Purple Gallinule

1 minute ago, Steelers36 said:

TUE and SAT/SUN.  Your guess of SAT may be correct as IDK what your SUN is.  No way will it be MON.

 

Thanks.

We sail on the Regal on December 13th - 8 days. Do you have any insight as to which nights will be formal nights? We have sea days on Tues and Wed and the on Sat we leave San Juan at 5pm, the earliest we leave any port. Monday is a sea day, but we disembark the next morning. I don't see them having a formal night when we have to pack and put out our bags, but I could be wrong. Any help would be appreciated.

We sail on the Regal on December 13th - 8 days. Do you have any insight as to which nights will be formal nights? We have sea days on Tues and Wed and the on Sat we leave San Juan at 5pm, the earliest we leave any port. Monday is a sea day, but we disembark the next morning. I don't see them having a formal night when we have to pack and put out our bags, but I could be wrong. Any help would be appreciated.

Can you tell us how full the ship is? 60% or higher? Thanks!!

11 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

@Purple Gallinule

Yes, there is a charge for the Sanctuary.  You pay for the use of a chaise lounger and being pampered.

Thank you.

1 hour ago, azbirdmom said:

 

The Majestic Princess doesn't have a Sanctuary and the Hollywood Conservatory is a very different venue.  Nice atmosphere and most of all free!

That is why I was asking if the Sanctuary is free, or if there is a charge. I am not familiar with that. Hopefully, we will be able to enjoy a new experience there.

On the Majestic the Hollywood Conservatory did not cost anything - maybe because it was one of the first cruises back. Does it cost to use the Sanctuary? We have never used it on our previous cruises, so I am not up on the requirements. Thanks.

Howdy. Jeanne and I are on the Regal voyage on Dec 13th. We were on the Majestic in Alaska in September and I started a "Live From" board for that cruise. It was fun to do, and I thank you for taking the initiative to do one for the Regal. We will be following your trip with great interest. Bon Voyage!!!

We are sailing on the Regal Princess on Dec 13th. I called our Princess Cruise Planner and asked about an upgrade - complimentary or paid. She called back and offered us an upgrade to a rear-facing suite. We had to pay some $$$, but our daughter who will also be in the suite was not required to pay more than the original 3rd person fee. We have never had an opportunity like this, so we took it immediately.

I know there were a couple of folks on our Sep Alaska trip that got upgrades by going to the customer service desk as soon as they boarded.

5 hours ago, DRS/NC said:

I have to use an electric scooter on the ship. Elevator use is usually a pain -- trying to get into one w/people crowding or waiting until one comes that isn't full.

On the Majestic in Sept. in Alaska it was easy!  If there were already a few people (3-4), they always waited for me or held the doors -- no hostility at all.

 

Loved that we (3) could easily get reservations in any of the 3 DRs.

Really loved the Conservatory! 

 

I've never had a favorite Princess ship (I love the fact that they're so very similar that I don't have 'learn' a ship).  But now, the Majestic is my favorite because of the Conservatory.  I may take a Mexican cruise just to be on the Majestic again.

We totally agree about the Conservatory. We were on Majestic on the Sep 19th Alaska sailing.

I have a friend who is a beer snob and has asked me what kind of beer I will have in my suite bar. Can anyone tell me?

Thanks in advance.

Our September cruise on the Majestic was the best cruise ever. Zero complaints from us. The app worked fine for us. No lines, no problems getting seats at any venue. The Hollywood Conservatory is our new favorite spot on the ship.

The buffet was fine. Getting served by crew was better than watching people start to take something, then putting it back. Reservations for Crown Grill were a snap. Elevators were rarely crowded - well, disembarkation morning was bad. We ended up riding an elevator up in order to go down.

Enjoy your cruise. We are on the Regal in December and can't wait.

Okay. Here we are at the end of an absolutely wonderful cruise. There are a couple of questions above, so I hope I get the answers in this last post.

