SLOlady2014

Just off the Coral, and one of my favorite foods this cruise was the Basil Lime Sorbet. It was perfect, delicious and refreshing, especially after a decadent meal.

18 hours ago, jlp20 said:

White Pass is not owned by any cruise line. From what I could tell, on Princess, they were not connected in real time with the excursion. The SHIP PERSONNEL have no idea of the number of seats available. White Pass can add another regular rail car with little problem. However there appears to be only one accessible car with lift. I can only imagine White Pass has given strict instructions on who can/can not book this particular rail car. We were the only ship in port and rail car was over half filled

 

 

We were told by the conductor on WPRR that they have two lift cars which are provided for people who cannot access the train by using stairs. Unlike some other lifts that we have used, the lifts on the train allowed my husband to roll my transport chair onto the lift pad and ride up with me, rolling me into the car himself. The cruise lines sell a limited number of accessible seats, so by reserving one of those seats well in advance, there shouldn’t have been a space issue, and there wasn’t. When the ship’s tour desk employee was questioning me, I told her that if it was a matter of another disabled person booking at the last minute and needing the seat, we would gladly give our seats up, because we have done the train ride before. That wasn’t the problem. And, again, the WPRR employees were wonderful. 

1 hour ago, pompeii said:

Can you get the tiramisu as an blended iced coffee?  Decaf?  I love the blended iced coffees in the afternoon, but only decaf at that time of day.

 

Also, was the regular brewed coffee just that, regular coffee from a pot?  My husband was on the Ruby last week and he insists that they didn't give him brewed coffee out of a pot but instead a shot of espresso that they mixed with hot water when he wanted a regular coffee.  That doesn't sound right to me so I thought I'd get a second opinion.  He was using up an actual coffee card so maybe since they were going to punch it anyway, they gave him an espresso.  He wasn't sure about that part, but said that he never got regular brewed coffee.

The baristas told us they could make almost any coffee concoction we wanted, but there were plenty of choices on both the hot and iced menus to choose from. I know decaf is an option, and don't see why they couldn't make a iced decaf tiramisu. On the Coral, they also had traditional coffee brewers for regular and decaf drinkers. We didn't find a coffee bar menu in our room, so I bookmarked the menu online to help my decision making before sending my wonderful husband down for our morning coffee.😊

I agree with lstone19. You will always have a full sea day before reaching either Juneau or Ketchikan. I may be mistakenly calling embarkation day as day 1, sea day as day 2, and first port as day 3. 

Yes, jamesnnb, SLO is San Luis Obispo. We lived in Templeton before moving to the Puget Sound area. We love it up here in the NW! I don't know what your time frame is, but we have done the 7 night Princess cruise RT out of Vancouver twice, and although it is only offered a few times each season, it is especially nice for those of us that like to sail in calmer waters. 

We are just back from our 5th cruise to Alaska with Princess, but my first since needing to use a wheelchair part-time due to MD. I purchased WPRR tickets thru Princess before our cruise, requesting seats in the accessible car, since my husband would be pushing me in my transport chair. I am unable to climb steps. Once we boarded our ship, I received a voice mail as well as a written notice informing me that the accessible car was ONLY for those confined to wheelchairs, and to please certify that I was truly wheelchair bound. We went to the ship's tour desk to explain my situation, where the agent repeatedly told me I wasn't qualified to use the lift car since I could stand on my own and use a cane, and that someone would be able to help me up the steps of the train. After telling her that we would need to cancel if I could not use the lift, she gave me the tickets. On the day of our train ride, I expected to find the accessible car full, for why else would it be so difficult to get a seat? Nope, our car only held us and one other couple. For anyone taking the WPRR, please know that the actual WPRR employees were wonderful, and the train ride was beautiful! The WPRR is a great option for those with mobility issues. 

Whether you go between Vancouver Island and BC or around Vancouver Island, you will have at least a partial day of open water from the northern tip of Vancouver Island until you pass Haida Gwaii and enter the Alaskan Inside Passage. This is true whether you go to Ketchikan first or Juneau. The sea day on cruises that sail between BC and Vancouver Island has really nice scenery in the morning and early afternoon of day 2. Once you enter Queen Charlotte Sound,  you are further away from land. Where are you sailing from jamesnnb?

19 hours ago, lorri111 said:

 

Can you get these coffees anywhere else than the IC on the Coral? Thanks for the tip on the tiramisu!

I never ordered one of the specialty coffee drinks from anywhere but the IC, but I did order cappuccinos several times in the main dining room during both breakfast and lunch. The other specialty drink I enjoyed from the IC was their hot chai latte, but it's pretty sweet. 

Just off the Coral yesterday, and no on-demand was available as far as we know. We were able to watch several recent movies (changed daily) on our cabin TV, and for any NBA fans sailing soon, ESPN was available for some games.

Interesting that Princess ships have different embarkation menus. We just came back from Alaska on the Coral, and I had a delicious salmon entree along with the avocado/shrimp appetizer and orange soufflé. I believe we were able to choose from the “old” menu fishywood referred to. Everything was yummy😋 

If you want to spend time on deck or on your balcony, make sure to ask your steward for a couple of deck blankets. They really help! 

We are just off the Coral, and enjoyed specialty coffee each morning from the IC. We had the Premium Beverage Package as part of our promotional deal, and while we do not drink enough alcoholic beverages to make buying the PBP worthwhile as a separate purchase, we would definitely get the Grounds coffee package. The tiramisu coffee was my favorite. You can order any of the specialty coffees as decaf if you need to avoid caffeine.

