PurpleTraveller

Thank you! We thought the scenery we saw in Alaska was some of the best we have ever seen. We loved everywhere we went and would love to do another Alaska cruise. There are so many different things to do in each port we would never get bored and as for the scenery we would never tire of watching it. I also want to get to go whale watching! And I will make sure I get to cruise the Inside Passage! Hope you have a wonderful cruise and get a comfortable mattress! Happy cruising!

Thank you. We absolutely loved Vancouver! My DH had never been to Vancouver before and I had only been once before in January 2005, during a snow storm, for only half a day on the way to Whistler. I think we covered a fair amount of ground and saw a lot of places which we really enjoyed. We loved sitting on the waterfront each afternoon watching the world go by and the seaplanes take off and land. Vancouver is just beautiful! We were so looking forward to cruising through the Inside Passage during the day and were very disappointed to miss it. At least you are forwarned and hopefully won't be as disappointed as we were. If by chance (though unlikely) you do sail the Inside Passage it will be a lovely surprise for you. If we ever sail out of Vancouver again I will carefully check the itinerary (though I thought I did before choosing this one 🤔) to be able to cruise the Inside Passage on the eastern side of Vancouver Island during the day. Thanks for reading along and I'm pleased that you enjoyed the photos.

We did but we were also looking forward to our land tour of Canada.

Friday June 16 - Vancouver It was an overcast day with a little rain and we were moving from our hotel to another to start our land tour of Canada. We did very little other than taxi from one hotel to another, explore our new neighbourhood and do our laundry. Saturday June 17 - Vancouver We made another visit to Stanley Park making a quick stop at the Totem Poles and then to Prospect Point to see the Lions Gate Bridge. We then went to Granville Island to enjoy the markets. There were all types of delicious looking fruit and vegetables and different types of food along with flowers and art and crafts. We got some lunch from one of the shops and went outside to eat it. While outside we saw a lady with a falcon which is trained to chase away seagulls. We walked around the market buildings which included a train caboose and went into many of the great shops. We were also able to see the other side of the painted storage silos, that we had previously seen on our walk on Wednesday, at the operating cement works next to the markets. We then caught one of the little ferries across the water and walked back to our hotel.

Thursday June 15 - Vancouver It was a much nicer day so we walked to Canada Place and got the free shuttle to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. The shuttle left at 9.30am and we arrived at 9.50am. The entry cost CAD69.95 plus tax for each adult. We started with walking across the Suspension Bridge. The bridge moves a lot when walking across it and we were high above the river. It wasn't very busy as we were early but later in the day it was jam packed with people. Next we walked through the Treetops Adventure which I loved. To be so high in the trees was wonderful. We then went to see the raptors and spoke to their carers about the birds. We went for a walk under the Treetops Adventure and along the side of the gorge amongst the very tall trees. We then walked along the Cliff Walk which hangs off the cliff and gives good views of the Suspension Bridge. It was interesting to see plants and even trees growing on and clinging onto the side of the cliff. We got a shuttle at 1.15pm and got back to Canada Place at 1.35pm. The rest of the afternoon was spent watching sea planes take off and land and strolling along the waterfront.

Wednesday June 14 - Vancouver It was a cool and overcast day but we decided we would go for a walk around the city. We walked to Chinatown and saw the gate but found the area rather grubby and rundown. We then walked to Science World and along the waterfront to the BC Place Stadium. Our next stop was the Engine 374 Pavilion which houses the engine that pulled the first transcontinental passenger train which arrived in Vancouver on May 23, 1887. The engine was retired in 1945 and has been beautifully restored. It is kept in a custom built glass pavilion next to the old train turntable and train sheds which have been restored. After admiring the train and chatting to the volunteers about the restoration of the train we continued walking around the shoreline and past Granville Island. We then walked to English Bay Beach and then made our way back to our hotel.

Tuesday June 13 - Disembarkation Vancouver This was the sad day we had to leave Crown Princess. After breakfast at the Horizon Buffet we collected our belongings and vacated our cabin at 8.00am. There were very long lines of passengers wanting to disembark crowding the area around the Piazza on deck 7. As we weren't in a hurry we waited in the Crown Grill which was the Platinum and Elite waiting lounge until 9.30am when the lines were short. It only took a few minutes to self disembark with our luggage. We walked back to the Days Inn Hotel where we were able to check in and get access to our room immediately. We had a lazy day going for a walk, doing some shopping and having lunch. At 4.00pm we went to the waterfront and watched Crown Princess sail away at 4.45pm.

