Island Princess RT Vancouver on Sept 16th - Questions

[Sailfish]

I was not able to locate a lot information about our upcoming cruise to Alaska in mid-September aboard the Island Princess. If this info is out there, it's definitely not easy to find! So I hope you guys don't mind me posting my questions here. I have been to Alaska a few times; all voyages were in mid-June, so I have a few questions about weather and daylight hours. I also have some questions specific to the ship.

 

The Island Princess will depart Vancouver and do a round trip, week long voyage along the inside passage - I think - that includes a day in Glacier Bay.

 

1)There seems to be a lot of information about northbound and southbound cruises on the Island Princess in Alaska but virtually no information about my cruise's itinerary. Is this a special Monday 9/16 to Monday 9/23 voyage we are on?

 

2) What kind of weather can I expect? Based on what I could find on the internet, average temps are mid-50's during the day and cooler at night. Daylight is at 12 hours. Does this sound accurate? I plan to pack fall weather clothing, layers and a jacket. If you have cruised this time of year, how was the weather? Alaska temps in the summer were mostly cool but mild during the day, with occasional rain and cold temps around the glaciers.

 

3) We arrive in Juno in the afternoon around 1pm and depart after 10pm according to our itinerary. This makes for a short day, as I expect it to be starting to get dark around 6pm or sooner. Will the ship perhaps modify the itinerary to adjust to shorter daylight hours? At 10pm in Juno in the summer it's still light outside; not so in Sept.

 

4)I have been on a variety of Princess ships - some small, some large - but never on this class of ship. What are you impressions of the Island Princess? On another website, I took an online tour; it says the ship got a major face-lift in 2010, so it should be in great shape. What's different about the island Princess - appears to have the same Princess style throughout. But I am sure there are some differences.

 

5) How formal are Formal Nights? On previous Alaska and Caribbeans cruises, there was a more casual, laid back atmosphere on Formal Nights compared to other cruise lines. Do they still do the Champagne Waterfall and Captains party?

 

Any input about the Island Princess and our itinerary would be much appreciated.

 

Suzi

[sept10dsm]

I didn't see a RT on that date on the Island Princess From what I've seen on the RT 14 day Vancouver, they are b2b cruises packaged as one cruise.

[Pia1913]

I didn't see a RT on that date on the Island Princess From what I've seen on the RT 14 day Vancouver, they are b2b cruises packaged as one cruise.

 

Look again Sept10. Island is in fact doing a seven day RT on Sept. 16th

[rayandshirl]

We took a 14 day B2B glacier cruise out of Vancouver on May 22nd of this year on the Island and absolutely loved the ship. We didn't even miss the International Cafe.

[sept10dsm]

found it sorry

[pjslc]

 

1)There seems to be a lot of information about northbound and southbound cruises on the Island Princess in Alaska but virtually no information about my cruise's itinerary. Is this a special Monday 9/16 to Monday 9/23 voyage we are on?

 

4)I have been on a variety of Princess ships - some small, some large - but never on this class of ship. What are you impressions of the Island Princess? On another website, I took an online tour; it says the ship got a major face-lift in 2010, so it should be in great shape. What's different about the island Princess - appears to have the same Princess style throughout. But I am sure there are some differences.

 

Any input about the Island Princess and our itinerary would be much appreciated.

 

Suzi

 

Hi Suzi!

 

Details of your itinerary can be found via this link.

http://www.princess.com/find/cruiseDetails.do?voyageCode=2331&itinCode=AVG070&tourCode=&trade=&date=0913&noOfPax=2&resType=C&ship=IP&bID=PCDIR&meta=I&ppax=false&itinPort=&tourIds=&duration=&tourdur=&orderBy=&filterBy=&order=

 

This is the last Alaska cruise of the season on the Island so the roundtrip via Vancouver is in prep for the repositioning. A Panama Canal cruise leaving from Whittier would (based on existing schedules) take about 24 days and there is probably not a lot of demand for such a long end of season Alaska / Panama Canal combo. By starting and ending in Vancouver they're able to schedule the 2 day from Vancouver to San Francisco which sails the day you disembark (I'll be on that one). There will be some passengers sailing all the way from Vancouver to Ft. Lauderdale (17 days), but the majority will turnover in San Francisco and new passengers will come onboard for the 15 day transit from San Francisco (which is probably pretty popular since it's not a regular route).

 

Another benefit of the r/t out of Vancouver as opposed to Seattle is you'll get to sail on the inside passage between Vancouver Island & British Columbia. I've heard (haven't done it yet myself) it's prettier and the water can be calmer than sailing out in the open pacific as is done on the Seattle routes.

 

As for the ship, I think you'll love her! The Island is a really nice size, she's certainly not small, but not gigantic like the Grand class vessels. Her deck layout will feel fairly familiar and other than the International Cafe she is loaded with the amenities most of love about Princess.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[wp bob]

Yes there is a champagne waterfall and captains party. formal seems a little less formal in Alaska- not as glittery and tuxes, more suits and fancy tops with pants for the ladies

[Sailfish]

Thanks, everyone for the feedback. We are looking forward to the cruise, though a little concerned about the weather. However, we will make the best of it, that's forsure.

