I've done Alaska on Princess (Ocean Princess at the time - now the P&O Oceana), Celebrity (Infinity), and will be doing Alaska in August now on Regent (Mariner). I think you will have a great time, regardless of which cruise line you take. Princess (and HAL) have been doing Alaska the longest of all the cruiselines and have things down to a pat. Having said that, things will NOT be the same on Princess as it was on your PG cruise. The small ship ambiance and the atmosphere will certainly be different as well as the feeling of getting "nickeled and dimed". Remember, you will also have to pay for all soft drinks and bottled water on Princess as well (with automatic 15% tip). Some of the alternative dining areas (such as Sterling Steakhouse and Sabatini's) have surcharges for using them. And don't forget about the automatic $10/person/day gratuity that gets added to the bill at the end. There is a certain "something" about a Regent ship that keeps drawing us back, despite the high premiums (we're not heavy drinkers either - a bottle of wine split between the 2 of us will last us 2-3 nights).

Don't get me wrong - I think Princess is a fine product. I'm setting up my sister for a honeymoon cruise on the Crown Princess next year. Like Karen, I would certainly recommend the Pacific Princess more than the Diamond as being closer to your experience on the PG because of the smaller ship.

As Marc has said, you really need to compare apples to apples to be able to make a comparison. Then, only you can decide on whether the premium to pay for the Regent product is worth it in your opinion. But budget is always something to keep in mind - we're also doing a NCL cruise at the end of this year because the price point was hard to beat! :)

Masaki