LIVE From the Sea Princess to Alaska

[mikjr]

only the second day... so far... everything has been great! weather, as expected has been cold... today (Sat. July 14) it's foggy as we move past the Vancouver, Canadian coast.

 

Food in the MDR has been very good. we booked late, and got an inside cabin... not the roomiest, but we only sleep there anyway. it would have been way too cold for a balcony!

 

more to come!

[cormike1]

Looking forward to more reviews!

[Phyljim]

Will be watching your reports. We board the Coral Princess on the 23rd. Know weather can be warm or cold, so doesn't make packing easy. Layers I know. Watching for your reports. Enjoy a great trip.;)

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

only the second day... so far... everything has been great! weather, as expected has been cold... today (Sat. July 14) it's foggy as we move past the Vancouver, Canadian coast.

 

Food in the MDR has been very good. we booked late, and got an inside cabin... not the roomiest, but we only sleep there anyway. it would have been way too cold for a balcony!

 

more to come!

 

My friends are on their first cruise with you. If you run into Bob and Brenda from Sacramento, tell them Grace says Hi. I can't tell you how jealous I am. LOL:)

[improvman]

only the second day... so far... everything has been great! weather, as expected has been cold... today (Sat. July 14) it's foggy as we move past the Vancouver, Canadian coast.

 

Food in the MDR has been very good. we booked late, and got an inside cabin... not the roomiest, but we only sleep there anyway. it would have been way too cold for a balcony!

 

more to come!

 

Can you define "cold"? In other words, if I want to relax on deck, what kind of jacket should I wear?

 

Thanks for posting. I look forward to your future posts and hope you have a great trip. See you when you disembark (well, probably not.) :-)

[caribill]

Can you define "cold"? In other words, if I want to relax on deck, what kind of jacket should I wear?

 

Thanks for posting. I look forward to your future posts and hope you have a great trip. See you when you disembark (well, probably not.) :-)

 

Temperatures today are in the 50s and 60s (http://fp.caribill.com/alaskaweather.html)

 

While the ship is moving, there will also be a wind.

[Peng You]

Tell Adam hello from Gordon if you play Bingo. Also, say hello to Bojan in the Wheelhouse. Just got back from that cruise (D305) and had a great time with other passengers and crew.

[ttnc4me]

Temperatures today are in the 50s and 60s (http://fp.caribill.com/alaskaweather.html)

Wow, and that's just while passing Vancouver! I think I'll be packing my parka next week after all. :D Looking forward to more reports.

[vivavegas]

Thanks for being live..... Looking forward to sharing your travels!:)

[mikjr]

we had a great dinner tonight! Filet Mignon with baked potato. it was tender and tasty! so far the food has been outstanding and we've enjoyed every bite!

 

We have Anytime Dining, but did request a table for two in the dining room and got it! there were some very long lines for the dining room for the past couple of nights.

 

weather has been cold... but hey, we're going to Alaska, not Hawaii!! according to reports... it's supposed to rain in Juneau when we arrive on Sunday afternoon... hopefully not!!

 

the water has been a bit rough, but nothing terrible... looking forward to land tomorrow!

[mikjr]

Can you define "cold"? In other words, if I want to relax on deck, what kind of jacket should I wear?

 

give you an example....

 

we watched a movie at MUTS last night... early show around 7PM. I had on a long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt with hood, and a fleeced lined coat with a hood over that. also gloves, and I did place a blanket over my legs... I was not cold, except for my nose got a bit icey:D

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise. Looking forward to more.....

[caribill]

One question that a number of Cruise Critic posters have asked is if any of the Olympics will be shown on Princess ships.

 

If you get a chance, please ask the Cruise Director and let the Cruise Critic world know the answer.

 

Thanks.

[Peng You]

One question that a number of Cruise Critic posters have asked is if any of the Olympics will be shown on Princess ships.

 

If you get a chance, please ask the Cruise Director and let the Cruise Critic world know the answer.

 

Thanks.

 

The Sea Princess has two ESPN channels if any of the Olympics are broadcast there. Only news I heard for 10 days last week was that Andy Griffith had passed. Saw MSNBC and Fox but most was all political propaganda.

[caribill]

The Sea Princess has two ESPN channels if any of the Olympics are broadcast there. Only news I heard for 10 days last week was that Andy Griffith had passed. Saw MSNBC and Fox but most was all political propaganda.

 

Doubt there will be any Olympics on ESPN as those are owned by ABC.

[Dame Delilah]

We're watching! We will be doing this cruise (for the 4th time) on Aug 11. Let us know everything.....thanks!

[boom op]

give you an example....

 

we watched a movie at MUTS last night... early show around 7PM. I had on a long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt with hood, and a fleeced lined coat with a hood over that. also gloves, and I did place a blanket over my legs... I was not cold, except for my nose got a bit icey:D

 

Were you the only ones out watching the movies? No problem getting a seat I imagine. Do you know if they had lower table minimums in the casino the first night?

