Just Back- Full Review - 9 Day Self Tour + Diamond Princess Cruise with Excursions

[katredd]

Big Thanks to BQ, Yukon, and all the others who helped me in the planning!!!! I was able to meet California Cruiser and others from this board as well. We had a wonderful trip. I've broken the review down to facts and ship review at the front and our experiences by day after that. Sorry for the long post but I want to help out others like I've been helped :)

 

General Observation: Pictures of Alaska do not do it justice. The landscape and wildlife are captivating and the folks from Alaska that we met were friendly, passionate about their lives, and wonderful hosts. I was surprised and disappointed at how the cruise line industry has inflicted themselves on the towns in which they dock. To see the same stores (Diamonds International etc) line the streets makes it look like they are creating a replica of the Caribbean Ports. I understand it is all about the money, but the folks who call Alaska home can't possibly like the cultural change despite any reliance they have on tourism. It is a sad conflict I think. Thankfully we spent little time in the towns while in port....

 

Travelers:

Family of 4 – ages 49, 42, 12, and 10. Relatively well traveled but new to Alaska and Princess. We have sailed on Holland America, Royal Caribbean, and Costa in the past.

 

Use of Northern Lights Coupons: (saved big$$)

Palmer Musk Ox Farm - Palmer

Mahay’s Riverboat – Three Rivers Tour – Talkeetna

Denali Chalet Hotel - by Denali National Park

Canyon Run Rafting – Danali

Talkeetna Air Taxi – didn’t use due to weather

Sea Life Center – Seward

Renown Tours – Seward

Prince William Sound Glacier Tour – Whittier

 

Accommodations:

Captain Cook Hotel – Anchorage – 4 nights (2 sets of 1 night each and 1 set of 2 nights)

Talkeetna Cabins – 1 night

Denali McKinley Chalet Resort – 2 nights

Holiday Inn Express – Seward – 2 nights

Diamond Princess – 7 nights

 

Transportation:

Alaska Airlines – Newark, NJ, to Anchorage, AK, and Vancouver, BC, Canada to Newark, NJ

Hertz Rental Car – 9 days in Alaska – Toyota Sienna Mini-van

Diamond Princess – on sea

Avis Rental Car – in Skagway – 4 door car

 

Comments on Diamond Princess Specifically:

We chose Princess based on recommendations from trusted family and friends. We were overall extremely disappointed and are now canceling two rooms on a trip to the Panama Canal with Princess for next February. None of the things I mention below when taken alone would make me stay away from Princess, but cumulatively they are big problems.

 

Our room and steward were fine (mini-suite) but the rest had issues. Our cabin steward did a good job but I think he had a huge number of rooms to work and he was always looking exhausted. I think the line must have cut back on steward staff and made everyone cover more… it is unfortunate.

 

The public areas of the ship seemed somewhat dirty and in disrepair. When touching a table or the back of the chair it was likely to be sticky or noticeably dirty. The putt-putt course was ripped with broken speakers, no barriers around the holes… it was a joke. Compare it to putt-putt on Royal Caribbean and the difference is shocking. The shuffleboard sticks were broken; one of the pool tables had a broken leg…. Etc. When asking a waiter in the buffet area for silverware I was met with arguments about why I wasn’t allowed any…. Things don’t need to be that hard.

 

The food choices on the ship were very odd and eclectic. I understand the inclusion of things like duck, crabs legs, rabbit, buffalo, and other similar things is something most ships have, but I have never ever heard of them being the main-stay offerings. My family (and others I talked to) was aghast that there were rarely (if ever) main menu items like beef or chicken or pasta. Even on Italian Night, there were no offerings of pasta (lasagna, spaghetti w/ meat sauce) or what you would find at any Italian restaurant I’ve been too (and I’ve spent a lot of time in Italy). The Horizon Court Buffet was packed at every meal (perhaps a reflection of the menu issues). But even there they featured buffalo as the main meat at least one of the nights. I did meet a travel agent onboard who said she had been coming for years… she commented that the food on this itinerary was different than most Princess cruises… I can only hope she was right. At the Horizon Court Buffet, at every meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner) we always struggled to find a seat and we often had to take our food out to the pool, up to another bar/lounge, or to our room. The large RC ships don’t even have that problem. The buffet was arranged in a confusing layout – causing issues for many of the older patrons in getting around and dealing with the lines. The food itself was often tasteless… from the steaks we could get to the garlic potatoes… everything was very bland. I love potatoes, but stopped getting them midway through the cruise because they had no taste… garlic potatoes, hash browns… no taste ever.

