First time cruiser experience – 6/25/2022 Alaska cruisetour

[nwnittany]

[Part I]

Hi all – thought you might like to hear the perspective from a first time cruiser (well, to be honest, my wife and I cruised in 1998, but things have likely changed so much, this felt like a first time). 

Some context that might help to interpret our perspective:

• -          Wife and I are 60 and traveled with our two college-aged sons.  All are generally healthy, no special dietary needs, generally easy-going, ie, all ‘easy’ travelers

• -          We were on the Royal that departed Vancouver on 6/25/2022, did a 7-day inside passage, followed by a 4-day cruisetour.

• -          We had warm and sunny weather, with the only slight bummer being some smoke from a wildfire during our cruisetour.

• -          We stayed in a premium suite, purchased Princess Plus, and used EZ-Fare for our flights.  Yes, it cost a lot…lol. 

• -          Three of the four of us tested positive for Covid once we got home.

 

Now, with that as a backdrop… … … in short, we had an absolutely great time.  There are probably some good reasons for this, which I’ll get into later.  

Back to the actual trip. 

We loved the ship and the food.  The drinks package was great.  I didn’t count drinks, so I can’t say if it was the better financial decision, but not having to worry about every diet coke, coffee, or beer, removed a layer of stress for the trip.   We ate all the evening meals in the MDR and it was usually the highlight of the day.  The staff was just fantastic and we found the food to be great.  Being able to order multiple appetizers, sides, etc. let all of us try some new things that normally we wouldn’t.  We used the buffet and other smaller places (pizza, burgers, etc.) and found them very convenient.  We used room service in the mornings and late evenings and were happy.   How long did room service take?  Honestly, I don’t know.  We generally aren’t bothered to get worked up if something takes a bit longer than we’d like.  With that said, nothing took so long, or was so bad that I remembered it.   So, overall, we loved the food and the larger waist-sized part of my wardrobe is happy to get back in circulation. 

We loved the service.  It seemed as though every member of the staff was looking for ways to help us.  Directions, picking up empty plates, asking if we wanted a drink, asking if we needed anything in the room…you name it.  I almost think the biggest positive effect of all this isn’t the actual help we got….it was the overall positive energy of an environment where everyone we met, wanted to help us or make sure we were having a good time.   It’s hard to put into words, but it just set such a great tone for the trip.

The ports and excursions were fine.  We went fishing in Ketchikan, paddle/trek in Juneau, train in Skagway, followed by a long hike, ATV riding, and bus tour when inland. To be honest, many of the stops felt a bit like tourist traps, and the inland excursions seemed to be staffed with college kids from the “lower 48”…lol.  We didn’t get perfection, but we didn’t expect perfection.  Overall, we enjoyed them.

The cruise vs. the land portion.  Well, there is really no comparison.  The cruise portion basically spoiled the heck out of us, while the land portion let us see Alaska scenery up close, but without near the level of service or luxury.  On land, the room situation for a party of four was not great (every room was packed and we were stepping all over each other).  Would we do it again?  I’m torn.  I wasn’t ready for the cruise to end after 7 days and the extra few days gave us a “soft landing” back to reality.  On the other hand, it was quite a contrast and I wonder if we would have been better off with an 11-day cruise. 

 

We’ll see.

[...to be continued]

[nwnittany]

[Part II]

 

The Suite.  

I’m wondering if this is the key part of the trip that made it so enjoyable.   In addition to the room, which was great and never felt crowded, we used the heck out of the benefits.   I already mentioned the Club Class dining – it was great, we never waited, the only bad time I remember was feeling bad because the staff was so apologetic that we couldn’t get the table by the window that we had most nights (we didn’t pick this…we just lucked into it).  We didn’t expect to have the same table, let alone a window, so this was no big deal for us, but the staff seemed as apologetic as if there were tadpoles in our soup.   We used the laundry on most days (our packing was horrendous…we didn’t expect the warm weather forecast to actually come to fruition).  We mentioned that my wife likes diet coke and the kids like sprite and a few hours later there were probably 10 cans of soda in our room.  The concierge lounge was a great place to chill.  One day were lamenting what to wear on formal night and my wife joked with the concierge that she would wear her special dress if the boys wore bow ties (which of course we don’t own, let alone think to bring).  The concierge giggled and went back to her desk to (I assumed) do some other work.  A few hours before dinner, 3 bow ties were delivered to our room (she called the staff responsible for the staff uniforms and somehow arm-wrestled to get 3 of them).  There are several other examples….we were just really overwhelmed with the outstanding service. 

