Don John

1 hour ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Don't forget the casino.🎰🎲🃏

The casino has been pretty near empty on this cruise unless I'm looking at the wrong place.

Day Five

This was a difficult day to review.  It was a roller coaster of ups and downs.

After breakfast we enjoyed beautiful Glacier Bay from a variety of points on the ship - inside and out.  The best was the Hollywood Conservatory – indoors, large windows, far forward.  Majestic glaciers including some calving, wildlife.  We particularly enjoyed a seal floating by on a piece of ice.  The National Park Rangers provided both play-by-play commentary and more formal presentation in the theater.

But after a few hours it became pretty much another sea day on the way to Ketchikan.  Until the fateful announcement that deteriorating weather would force cancellation of the Ketchikan port call.  Like when a flight is delayed because of weather, it’s not welcome news.  But it’s nobody’s fault and it’s for safety.

Princess offered each passenger a $100 stateroom credit.  With the money from Ketchikan excursions unspent, we now had hundreds of dollars of credit which was, unfortunately, non-refundable – use it or lose it.  As we had already completed our shipboard shopping, I guess I’ll have to do some serious drinking.

Princess also offered a Future Cruise Credit of 35% of the cruise fare – more than reasonable.  Unfortunately, it must be used by the end of September 2022.  All of our travel plans are already booked for next year.  Our Princess cruise to Hawaii is in October.  So, we’ll have to figure something out with our travel agent.

It was Formal Night.  Thanks to the excellent commentary from previous Cruise Critic Live forums, I knew that tuxes are no longer common.  So, I packed only a tie and nice sweater.   We had a superb dinner of lobster tail with @farsight and @Sea Emerald.

Since we were dressed up, we had our photos taken at several of the available locations.

Still having an enjoyable time.

@Alaskanb  When Harmony opened today I inquired.  According to the chef, while they used to use MSG in some dishes, they no longer use MSG in any dishes.  Hope this helps.

26 minutes ago, TM said:

Why are you not stopping in Ketchikan?

Rough weather.

But they are refunding us 35% of cruise fare toward a future cruise credit.  Plus an additional $100 of stateroom credit.  They are making a superior effort and keeping us safe.  And most are still having a wonderful time.

@Alaskanb  I'm sorry, I do not.

Day Four

It just keeps getting better.  A day of calm seas and our first port.

Decided to check out the Hollywood Conservatory (adults only) this morning.  Warm location with great views and a warm pool for those who came to Alaska to swim.  Up on Deck 17 forward.

Weather in Juneau was accommodating.  Sure it was lightly raining much of  the day.  But the temperature was in the high forties with no wind.  So, a rain resistant jacket with a hood sufficed.  We've already done the headline excursions.  So, today we walked to the Alaska State Capitol and enjoyed a tour.  Then right across the street was the Juneau City Museum.  We learned a lot.  High recommendation for both.

This evening we had dinner in the Harmony dining room.  A delicious five course traditional Chinese dinner.  Perhaps because we were in port until 10:00pm, the venue was operating at maybe 20% capacity.  The food was excellent and the service outstanding.

Day Three

A relaxing day at sea with calmer seas.

More terrific dining.  Service has been uniformly up to Princess’ high standards.

Another fine presentation by naturalist Michael Modzelewski.  The house was packed.

Time to enjoy our stateroom on Emerald Deck above the lifeboats on Promenade Deck.  Most of these staterooms are “balcony obstructed” and are a great value.

Highlight of the day was the Production show “Encore,” rescheduled from yesterday.

Great  nine piece orchestra, and fourteen terrific singer/dancers in musical review with a large, appreciative audience.

Looking forward to Juneau tomorrow.  Had dinner tonight with a former mayor of Juneau.  You meet the most fascinating people if you tell the hostess, “two for dinner, happy to share.”  Also in our dinner party, an artisanal distiller, a houseboat builder and a fisherman.

We hope to see the state capitol and catch a tour, and/or the State Museum.  We’ve already done Mendenhall Glacier.

