JUST BOOKED ROYAL PRINCESS for ALASKA and I AM TERRIFIED I MADE A HUGE MISTAKE HELLP!!!????

[AlanF65]

18 hours ago, G03 said:

I JUST cancelled an aft cabin (CC1) on the newly renovated Celebrity Millennium with a $500 penalty

On Royal Caribbean when you cancel you get $150 in a future cruise credit and you lose $100 per passenger, isn't Celebrity the same?

[MCC retired]

7 hours ago, aimee0715 said:

I really can't fathom cancelling a cruise and taking a $500 loss just because someone said Princess was better.  We usually sail Princess and we have also sailed Celebrity.  They are both perfectly fine.  We took Princess to Alaska and it was wonderful.  I'm sure you'll have a great trip.  I'm sure you would have had a great trip with Celebrity as well.  Alaska is really amazing.  I thought for years that everyone was overselling it until I saw it for myself.  

Agree 100% 😉  Throwing away $500 over reviews by strangers 😲

[pms4104]

OP ... welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

$12K is a serious boatload of money to spend on a vacation.  And you need to be comfortable with your decision, whether it is to keep your Royal booking or switch to a different Princess ship, or even back to Celebrity.

 

There's a lot of "don't worry, be happy" on this thread, much of it from Princess loyalists.  Comments here are to you as anonymous as those negative ones you've seen that are causing you angst.

 

I learned a lot last year about some of the issues surrounding the Royal in Alaska.  Most telling were the comments from the pilots.  Frankly, given the issues, I'm surprised that Princess redeployed that same ship to Alaska for this 2020 season. 

 

Yes, it's a lovely ship ... but you might feel more comfortable with Princess on a different ship.

 

I cannot speak to the Alaska experience on Princess (we went some time ago with a small-ship company, no vessel with more than 100 pax) but anything I've read always has been very favorable.

 

I hope that you will weigh all the knfo you find here on CC and other internet places and reach a decision that will give you reason to look forward to a glorious vacation ... rather than experiencing so much angst.

 

Safe and happy travels! 

[Colo Cruiser]

Hmmm.....hit and run?

[leck57]

2 hours ago, pms4104 said:

 

I learned a lot last year about some of the issues surrounding the Royal in Alaska.  Most telling were the comments from the pilots.  Frankly, given the issues, I'm surprised that Princess redeployed that same ship to Alaska for this 2020 season. 

 

 

Most of the concerns turned out to be rubbish. The comments about lack of viewing areas etc were not justified based on my experience and I was often one of about 10 people on level 7 outside. Likewise on the upper levels I never had problems getting a spot against the railings. It was a wonderful experience for us and went without a hitch.

I am not a Princess loyalist as we have also cruised with Celebrity and will do so again, but in relation to Princess and Alaska it was top class.

[geoherb]

The food on my last Celebrity cruise was disappointing--not up to the standards of our previous cruises on X ships. Princess seems to be fairly consistent with its food, although I am a little tired of the same menus over and over again.

[CanadianBurger]

4 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Hmmm.....hit and run?

What I was thinking, Colo...

[Lucky TGO]

Hi GO3,
In Boston we just Say FUGHEDDABOUDIT it’s only money 💸 . 
Tony

 

 

[cheeseclan]

We were on the Royal and had a wonderful time.  No soot on our aft suite balcony at any time.  

 

As far as the connoisseur tour:  we absolutely loved it and would do it again.  Great service and food throughout.

 

To us it was worth every penny and we would do it again.

[mcrcruiser]

You will have a fabulous cruise to Alaska on the Royal Princess ,so relax & enjoy the journey  .Princess does a awesome Alaska  & their food is also very good & great in the special restaurants 

[richsea]

Can anyone say TROLL?

[cruisequeen4ever]

Lol You’re gonna have an awesome cruise! Princess really does do Alaska best; you made the right call. The Royal and her sister ships are my favorite class of ship for their food options and decor. 
 

I sailed the Royal to Alaska last summer and had an absolute blast! That was my 7th Alaska Cruise, having sailed on multiple sizes and classes of ships, and it was nothing short of any of my other experiences. In fact, I absolutely loved watching Margerie Glacier from a bar stool on the aft deck behind Horizon Court. I could see above the crowd and enjoy lunch at the same time! 

 

The Royal does have a soot issue ok aft balconies, but I’ve heard the room stewards clean it up whenever it happens. 
 

Enjoy your planning; you’re gonna have a great cruise, I’m sure!

