Alaska Cruise on Grand Princess: help with a decision

[ricklepickle]

Hi all - We are a couple in our late 50's, fairly active. We are looking for a vacation this summer, and much to my surprise, my boyfriend liked the idea of an Alaska cruise from San Francisco (we live close by and wouldn't have to drive).  There are some 10 days out of SF on the Grand Princess in our timeframe. It is "last minute" for Alaska (we're looking at August), but it could work.  I've been to Alaska previously (on the NCL Sun), he hasn't been.

 

I don't know much about Princess as a cruise line, and there doesn't seem to be too much information about the Grand Princess itself.  I was wondering if you had any guidance on how to think about the Princess line and the experience on the Golden Princess (I know it is recently out of dry dock, is an older ship, and will be taken out of service next year).  We both have been on the Celebrity Equinox in the Caribbean, which was lovely but the entertainment was lackluster. I've also been on the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas (twice) - lots to do on board. And on the NCL Sun - we weren't very happy with the ship itself (old, not well kept) but Alaska was the main attraction and with a lot of on-board credit to go to the specialty restaurants, it was a trip of the lifetime.

 

Alaska cruises have a slightly older clientele, in general - what can we expect on these cruises out of SF?

What kind of entertainment is there? 

What kind of daytime activities are there?

Anything else to know?

 

Thank you in advance!

 

 

[donaldsc]

11 minutes ago, ricklepickle said:

Hi all - We are a couple in our late 50's, fairly active. We are looking for a vacation this summer, and much to my surprise, my boyfriend liked the idea of an Alaska cruise from San Francisco (we live close by and wouldn't have to drive).  There are some 10 days out of SF on the Grand Princess in our timeframe. It is "last minute" for Alaska (we're looking at August), but it could work.  I've been to Alaska previously (on the NCL Sun), he hasn't been.

 

I don't know much about Princess as a cruise line, and there doesn't seem to be too much information about the Grand Princess itself.  I was wondering if you had any guidance on how to think about the Princess line and the experience on the Golden Princess (I know it is recently out of dry dock, is an older ship, and will be taken out of service next year).  We both have been on the Celebrity Equinox in the Caribbean, which was lovely but the entertainment was lackluster. I've also been on the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas (twice) - lots to do on board. And on the NCL Sun - we weren't very happy with the ship itself (old, not well kept) but Alaska was the main attraction and with a lot of on-board credit to go to the specialty restaurants, it was a trip of the lifetime.

 

Alaska cruises have a slightly older clientele, in general - what can we expect on these cruises out of SF?

What kind of entertainment is there? 

What kind of daytime activities are there?

Anything else to know?

 

Thank you in advance!

 

 

 

You go to AK for the daytime activities - i.e., Alaska.  You don't go to AK for anything that happens on the ship.  Pick a cruise to AK that has the best itinerary and ignore everything else.  IMHO, cruising to AK from San Francisco is silly as you spend more time on sea days getting to and from AK than you spend in AK.

 

DON

[Bemidji Ty]

Did the 10 day Alaska out of SF last August on the Grand.  We loved it.  This was our third time to Alaska.  The ship is older but very well kept up.  The crew are easily some of the best we've experienced in our 60 cruises.  The food was good to very good.  The on board naturalist and totem carver were exceptional.  And cruising under the Golden Gate is always magic.  We haven't gone to production shows in several years.  The staff game shows were a lot of fun.  I'm trying to convince my blushing bride that we should do it again this year.

 

Cheers

[bemis12]

1 hour ago, donaldsc said:

 

You go to AK for the daytime activities - i.e., Alaska.  You don't go to AK for anything that happens on the ship.  Pick a cruise to AK that has the best itinerary and ignore everything else.  IMHO, cruising to AK from San Francisco is silly as you spend more time on sea days getting to and from AK than you spend in AK.

 

DON

 

 But the extra sea days gives them time to do things on the ship. Things that they want to do, regardless of whether you want to or not 

[Coral]

1 hour ago, donaldsc said:

  IMHO, cruising to AK from San Francisco is silly as you spend more time on sea days getting to and from AK than you spend in AK.

 

I would not sail from SFO as I don't live near there but for those who do - it makes sense and it makes affordable. There is no need for them to pay for airfare.

 

They often go to the same ports as those that are RT Seattle.

--------------------

Alaska is amazing - definitely go. You may love it so much that on your next trip - you do a land trip with it.

 

All Alaskan cruises have older clientele, even Carnival. Don't let that stop you.

