disneyochem

I agree but we were treated to the 360 Experience as a ‘sorry for your troubles!’ It was a very nice apology from Princess. 😁

And yes, try to get it fixed before getting on the ship! This happen to us on a recent sailing—paid for Princess Plus but was not showing up on our travel summary. Called a number of times but was told not to worry since we had it, paid for it and “they “ knew we had it. Took almost four days for our portfolio on the ship to reflect that—GS just told us to pay for everything and then it would be taken off our account. Numerous chat messages and a couple of trips to GS to deal with the situation. Printed out our bill on the last day and went over it with GS staff to ensure we weren’t charged for anything we had already paid for.

In addition to the locations mentioned earlier, we also enjoyed glacier viewing on the Promenade deck through Crooners. We were able to sit inside to warm up and then go outside for views—there is a door right next to the bar. Although the ship doesn’t have a full promenade, there are good (and covered!) viewing spots!

Just ‘ugh’ on having to port at Ward Cove! We did that last year on the Jewel with a similar port time as your cruise. You will have to shuttle into town in order to get transportation to Totem Bight. Very few if any Ubers and taxis will pick up at Ward Cove and getting to the bus stop is NOT pedestrian-friendly! Once in town, you can catch the public bus out to the park (think it’s the Silver line). Bus is easy to catch and it drops you off right in front of the park. Alternatively, you might just want to stay in town. Ketchikan is a very walkable town and there are a number of places you can visit—the Totem Heritage Center, Creek Street, etc. Here’s a link to a walking tour of Ketchikan: https://www.experienceketchikan.com/support-files/ketchikan_maps_downtown_2016.pdf Staying in town will also give you time to get a bite to eat and shop. Our favorite place to eat is the Asylum Bar (great burgers) and Annabelle’s. The NCL shuttle stop is right at the downtown ports.

I found a shop on Etsy and had custom door magnets made for a Sisters Cruise. Relatively inexpensive and fun! Just search the Etsy site—lots of options.

Glacier Winds in Icy Strait Point for whale watching is a must for me!

Yes, please let us know what ports you will be visiting and a little bit about your interests. Folks on this board are very willing to make suggestions . Also, a good starting point is to take a look at what excursions are offered by the cruise line. Read through them to see what is available at each port.

If you do take Amtrak, book a business class ticket on the Pacific Surfliner. That will give you access to the Lounge at Union Station—snacks, drinks, charging stations, clean bathrooms. There is an elevator to the lounge. Redcap service is available and you can be shuttled (golf cart) directly to the train. They’ll take care of your luggage as well. There is Redcap service at the station if you’re not in business class also. Just request it. Otherwise it can be quite the trek to train!

You can get by without renting a car in Anchorage but as noted above, it might be pricier and less convenient than a car rental. For short trips after a cruise, we sometimes don’t rent a car. We get around downtown Anchorage by Uber or walking. And we stay downtown and not by the airport. We’ve rented bikes and rode along the coastal trail. There are a number of opportunities for day trips from Anchorage. We’ve taken the train to Seward and gone on a Kenai Fjords boat tour. We also took the train for a Spencer Glacier/Float Trip with Chugach Tours. We like Salmon Berry Tours—have been on the Matanuska Glacier Trek and the Hatcher Pass/Independence Mine tour. Nice to have someone else driving!

We’ve taken the train from Anchorage to go on the Major Marine Kenai Fjord tour and loved it (think the 6 hour tour is the only one you can take due to timing). It is a long day but it is doable as a day trip from Anchorage. Leave about 6:30 am and return around 10 pm. Definitely an option if you can to stay in Anchorage though there is so much more to see/do in Seward. Last summer we visited Wrangell-St Elias NP. We rented a car and drove to Chitna, caught a flight and stayed at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge. That was also a fantastic trip but it does take time— Alaska is huge! We only had 7 days in Alaska this past summer before hopping on a cruise ship but we had already been to Denali and Katmai NPs on previous trips so we’re able to spend the time to get there.

We were told on our first Alaskan cruise that we “had” to get a balcony. The weather was so cold and rainy that I did not use it! Hubby (who has a greater tolerance for cold) did enjoy sitting on it a couple of times. But we both thought the difference in price was not worth it. Since then we’ve cruised to Alaska about 20 times—interior, ocean view, balcony, mini suite and suite. We like having access to a balcony but there are usually so many public viewing areas on a ship that we don’t miss them when we’re in an interior/ocean view cabin. Even with a balcony, we’re constantly going from our cabin to out on deck to see the views on glacier days. We were in an interior cabin last summer on the Royal (free casino room) traveling with family and friends. Even though there isn’t a full promenade, there were a number of outside viewing areas. The day we visited the College Fjords, we sat at Crooner’s, played cards, had drinks and popped outside for viewing (there’s a door to deck 7 in Crooner’s). Fabulous day! The top deck and the Lido were good viewing areas during our Glacier Bay visit. Excursions in Alaskan are pretty pricey! My suggestion is to take the money saved by booking an interior cabin and apply it to a truly unique Alaskan experience! There’ll be a number of opportunities to get up close to a glacier and to see wildlife.