The Medallion, the app, and the wifi. 

The Medallion itself worked fine…unlocked our door, identified us, allowed us to quickly leave/board the ship, let us play for stuff.  Overall, very convenient.   The app generally worked, but after some troubleshooting, I found I needed to regularly logout and log back in to get the desired results.  I think I’d give it a B-.  The in-room monitors did just fine when ordering, etc.  The wifi was not great and got worse the farther north we went.  I would advise to set expectations that the internet won’t be accessible 100% of the time and that at times the speeds will be slow.   But, taking a step back, none of these things significantly affected our cruise enjoyment. 

Well, this is already too long.  I guess I wanted to post this just to have some positivity and give everyone a different perspective.  As I think about this experience, I think we were heavily influenced (positively) by the simple facts that (a) we don’t know what we don’t know….in other words, we didn’t have any previous experiences that would set our expectations extremely high.  (b) we had great weather, didn’t have any troubling news from home, everyone felt great, ie, no bad external stimuli.  (c) we had a suite…lol.  I mean, I think it would be hard not to feel extremely pampered in a suite.  I think there’s also a chance that maybe we are just easily amused (I think that’s from a Nirvana song).  In any case, I don’t care.  We had an absolute blast in almost every way. 

Oh yeah, the Covid thing.  Three of us tested positive the day after we got home (the one who didn’t had the pleasure of Covid earlier in the year).  We are all vaxed and boosted and regularly wore masks when we were inside the ship and not eating.  To be honest, we didn’t wear them when we were outside on deck.  We also wore them on the busses/trains on the cruisetour, but not outside.  I don’t want to get into a Covid discussion, but I’ll just say that given the current state of enforcement and how contagious the latest variant is, I’d suggest if someone is truly very concerned about getting Covid, it’s probably best not to cruise.  I just think you could do everything in your power to try to prevent getting it, but still end up with it.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying nobody should cruise and I’m not commenting on the current protocols.  I’m just saying that if someone really concerned, they should probably wait. 

 

Whew. 

After all of that, we decided to book a 10 Caribbean in late December…… you guessed it – another suite…lol.  Kids will soon be graduated and getting jobs, families, etc.  I can work a few more years to earn some more money, but I can’t earn more time! 

Thanks for reading, and remember the context…I don’t know what I don’t know about cruising.  This could all be a cases of ‘ignorance is bliss’ ! 

[cr8tiv1]

What a lovely positive spin review.  Very refreshing.  You mentioned room service for breakfast.  Did you even try the suite breakfast?  A must try on your Caribbean cruise. 

 

I am sorry your family was infected.  Only goes to show how transmittable the current virus is.  Hope all are recovering with little side effects.  Did you do any home testing before going on the land portion?  Just curious.  Sounds as though the land portion is more problematic than the cruising.  

 

Agree, 7 days is never enough.  Glad you have time with your boys before "they grow up".

[PacnGoNow]

15 minutes ago, nwnittany said:

[Part II]

 

 

 

The Suite.  

