karatemom2

A few ideas to consider:

https://www.alaskazoo.org
 

https://www.crowcreekgoldmine.com  
 

https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/matsu/indepmineshp.htm
 

https://www.alaskanative.net

https://www.anchorage.net/outdoors/wildlife-viewing/
 

We have not seen waitstaff in the theatres since prior to COVID. It used to be so nice on the older ships that have the foldout table in the armrest to order a cocktail prior to the show from one of the waiters wandering around taking and delivering orders. Just another relic of past times on Princess. 

Options for dinner would be Skagway Brewing Company, the Red Onion, or Fish Company near the dock. 

2 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Alfred and Seymour.  They were very funny in the princess theater on embarkation night, but not at all in Vista lounge.  Weird.

Oh my gosh. We haven’t seen Alfred and Seymour for years. They were regulars on many of our West Coast cruises for many years prior to COVID. They are very funny guys and super personable when you run into them around the ship. 

9 hours ago, minnie2023 said:

Hi! I'm going on an Alaskan cruise may 27th! There are so many whale tour options in Juneau, what are your opinions of the different companies?

I think I have it narrowed down to 2 options:

Whale watching and wildlife quest

Or

Juneau whale watching tour.

 

I'm looking for safest and most reliable.

Also, anyone there now? Are the orcas there yet?

Thanks in advance!

 

Pretty much any whale watching tour in Juneau will guarantee you see whales - humpback whales. Orcas are a very rare sight, much more prevalent in the Victoria and Vancouver BC areas.
 

Safest and reliable is probably most likely guaranteed on one of the larger Allen Marine vessels that you book through the cruise line tours. Smaller private vessels like Harv and Mary offer a great personalized experience, but smaller vessels, while very safe, may not feel as comfortable for everyone. 

Princess has recently advertised some excursion “sales” on a few itineraries. However, what has been noted is that it appears the pricing of the excursions is raised just enough prior to the “sale” that the actual reduced price is pretty much the same as it was before. 
 

In general, the trend with Princess excursions is that they keep getting more and more expensive as the cruise gets closer. The excursion prices for our Norway cruise this summer have gone up across the board - 20 to 40 percent higher in some cases. 
 

Your best bet is to book early on any excursions you really want to do through the ship. If the price does get discounted, you can always cancel and rebook. 
 

That being said, we found the British Isles an incredibly easy place to book private tours. There are so many really good, reliable operators that cater to cruise ship passengers. Out of 9 ports we booked only two with Princess for very specific timing and desired activity reasons. In all other ports we did private tours that were way more cost effective and featured smaller groups and a more personalized experience. If you check out the British Isles ports of call board here on CC, there are many great recommendations. 
 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/148-british-isleswestern-europe/

29 minutes ago, Vacple30 said:

Any recommendations for captain

The two places we have caught halibut in Alaska are just as @wolfie11 suggested - Icy Strait Point and Sitka. In Icy Strait we went with Glacier Wind - captain Sean. But I think they only do whale watching trips now. You would have to check - maybe he would do a fishing charter. We reserved the whole boat for our party if 6. In Sitka, we rented a boat and gear and fished on our own. 

5 minutes ago, Outerdog said:

Yes, the forward facing suites, mini-suites, and balcony cabins.

 

 

 

Yes! Exactly why we booked one for our Norwegian affords cruise this summer. Can’t wait to take it all in from our forward facing balcony!

Really besides the forward facing cabins, the best forward views are probably from the Sanctuary. 

Sounds like this is really a dream cruise for you and I agree - a full Panama Canal transit is on our bucket list and I think doing it over the holidays will be magical!

Yes, there will be lots of children - traveling happily with extended families. Often you will find multiple generations traveling together. I love children - raised two of my own on Princess cruises and we made great holiday memories with them on the ship. Sharing Christmas with children is a joyful experience for me. We raised our children to be respectful and never had any real issues with other children onboard. 
 

