Alaska Trip Report - Coral Princess 9/2 to 9/9 - Voyage of the Glaciers Northbound

[LAcatlady]

Thanks for such a comprehensive review. I've made notes for our upcoming June cruise which I know will be VERY helpful. By the way, did you know what the on board activities were before you got on the ship? If not, how did you know what was going on around the ship? Knowing this ahead of time would help us to decide when and where to eat, what to do, etc. especially since we're cruising with a small group and I don't want to spend time deciding at the last minute what our "schedule" will be. Great job on your review!!

 

@cafelovercanada Glad to hear you found this review useful, and enjoy your cruise! The main way to know what the onboard activities are is through the daily Patter, which will be delivered to your stateroom each night and have all the details of the activities for the next day, dining venues and hours, etc. Maybe meet up with your small group each evening to review the Patter together and make a plan for the next day. You can also access the Patter info on your smartphone using the ship’s wi-fi, free of charge. I also got a little insight ahead of time by searching Cruise Critic and the internet for Patters that people on the same ship and earlier versions of the same cruise had posted (keep in mind the activities may change by the time of your cruise). Hope this helps!

[Working 2 Cruise]

Thanks for such a comprehensive review. I've made notes for our upcoming June cruise which I know will be VERY helpful. By the way, did you know what the on board activities were before you got on the ship? If not, how did you know what was going on around the ship? Knowing this ahead of time would help us to decide when and where to eat, what to do, etc. especially since we're cruising with a small group and I don't want to spend time deciding at the last minute what our "schedule" will be. Great job on your review!!

 

You will not know what the activities and times are ahead of time. You'll get a newsletter called the "Patter" in your cabin every day. You'll get a Patter every night for the following day, except for embarkation day, which will be in your cabin when you board. Sorry.

[cafelovercanada]

Reviewing the Patter each night sounds like a great idea! Maybe we'll do this over coffee and dessert or wine/beer and munchies ...

Thanks for your replies!

[jerseyridgearts]

Thanks for a great review - your photos are stunning!

[rickays]

Thankyou so much for the wonderful review. I have been trying to work out our Alaska cruise and should we do the northbound, southbound or roundtrip from Seattle. The dates worked out better for us for the northbound (my second preference at the time) on Star Princess 10th September. Now that I have read your review I am thinking that all my worrying of north or south was not needed as what you have shown me has made me so excited I cant wait to go!!!! I will bookmark your review so I can go back to it whenever I need to check something. Because we are coming from Australia, we will only be doing this once so I'm trying to make sure we dont miss anything. 8 days in Vancouver before the cruise for Rocky Mountain tour etc and 2 days after in Anchorage, then 5 days in Hawaii before cruising back to Sydney - have I missed anything?

[LAcatlady]

Thanks for a great review - your photos are stunning!

 

@jerseyridgearts You’re welcome, and thank you for the kind words!

 

Thankyou so much for the wonderful review. I have been trying to work out our Alaska cruise and should we do the northbound, southbound or roundtrip from Seattle. The dates worked out better for us for the northbound (my second preference at the time) on Star Princess 10th September. Now that I have read your review I am thinking that all my worrying of north or south was not needed as what you have shown me has made me so excited I cant wait to go!!!! I will bookmark your review so I can go back to it whenever I need to check something. Because we are coming from Australia, we will only be doing this once so I'm trying to make sure we dont miss anything. 8 days in Vancouver before the cruise for Rocky Mountain tour etc and 2 days after in Anchorage, then 5 days in Hawaii before cruising back to Sydney - have I missed anything?

 

@rickays Wow, that is a truly amazing itinerary! What a variety going from Alaska to Hawaii in the same trip…and quite a packing challenge. :) Sounds like you’ll have a lot of time along the way, which is great, and you’re doing the same Northbound cruise that I did (just on a different ship), which I loved. Glad to hear my trip report has been helpful in your planning, and I can't think of anything you've missed. Feel free to ask any other questions, and best of luck as you prepare for your travels!

[AF-1]

Thanks again for your review and the update about what you might do different. A B2B, north and south might be the way to go. Cheers

[Spideysmum]

Thank you for this review (which I just found since I've just started reading the Princess forum). We've booked the identical cruise for Sept 2016 on the Coral Princess after our HAL Alaskan cruise was chartered. We decided to jump ship (so to speak) instead of rebooking HAL after discovering Princess's non-smoking on balconies policy and are just delighted with this itinerary. Love your photos and are so excited about taking our own.

 

Alaska has been a bucket list item for us - we've never cruised before since most of our holidays are spent DIY Europe. Just couldn't imagine any other way to see the 49th state.

[cafelovercanada]

LAcatlady

Thanks for the wonderful review and gorgeous pictures! I will certainly be re-reading your review as I continue to plan our family trip in June. Would you happen to have copies of your Princess Patters from your cruise? I'd like to get an idea of the activities going on on the ship. I'm thinking your NB cruise in September will be roughly the same as our NB June cruise.

[LAcatlady]

LAcatlady

Thanks for the wonderful review and gorgeous pictures! I will certainly be re-reading your review as I continue to plan our family trip in June. Would you happen to have copies of your Princess Patters from your cruise? I'd like to get an idea of the activities going on on the ship. I'm thinking your NB cruise in September will be roughly the same as our NB June cruise.

 

@cafelovercanada Thanks for reading my review! I believe I do still have the Patters. Will look and post them here as soon as I can.

[Wishing on a star]

I am glad that this was bumped up!

Thank you LAcatlady for a great review, as we are looking forward to the Southbound itinerary!

 

Can you tell us more about the Cruise Director onboard?

[Gopherpharm]

Great review. Really looking forward to doing the same trip this September! Gotta practice my photography before then!

[cafelovercanada]

@cafelovercanada Thanks for reading my review! I believe I do still have the Patters. Will look and post them here as soon as I can.

 

Hello LAcatlady

Just wondering if you were able to find your Princess Patters from your NB cruise?it would be great to get a heads upas to the activities,etc.

Thanks !

[riclop]

Thanks for the report.

[Cruzin-K]

I'm glad this thread got bumped to the top or I would have missed it.

 

After reading this thread and seeing all your amazing photos, I am freaking out and bouncing off the walls with anticipation. Only two and a half months to go until my southbound cruise.

 

I also have a 70D, and am very impressed with your photos. I hope mine turn out as well.

 

Thanks for all the great info.

[bluejay555]

I'm chiming in a little late, but I wanted to thank you for posting such a wonderful review. Your pictures and descriptions have helped me so much in learning what to expect on my first Alaskan cruise.

[lovely_serenity]

Likewise, I am also chiming in late. I enjoyed your review very much and your photos are beautiful! I will be going to Alaska on the same itinerary and ship this year, so this report has helped me prepare for it. Thanks!

 

Cheers,