LIVE - 4cats4me’s last-minute cruise on the Majestic Princess, August 29, 2021

[4cats4me]

 Hi.  I am 4cats4me, and I am  looking forward to cruising to Alaska,  once again, this time on the beautiful Majestic Princess.

This will be my 5th trip to Alaska, and 23rd cruise on Princess.  Last trip to AK was back in 2014 aboard the Grand.   

 

Cruise:    I booked this cruise at the last minute, only 19 days ago, and there was still plenty of cabin availability, so I snagged an obstructed view deluxe balcony  cabin, which really isn’t that obstructed at all.  I will be sailing solo this time, a first for me, as my husband has work commitments and cat-caring duties.  We now have to travel in shifts, as we have some demanding felines.  (3, not 4)

 

Flight:   Got a great rate on Southwest, too, $89 each way from Oakland, CA to Seattle.  

 

Hotel:   I will be staying at the Doubletree Suites near the airport this time as opposed  to downtown.   The hotel is within walking distance of a Target, a mall, and many eating establishments.    The hotel has a courtesy shuttle that will pick up at the airport.

 

Transfer:  Booked a transfer online to the cruise port with Seattle Express for $20, with a pickup time of 10:30-10:45.  The trip should take approx 45 minutes, so anticipating an arrival time of 11:30ish 

 

MedallionClass App and Embarkation Times:    Although this will actually be my third “Medallion”  Cruise, this will be my first FULL Medallion Cruise (the other two cruises used an entirely different app comprised of Ocean Now, Ocean this, Ocean that.   Those apps have now been replaced by the MedallionClass app, which seems to contain everything in the one app. )

 

I’d like to touch on my experience with the MedallionClass app.   I had been hearing horror stories all summer about everyone's

experience with that thing, and I almost dreaded the whole experience.  I think a lot of bugs had been worked out by the time it was my turn to upload it.  

I have an iPhone X and the app seemed to work well from the start UNTIL I went from the green lane back to the blue lane overnight.  

I uninstalled  the app and reinstalled, and then I was able to perform certain tasks that previously were done through the Cruise Personalizer.  A lot of info had carried over from the old app already, which was nice. 

 

I was pleased that even though the sailing date is so close, I was able to choose the A group, 11:30-11:45, as my arrival time versus 

a very late boarding time.  As I am Elite with Princess, and Elites have always had priority boarding, and many have suggested  that priority boarding might be a thing of the past, but that hasn’t been my experience.   

However, the next day I was mysteriously thrown back to the Blue lane and lost that boarding slot, was offered group B, 12:00-12:15, so I took it.  No biggie.   I attempted to get A group again and there was an indication that group was full.  

Two days later, I was able to choose the early A group of 11:30 once again.  

 

Choosing Dining through the MedallionClass app:    It’s pretty obvious IT keeps tweaking the app daily, as something new happens almost every day. LOL.  I had no issues securing  a time or location.  Initially, I was only offered a table for two, but earlier this week, I was offered either a 2, 6, or 8-top.  As of yesterday, I am now offered either ‘private’ or ‘share’ options.  

 

Testing:  Booked a rapid test (antigen) appointment at CVS on 8/13 for 8/26, 3 days out from the cruise.   Results came in within 40 mins.  

Most likely insurance will pay for it, too.  Although Princess indicates they will accept a digital copy, in an abundance of caution I printed a hard copy, too.

 

I do not have Princess Plus for this cruise, so very little boozing for  me — I thInk?  

 

So, I will just post whenever the mood hits, but will welcome questions,  and if I am in a position to answer them, I will. If not, maybe others on this cruise will weigh in.  

I do hope that others will add to this Live thread as the week progresses.   

 

Thank you for following along.  

 

 

 

 

[cr8tiv1]

20 minutes ago, 4cats4me said:

I was pleased that even though the sailing date is so close, I was able to choose the A group, 11:30-11:45, as my arrival time versus a very late boarding time.  As I am Elite with Princess, and Elites have always had priority boarding, and many have suggested  that priority boarding might be a thing of the past, but that hasn’t been my experience.   

 

However, the next day I was mysteriously thrown back to the Blue lane and lost that boarding slot, was offered group B, 12:00-12:15, so I took it.  No biggie.   I attempted to get A group again and there was an indication that group was full.  

 

Two days later, I was able to choose the early A group of 11:30 once again.  