 

There were inconsistent rules enforced – an example. My daughter was able to get cranberry juice for free from the wheelhouse bar but not from a restaurant, and when I wanted to get cash for gambling using my ship card the table dealer said I couldn’t, but the cashier told me to go to the table dealer… Consistency should be a mainstay… why do they want to confuse passengers and cause us undue stress???

 

It was certainly not all bad... burgers and pizza near the pool were good, the laundry facilities were immaculate, I thought soda cards were a good value, coffee bar was OK (not as good as RC), bingo was fun... etc.

 

Trip Log:

Day 1 – Newark, NJ to Anchorage

We flew Alaska Airlines from Newark to Anchorage. All flights were completely full and on time. We rented the video players online when I booked the flights and that was a great help in keeping us all entertained. Upon arrival in Anchorage, we rented a van at Hertz and drove to the Hotel Captain Cook. We had dinner at the English Pub “Fletchers” and were extremely pleased by the food. Prices were very moderate at the restaurant and lower than what I expected. The hotel itself is well kept up. We had a two-bedroom suite, which consisted of three rooms as we had two relatives flying in later in the day to accompany us during the first few days of our trip. Beds were very comfortable and we weren’t bothered at all by the lack of air conditioning. We opened windows and used the ceiling fans and we were fine.

 

Day 2 – Anchorage / Palmer / Talkeetna

We woke early due to the time changes and left the hotel by 8am. A stop by the coffee bar in the hotel provided us with coffee and hot chocolate as well as croissants for the road. There were people eating breakfast at the hotel café but we preferred to start our journey to Talkeetna. We used the Milepost for the trip and it provided us with a lot of information and some good stops along the way.

 

We drove on Rt 1 (Glenn Highway) and made stops at Eklutna Lake and Thunderbird Falls. Both areas were beautiful and provided good photo ops and some exercise (walk to Thunderbird Falls). Back on the highway, we went to the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer. I had Northern Lights coupons for entry. The tour was informative and my kids really liked seeing the baby musk ox. I’d recommend it to anyone. We lunched in Wasilla and then finished the drive to Talkeetna.

 

In Talkeenta, we stayed at the Talkeetna Cabins right in the town. Our party of six rented the three-room cabin. The cabin was fine – with plenty of beds and space. It was very clean and convenient. The only downside was that it only had one bathroom/shower – but for one night it was great and it was half the price we would have paid at the Talkeetna Alaska Lodge (I assume the lodge is nicer).

 

We took the Three Rivers tour with Mahay’s (Northern Lights Coupon). It was very enjoyable although our wildlife viewing was limited to Bald Eagles.

 

Dinner at Mountain High Pizza Pie was delicious and filling (and close!).

 

Day 3 – Talkeetna to Denali

We woke up to rain and a call to Talkeetna Air Taxi confirmed that it was not a good day to fly to see Mt. McKinley so we rescheduled for two days later when we returned from Denali National Park. We ate a great breakfast at the Talkeetna Roadhouse and then headed on the road to Denali.

 

We went to the Visitor’s Center at Denali National Park after lunching at Subway. We were able to hike to Horseshoe Lake and saw rabbits and birds. We got surprised by a bear near the trail – what a highlight and something we’ll always remember. I had tickets for the 8:30am shuttle bus and switched them to 7:30am tickets to get an earlier start the next day.

 

Our Northern Lights Coupon got us a 2-room suite at the Denali Chalet. The room was ok for a party of four, but luxury it was not – utilitarian at best. I would not pay an upgrade fee for a “view room” here… we got a view room and there was only a view of trees… we could walk to the river and hear it… but there was no view and you could walk from non-view rooms to the river if you wanted to see it. After making reservations, we ate at the bar and grill at the hotel. Food was good, but very pricey for what we got.

 

Day 4 – Denali National Park

We awoke early for a 7:30am shuttle bus to the Eilsen Visitor’s Center. I purchased box lunches at the hotel restaurant for the trip. I know others go to Subway, but I wasn’t up to waiting in line (the line for lunch the day before had been 20 minutes). The rainy day cleared to be beautiful blue skies and lots of wildlife. We saw Dahl Sheep, bears, caribou, hares, eagles, etc. My family liked it so much that we extended the trip to Wonder Lake – even my kids enjoyed it and there was no need for IPODs, PSPs, etc. … Really Great!

 

Dinner at the hotel cafeteria was fine after a long day.

 

Day 5 – Denali to Anchorage

We went on the Canyon Run White Water Adventure at 7:30am. I was concerned with getting wet, but the dry suits they provided us were amazing. We were all very comfortable despite the splashes, and we enjoyed the trip tremendously.

