Royal Princess May 28, 2022 Alaska Northbound live report

[dhanakorn]

2 hours ago, partybarbie said:

I read on the last Patter that you posted that Kory Simon wasn't at Crooner's. Would it be possible to find out if he just had a night off? I am hoping that's all it was and that he hasn't taken ill with Covid.

Kory is amazing! He had one show in the the theater and it’s great, very entertaining. I really like his show. 
 

He’s normally singing at Crooner’s every night. 

[voljeep]

9 minutes ago, dhanakorn said:

Kory is amazing! He had one show in the the theater and it’s great, very entertaining. I really like his show. 
 

He’s normally singing at Crooner’s every night. 

Note to self:  don't book Royal ... not a fan of karaoke in Crooner's

[Godblessourhome]

2 hours ago, dhanakorn said:

Another perfect day in Skagway. Great sunny weather again. I took a day tour to Yukon. The view and the scenery look amazing! 

 

Beautiful reflection on Lake Tutshi. My phone can’t capture how gorgeous it is - you’ll need to see by your eyes. 

 

Your picture captured the Lake Tutshi so very beautifully - very well taken.  Thank you for sharing!

Could you please find out - while you are onboard - whether passengers have to take a COVID test while transiting in Whittier for back-to-back passengers PLEASE.

THANK YOU and looking forward to hearing from you.

Ronnie

[Thrak]

3 hours ago, voljeep said:

Note to self:  don't book Royal ... not a fan of karaoke in Crooner's

 

Kory's stage show was really much better than his Crooner's shtick. I don't really need to have that much participation in someone's show. We did seem him in Crooner's several nights but that's because we didn't care for the other bands on the ship either. One was a pretty decent band but the singer just didn't "get it" with a number of songs. For instance, the song Route 66 is pronounced "root" and she sang it as "rout". She tried to make songs like Sweet Home Chicago flow melodically rather than singing them as they are meant to be sang. She pretty much trashed maybe 40% of the songs. Of course, that band was often in the Piazza and, given the design of Royal Princess, that meant she was inescapable in the mid part of the ship.

 

There was a pianist in Wheelhouse sometimes who was okay. The guitar player/singer in Wheelhouse was not very good. Overall, the entertainment options were pretty thin on the cruise. If I ever have the "opportunity" to see Colors of the World again I will definitely not take advantage of the chance.

 

The cruise itself was good - despite the fact that we ended up having to get refunds for 3 of the excursions we had booked - and the weather after the first several days was fantastic. Glacier Bay, Yakutat Bay, and Endicott Arm days were all beautifully sunny and clear. We didn't actually make it into Endicott Arm very far. The captain said he could probably get in there but wouldn't be able to turn around so we stayed fairly far out but it was still absolutely beautiful weather and equally beautiful scenery. Having fiends on the cruise with us made it extra special. Such great folks.

[partybarbie]

I’m glad the OP enjoyed Kory’s show. He’s one of our favorite performers on Princess. We specifically booked our cruise just to see him. Can’t wait!

[dhanakorn]

6 hours ago, Godblessourhome said:

Your picture captured the Lake Tutshi so very beautifully - very well taken.  Thank you for sharing!

Could you please find out - while you are onboard - whether passengers have to take a COVID test while transiting in Whittier for back-to-back passengers PLEASE.

THANK YOU and looking forward to hearing from you.

Ronnie

No Covid test required in Whittier for b2b passengers. 

[dhanakorn]

14 hours ago, Godblessourhome said:

We really enjoy and appreciate your wonderful live report while sailing on the Royal!!  Thank you!!

We are following your journey keenly, as we will be on the July 23 - August 6 sailing (14 days b2b north and south bound) sailings. 

We hope you have a safe, wonderful, and enjoyable sailing.  Could you please report the COVID situation onboard the Royal - if any - God forbidden!  We would love to hear your feedback and experience onboard.  We are over 70 year old and are a bit concern - as I read that the sailing before yours had a COVID outbreak and end up having 200-300 people quarantine onboard.

Thank you and appreciate your wonderful report and the beautiful pictures which tell more than thousand words!!  We enjoy it so much that we wish we were onboard with you NOW...

Enjoy and have a smooth and wonderful cruise!!

Ronnie & John

There’s no Covid outbreak on this cruise. All the crew members are wearing mask. About 10% of the passengers are wearing masks. Hand sanitizer or hand washing required before entering the buffet/dining room. 
 

We’ve a lot of seniors on this cruise and I think most of them look very strong and healthy. I don’t hear sneezing or coughing. Great warm weather during the past few days also helps. 

 

Deck 9 is blocked off and served as a quarantine deck. 
 

[dhanakorn]

13 hours ago, tartana said:

Did the Royal Princess stay to the RH side when leaving Vancouver or did you have to go out around to the left where the dotted line shows?  Just curious (Although I guess it was nighttime, so you may not have really known) I was thinking I read at some point that these ships couldn't go under the bridge....but I'm not sure about this. 

