Paula_MacFan

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We considered using the Princess transfer from Southampton to LHR last fall, but the excursion notes said it was for passengers with international flights leaving after 4:30pm, and our flight left before that so we just took the regular Princess transfer without the Stonehenge stop. If you can see the transfer in your Personalizer you might check the notes and see what the flight cutoff times are for your specific cruise. When I look at the general excursions listed on the Princess website it shows a flight cutoff time of 5:45pm (see attached screen shot). Since the transfer didn't work for us after the cruise, we instead used International Friends transfer with Stonehenge tour at the beginning of the cruise. I know the OP didn't ask about pre-cruise transfers, but we would highly recommend International Friends in general for any transfer or tour.

Since it's your first cruise I recommend reviewing Princess' general FAQs here https://www.princess.com/en-us/faq For an overview of the Princess Plus package benefits see https://www.princess.com/en-us/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages For specifics see Princess Plus Terms and Conditions https://www.princess.com/en-us/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages/terms-and-conditions

Same here! I just checked ours and we are aft as well and it shows Crooners. We usually get an aft cabin and have never had muster in Crooners. It's usually the Vista or whatever rear lounge is on the particular ship.

I was going to post something similar -- that if you're going strictly off spreadsheet math, no one would ever book a balcony, mini-suite, or suite! Cruising in general is a luxury with various options for every budget. I don't know why so many people get their knickers in a twist over the packages and not room categories. We don't have endless threads debating the cost/benefit analysis of inside rooms vs suites. Everyone needs to do the math on the entire cruise and see what works for them 🙂 For us that means balcony or better room every cruise and Plus package. Those options fit our cruising style.

I wondered about the photographer too because it's not listed as part of the package anymore on the Princess website. When they raised the price of specialty dining with the additional service charge, I was comparing overall pricing for 2 specialty dinners vs getting Ultimate Balcony Dining. I still think UBD seems to be a a good value, but would be even better if it still included the photos and other perks.

See this lengthy thread for more information 🙂

Here is the cruise ship schedule so you can see exactly where you'll be docked. It looks like the Majestic typically docks at the Alaska Steam Dock, but you can check your specific date. https://claalaska.com/?page_id=1551 Several years ago we rented a car in Juneau from Avis. They have a seasonal office that is under a mile from the cruise docks (see Google maps for specifics). We were happy with the car, the price, and the walk to pick it up was fine. The only caveat I'd offer for this year is demand seems to be very high for Alaska cruises and as such, prices for everything seems to be at a premium. I wouldn't wait long to investigate a car rental or any other excursion choices 🙂

I agree with the advice you've gotten already -- layers and light jacket vs a heavy winter coat. I would bring a head covering of some sort and gloves just in case -- they don't take up much room and better safe than sorry 🙂 I also wanted to chime in that temperature and comfort is such a personal issue. We were on a Caribbean cruise in January and coming from our home where temps were in the teens, the local and ship temps felt wonderful! But we saw people walking around the ship, even on the dance floor, in full winter/puffer coats, and some walking around wrapped up in blankets! Meanwhile we were in shorts and t-shirts. Since you're from a colder climate it probably won't seem that cold to you. Our last Alaska cruise was in May and we hardly wore hat and gloves, only on Glacier Bay day. The rest of the time we wore layers with light jackets and were quite comfortable. We are also going the same time frame as you this year -- our cruisetour land portion is the last week of May and the cruise portion is the first week of June. I've already got the packing list made and can't wait to go!