 

We left Denali with the hope of a flight from Talkeetna to see Mt. McKinley. The weather did not cooperate and so Talkeetna Air Taxi advised us to cancel. I have to say that they could easily have taken our money and provided a sub-standard trip, but they chose to be upfront and honest and we will happily book with them again if we come back to Talkeetna in the future.

 

On the drive to Anchorage we stopped at Kendall Park in Anchorage and were rewarded by a moose sighting right next to the road. We arrived in Anchorage and the Hotel Captain Cook. Dinner at Fletcher’s was great and it was another good nights sleep on their comfortable beds.

 

Day 6 – Anchorage to Seward

We had an 11:30 am trip booked with Renown for the Kenai Peninsula. Because it was rainy weather we rebooked the trip for two days later. Renown was great about being flexible for the rebooking when the weather was expected to be better.

 

We spent two hours at the Sea Life Center in Seward. It was a good place for a rainy day, but it was not as large as I expected. The bird exhibit and the touch pool proved to be real highlights. Lunch at Subway was OK (as expected). We drove along the Kenai River in the afternoon… it was a great drive.

 

We checked into the Holiday Inn Express and went to our room. It was a typical two double bed room but the view of the harbor was great and we enjoyed watching all the fishing activity. Dinner at Crystal’s Palace was good but the service was slow – nice to relax however.

 

I did a load of laundry at the hotel – only complaint was that the dryer didn’t dry ☺.

 

Day 7 – Seward

The weather was amazing – sunny and 65 degrees. We slept in and arrived at Exit Glacier around 10am. A hike with a ranger took us to the glacier toe and provided much valuable information. We extended the hike up to the side of the glacier for spectacular views.

 

We stopped by the Safeway where we purchased lunch (and a Starbuck’s Alaska mug). It was a surprise when we saw a bear in the parking lot.

 

We had a 2pm flight booked for the Godwin Glacier Dog Sled Tour. This ended up being a spectacular experience. Riding and standing on a dogsled in motion on the snow was amazing. The dogs were beautiful and loved people and the passion of the mushers up on Godwin Glacier was inspiring. I would recommend this to anyone going to Seward for sure!

 

Dinner at Yoly’s Bistro was great.

 

Day 8 – Seward to Anchorage

After hotel checkout we went to board the Renown Boat (Northern Lights Coupon) for a six hour cruise of Resurrection Bay and the Fjords. We saw birds, Dahl porpoises, sea otters, and other animals. We were able to see calving of glaciers. Well worth the time, but it isn’t clear to me that any of the cruises were better than the competition in Seward.

 

One last stop at J Dock to see the incoming fish getting weighed and we were off to Anchorage. The drive took longer than anticipated due to road construction. Our check in at the Captain Cook resulted in an upgraded suite. It had a great view of the bay … another great experience at the Captain Cook.

 

Day 9 – Anchorage

We returned the rental car the Hertz next to the Captain Cook. Glacier Jet Boat provided our activity today up the Knik River to the Knik Glacer. We were close enough to touch the ice and the boat staff were great. We were picked up and dropped off at the hotel – the made it very carefree for us.

 

Day 10 – Anchorage to Whittier

The Princess Office at the Captain Cook allowed us to check our luggage with them at the hotel. It was waiting in our room when we boarded the ship later in Whittier. After checking our luggage we walked to the train and boarded the 10am train for Whittier. The train was comfortable and on time. In Whittier we were met by the driver of the tour boat we were taking – Prince William Sound Glacier Tour (we had a Northern Lights Coupon). The boat was a four hour tour of the bay. It was a good way to spend time before boarding the ship, but was really a repeat of other things we had already been fortunate enough to see.

 

We boarded the ship and got into our Mini-Suite on the Dolphin Deck. The room was roomy enough for the four of us, so after unpacking we had dinner before the muster call at the Santa Fe dining room.

 

Day 11 – College Fjords

This sea day started ugly and rainy but ended with calm seas and a beautiful blue sky. My kids did some kid’s club stuff and enjoyed the pool. We did some ship activities and attended the lectures by the naturalist on board. We elected to skip formal dress so dinner was up at the Horizon Court Buffet.

 

Day 12 – Glacier Bay

Park Rangers boarded the ship mid-morning. All ship activities were canceled while in the park. I found the rangers to be less informative than those we had during our cruise in Seward or at Exit Glacier. If this had been our only introduction to glaciers I would have been very disappointed. We saw whales and glacier calving throughout the day.

