We're Back! Sea Princess, 7/31 - 8/10, Alaska Inside Passage

[Dani24]

We're back from our 10 day round-trip from San Francisco on the Sea Princess to Alaska. Overall, we had a great time. The itinerary was awesome (especially Glacier Bay). Although the ship and the experience on board was my least favorite out of all four cruises we've done.

 

Embarkation & Bon Voyage

 

We arrived at the pier at 11am. My MIL and FIL were with us for Bon Voyage. There was no line at all checking in. One of the port employees said it tends to be at its worst around 1pm (oddly enough, the time Princess tells you to come for "shorter lines"). We managed to stay with my IL's until just after the X-ray machine. At that point we got separated. I told the Princess rep that we wanted to keep them with us, and that I knew it was allowed. She told me "some ports have different rules, and this one won't allow that. They have to go through a special check in process" (... even though they already had checked in). That meant that we did not get to take the embarkation photo with them. And we had to arrange to meet them on the ship (even though they had never been on one). They also had to force their way out of the tour. Outside of a letter that was given to them, there was no "special check-in" that they did after we separated. The lunch in the dining room was nice, and we had our pick from the menu, and the IL's got a glass of wine. Afterward we gave them our own tour of the ship. They had to be off the ship by 3:00pm.

 

The Ship

 

We're used to the Emerald, Sapphire and Golden -- much bigger ships. The Sea definitely felt much smaller. But we thought it was kind of nice and intimate. It never took us long to get to where we were going (although, with an aft cabin on deck 8, getting to the Horizon Court did sometimes feel like a bit of a trek). I did notice some wear and tear on this ship -- but to be honest, I was looking. It's an older ship, so don't expect it to look brand spanking new. So, despite little stains or worn areas or dated areas (especially the bathrooms), it was perfectly fine. It wasn't like it was filthy or falling apart.

 

There were a LOT of smells on this ship -- and I'm not talking about the kind from passengers in the buffet. ;) There was some sort of odd "fishy" smell we noticed for the first few days (in the cabin halls, in the Vista Lounge). We also noticed the "sewage smell" in various spots. And while walking along the Promenade a few times, there was occasionally a foul odor that was coming from the very back of the ship.

 

Because it was a cold-weather cruise, there were a lot of people hanging out indoors. That meant that indoor seating could occasionally be hard to come by in certain areas. We only went to the theater once, but it's very small compared to the larger ships. That's part of the reason we avoided the shows -- we didn't want to fight for the limited seating. Vista Lounge, on the other hand, seemed nice and roomy (the only time we had trouble finding seating was during the final BINGO game). The outside decks were wide open, by comparison. No chair hogs near the pool on this cruise! You had your pick whenever you wanted (even during MUTS). Few people were using the pools (mostly kids), although the hot tubs were frequently in use.

 

We had an oceanview cabin on Dolphin. This room had a HUGE picture window (which we loved!), and it was situated in such a way that we could sit in it like a Bay window. We really liked this, and would often just sit in our window and enjoy the scenery. You should DEFINITELY bring a POWER STRIP. There were only two plugs (one at the vanity, and another hidden under the "shelf/table" under the mirror by the bathroom).

 

A few random things... We actually lost all power to our cabin about halfway through the cruise. We were able to use the phone to call for help. After reporting it, we left for an hour or so, and when we returned it was back up (but never got an explanation). A few days later, the batteries in our door lock died, and we couldn't get into our room. Our cabin steward called his supervisor to come fix it (our steward could not get us into the room though, so it's good we didn't really need anything inside!), and when we returned an hour or so later, our key cards worked again.

 

For the size of the ship, she seemed to handle the choppy waters pretty well. We had quite a bit of motion from San Francisco until we hit the Inside Passage (although we had worse coming back from Cabo to LA once). Once we hit the Inside Passage, it was a really easy ride. And even after hitting the open ocean again, coming back home, you could barely feel the ship moving (a few times I thought we stopped). That was a very nice surprise!