The last time we were on an Alaskan cruise we spent most of the Glacier Bay NP day on our balcony and loved it. We had an aft cabin on the lowest deck, close to the water line. We could hear the ice popping in the water, and see birds and other animals in the water fairly closely. We were able to pop in and out of our room for drinks, jackets, binoculars, cameras, etc as needed. We could hear the ranger narration just fine by slightly leaving our door ajar (I realize for climate control purposes on a ship that is discouraged, but I suspect on scenic cruising days it's normal for short times). Once we went to the top deck because we'd heard 'you have to go to the open decks to enjoy anything'. The open areas were packed with people, it was hard to see anything, and it was SO NOISY with people talking. We couldn't hear any of the nature sounds up there as we had from our balcony. We stayed up there for less than 30 minutes and retreated back to our balcony 🙂 We did visit the ranger station onboard early in the morning and picked up some printed materials. We have another aft balcony booked for next month and can't wait. It's a very secluded and fully covered balcony so we shouldn't have any wind issues. Different strokes for different folks when it comes to cabin choice and cruising style.

We always do self-disembark and carry off our own luggage. You can select that option if you don't want to put your luggage out the night before. We only did that once on our very first cruise and then we said 'never again'. Just in case you want another option 🙂

We are there the same day but on a Princess tour 🙂

We have the Tundra Wilderness Tour booked for 5/28. The NPS website has posted these dates for 2024:

Same here -- when we drive to port we take lots of extras. Unfortunately we can't drive to Fairbanks so off to the airport we go 😀

Maybe I misunderstood the OPs question but I took it to mean 'can I get by with one suitcase for the cruisetour vs two'. Maybe the mention of 'carryon' is the term that is confusing people but I took it to mean one suitcase for the land and cruise, not two separate suitcases. At any rate, we are doing a cruisetour next month as well and plan on only taking one suitcase each for the whole trip, in addition to the 'day bag' as noted above (under 17"). We aren't participating in formal nights onboard so there's no reason to send ahead a separate suitcase for the ship. We plan to pack carefully and do laundry along the way as needed. Apologies if I misunderstood the question.

I just logged into Princess to check my own excursions and this banner is on the website. I've never seen it before -- Princess is being pretty blatant now about raising prices later onboard! 😮

From the home screen click on the 'All Set' button, then you'll see the 'Complete Required Check-In Steps'; scroll all the way to the bottom of this screen and you'll see the 'Add a Celebration' option. See attached screen shots.

Thanks for the update. Glad it worked out for him! I recently thought of this thread when my husband told me his coworker is going on a trip to Greece 'soon' and had been on a Zoom call the night before with the Captain of the cruise ship who was explaining where there are going. 😆 I told him not to get involved!

We regularly check our bill using the app throughout the cruise. So easy! Beats schlepping down to guest services and/or using the kiosk. On our most recent cruise I took screenshots of the bills on the final morning before we disembarked, and they matched the bills we received by email shortly after.

I agree with this and just wanted to chime in that all Princess shows are only 45 minutes. Just for full disclosure and the OP's mom isn't disappointed 🙂 A few years ago Princess moved pretty much all their entertainment options to 45 minute blocks. I can't answer for any of the other cruise lines.

Yes Princess offers self-disembarkation where you walk off with your luggage. You'll recieve a questionnaire during the cruise and you mark your preference. After our first cruise 20+ years ago we've always done self-disembarkation and are usually off by 7:30am depending on port. We've caught a flight from FLL at 11am with no problems but book at your own risk 😊 If for any reason the ship is late getting into port you're probably out of luck.

Agreed -- it took me about 10 seconds to open the app and look under Profile.

I don't think so because the fee doesn't come out of your onboard account, and is charged separately to your credit card on record. At least that's how it's been on the cruises we've been on where we've purchased FCC. I believe it says that specifically on the form you fill out and/or the app at the time of purchase.

I'm no vegan/vegetarian expert by any means, but on both of our recent Princess cruises we saw a separate section of the buffet area marked 'vegetarian options'. Edit to say I just did a Google search for 'Princess vegetarian options' and this popped up immediately. https://www.princess.com/en-us/news/news-releases/2023/10/princess-cruises-introduces-expansive-vegan-menus-for-plant-based-cruisers

We were on the Island last September/October and had a wonderful meal at the Bayou Cafe. You are correct that the menu is no longer New Orleans inspired and is simply a Crown Grill venue under another name. We found the menu identical to the Crown Grill on the Regal in January. Enjoy!