 

I do hope that others will add to this Live thread as the week progresses.   

 

Thank you for following along.  

 

I am enjoying these lives.  Thank you for continuing the "tradition".  

 

I quoted your boarding fiasco.  For the life of me, I do not understand the going from green to blue and back to green....and the loss and recapture of your boarding times.  If boarding group A was full, what happened to open it up again?  Still don't understand Elite boarding.  Are Elites being allowed to book the earlier time slot?  Are they allowed to board before the rest of the group?  Do they board, get held, and then released?  Do you just walk on the ship once you pass check point Charlie?  Does Princess really have a system?

[geoherb]

I'm looking forward to passing the baton to you. There's one day left for my cruise--a relaxing day at sea. I hope you'll have better weather, but it was never truly bad. I just feel sorry for the people who have never seen the glaciers calving more actively than they did this week.

 

My experience in boarding was that no one was checking which group you were in. I arrived slightly early last week since I took the Princess shuttle from the airport right after my flight landed. I had feared that they would be forcing people who were too early to wait outside the terminal, but everyone made it inside and started standing in the health check line. 

[Host CJSKIDS]

Enjoy your sailing, really looking forward to following along.

[Musky Ike]

Thanks for keeping us updated. We will be embarking when you disembark so keep it nice for us 😉.  I had the same app issues. It seems to be "a work in progress".

[AF-1]

wow thanks for so much pre-cruise info.  I have stayed at that Doubletree also.  Have fun and look forward to more of your "live" posts

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

I am enjoying these lives.  Thank you for continuing the "tradition".  

 

I quoted your boarding fiasco.  For the life of me, I do not understand the going from green to blue and back to green....and the loss and recapture of your boarding times.  If boarding group A was full, what happened to open it up again?  Still don't understand Elite boarding.  Are Elites being allowed to book the earlier time slot?  Are they allowed to board before the rest of the group?  Do they board, get held, and then released?  Do you just walk on the ship once you pass check point Charlie?  Does Princess really have a system?

Suites and Elites should expect to show up at their choosing and be processed accordingly.  If boarding ship has not commenced after check-in completed, then there is a special seating area and should be called first to board.  If boarding has commenced by the time processed check-in, then everyone just boards the ship as complete check-in.  It seems there may not be any priority in the actual Lanes - just Green & Blue perhaps.  This isn't quite the way it should be, but at least Jan Swartz stated we should have priority processing/boarding.

[Ombud]

IRL there were only 2 lines in the terminal: Green and Yellow. Yellow was shorter but took longer. After having vax, testing, and passport checked I went upstairs and sat in the Elite / Suite section. We boarded 1st once boarding commenced which was before my boarding time on the MC. So yes, there is preferential boarding. 

 

Have a great cruise!!

 

 

Edited August 28, 2021 by Ombud

[PescadoAmarillo]

Yay!  Thanks for keeping it going!  Safe and healthy travels to you, and may you have the Juneau and Glacier Bay National Park weather from our first cruise, the Ketchikan weather from our last cruise and better weather all around in Skagway. 

[azbirdmom]

Thank you for continuing the Live from Alaska tradition!  Hope you have a fantastic cruise.

[dog]

Looking forward to your posts from the Majestic Princess this week!

[KLM3164]

We flew to Seattle yesterday afternoon from Sacramento and we’re so happy to get out of CA. There was so much smoke in the air in Northern CA which made for a very gray day. It was nice to get to Seattle and see blue sky.

 

We flew on Southwest Airlines which is my preferred airline. Got a great fare of $59 flying up here and using points to fly home since airfare was much higher flying home on Sunday, 9/5.

 

We took Uber from SEA to hotel. Haven’t used ride share in over 2 years and prices have definitely gone up. Ride to hotel was $48 plus tip. Signage to pickup area at SEA was very good and easy to find. Our ride showed up in 1 minute and texted what parking space to go to. Easy and efficient.

 

We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Seattle/Lake Union which is 12 minutes to Pier 91. They asked if we would mind a room with 2 Q beds in exchange for a lake view room. We took it and had a lovely view of the lake and all the activity on it last night. Room was very quiet and comfortable and I’d stay here again. Booked with points so room cost us $2.

 

We walked around the Lake Union area last night and took a few photos. Came back to the hotel, had a drink in the bar and then we crashed. 