I’m wondering if this is the key part of the trip that made it so enjoyable.   In addition to the room, which was great and never felt crowded, we used the heck out of the benefits.   I already mentioned the Club Class dining – it was great, we never waited, the only bad time I remember was feeling bad because the staff was so apologetic that we couldn’t get the table by the window that we had most nights (we didn’t pick this…we just lucked into it).  We didn’t expect to have the same table, let alone a window, so this was no big deal for us, but the staff seemed as apologetic as if there were tadpoles in our soup.   We used the laundry on most days (our packing was horrendous…we didn’t expect the warm weather forecast to actually come to fruition).  We mentioned that my wife likes diet coke and the kids like sprite and a few hours later there were probably 10 cans of soda in our room.  The concierge lounge was a great place to chill.  One day were lamenting what to wear on formal night and my wife joked with the concierge that she would wear her special dress if the boys wore bow ties (which of course we don’t own, let alone think to bring).  The concierge giggled and went back to her desk to (I assumed) do some other work.  A few hours before dinner, 3 bow ties were delivered to our room (she called the staff responsible for the staff uniforms and somehow arm-wrestled to get 3 of them).  There are several other examples….we were just really overwhelmed with the outstanding service. 

 

 

The Medallion, the app, and the wifi. 

The Medallion itself worked fine…unlocked our door, identified us, allowed us to quickly leave/board the ship, let us play for stuff.  Overall, very convenient.   The app generally worked, but after some troubleshooting, I found I needed to regularly logout and log back in to get the desired results.  I think I’d give it a B-.  The in-room monitors did just fine when ordering, etc.  The wifi was not great and got worse the farther north we went.  I would advise to set expectations that the internet won’t be accessible 100% of the time and that at times the speeds will be slow.   But, taking a step back, none of these things significantly affected our cruise enjoyment. 

 

 

Well, this is already too long.  I guess I wanted to post this just to have some positivity and give everyone a different perspective.  As I think about this experience, I think we were heavily influenced (positively) by the simple facts that (a) we don’t know what we don’t know….in other words, we didn’t have any previous experiences that would set our expectations extremely high.  (b) we had great weather, didn’t have any troubling news from home, everyone felt great, ie, no bad external stimuli.  (c) we had a suite…lol.  I mean, I think it would be hard not to feel extremely pampered in a suite.  I think there’s also a chance that maybe we are just easily amused (I think that’s from a Nirvana song).  In any case, I don’t care.  We had an absolute blast in almost every way. 

 

 

Oh yeah, the Covid thing.  Three of us tested positive the day after we got home (the one who didn’t had the pleasure of Covid earlier in the year).  We are all vaxed and boosted and regularly wore masks when we were inside the ship and not eating.  To be honest, we didn’t wear them when we were outside on deck.  We also wore them on the busses/trains on the cruisetour, but not outside.  I don’t want to get into a Covid discussion, but I’ll just say that given the current state of enforcement and how contagious the latest variant is, I’d suggest if someone is truly very concerned about getting Covid, it’s probably best not to cruise.  I just think you could do everything in your power to try to prevent getting it, but still end up with it.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying nobody should cruise and I’m not commenting on the current protocols.  I’m just saying that if someone really concerned, they should probably wait. 

 

 

Whew. 

After all of that, we decided to book a 10 Caribbean in late December…… you guessed it – another suite…lol.  Kids will soon be graduated and getting jobs, families, etc.  I can work a few more years to earn some more money, but I can’t earn more time! 

 

 

Thanks for reading, and remember the context…I don’t know what I don’t know about cruising.  This could all be a cases of ‘ignorance is bliss’ ! 

 

How refreshing!  Thank you so much for your comments.  So happy you all enjoyed the cruise.  Watch out though… 

the 10 days will turn into 21 days and so on!  It’s very addictive.  😜

[nwnittany]

8 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

  Did you even try the suite breakfast?  A must try on your Caribbean cruise. 

 

  Did you do any home testing before going on the land portion?  Just curious.  Sounds as though the land portion is more problematic than the cruising.  

 

 

 

We didn't try the suite breakfast...not sure what it is...I need to do some research before our next cruise, because it sure sounds like fun.  I think I might lose my home "tv remote control privileges" if I start watching cruise Youtube videos each night...lol.   To be honest, some of the best times were spent in the mornings with the first cup of coffee on the balcony.  

There is so much food on the cruise that it's hard for us to eat all three (or more) "full" meals. 