The last day was a sea day highlighted by rain and lousy internet. Of course, we had to pack our bags and put them out right after dinner. Once that was taken care of we headed down to the Princess Live venue for a program put on by the Cruise Director staff called Hollywood Hiccups. It was really fun. It was something how willing the cruise staff was to make fools of themselves for our entertainment. This group under the direction of Cruise Director Kevin is probably the most fun group we have seen.

Following that show we went to the Princess Theater for a final production show that I would rate as okay - at least until the end. At the end of the musical performers, the CD staff once again put on a skit that was hilarious. A great send off.

This morning went super smoothly. The dining room was open from 6:30 to 8:30, so we went down for a final breakfast on board. We went back to our cabin to get our carry-on and we were off the ship 10 minutes later. Since we were going to stay an extra day in Seattle, we could just walk off and not go to a designated location to wait for a transfer bus to the airport.

NOTE: If you have not already done so, be sure to sign you passport. One of the customs officers told us that fully one-half of all travelers have not signed their passports. We didn't even know where the signature line is. Who says vacations can't be educational.

We took a cab to our hotel just three blocks from the Space Needle. We were able to get into a room right away, even though we arrived at 9:00am. After checking in online for our Monday flight on Southwest, we walked over to the Chihuly Gardens. Wow. If you haven't seen this great attraction be sure to go there next time you have some time in Seattle.

So, the week is over. How have things changed on Princess since our last cruise? There is the constant cleaning. Masks are required at all indoor venues. Some of the layout on the Majestic is different from other ships in the fleet. But we got around just fine.

The masks did not seem to bother anyone. After all, we knew about it before we sailed. I would suggest the you have more than one mask for the seven days. The buffet was another big change. As you probably have heard, you do not get your own food, but rather it is plated for you by the staff. They are friendly and will get you what you want from a very wide selection. 

We were told that the ship was at 60% capacity. I know that is not the most profitable level for Princess, but it was great for getting around. No problems getting seats at any of the venues, and no lines at the dining rooms.

So, did we enjoy ourselves? Let me just say that we booked the same cruise for June of 2023, although it is RT San Francisco rather than Seattle.

Well, my post from Glacier Bay finally got posted.

Today we were in Ketchikan and went on an excellent excursion. It was called "Lighthouse Totems & Eagles" and was a fun and informative boat ride. We saw lots of wildlife. I recorded more than a dozen species of birds. We saw several whales, too. My only negative comment was that they only seemed to want to point out eagles. Beautiful birds, but hardly the only birds.

There was a three person crew - Captain Jeff, Brooke, and Kyle. They were super nice and well versed in the Ketchikan area. They served a  great snack of homemade salmon dip, smoked salmon, pickles, and a square of dark chocolate. They had drinks including hot chocolate, coffee, and sodas. I would not hesitate to recommend this excursion. 

We have had sun most of the day, and the only rough water was during the night last night. However, yours truly slept right through it all.

One other note for right now. Last night was the second formal night. We had a fine dinner in the Club Class dining room. All the gentlemen that were there when we were were dressed nicely, from collared shirts to suits. The ladies all looked great in their fashion choices. After dinner we enjoyed the production show "Sweet Soul Music" and laughed ourselves silly at the Marriage Match game show.

I have really had fun doing these posts. Hopefully we will get better coverage as we head south and I will be able to post tomorrow. We are staying an extra day in Seattle, so I should be able to post about disembarkation on Sunday evening.

In fact, we had so much fun on this cruise that we booked the same one for June 6, 2023. Wanna come along??

We are in Glacier Bay National Park. 31F with rain and low clouds. The park rangers are onboard and will be giving lectures and commentary throughout the morning.

If you are onboard, the rangers have situated themselves in the Hollywood Conservatory. I encourage everyone to stop by at least once to see their displays. Bring your National Parks Passport along to get stamped. We are hoping for lots of wildlife activity and I will post again later today about it all.

This also gives me a chance to wear my new Alaska stocking cap that I bought in Skagway.