You are very welcome. I should have mentioned that it was free to go into the legislative building and do the self guided tour. I think it was also free to do a guided tour but you could check. You should also check when the building is open as I think it is only certain times of the year. The ferry ride was great!

The legislative building was lovely inside and it didn't take long to do a self guided tour. We were given a booklet with information to do the self guided tour and they also have guided tours that you can take. Do you mean ferry to and from Vancouver to Vancouver Island? We went on that ferry on our land tour and the scenery of the islands we passed through was lovely. I didn't include any photos but here are a few.

No I didn't. Would be good on an overcast or wet day but we wanted to enjoy the sunshine.

Thank you! It is amazing how different a place can be depending on how busy it is. We always try to get off the ship early if we are going to DIY. We were going to go to the Lower Reid Falls when we were in Skagway but decided to do the excursion to the Yukon. We are really glad that we did because it was a great excursion and we had a wonderful day. If we get back to Skagway I'll plan to go to the Falls. The view was fantastic from Deer Mountain but we probably wouldn't have done the hike if we had known the state of the trail. We laugh now but I don't think we'd do it again. Very interesting that you went through the Inside Passage southbound. Maybe we didn't because we were heading to Victoria but I'm really pleased that you got to experience it on the way back. Good to hear that your mattress was bearable. It sounds like it is random mattresses that are bad but then again none should be bad. Thanks for reading the review.

We did wonder if the reason for changing the itinerary was something to do with the need for a pilot. I guess we'll never know. Thank you! We much prefer to DIY and explore a port on foot if possible as we love to walk. We only do excursions if we want to go further afield to see something in particular such as going to the Yukon.

Victoria On Land Part 2 That evening we walked to the Legislative Assembly Building to see it and the city lit up. Even the horse carriages were lit up. The following day we walked to the Christ Church Cathedral where we were lucky enough to hear the organist practicing. We then walked to Craigdarroch Castle which was built between 1887 and 1890 by Robert Dunsmuir. Unfortunately the castle was closed but we were able to walk around the castle. Just down the road is Government House which also has lovely gardens. On our return to the city centre we sat on the waterfront enjoying the sunshine with a view of the Empress Hotel.

Victoria On Land Tour Following the cruise we spent two weeks on a land tour of Canada including another two days in Victoria and visited the Butchart Gardens and Government House Garden. We spent hours at Butchart Gardens and once again enjoyed a beautiful day. We visited at 3.00pm and it wasn't very busy at all and I managed to get photos without people in them. I have wanted to visit the gardens ever since I saw my mother's photos from when she visited more than thirty years ago. I even have a jigsaw puzzle of the gardens and I couldn't believe that I was finally here.

Monday June 12 - Victoria Part 3 We then made our way to Beacon Hill Park where we enjoyed the serene surrounds and a picnic lunch. The world's tallest Totem Pole which stands 127 feet and 7 inches tall, is in the park. We then walked along the waterfront to the Mile Zero Monument which marks the start of the 8,000km long Trans-Canada Highway that travels the length of Canada. It was very warm walking along the waterfront towards the ship and we stopped for a while to watch the world go by and to chat to some ship friends. We walked out along the breakwater and saw a sea otter swimming in the water and catching fish. The sea otter came onto land where it rolled around in a log and was so cute. We returned to the ship at 3.15pm after a lovely day. Dinner was at the Michaelangelo Dining Room again and after dinner we watched Carnival Spirit arrive into Victoria. We left Victoria at 10.00pm.

Monday June 12 - Victoria Part 2 We then walked towards the waterfront passing one of the horse drawn carriages that do tours around the city. Crossing the road we then made our way along the waterfront. Continuing along Government Street to the shopping area we stopped in at Roger's Chocolates which is in a quaint shop established in 1903. Walking along we diverted to Bastion Square to enjoy the lovely buildings and gorgeous flowers and baskets. A short walk away was China Town with its gate and narrow Fan Tan Alley. Retracing our footsteps along Government Street we passed a plant whale statue next to the Empress Hotel. Heading towards Beacon Park we then passed the Totem Pole display at Thunderbird Park.

