Grand Princess, 7 Day Alaska, Northbound - Experience and Recommendations

[KillerSnake]

We will be on a 7 Day Alaska, Northbound cruise in August (148 days!!! but who is counting).  We are comfortable with our "excursion" selections. And we feel we have our dining set.

 

What was your experience during the same cruise? What recommendations do you have for the Sea Days?

 

We figure we will do a lot of sitting on our balcony during the while traveling the inside passage. But what activity got you out of the cabin and exploring the ship?

 

We do plan on attending the National Park Service enrichment talks.

 

But what else you recommned?

 

Did something sound good, look good on paper but when you got there was not as desired, expected or hoped for?

[Thrak]

Don't know if you drink alcohol but, if you do, my wife highly recommends the drink Sailing Through Orchards. She gets it on the rocks and it is only available at Crooner's. (It's not really my kind of drink but my wife discovered it on our last trip and absolutely loved it.)

[Mark_K]

We did that cruise a few years ago, the sea days were mostly glacier/scenery watch days with an expert pointing out things to look at over the intercom. There were also talks, but the highlights of the whole cruise were the National Park and College Fjord.

[karatemom2]

Outside of the glorious scenery and naturalist presentations, other activities onboard will include trivia, and other types of games/shows organized the the cruise entertainment staff if you enjoy that type of activity. There is also Bingo and Casino and evening production shows, so you will have a wide selection of options. Other types of daily events include afternoon tea, wine tasting, fruit carving, crafts, cocktail demonstrations, piazza entertainment, etc. Never a lack of things to do - although the best pastime is watching the beautiful scenery roll by

[KillerSnake]

14 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

Outside of the glorious scenery and naturalist presentations, other activities onboard will include trivia, and other types of games/shows organized the the cruise entertainment staff if you enjoy that type of activity. There is also Bingo and Casino and evening production shows, so you will have a wide selection of options. Other types of daily events include afternoon tea, wine tasting, fruit carving, crafts, cocktail demonstrations, piazza entertainment, etc. Never a lack of things to do - although the best pastime is watching the beautiful scenery roll by

What was the one activity that stood out to you?

 

I know all of the things you listed......I am looking for the one thing each of you found to be a "Wow, I really liked this and hope others try it."

[Ken the cruiser]

When you’re on your balcony, keep an eye out for dolphins, sea lions, Orcas and Humpback whales! 😁

 

https://www.travelalaska.com/explore-alaska/articles/alaska-whale-watching

 

[karatemom2]

Well, we are trivia buffs, and on some cruises they throw in some Alaska or Music trivia which we enjoy. If Libby Riddles comes on board for a lecture and brings some of her dogs, that is a big plus, but doesn't happen on every cruise or every ship. Watch your Daily Schedule. And of all the lovely things that Princess offers, if I had to pick one, it would be afternoon tea on sea days. It is a tradition that never grows old for me.

[Thrak]

50 minutes ago, KillerSnake said:

What was the one activity that stood out to you?

 

 

Do not sign up for the Marriage Match Game!

[Coral]

1 hour ago, karatemom2 said:

 If Libby Riddles comes on board for a lecture and brings some of her dogs, that is a big plus, but doesn't happen on every cruise or every ship. Watch your Daily Schedule.

Libby Riddles does come onboard every ship but doesn't always bring her dogs. She is on the ship in Juneau towards the end of the day usually.

 

Definitely worth attending!

 

I would definitely attend all the "Alaska talks" Princess offers. There are onboard naturalists who will speak on sea days.

Edited March 18 by Coral

[goofy2010]

We were on this cruise last year and had a great time.  I think the top sea day activity was on the last day where they did a cooking demonstration with one of the head chefs and the Restaurant Manager.  This also had a tour of one of the galleys afterwards.  We learned quite a bit about their operations and they make it fun with the demonstration. Puppies in the Piazza was also a big hit but that usually happens at the Skagway port.