Royal and Majestic sail to the outside (left side) of Vancouver island. The ships are too big to navigate inside the Vancouver passage. So the first night out of Vancouver we experienced a little rough wave in the Pacific Ocean. 

[dhanakorn]

Emerald Lake in Yukon is so beautiful. The day tour today is totally worth the money. I went with Southeast tour and had Polly as our amazing guide/driver. 

 

Sunset while sailing away from Skagway. 

[tartana]

5 hours ago, dhanakorn said:

Royal and Majestic sail to the outside (left side) of Vancouver island. The ships are too big to navigate inside the Vancouver passage. So the first night out of Vancouver we experienced a little rough wave in the Pacific Ocean. 

Thank you for your reply. That is what I had thought from previous reading.  Thank you for your posts and pictures - absolutely stunning! I never imagined the Alaska weather would be so lovely this time of year.  I was considering June and wondered if that was even too early.  :) 

[dhanakorn]

Today is the big day where we visit Glacier Bay.

 

Live outside my room at around 5am. It’s already bright outside. 
 

 

[arizonaperson]

dhanakorn, your pictures are very beautifully captured. Thanks for the Live from. 

[Godblessourhome]

7 hours ago, dhanakorn said:

There’s no Covid outbreak on this cruise. All the crew members are wearing mask. About 10% of the passengers are wearing masks. Hand sanitizer or hand washing required before entering the buffet/dining room. 
 

We’ve a lot of seniors on this cruise and I think most of them look very strong and healthy. I don’t hear sneezing or coughing. Great warm weather during the past few days also helps. 

 

Deck 9 is blocked off and served as a quarantine deck. 
 

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!  Your live report is a gem.  It is not just interesting and beautifully presented - but it is also very helpful and informative.  Your kindness in sharing the information is MOST helpful.  We really appreciate your time and kindness.

Princess should reward you handsomely!!  Because of your live report, we now feel more comfortable to resume cruising again after the 3-year-rest due to the pandemic.

Enjoy your holiday.  Have a safe and smooth sailing.  

With our best wishes.

Ronnie

[dhanakorn]

Park rangers already boarded the ship!

 

A small boat carrying park rangers started approaching us around 6am on Port side. 

 

The boat docked by the ship gangway.

 

The rangers climb up the stairs to the gangway way while we’re still moving. We slow down but don’t stop while they’re boarding. 

[Grambler]

Thanks for doing this live review, we will be doing Southbound on Sapphire next year, was planning initially on Majestic for similar price but was recommended to do a smaller ship to get “closer”. Not sure we made right decision. Since we plan on spending 2-3 nights in Vancouver after cruise, would you recommend the Holiday Inn you stayed at?

[dhanakorn]

Park rangers setup information desk and small gift shop in Princess Live. 

 

 

We just spotted 2 humpback whales this morning!

View from the aft. 

[dhanakorn]

We just sailed close to John Hopkins Glacier. It looks amazing!

[Glaciers]

11 hours ago, dhanakorn said:

There’s no Covid outbreak on this cruise.

How do you know this? Daily announcements?

[dhanakorn]

Lamplugh Glacier

 

[dhanakorn]

Margerie Glacier, the main star of this cruise, looks amazing! The ship turned around a couple times. Everyone has their own favorite place to view the glaciers. But my recommendation is mid-ship on deck 7. You have quick access to open deck on both sides of ship and seatings at Crooners to keep warm. 

 

 

[dhanakorn]

After an exciting day in Glacier Bay, I took a nap in the afternoon. Woke up just in time for the afternoon tea. What a nice life we have on cruise ship. I heard that lobster is waiting for us in the MDR tonight. 
 

The scone was was and tasty. Tea was just standard Lipton tea. 

 

[sunsetme]

wonderful pictures, looks like you are having great weather.

[dhanakorn]

Lobster tonight!

[Godblessourhome]

38 minutes ago, dhanakorn said:

Lobster tonight!

Looks so yummy!!  Enjoy!!

[AE_Collector]

Thanks for the excellent “Live” report. I’m so happy that the weather was much better for you in Vancouver than anticipated. It really is a fantastic city, many of us locals take it for granted but we try to get out and enjoy being here as much as possible. As @Thrak pointed out, you just managed to miss our homeless Street people area.
 

We were downtown exploring the city the day you boarded and saw the three ships at Canada Place that day. I assumed that Royal Princess left at the usual 4:30 time and hadn’t realized you stayed at the pier so much later. Almost certainly due to the tides to get under the Lions Gate Bridge.

 

And congrats on being upgraded to a balcony… I won’t remind myself of the 13 hours in total I spent over 4 separate phone calls trying unsuccessfully to PAY Princess for an upgrade from Inside to Balcony for our May 2-14 Royal Princess cruise. With over 40 cruises with them the experience still annoys me to no end. Buy they have had a real battle to survive the last couple of years so I will forgive and forget.. eventually.

 

Keep up the great Live Report!