RSF Cruiser

We were on the Ruby the first week of January and had a fresh flower bouquet in the sitting area! No more lanky potted orchid. Are they going back to the flower arrangement?

I've reserved/rented a car from Avis in Skagway multiple times and you cancel anytime, including the day of, without a penalty.

We got the water bottles on the Grand last summer and the Ruby in January. I think they were rolled out in conjunction with Club Class.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Also, on debarkation day, suite passengers can have room service for breakfast.

I've been to Exit Glacier and Mendenhall - they are totally different experiences. At Exit Glacier, you get close to the glacier, and depending on what you do, you can hike up the mountain a bit and view the glacier from above. You also get close to the glacier, so you can easily see the striations. At Mendenhall, you see the glacier from afar and fairly close if you take the Nugget Falls trail - mainly flat and easily done. Being on the sand bar near the water fall is also interesting. Neither of these glaciers will give you the opportunity to see calving. I've not been to Haines, so can't comment on that.

If you do rent a car in Skagway, show up early at the rental car counter as you are able before the lines form.

I actually prefer to arrive at Avis between 9:00 and 10:00 - the crowds are gone by then and I've never had a problem with them not having a car. I call when we get into port to let them know what time I will come by. I've never had to wait in line, and there's still plenty of time to do a leisurely drive to Emerald Lake and back with all of the side trips. If you want to stop at the Suspension Bridge, do it on the way up - they might be closed when you return.

We've often found street parking behind the Ilikai near the harbor. We've also rented a car just for a day for the things we wanted to drive to. There's a good public bus system in Honolulu, so they could take the bus to Iolani Palace. I would not take a bus to Hanuamama Bay - takes too long and sometimes is full.

We just got off the Ruby Princess January 13, 2018 and were on the Grand this past summer, and both times two bottles of water were delivered each evening, except for embarkation night.

Thank you fishywood for pointing out this thread is not about the value of getting bottled water; the OP is simply asking about the suite benefit for bottled water.

Uber and Lyft prices vary by time of day. I always "test" the price by plugging in what I want at the time I want before the trip. That way I get an estimated price before I travel.

Full Suites have a tub and separate shower. At least on the ships we’ve been on - Ruby, Emerald, Crown, Sapphire, Coral, Island, and Grand.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We achieved elite after 10 cruises and I’m not sure how many days. As someone who travels in suites all of the time, being elite isn’t all that important. The only extra benefit we get is the discount in the gift shop, and unfortunately there is rarely anything of value we want.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I often rent a car in each of these ports. I like the freedom of going where I want to, at the time I want to, and for as long as I want to!

In Juneau I rent from Juneau Car Rental, which is at the J dock. Depending on which ship you are docked at, it could be a one mile or so walk, or across the parking lot from where you dock. They do not offer pick up service at the dock. I've driven to Mendenhall Glacier, Last Chance Mining Museum for the Perseverance hiking trail, Alaskan Brewing Company, Shrine of St. Terese, Eagle Beach, Treadwell Mine, and Salmon Hatchery (no, these have not all been done on the same trip!). You can take an excursion or public bus to many of these places, although I prefer to drive myself.

In Ketchikan I rent from Alaskan Car Rental which is also about a mile from the dock, although they will come pick you up if you don't want to do the walking. I have driven to various trail heads, Ward Lake, Totem Bight State Park, Settlers Cove, and Saxman Village. Again, there are tours and public buses, too.

In Skagway, I rent from Avis, and the office is right in town. I only rent a car if I'm going to Emerald Lake in the Yukon Territory (a fabulous ride!). Otherwise, I walk every where.

Hope this helps you decide if renting is good for you.

