4cats4me

@Musky Ike

Thank you so much for keeping the Live From… Majestic 2021 Alaskan season tradition alive! Wishing you a wonderful week aboard.  
 

1 hour ago, eyelash said:

If anyone on this cruise uses the thermal suite, will you share whether you think it is worth buying the cruise long pass that entitles a passenger to use it 2 hours per day?  I would also be interested in the hours for the thermal suite.  I saw a previous posting that made me think it is only open from 8-10am.  Too early for me!  I sleep in while cruising and would still be yawning over coffee at 8am!  Any info appreciated.

They’re open until 10:00 pm. As one who used to purchase the pass for the enclave on every cruise, I would not even entertain purchasing it for a limited two hours per day,  as I would spend at least  four hours per day using it on previous cruises, and it was never crowded.  They used to limit the passes to 50 per cruise,  I believe, as not to cause an overcrowding situation. Plus, those who are getting spa treatments could use it as well.  
 

On a different note, I also was traveling solo last week, and The staff never made me feel uncomfortable in any way, shape, or form.  When I showed up to the dining room and they inquired how many and I said party of one, they would repeat to The person showing me to my table, “party of One,” as that’s what I was.  Or they would say “party of One,  willing to share. “
I felt that the staff bent over backwards to accommodate me, being a party of one, and the term ‘one’ never made me feel uncomfortable. 
 

1 minute ago, KLM3164 said:

@Musky Ikestarted a live thread for the 9/5 cruise this morning. 

 

 

Yay!!

4 hours ago, phabric said:

Did you receive the blue bag they use to put on your bed?

Yes.  There were two in my cabin hanging in the closet.  I will give them to my friends.  
 

* * Also, this is the first cruise I’d been on where the robes were already in the cabin, (unless staying in a full suite. )

I was only one person, yet there were four robes. 🤣

I’m almost positive if the cruise ahead of ours had been a full sailing, there would’ve been no robes until day two.  
 

While leaving the buffet the other day I was attempting to put my mask on and accidentally dropped it.  The woman who was near the hand washing station offered me a new one immediately.   She had them in the cabinet there.  

3 hours ago, Cruisinhopes said:

Love Princess, and love the parade of desserts with the introduction of the wonderful dining staff.  However, the encouraged practice of swinging used napkins overhead, while looking festive, has always made me cringe.  It guarantees germs are sent airborne.

 

Will someone who has cruised Princess post-Covid please tell us if this custom has been deleted?  We won’t be cruising until 2022, but would really like to know.

 

Thank you.

Was in full swing last night.  I’ve been traveling with Princess for almost 20 years and never recalled the swinging napkin thing before last night.  

8 hours ago, 1emerald1 said:

I'm booked on the March 27 Discovery too!  However this booking doesn't show up on my medallion app.  I've e-mailed and had two lengthy conversations with the Ocean people to no avail.  Is your booking listed on your app?  If this ever gets resolved and I do go on the cruise, I'd enjoy meeting you!

Hi, @1emerald1

Yes, it shows in the app, but there is no ship name, only the date.  Hmm. And  it would be fun to meet you onboard.  Fingers crossed! 

3 hours ago, Sea Hag said:

We were on a Princess bus. Bus pulled in, we all got out and went on in. Nobody that I saw was checking arrival times. We had group A, 11:30 to 11:45 and were on the ship by 11:15.

3 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

We showed up at 11:15 and our boarding time was 11:30 and we went right in. 

4 hours ago, trbarton said:

Thanks for your live thread. Curious was the boarding times enforced or could you show up whenever you wanted?

 

Tom😀

Nah.   Nobody checked anything, it seemed.  

3 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

Our flight home isn’t until 7:30 tonight so we had time to kill today. We ended up booking the Princess excursion to the Space Needle and Pike Place Market. We got dropped off at the airport at 1:30 so it’s turning into a long day but luckily flight is just under 2 hours.

 

We started our day at 6:30 with breakfast in the dining room. We got off the ship around 8:00 and got to the Space Needle at 9:00 when it opened. I’ve never been up in it so I was happy to see the views of the city and of the Majestic Princess.