Day Two

Like nearly everyone I have spoken with on this cruise, we are thrilled to be back at sea and having a great time.  Certainly no one blames Princess for the bad weather, COVID or the changes they have necessitated.   I have learned so much by reading earlier Cruise Critic Live reports.  This has enabled me to avoid and solve problems.  I am trying to provide a balanced report of the cruise.  What has been excellent and what hasn’t  to help others.  For example today’s report offers several solutions if you are having trouble with the app.  Like Sergio Leone, I offer Il buono, il brutto e il cattivo (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.)  Use it, enjoy it or ignore it.  I don’t think a Pollyanna report would be much use.

Departed Seattle on the new schedule at 6:00am.  Of course, no Sail Away.

Great breakfast in Concerto.

Cruise Critic Meet & Greet with many of our number sporting their Mardi Gras beads.  Attended by a number of ship’s officers.

Excellent presentation in the Princess Theater by Naturalist Michael Modzelewski who was as much philosopher as naturalist.  Will definitely catch some of his other presentations, schedule permitting.

Have found work-arounds for most of what is supposed be done on the MedallionClass App.  You can go to the dining room the old fashioned way – by just showing up.  Or you can make reservations on the TV in your cabin. Nobody is checking reservations for shows.  You can certainly order drinks without the app.  It appears that the app is working for many.  Maybe I just have a too old phone. It will often work, but just too darn slow.

Princess staff have worked diligently to get my MedallionClass app to work better.  Today, success!  It seems that the app is a huge memory hog.  If your phone doesn’t have the minimum required memory the app runs very slowly, freezes or just plain won’t work.  Today a Princess technician in the Internet Café installed a slimmed down version of the app without all the fancy graphics.  It requires much less memory and works fine.  I will be submitting a terrific comment card for him.

I do wish that you could still request a hard-copy ship’s directory as in the past.  I requested one at the Service Desk and was told they no longer exist.  Next cruise I will print one out for myself from the Princess Website.

Most passengers are masking very well.  There are, of course, the few that have limited understanding of anatomy and are unaware that the nose is part of the respiratory system and the beak should be covered by the mask.   At last night’s show we had to move when a large group of non-maskers sat down in front of us.  But the theater was not crowded.  So, it was easy to adjust.

The purchased internet continues to be quite slow but functional.  We are barely out of Seattle.  Can only wonder what it will be like further north.

Thought we would try Alfredo’s for lunch.  It was packed with a waiting list.  So, we went to Chopsticks (the noodle bar) instead.  Good won ton soup.  It was convenient to the World Fresh Marketplace to add other goodies.

Another excellent presentation in Princess Theater this afternoon.  Rachel Moreno, who spoke on Native Alaskan cultures.

The seas have become rough enough that the production show “Encore” originally scheduled for tonight has been rescheduled.

After another great dinner with terrific new friends we went to the evening show – impressionist Mike Wilson.  We’ve seen him before and he is a lot of fun.  But, unfortunately, because of the rough seas (remember the Princess Theater is all the way forward, where the ship’s motion is worse) the audience was very small.  Mike was giving it his all and the audience was appreciative, but just so small.   It was a tough house.  I hope he gets another chance to perform when the seas are calm and the house is big.

Day Two – a very good day.

23 minutes ago, Belle said:

Don't understand the cruiser. Says he's Platinum and he doesn't know you need a 

coffee card at IC. Free coffee at Lido and DR's. Was all this just to get a free coffee card?

Who knows?

Certainly did not request the freebie card.  Just wanted clarification.  As the Service Rep explained, in the past regular coffee has been available at IC .  There was a pour your own pot available - no charge.   COVID made that no longer possible.  The rep spoke to both employees at IC and agreed that they were giving conflicting information.  What @Belleexplained so easily in ten words above could have been explained by the server at IC and there would have been no problem.

1 hour ago, barrykel said:

Quick question from the patters - any chance they're doing karaoke again? I remember reading on one of the earlier 'live from' threads that they dropped it for social distancing - we're booked on the Majestic in December, and I'm a huge karaoke fan.

Definitely not - as per CDC instructions, according to Kevin, our Cruise Director.