Edited May 4, 2019 by Coral

[Bemidji Ty]

Before each cruise to Alaska, we each read (and re-read) James Michener's, "Alaska".  While it is historical fiction, it gave us a greater appreciation of this wonderful land, its history, wildlife and its people.

 

Cheers.

[Belle]

Book it. The cruise from SF is good. You don't have to fly or drive.

The Grand came out of dry dock in March. Added a few things.

The crew is outstanding. The scenery is beautiful. Love the ports. 

Since it's summer, August will have different ages.

 

They have shows at night and things during the day going on

but less on port days. Some people think not enough and then

some think to much. They just want to relax.  They have some Alaskan

people come on during port stops and give lectures, sing,. bring on dogs,

and  do wood carvings,

 

Their not taking Grand out of Service just leaving SF just going to other ports

in 2020. I've been on the Grand many times to Alaska and going again this year.

 

 

[rebeltech8]

16 minutes ago, bemis12 said:

 

 But the extra sea days gives them time to do things on the ship.

 

Let’s see... 3 extra days on a cruise ship or flying to Seattle and dealing with the TSA? I would choose San Francisco every time.

 

We did this cruise 2 years ago and loved it.  

[donaldsc]

1 hour ago, bemis12 said:

 

 But the extra sea days gives them time to do things on the ship. Things that they want to do, regardless of whether you want to or not 

 

I did say "IMHO".

 

DON

[Thrak]

Our first cruise was the 10 day round trip SF/Alaska on Sea Princess. I didn't want to cruise. Period. I absolutely knew I would hate cruising, hate the uppity people, and besides - I get horrible motion sickness. I only did the cruise to make my wife happy.  I went to the doctor for "the patch" for seasickness, sucked it up, said, "Yes, Dear", and went. We were in an inside cabin all the way forward on Sea Princess - an incredibly tiny cabin only 135 sq. ft. The fist night out of SF we hit major weather. I woke up to the ship dancing in multiple directions at once. The next morning people were bouncing off of the hallway walls on their way to the buffet. Sounds terrible doesn't it?

 

That cruise totally hooked me. When we got off of the ship I wanted to get right back on. That was in 2011. We leave for out 12th Princess cruise on the 17th and have two more booked this year. (The second one will be our first as Elite.) It will be our third Alaska cruise - the second Connoisseur Cruise Tour. This one has 8 days on land before the 7 day southbound to Vancouver.

Edited May 5, 2019 by Thrak

[4cats4me]

Everybody I know loves the Grand.  We cruise on the Equinox a lot but we still love our Grand.  She is not nearly as beautiful as Equinox, but she has lots of character, at least 5 venues with entertainment, and the entertainment is WAYyyyy better on Princess than on Celebrity.  

You will have a martini bar with a pianist, entertainment in the atrium every night with bands, entertainment in Explorers lounge, Vista lounge and or Wheelhouse, which plays jazz. 

You will have four pools, one that is inside, and we’ve actually swam outside while in Alaska. Never know what kind of weather it will be.  

The food on the Grand was some of the best we’ve had out of almost 30 cruises and several cruise lines.  

The buffet is weak compared to Equinox.

The ship is newly refurbished, so that’s a plus. Celebrity is more hip and Princess more traditional and non-wild.  

[polmcs]

23 minutes ago, Thrak said:

Our first cruise was the 10 day round trip SF/Alaska on Sea Princess. I didn't want to cruise. Period. I absolutely knew I would hate cruising, hate the uppity people, and besides - I get horrible motion sickness. I only did the cruise to make my wife happy.  I went to the doctor for "the patch" for seasickness, sucked it up, said, "Yes, Dear", and went. We were in an inside cabin all the way forward on Sea Princess - an incredibly tiny cabin only 135 sq. ft. The fist night out of SF we hit major weather. I woke up to the ship dancing in multiple directions at once. The next morning people were bouncing off of the hallway walls on their way to the buffet. Sounds terrible doesn't it?

 

That cruise totally hooked me. When we got off of the ship I wanted to get right back on. That was in 2011. We leave for out 12th Princess cruise on the 17th and have two more booked this year. (The second one will be our first as Elite.) It will be our third Alaska cruise - the second Connoisseur Cruise Tour. This one has 8 days on land before the 7 day southbound to Vancouver.

Don’t forget to change your signature before taking your cruise in October (I think). Looks like you’ll just beat us to elite as we’ll get there after our Nov 1 cruise from Vancouver to LA which was conveniently timed to make sure we were Elite for the November Thanksgiving Cruise to Mexico. 😉 

 

It took us a little longer though as our first Princess Cruise was back in 2003.