[PaperSniper4]

On 1/14/2020 at 11:11 PM, G03 said:

Hi Fellow Cruisers,

We are a couple in our 40s and typically sail Celebrity Concierge Class Aft balconies... After reading 2019's latest reviews for Royal Princess (Alaska) in conjunction with Princess vs Celebrity for Alaska; I think I'm having a MELTDOWN...

 

I JUST cancelled an aft cabin (CC1) on the newly renovated Celebrity Millennium with a $500 penalty because I was advised over and over Princess does ALASKA BEST and that their lodges are TOP NOTCH!!  But after reading all those reviews I'm concerned the food will be AWFUL or at best mediocre after spending 12K on cruise and Connoisseur land tour; and after reading the size of the Royal may not be allowed on some days into Juneau and no longer cruises the Inside Passage. Also, I booked an AFT cabin as should be done in Alaska and I read there is a HUGE SOOT problem on the aft balconies...

 

I'm FREAKING OUT!!! This is a 12K expense that I expect to be better then my Celebrity experiences as stated by Princess advertising.., but I fear it has turned into Carnival after reading reviews.  My Celebrity cruises had ALL been AMAZING, from the FOOD to the CREW, cleanliness, problem resolution, etc etc etc...

I checked to rebook my cabin on Celebrity and the price was 2K more in addition to I would have to figure out a land option all over again. 

 

If any of you have been on Royal Princess to Alaska 2019, am I freaking out OR is it going to be OK?? Should I cancel and beg Celebrity to take me back?

 

Best and THANK YOU,

G

Read all the reviews you want, ignore the top 20% positive ones, and the bottom 20% negative ones. That will give you a decent idea what to expect. With nearly 3 dozen cruises, I have never had a bad cruise....and I've read some  horrible reviews of some of those I thought were marvelous.

 

IMHO, 90% of how the cruise goes is up to you.........and your attitude.

[Sam.Seattle]

We did the Millennium in 2018 and the Royal in 2019.  

 

Sorry I think you made a mistake not sticking with Celebrity.  

 

The Royal did not use the inside passage on our sailings.. very disapointing.  If you have not been to AK before, you might not even notice. The port times were changed due to tides. Yes, the stern suites have soot issues. I have been on the Royal & Regal in corner suites and we had soot issues.  Would I sail Royal again? YES!  I am booked on the Royal for Mexico next month.  If you can get a front row spot in the Sanctuary at Glacier Bay, it is a great Princess experience to enjoy.  You probably get more time seeing glaciers as you do experience Glacier Bay and Hubbard on Royal.  We were able to get much closer to Hubbard on Celebrity.  Maybe the weather?  Maybe the Coast Guard concern about the Royal?  Ship vs. Ship - I prefer the Royal.  Service for Service - I prefer Celebrity.  Service for Service - Celebrity has better perks for Suite guests.

 

  https://www.ktoo.org/2019/04/19/southeast-alaska-pilots-raise-concerns-over-royal-princess-megaship/

 

The Millennium has a better port schedule including Icy Strait which is a great Alaska experience!  Icy Strait is what Alaska cruising was in the good old days (yea, I am old in years, but young in adventure),  The Millennium was able to get much closer to the glaciers. Seward has more things to do vs Whitter.  We did B2B on both the Royal and the Millennium. Our Adult Daughter did only a the 7-day sailing and said the train ride from Seward to the airport was a great experience on it's own merit. 

 

The Inside passage is great treat that Royal was unable to offer in 2019.  I doubt they will in 2020. 

 

The shore excursions really are pretty much the same on both ships.  There are two special excursions I recommend.  The White Pass Luxury Class Scenic Railway.  The Hubbard Glacier & Wilderness Exploration.

 

At the end of the day... There are Pros and Cons with each choice.  Enjoy your cruise! 

[G03]

Thank you so much for your input. What happened was that we had the Millennium booked BUT really wanted to do an extended land tour.  We ALWAYS TRAVEL Celebrity . BUT unfortunately Princess owns Alaska and had the better tours. We were unable to book a princess Conniseur  tour and celebrity ship which would have been ideal! When Princess has a sale this month we booked Princess because they included the premium drink, grats, WiFi and again the tour was WAY better then what Celebrity offered... also we originally had a gray line tour and celebrity ship but it was going to be a mission getting from place to place and having to go to the airport for tour pick up after already being in hotel as they didn’t have the original tour hotel available an extra night before 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️.  At this point we have to make the best of it. Our old Celebrity Millenium Cain aft went up to $7200 just for cruise.  