 

Food

 

The food was fine on this ship, although not nearly as good as on previous cruises. Nothing tasted bad, but some stuff was kind of lackluster. And there were a lot of repeats in the buffet. Plus, some days it felt like there wasn't much to choose from in the buffet. Finding seating in the buffet was difficult at peak times, although we always managed (table for two). Expect to get your own drinks most of the time, because attention from the service staff was severely lacking in the buffet.

 

We had Anytime Dining. The first night, the line was ridiculously long! So we ate at Cafe Corniche. The next night we went around 6pm, and were given a pager. We only waited about 10 minutes for a table for two. The third night we did Sterlings, and the fourth night was the Chef's table. After that, we ate dinner in the Anytime room on all but one night (on which we did the buffet). The worst wait we had for the ADR was on the last night (where people were lingering for a long time after finishing their dinner so they could wait for the baked Alaska presentation). I think we waited for over an hour. The only other "bad" night was the second formal night, where we were given a pager and had to wait nearly an hour (we showed up around 6:15). They DO NOT do reservations for parties of less than 4 in the Anytime room. However, one night we dined with another couple, and had no problem making the reservation for whatever time we wanted (we were not limited to only two times, like we've heard others say in the past).

 

They put dividers on a lot of 6-tops to make two tables for two. Because of this, they seemed to have a lot of spaces for couples to dine, which was nice. They really encouraged sharing though, and sometimes the reaction of the staff made us feel guilty for asking for a table alone -- like we were putting them out. Service in the dining room was a little slow. Sometimes it plain sucked. However, three time we had Aileen, and she was great! Very attentive, friendly, great with suggestions, and was accommodating with requests. We also recommend Sirirat (who served us at lunch on the first day), who was quiet but attentive, and surprised us at the end by making these amazing oragami turtles for me and my MIL. The rest of the time, with other waiters, I felt like a lot of requests were either coldly denied or elicited a bad attitude from the wait staff (I frequently felt like if you asked for anything special, or even an extra dessert or something, that you were being a bother to the wait staff -- which was NOT on par with our other cruises at all!)

 

The pizza restaurant was pretty disappointing (the pizza we had on our previous ships was much better). We ate there twice, and both times I wished we hadn't. It tasted like eating a cheap frozen pizza.

 

We celebrated our anniversary at Sterlings. Again... very disappointing! We have LOVED Sterlings and Crown Grill on our other ships, and were really, really looking forward to it on this cruise. However the service was mediocre (including having our waiter suddenly disappear without warning in the middle of our service, only to later be replaced by this Romanian guy who we noticed like to jab his finger and scold other wait staff a lot, both here and in the main dining room, where we had also seen him). Our steaks were overcooked (we both ordered medium, and they both came out well-done). I asked if they had any blue cheese or stilton or gorgonzola or something for my steak. The waiter didn't even seem like he ever checked (and considering Stilton was on the menu 3 or 4 nights in a row in the MDR just following that, I know they didn't have a shortage of it!) I also ordered the peach turnover, which came out lukewarm and kind of soggy. We've had better steak dinners at Black Angus (which is pretty sad, IMO!). Also, Sterlings is located on one side of the Buffet. People kept coming in all night and walking back into the buffet area before being shooed out, or realizing something was "wrong" and walking out.

 

We signed up for the Chef's Table as soon as we boarded. Armando (one of the head waiters) immediately got on the phone (he moved so fast, I thought there was an emergency!) and put our names on the list. We did the Chef's Table on the 4th night. It was fabulous! The Chef and the Maitre' D on this ship are total characters, and a lot of fun. The food was amazing too. We didn't get much of a tour of the kitchen though (we only came inside a little ways), which wasn't as good as the Chef's Table we did on the Emerald where we got to see a lot more of the kitchen in action.

 

Breakfast in the dining room and afternoon tea seemed to be extremely popular on this sailing -- way more than any of our previous cruises. We didn't do lunch in the dining room outside of the Bon Voyage lunch.