[Cruiserkenn]

Wow, and that's just while passing Vancouver! I think I'll be packing my parka next week after all. :D Looking forward to more reports.

 

Think layers, for sure. Long sleeve shirt, sweater, sweatshirt, windbreaker. For Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm, it is very nice to also have a winter hat and cloth gloves. If you want to be outdoors, layers are a must. Some people who stay indoors ridicule you for wearing layers, but they haven't been outside for three or four hours in Tracy Arm. It's not that cold, some say. Well, outdoors, in the wind, it is. Ignore the clothes police who ridicule the layers. (And, in most places in the world, I am usually hot. Not in Alaska.). Layers give you flexibility, so you won't be disappointed.

 

Enjoy!

 

Enjoy!

[FL Mary]

Thanks for reporting. I'm on this cruise on July 22. I think I will freeze though. I'll be wearing lots of layers as I don't have parkas and cold weather gear living in Florida.

[ttnc4me]

we watched a movie at MUTS last night...

Oh, Oh, what movie? Our emails have all said Hunger Games would play next week but earlier reports stated that it didn't.

 

I'll be wearing lots of layers as I don't have parkas and cold weather gear living in Florida.

I know the feeling. We are borrowing from our cold weather transplant neighbors.

[Working 2 Cruise]

Hi Mike! Looks like you are enjoying your cruise! Looks like you are going to Hawaii soon too! I wish we could join you for that one, I am going through terrible cruise withdrawals!

 

Have any other poker/cabin crawls organized! Ours to the Mexican Riviera was so much fun...

[improvman]

Was there staggered boarding in San Francisco?

[mikjr]

Well.... It's Sunday, We've made our first port, Juneau... Two hours late, but here. We were sceduled to arrive at 1pm, but got here at 3. Capt Street said the currents and winds held us back a bit, and therefore the late arrival. Some scheduled excursions had to be cancelled. Obviously a few unhappy people. Not sure why they schedule a late arrival like that to an important port as Juneau. We had been here before so it was no big deal for us. Because we arrived in port late in the day, we had to tender in. More about that in a couple sentences.

 

I can't believe the number of overpriced JEWELRY STORES! Looks like the number has doubled since we were here in 2007. One of the local owners said most of the jewelry stores are out of towners that come in for the cruise ship season and then split for the winter. she didn't sound too enthused about them being there.

 

One issue that occurred today... Being late, many were already upset. Then to get tender tickets, the line went from the dining room, out through the foyer, and down the hall... And I mean DOWN the hall. Hundreds of people in line all at once! It was a zoo! I've never experienced anything like that for tender tickets. I must admit, the line moved fairly fast, but once we got the tickets, we had to wait until our number was called. About a half hour wait in the dining room with several hundred people! But during the wait an incident happened that probably shouldn't have...

 

I guess it all started when one of the PAX started getting mad at one of the girls giving out the tender tickets. He wasnt the only one, there were a couple of others. BUT... the assistant cruise director (John I think) got on the microphone and reamed out the whole crowd for the incident! He went on and on and on, yelling that it wasn't right to speak to HIS people like that... All at the top of his lungs! Way over the top and very uncalled for. He should have said politely... Please do not get mad at the help, and see him for any problems... That's it... If he had issues with the MAD PAX, he should have taken it out of the room! One guy on the tender boat was saying he should have been fired on the spot for his outburst! If nothing else, he needs to be spoken with.

 

Other than that... No other MAJOR drama... just a couple of small issues I've noticed or heard about. One girl was saying today she called room service last night to order food... And the person on the other side told her NO! She called back, and this time they hung up on her! So they called the front desk... And they called room service... They finally got their food. Frankly, I'm not sure I'd want to eat anything they delivered to my door after something like that!

 

Another issue I've noticed... And not the first time on Princess, but at lunch time the tables will sit without being cleaned off. People are standing with food in their hands waiting for someone to clean off the table. I had the same problem, so I just bussed my own table and took the dirty dishes to the guy standing there!

 

In reality... Most service has been great so far. And the food had been excellent.

Tonight we at at the ITALIAN / PIZZA restaurant, The Corniche. It was great. We had caesar salads, split a pizza and then had lasagna and rotello with spinach and ricotta. All great! I'm a bit disappointed they won't let you take a pizza to go, or you can't order by the slice. I really miss the pizzaria out be the pool deck!

 

Tomorrow, Monday... Cruising Glacier Bay. Never been there so we are looking forward to it....

 

Someone asked about MUTS movies.... So far, Man on a Ledge; The Artist; a couple of concerts...

 

That's it for tonight... Reporting live from my IPad on the Sea Princess...

[Peng You]

Well.... It's Sunday, We've made our first port, Juneau... Two hours late, but here. We were sceduled to arrive at 1pm, but got here at 3. Capt Street said the currents and winds held us back a bit, and therefore the late arrival. Some scheduled excursions had to be cancelled. Obviously a few unhappy people. Not sure why they schedule a late arrival like that to an important port as Juneau. We had been here before so it was no big deal for us. Because we arrived in port late in the day, we had to tender in. More about that in a couple sentences.

