AmyB Posted November 11, 2023 Report Share Posted November 11, 2023 Hi All! I'm planning to cruise to Alaska in 2025 with my husband and 16/19 yr old sons. Quantum is sailing my top choice week but Anthem looks like it has better shows (we love Queen, and it looks like Spectra is better than Quantum's show). Both have the same itinerary. Anyone sail both ships and can give advice? Anything else I should consider? Which would you choose??? Thanks! RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted November 11, 2023 Report Share Posted November 11, 2023 I'd choose Radiance, lol. OCSC Mike, AmyB and BrianB 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TessFromFlorida Posted November 11, 2023 Report Share Posted November 11, 2023 I would choose Anthem. I sailed Ovation (sister ship) with my two teenagers out of Seattle and it was perfect for us. The ship had plenty to do, a large Seaplex for the kids, shows, a great solarium, and an indoor pool/hot tub space. There were tons of other teens onboard so finding friends was no issue at all. You can't go wrong with either of your two choices AmyB and RCIfan1912 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter D Posted November 11, 2023 Report Share Posted November 11, 2023 We sailed Alaska on Quantum in August 2023 and have been on Anthem many, many times. The ships are pretty comparable. "We Will Rock You" is a pretty good show, especially if you are a Queen fan. Sonic Odyssey on Quantum is a pretty good show also featuring an Earth Harp which is quite unique. "Spectra's Cabaret" is probably a better show than "Star Water", but I wouldn't personally choose a ship based on either show. Same goes for "The Gift" vs "Sequins and Feathers". Looking at the Summer 2025 itineraries for both ships, the ports may be where you want to base your decisions. There are two common ports (Juneau and Victoria, BC) and there are four rotational ports: Sitka, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Icy Strait (in my order of preference). It appears Quantum is the only ship that will be going to Ketchikan and/or Icy Strait. Furthermore, I'd recommend picking one of the sailings that visits two of those optional ones, so I personally would avoid the Anthem sailings that only go to Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria, BC. One side note, while you did not mention which week you were looking at, if you have a chance to witness one of the salmon runs, that is pretty cool thing to see. We saw the Coho (Silver) Salmon run in late August and Sitka was a great port to see it. JMixon14 and AmyB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyB Posted November 11, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2023 Thank you! Unfortunately there is only 1 date that goes to icy strait and we can't go that late in Aug. I teach, so I'm limited as to when I can travel- we are looking at June. There is one that goes to Ketchikan instead of Skagway... we are interested in the totem poles which I think Ketchikan has a lot of, but we can also see in Sitka. But Skagway has the train which we were also interested in. I'd love to hear more! Sev1020 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TessFromFlorida Posted November 12, 2023 Report Share Posted November 12, 2023 10 hours ago, AmyB said: Thank you! Unfortunately there is only 1 date that goes to icy strait and we can't go that late in Aug. I teach, so I'm limited as to when I can travel- we are looking at June. There is one that goes to Ketchikan instead of Skagway... we are interested in the totem poles which I think Ketchikan has a lot of, but we can also see in Sitka. But Skagway has the train which we were also interested in. I'd love to hear more! There are beautiful totem poles in Victoria too. We loved Skagway. We booked the train direct, got off and hiked for a bit then took the train back down. We still had enough time to do a Viator tour in the afternoon. I forgot the name of the trail so went back in my email history. Pasted below. AmyB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted November 12, 2023 Report Share Posted November 12, 2023 On 11/10/2023 at 10:53 PM, SpeedNoodles said: I'd choose Radiance, lol. So would I and I hate small ships… but I won’t go back to Alaska without doing another land portion. That’s the one place I don’t care about the ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter D Posted November 12, 2023 Report Share Posted November 12, 2023 Couple other things to consider. The NorthStar on Quantum is currently out of service and has been for quite a while. The website even mentions it, so if that was something you were interested in, keep that in mind. I am guessing it will require the routine drydock maintenance to repair. Also, both Quantum and Anthem are large ships. When we were on Quantum in August, we were not able to get to Dawes Glacier due to ice floats. For that matter, in July 2021, we were on Serenade and it was turned back as well for same reason. The point being is that while Royal lists that as a destination, it is very hit or miss if you will actually get to see it. Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau may be your only option on either cruise to see a glacier. If the destination is more desirable than the ships, I would also echo the recommendation for Radiance of the Seas. In May 2022, we did a northbound from Vancouver to Seward, spent 2 two nights in Seward (fjord cruise and halibut fishing) and then took the scenic train to Anchorage (flew home from there). That itinerary will hit 3 of the rotational ports and Hubbard Glacier (which I believe is a more dependable stop). It was without a doubt, my favorite Alaska experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxrunner Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 I'm guessing the teenage boys are driving the big ship option and I agree with your thinking here. Alaska is amazing, we only had three ports Skagway, Juneau and Victoria. Loved them all but next time we are going on a smaller ship and a land extension. We want to see more ports and our young adult sons will not be with us. OCSC Mike and AmyB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMixon14 Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 On 11/11/2023 at 11:24 AM, Peter D said: We sailed Alaska on Quantum in August 2023 and have been on Anthem many, many times. The ships are pretty comparable. "We Will Rock You" is a pretty good show, especially if you are a Queen fan. Sonic Odyssey on Quantum is a pretty good show also featuring an Earth Harp which is quite unique. "Spectra's Cabaret" is probably a better show than "Star Water", but I wouldn't personally choose a ship based on either show. Same goes for "The Gift" vs "Sequins and Feathers". Looking at the Summer 2025 itineraries for both ships, the ports may be where you want to base your decisions. There are two common ports (Juneau and Victoria, BC) and there are four rotational ports: Sitka, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Icy Strait (in my order of preference). It appears Quantum is the only ship that will be going to Ketchikan and/or Icy Strait. Furthermore, I'd recommend picking one of the sailings that visits two of those optional ones, so I personally would avoid the Anthem sailings that only go to Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria, BC. One side note, while you did not mention which week you were looking at, if you have a chance to witness one of the salmon runs, that is pretty cool thing to see. We saw the Coho (Silver) Salmon run in late August and Sitka was a great port to see it. Where specifically did you see the salmon run at? Was this at the totem pole national historic site one the trail? I believe I have seen this mentioned as a good viewing spot on one of the trails there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 1 hour ago, JMixon14 said: Where specifically did you see the salmon run at? Was this at the totem pole national historic site one the trail? I believe I have seen this mentioned as a good viewing spot on one of the trails there? If you visit Ketchikan later in summer you can see them run from Creek Street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter D Posted April 6 Report Share Posted April 6 8 hours ago, JMixon14 said: Where specifically did you see the salmon run at? Was this at the totem pole national historic site one the trail? I believe I have seen this mentioned as a good viewing spot on one of the trails there? We were in the Sitka National Historical Park where the trails crisscross the Indian River. The salmon were running up the Indian River. The salmon were also 'running' back to the Sitka Sound Science Center where workers were collecting eggs to supply the hatchery. It was pretty interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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