 

We didn't test after the cruise (before the land portion).  We basically walked off the ship and onto a train at Whittier.   I'm just guessing, but it seems like the land portion may have been the culprit.  But, I'm just guessing. 

 

For those wondering, the Covid symptoms were 2 days of loss of energy, a cough, and varying amounts of sore throat.  Like I said, all of us are vaxed and generally in good health, which I'm sure helped.  Interestingly, all of us continued to test positive (home rapid tests) for at least 3 days after all the symptoms were gone. 

[partybarbie]

My DH and I were on the 14-day cruise, round trip from Vancouver. After you disembarked, the good weather and good times continued. We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the Royal and have two more cruises booked on her. This was a milestone cruise for me, celebrating 750 days of sailing with Princess. The staff really went above and beyond to ensure we had a great time. It seemed like most passengers were enjoying themselves, especially some of the young people that we made friends with in Crooner’s. Thanks for your review and perspective as a new cruiser. 

[nwnittany]

@partybarbie Glad the good weather continued!  

 

Random question - what did you think of the on-board musical entertainment ?  Did you happen to catch the Flamenco dancers or the group 'The Sound' ?  I wouldn't have envisioned it, but both of those shows in the Piazza caught our eye every time we saw them....

 

Related random story from the cruise:  after watching The Sound a few times, we noticed a shy young girl (maybe 10?) was listening and then dragged out on the dance floor by her older sisters/relatives.  But, she seemed pretty shy and not really comfortable on the floor.  Then, we saw her again at a later show.  And then, again.  After one of the late and highest-energy shows (maybe 11:30ish) and the group even played an encore and you could tell they were tired,...they were packing up and just wanted to get the hell out of there..., and the girl when up and asked for a picture with the band...it had to take her some courage....but she managed it and did it.  At first I was worried the band was too tired and would somehow find a way to not engage...maybe turn away, maybe even say "maybe next time". 

 

They didn't bat an eye.  The girl was greeted with a huge smile from the lead singer and other band members, and many pictures were taken.  I think my wife shed a tear, it was such a touching moment.  For the record, I remember it being a bit dusty and having something in my eye at that time. 

 

I will forever remember that moment when The Sound gained their youngest groupee.

 

[partybarbie]

36 minutes ago, nwnittany said:

@partybarbie Glad the good weather continued!  

 

Random question - what did you think of the on-board musical entertainment ?  Did you happen to catch the Flamenco dancers or the group 'The Sound' ?  I wouldn't have envisioned it, but both of those shows in the Piazza caught our eye every time we saw them....

 

Related random story from the cruise:  after watching The Sound a few times, we noticed a shy young girl (maybe 10?) was listening and then dragged out on the dance floor by her older sisters/relatives.  But, she seemed pretty shy and not really comfortable on the floor.  Then, we saw her again at a later show.  And then, again.  After one of the late and highest-energy shows (maybe 11:30ish) and the group even played an encore and you could tell they were tired,...they were packing up and just wanted to get the hell out of there..., and the girl when up and asked for a picture with the band...it had to take her some courage....but she managed it and did it.  At first I was worried the band was too tired and would somehow find a way to not engage...maybe turn away, maybe even say "maybe next time". 

 

They didn't bat an eye.  The girl was greeted with a huge smile from the lead singer and other band members, and many pictures were taken.  I think my wife shed a tear, it was such a touching moment.  For the record, I remember it being a bit dusty and having something in my eye at that time. 

 

I will forever remember that moment when The Sound gained their youngest groupee.

 

What a great story! The Sound and the Flamenco dancers were amazing. We caught their shows every night, looking over the balcony, from deck seven in Crooner’s Bar. Our friend, Kory Daniel Simon is currently the “Piano Man” on the Royal. He did some fantastic duets with the soprano, Miss Moon, from the Encore production show. He’s so talented and funny. I hope you were able to see one of his shows. 