 

The free ice cream at Sundaes was really, really good! Despite the cold weather, we kept going back, and there was often a line. If you don't want a cone, ask for it in a cup instead.

 

Entertainment/Activities

 

We never made it to any of the theater shows (we were turned off by the tiny theater). However we did see Dan Bennett (who we enjoyed) and Carlos Oscar (who had a GREAT comedy show!) We also did MUTS (during the day) a few times. That was nice -- except that there were a lot of noisy kids running around, distracting from the movie. And the blankets they offer on deck are practically the size of a postage stamp (get two or three). We saw a popcorn machine up there, but never saw it being used, or popcorn being passed out. We watched one movie inside the theater, which was nice (and not crowded at all).

 

Razzmatazz seemed pretty dead most of the nights we peeked in. Hardly anyone was dancing, and most times the dance floor was empty (there didn't seem to be many "younger adults" on this cruise). Crooners was basically just a few chairs in the atrium. So when there was entertainment there, it was often impossible to find a seat.

 

The casino is tiny. If you like penny slots, there's a row with a few of them, and then three or four others scattered amongst the nickle slots. There are a couple of table games. On the other side, there were a whole bunch of open tables and various board games, chess/checkers, decks of cards, mahjong, etc. These tables were frequently being used.

 

On formal nights, there were only 4 or 5 places to take pictures. And some of them were only open for a short time. At one point, on the second formal night (between 6-7pm) there were only two spots open (one of the other three closed on us when we were next in line, and the photographer said "Come back later. I need to leave."). The printed pictures were available later that evening though!

 

The Ports

 

Victoria we did on our own. We used the walking map, and headed Downtown, which was a lovely, easy 40-minute walk. We ate lunch at the Wharfside (which we highly recommend). Then we did the 60-minute walk (through the park) back. Victoria is a lovely city -- very clean and it felt very safe.

 

In Juneau we did the whale watching tour with Harv and Marv. "Harv" was our guide. We saw a huge pod of whales bubble feeding as well as another lone whale, some sea lions, and a couple of bald eagles.. The weather here was gorgeous and warm. We had a great time, and this was our favorite excursion of the cruise.

 

In Skagway we did Dyea Dave's tour. We ended up with a woman guide -- not Dave. She was okay, but we felt like it didn't quite live up to our expectations (based on what we had read about the tour). It was way cheaper than the train though. We originally planned to take the train back from Frasier, but decided to save the $81/each. I did like that we made frequent stops for photos and to explore around.

 

Glacier Bay was amazing. We saw bears snacking on a dead whale. We saw another lone bear milling about. We also saw a number of whales spouting and jumping out of the water as we were leaving Glacier Bay (including one that was super close to the ship). We saw lots of glaciers, including some great calving at Marjorie Glacier. It was a beautiful day (although chilly). Be prepared for crowds up on deck. At one point this guy shoved his way in front of me, and then called his wife over who then also shoved her way in front of me and my husband. We said something to the guy (I told him he was rude, and my husband scolded the guy for "shoving in front of my wife", etc). But he ignored us. Another woman standing next to us, who saw what happened, offered me her spot (she was leaving). When I moved there, the rude guy starting pointing his arm right in front of my face and camera! When I walked away this other woman came up to me and thanked me for saying something to the guy. She said someone else had rudely shoved in front of her shortly before that, but she didn't have the guts to say something. My advice? Stake out a space early, and be prepared to fight for it. Or situate yourself on the opposite side and wait for the ship to turn. Or, go to the balconies at the very front end of Aloha and Baja decks (there's a door there, I'll post a picture later). I saw a few people go out there while up on the higher decks. When I finally found them they were deserted -- and a perfect spot to enjoy the scenery without all the rude, pushy people!