[Thrak]

I have been wondering exactly who charged you $500 for cancelling your cruise. Was it Celebrity or was it your TA?

 

We have done two Connoisseur Cruise Tours to Alaska with Princess. Both were really great. Enjoy your cruise and your land tour.

[G03]

No it was Celebrity. So when we broke dit was a mandatory non refundable $500 deposit. They ended up only penalizing us $200 and then they are mailing us a credit for $300 for a future cruise. We do one every year on Celebrity since we live in FLL I'll definitely use it. 

 

Thanks!!

[pablo222]

On 1/16/2020 at 6:12 AM, richsea said:

Can anyone say TROLL?

You, or the original poster?

 

The original poster came back and thanked people for their comments, and then made additional posts.

Doesn't seem like a troll to me.

 

There are so many cheerleaders here who can't stand the slightest negative comment about princess.

 

So, denigrate the poster by calling them a troll...

 

Nice.

 

 

[richsea]

4 hours ago, pablo222 said:

You, or the original poster?

 

The original poster came back and thanked people for their comments, and then made additional posts.

Doesn't seem like a troll to me.

 

There are so many cheerleaders here who can't stand the slightest negative comment about princess.

 

So, denigrate the poster by calling them a troll...

 

Nice.

 

 

Hmmmm...wel I do live under a bridge.

[Tatka]

I loved Royal Princess.

I find Celebrity to have more "luxury touches", but Royal class is wonderful.

We liked it more than Celebrity Silhouette in some regards.

The only thing that is missing (for Alaska) is indoor pool.

Millennium class has amazing thalasso pools.

[CruiseVA]

Out of curiosity, have you looked at the Coral Princess Alaska cruises? It's a smaller ship, so it's able to get into the smaller areas.

[G03]

The Coral wasn't available for the aft cabins we wanted ; (

[CruiseVA]

5 minutes ago, G03 said:

The Coral wasn't available for the aft cabins we wanted ; (

That's too bad, she's a nice ship. Enjoy the Royal we've been on her, the Regal & recently the Sky. They are all wonderful.

[fishin' musician]

For me, if the Royal is sailing out in the ocean, around Vancouver Island that would be a very large strike against it.  Last year when awakening the first day on a northbound we had whales blowing between us and the shore.  Also, regarding Celebrity's land offerings, the company they use is based in Alaska, has a huge fleet of modern, clean coaches and a lot more Alaskans than college kids as drivers and guides.  They also have two private rail cars similar to HAL and Princess, with viewing on the top level w/ bar and coffee station and dining on lower level.  Cruise companies that don't have ground operations and lodges in Alaska use this company, including the cork sniffer, luxury varieties.  To me, it trumps the huge lodge/complex/campus experience.  Having said all that, Princess does do an excellent Alaska program.  I've done Princess(3), HAL(1) and NCL(1).  NCL had no naturalist.  HAL had a joke of a naturalist.  Princess had incredible naturalists!  And throw in a full day in Glacier Bay... WOW!!! 

 

I do have one suggestion, depending on Seward or Whittier.  If Whittier, do Phillips 26 Glacier Cruise upon arrival.  If Seward, do the Kenai Fjords Tour.

 

Oh, and splurge for some decent binoculars (2 pairs).

Edited January 20, 2020 by fishin' musician

[G03]

Thank you SO MUCH FOR this info.. we definitely PREFER Celebrity (By the way Celebrity offers complimentary binoculars and umbrellas for their Concierge class and above). but again their land offering for post/pre cruise were minimal and very hard to get information.. Do you know the local company they use?? The one you mentioned is used by  HAL??  I checked Alaska tours and they had a great one BUT It was a mission we would have had to go back to the airport to get to the hotel since we were starting 1 day earlier then the tour.

Maybe I can take a look at their land tours of the company you are talking about... Currently we are doing a Connesiuer  tour pre cruise for 8 days. Fairbanks/Denali/Mt Mckinlei cooper ridge and Kenai. Then picking up the cruise in Whittier. So I will be both in Kenai and Whittier I was just looking at which cruise to take In kenai so thanks for the info.

 

I still haven't ruled out going  back to X if I can find an adequate land tour..

 

if you happen to have the name of the tour company for X that’d be great cause Celebrity would to give it to me..

 

thanks!!

Edited January 21, 2020 by G03