Well, thanks for all the help everyone. I finally got my act together. We're sailing on the Pacific Princess June 07 out of Whittier. Precruise 4 nights - (2) Fairbanks, (1)Denali, (1)McKinley. Includes a river boat cruise down the Chena and Tenana Rivers, panning for gold, motorcoach Denali, Natural History OR Tundra Wilderness tour, river rafting and rail.

The cruise - College fjord, Glacier bay, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan then Disembark Vancouver.

The Pacific Princess is about the same size as the Mariner - as opposed to the 2,000+ people capacity on the Diamond. I believe it is 700 guests. Anyway, we got a good cruise/tour package and I'm glad I did all the research. Reserved a mini suite. Balconies are private too, unlike the Diamond.
My TA just went on an overnight on the new Crown Princess and she said it was beautiful. Holds 3,000 (a bit over the top for me). Anyway, she looked at some of the rooms which are similar on all the ships and she recommended the mini suite with balcony as opposed to the balcony rooms, which are pretty small she said. Now, all I have to do is figure out ship excursions, which I have plenty of time to do - more reseach!!!

Again, thanks everyone for all the input and sound advice. These boards are invaluable for a novice like me!
j.

Hey I think you will have a wonderful time and you will love the Princess mini suites - they are really nice and about equal to RSSC standard suites in size. Pacific Princess is one of the old R class ships from Renassaiance (sp?) so its about the same size as the Oceania ships, although they have refitted it to carry a few more passengers, but not many.

Have a great time - Princess does a really good job overall.

Cool!! don't forget to post a trip report when you get back...we'd love to hear about it! Enjoy Alaska

Thanks.....Boy, you guys are quick!!! We booked the PG about a year in advance and had FP to look forward to for a long time.

Unfortunately, I'm just not as excited about Alaska as FP. I just don't think anything will EVER top that trip. I think about it all the time (went end of April).
j.

Nana - Alaska is its own place and offers its own atmosphere. Its really awesome and I think you will enjoy it if you just let youself enjoy Alaska for what it is and not compare it to FP. Different place, different cruise, and how lucky you are to be able to experience all these different places.

So whats next????????????? :D :D

I hope you have a great time, and a good experience with the Pacific Princess. When you compare apples to apples, in my experience, you will return to RSSC. But if you don't, that is ok too. We tried to tell you the advantages of RSSC, and now look forward to hearing about your cruise! I have never read a post on this board from someone who preferred Princess over Regent. Perhaps you will be a first. Have a great cruise!

Well, rather apples to apples, it was $$ to $$ and after reading PP editorials, sounds like it's pretty nice. It's their smaller ship, which sold me, as well as their pre cruise itinerary. I really didn't want to go on a 2,000+ passenger ship. Anyway, I'm SURE I won't prefer it over Regent, but then again, I'm paying 1/2 the price of what the same trip would cost on the Mariner - for the same scenery!! Soooo, I think that will add to the "enjoyment," we'll see. It'll be interesting. I'm not going with as high expectations as I did with the PG.
Thanks again.
j.

Think you've got the right attitude about this and it will all work out in the end. Looking forward to the review at the end of the cruise!!

Masaki

We took our first Princess cruise this past February and were so impressed that we booked a British Isles cruise for this August on the Golden Princess....in a mini too. I think if you go with the right frame of mind then you will not be disappointed. Sure we would have loved to do a Regent British Isles but unfortunately they only seem to go there once per year and always in a bad month for us. This is the next best thing. I liken it to staying in a Marriott Hotel versus a Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton......maybe not quite as luxurious but not uncomfortable either. Hope you have a great time!
Pat

Pat:
Thanks for the input. Never took a Princess either, but I think it'll be ok. My friend, who is a world traveler with many different cruise lines loved the Princess and the precruise package in Alaska. We took Celebrity to Bermuda years ago, it was OK, but of course can't compare to PG. At that time I didn't have much to compare it to -didn't have a balcony either, which I'd never do again. Some don't care about the balcony, but I love it. Like that fresh air and looking out in the morning to the beautiful scenery in different ports!! When we were on the PG, we had a blackout - no power for about 2-3 hours during the night (more than a little disconcerting), and with the balcony doors wide open - a blessing. Those in the rooms down below with no balcony OR a/c were not happy!!

JoAnn:
What's next after Alaska, God willing, is Italy, Tuscany region. Maybe a villa - maybe a cruise - not sure yet. Hmmmmmm....Nice to think about for awhile.
j.