 

Ketchikan we also did on our own. We didn't realize until later that there's a free walking tour you can do (get the guide in the visitor center). There are some hills here, so it's a bit more strenuous of a walk in areas. But it's a nice enough area to wander around in. The Blueberry Festival was going on, which was very full of people and interesting goods. It also rained here for awhile, so I was glad we brought umbrellas.

 

Disembarkation

Started around 8am. We got off around 10:15. The luggage pick-up area was a bit of a zoo. And the area just outside, where the passenger pick-up area was, was a complete zoo! We ended up walking across the street to meet our ride. Traffic was snarled on the Embarcadero. And our ride would have had a hell of a time finding a spot to park to get us.

 

 

I'll post a few pictures later. And if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. I feel like I'm forgetting a lot of things I had hoped to share. :)

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review.

We liked Carlos too.

 

The odor on the Promanade deck is prevelant on all Princess ships that we have sailed on. The smells from down below, garbage etc have to vent somewhere.

[southpawsdakota]

Thank you for your review. We will be on the Sea Princess on 8/30.

[Elequieu]

It is so nice to have such a detailed review. Will be happy to read anything else you remember and see pics. Where can I find out about the Bon Voyage lunch? I checked everywhere on the Princess web site. Thanks, Doris

[partybarbie]

It is so nice to have such a detailed review. Will be happy to read anything else you remember and see pics. Where can I find out about the Bon Voyage lunch? I checked everywhere on the Princess web site. Thanks, Doris

 

Hi Doris,

 

Here's the info from my TA. You can either book with your TA or call Princess direct.The Princess Bon Voyage ExperienceSM includes:

• Four-course lunch (wine included)

• Ship orientation tour

• Souvenir photo

• Up to four hours onboard

Fee: $39 per person. Will be applied toward future cruise!

 

Th Princess Bon Voyage ExperienceSM includes:•Four-course lunch (wine included)•Ship orientation tour•Souvenir photo•Up to four hours onboard Fee: $39 per Princess Cruises has a new program called the Bon Voyage ExperienceSM I would like for you to consider.

 

You can join me onboard a Princess ship for up to four hours and see firsthand what makes Princess Cruises special.

 

You will enjoy a short orientation tour to see the Lotus Spa, the Princess Theater, shops, sports facilities, pools, lounges and restaurants.

 

And speaking of restaurants, you'll get to sample Princess' cuisine at a nice four course lunch in one of their beautiful dining rooms.

 

Once you see and experience all of this yourself, there's a good chance you'll want to go on a Princess vacation yourself. And the best part is that the $39 per person fee for this Bon Voyage ExperienceSM will be applied toward a future Princess cruise.

 

Reservations must be made no later than six days prior to the day of departure. I am putting together a list of people interested in the new Bon Voyage Experience. Please contact me if you are interested so we can discuss details and I will tell you what you need to make a reservation:

Hope that helps. See you in a few weeks.

 

Davalynn

[Dani24]

It is so nice to have such a detailed review. Will be happy to read anything else you remember and see pics. Where can I find out about the Bon Voyage lunch? I checked everywhere on the Princess web site. Thanks, Doris

 

Hi Doris. If you are going to be on the ship anyway, no need to sign up for the Bon Voyage lunch. Just head right to the dining room after you board! If you want to tour a ship or bring a friend on for the afternoon, call your travel agent, and they can enroll you in the program. :)

[Colo Cruiser]

It is so nice to have such a detailed review. Will be happy to read anything else you remember and see pics. Where can I find out about the Bon Voyage lunch? I checked everywhere on the Princess web site. Thanks, Doris

 

 

News Article

 

 

2/11/2010

 

 

Princess Revives Nostalgic Cruising Tradition with New Bon Voyage Experience

Passengers Can Once Again Invite Friends and Family Aboard Ship On Embarkation Day

 

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (February 11, 2010) -- Reviving a signature tradition from the early days of cruising, Princess Cruises is debuting an innovative, new program giving passengers the opportunity to invite their friends and family aboard their ship on embarkation day to wish them "bon voyage" and get a taste of the onboard experience.