 

We had about 2 hours at the PP Market and watched the flying fish, went to Starbucks and had lunch while we were there. It was very crowded and I was ready to get back on the bus and get out of there. 

Looking forward to getting home to see my cat tonight and sleeping in my own bed. I thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and hope to sail on the Majestic Princess again as I thought it was a beautiful ship. Our next sailing is B2B on the Sky in November.

 

I’d especially like to thank @4cats4me for setting up this Live thread and sharing your perspective and photos of the cruise. I looked forward to reading your updates everyday! I hope you had smooth travels back to the Bay Area today and maybe we will see you on another cruise in the future. Take care and enjoy your retirement!

It was so nice meeting you and yours, Kim.  Really enjoyed all your pics! The Royal Class ships are gorgeous.  

The cruising world is small, so I’m sure we will encounter one another on a future cruise.  I know what you mean about missing the kitties.  😊

Safe travels!

On 8/17/2021 at 10:45 AM, Cruise Raider said:

We were just on the Majestic and did have some soot on our balcony from time to time throughout the cruise.  Our room steward did a great job of keeping it cleaned up, though.  Of note, there was a mat provided near the door to help keep the carpet clean.  We did put it down when we noticed soot out on the balcony so we wouldn't take it inside onto the carpet in the stateroom.  

Would I get that stateroom again ... in a heartbeat!! 

PS ... we were right next to the corner aft suite on the Baja deck so I can only imagine their experience was similar to ours.  

@Cruise Raider

Good to know.   We’ve booked the corner aft on Baja on the Discovery, and I was kind of wondering what the soot situation would  be like back there.  😊

3 hours ago, TinaLee said:

Odd question that just popped into my mind. I have really bad arthritis in my thumbs and I have a real issue with those hair dryers where you have to keep holding down the button to make it work (not a simple on/off switch). Can anyone who has been on Majestic tell me what kind of hairdryer they provide so I know if I need to pack my own?  Thanks a million! 

2 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

 

Someone on one of the first two cruises mentioned that they had a "real" hairdryer.  On the third cruise we had the old one attached in the drawer with the button you had to hold down.  Sounds like it's different for every room and if you have a problem with the old ones, it's best to pack the one that is easier for you.

1 hour ago, RLK33853 said:

My wife has long thick hair and the regular Princess hair dryer isn't of much use to her.  We would always pack our own until we discovered that Passenger Services have some regular hair dryers that can be requested.

Same old hair dryer in my cabin 

Disembarked walk- off Group C at 8:10 made it to the airport by 9:00. As instructed last week by the Shuttle driver from Seattle express, I walked to parking space R, and there was  already a shuttle bus waiting  with a few people on it , and I was able to get a seat on that shuttle. 
otherwise, it would have been a 15 - minute wait, since the coordinator indicated that the vans circle every 15 minutes. 
Ccheck- in only took a few minutes and I was through the huge TSA line within 15 minutes. Now sitting here having my coffee and croissant.  Flight doesn’t leave for two more hours. 
 

Last night, I decided to go to dinner early, at 6 PM, and to my surprise, the dining room was already packed and they were able to get me in since I was a party of one and wanted to share a table so I was number seven at an eight top. The couple ahead of me were turned away because they basically wanted their own table and they were told no because there was nothing available. 
This was the most crowded I had seen the dining room the entire cruise. 
So, shortly after I arrived,  they did the baked Alaska parade which was interesting because I’m used to that happening at the end of a meal not before I’ve ordered LOL 

so basically I think the secret to the dining room is to time it so that you’re not overlapping , ie, if the dining room opens at 5 PM, if you show up at 6:00 expect it to be crowded , as The tables most likely won’t turn over in one hour, unlike my experience going between 620 and 640 at that point the 5 o’clock diners have had 90 minutes plus to complete their meals.  
so to me the 620 to 640 dining was perfect. 
I had occasion to dine one night at 7 o’clock and the dining room was packed. 
Last night, the company was delightful,  and we didn’t leave until 9 PM. 