 

Dinner at Sante Fe was good but the waiter neglected to bring my husband his birthday cake (pre-ordered). The Maitre D’s helper showed up at our room at 9:30pm with it on a plate.. I found this totally unacceptable and extremely disappointing. (No, we didn’t take the cake at 9:30pm… ugh). (See the next day’s post for additional resolution)

 

Day 13 – Skagway

We rented an Avis Car and drove the Whitehorse using Murray’s Guide—it was an excellent resource. Weather was overcast with rain. We got ice cream at Carcross and upon our return to Skagway, we window-shopped for a bit.

 

Princess sent us Champagne to the room to make up for the faux pas with the birthday celebration.

 

Day 14 – Juneau

The day was rainy when we got to Juneau. We were picked up near the ship by the driver from Harv and Marv’s Whale Watching. (The driver was Eileen’s dad – vary cool). After a short driving tour of Juneau, we went out with 2 other folks from a HAL ship on the boat and were absolutely amazed by all that we saw. We were lucky to see a large group of Orcas as well as bubble feeding by Humpbacks. We also saw Sea Lions and other great wildlife including Bald Eagles. What a great tour and another one I would very highly recommend!

 

Day 15 – Ketchikan

A very foggy day here. We had a tour booked with Michele at Island Wings – Bear Watching at Traitor’s Cove. We were picked up by Shona right next to our boat and were joined by two others from our ship. A short flight to Traitor’s Cove, we were met by a guide who works for Michelle and taken to the viewing area. We must have seen at least 10 bears that day… bears in the river catching salmon, moms and cubs, big ones, little ones, etc. We even had to delay getting back to meet Michelle at the dock because of a mom with two cubs on the trail 20 feet away. It was an unbelievable day with the bears. I strongly recommend this trip. It is closer than Anan Creek (less $$) as well I think. One note.. I only learned the next day from a fellow CC’er that Michelle was concerned about being able to pick us up after the bear viewing because of low visibility… she worked extremely hard to line up alternate transportation for us (by boat). We never knew, but on our behalf she was really watching out for us. The visibility ended up clearing before she had to get us… Thanks Michelle!

 

Day 16 – Sea Day

Not much to report here… standard sea day….bingo, gambling, pool, etc.

 

Day 17 – Vancouver to Home

We did the EZCheck through Princess and Alaska Airlines. It was very easy, very efficient, etc… definitely the way to go if you have an early flight. Good flights by Alaska Airline.. and a long day for us… but everyone got home safe ☺

 

Thanks all for the indulgence of this long entry…. Am happy to answer any questions if you have them!!!!

[dforeigner]

Thanks for taking time to write a review.

[inkmahm]

Thanks for the review. I'm glad it is at odds with most of the reviews I've read about the Diamond Princess because we are sailing on her next Saturday SB.

 

We leave this morning for Anchorage! I also appreciate all the help I got from this board in planning our many excursions. Now I just need the weather to cooperate just a little bit... :)

[PennyAgain]

Thanks for posting such a wonderful, detailed review of your trip.

 

I've stayed at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage many times over the years when traveling on business. I have always found the staff there to be kind and helpful. Glad it worked out so well for you.

[MercedMike]

Thanks for the review. I am glad you took the time to write so extensively.

 

How odd that your experience with Princess menu was so different from ours?? Is it possible that you did not understand the system in the restaurants on board Diamond and Sapphire Princess, with the "Specialty" anytime venues?

 

Each of the specialty restaurants offers certain special dishes -- for example five flavors duck in the Oriental one, tri-color ravioli in the Italian one, or catfish in the Southwestern one -- IN ADDITION to the regular dining room menu. From you comments it sounds as if you were ONLY seeing the specialty menu and did not understand that if it was not to your taste you could order the regular dining room fare? My experience on Princess is that the dining room menu always offers a beef dish, a poultry dish and a seafod dish every evening, plus always wonderful pasta. You could have had any of that in any restaurant. Did you not get that?

 

I think the specialty menus have changed a bit since we were on it, but here they are from our cruise:

http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/menus.html

 

I also found the Horizon Court on Sapphire Princess to be one of the best buffets ever. The only ones that compare are on the Radiance class of RCI. Sorry you did not enjoy it.

[NancyIL]

Thanks for your very nice review. It's too bad you didn't like the Diamond Princess, and have decided to cancel your Coral Princess cruise to the Panama Canal. Our Alaska cruise on the Coral Princess last year was wonderful, and we loved the Coral. I hope you will reconsider.

