Princess vs. Celebrity Alaska Cruisetours: Which Is Right for You?
Clients ask me this all the time: if I want to add Denali and Alaska’s interior to my cruise, should I book Princess or Celebrity? Both lines pair a week at sea with several nights on land, and both do it well. They just go about it in very different ways, and those differences shape how your trip feels from day to day.
I sailed Alaska myself in early June 2023 on Norwegian Sun, a 10-day trip out of Seattle, and we loved the ports. That trip is part of why I pay close attention to things like dining and how smoothly a line handles embarkation and port days when I match clients with a cruise. Here’s how I explain the Princess and Celebrity difference.
The quick answer
Choose Princess if you want the classic, all-in-one Alaska trip: a good chance at Glacier Bay, the line’s own wilderness lodges near the national parks, and one company handling every hand-off from ship to train to lodge.
Choose Celebrity if you’d rather stay in established local hotels, often in or near town, travel with a dedicated tour director and coach, and you’re happy to trade Glacier Bay for glaciers like Hubbard or Dawes.
Princess vs. Celebrity at a glance
| Princess | Celebrity | |
|---|---|---|
| Glacier day | Often Glacier Bay | Often Hubbard or Dawes Glacier |
| Hotels and lodges | Princess-owned lodges near the parks | Local hotels, often in or near town |
| Ground transport | Princess’s own motorcoaches | Dedicated coach, driver and tour director |
| Rail | Princess’s own dome cars on the Alaska Railroad, ship to Denali | The Alaska Railroad’s own dome cars |
| Feel | Seamless, all under one roof | Local and guided, more time in town |
Princess: the all-in-one Alaska system
Princess is the only cruise line that owns and operates its own lodges in Alaska. Book a Princess cruisetour and the ship, the train, the motorcoach and the lodge all belong to the same company, so the whole trip runs as one connected system.
Glacier Bay
Glacier Bay National Park limits how many large ships can enter each day and each season, and only a handful of cruise lines hold the park’s contracts. Princess is one of them, so many Princess Alaska sailings include a day in Glacier Bay. Itineraries vary by ship and date, so I always check the specific sailing before I promise a client Glacier Bay.
The lodges
Princess has five lodges: Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge near Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge, and Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge. Which ones you stay at depends on the cruisetour you choose.
The rail cars and coaches
Princess has its own glass-domed rail cars on the Alaska Railroad line, with a dining room on board and open-air viewing platforms. On many cruisetours, its Direct-to-the-Wilderness rail service carries you from the ship in Whittier to a Princess lodge in the Denali area on the same day. Between rail days, you ride Princess’s own motorcoaches.
The benefits
- Smooth hand-offs. One company runs every piece, so your luggage, schedule and transfers are coordinated from start to finish.
- Lodges built for the parks. The lodges sit in scenic riverside settings near the parks, which suits travelers who want to wake up in the wilderness.
- A quick start inland. The ship-to-lodge rail service gets you into the Denali area the same day you leave the ship.
The potential downsides
- Fewer choices nearby. Some lodges are fairly remote, so many meals and evenings happen at or around the lodge.
- A big operation. These lodges welcome a lot of cruisetour guests, so arrivals and dining can feel busy at peak times.
- Less local flavor. A cruise line’s own lodge is comfortable and consistent, but it can feel a step removed from everyday Alaska.
Celebrity: local hotels and a dedicated guide
Celebrity takes a different approach. Instead of owning lodges, it books established local hotels and lodges and wraps them in a guided land tour.
Glacier days
Celebrity isn’t currently one of the lines authorized in Glacier Bay, so its ships typically visit other glaciers. Current itineraries often feature Hubbard Glacier in the Gulf of Alaska, or Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier south of Juneau. I’ve seen Hubbard myself, and it does not disappoint.
Hotels close to town
Celebrity cruisetours use local properties such as the Anchorage Marriott downtown and Denali Park Village near the national park, with other stays in places like Fairbanks, Seward or Girdwood depending on the tour. For many travelers, that means walking out the door to local restaurants and shops in the evening.
Motorcoach, guide and rail
Each Celebrity cruisetour travels in a dedicated motorcoach with a driver, plus a tour director who leads the land portion. Celebrity says it picks tour directors with deep local roots. Rail days are spent in the Alaska Railroad’s own glass-domed cars, on the line between Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali and Fairbanks.
What to weigh
- More local character. Hotels in or near town put you closer to everyday Alaska.
- A familiar face. Having the same tour director and coach can make the land days feel personal.
- No Glacier Bay. If Glacier Bay is a must, Celebrity isn’t the right fit today.
- More variety. Hotels change from tour to tour, so the experience can differ more from one cruisetour to the next.
How to choose
- Is Glacier Bay a must-see? Lean Princess.
- Do you want to wake up surrounded by wilderness? Princess’s riverside lodges are made for that.
- Do you like strolling to dinner in town? Celebrity’s hotels make that easy.
- Do you love having one guide all the way through? Celebrity’s tour director model fits well.
- Do you want the simplest hand-offs? Princess keeps everything under one roof.
- Which ship suits you? The week at sea matters too, so we’ll compare ships and dining as well.
One more tip: whichever line you choose, port days are a great place to add local flavor. In Ketchikan, I often recommend Sourdough Cab Co to clients who want a more local experience, and I set up trips with them myself. For more ideas, see my post on seeing Alaska beyond the big cruise ships.
Princess vs. Celebrity FAQ
Does Celebrity go to Glacier Bay?
Not currently. The National Park Service publishes the list of cruise lines authorized in Glacier Bay, and Celebrity isn’t on it right now. Celebrity typically visits Hubbard Glacier or Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier instead.
Does every Princess cruise include Glacier Bay?
No. Many Princess Alaska sailings include it, but not all of them. Some feature other ice, such as Hubbard Glacier or College Fjord, so it pays to check the exact itinerary.
Does the land tour come before or after the cruise?
It depends on direction. With Celebrity, a southbound cruise from Seward means the land tour comes first, and a northbound cruise from Vancouver means it comes after. Princess cruisetours work the same way around its one-way Gulf of Alaska cruise.
Will I ride a train with both lines?
Yes. Both use glass-domed rail cars on the Alaska Railroad line. Princess has its own cars, including ship-to-Denali service from Whittier, while Celebrity uses the Alaska Railroad’s own domed cars.
Not sure which one fits you?
Every traveler weighs these differences a little differently, and that’s exactly where I can help. Ask me which cruisetour fits your travel style, and I’ll match you with the line, the ship and the land tour that suit you best.