 

I met most wonderful people on this cruise. and  everyone was so nice to me, being a solo traveler, and I wasn’t sure what to expect regarding the shared table situation, or if I’d even be allowed to share at all, with the new era of cruising that has been ushered in.  
I feel like we were the lucky ones,  because it seemed that many issues had been worked out by the time we boarded, and we didn’t have any of the dining room issues that I had read about previously.  
 

Regarding the stateroom,  everything was perfect,  and I never had to ask my steward for anything.  Never had to ask for the little elite amenities never had to request delivery of my pre-ordered water package never had to request items from the minibar, it was just all their upon boarding. 
I do think that is due, in large part, to the fact that our sailing was only at 53% capacity.
 

I think this cruise has spoiled me forever, not having to wait for anything,  no crowds  anywhere, and overall, it was just a fantastic cruise!

 Next up: Discovery Princess, (if she is delivered on time) March 27, 2022, which is supposed to be the fourth sailing, or who knows, maybe the Inaugural!

Thank you to everyone on previous sailing’s who started the live threads, who got me so excited that I just had to book this last minute cruise. Thank you for all your valuable input, which helped me immensely. 
Thank  you to all on this sailing who contributed to this live from  thread.  It’s so important to get everyone’s perspective, since we all view everything through a different lens.  
 

And most of all, thank you to everyone else for following along this week!

Happy Sailing

4cats 

23 minutes ago, KLM3164 said:

The water is a little rough this morning so we are getting bounced around a bit. We have an aft cabin so perhaps this makes for more movement. We’ve never had an aft cabin before. I’m enjoying all the movement. As a child I spent a lot of time on a boat in the CA delta so I’ve always enjoyed the movement on a ship. This is the first movement I’ve felt. The rest of the trip has had really smooth waters.

 

Saw my first kid on the ship yesterday. A young boy who I’m sure was at least 12 years old so probably vaccinated.

 

Haven’t heard of anyone being tested for COVID on the ship this week.

Ugh.  It’s quite pronounced up here in bow. Slam.  Clunk. Clunk .  Ka-BAM!

We’ve had afts in the past,  and it is a wild ride back there , too.   Up here,  it feels like I’m at the epicenter  of a 4.5-5.2 earthquake every 30-45 seconds, and not a roller but a thruster.  LOL

It’s fun to have a little movement. 

Our current seas.  We are on the outer side of Vancouver Island. 

2 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

We were able to hear the narration in our cabin. There were times when the girl talking took a break for several minutes before continuing with the commentary. We just left it on the bridge channel all morning to catch bits and pieces when we would come back in our canin.

Interesting.  Nope,  I kept it on the channel the whole time , no audio, unfortunately.  Oh well this was my fourth to GB,  so I’ve heard the narration before,  but it’s always nice to hear it again. 😊

14 minutes ago, CruzeQueen2 said:

FYI - I think the flowerpots are made of a plastic material. They had them on the Caribbean Princess in 2019 and I was also surprised when I first saw them. I'm was happy to see that @KLM3164 posted the picture, because describing them, just doesn't make sense to anyone who hasn't seen them at the buffet before. I had a good chuckle when I read about them on the Majestic. Especially funny are the comments from people who haven't seen them before! LOL

I, 4cats4me,  posted the pictures. 

WHY does this site keep kicking me off?

it won’t let me stay logged in every time I try to login I get two or three pop-ups for cruise advertisements and this is a relatively new iPhone. 
it’s not an old device. 
 

Ketchikan: 

Nice and rainy but I enjoyed it a lot had the most wonderful crêpe at the Alaska Crepe  Company, (strawberry w banana) and then chased the crêpe with some fish and chips at Alaska Fish Company. It was a nice relaxing day. 
bought some nice local handicrafts. 
got back on board and bought some photos but I am unable to digitally download them. 
The instructions were to go to Ocean Concierge  and look for the message, but there is no message,  so I will be paying them a visit at 4 o’clock. Also, there is no 10% discount reflected on my statement, which I thought I was supposed to receive as an elite perk. 
 

