Live from Island Princess Northbound Alaska

[cindep]

We're finishing up our third and last port of call. It is bitter cold, rainy, and VERY windy here in Skagway. I just wanted to post some things about the ship that might be helpful to those that follow.

 

Embarkation at Vancouver was very good and easy. We were on in plenty of time to drop our carry ons and go to lunch in the DINING ROOM. There were only about 20 people or so that had lunch that day, but we had absolutely NO problems. Very nice way to start the cruise.

 

Luggage was outside our cabin door when we came back to our cabin after lunch. Fastest we have ever gotten our luggage.

 

Wireless internet works very well throughout the ship. We are in Dolphin 716 which is very close to the back and have had no reception problems at all.

 

Food and service have been overall very good. We have fixed early dining and have super wait staff. Our room steward is also very good. New mattresses were put onboard in Ketchikan. They only received 2 per room steward, but I am assuming this will be an ongoing process. We received the two new mattresses in our section.

 

Juneau was absolutely crazy yesterday with 5 ships in port. Today it is only us and the Sea Princess.

 

Hot chocolate AND lemonade are both available in the Horizon Court at the beverage station -- only on one end but you do not need to specifically ask for it.

 

The Island seems "up" on all of the latest Princess corporate news releases as we have gotten all that was promised. Also our meet and greet went very well ... we had asked Princess to do us a sheetcake. It cost $1.50 a slice and the cake was huge and very beautifully decorated. This ship has some of the best presentation of food that I have seen.

 

Overall great cruise (excepting the weather). Crew is good and we're having a great time. I'll check back if anyone has any questions.

 

Cindep

Princess Elite

[tetleytea]

You are almost exactly the same stateroom we had on the southbound cruise before you.

[partsman_ba]

How's the CD staff holding up? They never seemed to sleep on our 5/11 NB!

[sloney]

Hi Cindep

 

Glad you're having a good time. Take care of that cabin because we'll be in that same room for Christmas :)

 

Enjoy!

 

Susan

[JNCRUISEBUMS]

We're finishing up our third and last port of call. It is bitter cold, rainy, and VERY windy here in Skagway. I just wanted to post some things about the ship that might be helpful to those that follow.

 

Embarkation at Vancouver was very good and easy. We were on in plenty of time to drop our carry ons and go to lunch in the DINING ROOM. There were only about 20 people or so that had lunch that day, but we had absolutely NO problems. Very nice way to start the cruise.

 

Luggage was outside our cabin door when we came back to our cabin after lunch. Fastest we have ever gotten our luggage.

 

Wireless internet works very well throughout the ship. We are in Dolphin 716 which is very close to the back and have had no reception problems at all.

 

Food and service have been overall very good. We have fixed early dining and have super wait staff. Our room steward is also very good. New mattresses were put onboard in Ketchikan. They only received 2 per room steward, but I am assuming this will be an ongoing process. We received the two new mattresses in our section.

 

Juneau was absolutely crazy yesterday with 5 ships in port. Today it is only us and the Sea Princess.

 

Hot chocolate AND lemonade are both available in the Horizon Court at the beverage station -- only on one end but you do not need to specifically ask for it.

 

The Island seems "up" on all of the latest Princess corporate news releases as we have gotten all that was promised. Also our meet and greet went very well ... we had asked Princess to do us a sheetcake. It cost $1.50 a slice and the cake was huge and very beautifully decorated. This ship has some of the best presentation of food that I have seen.

 

Overall great cruise (excepting the weather). Crew is good and we're having a great time. I'll check back if anyone has any questions.

 

Cindep

Princess Elite

I have a question, do you have to pay internet charges if you bring your own laptop???? Thanks! Nancie

[Party Teacher]

Ooooh. Good question Nancie! I'm also interested in finding out if you

have to pay internet charges for your own laptop. We'll be on the Island in 10 days! Cannot wait!!!

 

PT

[LadyLeo84]

We're finishing up our third and last port of call. It is bitter cold, rainy, and VERY windy here in Skagway. I just wanted to post some things about the ship that might be helpful to those that follow.

 

Embarkation at Vancouver was very good and easy. We were on in plenty of time to drop our carry ons and go to lunch in the DINING ROOM. There were only about 20 people or so that had lunch that day, but we had absolutely NO problems. Very nice way to start the cruise.

 

Luggage was outside our cabin door when we came back to our cabin after lunch. Fastest we have ever gotten our luggage.

 

Wireless internet works very well throughout the ship. We are in Dolphin 716 which is very close to the back and have had no reception problems at all.

 

Food and service have been overall very good. We have fixed early dining and have super wait staff. Our room steward is also very good. New mattresses were put onboard in Ketchikan. They only received 2 per room steward, but I am assuming this will be an ongoing process. We received the two new mattresses in our section.