[AKN]

We are Alaskans who were on the same cruise. Sorry we didn't meet up with you. I have to agree with much of this review. I felt that most of the problems we had were communication problems. Princess just didn't spell things out very clearly. And standardization really is key if the staff and passengers do not share a common language. If something needed to be rectified, it was way too much hassle for me to try to find someone who could understand and speak English. And I'm one of those typical mono-lingual Americans, so it wasn't good. I've never been on a cruise where they pushed so hard to sell me stuff, like the soda card, the limoncello, etc. It seemed like every few minutes a staff member came over to ask if we wanted something. A typical example of how this worked . . . a young mother's children started begging her for these animal-shaped straws, so she asked the staffer if they could have them. "Sure, sure." And the kids popped them into their mouths. The staffer then informed the mother that they're each $2. This scenario played out repeatedly throughout the week onboard. Hot chocolate . . . I never did figure that one out. It's only free (included) if you order it from room service. Another passenger told us that's because it's the Alaska cruise, if we were on the Caribbean cruise the hot chocolate would be always included and the cold beverages would be charged. LOL. There's always a gimmick!

 

We had a very relaxing time and I'm glad we went, but I think I'd rather choose another line next time.

[Budget Queen]

Just a point that needs to be considered. In Alaska, the buffets are crowded and seating is in short supply. If your other experience was the Caribbean, the outside seating is significant, which frees up the inside. In Alaska, the outside seating is sometimes too cold and far less used.

 

I have seen this many times on all lines, depending on the location.

[emste]

We were on Sapphire Princess last month and I had the same thoughts. There was not one big thing, but several smaller things that made us decide that we would not choose Princess again. It certainly did not take away from being Alaska by any means. Sapphire also has the same problem with the buffet. We usually found seating, sometimes out by the pool, but the buffet itself was awful. Everyone was going every which way, bumping into each other. You don't know which way to go. The food was okay. There was only one meal that i thought was very good. It also bothered me that on the last sea day they closed the indoor pool to paint it! Again, nothing earth shattering, but the last sea day? I am glad to hear that you enjoyed your vacation. I also found this board to be a big help to us for our planning. I can't wait to go back!:)

[caliber35]

The main question I would have for you, is why you did not post this in the Review Section? While I am not a big Princess fan and prefer some of the more upscale cruise lines, I have to question some of the remarks made here. The one time I was on the Diamond, she was spotlessly clean. She has earned a CDC score of 100, the best possible score for cleanliness. As far as mass-market cruise food goes, I would have to give Princess high marks. Overall, I would give the Diamond four stars across the board, with the general concensus being even higher. Perhaps you caught a particularly bad cruise, overrun with children, in their peak summer season. I would give them another try when school is back in session, if you can. The vast majority of posters have given Princess and the Diamond a very favorable rating.

[spingal]

Wanted to offer a different perspective. I sailed on the Diamond twice in the last year and they were great cruises. I experienced the best service I have ever had and found the dining room food to be good. And if you don't like the menu choices, every night chicken, steak and a pasta dish are available.

[SweetpeaOne]

Very nice review. Sounds like you had a great time. Thanks for sharing..

[kenish]

Thanks for the review. I like the way you organized it!

 

We did the reverse itenerary in July on HAL. Our experiences with Talkeetna Air, Denali, and Alaska Airlines were almost identical to yours! It's admirable that TAT recommends cancelling even when they can safely fly, rather than deliver an unsatisfying tour and blaming it on Mother Nature. I'm sure their revenue is way down this year due to weather. When our rescheduled flight was cancelled, I forgot about the deposit. When I got home there was already a credit that posted the same day we cancelled!

 

About the odd menu selections- ships stock up in Vancouver for the 2 weeks. I've read that quality and variety of food on SB cruises is sometimes not as good as the NB (all lines, not just Princess). That's not a good excuse but could explain some of what you experienced. Or it's possible they were trying out some new menu concept.

 

I also agree there is no way to capture Alaska with a camera. It's one of the first places I've been where the sights were far better than brochure photos!!

 

Many port towns would be dying out since their main industries (fish processing, lumber, mining, etc) have closed. Tourism and cruise lines are their "next act" that will keep the towns alive. I'm sure this must be both a blessing and a curse to longtime residents.

[EJNutz]

Great review. Thanks

[gertz]

I see you did post this on Princess but not on reviews yet. The only other August review there was coincidentally in a MS with 2 kids also. 4 people in a MS little crowded for us but they thought it was wonderful.

 

 

They gave the overall review a 5+ everything was great. In fact if you averaged every review on the Diamond it probably would be around 4+.

