Alaska Wet Travels and Washout

[WFF]

My family of 3 just returned from a 4 night Land Tour of Fairbanks and Denali followed by a southbound Sapphire Princess cruise. It rained 8 of the 11 days !!

 

Our 4th night ended at Denali Natl Park after which we were supposed to travel by train to Whittier to embark the ship. That train ride was the highlight of the land tour.

 

Unfortunately, rain caused a mudslide washing out both the road and rail between Denali and Anchorage. At 7:30 AM Princess tours took us by bus north to Fairbanks (3 hrs) and brought us to the Princess Hotel. At noon they told us that they would be flying us to Anchorage so we went to the Fairbanks airport anxious to get to the ship. Instead, after a 3 hour wait and no flight we were taken back to the hotel. At 7 :30 PM we were again taken to the airport and this time got on a 10:30 PM flight to Anchorage. After arriving and getting our luggage we got on a bus at 1:00 AM and arrived and checked in at the ship at 2:30 AM after 17 hours of travel and delay.

 

We missed the highlight of our land tour, we missed the Sailaway 1st night Dinner, we missed the evening's entertainment and because we finally got to bed at 3 AM we also missed viewing College Fjords 6 AM to 9 AM because we were still sleeping.

 

The next day we complained to the Purser and was told we would get a $50 per person credit for missing the train trip.

 

I understand weather delays but this was inexcusable. The cruise tour for my family of 3 cost about $7000 and I think a $150 credit is insulting.

 

Looking for comments from other Princess travellers.

[sppunk]

It sounds like Princess did all they could - they can't go stop mudslides and immediately clear rail lines.

 

It's unfortunate, but that is a risk when taking Alaska cruise/cruisetours.

[Coral]

I think you should be upset with Mother Nature, not Princess.

[bishop35]

I'm on your side... No, you can't control the weather but if you didn't get what you paid for you should get a refund. I can see if you still went on your tour and were able to see everything that you were supposed to see... but the weather was bad.... no refund. But... if your tour, or any part of it is cancelled because of weather, then there should be a greater compensation that $50 pp. I would be very upset if I spent that kind of money for an experience like you described. IMHO:)

[Casshew]

Did you get a refund for the rail excursion? or just 50pp?

[Coral]

Did you get a refund for the rail excursion? or just 50pp?

 

Though it sounds like they flew them to Anchorage instead of using the train. That had to have cost $$$. It really sounds like Princess did what they could given the circumstance.

 

If they refunded the railroad - they would have to charge for the flight....

[ARRTrain]

I'm sure Princess spent a lot of money to buy you a plane ticket at a moments notice. I'm sure Princess fed you while you were waiting for your flight. The ship was scheduled to leave at 9:30pm, they waited an extra 6 hours for you and I'm sure they paid some extra docking fees to stay at the dock.

 

Princess can't control the weather, just be glad you still got your cruise.

[Casshew]

Personally I hope they get a refund for their rail excursion. It must have been very disappointing to miss everything and what a terrible start to the cruise. I realize the weather is not Princess' responsibility, I do believe it would be a great gesture on their part in addition to arranging the air transportation.

[JLC@SD]

I've always wondered why Alaska was so green.....must be all that rain....:)

[jennew]

I would also be very disappointed if I were you. I am sorry to hear that it went so badly. I would continue to talk with Princess, write a letter and see if they will help you make a repeat trip in the future. A cruise credit would help a lot.

[Knolmom]

Returned just a week ago from Alaska on the Island Princess S/B of 8/14, with a 5 day Cruisetour prior to our sailing and 2 glorious days in Vacouver after our sailing. Except for the first day in Faibanks and the 2 days in Vancouver, we eperienced pretty much the same weather conditions as the OP, and then suffered the indignity of an unfriendly and sometimes insolent room steward, lumpy and musty bedding, and mediocre food, at best.

The Princess Lodges in Faibanks and Denali were beautiful, and it is a good thing they were, as we spent mosy of our days inside them. It poured rain, and even snowed for awhile on our Tundra Wilderness Tour, and the bus windows were so foggy it was difficult to see much of anything.

Our bus trip from Faibanks to Denali and our Wilderness Express train from Denali to Whittier took place in the pouring rain and fog, so any glorious and majestic sights were lost. Running the gauntlet from the train to the ship in the pouring rain left us to board the ship dripping wet.