We’ve taken Lyft/Uber from Oakland. It was a breeze.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I totally agree about some of the comments not being very kind. The OP was sharing a customer service experience/issue. The blaming, derogatory and condescending comments certainly have been a turn off for me. I even hesitate posting this comment, but I decided to risk being flamed by others in an attempt to stop the online bullying.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Our favorite suite cabins on the Spirit Class ships are cabins 4228 and 4237 since there is a door separating the bedroom from the sitting area. Most recently we have been traveling on Princess, and in all of their full suites, the bedroom is separated from the sitting area with a heavy drape/curtain. We're thinking of taking a round trip Alaska cruise from LA on the Splendor.

My question is, are there any suites on the Splendor that separate the bedroom from the sitting area with either a door or drape/curtain?

Thanks!

We always fly out of Oakland - it's closer to the cruise port than SFO and less busy. You will have some traffic in downtown San Francisco, but you should have no trouble making a 1:15 flight.

Sounds like a T.A. agent failure to me. It is best on Princess cruises to order things like water yourself in the cruise personlizer.

When we had the same mishap, we had ordered the water ourselves through the cruise personalizer. As another poster said, I think there is an internal problem. Plus, I think the ship customer service agents need to have more autonomy for decision making. Many business "allow" employees to make independent customer service decisions under a set dollar amount. In our situation, the dollar amount was a mere $6.90! Princess risked turning off a loyal customer over a mere $6.90! and we are loyal cruisers at the elite level, but that didn't seem to matter. All that mattered was what corporate said, and corporate wouldn't give us the water we had ordered - and we, too, had the email confirmation. If we got an email confirmation when we ordered the water, why didn't we get an email when the order got mysteriously cancelled?

You may want to repost your post without the travel agent's name. I wrote a similar post several months ago, and it was taken down since I mentioned the travel agent's name.

We had the same situation, except we got worse onboard customer service - they would not give us the water. No one took responsibility for the situation, and everyone onboard simply deferred to corporate. The only option we had was to purchase water onboard. What we finally learned was something got changed in the reservation, and the water order disappeared. When I checked our credit card bill, I saw there was a credit for the cost of the water order - I scan my credit card bills, but I do not "study" them, and that credit slipped by without my noticing.

We always call Uber or Lyft - the wait is about 5 minutes, maybe.

If you are a USAA member, their travel insurance covers “political and natural disaster evacuation”. Travel Guard might also have that coverage, but I can’t seem to find a copy of their policy. My husband always picks the travel insurance and he insists on liberal evacuation coverage. That’s why we never get a policy from Princess.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I love the aft suites for Alaska. We’re up on deck going into Glacier Bay, but when the ship starts to leave we go down to our cabin, order some food, and sit on our wonderful balcony to watch the glacier and mountains disappear. The sail aways from our aft balcony in the other ports are outstanding also. I personally would never take an Alaskan, or any other cruise, with a side cabin, no matter what category.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We were on the Grand this past summer. Suite breakfasts were in the Crown Grill and the menu and service was the same as Sabatini's.

I agree about itinerary. My first cruise to Alaska was with Carnival because I wanted to go to Sitka. Decide where you want to go and compare the lines for not only ports, but times in port. If Glacier Bay is a must, then you will probably end up on Princess. Alaska is all about itinerary and not as much abut the ship. Although we now cruise mainly on Princess, I have no complaints about Carnival - I would love to return to Carnival, but they don't go where I want to go, when I want to go! The hype about Carnival is a bit overdone - Princess and Carnival are more alike than different. Alaska is magnificent no matter what ship you go on.

Plus, if you have bags to check at SFO, you MUST check them at least 45 minutes before departure. We once got to the counter 40 minutes before departure, and they absolutely wouldn’t check our bag and it was too big for carryon. We missed our flight!!!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I strongly recommend that you take Maui Revealed with you. It's an outstanding guide book and will clearly identify all of the stops to take. The ride is wonderful. Although the road is narrow at times, it's a lot safer than it was years ago when it wasn't even paved! Now that was scary driving! Some of my favorite stops are Dragon's Teeth at Makahia Point along the golf course in Kapalua; Nakalele Blowhole; and Olivine Pools which has the clearest water I've ever been in. These and other landmarks are fully described in the book.