Called the "Bon Voyage ExperienceSM," the program is a new twist on the departure celebration of bygone days, when friends and family would routinely come aboard to see off passengers. Because of increasingly tighter security procedures, this practice disappeared more than two decades ago, but it's now back -- complete with lunch in the dining room and tour of the ship.

Unique in the cruise industry, the Bon Voyage Experience enables passengers to extend an invitation to their guests to join them onboard during sailing day for a four-course dining room lunch with wine, a ship tour and even a souvenir photo. Passengers and their guests can enjoy priority embarkation and will be able to spend approximately four hours together on the ship before it sets sail. The cost for the program is $39 per person, which can be applied toward a future Princess cruise.

The program will debut in March in the ports of Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale, and then roll out to New York, San Francisco and Seattle.

"Long-time cruisers will recall the fun of the bon voyage send-off with their family and friends, and we're excited to re-introduce a new, modern version of this experience," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president.

Cruise passengers will be notified about the program through the pre-cruise emails they receive from Princess as their cruise date approaches. In-port guests can be booked through a travel agent or by calling 1-800-PRINCESS, beginning 120 days before the cruise and up to six days before the sailing date. Once registered, guests will be able to input their required security information through the line's Cruise Personalizer.

The number of guests who will be able to participate in the Bon Voyage Experience on any given embarkation day will be approximately 50.

The roll-out schedule for the launch of the Bon Voyage Experience is: Sapphire Princess -- March 6 in Los Angeles

Crown Princess -- March 6 in Fort Lauderdale

Coral Princess -- March 7 in Los Angeles

Emerald Princess -- March 7 in Fort Lauderdale

Island Princess -- March 10 in Fort Lauderdale

Ruby Princess -- March 10 in Fort Lauderdale

Golden Princess -- March 14 in Los Angeles

Royal Princess -- March 27 in Fort Lauderdale

Star Princess -- April 10 in Fort Lauderdale

Caribbean Princess -- May 18 in New York

Sea Princess -- June 1 in San Francisco

During the Alaska season, Sapphire Princess, Golden Princess and Royal Princess will offer the program in Seattle, beginning in May.

[Dani24]

Here are the pictures of the forward balcony (this one is on Baja). There was NO sign anywhere on or near the door stating "crew only". And the presence of the chairs, the fact the solid door was wide open on Glacier Bay day (I didn't try it on other days), and the sign on the balcony make me pretty certain it's a passenger area.

 

At first we thought we could access one on Caribe. We asked a cabin steward who said "That's for crew only. We can't let you in there because it's right under the bridge and we'd get in trouble". However, they did not mention there was another one deck up. They were right though... the Caribe one is for crew only (and has stairs that lead to the crew pool and the very front of the ship, where passengers are not allowed). However the Baja and Aloha balconies overlook the Caribe one and the front of the ship (but don't provide access to them).

 

 

 

[Dani24]

Thanks for the review.

We liked Carlos too.

 

The odor on the Promanade deck is prevelant on all Princess ships that we have sailed on. The smells from down below, garbage etc have to vent somewhere.

 

Weird... I've never smelled that odor before on any of the other ship's Promenades. And I only smelled this one on a couple of days.

 

We were thinking that perhaps the sewage smell is because they can't dump the sewage in the Alaskan waters, so it builds up... but that's just a guess.

[Cruise4fun&smiles]

Thankyou for your detailed review. I enjoyed it very much. I'm glad you had a good time. I was somewhat worried after reading earlier reviews.

I will be on my first princess cruise on September 9th. I have been on several Hal cruises and a few Carnival ones. I am excited to sail on the Sea princess after your positive experience.

[CrusinAgain]

Thanks for the review. You made a good point about being up on deck for Glacier Bay and staking your spot. This really pushes me to have a balcony. I don't think the Sea Princess is for us after reading your review on some issues that would bother us.

[Colo Cruiser]

Weird... I've never smelled that odor before on any of the other ship's Promenades. And I only smelled this one on a couple of days.

