jeromep

I wouldn't openly subject myself to this early of a flight directly off a cruise, but it could work if... 1. You do the earliest walk-off, luggage in hand, disembarkation. You need to be off the ship and through customs by, say, 8:30 and on the curb hailing a cab or catching an Uber/Lyft directly to the airport. 2. You use the SeaTac Spot Saver to schedule a "reserved" time through TSA at the airport. Here is the link: https://www.portseattle.org/SEAspotsaver Please click and read. SeaTac has a terrible reputation for long security lines so be aware of this. Why not book a hotel room for the night after you get off the ship and stay and enjoy Seattle and some of the surrounding areas? There is a lot of touristy things to do town, some nice hotel properties, and you can still avoid the red eye by staying a day and flying out in a more leisurely manner the next day.

We started with a group cruise with friends many years ago. One of the couples had cruised Princess before and was highly complimentary. On top of that Princess is one of two lines which seem to have the most polished product for Alaska cruises. As others have and will mention, itinerary quality is excellent. I think that speaks to how long they have been in operation. It is both experience with creating a logical and enjoyable itinerary, but also having long term relationships with ports, which gives them preferred access to ports, etc. Food is subjective. I generally like what Princess offers. My wife describes their food as being "continental". You don't find their food selections at typical restaurants. So, it is something of an adventure to try out new cuisine when on a cruise. We live in a world of chain restaurants, fast casual, and fast food, very little food on board fits into any of the typical categories of land based dining. I think Princess has done a very good job of avoiding having too much of their food start to look like what you could get at home or on a normal land based vacation. Ship interiors are elegant but not gaudy. Some of those older Carnival ships are incredibly gaudy; and they were gaudy when they were launched, it isn't like those ships were in good taste when they were launched. Carnival has really reduced the guadyness of their interiors in recent new builds, but their cabins remain incredibly minimal in design and function. Princess has very well thought out cabins... except for the stand up shower and the shower curtain. They are quite a bit behind a number of the other lines and their new builds where the shower is enclosed in a glass door rather than that horrible shower curtain that sticks to you. I suspect that the more and better storage space in Princess cabins comes out of the marginally smaller and less functional bathroom. On the other hand Princess mini-suite cabin bathrooms are nicely sized and because it is a tub/shower combo, there is plenty of room. And suite bathrooms are about on par with other cruise line suite bathrooms. On board entertainment is generally excellent. The cover band, jam band, on board usually fits the vibe of the cruise, and I've enjoyed most theatear shows. The on board DJ is always a bit of a crap shoot, sometimes really fits the vibe of the crowd, and sometimes just plays what they like. I suppose I could go on and on, but in general Princess is nicely balanced. Not too snooty for an upmarket cruise line, but not so laid back that if you are more active you can't find something to enjoy while on board.

My TA had to do the upgrade for me. We tried to do the upgrade back in late January or early February but the "coding" wasn't there to complete it. Some time in late February it all opened up and she was able to get it coded right and updated my final bill amount. I asked my TA if it was difficult to upgrade and she indicated it was not. I'm not surprised that Princess's toll free line is dysfunctional right now. That is a common comment on the boards. So glad I use a TA and am not trying to home grow my cruise vacations anymore. I'm not sure when Princess's own customer support staff are going to be up to speed.

Last time we visited Glacier Bay we had left the face of the glacier by mid-afternoon and were headed back to the entry to Glacier Bay to offload the park rangers. By the time we were having dinner we were out of the bay. I don't think you need to be worried about getting a window seat at dinner that day. I have no clue on the timing near Hubbard. Most 2 tops are bench seat with a chair opposite and you will be close to your neighbor. Very few 2 tops with chairs in the middle of the dining room or near windows. You might be able to make a standing reservation for every night with a particular table location selection, but you'll have to arrange that with the maitre'd on embarkation day. I'm not sure that you can get that specific with your reservation through the app.