Of course, kids will be kids at time and do some annoying things like hit a few extra elevator buttons or congregate in the stairwell. That was about the worst we experienced from the younger crowd.

However, the stories I could share about the rude adults onboard over the years we have cruised far outweigh any bad behavior from kids. And yet, I don’t let any of it deter me from enjoying my experience. 
 

Princess does a great job providing activities for the kids that keep them busy and having fun. And seeing their shining faces with Santa is pure joy. 
 

Go and enjoy your dream cruise and don’t be deterred - no cruise is ever perfect, but we have done 6 holiday cruises with Princess and they have all been wonderful!

Christmas and New Year’s are a wonderful experience on Princess. First, the ships are beautifully decorated. Christmas celebrations generally include caroling, gingerbread house building contests, formal evening on Christmas Eve with Christmas Crackers at your place setting at dinner, a reading of The Night Before Christmas, Fun Fair for kids with activities including cookie decorating, and visit from Santa with a gift. These are just some examples - different CDs will add other things from ship to ship. 
 

New Year’s Eve is a giant party. Also a formal night, you will get hats at your dinner place setting. There are multiple parties staged throughout the ship with the largest generally on the top deck, weather permitting. There is a huge countdown at midnight and lots of music and dancing. 
 

I don’t have a basis of comparison as I’ve never spent a holiday with any line but Princess, but I can’t imagine anyone else does it better. Princess makes it a very special experience. 

5 hours ago, FancyPants21 said:

Nearly home. Disembark tomorrow morning.

 

A few thoughts...

 

Sky Princess in in great shape IMO and it is obvious that the crew keep her that way. I have done 5 cruises now with my first just prior to covid and since then I have noticed no deterioration in her condition. 

 

The crew of this ship are just excellent and what makes it so special IMO. Nothing is too much trouble and always with a smile.

 

The food is some of the best I have had at sea. There is a lot of chat on this forum about dress code and IMO it is all just waffle. People dressed as they wanted with most in smart casual and no one that I saw was dressed in anything that could be offensive or distasteful. On formal night about 50% dressed up and the rest were quite smart casual. It all worked very well and without all the fuss that people make out on the forum. Personally, I can see no reason to have these "dress code" discussions as it is a total non-issue on board.

 

If there is a weak point then it is the bars IMO. The numbers of staff is significantly reduced and while the ones that are there do their best they are run off their feet and the level of service suffers. Also, there have been a few occasions when the ingredients for a particular drink was not available. I still enjoy the bars but the ambiance has changed and not for the better IMO.

 

The biggest improvement I saw was in showtime in the main theatre. We have seen all the shows this week and there wasn't a weak one there. A huge improvement on even our last cruise a year ago. I hope that trend continues.

 

So, all in all, a huge success IMO and well done to Princess. 

Thank so much for your report! The Sky has definitely become one of our favorite Princess ships and we are so looking forward to our cruise in June!

You can't use the Casino deposit in advance - because it is considered exactly that, a deposit to hold your booking and you lose it if you cancel. Therefore, even thought it transfers to OBC once onboard, you can't use it in advance like other types of OBC. But you can definitely use it toward buying the packages once onboard so it should work just fine for you - there are plenty of crew just waiting and eager to sign you up for the package as soon as you step on the ship.

1 hour ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

I think 'officially' Princess states you can bring on up to 12 cans at embarkation. However, I would be really surprised if they stopped you from bringing on a few cans that you pick up at a port stop. (Bring a small backpack with you off the ship.)

We have found this to be the case. We have brought six packs of canned or bottled sodas back with us from port many times.