8 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

I am a bit confused.  Have you sailed Princess before?  From the sound of your report it looks like you did not purchase Princess Plus (drink package) that would include coffee from the International Cafe.  Otherwise purchasing a coffee card (that was complimentarily given to you) is one of the ways to get coffee.  Or have it charged to your account.  I agree, that you were given an unfortunate incorrect answer to your inquiry.  

 

Your cruise was off to a rocky start.  I do hope it improves.  Which two ports were cancelled (Skagway and ?).  

 

Thank you for adding your report to this thread.  

In the past, pre-COVID, Princess Alaska cruises included a port-of-call in Victoria, BC to comply with the law.  It is only because of a Congressional exemption that this year we can make Alaska cruises without an international stop.  That is why we are cruising a full day in Glacier Bay instead of the shorter visits of the past.  I certainly don't blame Princess for this.  It is what it is.  But Victoria is a very nice port.  We will be glad when it is restored.

4 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

In my past experience on Princess you do pay for coffee at the IC unless you have the coffee card or the drink package. In those 2 cases, cups of coffee were free and unlimited. Seems odd that an employee would tell you differently especially since the ship has now been cruising for over 2 months. I’m sorry to hear this happened to your wife but happy to hear Princess took care of her with a complimentary coffee card. ☕️

That, unfortunately, was the problem.  Not the lack of coffee at IC, but the lack of a simple explanation and the conflicting information from two Princess employees.  It turns out that in the past regular coffee has been available at IC, sometimes.

Day One Review

Day  One was a very mixed bag.

The drive to Seattle Terminal went smoothly.

The check-in at the terminal was flawless.  Leave your luggage with the uniformed Port of Seattle staff outside the terminal and get in the line which was about one hundred when the terminal opened a half hour before the scheduled 11:00am.  The only documents needed were passport, proof of vax and proof of negative COVID test plus your Medallion.  No MedallionClass app. on your device was needed for boarding and it was a good thing since it works even worse than at home, if at all.

Next, upstairs to the security station which was nearly identical to the air port.  Carry-ons on the belt.  Passengers through the scanner.  Smooth and trouble-free.

Then we were sorted to Elite, Platinum, Steerage.

It was now that we learned by a memo from the Skipper that, due to bad weather, the ship would not be departing Seattle on schedule with a Sail Away, but rather at 6:00am Monday and the port call at Skagway (where our favorite Quilt Shop is located) was cancelled.  So an Alaska one-week cruise that normally includes four ports-of-call was now down to two.  Half a cruise.  I fully understand we can't control the weather - still a disappointment.

After a comfortable wait, boarding went smoothly and quickly.  We were cheered aboard by an enthusiastic crew.  We were told that we could leave our carry-ons, etc. in our staterooms but not remain there yet.

Next, down to the Concerto Dining room for a fine lunch at a table for six.  We were given our choice.

Safety check in was next.  Check-in at your muster station and watch the safety video in your cabin which was now available.

Checked baggage arrived in timely fashion.

Then things started to turn ugly.

For a ship that was supposed to be only 60% full, the Majestic seemed very crowded as hundreds of passengers milled about trying to get problems solved.  (As the day progressed and passengers got settle in it seemed less crowded)  The Service Desk was understaffed.  So, things went slowly.  Most passengers were walking around with the noses down in their devices – if they were fortunate enough to have one that worked.  We were not that lucky.  We will try again tomorrow morning to get help getting it working.

Many, many passengers were having trouble with the app. which for us worked so slowly as to be unusable.  It had worked slowly at home the past couple of months.  But at least it worked.

There was confusion about whether there would be daily Patters.  The TVs said no.  The desk said yes.  Monday’s has arrived.  So, it looks like yes.

The Internet we had pre-purchased wouldn’t work without a trip to the Internet Café.

My wife was disappointed to learn that she could not get a cup of plain coffee at the International Café.  But especially upset by the run-around she got.  One Princess staffer said yes, another no.  Apparently the answer is no.  The only place on the ship you can get a cup of coffee without charge is on Deck 16.

Platinum cruisers – this was the first time I felt it appropriate to lodge a formal complaint.  The Princess Service person, after a thorough investigation concluded that it had been handled in a manner not up to Princess standards and apologized with a Coffee Card.