 

Juneau was absolutely crazy yesterday with 5 ships in port. Today it is only us and the Sea Princess.

 

Hot chocolate AND lemonade are both available in the Horizon Court at the beverage station -- only on one end but you do not need to specifically ask for it.

 

The Island seems "up" on all of the latest Princess corporate news releases as we have gotten all that was promised. Also our meet and greet went very well ... we had asked Princess to do us a sheetcake. It cost $1.50 a slice and the cake was huge and very beautifully decorated. This ship has some of the best presentation of food that I have seen.

 

Overall great cruise (excepting the weather). Crew is good and we're having a great time. I'll check back if anyone has any questions.

 

Cindep

Princess Elite

 

Hi Cindep;

We will be on the Island June 22, which is also Northbound. Can't wait, although I hope that the weather is warmer!! I have 4 questions:

 

How do you like your cabin? (we also have a mini-suite)

How many washers/dryers are in the self-serve laundry?

Any 50s-60s Rock and Roll music to dance to?

Is lobster served on the 1st or 2nd formal night? Are they good or bad?

 

Thanks so much for your response!! I hope that the weather is much better for you while you are cruising Glacier Bay & College Fjords!!!

 

Trudy

[partsman_ba]

Hope you don't mind someone else weighing in - here's my experience from 5/11/09 NB:

How do you like your cabin? (we also have a mini-suite)

Liked it a lot. Plenty of room for us. Heard Carnival has much bigger minis from another cruiser, but I think it would have been wasted space.

How many washers/dryers are in the self-serve laundry?

I can't remember - think 3 or 4 of each. Wait for Cindep to get accurate info. There are several self-serve laundries, one on each stateroom deck aft except Aloha (due to the children's area).

Any 50s-60s Rock and Roll music to dance to?

Depending on the "theme" of the night, Topaz played some in the Explorer's Lounge. Not sure about the Wheelhouse band, never listened to them.

Is lobster served on the 1st or 2nd formal night? Are they good or bad?

Second night - Gulf of Alaska cruising. I thought they were great! Got to eat 3, since the waitstaff gave us 2 each and my DW was a little seasick.

Thanks so much for your response!! I hope that the weather is much better for you while you are cruising Glacier Bay & College Fjords!!!

 

Trudy

 

I too hope your weather gets better. Our Glacier Bay day was foggy until late morning, then it cleared; College Fjords were absolutely clear and warm - shocking for mid-May, I hear!

[erin6494]

Would love to hear your thoughts on your room location (we have D711 this November) as well as any "secret" tips you might pick up.

Hope the weather improves and that you have a wonderful time!

[Party Teacher]

Partsman,

 

So there's no self-serve laundry on the aloha deck? According to the deck plans there is a laundry room on the port side near the teen center. We're on the Aloha deck and was hoping to do laundry there.

 

PT

[partsman_ba]

Doh! Missed it on the deck plan!

 

I only went into the Caribe laundromat before sailing to check out the ironing facilities (but never actually used them:o)

[Cruisematic]

It is a small world, this is the room we will be in three days. Actually we are B2B so we will be there for the next two weeks. Tell Stewart we are looking forward to a great time and we will see him Monday.

[LadyLeo84]

Thanks Partsman!!!

I really appreciate all of your answers. Can't hardly wait for my turn on June 22!

[can786]

I have a question, do you have to pay internet charges if you bring your own laptop???? Thanks! Nancie

 

I'll jump in with the answer to this question... yes, you have to pay for internet even if you use your own laptop. The prices are the same as if you use the ship's computers. I believe you can pay by the minute (around 75 cents a minute or so) or else you can buy a package. You can get 150 minutes for $75, or 250 minutes for $100. I think they have a smaller package as well, but not sure since I get the free package for being Platinum past passenger and never go over my limit. There is always the possibility that you can pick up a signal from shore when in port, but can't vouch for that.

 

And to Cindep, thanks for the info. I will be boarding the Island in ten days and looking forward to it very much. It will be my first time on the Coral/Island class and I've heard great things about these ships.

[cruzzers]

Thanks for posting live for us. We will be on a 13 day cruisetour northbound in Aug. We have never been to Alaska, Seattle, or Vancouver so all will be new experiences for us. Can't wait!

[sherman931]

Thanks for the report, as well as to all the others who contributed.

[AlaskaGolden]

...It will be my first time on the Coral/Island class...

 

I like saying these ships are in the "Baby" Grand Class! :D

 

Of course, then you might classify the CB, Ruby, Emerald and Crown as being in the "Super" Grand Class. :)

 

That leaves the Golden, Star, Diamond, Sapphire and Grand as just "Grand" Class.