The hash browns aren't quite what I'd put up for myself on the Blackstone, or what would be served in any restaurant I live near. They remind me of the potato cakes that Arby's used to offer. I sure to miss Arby's potato cakes. I follow the Captain on Instagram. Seems like a nice guy. I stumbled upon him when the Sky was launched and we had a cruise booked, but alas that all disappeared on us thanks to the virus that shall not be mentioned and we never got to sail on the Sky. Sounds like your cruise is going well.

Uh, If that is the Black and Blue Onion Soup you had, the mold you encountered was from the Roquefort Cheese. I have a wedge of Roquefort in my fridge right now, usually for putting on a cheese board at home or making salad dressing, but it has heavy mold veins in it, similar to, but in greater quantity than a number of blue cheeses. The "bread mold" you had in the soup was unlikely to be from bread, but from the cheese. The mold from Roquefort leans green in color, whereas blue cheese mold is generally a very dark blue. I could see how Roquefort mold could be mistaken for bread mold based on color alone.

Food is so subjective. From my perspective there are three things which seem to impact food on board, whether it is menu offerings, presentation, overall quality, quantity served, etc. Those three factors are the Executive Chef, the Food and Beverage Manager, and the ability for the port agent to provision the ship as desired. It is my understanding that the Executive Chef and F&B have to coordinate with each other on menus and recipes. This determines how the ship needs to be provisioned for each cruise. Again, according to my understanding, the F&B manager is the one that controls the purse strings. So, if the food budget for a particular sailing is limited by corporate or by what is customary for a sailing in that particular region for that length of cruise, that may impact the quality and quantity of what is purchased when the ship reaches home port and reprovisions. F&B budget may also turn around and directly impact what is on the menu any given night in the MDR or buffet. The Exec. Chef might have ideas on having really great menu items, but what he actually gets in the pantry to cook with may drastically affect what is on the menu. Most of what I've mentioned has been the effect of budgets and the way the F&B Manager handles reprovisioning and how that could impact menus and food quality. If the Exec. Chef is inexperienced, or has an odd taste in "continental" food presentation, then you are going to get food which may not inspire excitement. Consider that as the cruise lines have "restarted" there are gaps in talent that they are having to navigate through. No doubt there are some newly minted Exec. Chefs on board which may not be ready for the challenge, or may not have as much experience as the former Exec. Chefs which may not be coming back as the cruise lines bring themselves back to full capacity. This whole labor issue has played out in nearly all industries where there has been a shut down and staff has been laid off or dismissed because there was no demand for their talent, a lot of those people went on to other jobs. They didn't wait for the green light to get back to cruising, they went and found other work in other areas which could use them right away, and pay them right away. And then there is the home port, port agent, and what can be provisioned in that port. Is it possible that you can home port a ship someplace where you can't get excellent cuts of steak. Sure. Is it possible that you can home port a ship someplace where selection of fresh fruits and vegetables may be limited. Absolutely. Just because a ship wants particular provisions on board doesn't mean that they get all they want or even exactly what they want. I'm convinced that some of the oddities people have seen on board in terms of food presentation or variety are directly related to what the ship can get when it arrives back at its home port and goes through the turn around process. When all three of these factors come together, you get a great food experience on board. If any of these are even a bit off, you end up with odd menus, unexpected preparation or presentation, and even just unenjoyable meals. And there is no way to know if this is actually going to be the case with your cruise until you are there on the cruise.

Cruising is a luxury for me. I book earlier than some, later than others, usually to get the cabin I want. If the price is acceptable to me, I book; if not, I don't. Once booked, I don't worry much about the price. If my TA finds that prices are moving down, I let them handle the adjustments or rebooking. And final payment is 90 days from the cruise, by that time, if you aren't happy with the price you paid, there isn't much you can do about it. Plus, if you are booking less than 90 days from the start of the cruise (I've done this a couple of times), you end up having to pay for the whole cruise up front. It has been a long time since I've cruised on short notice, less than 90 days from cruise start, and because these late bookings have to paid in full at booking, prices are usually depressed, partly to fill cabins, but also partly to accommodate the up front cost and make it more palatable. I'm not sure there is a science behind getting the best price. More than anything else, I think there are trade offs when trying to get the best price. If you are comfortable with the trade offs, then by all means book in a way that gets you the lowest price.

