karatemom2

Princess would be my choice. We have found their kids' program to be excellent and really appreciated how they incorporated a level of Alaskan culture and history into some of the Alaska cruise activities. If you are going to be in Glacier Bay the rangers who come aboard on Princess also offer an excellent interpretive program for the kids onboard that day.

Check out this thread. PotatoBug is scanning the Patters and sharing them so should be easier to read. Here is the link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1966140&page=3

Yes the photos were taken with a phone so not the clearest unfortunately. But speaking of the I Phone, if you have one you might try looking at the thread via your internet on your phone as it allows you to enlarge the page you are viewing. Just a thought.

Very sorry about your father. I hope his surgery goes well. Unfortunately without insurance I'm afraid you are out of luck in recovering your cruise fare. Princess has to be consistent in dealing with these issues or they would have a real mess on their hands which is why the cancellation terms are made so clear up front. I'm sure whoever you speak with in Customer Service will sympathize but imagine how many calls they get from people with similar issues. The answer will be that they are sorry but you are beyond the cancellation window. Sorry!

First time cruiser so I am hoping the veterans can provide some info. You are all mentioning your favs and it got me thinking about deserts. I am a very strange woman, not really a fan of deserts or chocolate in fact my favourite desert is JELLO (with maybe 1 piece of cheesecake a year). So will I be able to get such a basic desert on the Royal Princess? (I am not 10 but turning 46 on my cruise so I want to be able to get jello and not some crazy choc desert that I will not eat.)

Your wait staff wants to make you happy so I'm sure if you let them know of your preference they will make sure you get Jello. I have seen Jello desserts in the buffet, so even though it won't be on the dessert menu in the dining room it doesn't hurt to ask and I'm sure they will do their best to accommodate you. You mention you will eat cheesecake which is always available as a dessert. There are also very basic options such as vanilla or chocolate ice cream always available as well. But perhaps you will find an opportunity to try something new like the crème brulee (yum) and find that you really like it. A cruise is an opportunity to try new things, especially new types of food.

My DH, the Craps player, is quite familiar with the phrase "You roll the dice, you takes your chances...". Clearly this couple has rolled the dice many times and the odds have been in their favor. This time not so much. Eventually when you gamble, you are going to lose. That is the chance you take and just as the Casino is not responsible to reimburse you when you lose, neither is Princess responsible to compensate this couple.

I really can't muster much sympathy for this couple who are simply victims of their own poor planning, as compared to the other passengers on the two affected ships on the current Hawaii run that had their vacation derailed through no fault of their own. Those are the people who have my sympathy, as well as the crew and family of the deceased crew member.

As for as the couple who missed the ship, as ironic as it may be, they actually ended up logging a great deal more time in beautiful Hawaii then did their fellow cruise passengers. So perhaps they should consider themselves fortunate and be grateful for that opportunity instead of expecting Princess to compensate them in some way.

My DH and son just returned from the 4 day that went to Catalina and Ensenada and the Patters are included in this thread. It might give you a good reference for what the schedule will be, even though you will be going to San Diego. They really had a wonderful time and I'm sure you will as well. Have fun!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1965839

Last year in Ketchikan we fished for Salmon right off the bridge and dock area adjacent to Creek St. We rented gear but this time plan to bring our own this year. That being said though June 20 may still be a little early for the salmon run in Ketchikan. We were there in early August and the salmon were thick.

Menus for Alfredo's and Sterling Steakhouse:

This is a very sad situation for the man, his family and his friends and just as we need to have compassion for them, I think we should have some compassion for those on board even the so-called 'complainers'. We don't know their situation either. This may be an once in a lifetime trip for them, the only opportunity for them to ever see the Hawaiian Islands. This may be their once a year or once ever 2 or 5 year vacation from a stressful life and job. Just like we don't know why this man felt the only way to deal with his life was to end it, we don't know the circumstances of others on the ship. I don't think that just because they are complaining they are necessarily uncaring people. Please let's have compassion for everyone in this sad situation and not criticize or demonize how anyone is reacting.

I think this is one of the nicest, most understanding posts I have had ever read. It is certainly a terrible tragedy for the crew member and those who loved him, but I can't also help but feel sad for the passengers who excitedly boarded a cruise they had likely been planning for months and now they are faced with this tragic turn of events. We all react differently in stressful situations and while I'm sure most are trying to be compassionate, it is not hard to fathom why some are also perhaps not handling the situation as well. We just don't know how much this vacation might have meant to some who are not dealing well with the disappointment of plans that have been smashed.

I'm going on that ship next week California/Mexico and they usually keep to a similar patter/schedule and only make minor changes.