All together we had to stand in line to get problems solved at least six times today.

Lovely dinner in Concerto followed by the 9:15pm comedy show which was enjoyable.

We love Princess Cruises and have long been looking forward to this one. 

With the coffee problem and the Princess’ struggle with technology that is clearly in the Beta stage, Day One was only fair.

We are hopeful things go better tomorrow.

6 hours ago, Purple Galinule said:

What a day it has been! We started with a nice (meaning free) hot breakfast at the Seattle Airport Marriott concierge lounge. Then we went to the airport for our transfer to the ship. We got there at 8:15am and were told the bus would not leave much before 11:00am. Well, darn. Not wanting to sit at the airport for 3 hours we grabbed a cab and were at the pier before 9:00am.

 

Now, I know what you are thinking. Wait at the airport or wait at the pier. We have decided we made the right decision. We were second in line to board, and once the boarding process began we were through check-in in 9 minutes. A 15 minute wait in the elite/platinum lounge and we were then on board Majestic Princess for our vacation.

 

The rooms were not yet open, so we went to the Market Place and had some pretty darn good Mexican food for lunch. We toured the ship for a while, watched the security video, checked in at our muster station, got a lesson on getting the Medallion app working on our four devices, and went to the Sail Away party. 

 

The party is one fun time. The dancers were good and the music was lively - although I could not "Name That Tune". We did find out the margaritas at the pool bar and really good! Sun and music, the rain and HAIL!!! Seriously. Then a great rainbow.

 

Next up is dinner. We understand that no reservation is required for the Club Class dining room. If you do want to make any reservations for Specialty Dining, just dial 138 and they will set you up. We have the Crown Grill reserved for Tuesday evening in Juneau.

 

Our cabin is great - almost. The inside is very spacious - bigger than Club Class on some other ships. Nice desk, plenty of closet space, etc. However, the balcony is tiny/small/wee. We have had balconies with two chairs, a table, and two lounge chairs. This one barely fits two chairs and a table. 

 

The Medallion app looks like it is going to be fine. No problems, so far. I will review it at more length later. Tomorrow at 10:30am is the CC meet & greet in the Hollywood Conservatory on deck 17 forward. Hope to see many of you there.

 

You got to the Port Terminal so early.  What time did they open?

18 hours ago, Purple Galinule said:

Hi. My wife and I are thrilled to be sailing on the Majestic Princess starting Sunday, Sep 19th. Because of the pandemic, we had two cruises cancelled and really need to start travelling again. We live in Colorado Springs, CO and this will be our 12th cruise on Princess. We have also sailed on Holland and Celebrity, but Princess is our favorite.

 

We have been following the LIVE chats from the first few Majestic sailings and we are looking forward to getting on what will be a new ship for us. From the roll call thread, we see that there will be a CC meet & greet on Monday at 10:30am in the Hollywood Conservatory. 

 

The whole process of getting the COVID-19 test scheduled and taken has been very stressful - for many, not just us. We finally got our NEGATIVE results this morning from Walgreens and are looking forward to boarding our plane Saturday morning. We will be staying at the Airport Marriott and then getting Princess transfers to the ship. 

 

As for our CC user name... The Purple Gallinule is my favorite bird, and yes, we are birders. We hope to get some sea birds off our balcony, especially in Glacier Bay.

 

So, that is my intro. I will post when I can and answer questions when I am able. I am not new to cruising, but I am new to CC. By the way, I do know that my user name is misspelled, but I cannot figure out how to get the extra "L" into Gallinule.😉 I am also posting a photo of that wonderful bird. Hope you enjoy.

@Purple Galinule I didn't think Gallinules' range extended to Colorado.  We sure don't see them in Olympia.

19 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I am getting the impression that some people are just carrying on using this old "Live From" for current or upcoming voyages instead of starting a new one?  Or am I wrong?

 

@Steelers36That appears to be the case.  It appears that no one from Sept. 12 started a Live From.

Thanks to @Purple Galinule there will be one for Sept 19.   It already has 20 posts.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2802469-live-majestic-princess-alaska-sailing-on-september-19-2021-from-seattle/

 And thanks to @farsight there will be one for the Sept 26 which I will contribute to.