 

Woke up at 6 this am and I’m so excited to be getting on the ship! It feels like Christmas morning when I was a kid. We’ve booked an aft view suite which is something we’ve never done. So looking forward to seeing our room and having the wrap around balcony.

 

We are going to walk to Starbucks this morning to get coffee and a quick breakfast. Then we’ll pack up and get another Uber to take us the the pier.

 

I hope to post more on this thread if the Wi-Fi will cooperate this week. 

[Sea Emerald]

So excited there is another live thread.  We will be on the Majestic on 9/26 and cannot wait.  We have my brother coming to our house to take care of Mom and cat so we can celebrate our 30th.  Looking forward  to some fun and relaxing even if things are a bit different.  We love Alaska.  This will be our 6th cruise there.  Have a ton of fun!  Would love to know how many passengers  are on your cruise.  

[HBCcruiser]

@4cats4me Enjoy your cruise and thanks for taking us along! 

[Wavelet]

I will be traveling along with you vicariously 😊. Safe travels!

[phabric]

On 8/28/2021 at 12:55 AM, 4cats4me said:

 

 

Hotel:   I will be staying at the Doubletree Suites near the airport this time as opposed  to downtown.   The hotel is within walking distance of a Target, a mall, and many eating establishments.    The hotel has a courtesy shuttle that will pick up at the airport.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traveling with a child.  She probably would enjoy the pool over sightseeing after a early long flight.

 

How was the Doubletree Suites?  Did you call for the shuttle? What type of restaurants were around the hotel?

[4cats4me]

1 hour ago, KLM3164 said:

We flew to Seattle yesterday afternoon from Sacramento and we’re so happy to get out of CA. There was so much smoke in the air in Northern CA which made for a very gray day. It was nice to get to Seattle and see blue sky.

 

We flew on Southwest Airlines which is my preferred airline. Got a great fare of $59 flying up here and using points to fly home since airfare was much higher flying home on Sunday, 9/5.

 

We took Uber from SEA to hotel. Haven’t used ride share in over 2 years and prices have definitely gone up. Ride to hotel was $48 plus tip. Signage to pickup area at SEA was very good and easy to find. Our ride showed up in 1 minute and texted what parking space to go to. Easy and efficient.

 

We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Seattle/Lake Union which is 12 minutes to Pier 91. They asked if we would mind a room with 2 Q beds in exchange for a lake view room. We took it and had a lovely view of the lake and all the activity on it last night. Room was very quiet and comfortable and I’d stay here again. Booked with points so room cost us $2.

 

We walked around the Lake Union area last night and took a few photos. Came back to the hotel, had a drink in the bar and then we crashed. 

 

Woke up at 6 this am and I’m so excited to be getting on the ship! It feels like Christmas morning when I was a kid. We’ve booked an aft view suite which is something we’ve never done. So looking forward to seeing our room and having the wrap around balcony.

 

We are going to walk to Starbucks this morning to get coffee and a quick breakfast. Then we’ll pack up and get another Uber to take us the the pier.

 

I hope to post more on this thread if the Wi-Fi will cooperate this week. 

 

 

 

Yay, @KLM3164,  thanks for joining the thread!

Agree with you, it’s a relief to get out of California right now due to the smoke. 

50 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

@4cats4me Enjoy your cruise and thanks for taking us along! 

Hi @HBCcruiser!   I think the last cruise we were on was the one with you,  out of San Pedro,  on the Royal!  Or maybe we went on one more after that. At any rate, thanks for following along and hope you’re doing well  😊

 

Dana

25 minutes ago, phabric said:

Traveling with a child.  She probably would enjoy the pool over sightseeing after a early long flight.

 

How was the Doubletree Suites?  Did you call for the shuttle? What type of restaurants were around the hotel?

@phabric

I love the location of this hotel.   
it’s across the street from a gigantic mall, the Westfield Mall. 
simple process to get here from The airport. After retrieving my luggage, I followed the signage which direct to the courtesy shuttles in the garage area, and then called the Doubletree and the driver was there within three minutes. Yes, it’s free. 

I will elaborate more later. 

[TinaLee]

Thanks for taking us along. We're two weeks out and the anticipation is fierce! Enjoying all the reviews and news from people sailing ahead of us. Have a wonderful time!! 