Our mini-suite was ready for us, so to speak, when we arrived. We were 3 adults traveling together, and we asked that our beds be made up as twins, so in the event that the sofa bed was uncomfortable, we could take turns sleeping on it. Much to our surprise, the beds were made up as a king and there was a musty smelling roll-away bed with the bedding half hanging out of it, standing in the stateroom, taking up an awful lot of room in the mini and certainly detracting from the appearance of the place. I went to find the steward, who came in and announced "these are the sleeping arrangements you have been given". When I told him that there were only 3 of us in the cabin, not four, and that we would be using the sofa bed and not needing the roll away bed, he said, curtly, "the sofa is broken". As it was nearly time for the muster drill, and our luggage had already arrived. I told him that we would quickly put away the luggage so that he could reconfigure the beds, as my husband would do the gentlemanly thing and sleep on the roll-away. Our steward said that he would not be getting to that today, so not to rush. Silly of me to even enquire about the robes, which we requested in the personalizer. He informed us that there were none available now and he would bring them when he got them. At that point, why would I even think that the cabin would be set up for 3 people. Yes folks, towels, bathroom and drinking glasses ect were only for 2. The welcome glasses of champagne--non-existent. When I stepped into the hall to inquire about that. he told me he knew nothing of the welcome champagne in the mini's. He told me I had to order Champagne for the room from room service. Why then would I even ask about the lack of ice. Welcome to Princess- you will not be dissappointed.

 

We were tired, exausted and wet from our trip to Whittier and just wanted to have dinner, relax and get up early for the College Fiords viewing. Had a mediocre sailaway dinner-to tell the truth the OP missed nothing. And that famous lump in the middle of the bed that occurs when the beds are pushed together was present that night nd every night afterwards.

By the time we got up early for the Fiords, the entire room smelled of must from the roll-away. And ,of course, both the College Fiords and Glacier Bay were foggy and rainy, so we didnt see much there- either from our balcony, the open decks or from the secret viewing place at the front of the Baja deck. Got some interesting pictures of the clouds at sea level, with what appears to be dirty snow behind them. Same pictures in Juneau and Skagway, only with grey mountains behind the rain and clouds for as far as the eye could see. And lots of grey water too.

However, we did resolve the bed saga the next day, after a trip to the purser to determine whether there was some sort of a language problem between ourselves and the steward. The housekeeping supervisor came to the cabin and, viola! there was nothing wrong with the sofa bed. He had 2 egg crates brought up and the sofa bed was even more comfortable than our own bedding. Alas, my husband did not do the gentlemanly thing and sleep on the sofa bed, as the steward never reconfigured the beds to twin. Nor did we ever get 3 glasses or sets of towels.The steward merely pointed to the cart in the hall when we asked. And I had to page him on several days after the room was made up and the wastebakets were not emptied. He never answered the page, so I just left them in the hall way and sooner or later they were emptied and returned. And sometimes we even got ice. I am not a newbie cruiser-we have done 10 cruises on X and RC, but this was the worst service and the best cabin and the most beautiful ship I have ever sailed on.

 

And it rained and rained all the way to Vancouver, save for a few glorious hours in Ketchican where we got as close to heaven as we'll ever get with Michelle of Island Wings. We did get a bottle of Champagne from Housekeeping-guess thats just about the 3 welcome glasses of champagne.It helped to wash down some of the most mediocre dining room meals I 've ever had on a cruise, or even at a business dinner on the rubber chicken circuit. Horizon Court bread and other sweets were divine but the main offerings IMHO were similiar to those at a cheap buffet in Vegas.

The Island Princess is truly a beautiful ship. The bars and public rooms were outstanding and the service in them was great. Its too bad we will never sail on her again, unless we can hi-jack her to RCCL or Celebrity.

And Princess, you only get one chance and you blew it. Never agin on Princess, and certainly never again to Alaska.

[spongerob]

There are some things that can be controlled, like bad cabin stewards, and some things that can't, like the weather. I think Knolmom has a far more serious complaint about the response from the cabin steward (it takes just a minute to re-do the beds). The weather things, though, no one can do anything about and I'm actually pretty impressed that plans were able to be made to get people to their ship. Life happens, and disappointment is a part of life. I disagree that there should be any additional compensation for a force majeure incident.