3 hours ago, Musky Ike said:

We went to Walgreens for the rapid diagnostic test. Could only book 2 days out so Tuesday for Thursday test, but when I checked our local one the website said none available. Booked one about 27 miles away.  Easy test for both of us at the same time, went to lunch and got an email the results were in so a swing back to the drive thru to pick up signed copies and back home. The check in person at the pier did not recognize the test but checked with a medical person standing behind her and all was OK. It is new to them also.

Which test were you able to get the Rapid Diagnostic Test (ID Now) or the Rapid Antigen Test (BinaxNow)?

1 hour ago, geoherb said:

Sailaway was nice. I started off on the Promenade Deck and moved up to the Lido in time to see the singers and dancers do a few numbers. Dan is still the CD on this cruise. 

 

I enjoyed the Platinum, Elite, and Suite cocktail event in the Hollywood Conservatory. It's a great venue for the event. There was just one server for the food, so it took a little bit of time and the line got a little long. They had the usual list of drink specials. I had a Deep Sea--one of the blue Curacao drinks. It was tasty. That and the mojito are my go-to drinks. 

 

There was a great turnout for the LGBT meeting at the Crown Grill Bar. There's a group of eight friends traveling together. Most of them live in Florida, but one couple is from South Carolina. Around a dozen more showed up--too many for the space.

 

I went to the 7:00 show of comedian Carlos Oscar. He was funny. I had time to go back to my cabin before my 8:00 reservation for dinner. I had a table by myself but right beside two couples from West Virginia--close enough to talk with them. I enjoyed the seared garlic prawns, gravlax of wild Alaska salmon, and cod over warm lentil salad. I was disappointed in the flourless chocolate cake. It was not as dense as it has been in the past. They also had it in the buffet on the Lido Deck. It was better up there. (For research purposes, I had to try it to see.) I was in and out of the dining room in 40 minutes. It was not crowded at all. Tomorrow night will be the first formal night. I'm sure more people will be there then.

 

It's after midnight back home, so I'm going to bed now. My body will eventually adjust to the time change. Getting up at 5:00 this morning doesn't help.

@geoherbYou spoke of a Platinum, Elite & Suite cocktail event.  The Menu you shared says "Elite Lounge.  Are these two separate things?  Who is welcome in the Elite Lounge?

9 hours ago, memoak said:

Seeing a lack of masks in this picture so wondering if some venues do not require masks indoors and if so which ones ?

Very disappointing

3 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

You’ll see it in section 5 of their Passage Contract for all bookings.

 

Guests agree not to bring alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages on board for consumption or for any other use except as follows:

• For Guests of legal drinking age, an allowance of one (1) bottle of wine or champagne (750 mL in volume or less) per Guest per Voyage may be presented to security during embarkation. A US $20.00 corkage fee will be charged should Guests wish to consumer their wine or champagne in the ship’s public areas.
• A US $20.00 corkage fee (which is subject to change without notice) will apply to each additional bottle (750 mL in volume or less) beyond the one-bottle per Guest per Voyage allowance. Limitations apply, and wine brought in quantities deemed to be excessive by the vessel or security will be refused.
• Guests are also prohibited from bringing water, sodas and other non-alcoholic beverages on board that are packaged in bottles. A small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages (i.e., sparkling water, sodas, juice, milk) packaged in cans or cartons may be brought on board on embarkation day, only if carried on in Guests’ hand luggage (not in checked luggage). A small quantity is considered a maximum of 12 sealed, unopened cans/cartons of 12 ounces each or less per person.  Guests will be asked to discard open beverages in plastic containers prior to boarding.

 

Thank you, Astro Flyer for the helpful information.  I might never have found it buried in the fine print.

On 8/8/2021 at 4:26 PM, Ronnieslady said:

Did you see anyone bring on their own canned drinks.  What’s happening about that??  Can you still give it to the porter to bring up with your luggage ??

Ronnieslady, can you tell us where on the Princess website can I find the policy for bringing canned drinks on board?  Thanks.