Yes, I think it sounds decent. You are looking for convenience and starting your disembarkation day at the Seattle Center and being able to visit the Space Needle, MoPOP and Chuihuly all inside short walking distance is a good plan. You could also ride the monorail while there. It basically takes you to the Westlake Center mall, which is a shadow of what it once was, but the ride can be fun. Or you could focus on the waterfront. Take a ride in the Seattle Great Wheel, maybe book a tour with Argosy Cruises. I think their best tour is the Ballard Locks cruise. Or you could head south closer to the airport and visit Boeing's Museum of Flight. I'm an aviation buff and it is a very good museum. The best part of it is the war aviation section of the museum, and the covered outdoor airpark where they have a number of very historical aircraft on display, including the first 747, a Concord, one of the former 707 based "Air Force Ones" and one of the 787 test aircraft. You have to thump the side of the 787. It's sounds a lot like thumping on the bottom of a Tupperware container when you tap on the fuselage. I recommend dining at 13 Coins. There is one in or around the Pioneer Square area of town. While Pioneer Square can be touristy, it does have its rough edges. I wouldn't recommend being down there at night. BTW, the Seattle side of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park is in the Pioneer Square neighborhood. This is the continuation of the park that is in Skagway. If you visit Skagway, you may want to visit the Seattle museum to "tie up" your experience. Some suggest taking the ferry from DT Seattle to Bainbridge Island. The village where the ferry docks on the Bainbridge side is very picturesque and walkable.

In the upgrade material they provided you did they provide the suite level label, usually listed as S1, S2, S3 and so on. The lower the number the higher the price for the suite, and presumably the more desirable the suite is or the larger it is. I suspect that a Premium suite is going to be an aft suite, but with a larger balcony or an unobstructed balcony. Plus, your Emerald deck suite is located above Club Fusion, so you may get some noise bleed in the evenings. A more expensive suite would likely be located away from public venues. I'm not all that impressed with the prices for either of the penthouse offerings. I'm working on memory here, but there is a block of suites midship on the Grand class ships, like the Crown, which usually are considered desirable and go for more than the aft suites. Again, I could be wrong.

I think I'd keep E732. My favorite suite (that I could afford) was D737 or D736. D736 is right above E732. The Dolphin deck aft suites have a huge balconies. I think your balcony in E732 is going to be a bit narrower, but fully covered. The Caribe deck aft suites are shifted more inboard and have a very large structural element in the middle of the balcony, so, not a much room to move around, some odd deck furniture placement. Specifically C751 and C750 have that huge structural element in the middle of the balcony. I think C749 and C748 do not have the structural element, but I'm not sure. C749 and C748 are a higher category of suite than C751 and C750, possibly due to balcony size and design. I hope this helps a little. You'll want to know what exact cabin they are assigning you based on what you are paying before making the switch.

The "filling" of beef Wellington should be minced mushrooms which have been cooked down or sauteed into what is almost a paste. Mushrooms wilt or cook down incredibly easily, much like spinach. And they also get very dark when cooked down. There are other ingredients in the filling, but liver is not one of them. I've never made Wellington, but I purchased the puff pastry from the freezer case at the store last fall thinking I'd put one up for Christmas dinner, but it never happened. America's Test Kitchen has an excellent recipe, based on my reading it, and the filling is referred to as duxelles. That mixture is composed of shallots, garlic, mushrooms, thyme, red wine, salt and pepper. There is also a Wellington recipe in the Princess Courses cookbook, we got that on a cruise many years ago, and it's preparation is very similar.

No judgement here. I like Wellington, however it is a very odd way to prepare a roast. Just think of the person that woke up one day and said, "hey let's take a perfectly good tenderloin roast, wrap it in minced, desiccated mushrooms and mustard (and sometimes thinly sliced ham). Wrap it tightly in filo dough and bake it. Doesn't that sound good?"

I don't think the bartenders will like having singles stuffed into their waistbands after they serve you a drink.

Too bad they aren't branded. The last time we got photos on a USB stick it was a stick shaped like a Royal class ship. Very cute. A nice memento.

I aspire to one day sail on Oceana, Viking or Regent. Until then, it is chilled pureed vegetables and beef Wellington.

I don't think it matters either. Last time in Alaska we saw nothing but land and water on the various passages between ports It was like the wildlife was all given a memo that said, "no need to be out here anymore, go hide for the rest of the season." Every now and then a lucky passenger would see a fin, but it was like only 2 or 3 people saw it and then the Orca or dolphin or whatever it was disappeared. We were in the theater for the presentation by the park rangers from Glacier Bay and another passenger actually asked them where the animals were. Like the Park Service drags out animals when people show up at the parks, and then put them away when it is closing time. Anyway, have a great cruise, take in what the ports have to offer. Scenic cruising is nice, but you may get more enrichment from your trip while in port.

Thanks for sharing. That is a decent menu, not the best I've seen, but decent. I wouldn't starve that night. There isn't a restaurant in my area that serves anything quite like what is listed, except for the pastas and green salad. And for the common main dishes, like chicken breast, and rack of lamb, there are a couple places here that do that, but I don't generally order bone in selections anyplace, so it doesn't really matter. I don't mind, how do they call it, a french cut chicken breast, where there is a single bone on one side and the rest is boneless, but bone in chicken breast I won't bother with in a restaurant. And I'm not much on lamb, unless it is the lamb burgers at the fair, those are hard to beat. Yes, there are things I think should be on this menu, the fettuccine Alfredo is a glaring omission, but hasn't it not be listed on a regular basis for some time now? And just reading the Princess Love Boat Dream description doesn't really sound like what I remember. Oh well, change happens.

You watch the video on your phone or device, or the cabin TV, then check in with your Medallion at the location of your muster station. No sitting around in a venue for a presentation.

Unless you are booking a mini suite, which are all on Dolphin or Emerald deck, the Caribe balconies are some of the best on the ship. Also some of the most generous and the half covered half not makes them very comfortable and gives you the best of both worlds, the ability to be out of the weather or to find a way to sit in the sun.

Spoken like a true northwesterner. I'm Northwest Profile #56, Sandals and Socks Guy. See the below video. I also interchange into my footwear routine Crocs and jeans. I deal with dress codes at my office, so on my own time, I tend to be a lot more casual.

I'm not so sure that is a glitch. I recall there being some kind of reciprocity between Princess and P&O, dates back to when P&O purchased Princess before the two of them ended up owned by Carnival.

Princess's future is larger ships. Note they are not building anything in the Grand class ship size right now. The new Sun Princess is a level of magnitude larger than even the Royals. I suppose you can look at it a couple of ways: get your cruises in on the Grand class ships before they are traded off, or get used to the Royals and find out how to make them special for your next Alaska cruise. You'll be happy on either ship class so long as you set your expectations accordingly. If you want to book an inside cabin and then camp out on a public deck to watch the glaciers or watch the land pass by, you'll want to be on a Grand class ship, and book the week in the Sanctuary so you do have someplace to go during those outdoor observation days. On the other hand if you are going to be on a Royal, get a balcony and have your own railing to view things from. Both classes of ships can access ports equally well, although the Royals do take up more room dockside. That isn't really a passenger concern.

The casino (and Princess Prizes) will not be open if the ship is not in International waters. Once the ship is in international waters gambling can commence. If you heard this from somebody on board, I suspect that they are not visiting the casino at the right times or have not bothered to speak with a casino host or passenger services to find out when the casino might be operating again.

Last time I checked Princess pools were both chlorinated fresh water (not salt water), and were heated. But heated as you would expect a swimming pool to be heated. I think you'll find that hot tubs are quite popular on Alaska cruises relative to the pools. We had a July Alaska cruise a few years back. Weather was quite nice for most of the cruise. The day we were docked in Juneau the morning started out typical Juneau, foggy, drizzly, cool. By mid day it was 75 degrees or better. We stripped off our jackets and sweaters and went back to the ship for lunch and to stow all the extra gear we didn't need. Found quite a few families using the pool because the weather had gotten nice. So, weather is going to vary a lot and pools might be usable when you least expect it.