[LeeW]

We've done two Northbound cruises on Coral/Island in September - the last cruise of the season is a great time to go. Gift shops have everything on sale, the bears are eating like crazy for the winter and for us the weather was decent both times. We did get rained out on one Neets Bay flight in Ketchican and had lots of rain on one of the Orca Enterprises tours in Juneau. Needed lightweight hooded jackets for these. You might need a sweater, hooded jacket and rainproof pants on some excursions. Reminder - gift shop prices are VERY low, and you can buy hooded jackets for less than $20 and jeans jackets for under $10. Best prices were in Juneau (more competition).

 

Weather - varies all over the place. We had 70 degrees on both trips but chilly on deck in Glacier Bay (like 50). We did need a light jacket on the forward deck sailing out of Vancouver. The big advantage of Island/Coral is the Lotus Pool is glass enclosed on two decks, with lots of thick cushioned loungers. You can sit watching the scenery in shorts and pop outside to take pictures. Expect it to rain some on the trip but it is hard to see much when raining, so you really are not likely to stand outside for hours. The ship moves fairly slowly on this itinerary, so you won't get the massive winds across the decks you get on other cruises (we have seen 40 knots at 45 degrees in Greenland). Usually it is almost silent moving on a glass-smooth surface. Gets tough to take photos around 7 PM.

 

We sailed out of Juneau around 6 PM, so no idea what town is like later (bars likely open but shops may not be). Note that the buses to the Mendenhall Glacier stop around 5 or so.

 

The ship lets you check out Pendelton-style blankets for the cruise. But avoid sitting near a door in the Lotus Pool area to avoid the draft when the door opens.

 

Will leave you to your own opinion of this class of ship. We have been on these ships four times are always wondering where all the passengers are! Island has balconies on the front of the Baja and Caribe decks accessible through crew areas. These are usually open on this cruise (and always in Glacier Bay). There is NOTHING like seeing a chunk of ice half the size of the ship break off and have the splash higher than the ship! The Horizon Court is in the front of the ship, and you will see folks sit their for the entire day, just like they do in the Canal.

 

You will have at least one lecturer onboard and can hear the comments in public areas or on the bridge channel of the television. In Glacier Bay you will have several rangers, and they sell park souveniers and can stamp your National Parks passport if you have one. There are buffets with salmon and reindeer chili on deck, and a HUGE dessert buffet served one day at lunch in the Horizon Court (near/on the piano).

 

Dress tends to be a bit more casual than other cruises, but you will still see some tuxes on formal nights (maybe 5% tux, 20% suitcoat). Yes, they did a champagne fountain and Captain's party and Captain's Circle parties.

 

As for shore excursions, consider a floatplane to Neets Bay in Ketchikan, Orca Enterprises (smaller whale watching boat than Princess tour) in Juneau, rafting through the eagle preserve in Skagway. We did have to get out of the raft a few times to get over sandbars but scenery is great.

 

If you don't have one, get the Alaska Cruise Companion book. The ship will sell them as well, and the Captain will probably autograph it if you want.

 

Have a great cruise!

[Sailfish]

OP here.

 

I thought of another question:

 

Is the dining room still open for lunch on embarkation day? If we arrive in Vancouver early enough (not too sure we will) my preference would be to dine in the formal dining room as opposed to the buffet. I was wondering if this is still standard practice on Princess.

 

Thanks.

 

Suzi

[caribill]

Dining room on embarkation day should be open from noon until 1"30 PM

[Sailfish]

We are getting excited that our Alaska cruise on the Island is but a few short weeks away! I thought of a few more questions:

 

1. Will there be American (NFL) football on MUTS? We would love to to watch it in the evening if it's scheduled.

 

2. Will they be serving Alaskan King Crab one night for dinner? I know this used to be on the menu a while back - just wondering if they do so on Alaska voyages.

 

3. We will be disembarking the Island and embarking on the Grand the same day; what is the latest we can remain on the Island.

 

4. How is the spa? I might be interested in booking a massage.

 

Thanks again for your input.

 

Suzi

[sept10dsm]

Thanks, everyone for the feedback. We are looking forward to the cruise, though a little concerned about the weather. However, we will make the best of it, that's forsure.

It was also early in the evening around 7 or so. In the past cruises it has always be quite a bit later.

[caribill]

3. We will be disembarking the Island and embarking on the Grand the same day; what is the latest we can remain on the Island.

 

 

You will be off the ship by 10 AM, maybe earlier.

 

You need to vacate your cabin by 8 AM so it can be prepared for the next guest.

[Mr_Astro]

 

.......3) We arrive in Juno in the afternoon around 1pm and depart after 10pm according to our itinerary. This makes for a short day, as I expect it to be starting to get dark around 6pm or sooner. Will the ship perhaps modify the itinerary to adjust to shorter daylight hours? At 10pm in Juno in the summer it's still light outside; not so in Sept.

 

Suzi

 

At Juneau, the sun sets at or around 8:12 pm with civil twilight ending just before 9 so you will have plenty of daylight to have fun