7 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

The pool area in the photo is the Retreat Pool on other Royal Class ships, albeit slightly larger on Majestic.  Retreat Pools are uncovered.  The Conservatory area is where Sanctuary is on other ships.  I didn't find the Conservatory area to be of much use the way it was setup when were on Majestic in early 2019. 

 

I think a lot of folks would appreciate a covered pool area (for me it can get quite strong with chlorine smell).  I think the best idea is for the cruise line to spend the extra $$$ to have a retractable roof and can adjust depending on the weather.

 

The chlorine smell is definitely quite potent up there.   

Small “plates” (ie flower pots) at buffet. 
 

Port of Seattle, Pier 91

Small port.  Easy to navigate.   
 

Disembark info

The posting mystery solved  
Realize that I probably needed to clear the cookies and that resolved my issue. 
we are in Ketchikan, cold and rainy. No surprise.  
Will venture out around noon when it’s supposed to be better   
Had a nice dinner last night.  
One thing I’ve noticed about the dining room is they are using a hand written seating chart, “old-style.” And everything flows nicely upon entering the dining room at the popular dinner hours.  
last night I went at 5:30 even though I have a 630 standing reservation and they wanted to show me to a table for two and I asked them if I could share and no problem there was a table for 8 and I was the eighth   Person, met some nice table mates had great service. All the dining service has been exceptional in Concerto. They have been exceedingly accommodating. The other night when they showed me to a table which I didn’t like I requested if I could have the same table I had the night before,  “sure ,no problem.”

Of note, yesterday, while at G.B, we were told that we would be able to hear the talk about the glaciers in our room on the bridge cam channel.  That did not occur.  
it didn’t matter much to me, because I’d already been to GB three other times but for those who might have been looking forward to not having to go out into the public areas, it might’ve been a bit disappointing. 
 

I attended the 5 o’clock captain’s circle party and the number two most traveled couple attended the 5 o’clock and the other two couples would be attending the 7 o’clock. The numbers were around 1300 + four positions two and three, and 1800 for the most traveled. 
last night, in speaking with some of my table mates, they were disappointed that they hadn’t received an invite to the captain circle party and they are Ruby, which makes me wonder if they are only inviting platinums and elites now? 
The room seemed quite full for the 5 o’clock party, taking distancing into consideration otherwise it might have been 50% full?  I don’t know. 
I feel like the employees really have their act together on the sailing. Essentially everybody is working in sync now. 
my cabin stewardess  is wonderful. 
I have not had to ask her for one thing. 
I do notice a lot of empty cabins on my floor in my section. When I say a lot, I mean between section 100 and 318 I think I’ve counted about 15 empty cabins. 
this cruise has spoiled me forever because of the perfect passenger to space ratio! 
finally had that fabulous dessert last night that everyone’s been talking about on Cruise Critic

Also, every morning, continental breakfast arrives  on time. If I  choose 730, it arrives at 7:31. 
 

i’m posting all these pics out of order

The glacier one on the bottom,  I have no clue which one that is , but that’s what it look like out there before it got really  blustery.  

Looks like a gray Kaua’i.  

3 hours ago, 4cats4me said:

 

I’ve been trying to upload  for an hour and a half, But I think because there’s a lot of traffic on the thread, somehow,  it prevents me from logging on.  It says I am logged on, but there’s no way for me to comment or to like anybody’s posts. 
There is   a better signal sitting by the window. 2:00 am no problem 😆 

To the CVS questioner, yes , it should say CVS on the letterhead. 

It’s formal night.  
 

.  
 

Brrr from GB.  Still so gorgeous.  
Apologies For not responding. Having great difficulty connecting to CC.  Can read but have lots of trouble posting 

Two photos (blue) taken through window 

Loved front row seat on balcony deck eight but too rainy for me.  Don’t like when rain hits my face (  I must’ve been a cat in another life.  ) 

Thanks for the nice compliments re yesterday’s photo.  Much appreciated.