 

I can't believe the number of overpriced JEWELRY STORES! Looks like the number has doubled since we were here in 2007. One of the local owners said most of the jewelry stores are out of towners that come in for the cruise ship season and then split for the winter. she didn't sound too enthused about them being there.

 

One issue that occurred today... Being late, many were already upset. Then to get tender tickets, the line went from the dining room, out through the foyer, and down the hall... And I mean DOWN the hall. Hundreds of people in line all at once! It was a zoo! I've never experienced anything like that for tender tickets. I must admit, the line moved fairly fast, but once we got the tickets, we had to wait until our number was called. About a half hour wait in the dining room with several hundred people! But during the wait an incident happened that probably shouldn't have...

 

I guess it all started when one of the PAX started getting mad at one of the girls giving out the tender tickets. He wasnt the only one, there were a couple of others. BUT... the assistant cruise director (John I think) got on the microphone and reamed out the whole crowd for the incident! He went on and on and on, yelling that it wasn't right to speak to HIS people like that... All at the top of his lungs! Way over the top and very uncalled for. He should have said politely... Please do not get mad at the help, and see him for any problems... That's it... If he had issues with the MAD PAX, he should have taken it out of the room! One guy on the tender boat was saying he should have been fired on the spot for his outburst! If nothing else, he needs to be spoken with.

 

Other than that... No other MAJOR drama... just a couple of small issues I've noticed or heard about. One girl was saying today she called room service last night to order food... And the person on the other side told her NO! She called back, and this time they hung up on her! So they called the front desk... And they called room service... They finally got their food. Frankly, I'm not sure I'd want to eat anything they delivered to my door after something like that!

 

Another issue I've noticed... And not the first time on Princess, but at lunch time the tables will sit without being cleaned off. People are standing with food in their hands waiting for someone to clean off the table. I had the same problem, so I just bussed my own table and took the dirty dishes to the guy standing there!

 

In reality... Most service has been great so far. And the food had been excellent.

Tonight we at at the ITALIAN / PIZZA restaurant, The Corniche. It was great. We had caesar salads, split a pizza and then had lasagna and rotello with spinach and ricotta. All great! I'm a bit disappointed they won't let you take a pizza to go, or you can't order by the slice. I really miss the pizzaria out be the pool deck!

 

Tomorrow, Monday... Cruising Glacier Bay. Never been there so we are looking forward to it....

 

Someone asked about MUTS movies.... So far, Man on a Ledge; The Artist; a couple of concerts...

 

That's it for tonight... Reporting live from my IPad on the Sea Princess...

I guess I picked the right time to go.... last week! No problems and Neil and John were great, but a bit stuffy and unfriendly. Samantha and Adam were great, while Lee and Toby were merely okay.

We also went to Juneau and then Skagway before before GB. Thought you were going to Haines. Hope you have clear weather tomorrow.... we had rain all day, but from the Promenade deck, could see everything ok.

[mikjr]

greetings from the Sea Princess... arrived in Haines this morning around 6am... and we were off the ship by 7:15. Excursion time... 7:30.

 

we took the "off the beaten path" excursion... a few local spots including the movie set from White Fang, the Hammer Museum, and a local out of the way artist's store. best part of the excursion was the Hammer Museum, the rest was so... so... especially going to the artist's store. was a friend of the driver!! a lot of over priced local artist stuff.

 

there is actually not much to do or see in Haines... worth the visit... ONE TIME! I probably wouldn't take this itinerary again with Haines.

 

yesterday we spent the day in Glacier Bay. beautiful scenery and will worth the time. the glacier was great! Although, I personally liked Tracy Arm better from last trip. More floating ice chunks, and the ice was much bluer in color. One thing we did see taking palce this time was "CALVING", when a large chunk of ice falls off the glacier into the water. sounds like a gun shot!! very impressive.

 

food as still been very good and we're enjoying all of it! I had the Pasta Alfredo last night and it was great!

 

There was a NEW production stage show last night... "Moments to Remember" (i think that was the title). Excellent show... with a very talented group of young people. the first production show was The PIANO MAN... we've seen that so much I could almost do the dance steps myself!! so, we didn't go...

 

Someone asked about embarkation... there was no staggering that I know of... we got in town around 11am, parked, and immediately got in line to register. got our card and waited about a half hour before boarding. we were on my 1PM!!

 

Did I already mention our SMALL INSIDE CABIN?? we usually get a balcony, but booked last minute. I guess it's better than not going to Alaska, but will diffenitely think twice around an inside cabin. there is no place to sit but the bed, and barely any room to move around the sides of the bed to get into the bed. VERY small!!

 

next stop on Wednesday... Ketchikan!

 

more later... questions welcome!