 

 

Too late to do anything now so let the daggers fly.:eek:

 

 

GERTZ

Princess elite

Next Tahitian 9/18 Vancouver to Honolulu

Coral 4/12 FLL to LA

Island back to Alaska 4th time w/grandson:D

[dennis99ss]

I am the august review :)

 

I have had trouble figuring out the real problem here, not from a kick the tires standpoint, but from an understanding standpoint, so that I can check out the difficulties when i book again, or at least take them into consideration.

 

After reading the review, i wonder if the OP was simply tired by the time they got onboard, and every little thing grated at them.

 

I am also having difficulty with the food issue. Maybe the desire was for meatloaf and fried chicken, which, of course, would have been the wrong line to go on. Compared to RCCL, the Diamond food was great. It sounds like OP was onboard either the trip before ours or the one after. I cannot imagine the ship changed in such a short time frame. I do agree with the communication/scheduling difficulties, but, we run into that at any resort. I don't think you can pay a moderate cruise line price, and get crystal or Queen mary service.

 

I also dont understand the cake problem? I wonder if the OP reminded the Maitre D before sitting down, or if it was just supposed to be known by the wait staff.

 

But, while I do get upset at things, I really judge service providers, not on the mess up (unless it is a continuing thing) but on the recovery. Did they do something that made me feel like they cared to make it up to me. In this case, it sounds like they did. Sometimes its ok not to be a princess, even on princess.

 

Again, while this may sound like i am busting the OP's chops, I really am just trying to figure out why these relatively inconsequential items were such a big deal. As others said, there was meat entrees, and, considering the money OP spent, Sterlings or sabitinis (although sabitinis it did not impress me, it impresses many) would have been a nothing, if excellent steaks or itilian dishes were desired.

[gertz]

I am the august review :)

 

 

I wasn't going to respond to this when I saw it on the Princess board. Then I saw it here and it appears to follow the same pattern of other highly critical reviews but not quite as bad as some. Laundry list, multiple posts.

 

We were on the Diamond last Sept from Vancouver to LA. It is a wonderful, beautiful ship, very good food, not crowded, plenty of activities. The only complaints I encountered were the many Canadians on board commenting on their health care system, mostly bad.

 

When we first started with Princess in 1991 we feel it was as close to deluxe as you could get and still not be deluxe. Since then it has gone more mainstream but for the money it is a very good line.

 

We have never written a review but we agree with yours. We have done Alaska on either the Sun or Sea, can't remember which), the Island, and the Coral with lovely 13 year old Grand daughter, MS on each and if we were to do a review on them they would have all been a 5+.

 

Our motto you will find it in a number of posts. Never had a bad cruise, some better than others but never a bad one. Glad to see you took the kids, wonderful experience.

 

So glad you had a great time.:cool: One more item, we are just not going to spend the kind of money it takes to do vacations and not have a good time.:D

 

GERTZ

Princess Elite

Next Tahitian 9/18 Vancouver to Honolulu

Coral 4/12 FLL to LA

Island 8/17/09 Back to Alaska 4th time w/Grandson:D

[Travel Tea]

I definitely agree w/ katredd's review of the Diamond. It's all the little things (attention to detail) that add up to make the experience disappointing. I believe the problem is w/ Princess management; they don't have their act together (no consistency) and there seems to be too many layers of mangers/supervisors/crew leaders and not enough staff to perform the real customer service. W/ that kind of work environment, it's no wonder some staff are always tired while others are getting by w/ doing the minimum. The auto-tipping is automatically divided regardless of consistency of service.

 

Food

The meals in all the "Anytime Dining" rooms were the best (selection, excellent wait-staff service, did not have to wait long for a table). This seems to be something Princess is doing right. The waiter & asst. waiter are servicing tables over a staggered period of time vs. many tables all at once during traditional dining. They have a little time to chat w/ you & give food recommendations. However, food in the Horizon Court buffet was bland, re-purposed leftovers from previous meals (tough, over-cooked meats), confusing to navigate, crowded, wait-staff was spotty. Sometimes you were asked if you wanted something to drink or not clearing away your table; other times you are completely ignored & you get your own drinks & silverware. On the first day, they really push the soda promotion every chance they get. Hot chocolate was free on the Glacier viewing (cold) days; but you had to pay for it on other days (who knew?). Juice is free w/ breakfast, but you pay for it at lunch.

