I agree that if you want to take a land tour to Alaska or the Canadian Rockies you probably would be best with Princess. Thier land-based programs in Alaska are first rate.

If you're looking just for a cruise, I'd probably reccomend either Princess, Holland America, or Celebrity. They each have their own way of doing things, and one of the three should suit your style most. Service is good on all three. Princess has the widest range of entertainment, and Celebrity the most cutting-edge. The food on Celebrity is the most sophisticated, and is designed by Michelin chef Michel Roux. But Princess has more alternate options, including the choice to forego tradtional two-seating dining on some ships altogether. You'll find the cabins on Holland America to be the most spacious.

The biggest difference between the three is in the ship itself. Holland America's ships are safe, solid, and predictable. They have lots of small bars and lounges, and very traditional, almost dim decor, with, on some ships, the odd misplaced design experiment. Celebrity, on the other hand, has very striking interiors, with bold colors, expensive modern art, and striking design features at every turn. Princess' ships are beautiful, but is the most mainstream of the three with lots of marble, brass, wood, and leather - anything you'd find in your average big-city luxury hotel.

You may notice that I've left out Royal Caribbean. I've done this deliberately, as anything they do someone else does better. They are mediocre, average, no more. Considering the huge selection of ships in Alaska, I wouldn't choose them at all. There are simply better choices, especially since Royal Caribbean's food is generally abysmal. If you like the way their ships look, try Princess who have very similar design and decor, but with much better food, etc. at about the same price.

I urge you to take a look at the 360 degree tours of the ships you're considering here for a general impression of the design of the different ships.

If you have any more questions, post here. Regardless of your choice, let us know what you've chosen, and have a great trip.

Sympatico, I do understand your loyalty to HAL, but you must give Princess credit in this category. Both Princess and Royal Caribbean/Celebrity have much newer rail cars than HAL (HAL were the only ones back in 1988!), and Princess are the only ones that own their own, new (all from past ten years or so, some literally just opened) luxury hotels at all the major attractions. Princess are tops in this area. I did not take a land tour in AK, but Princess Tours (the land tour company) do operate all the shore operations for Princess in Alaska, so I got a good feel for them. A very high-quality company, outstanding guides etc. Princess probably have the best land tours in most destinations, but in Alaska there is no competition, although RCCL/Celebrity are making a lot of progress.

I enjoyed my recent Wayfarer cruise on her. I think that the service, and room were tops! The food was as good as the other two lines if not a tad better overall. Then there are the little things that all add up such as a string quartet that plays regularly during the trip, the food in the Marco Polo Restaurant was truly excellent, perhaps the finest I have ever had at sea! Also the ZAANDAM is a very easy ship to get around. Her elevators were efficient and the ship's mid-size and passenger count contributes to the overall ease of transiting the vessel.

No, I don't think that Carnival Spirit is bad at all. I myself am probably not the target audience for Carnival, but I would try them, and as you know what Carnival are all about, I don't think you should find them objectionable. It should be noted that Carnival own Holland America Tours, fka Westours, so I gather they use them for their own ships in Alaska as well... Westours are probably the second-best Alaska operator after Princess...

Personally, I think Princess is still about the best in Alaska. If you think they carry mostly geriatrics, in Alaska you'll find a younger than average crowd for Princess, HAL, or Celebrity, average for RCCL, and probably older than real Carnival partiers... Anyway, there should be plenty of people your age on any of the said ships. Competition between all five and NCL as well are about equal in Alaska, with very little distinction between "Premium" and "Standard" cruise lines - in fact less than just about anywhere else, in price, fellow passengers, and product.

To answer your final question, no, I don't think you've made a mistake. I think you'll have a great trip, so don't fret over your choice at all...

By the way, if your cabin should happen to be a Category 8B, you will most likely have a partially obstructed view. Some (if not all) Carnival brochures fail to note this... Also, check out a great photo gallery on Spirit by clicking here and selecting "Helsinki Carnival Spirit Inside" (interior pictures) and "Helsinki Carnival Spirit" (exterior pictures) from the drop-down menu on the left. Thanks to Tero Soderholm for providing the great pictures.

Happy Cruising,
CruiseNY

[ 04-11-2002: Message edited by: cruiseny ]