 

We did all the naturalist talks and special guests they brought on board.  We also enjoyed all the production shows and guest singers.  We also attended alot of the evening "game shows" and had fun with these.

[davy jones]

We are sailing Grand in both directions this summer and considering excursion options.  Could you share your excursion decisions?  Since there will be two stops at each port, we will do an excursion day and an explore the port day.

[KillerSnake]

13 minutes ago, davy jones said:

We are sailing Grand in both directions this summer and considering excursion options.  Could you share your excursion decisions?  Since there will be two stops at each port, we will do an excursion day and an explore the port day.

We looked at the standard excursions and pricing. We opted to do the map guided walks in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway that are offered by the American Volkssport Association (AVA.org).  We are taking the 5K walks that will let see basically the same thing as the $60 pp walk offered by the cruise line. This gives us time to sit, drink coffee, have snack, read all the signs along the way. In Juneau, we might go up the tram. These walks then give us time to window shop, etc.  In Skagway, we are still searching for a church (we will be there on Sunday) as that day is our actual anniversary (40th and the reason for this cruise) to attend. We are there for a long day so we have time to walk, etc...after church.

[memoak]

2 hours ago, goofy2010 said:

We were on this cruise last year and had a great time.  I think the top sea day activity was on the last day where they did a cooking demonstration with one of the head chefs and the Restaurant Manager.  This also had a tour of one of the galleys afterwards.  We learned quite a bit about their operations and they make it fun with the demonstration. Puppies in the Piazza was also a big hit but that usually happens at the Skagway port.

 

We did all the naturalist talks and special guests they brought on board.  We also enjoyed all the production shows and guest singers.  We also attended alot of the evening "game shows" and had fun with these.

I really wish they would stop the puppies in the piazza. Just a photo op to sell parents pictures and the dogs seem miserable 

[XBGuy]

I am a walker and love to just take laps around the promenade deck.  It is a good way to see wildlife.  Some years ago we took the Grand Princess on a 10-day AK cruise out of San Francisco,  On the first sea day while on my promenade walk I found some birders at the very bow of the ship.  There were probably a dozen, or so, with their equipment mounted on tri-pods.  They were there every day, and some of those days were quite cold--September cruise.

 

In Skagway, there are hiking trails that are free that are quite close to the docks.  Free is good and no appointment is necessary,  I have circled the trailheads that are closest to the docks on this map.

 

 

The trail at the bottom of the map is fairly steep.  This septuagenarian was huffing and puffing on that one.  However, I just stopped occasionally to catch my breath and was able to make it up to the lake.  The trail at the top of the map (across the Skagway River) is much easier.  

 

Wishing you a happy anniversary.  We also cruised on our 40th anniversary.  Give some thought to ordering the Ultimate Balcony Dinner for your anniversary evening.  I am sure that regular readers tire of me saying this repeatedly, but the UBD is the finest dining experience on Princess.  The meal is excellent, but the thing I love is the service level.  Two servers are dedicated to you.  That may sound intimidating, but they are professionals and know how to disappear when they are not needed.

[Bemidji Ty]

Hi.  We've cruised to Alaska 4 times on Princess and are going again this June.  Here are some recommendations. 

 

1.  Read James Michener's book Alaska.  We've read it before our last 2 cruises.  It allows for a much greater appreciation for what you will see.

 

2.  Ketchikan. We've done the Totem Park and just explored on our own.  Enjoyed both.

 

3. Juneau.  Mendenhall Glacier and Mt. Robert's tram is highly recommended as is the river rafting excursion.  The crab nachos at the top of the tram is worth the trip.  Not impressed with Red Dog last August.  A tourist trap.  The museum is worth a visit, if that interests you. 

 

4. Skagway.  The train is magic.  We've done the city tour and will do it again. 

 

Have a wonderful cruise. 

 

Cheers 

[JimmyVWine]

Different ship, but same itinerary. Here is my trip report.