39 minutes ago, Speedo said:

Does anyone know what time passengers without ship tours can get off the ship in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland. I need to meet family there and I need to know when they can meet us at the pier. It is a 7:00 am arrival. Thanks

Dun Laoghaire is a tender port, so if you don’t have a ship tour you will need to go to the lounge where tickets are being distributed. I would suggest getting there as early as they open up so you can be toward the front of the line. Elite passengers and those with Princess shore tours get priority for tendering, so if you don’t fall into one of those categories, you could be facing a bit of a wait so the earlier you can get to the lounge for your ticket the better. Your whole party will need to be with you in order to get the tickets. Then you wait in the lounge until they call your group. It’s hard to say how long this will take - depends on how close you are to the front of the line and how many priority passengers are departing early. 
 

Another point, the tender transit into Dun Laoghaire is the longest we have ever experienced - it is a good 30 minute boat ride. So you will need to factor that in as well. I would imagine, if the ship arrives on time and receives prompt clearance the tenders will start running immediately, but depending on your tender group you willl likely have at least a minimal wait time even if you are in an early group so I would not expect to be at the dock to meet your family until 8 - 8:30 am at earliest. 

Yep, same offer here. Sadly the timeframe doesn't work for us, but we would jump on it otherwise!

Exciting news, thanks for sharing! We are back to Alaska on the Ruby this September for the first time since 2022 and so happy to be going back again to our favorite destination. It is great to see that Princess is really upping its Alaska game, which in my opinion was excellent already! We will be really looking forward to experiencing some of these new offerings!

The classic soda package does not include bottled water or the freshly squeezed juices from the juice bar. 
 

It does include all fountain and canned sodas, regular juices that are available at the bars like apple, orange, and smoothies and mocktails. 
 

We used to get it for our kids when they were younger and they definitely enjoyed getting the smoothies and mocktails. And my daughter was the Shirley Temple queen!

On 4/29/2024 at 2:03 PM, RSF Cruiser said:

Thanks - I was in Catalina last week and hiked up Hermits Gulch and then down the Sea to Sky trail into the botanical garden - the hike was incredible! Lots of wild flowers and great views. In October we are planning on doing the interior jeep tour with the Catalina Conservancy. I’m afraid Princess is going to cancel Catalina, and that’s why there are no tours listed. 

The wildflowers are beautiful here this year with all the rain we had this season. I bet it was gorgeous.

The interior jeep tour is a great tour - I hope they don't change your itinerary. Catalina is such jewel!

Skagway Fish Company has very good food and is literally right at the dock area if you want something close by. No shuttle required - just a short walk from the ship.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60877-d5110097-Reviews-Skagway_Fish_Co-Skagway_Alaska.html

Thanks for sharing your cruise experience with us. We are on the Sky in June for the 14 day Land of the Midnight Sun itinerary, so very interested to follow along on your journey!

Catalina is a tender port and can really only comfortably accommodate one ship - it is very small. So maybe there is a delay to see how the schedule shakes out? Other lines regularly stop in Catalina including Carnival which has a regular rotation there.

If you do end up going, be sure to check out the inland Hummer tour that takes you to the more remote parts of the island and up to the Airport in the Sky. It's an amazing (albeit a bit bumpy tour). Great way to see parts of the island that those who stick just to Avalon don't experience and also catch sight of some of the wild roaming bison.

I think most printed materials are going the way of the dinosaurs these days considering the exorbitant cost of four color printing and mailing - online, email promotions and app advertising is where it is at. We still get the occasional post card, but that is about it, which is perfectly fine with me. The less paper the better!

1 hour ago, Mark_K said:

Sure, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Norwegian had bag specials, Silversea and Princess had self-serve laundry.

 
HAL also offers an unlimited laundry package you can purchase for the length of your voyage. They also offer a single laundry bag special. 

On 4/26/2024 at 10:38 AM, cruisequeen4ever said:

We have used BlackBerry Cars, and London Airport Pickups, both successfully and happily. It costs a little bit more to have private transport, but barely more, and it’s on your own timeframe. I highly recommend it!

 
Another vote for BlackBerry, pricier than some other options, but very reasonable for a private car service and super professional and reliable. We have then booked for both our arrival and departure this summer. 

Yes, most of the stores in the downtown tourist area stay open into the evenings when ships are in town.