 

Been on the Grand and Baby Grand class ships. Looking forward to the Super Grand!

[Rockymountainsparky]

Hoping to do a cruisetour next year, any suggestions on which ship we should take?

[cruisin'grandparents]

We'll be on the southbound on June 15, doing a land tour before to Denali.

 

Depends upon your status with Princess, if you are Platinum you get a $75 credit (7 day cruise) towards internet and can use on your laptop. We used our laptop in February while on the Star but had to be in Atrium as there was no reception in cabins so good news that we can use laptop in cabins on the Island.

[cindep]

Good morning from Glacier Bay! Partly cloudy skies, but the bay itself is totally flat ... VERY smooth sailing. We are the only ones in today and it is like we are just gliding in. We'll be at the glaciers around 10:00 a.m.

 

We've been up since 6 and there is a lot to see on the way in. Just saw our first tidewater glacier. Great narration coming into Glacier Bay.

 

We had Libby Riddles (iditarod champion) come do a talk in Juneau. Princess is doing a MUCH better job here in Alaska than they did 6 years ago. The location of the cabin is great although it is a HECK of a long way from the Horizon Court to our cabin.

 

Off to watch the glaciers.... will check back later today!

[Party Teacher]

Thanks for the update Cindep! Sounds like you have great weather up there. We're hoping for the same in a little over a week. Enjoy your trip!

 

PT

[Twomalamutes]

Can you tell me if they are offering the Chef's table? If you are not sure can you check with the pursers desk? We are looking forward to doing it if it is offered when we are on the Island in July!

[BayCalif-Ariz R Us]

Hi Cindy - rumor has it here on the Princess boards that starting tomorrow (Monday, June 1) Princess will be offering free ice cream at Scoops like it used to do. Can you check that out, and if so, what varieties are offered - i.e. sundaes, banana splits etc. or just soft ice cream. Thanks!

[cindep]

Yes, they offered the Chef's table on this cruise. I don't know if there were any "takers". Since we get off tomorrow morning, you'll have to verify the ice cream thing with someone on next week's trip.

 

Last night at 11:30 p.m. was Mario's atrium party... a lot of the dining room staff came out and there was dancing, streamers, balloons ... thought for a moment we were on the wrong ship!! I asked if they do this all the time and they said only if the crowd was "fun".

 

Honestly, this has been the BEST crew in 16 Princess cruises. Be ready to come aboard and have a fantastic time!!

 

Will write a full review then I get back.

[cindep]

I wrote a long message yesterday and it didn't post. We've had great internet coverage all trip until we went across the Gulf of Alaska last night.

 

I checked and there are five washer/dryer combinations in the laundry room. $1 for each. Soap was $1 and fabric softner another $1. So to do a load of laundry will cost you $4. Before I left, I saw a commercial for Purex 3 in 1 sheets. I bought some and am VERY impressed. It has your soap, fabric softner, and anti-static sheet all in one sheet. If you think you're going to need to do laundry, check into these. They are compact and light weight (and will save you money).

 

We actually saw two glaciers yesterday in Glacier Bay. This is a change from when we were last up here on the Star Princess. Not much calving going on, but a little bit. The "new" glacier they went to is very blue and pretty. Something to look forward to.

 

We did see quite a few whales coming out of Glacier Bay as well as a couple of sea otters. We also spotted bears on the shore going into Glacier Bay. Be sure to bring your binoculars ... you will need them!

If you REALLY want to see the whales, though, you need to take a whale watching tour in Juneau. Everyone that went out saw whales and plenty of them. The wildlife this cruise has actually been pretty good. There is an onboard naturalist named Ken Williams who is very informative. Billy Hygate is the cruise director and he has instituted a lot of "new" things on this sihp. I believe he just got on in LA at the beginning of the Alaska season so he is fresh. Everyone on this ship seems really happy and they're working hard to make it a fun cruise.

 

Weather has been cold, rainy, sunny, windy, sleeting, all in 24 hours. Bring your cold weather gear, but also something for rain.

 

Well we're headed into College Fjord and as it is the last night, we're also packing. Unfortunately, we'll be College Fjord during our early dinner. The only time we've gotten "screwed" in the scenery department.

 

Lobster is second formal night. We've had two new menus to me... Alaskan night and Chef's Choice night. Crab legs were Chef's Choice night. There are definitely a lot of "new" menu items and some old favorites are gone, but the food is so good we really haven't missed them. They have had 2 different Pub Lunches available this trip. Limited menu, but it was something different.

 

I'll write a full review when I get back. We're doing an independent land tour after we get off tomorrow so I don't know how much internet access I'll have.