruise line for passengers with higher budgets is Radission/Regent. Their Seven Seas Mariner is a wonderful smaller ship with a high crew to passenger ratio. Top of the line all the way.
Traditionalist passengers - Holland America is an old school cruise line that is great for passengers who prefer traditional cruising - formal dining rooms, set seating, and a slightly older skewing crowd.
Casual passengers - Norwegian Cruise Line offers the most dining choices on its ships and the most flexible dining options. They are also a trend-setter amongst cruise lines, offering the latest innovations in cruising.
Families - Princess offers a huge number of different cruises to Alaska with slightly more relaxed environment than the other large line, Holland America. Norwegian is another good choice for families, due to the exceptional dining flexibility.
So those are my top picks by passenger type. In reality, you will find excellent service, food, activities, and entertainment on all of these cruise lines.
Most often, people choose a cruise based on availability and itinerary, though some frequent passengers are fiercely loyal to their cruise line.
An Alaska Cruise Rating might be helpful in choosing between two similar itineraries.Therefore, I hope this guide will assist you in choosing the right cruise for you.