 

If you want to complain about the weather, I think you need to take it to a higher authority.

[flynrph]

I am wondering about weather expectations on an Alaskan cruise. I researched the weather in August and discovered it's not only highly variable, but often overcast, low clouds, drizzling rain, and diminished visibility. Which is exactly what I got. Every now and then the sun poked out for some beautiful pictures, but it wasn't common.

And now let's think about this for a moment. Those glaciers would not be there if the sun came out most of the time during the summer months. Goodbye glaciers in a couple of years with the increased melting.

IMO, if you get some sunshine during an Alaskan cruise, be greatful for what you get. I never did see the tops of the mountains from the ship the entire week.:cool:

[elsje]

I am not sure if KNOLMOM's main complaint was about the weather. I believe if they had received good service from the cabin steward and the food had been up to par that the cruise might have been far more enjoyable. I believe they merely gave us an overview of all what happened.

[spongerob]

No, it wasn't, but the OP's was. I was addressing both complaints in my comments. I tend to look at things from a business perspective, since I work in a (technical) service-oriented business. Knolmom's complaint demands some attention. The weather problems are something that need to be dealt with, and certainly will result in disappointment, but do not rise to the same level. The service issues are/were preventable/correctable, the weather just is what it is.

[Stevesan]

We've only once had a problem with a cabin steward. A note to the Hotel Manager resolved that situation immediately.

 

I suppose new cruisers aren't familiar with the hierarchy on board ship. The front desk personnel have no authority to do anything. They are the most visible, so of course, they're the first to hear complaints. But it's like talking to a fence post. The purser or ass't purser can take care of minor problems, but serious ones need to be escalated farther up the chain.

[SingerEsq]

To Knolmom -- Sounds like the weather was a major factor in letting you down on the cruise. Sorry you had such a bad experience. Two years ago, in June/July the weather in Alaska was glorious virtually every day. Give Alaska another try, perhaps at a different time of year. We sailed to Hawaii this past February. I've been several times and I know even though it's Hawaii, February is still "winter" there. But, it was the coldest, rainy-est time I have ever had in HI .... but I will never give up on one of our nation's best assets. (I heard people blamming Princess for the weather :confused: . One even went so far as to say it was a scam to offer sailings to the Islands during the winter .... I've sailed through the islands in virtually every calendar month of the year and it can be quite warm/hot in the winter months just as easily as it can be cold).

 

As for Princess, the cabin steward was inexcusable. I hope you have made Princess aware of that issue. As for the food, I have not had the experience you had. The Island is a beautiful ship and we found the food to be excellent in Feb., but I know things can change.

 

Headed to the Carribean in September ... expecting it to be hot, humid and sticky ... but I researched the weather before booking and, given my schedule, decided it was worth taking a chance. Hopefully no hurricanes!

[WFF]

I was one of approximately 150 passengers that were stranded because of the weather. The ship was delayed for all of us not just me.

 

Princess Hotel gave us snacks (soft drinks, chips, etc) most of the day and a modest (Fish, pasta, Vegies) buffet dinner at 5 PM. Does anyone consider that equivalent to shipboard dining.

 

Nevertheless, Princess was responsible for our transportation to the ship irrespective of cost to them and they failed their responsibility.

[suefalls]

Just like anywhere, weather can be variable. On Halloween, here in South Dakota, one year I was raking leaves in shorts, and by 5:30 pm, we had a blizzard, that closed roads for days.

We sailed on June 7-14 to Alaska this year and lucked out with no rain and temps in the high 70's. I did research to find times with least rainfall, but prepared for anything. I would go again in a heartbeat and would probably either go in June or wait til September to experience more fall type experience, since we got to do all the summer type excursions this time.

We sailed Regent, so I can't say anything about other lines. Everything on ours was perfect. If we could just find a way to get to cruises without FLYING!

[Host Caroline]

I was one of approximately 150 passengers that were stranded because of the weather. The ship was delayed for all of us not just me.

 

Princess Hotel gave us snacks (soft drinks, chips, etc) most of the day and a modest (Fish, pasta, Vegies) buffet dinner at 5 PM. Does anyone consider that equivalent to shipboard dining.

 

Nevertheless, Princess was responsible for our transportation to the ship irrespective of cost to them and they failed their responsibility.