Monday June 12 - Victoria Weather Forecast - Clouds, High 67°F/19°C, Low 58°F/13°C We woke to a glorious sunny day and after breakfast we sat on the Sun Deck as we approached Victoria. We docked at 9.00am and were soon allowed to disembark. A short walk from the dock is Fisherman's Wharf where there are restaurants along with a cute collection of house boats. We walked further along the waterfront and past the beautiful Gatsby Mansion to the city centre. We made our way to the Legislative Assembly Building of British Columbia which is an impressive and beautiful building. After passing through security we were able to walk around the building on a self guided tour seeing the beautiful stained glass windows, central dome and legislative chamber.

I had a mattress topper on my very saggy mattress and all it did was make it a very soft saggy mattress. It was the worst mattress I have had on eleven Princess cruises and probably one of the worst mattresses I have ever slept on. That mattress needs to be replaced immediately. I was in E631.

Yes it was very disappointing and then to add that Princess didn't tell us was even more disappointing. No- one could tell me why the decision had been made. Maybe it's cheaper or easier to sail at sea rather than slowly in the Inside Passage or do they have to have a local pilot and there aren't enough available for the southbound sailings. Who knows but whatever the reason, Princess should tell their passengers when such a major permanent change is made to an itinerary. They probably didn't tell their passengers so that they wouldn't get complaints and probably hoped that many wouldn't notice.

Thanks, it was a big disappointment to us and many others on the cruise and compounded by the fact that Princess did not think it was important to notify their passengers of the change. I'm pleased that you had a great southbound day in the Inside Passage. After having a few not so great weather days you must have really enjoyed your day. Sometimes it's pure luck as to what sort of weather you get. We were very fortunate to have no rain at any port and a few glorious days.

Thanks for letting me know about your experience. It's always great to learn new things. I was told that all sailings southbound will now be on the western side of Vancouver Island. It was very disappointing for us as this was our first Alaskan cruise and one of the reasons that we chose this itinerary was because it was supposed to sail both ways on the eastern side of Vancouver Island. When Princess changed the itinerary they should have informed their passengers. Interesting that it is usual to sail to Victoria on the western side of Vancouver island so I wonder why Princess showed the itinerary otherwise. Thanks! We were very pleasantly surprised by the great weather we got, particularly in Juneau, Ketchikan and Victoria.

Yes, that's what we thought. One of the selling points of this itinerary is that it goes both north and southbound through the Inside Passage on the eastern side of Vancouver Island. To remove the southbound portion without any notification is very poor in my opinion.

Sunday June 11 - Sea Day Today we had been looking forward to sailing southbound through the Inside Passage on the eastern side of Vancouver Island. On the itinerary map shown when we booked the cruise it had shown the cruise sailing both north and southbound on the eastern side of Vancouver Island. We were very disappointed to see that we were sailing at sea and as the day progressed it was obvious that we weren't going to be sailing on the eastern side of Vancouver Island as we were on the western side of Vancouver Island out at sea. When I went to Guest Services and asked why we were at sea instead of on the eastern side of Vancouver Island I was told that the itinerary had been changed a few cruises ago and all itineraries would now be sailing from Ketchikan to Victoria on the western side of Vancouver Island. Everyone I met throughout the day was very disappointed by the change in itinerary as all, including myself, had expected a day of scenic cruising. I did mention this change of itinerary in my post cruise survey and I thought it was very poor that Princess had changed the itinerary but not had the courtesy of informing their passengers either before the cruise or even during the cruise. I wonder if Princess thought that no-one would notice the change. This is where we ended up sailing. Since we had planned to be on deck all day enjoying the scenery, we ended up not doing much but reading, relaxing and eating. It was formal night and we ate in the Michaelangelo Dining Room. That evening when we went to bed we turned out the light to find that our cabin was still very light. Very confused we tried to work out why. Upon investigation we discovered that the blockout lining had been removed from our curtains and the lights from the Promenade were shining through the thin curtains! After having difficulty in getting to sleep because it was so light, we were then woken up at 5.00am with the bright sunshine shining through the curtains. It was so bright that we didn't need to turn a light on to see our way around the cabin! When we spoke to our steward the next day about what was going on with our curtains, he told us that his supervisor had asked him to check for any marks on the blockout lining and to remove the lining for cleaning. We told him how very bright the cabin was without the blockout lining and could we please have the lining replaced as we had been up late and woken early because of the light. He apologised and said he would speak to his supervisor. We were very glad to see upon our return from our day out in Victoria that the blockout lining was back in place! Also I forgot to post the Senior Officers previously so here they are.

We had amazing weather in Ketchikan but the scenery will still be beautiful no matter what the weather is like. I hope you have a great time in Ketchikan!

We were so lucky! It was also quite warm and we had a fantastic day.