 

Shopping Talk

Do not buy the VIP Shoppers book (sold for $25) to get all the free stuff in port. This is a total waste of time & money. The free stuff you get from the various jewelry stores are junk & worthless. The staff @ all the stores will give you a hard sell of their over-priced jewelry & they give you attitude if you do not want to buy anything & all you want to get is the free item. The coupons do say "no purchase necessary". Nice way to spend your vacation getting hasselled. The free promotional Del Sol bag was being sold in Ketchikan Del Sol store for $10. I didn't need to buy the $25 book to get my free bag plus other worthless trinkets. They (Princess Shopping Expert, et al) make it sound like this is a limited opportunity to get in on all these free stuff. When in actuality, while in port, I saw other cruisers (from other ships) w/ a different coupon book giving away the same junk. Don't know if they got their books for free or had to pay for them. Warning: this is a total rip-off, don't fall for it. I wished someone had warned me about this.

 

Untimely Ship Maintenance

When we got on board, there were "Wet Varnish" signs on all the balconies. Our next 2 sea days (glacier viewing) & we had sticky balcony rails. Last sea day, there were alot of areas that were being painted, stripped (chipped paint), smell of turpintine, it made us feel like they couldn't wait to get rid of us. These could have been scheduled during the port days when most cruisers are on shore. The Diamond wasn't as "sparkling" as I'd expected it to be. From sticky tables & chairs (Horizon buffet dining area), to stained chairs, carpets (in stateroom & public areas), creaking/loose stairwell strips (to prevent slippage).

[katredd]

Thanks all for the good posts -- some pro and others con. We've traveled extensively on and off cruises in Europe and the US and even reading everything available and all comments on tripadvisor and boards like this just go to prove that different folks like different things. That's what's great about travel. For Dennis99ss' benefit.. there was no expectation for meatloaf and fried chicken -- I wouldn't want that :).. and the cake problem occurred after 2 reminders to the maitre d's desk at the front of the restaurant. I think perhaps we caught the diamond not at her best... but hey, that's life and it didn't detract from the real reason we were in alaska anyway. Once again.. thanks to all of you who pass out great information that allow us to wonder at the sights and sounds that are Alaska!

[alohabailey]

I definitely agree w/ katredd's review of the Diamond. It's all the little things (attention to detail) that add up to make the experience disappointing. I believe the problem is w/ Princess management; they don't have their act together (no consistency) and there seems to be too many layers of mangers/supervisors/crew leaders and not enough staff to perform the real customer service. W/ that kind of work environment, it's no wonder some staff are always tired while others are getting by w/ doing the minimum. The auto-tipping is automatically divided regardless of consistency of service.

 

Food

The meals in all the "Anytime Dining" rooms were the best (selection, excellent wait-staff service, did not have to wait long for a table). This seems to be something Princess is doing right. The waiter & asst. waiter are servicing tables over a staggered period of time vs. many tables all at once during traditional dining. They have a little time to chat w/ you & give food recommendations. However, food in the Horizon Court buffet was bland, re-purposed leftovers from previous meals (tough, over-cooked meats), confusing to navigate, crowded, wait-staff was spotty. Sometimes you were asked if you wanted something to drink or not clearing away your table; other times you are completely ignored & you get your own drinks & silverware. On the first day, they really push the soda promotion every chance they get. Hot chocolate was free on the Glacier viewing (cold) days; but you had to pay for it on other days (who knew?). Juice is free w/ breakfast, but you pay for it at lunch.

 

Shopping Talk

Do not buy the VIP Shoppers book (sold for $25) to get all the free stuff in port. This is a total waste of time & money. The free stuff you get from the various jewelry stores are junk & worthless. The staff @ all the stores will give you a hard sell of their over-priced jewelry & they give you attitude if you do not want to buy anything & all you want to get is the free item. The coupons do say "no purchase necessary". Nice way to spend your vacation getting hasselled. The free promotional Del Sol bag was being sold in Ketchikan Del Sol store for $10. I didn't need to buy the $25 book to get my free bag plus other worthless trinkets. They (Princess Shopping Expert, et al) make it sound like this is a limited opportunity to get in on all these free stuff. When in actuality, while in port, I saw other cruisers (from other ships) w/ a different coupon book giving away the same junk. Don't know if they got their books for free or had to pay for them. Warning: this is a total rip-off, don't fall for it. I wished someone had warned me about this.

 

Untimely Ship Maintenance

When we got on board, there were "Wet Varnish" signs on all the balconies. Our next 2 sea days (glacier viewing) & we had sticky balcony rails. Last sea day, there were alot of areas that were being painted, stripped (chipped paint), smell of turpintine, it made us feel like they couldn't wait to get rid of us. These could have been scheduled during the port days when most cruisers are on shore. The Diamond wasn't as "sparkling" as I'd expected it to be. From sticky tables & chairs (Horizon buffet dining area), to stained chairs, carpets (in stateroom & public areas), creaking/loose stairwell strips (to prevent slippage).