 

Ah,, under the circumstances which were very "dice-y" up there at the time and also very unpredictable and in this case "uncommon" weather (severe flooding, rain etc. of this magnitude not usual weather pattern), they did the best they could under the circumstances. Passengers on other cruise lines and tours were affected by the severity of this situation (have friend whose daughter is a guide in Denali).. You were very fortunate to make the ship in Whittier. What if they had said, "hey, we can't get a plane" or worse yet, "we'll fly you to Juneau to meet the ship"... Weather is an unpredictable animal anytime. Read your passenger contract. The shipboard credit is not required.

[howard6933]

I sailed on Diamond Princess last may and it was basically the same itinerary as WWF was on. We lucked out with the weather and had sun all the time except for a sprinkle in Ketchikan. Unfortunately Princess cannot control the weather and I imagine they did the best they could under the circumstances.

KNOLMOM's situation is a different story. There is absolutley no excuse for the way they were treated by the cabin steward. A previous poster said that he should have been reported to the Hotel Manager and that's correct.

If I were in that same type of situation that's what I would have done. If the conditions did not improve, I would ask that my "automatic gratuities" be dropped to ZERO. So as not to hurt anyone else, I would make my gratuities to the dining room steward and his assistant in cash and leave nothing for the cabin steward. That would not be the end either. I would be very strong in my comments about the cabin steward on my final comment sheet at the end of the cruise and be sure that I mentioned him by name. I would have followed that up with a letter to the president of Princess Cruises. We all appreciate the posts of WWF and KNOLMOM, but they should also send the same information that they posted here, to the president of Princess Cruises, or at least to the Customer Service people at Princess Cruise Lines headquarters. Just an afterthought.......if the food and service in the dining room was unsatisfactory, that should have been reported to the Maitre 'D immediately. We all pay a lot of money for a cruise and for some it's the only vacation they take during the year. If it's going to be spoiled by some inconsiderate employee, that should be reported at once, and hopefully it will be corrected and not happen to some other unsuspecting cruiser.

[CroozBlooz]

We've been on Princess cruises to Alaska four times; three times in late May and once in August. The weather was unbelievably nice and over the 28 days I believe we had two days that were somewhat rainy!

 

Cruisers to Alaska should know that it is a VERY wet state and you should be prepared for rain every day. I still think it is one of the best experiences I have ever had.

 

The OP makes a point of prominently pointing out all of the rain during the course of the cruise and the land tour. I wonder if the outlook of the OP would have been the same had the weather been nicer.

 

Clearly there is no excuse for poor service. But it seems to me that Princess did everything they could to work around a weather related problem that resulted in a mudslide.

[gatour]

WFF said..."Nevertheless, Princess was responsible for our transportation to the ship irrespective of cost to them and they failed their responsibility."

 

I don't understand this statement. Didn't they get you to the ship? Mind you, maybe not the way that was advertised but there was an act of God issue, called a mudslide. I suppose you could have waited the days to dig out the track and road but then you would arrive at a empty dock.

 

I agree with most of the others that Knolmom has some legitimate complaints. She should take what she wrote, leaving out the complaints of the weather and sending it to Princess, if she feels sometime of discount or cruise credit is in order end the letter stating the amount. Just don't expect a free cruise.

[spingal]

I was one of approximately 150 passengers that were stranded because of the weather. The ship was delayed for all of us not just me.

 

Princess Hotel gave us snacks (soft drinks, chips, etc) most of the day and a modest (Fish, pasta, Vegies) buffet dinner at 5 PM. Does anyone consider that equivalent to shipboard dining.

 

Nevertheless, Princess was responsible for our transportation to the ship irrespective of cost to them and they failed their responsibility.

Please help me understand how Princess failed their responsibility. They held the ship and you did make it........correct?

[catdancers]

I'm really sorry that the OP and others had a miserable cruise. I empathize about the lousy cabin steward because we once had a lousy one too and it does detract from one's vacation.

 

We were afraid to complain about our steward since he had complete access to our belongings. I am NOT saying he did or would have done anything bad. You know how you hear that a restaurant waiter might spit in your food if you send it back to the kitchen? Well, we were afraid of something like that. Does anyone else fear this too?

 

On a happy note, all our other cabin stewards have been better and the majority were great! Hope you'll give Princess another try.