[4cats4me]

Typing from this tiny phone is kind of difficult. 
had a nice flight yesterday from Oakland, California, to Seattle. Beautiful blue skies here. 
from the time we landed until I got to the hotel, which is approximately 3 miles from the airport, was 45 minutes. 
Staying at the Doubletree suites, in Tukwila. I chose this hotel because of its location, so close to lots of restaurants and stores, specifically, there is a target next to the hotel, which you can access easily by going through a gate which has a code, that you will have to get from the front desk. 

 

they provide a free shuttle and after collecting the luggage, I proceeded to the third-floor and took the ramp to the parking garage and followed the signs directing me to the courtesy shuttles. Once in the parking garage you will have to go down the escalator one floor turn to the left like a do a U-turn and go back out. There is an island, island one, which is broken up into sections 1A through 1D. 
you are free to go to any section, and when you’re there, call the Doubletree Suites number, not to be confused with the Doubletree Seattle Airport, give them a call and the dispatcher will give you an estimate. She estimated 7 to 10 minutes, and the driver was there within three minutes.  When I arrived there was already a Doubletree van at the curb and the coordinator there kept trying to tell me that that was the proper Shuttle but I knew differently, but she kept insisting that that was the proper Shuttle. The shuttle driver comes out and says no you need the other one this is a different Doubletree. check in was pleasant. There’s hardly anyone staying here. 
The room is spotless. 
The beds are so comfortable, probably the most comfortable beds I’ve ever experienced in a hotel. I think this was probably an Embassy Suites at one time, due to the layout of not only the room, but the atrium. 
Hotel is  Directly across the street from a gigantic mall which has Nordstrom’s, JCPenney, Sears, Macy’s, as well as all the other usual stores one would typically find in a mall. 
Had  a fantastic lunch at Duke’s  Seafood yesterday, which is located at the mall.  

Evidently, they’ve won awards for their clam chowder so many times that they are not allowed to enter the contest anymore. LOL 

It was, without a doubt, the best clam chowder I have ever had. 
Pricy, yes, but isn’t everything?

and enjoyed a blood orange margarita to go along with the meal. 
There is  also a Cheesecake Factory  across The street. 
Will post updates later. 

 

 

[HBCcruiser]

19 minutes ago, 4cats4me said:

Hi @HBCcruiser!   I think the last cruise we were on was the one with you,  out of San Pedro,  on the Royal!  Or maybe we went on one more after that. At any rate, thanks for following along and hope you’re doing well  😊

 

We are doing well. We did a Royal cruise this summer out of Nassau. It was so great to cruise again. Our next one is on the Grand out of LA in October. RT Cabo. Hope to cruise with you again some day! Enjoy Alaska and hope the weather is good for you. 🌞

[phabric]

30 minutes ago, 4cats4me said:

 

 

 

@phabric

I love the location of this hotel.   
it’s across the street from a gigantic mall, the Westfield Mall. 
simple process to get here from The airport. After retrieving my luggage, I followed the signage which direct to the courtesy shuttles in the garage area, and then called the Doubletree and the driver was there within three minutes. Yes, it’s free. 

I will elaborate more later. 

Just want to confirm I have the correct Double Tree Suites -

 

Double Tree Suites by Hilton Hotel Seattle Airport - Southcenter

16500 Southcenter Parkway

1-206-575-8220

[4cats4me]

3 minutes ago, phabric said:

Just want to confirm I have the correct Double Tree Suites -

 

Double Tree Suites by Hilton Hotel Seattle Airport - Southcenter

16500 Southcenter Parkway

1-206-575-8220

Yes. 

[mjceditor]

1 hour ago, 4cats4me said:

I proceeded to the third-floor and took the ramp to the parking garage and followed the signs directing me to the courtesy shuttles. Once in the parking garage you will have to go down the escalator one floor turn to the left like a do a U-turn and go back out. There is an island, island one, which is broken up into sections 1A through 1D. 

Thank you for continuing "Live From"

I have one question, Is there an Elevator you can use instead of the Escalator down to Shuttle pickup? We are doing a B2B2B starting September 5th so we have a few suitcases.🥲

[KLM3164]

11 minutes ago, mjceditor said:

I have one question, Is there an Elevator you can use instead of the Escalator down to Shuttle pickup?

Yes there is an elevator you can use instead of the escalator.

[mjceditor]

@KLM3164 Thank you!