 

 

I agree with both of you. We just got back from Alaska on the Diamond. I had almost forgotten about the wet varnish. Since it was NON stop rain, the varnish never dried properly so guess what-sticky railings and, the next cruise probably got a fresh coat of varnish too! We also noticed part of the railing was missing which had caution tape on it. VERY pretty.

Guessing what you had to pay for got frustrating really quickly so we stuck with water. We don't drink anything else anyway but it would have been nice to have a hot chocolate once in a while.

This was my first cruise and many things about it have made me think twice about going on another one. As if the trip alone wasn't expensive enough, I felt as if they were constantly trying to sell you something else or have you buy extras (liquor, pictures, supplies for classes, activities (golf). And if that wasn't enough they devoted an entire desk to port shopping- to make you spend more money $25 shopping book- for pieces of TIN. I happened to get a bracelet and two charms from a coupon they had given when getting off the ship. The store just gave them to us, no hassles but I threw them away immediately they were such poor quality. I think I've gotten nicer stuff from a gumball machine.

Besides my room steward who was amazing, and a few wonderful waiters, everyone else really seemed like they didn't want to be there. When the tip is not at the end of the meal or when it is automatically split among everyone, there will always be people who will do as little as possible. Service was not as Princess touts. Day after day, our experience was that other guests were treated better than we were. From ignoring our requests for our own table at lunch and tea to being served last even though we were seated first was annoying and not acceptable. I think they pay even less attention to you if you don't order alcohol with your meal. I did like the food in the anytime dining rooms. In the moment, the food tasted great, especially the desserts. When we got off the ship and had dinner in a real restaurant, it made us realize that the cruise food was bland. I wasn't a big fan of the buffet. Finding a seat was nearly impossible at times.

I also agree with the management problem. When we went to get our latest folio printout- the guy at the pursers desk actually whistled when he was looking at the charges, because the only charges were the daily 10.50 tip and maybe an excursion or two. I'm sure that was a shock but it is quite unprofessional to whistle. I'm sure the tiny amount of additional charges made him cringe.

One thing I do recommend that Princess does not mention. Everyone leaving from Seattle should book the transfer through the cruise line. We did not because we weren't leaving Seattle right away. Boy was that a mistake. We took an Amtrak bus and got stuck at the Customs border for 3 1/2 hours. There was another couple on the bus who had a flight at 5:45 pm and missed it. We left vancouver at 10am!!! Cruise lines get priority because baggage is scanned the night before. We could have just used the Princess transfer service to the airport, taken a taxi to our downtown hotel and still have made better time than we did by going on our own.

[vegs1]

To Katredd:

 

Thank you for taking the time to write your opinion of your cruise and land tour. It is greatly appreciated.

 

We, too, will be travelling to Alaska with a child. I was wondering how my 10 year old would do on the trip to Wonder Lake (she is a fabulous traveler - has been all over the world but I still wondered about the long, long bus ride). I think she'll do well.

 

Also, appreciated your feedback on the Musk Ox Farm. We are hoping to spend a couple of hours there also.

 

Every one is different yet everyone's opinion matters. Thanks for expressing yours in a clear, concise way.

[Budget Queen]

To Katredd:

 

. I was wondering how my 10 year old would do on the trip to Wonder Lake (she is a fabulous traveler - has been all over the world but I still wondered about the long, long bus ride). I think she'll do well.

 

.

I strongly suggest you have at LEAST 10 power binoculars, for your daughter, AND necessary, triple the games, DVD's and batteries, along with ear phones, that you think you'll need.

 

I haven't seen kids do well with Wonder Lake, wildlife drops off significantly after Eielson, and most kids couldn't care less about "scenery". :)

[vegs1]

I strongly suggest you have at LEAST 10 power binoculars, for your daughter, AND necessary, triple the games, DVD's and batteries, along with ear phones, that you think you'll need.

 

I haven't seen kids do well with Wonder Lake, wildlife drops off significantly after Eielson, and most kids couldn't care less about "scenery". :)

 

I never thought to bring a DVD player and earphones. Great suggestion!

 

We did an extensive trip of Banff/Lake Louse into BC last year. She actually wanted to keep driving to see more than we did!

 

We'll have another look over the national parks map and see if we should possibly make it shorter.

 

Thanks for the input! Your suggestions are greatly appreciated and I truly value your opinion.