 

As for Alaska, that is definitely a cruise where the destination matters most vs. my typical reason for a cruise which is “get away from it all” for a bit, which is the reason for the LA to Vancouver next week and the reverse Vancouver to LA in November. Heck, even the Mexican Riviera Cruise over Thanksgiving is too, as we’ve done that itinerary many times before. 😉 And I don’t have to cook the turkey either!

[Thrak]

17 minutes ago, polmcs said:

Don’t forget to change your signature before taking your cruise in October (I think). Looks like you’ll just beat us to elite as we’ll get there after our Nov 1 cruise from Vancouver to LA which was conveniently timed to make sure we were Elite for the November Thanksgiving Cruise to Mexico. 😉

 

The October cruise to Norway will put us at 154 days. It will only be 14 cruises but the days will put us "over the hump". We have 4 days in Barcelona after that and then a 14 day TA from Barcelona to Florida for our first Elite cruise. Not that it really makes a big lot of difference as the increased perks are minimal. I will need to change my signature though. Perhaps I'll wait and do it while in Barcelona. 😎

[disneyochem]

We are booked on the 10-day cruise out of SF on May 26.  Our first Princess cruise but have been to Alaska a number of times.  What made this trip attractive is that it is out of SF—we live an hour away from the port!!  We’re really looking forward to not having to travel and experiencing a new cruise line.  We also really enjoy sea days so that is a plus as well.

 

i say book it and enjoy!

[Gimer]

Lat year we did the Grand to Alaska twice.  On the first cruise the have a Tlingit Totem Carver onboard to carve a totem pole.  On our second cruise, the pole was only half carved.  see photos. also in glacier Bay, you will see Icebergs. 

[flamomo]

I've cruised to AK 3 times out of Seattle with Princess (and have done a total of 44 cruises with Princess, with 4 more booked) and will be doing another AK cruise, this time out of SFO in the early Fall on the Grand. I'll be going with one of my 3 adult daughters, who took her very first cruise ever, to AK out of Seattle last year in September, with me.  She LOVED it …. both AK and cruising, and, by the time we disembarked, she wanted to go back to AK but for more than 7 days. Thus, we're doing exactly that. It's definitely worth flying all the way to/from from FL for it.

Princess is pretty well known in the cruise industry for doing a great job with AK cruises. Having a naturalist onboard every AK cruise provides a more in-depth AK experience, as well as her/him being someone on the bridge who is on the lookout for whales and other wildlife to alert passengers to. That person also provides narrative during times of scenic cruising.

 

IMO, Princess is classy but relaxed. I have always felt that the service onboard has been somewhere between very good and excellent. The crew and staff all seem to be very passenger oriented, and want the passengers to be satisfied with having chosen Princess. The décor is not flashy, and there's no rock climbing walls, etc, but there's plenty to do for those who need to be entertained during the day on sea days, and plenty of quiet spots to relax and enjoy a good book or some other quiet activity. I've never had a problem finding something to eat in the dining room …. often it's difficult to decide which entrée I want that night.

For entertainment, Princess puts on some pretty decent production shows in the theater (just MHO, of course), and there are entertainment options in the lounges in the evening.

Edited May 5, 2019 by flamomo

[azbirdmom]

We've done 5 cruises to Alaska which included the round trip sailing from San Francisco last August on the Grand.  It was as wonderful as the other Alaska cruises we've done.  The ship was fine and I imagine even nicer now that she has been renovated.  Interesting that some have said that the clientele is older.  I've noticed a lot more families on the Alaskan cruises the last couple of years compared to other Princess cruises we have taken.  I say go for it, especially if you can get there without the hassle of a plane trip.

[c-boy]

15 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

I did say "IMHO".

 

DON

roflmao

[GreenValleyDogWalker]

We are booked on our 3rd Alaska Cruise - this time on the Grand from SFO in July

A little confused about what type of SPA Pass (?) you can purchase - and what time of SPA facilities are available on the Grand (not the spa "treatments") - just looking for areas to "relax" in....

Thank  You

[josher_m]

We are going out of SFO this year for our first time.  We were also initially worried about lack of amenities as we are bringing our teens but decided we'd rather spend our vacation days ON the ship vs IN a car with teens going up to Seattle since SFO is much closer.  lol  SFO is 3-4 hour drive where as Seattle is around 12 hours.

Being bored (possibly) on a ship will still be better than being bored at home is how we chose to look at it.   I figure we don't/won't know what we are possibly missing on other ships or lines so we are planning on having a grand time 🙂  Can't wait!

 

 

[ricklepickle]

Thank you all for your comments - very helpful.