[caribill]

7 hours ago, nwnittany said:

 

We didn't try the suite breakfast...not sure what it is...I need to do some research before our next cruise, because it sure sounds like fun.   

 

 

Full suite passengers can eat breakfast in Sabatini's (or another specialty restaurant if Sabatini's does not exist on a ship). There is no additional cost for this.

 

It is a much better breakfast experience than having breakfast in a main dining room or the buffet.

 

I am surprised there was no notice of the full suite benefit in your suite on embarkation day.

 

 

[partybarbie]

Since you have booked another suite, I would also suggest trying the breakfast in the specialty restaurant. On the Royal, it was held in Sabatini's. We enjoyed a window table, mimosas, and dined on Belgian waffles with fresh berries and whipped cream, Eggs Benedict, and made to order omelets.  It's divine! 

 

Additionally, on the first night of the cruise, you receive a complimentary dinner in a specialty restaurant.  I don't think you mentioned that in your review, but it is a another suite benefit. 

[disneyochem]

We were on the same cruise with our kids followed by a DIY land tour!  Although not in a suite, I agree completely with the level of service on the ship.  The staff was phenomenal, the scenery magnificent and the food was pretty good.  
 

A great cruise!  
 

Sorry to hear about the Covid—none of us caught it fortunately!  
 

Thanks for your perspective—always nice to hear from others who were on the same cruise.

[nwnittany]

11 hours ago, caribill said:

 

I am surprised there was no notice of the full suite benefit in your suite on embarkation day.

 

It's likely it was right there in front of me and I just didn't pay enough attention to it.  With the 2 boys, there's wasn't much notion of getting up early to hit breakfast unless we had an early excursion.  But, it indeed sounds like it is well  worth it.  We'll be sure to make a point to give it a try  or make it part of our routine for the next one. 

 

@partybarbie re:  specialty dining - yes !   We opted for the Crown Grill on the first night.  It was good and the surf and turf was rejoiced.  For some reason I had decided it was a good idea to eat my pizza and 1/2 of my wife's earlier in the day, so I was stuffed (this phenomenon became a theme for us during the cruise).  It was my youngest son's birthday, so they did the singing, which embarrassed the crap out of him, much to the delight of his parents. 

 

For those on this cruise, do you think the service we experienced was an outlier (ie, just really exceptionally good) ?  Or do you think it was on par with other princess cruises ?  My take (which is based on exactly 1 recent cruise, so you know I have tons of data) was that princess must have a pretty good training program and the crew was happy to be back at work after a tough covid period. 

[caribill]

17 minutes ago, nwnittany said:

 

For those on this cruise, do you think the service we experienced was an outlier (ie, just really exceptionally good) ?  Or do you think it was on par with other princess cruises ?  My take (which is based on exactly 1 recent cruise, so you know I have tons of data) was that princess must have a pretty good training program and the crew was happy to be back at work after a tough covid period. 

 

I am not on your cruise, but posts from people on other Princess ships have been near unanimous with praise for the crew.

[partybarbie]

This was my fourth cruise since the restart. I would say it was my best.  Food, service, and entertainment were superior to my prior three cruises. I think there are several reasons for this.  Firstly, the Royal is a beautiful ship.  She is my current favorite. It would be hard not to have a good time on her. Secondly, it's been about a year since the restart.  That gives the crew time to train and supply issues to resolve themselves. It's not that the other cruises were bad, but this was just a special one.

 

Just one example was Tatiana and Jacquelyn in Crooner's. On the last night, they made it a special mission to create a tiramisu martini for us.  It might sound easy, but this martini has ten ingredients, including mascarpone cheese.  They had to substitute with cream cheese, but they did it!

 

I think it helped that we had sunny weather, made all of our ports, and that the other passengers had really good attitudes. It's hard to complain when everyone around you is having a great time. On the first leg, out of 2,300 passengers, 1,500 were new to Princess. I enjoyed seeing the cruise through fresh eyes. I was the second most travelled passenger on this voyage, so I'm speaking from experience when I say it was something special. It will be hard to top this one for sure.