 

Would you be able to upload the ones you kept so I can check it out. Need something to get my excitement up!

 

Thanks

Not trying to hijack PotatoBug's wonderful thread, but I did post photos of the Patters for this same cruise in the following:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1965839

Ensenada Day Patter:

Well my boys are home and they had a wonderful time on the cruise. I was definitely glad to have them back and happy they had a good time even though my daughter and I needed to stay behind.

And they did bring home some marvelous gifts for us - perfume, Princess mugs... and Norovirus! :rolleyes:

So thanks to that special gift, I've been a bit preoccupied but will post a few more photos when I get a chance.

Just talked with DH briefly tonight. They had a nice day in Ensenada today. He and DS only got off the ship and walked through the Mercado right at the dock. Shopping the crowded streets of Ensenada is not really their thing. Sterling Steakhouse for dinner tonight-Rib eye! Looks yummy!

DH said Alfred and Seymour were hilariously awesome as usual.

Here is the Patter for today:

Just talked to my DH via cell - not sure how much that is going to cost! :eek:

They are having a great time. They just missed out on winning afternoon trivia by one point again! If he can't win some of those priceless Princess prizes, what is he going to do for my gift?

They are heading to the buffet tonight so they don't chance missing Alfred and Seymour, his gambling buddies. Lots of nice people onboard and great weather, crew, entertainment and food. I'm so happy for them!! Really!! :cool:

Whirledpeas I like your suggestion. A little retail therapy might just be in order while my daughter is at rehearsal tonight. ;)

And a sushi buffet for lunch - he's a very happy camper!

A day at sea today, so a little harder to communicate but he did send me this photo of breakfast. Eggs Benedict - his favorite!

hpeabody - I see the article says homeport of Singapore in November of 2014, but I believe she will be going to Japan from CA this spring. Whatever, I'm sad to see her leave!

Hi Bucky! So glad you enjoyed your cruise. My husband and son were getting on as you got off and are on the current 4 day cruise. And yes, sadly you are right. The last local sailing for the Sapphire is March 31 which we plan to be on and then she heads for Japan. So sorry to lose one of our favorite Princess ships!

We started cruising with Disney when my kids were 5 and 10. In fact our first two cruises were with Disney and they hooked us on cruising as a great vacation option for our family. But of course Disney is very expensive and at that time only had two ships with limited itineraries and nothing in Alaska at that time.

So we decided to try some other lines and quickly settled on Princess as a favorite for our family. Our children loved Princess and I was very impressed with the quality of the children's program. My kids have literally grown up since then on Princess cruises.

Alaska is such an amazing place and Princess offers great itineraries and a super Alaska experience for adults and children. Not to mention the wonderful indoor pool that Disney does not offer. I actually think at the ages of your children you will find that minus the characters, Princess really has as much or more to offer than Disney in terms of fun for the entire family.

Just my two cents! :)

What plans does your daughter have past high school? Is she looking at a college with a top drama program?

She would love to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. Dream schools would be Carnegie Mellon, NYU or University of Michigan. But given the extremely competitive nature of these programs she is also looking at a number of other colleges and conservatories that offer BFA programs as well as some with good Bachelor of Music programs in Musical Theatre and/or Vocal Performance. She is an excellent student with an outstanding GPA so that should help with academic admittance, but she will also need to gain artistic admittance as well. So her senior year of high school promises to be very exciting and possibly nerve racking!

All set up for tonight's balloon drop.

They are on the Sapphire right now. My DH played Craps in the Casino with Alfred last night. They are so funny!

Congrats on her part! After hearing her sing in person on our '10/11 cruise' date=' I can see she deserves it.

 

I guess they're about to head down to MUTS soon to watch the BCS. I was going to work a concession stand (the Rose Bowl food service company offers groups a chance to raise money, and the girl's band parent group has been doing this a few times this year...I was at the Rose Bowl game selling beer and other stuff to MSU and Stanford fans, but ended up getting a huge reaction to all the pollen from the floats, and then food poisoning, so I'm skipping today, and hopefully they're getting enough adults who went through the booze training class). Do have to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow as the girl's school starts up and concert band is bright and early.

 

Hope the guys have fun and that they remember to do something nice for their girls when they get home.[/quote']

 

Thanks Patty! I hope you are feeling better. I'm sure these Santa Ana winds don't help your allergies. Sounds like you have a busy week ahead as well!

 

And I agree, we are expecting some expensive jewelry and perfume from the duty free shops onboard!! ;)

Very quiet on the ship today as most people went into Avalon. Last time we were in Catalina we rented a golf cart and drove all over but they opted to stay onboard to relax and enjoy a near empty ship. I don't get this whole relaxation thing!!

Patter for today: