Sea Princess - July 1-11

[kiwipete]

Hi cathagirl - Pete is the 'leader' of our Christmas/New Year Roll Call on the Diamond, and from you last comment above - is there something we should know;)???

 

No secrets Margo. Our family is doing the Christmas / New Year cruise as a celebration of 3 big events in our family, which happen in 2010/2011

ie:-

my big 70

daughter Sarah's big 40

Norma and my Golden Wedding

Add the 3 together and we had to do something special!

So help us celebrate in December!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :):)

Pete

[cathatgirl]

@southpawsdakota The self service laundry facilities was closed the day we arrive in Ketchikan and remained closed until we left Juneau. So basically two day out of the 10 day trip. The laundry room is pretty empty from embarkation to ketchikan but once it opened again after we left Juneau, it was pretty packed. I just hand washed and line dried.

 

@ITMan I do have all of my patters as well. I'm trying to sort through the 2000+ images I have from the trip. I'll try to post pics of the patters soon. Hopefully @W247 can get them to you before me. :p

[MargoK]

Great news Pete & Norma - now we know why we are partying!!! (couldn't find the quote button!)

[ITMan]

I have my patters! I just need to get them scanned and stored somewhere for you to view them!

 

That would be so good if you can. Ihave been trying to get hold of some for ages.

 

Thanks

[southpawsdakota]

Thank you for your reply re: the laundry. Now for all those out of SF, we are arriving at SFO and want to get transport into the Fishermen's Warf area. What is the best way to get in, it does not have to be the cheapest but the better way. We will be staying at the Holiday Inn Fishermen's Warf. We usually have a car when we visit but this time we will not bother since we are getting on the Sea Princess on the 30th.

[Whoo]

Thank you for your reply re: the laundry. Now for all those out of SF, we are arriving at SFO and want to get transport into the Fishermen's Warf area. What is the best way to get in, it does not have to be the cheapest but the better way. We will be staying at the Holiday Inn Fishermen's Warf. We usually have a car when we visit but this time we will not bother since we are getting on the Sea Princess on the 30th.

 

A taxi would be the easiest, best way in my opinion. We took a taxi from the pier to SFO back in April 2008 - I believe the fare was around $38 before tip.

[pixie123]

Thank you for your reply re: the laundry. Now for all those out of SF, we are arriving at SFO and want to get transport into the Fishermen's Warf area. What is the best way to get in, it does not have to be the cheapest but the better way. We will be staying at the Holiday Inn Fishermen's Warf. We usually have a car when we visit but this time we will not bother since we are getting on the Sea Princess on the 30th.

 

 

We flew into SFO and stayed at the Radisson at Fisherman's wharf. We used Super Shuttle and it was $75 for the nine of us. I believe it is $17pp for a shared ride. We made reservations a week before we left and just came out of the airport, found one of their shuttles, handed them our confirmation and we were on our way. Also used this service when we got off the ship to get back to the airport.

[cathatgirl]

Thank you for your reply re: the laundry. Now for all those out of SF, we are arriving at SFO and want to get transport into the Fishermen's Warf area. What is the best way to get in, it does not have to be the cheapest but the better way. We will be staying at the Holiday Inn Fishermen's Warf. We usually have a car when we visit but this time we will not bother since we are getting on the Sea Princess on the 30th.

 

Your options are: taxi, private car, or shuttle service.

 

Taxi is best if you are not arriving during rush hour. (no reservation needed, readily available)

 

Private car is best if you are arriving during rush hour (reservation needed, fixed fee, no need to pay meter while you are stuck in traffic.

 

Shuttle is best if you have at least 4 people in your group (no reservation needed, fixed fee, no need to wait for the shuttle to get full, ie at least 4 people need to be in the shuttle before the shuttle will take off, it will wait for more customers if there isn't at least 4 riders and may need to make stops for the other riders.)

 

Shuttle is the least expensive, but may be less convenient if there's only 2 of you and you have to wait for the shuttle to fill and/or make other stops before your stop.

 

Private car is the most expensive, but more comfortable. It may be worth it if you are arriving during rush hour and may end up spending the same if not more stuck in traffic with a cab.

[jumpinjuju]

Thanks for great organized review. My DH and I sail on the SP Aug 20th and this is our first cruise also. Now I have a better feel for what to expect.

Thanks again.:D

[theseaprincess]

Thank you for your review. We are going on the same cruise at the end of the month and was wondering what type of clothing we should bring. Should we pack both warm and cold weather wear? Do children need to dress up in a suit jacket/sports coat during formal nights as well or will slacks, shirt and a tie suffice? Also, are they pretty strict about not allowing jeans to dinner?

[Dani24]

Thank you for your review. We are going on the same cruise at the end of the month and was wondering what type of clothing we should bring. Should we pack both warm and cold weather wear? Do children need to dress up in a suit jacket/sports coat during formal nights as well or will slacks, shirt and a tie suffice? Also, are they pretty strict about not allowing jeans to dinner?

 

Which sailing are you going on? Are you leaving on July 31st? If so, you should come join our roll call http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=986798

 

Plan to dress in layers. Summers in SF are typically mild, but can vary from warm to cold (even in the same day!) From what I've read about the areas this cruise visits, temperatures can vary as well. I'd expect things to be more on the cool side (for Alaska in August, the day time highs historically range from 48-63 degrees). But from what I've read, it doesn't sound like you'll need a lot of heavy gear. Bring hats and gloves and scarves. Bring sweaters that can be layered over lighter shirts. Maybe bring a pair of thermal underwear that can be layered under jeans or pants. But also bring a few pieces of lighter clothing in case of warmer weather. Stuff that can be layered under/over other pieces (like t-shirts layered over long sleeve shirts or under sweaters) but also worn separately is best!

 

For formal night, the kids should be fine wearing slacks, shirt and a tie. Don't bother bringing a suit coat, unless they already have one and there's room in the luggage for it.

 

Princess has seemed to become more lax on the jeans at dinner (although it's better to just wear khakis/nice slacks/dress/skirt). The thing is, they should be nice jeans. Don't wear cut-offs, ripped/torn jeans, really casual jeans, etc. Dark denim tends to look dressier than light denim, and jeans that are well fitting (instead of too baggy) also tend to look nicer. Pair the jeans with a nice top (button up shirt, dressy blouse, nice sweater, etc) to dress it up more. Think more along the lines of what you might wear to a really nice restaurant back home, and not what you'd wear to a backyard barbeque.

[theseaprincess]

Thanks for the info. We are indeed sailing on the 30th and have a few boys to dress so not needing each to wear a sports coat will be nice.

 

Regarding the beverages, I've read about the pros and cons of purchasing a soda card. I think we'll be okay with just buying cans at dinner or opting for the lemonade, but what additional free beverages are available throughout the day?

[theseaprincess]

Oops. Meant to type the 31st.

[Dani24]

Thanks for the info. We are indeed sailing on the 30th and have a few boys to dress so not needing each to wear a sports coat will be nice.

 

Regarding the beverages, I've read about the pros and cons of purchasing a soda card. I think we'll be okay with just buying cans at dinner or opting for the lemonade, but what additional free beverages are available throughout the day?

 

Well definitely come say "hi" on our roll call (link in my post above). A bunch of us that will be on this same sailing are planning to have a meet and greet on the ship on Sunday the 1st at 11:30 am in the Premier Cru lounge.

 

Regarding the beverages, you can get coffee (basic), hot tea (they have herbal tea packets), iced tea and tap water for free anytime/anywhere. Lemonade is available for free in the buffet (by request). Juices are available for free at breakfast (in the buffet/dining room). Milk is also available in the dining room for free. Soda is never free. Specialty coffees and alcohol also come with a charge.

[cathatgirl]

@theseaprincess

- shirt and dress pants will suffice for the boys on formal nights. honestly princess is VERY LAX about a dress code at dinner. I saw a guy in jeans and tshirt in the dining room on formal night. :eek: personally i think it's nice to dress up every once in a while.

 

- san francisco is a city of micro-climates, although if you stay by the wharf, it will almost always be brisk and somewhat windy. while at sea, the outdoor weather can range from brisk to very windy and chilly on the way north. in alaska, it can also range from brisk to chilly and damp. definitely bring a rain poncho or umbrella or at least a water resistant jacket with you. Juneau for instance, will rain/drizzle 300+ days out of the year. upon leaving the inside passage, weather started to warm up and it was very warm in victoria. definitely bring a hat and a water resistant jacket. everything else should be layered accordingly.

 

- for a little perspective: on a cold day, i wore jeans, long sleeve tshirt, hat and ski jacket. on a brisk day out, i wore jeans, short sleeve tshirt/tank top, hat, and ski jacket. on a warm day, i wore a full length sun dress with a light hoodie just in case. it's okay to re-wear jeans and hoodies/sweaters... no one will care.

 

- regarding beverages, Orange juice and milk (at breakfast), hot tea, iced tea, coffee, lemonade and water are available at no additional charge in the buffet. you can request it from the servers, but at the buffet, it's pretty much help yourselves, including the beverages. Hot tea, iced tea, coffee, and water are available for no additional charge in the dining rooms (orange juice and milk available at breakfast), no lemonade available. Coffee and water are available for no additional charge in the pizzeria, but they only have Snapple iced tea available and will charge for it. I'm not certain about what's available for no additional charge at the bars except for water.