 

We were thinking that perhaps the sewage smell is because they can't dump the sewage in the Alaskan waters, so it builds up... but that's just a guess.

 

 

We spend alot of time running/walking on the promanade.

Thats the only thing I could think it was. :)

[chigley]

Hi could you tell me who the captain, CD and executive chef are at the moment. Thanks

[Colo Cruiser]

Here are the pictures of the forward balcony (this one is on Baja). There was NO sign anywhere on or near the door stating "crew only". And the presence of the chairs, the fact the solid door was wide open on Glacier Bay day (I didn't try it on other days), and the sign on the balcony make me pretty certain it's a passenger area.

 

At first we thought we could access one on Caribe. We asked a cabin steward who said "That's for crew only. We can't let you in there because it's right under the bridge and we'd get in trouble". However, they did not mention there was another one deck up. They were right though... the Caribe one is for crew only (and has stairs that lead to the crew pool and the very front of the ship, where passengers are not allowed). However the Baja and Aloha balconies overlook the Caribe one and the front of the ship (but don't provide access to them).

 

 

 

 

Great shots. Never saw the loungers out front before.

[Dani24]

Hi could you tell me who the captain, CD and executive chef are at the moment. Thanks

 

The Captain is John Foster. The Executive Chef is Christian Carbillet. The CD is Billy London.

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks for the review.....:):):)

 

Bob

[geoherb]

Thanks for posting your review. We were on the Sapphire last week and saw your ship. We talked with a man who was on it who said the water was rough for the first couple of days.

 

I had originally looked at booking this cruise, but my vacation dates did not work out to where I could take off more than one week.

[tbears]

It is so nice to have such a detailed review. Will be happy to read anything else you remember and see pics. Where can I find out about the Bon Voyage lunch? I checked everywhere on the Princess web site. Thanks, Doris

 

Hi Doris,

If you look on our roll call, you'll see that we booked Dave's parents for the Bon Voyage Experience. We just called Princess to book it. You'll need the birthdates of the parties you're inviting.

Hope to see you and everyone on our roll call soon! :)

[tbears]

Thanks for the detailed review and the tip about the "secret" viewing areas on the Baja and Aloha decks. Our cabin is on the Aloha deck so that should be very convenient!

[sunsail]

Thanks for checking on this and posting pictures. Hope you had a wonderful time.

[Elequieu]

Thanks, all, for the answers.

[BayouGirlUSA]

Here are the pictures of the forward balcony (this one is on Baja). There was NO sign anywhere on or near the door stating "crew only". And the presence of the chairs, the fact the solid door was wide open on Glacier Bay day (I didn't try it on other days), and the sign on the balcony make me pretty certain it's a passenger area.

 

At first we thought we could access one on Caribe. We asked a cabin steward who said "That's for crew only. We can't let you in there because it's right under the bridge and we'd get in trouble". However, they did not mention there was another one deck up. They were right though... the Caribe one is for crew only (and has stairs that lead to the crew pool and the very front of the ship, where passengers are not allowed). However the Baja and Aloha balconies overlook the Caribe one and the front of the ship (but don't provide access to them).

 

 

 

 

 

Where might I find this hidden jewel on the Sapphire Princess? I would love to be able to spend some time out there! Looks so cozy!

[RickEk]

Where might I find this hidden jewel on the Sapphire Princess? I would love to be able to spend some time out there! Looks so cozy!

 

The front viewing balconies are only available on the Sun/Dawn/Sea/Island/Coral Princesses.

[pris993]

Thank you for your review. Am wondering if we waited for our family who we invited on as part of Bonvage Package, if we get separated, so that we all can take a photo together would work. We have our 6 year old grandson coming on and we really want to have a photo together.

 

Glad to know you had a problem, I think we will take our cell phones so that we can keep in touch and try to get together for a photo.

[TracieABD]

Thank you for your review. Very interesting and detailed!