 

I've been to Alaska (a land tour to Denali + NCL cruise), it would be my SO's first time. 10 days is a little long for us, on the other hand, a 7 day cruise is really 9 days (a day to travel the day before, because who wants to deal with flight problems, and the last day to get home).  And with this, no flying - we figured that saves us $$ in the end.

 

Still contemplating...

[4cats4me]

2 hours ago, josher_m said:

We are going out of SFO this year for our first time.  We were also initially worried about lack of amenities as we are bringing our teens but decided we'd rather spend our vacation days ON the ship vs IN a car with teens going up to Seattle since SFO is much closer.  lol  SFO is 3-4 hour drive where as Seattle is around 12 hours.

Being bored (possibly) on a ship will still be better than being bored at home is how we chose to look at it.   I figure we don't/won't know what we are possibly missing on other ships or lines so we are planning on having a grand time 🙂  Can't wait!

 

 

On one of our Princess cruises in July, we had 550 kids onboard, lots of teens.  

On another in July, there were plenty of young people onboard and they were all in the pools watching the movie screen.  Quite festive.  

[DRS/NC]

The Princess Alaska cruises draw lots of multi-generational families in the summer, especially the 7-day trips, not just older folks.

 

Our first Alaska cruise was a 14-day RT San Francisco in 1981 with Sitmar -- still my favorite cruise.  Yes, there's something almost magical about sailing from there & going under the Golden Gate Bridge.  If I lived on the west coast, I'd probably cruise to Alaska every year!

 

I've booked Alaska cruise # 5 for 2020 (RT Seattle) with my DD & SIL.  They loved it so much (DD's 2nd to AK; SIL's 1st) in 2017, we're going back.  Alaska ia always great!

[Coral]

It is the one ways that draw an older group. The RT out of Seattle and SFO do have more families. 

[Cruise Raider]

We've cruised up to Alaska a dozen times ... still not done!!  It's my absolute favorite place to cruise.  

We've sailed out of San Francisco (several cruises have been on the Grand), out of Seattle and out of Vancouver ... mostly during that first week of September but once at the end of September, three times in May and once in late August.  Late August to early September were are best weather cruises.  Be sure to take sunscreen ... something you may not automatically think to take but we've been there when it was sunny and warm nearly the entire trip.  But, also be prepared for chilly and / or rainy weather.  

 

Just a few other notes that might help you decide:

 

All of these cities have fantastic scenery at sail away!  SF has the Golden Gate, Vancouver has the Lion's Gate and Seattle has a beautiful skyline with the Space Needle and the Ferris Wheel.  

The public transportation to the pier, if you so choose to use it, is also very easy in all three of these cities.  

 

The waters from San Francisco almost all the way up to Seattle can and usually are particularly rough ... so if seasickness is a problem, this may be the last on your list.  It's not as bad when you sail back down to the City, but those first two days can be a challenge.  

The best itinerary for the calmest waters and a real treat for scenery are those sailings that are routed through the Canadian portion of the inside passage.  Wow, wow, wow!  You are more apt to find this on the sailings out of Vancouver.  Instead of hitting Victoria from sailing on the western side of Vancouver Island, you sail between the mainland of British Columbia and Vancouver Island.  

 

Speaking of wonderful itineraries, all glaciers are beautiful but an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay is spectacular!!  Also try to pick an itinerary that doesn't sail through the Alaskan inside passage in the middle of the night or the very early morning hours when you will be sleeping.  You don't want to miss this!!  This is the one itinerary that you should absolutely splurge on a balcony, especially if it is your first trip to Alaska.  You stand a very good chance of seeing whales just right from your balcony.  I've never been up there where I haven't seen whales right off the side of the ship.  

 

The Grand is pretty old and I know I will get some push back on this but, she is not very well maintained.   There are some very wonderful aspects of the Grand, so don't get me wrong, but she is definitely showing her age. There is also a lack of midship stairs on this ship which creates bottle necks like crazy on deck 7.  Also, the closets are very small on this particular ship.  There is enough room in there for 2 pax ... 4?  Forget about it!  

 

The Royal, which sails out of Vancouver, is an absolutely gorgeous ship!  Everything just sparkled and very well designed!  It's much more geared towards families as well ... at least from what I saw.  Plus, if internet is important to you, they do have the Medallion Net.  Be aware that in some of the isolated fjords, you may not get any WiFi signal though ... regardless of the ship.  For families, the Medallion allows you to know where your kids are at all times ... very cool feature!!  It does so much more than that and we just loved it!  That isn't available on the other Princess ships that are going to be up in Alaska this summer as far as I know.