On the Discovery there was a mixture at the dinner I attended—Elite, Platinum, first time Princess cruisers (!). Suite guests, casino VIPs, retired Princess officers. We were not in a suite (deluxe balcony) and we’re invited by Guest Services during the cruise. We experienced a small hiccup with our booking and received the invite as a “thank you for your patience.”

Yes! I would love to just drop them off as we pass out of the building. I just put them in my old battery jar and recycle them.

Was just on the Discovery Princess in January. They have a couple of these in the buffet area (one on each side)! It was great to see and use!

nope, no kitchen sink. Just enough in my suitcase that makes the cruise enjoyable. Cruise well.

Not a fan of the scented soap available—and the residue left behind. I don’t use shampoo to wash my dishes at home. *gasp* I also bring a small, thin brush to clean my bottles.

What a great tip! Thanks!

I don’t like the scent of those products on dishes. I like Dawn.

Always start a Princess cruise with a Lemon Drop in Crooners! Hubby drinks Malibu rum and grapefruit juice.

Just be sure to fill your reusable water bottle correctly! Take a clean glass at the buffet, fill it with ice/water and pour into your bottle. Get a clean glass if the lip of the glass touches the lip of the water bottle! So, so many times people put their water bottles right up and touch the water spigot and contaminate the machine! A pet peeve! I bring a reusable water bottle as well as a thermal coffee cup for use on the ship and excursions. I also pack a small amount of dish soap to wash my cups in the stateroom.

The bike ride was awesome! Road is wide enough and not a lot of traffic so it wasn’t an issue. One of the tour guides rode at the back to watch for traffic and warned us. Yes, that is the trail. We rode the train to a designated stop, got off with our guides, hiked to the glacier, had a snack and then hiked back where we had a meal. Ride vans back down to Skagway. Hike wasn’t too strenuous—I’m in my late 50s and was able to do it okay.

I’m one of those who feel the train was a “one and done” as just the train ride. The scenery and history is spectacular so may I suggest you do a combo tour? That way you get to experience the ride and then get off and explore. Take the train one direction and then come back another way. You can go into the Yukon, visit Emerald Lake, pet the sled dog puppies, tour the museum at Caribou Crossing before heading back to Skagway via a bus or small shuttle. You’ll be able to stop at places on the way down for photo ops as well. We’ve also taken the train up and then rode (coasted, really!) bikes down. Love working with Sockeye Cycles (https://www.sockeyecycle.com/excursions/). One of my all time favorite excursions was taking the train up, getting off and then hiking to the Laughton Glacier (https://www.packerexpeditions.com/skagway-hiking-tours/laughton-glacier-hike-white-pass-train-expedition/). As noted by previous posters, you don’t need to take the train. Lots of other options in Skagway. We’ve been there a number of times (and will be visiting 4 times this summer) so the train isn’t a priority any more. We like to hike and bike now. But, we did go on the train during our first visit to Skagway (on a Yukon/train combo).

Our daughter lives in Anaheim so we generally fly into the Santa Ana airport for our cruises. I like to use Xpress Shuttles to the port (https://xpressshuttles.com/)—reliable and professional. Costs a bit more sometimes than an Uber but we like having that private car service. (I’ve booked a ride with them to go from San Pedro port to Union Station LA the morning we disembark from our April cruise. Will cost about $75–tip extra.)

Another vote for Major Marine. We’ve been on tours with them and Kenai Fjords. Both are pretty good but I feel the customer service was better on Major Marine. The provided lunch was better on Major Marine as well! The longer you’re on the water the more opportunities for wildlife spotting and glacier viewing.

And on the POA, there are a number of port days on its sailings. On our 14-day Panama Canal cruise on the Islander, we had four port days and ten sea days. Lots of crowding in public areas on cool, windy days (all of the outdoor activities were moved indoors--golf, dance lessons, tai chi, zumba) and limited pool space on hot days! We had a great cruise on the Islander--fantastic going through the Panama Canal, the staff was great, met some wonderful people. The ship itself was not our favorite, and with so many other ship choices (both on Princess and other lines), I would not pick the Islander for a cruise. Some ships I do like and try to see if we can fit in a cruise to go back on the ship. For example, we love HAL Koningsdam and have four cruises booked on her this year!