iamaqt2

Princess is the only cruise line I know of where Elite status can be reached by cruises sailed, and not days sailed. I am almost at Elite by virtue of doing many 1 night repositioning cruises between Seattle and Vancouver when they transition between the Mexico and Alaska cruise seasons. Until Princess revamps how they determine tier status, the higher status cruisers may not have actually spent much money at all to achieve them. I'm basically happy enough with the new package offerings and anything else that comes my way is just gravy.

It could be worse. It could be obese married men in a Speedo. And OLD ones at that.

That could be. They generally don't grant access until after sailaway so that they can conduct tours for the PAX who might want to sign up. And you can't make paying spa pass holders happy if you're parading people through while they're trying to relax.

If you booked access to the Spa relaxation areas for the duration of your cruise you will not be able to use it upon boarding. The spa conducts tours most of the day, and the spa facilities won't be available until sometime after sailaway. Usually around 6 pm. Alaska cruises are very casual.. think pack in layers for any kind of weather.. waterproof shoes and coat. Formal nights are also usually more like a very dressy top and slacks, or an easily dressy dress for women, and a pair of slacks and a button up long sleeve shirt for men. Tie optional. Formal wear will be seen, but not in the majority. Shorts will not be necessary. Jeans and a t-shirt are standard day wear on a nice day. Change the t-shirt out for a nicer shirt for dinner and you're set.

All the people on the Lido deck were tanned and skinny.

Per the website it sounds like it only runs between the port and Downtown Astoria with no other stops in between. https://www.portofastoria.com/Pier_Side_Activities.aspx

I believe I may be joining you on the Majestic. May 5 sailing?

Thanks for sharing. I was also on this cruise. Didn't make it to any of the late night comedy shows, but did see Carlos Oscar and The Secret Silk which was absolutely fantastic. I previously cruised with Arrrrrmondo on the Discovery and he's fantastic. I found all the food to be delicious but I was a little let down by the weather. It was unseasonably cool this particular week. And the snafu with losing all the first night Dinner reservations created havoc in the dining rooms.. the lines were loooong that first night. Overall it was a nice little cruise I enjoyed very much.

I'm a big fan of Good Spirits, and it looks like it has a fairly large footprint on Deck 6. I'll be on in a couple weeks and GS and Vines will probably be my go tos.

Yes, you can opt to wash in cold, warm, or hot. The dryers only have high heat setting though.

Nice jeans are welcome ANY night of the cruise. No tears or rips. They are my daily wear staple with a tshirt, then switch to a nice top for dinner wear. Makes Alaska cruises easy.

I get that. I've been back twice since the restart and it hasn't been functional. I was hoping this time it would be.

It will be up and running as they've invested a lot of money to get it operational again. They redid the tracks and purchased a new car from Italy. This article from November explains it. Was just hoping it would be done next month for my May cruise. My bum knee doesn't allow for Married Man's Trail. https://www.krbd.org/2022/11/18/new-cape-fox-tram-is-on-the-way-to-ketchikan/

Unless one makes the effort to visit guest services and have the daily service charge removed, we're all "yes" tippers.

For anyone else who may be wondering, a phone call confirmed the tram is not running. They are currently working on it and hope to have it up sometime this summer. No ETA.

Thanks, will give that a go.

Hi all Does anyone know if the Cape Fox Lodge funicular/tram is currently operating? I saw an article from November that they had redone the tracks and were getting a new car delivered, but haven't been able to find any additional info. Thanks!!

No, because I purchase the Princess Plus package and my gratuities and the 18% beverage service fee is baked into the package. I've purposefully prepaid it up front so that I don't have to worry about tipping once onboard.

I went from an inside cabin to a premium deluxe aft balcony on an 8 day Alaskan cruise for only 245 pp. That was a significant savings over booking the aft myself. It really depends on what categories you're moving between whether the cost difference is worth it.

The grapefruit juice is not ruby red.. it's plain white grapefruit juice.

Princess will not be cancelling these port stops. While the state dept. may be issuing travel warnings for these "states", the ports of call themselves are kept very safe by the Mexican government. Tourism is their bread and butter, and they rely on the money that the cruise ships bring in. You will see the Mexican government patrolling the port with machine guns while in their uniforms. They have trucks that they ride in the back of, and they police all the local malls. I do land vacations as well as cruise vacations in Mexico, and have never felt unsafe in the port towns.

If it was just the beverage package, then yes I would be mistaken. But since OP didn't specify beverage package, and said Princess Plus package, I'm assuming they meant the upgrade that includes gratuites and wi-fi. Which does require both passengers to purchase it.

Sadly no, both guests in the cabin must purchase the package. But it's almost just as cost effective to have the Plus for both when you look at the value of the gratuities and wi-fi.

Hi all, Wondering if anyone on the Royal recently can confirm or deny if the Trident Grill is still offering this option per the Princess Website. Traditional Southern BBQ, with Poolside Ease In addition to the hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken sandwiches that passengers love at the Trident Grill, this poolside eatery transforms into a traditional smokehouse-style barbecue each evening, serving up hearty plates of jumbo chicken wings, Route 66 beef chili, Texas-style barbecue brisket, Kansas City Sweet & Smoky Pork Spare Ribs, and North Carolina Pulled Pork. Enjoy delicious southern flavors, poolside! I've never seen this offered at the pool grill before, and I've learned to take anything posted on the website with a grain of salt.