20 minutes ago, californiagirl said:

Here is a photo of Mendenhall Glacier when we were there in 2003.  The current photo is shocking to say the least.

Yes, that is a major difference. Wow.

46 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

ALL???  the men on the ship????  Never have I seen that on Princess.  And not talking about ages ago of course when men wore suits almost every night.  LOL.

I did not say all the men on the ship. I said that the men in Club Class while we were there...

1 hour ago, phabric said:

Was your excursion a van tour? Did you get out at anytime or was it a straight drive?

Yes, the excursion was in a van. There were 20 plus the driver. We made 3 or 4 stops on the way up for photo ops. While it was blustery and cool/cold, there was some sunshine and no rain. The only stop on the way down was at U.S. Customs where we all had to show our passports. Paul, our driver, let us off next to the visitor center in downtown Skagway, so were could spread our dollars around. Great fun.

Back on the ship after our outing in Skagway. We took the "To the Klondike Summit" excursion and had a great time. Our driver, Paul, was one of the best tour guides we have ever had. He was friendly, informative, and very entertaining. The rain stopped for our trip and into this afternoon. Lots of sunshine. Of course there was wind and the temps were in the 40s, but I did not hear a single person complaining. I am pretty sure I detected smiles under everyone's masks.

Downtown Skagway was fun to walk around. Some stores were closed, but we managed to contribute to the local economy in several places. We did not find any businesses with Wi-Fi, and we were told the only free internet access in town was at the city library. 

After dropping off our backpack in the room, we went up and got burgers and drinks. Needing just another couple of bites, I checked out the desserts in the buffet and came up with another tip for you. If you want peanut butter cookies, you have to ASK FOR THEM. They are kept separately from the other cookie offerings.

Here are just a couple of photos from this morning. I hope you enjoy.

We just stopped by Guest Services and they took our cabin number for a wake-up call if the Northern Lights are showing. We told them to call at any hour!! We would be so happy to see them. Our waiter this morning had photos on his phone from one of this year's sailings. They were spectacular.

Fingers crossed, everyone.

3 hours ago, CalLuvsCrusingToo said:

I made mention on other Alaska thread, how much it appears Mendenhall glacier

has receeded.  Your pic above.... shocking to me.  Wonder what you thought?

I have some photos at home from two earlier cruises and I will compare the glacier in those with the new one when we get back next week.

On another note. Unlike one of the earlier Majestic cruises last month, all the men showed up for formal night last night in suits/blazers and even one tuxedo.

Tonight was our night in the Crown Grill and it was terrific. We both had the filet mignon and they were done just as we like them. No shorts, jeans, or spa wear in evidence. By the way, if you are too full for dessert you can have it delivered to your cabin. It took us about 20 minutes from order to arrival.

Man, are we ever having fun!!!

1 hour ago, CalLuvsCrusingToo said:

What happened about the missing person from the bus?

 

We later heard that the wayward passenger was picked up by a later bus and got back to the ship 30 minutes after the rest of us.

8 minutes ago, 2 cruises a year said:

Just correcting typo, It is https://www.juneauharborwebcam.com/

 

Thanks. I guess I got fat-fingered typing Juneau.

Today was a typical day in Juneau. First rain. Then heavy rain. Then 32 seconds of clearing, followed by rain.

To be fair, we had a nice bus trip out to Mendenhall Glacier. Everyone on the bus was in great spirits and we even got a couple of bird species for our trip list. It wasn't until we were ready to leave the glacier parking lot that we discovered one person was not on board the bus. Everyone knew what time to be back and the driver was even nice enough to wait an extra 10 minutes for our no-show. When we returned to town, over half of the folks on the bus got off a few blocks from the ship, either to shop or eat or drink. The rest of us just wanted to get back to our dry cabins.

I will post a couple of pictures here, one being our ship arriving a little before noon on the harbor webcam. If you have not done so, you can find this live cam at JunearHarborWebcam.com 

We are off in a few minutes for the Crown Grill. We will let you know how that goes.