[theseaprincess]

So it sounds like layers and wet weather gear is the way to go. I was planning on bringing more skirts, but if the weather is on the colder side, I will just bring more jeans and sweaters.

 

Was the ride leaving SF pretty choppy? We have our patches and pills ready, but are hoping we won't need it once we are on the open ocean.

 

I will probably end up buying sodas at the dinners since I don't think water and iced tea are going to cut it with my kids. Are the sodas at dinner served in cans or by the glass? If it's by the glass, we might be better off getting everyone the soda cards.

[cathatgirl]

@seaprincess

- on sea days if you stayed indoors, skirts will be okay. but boy is it windy upon deck 12 and 14! try keeping full skirts down! me, on sea days, i love my yoga pants!

 

- the ride leaving SF was a little choppy, more forward-backward motion. on the way back once we left the inside passage, there was evening where we had more side-to-side motion. definitely keep your meds with you and not in your luggage at embarkation! sometimes it can take a few hours for your luggage to arrive at your door and by then you may have had a couple hours of motion sickness to deal with already. i think it really depends on how sensitive you are to motion sickness. I was a little dizzy the first day and took some meds but was fine after that until my return. My mom was a little nauseous the first couple days leaving SFO and then rather nauseous with the ship's side-to-side motion but was fine otherwise. My sister-in-law who is not prone to motion sickness was fine the entire trip. My brother on the other hand, was miserable and on meds (which made him sleepy) from day one until we docked at ketchikan and then was fine until we left the inside passage. another passenger was nice enough to offer him an extra patch because he was really miserable which made him feel better for the trip back. So I think it really depends... hopefully you will adjust after the first day or two!

 

- i think the sodas at dinner are in cans which they pour into a glass but will still hand you the remainder in the can. i survived on only what didn't cost extra (well except for one drink on the last day during their power hour).

 

- btw, at dinner, some of the "chilled fruit soup" are basically smoothies served in a cocktail glass. those don't cost extra. you might want to try them out with the kids? :)

[theseaprincess]

This adventure is going to be interesting to say the least. :rolleyes: I think for our large party, I'd better get more pills/patches just in case. I'm just hoping I don't feel too claustrophobic in our interior cabin. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any photos of what cabins with an upper bunk look like.

[cathatgirl]

in hindsight, I wish i took a pic of the cabin i saw with the bunks. i found it a little ... snug... with the upper bunks and one of the lower bunks open... i kinda liked the interior cabin because i can be assured to sleep in darkness. i wasn't sure if the window/balcony rooms had blackout shades. i can sleep through noise, but light on the other hand...

 

FYI. you can just get enough pills/patches through Juneau. once in Juneau, there's a pharmacy across the street from the McDonalds, within walking distance from the docks, three or so blocks from the red dog saloon. that way you can restock on meds in Juneau or just keep what you have for folks in your group who need it.

[Dani24]

This adventure is going to be interesting to say the least. :rolleyes: I think for our large party, I'd better get more pills/patches just in case. I'm just hoping I don't feel too claustrophobic in our interior cabin. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any photos of what cabins with an upper bunk look like.

 

The Sea is a sister ship to the Dawn (meaning they're basically the same).

 

Here's a photo of a cabin on the Dawn with an upper bunk:

 

[Dani24]

And here's a thread on Cruise Critic with a picture of a Quad Cabin

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=705392

[cruisehappi]

CatHatGirl, Do you happen to remember around what time they did the lifeboat drill? Somehow they always manage to surprise us!

[theseaprincess]

Thanks for the pics! I think we can survive that. Well, not much of a choice at this point. :D

[cathatgirl]

CatHatGirl, Do you happen to remember around what time they did the lifeboat drill? Somehow they always manage to surprise us!

 

we did the evacuation drill shortly before leaving the docks in sf. we headed for our muster stations with our life vests around 3:30. we had our life vests on in our muster stations at 3:42 according to the time stamp on my photos. :p

[ITMan]

This adventure is going to be interesting to say the least. :rolleyes: I think for our large party, I'd better get more pills/patches just in case. I'm just hoping I don't feel too claustrophobic in our interior cabin. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any photos of what cabins with an upper bunk look like.

 

Hi TheSeaPrincess,

 

We are on the trip after yours, leaving SFO on 10th August. We too have a 3 person room - Balcony, (B735) so hoping it wont be too crowded for the 3 of us!

 

Have a great trip!!