We just returned from Alaska on the Coral. We had 5:15 traditional, which worked out well for us. Our meals were completed by 6:45-7:00, leaving plenty of time for evening activities. We thought the food in the DR was delicious. We chose to use Sabatini’s for our promotional specialty meal, and while the food was good, we didn’t enjoy that meal as much as we did those in the DR. The service was excellent in both the DR and at Sabatini’s.

We just sailed on the Coral RT to Alaska. Despite the fact that it is early in the season, and three ships were in port the day we left, it only took an hour and fifteen minutes from the time we parked our car at Canada Place to boarding the ship at 11:45. Our room was ready, so we stashed our valuables and headed down to lunch in the dining room. The salmon I had for lunch was cooked perfectly! After the multiple lineups in the boarding process, it is much more pleasant to be served a nice meal in the DR rather than fight the crowds in the buffet.

We are on the Coral, and were just sitting down to dinner when our Captain announced news of the accident. The dining room was completely silent as everyone realized the magnitude of the losses. Yesterday was a beautiful day in Ketchikan, but when we saw multiple emergency vehicles heading out of town we knew something bad had happened. I am so sad for those on the Royal, and hope that the beauty of Alaska will help in the healing process for passengers and crew. Our hearts go out to all affected, including the families of the pilots. 

I believe the announcement stated it was a problem with the gas turbine. 

We will be getting into Juneau at 5pm (rather than noon), so some tours have been cancelled, and it looks like we will stay a little later than our previously scheduled departure time, as some of the rescheduled tours won’t be returning to the ship until  10:30pm. I feel bad for the folks that will be missing out on excursions they had been looking forward to, especially for those that are experiencing Alaska for the first time.

It's been five years since we last cruised with Princess. I know to take my own shampoo and conditioner, but do I also need to bring body lotion? I too miss the "old" toiletries. Using the leftovers at home always brought back happy memories of our cruise.  

5 hours ago, luvteaching said:

I can only speak to the scooter but I've watched the ship's crew members taking wheelchair users up and down some pretty steep ramps and they do it carefully and with a smile. For DH's scooter one member is in front and the other in back and they monitor him. We cruise HAL and in Juneau they dock at either one of the new docks which are floating docks. The docks adjust to the tide changes so they never get really steep. 

Karen

Thank you, Karen. Knowing that the crew will step in to help makes me feel better! 

I have a progressive muscle disease, and this will be our first cruise where I will be taking a transport chair for part time use. I am concerned about getting back onto the ship when the tide is high. We've been to Alaska before, and I remember some port days when the extreme tides required stairs, rather than a ramp, to get on and off the ship. Just wondering how folks using wheelchairs handle these situations, as I can no longer climb stairs.   

We will be in an aft mini on Caribe for our upcoming Alaska cruise. I chose this cabin even though we were offered a mid-ship mini at the same upsell price, because the balcony is partially covered, and due to the great rear viewing deck that will be steps from our cabin. We spent some memorable time relaxing on this aft deck and taking in the view from the lounge chairs as we left Glacier Bay on a previous cruise.

On 4/1/2019 at 9:13 AM, DougK said:

Wow, seems like you have quite a drive from the Kitsap Peninsula--including a ferry. I feel very lucky to just be coming from Bellingham. I've gone ahead and booked parking at Canada Place as well, voting for convenience over price. You might want to check your booking, and possibly modify it. I almost didn't catch this, but if you just enter the dates, it assumes you want the full day on each end, and charges you for 8 days. I was able to modify my arrival to be 11A on the 8th, and departure at 10A on the 15th, and then it only charged for 7 days, so a total of $190. Given embarkation and disembarkation times, 11A and 10A seemed to be plenty generous for what we'll actually end up doing. What time do you plan on arriving at the terminal?

 

BTW, feel free to join the roll call. I don't think I've seen you there yet. It's not particularly active, but there has been a little good info.

Hi Doug. We will have a bit of a drive, so we'll be heading up the day before our cruise and spending the night in Surrey. With three ships scheduled to be in port, we want to get through check-in and immigration as early as possible. We're planning on getting to Canada Place around 9:30-10:00am.

We'll also be on the Coral May 8th, and decided to drive from our home on the Kitsap Peninsula and park at Canada Place. I paid for our reservation in February to make sure we had confirmed parking. Our rate for 7 days came out to $216, which I don't mind paying, considering how convenient it is. We took Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver for one cruise, which worked out well for us, but that was before we moved up here. 

We like going round-trip out of Vancouver, and will be sailing on the Coral in May. Unfortunately, Princess doesn't offer this cruise very often, typically at the beginning or end of cruise season. We live in WA, and can drive up to Vancouver, but if you need to fly in, you can choose either Vancouver or Seattle. We prefer this route because it sails between Vancouver Island and B.C. going both up and back, avoiding the sometimes rough seas that RT cruises leaving from Seattle can experience. We have also done the Voyage of the Glaciers several times, and if you want to add on a land tour in Alaska, this is the cruise you want to look at.  

I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the number of choices you will find both in the main DR and at the buffet. My husband was just a year out from treatment for throat cancer when we went on our last cruise, and had trouble eating normally due to having had several teeth pulled and the long term effects of radiation. He never came close to going hungry, and enjoyed hot cereals and eggs in the morning, pastas, soups, and some seafoods at lunch and dinner. If there was something he thought he might have trouble eating, but wanted to try, we brought it back to our room. Enjoy your cruise!