Cruise Raider

While most people say chose a Grand Class ship, I love the Royal class ships. Not sure when they will release the itineraries for 2025 but, I’d choose one that includes Glacier Bay. I’m partial to sailing out of San Francisco because it’s right here in our backyard, but if you have to fly anyway, there are some great ships and itineraries leaving out of Seattle and Vancouver. Embarkation in Vancouver can be kind of chaotic at times. Alaska is the one itinerary where, if you normally would book an inside cabin, I would highly recommend splurging on a balcony cabin. Another reason to like the Royal class ships is that they have some ‘obstructed balcony’ cabins that have very little obstruction (midship, deck eight) and they are comparatively economical. Some even have huge balconies. I think the Mendenhall Glacier is a must do for Juneau if it’s a one and done Alaska cruise. Whale watching is also a great excursion, especially if you cruise includes Icy Strait Point. If you go to Sitka, I think it is well worth it to go to Fortress of the Bear, the Raptor Center and the fish ladder right in town. The White Pass Railroad is a very popular excursion in Skagway. The sled dogs and mining for gold (never found there) are also interesting things to do there. In Ketchikan, we loved the Lumberjack show .. maybe kind of kiddish, but as adults, we enjoyed it at well. You take a take a walk along Creek Street and hike up Married Man’s Trail, too. I understand there is a great totem pole museum within walking distance of the pier that you could do on your own. If you stop in Victoria, I recommend going to Beacon Hill Park. It’s like a mini Butchart Gardens and free of charge. And for Alaska, it may be warm, it may be cold, it may be rainy and it could be very windy, so layering is key to keeping warm and dry. We’ve been where the sleet felt like it was cutting through our skin but also gone when it was nearly 80° .. so sunscreen is as important as an umbrella. Also, if you plan on hiking in the woods, take some big repellent wipes for your exposed skin. One last thing, they will have rangers or naturalists on the ship .. listen to their advice about hiking safely in the woods.

There is always a dining room in the far aft of the ship that I try to avoid. It has many more vibrations while at sea and I just don’t find that relaxing. Plus, you have to go to the aft stairs or elevators to get there. From midship, you have to go to deck 7, walk aft and then get there by going down to deck six. We oftentimes travel with those with mobility challenges so, we ask for the dining room on deck 5 or 6 midship. I think the Skagway is on deck 6 midship and that one is just fine with us.

I may be in the minority but love the fact the portions are smaller .. and with the exception of the lobster tails they were serving right after the restart, the food has been exceptionally good. I really love that I can order from the room service menu via my app now, whether I’m at the pool or in my room. Prices are up everywhere and on everything. What used to cost me $60 in the grocery store is now up over $100. And the gas to get there is also pricier now, too. No real complaints from me ..

We’ve been double charged a few times and whether I’ve booked online with my credits from the premier package or booked online and paid for it with my credit card. I now try to remember to tell them up front when we show up for our reservation that it has already been paid for. I forgot this last time and was charged for our dinners that were covered under the premier package. I called guest services and the charges were I immediately reversed.

I would love either a free upgrade or even a 50% upgrade fee from the Plus to the Premium Package for elite passengers. The loyalty OBC seems to be a thing of the past but that was also a nice perk. I rarely, by rarely, I mean never, use the laundry perk so, I would trade that in for a beverage package upgrade in a heartbeat.

Even though you may not like this option, if there is a possibility your mom chooses not to go, she’d probably be better off booking in her own cabin and your sleeping arrangements can be up to you, especially if you get a cabin right across the hall, maybe an inside cabin. It won’t muck up your booking if she decides to cancel, not to mention, you’d have two bathrooms and two closets to share amongst four women. Also, you can arrange for the medallions to open both cabins. The agent is probably correct that you may not be able to get back into your original room at the same price .. it all depends on the promotion that is going on at the time you all decide upon who is going, who is not. Just be sure to get a travel insurance that allows you to cancel for any reason, at least for your mother.

I agree .. I have a fantastic TA that I use for all cruises other than for those with Princess, in which case, I use a Princess Cruise Vacation Planner. Many TAs will get the same people on the phone that the OP is getting. Good TAs will know the ropes and fight for you. Just to transfer it to some TA that you’ve never used before seems senseless to me.

Oh, I now see that! However, if you do the math, that’s only $5 a day per device. Those prices are actually cheap when comparing to other cruiselines. We were just on Celebrity and the WiFi was useless. To upgrade to the high speed, it was another $18 per day per device and that was also with our elite discount. While MedallionNet can be problematic, it is much better and a lot cheaper than most WiFi out there. You can always swap out one device for the other unless you have to have all four running at the same time. If you find you need the four device package, you can upgrade once onboard via the app and it’s prorated for the remaining days.

I believe it is possible that is the price without the elite discount. If purchased ahead of time, you were charged the full price and got the 50% discount back in refundable onboard credit on your folio. You can now simply purchase it on the ship via the app and the discount will be automatically applied. Could that be what is happening here?

We’ve cruised on the Royal and Discovery since the new package pricing went into effect on Feb 20th and the pricing we paid were from the old package pricing. The drinks were limited to $15 on the plus and $20 on the premier rather than being limited to the old package pricing. the ‘new items’ were the only things that were not included if you didn’t upgrade to the new pricing, which is available on the app. These new items were the fitness classes and premium desserts and neither were missed. The new items may also include the juice bar .. just can’t remember for sure.

We just upgraded from the plus to the premier package yesterday on the Discovery Princess. I believe there is an incentive if a crew member gets you to upgrade, although it is also possible to take care of it in the app. The charge goes onto your folio and you can offset the charges for it with any OBC you might have. Both parties in the cabin have to either purchase or upgrade your package. if you purchase or upgrade to the Premier Package onboard, don’t forget to stop by Ocean Navigator for your included medallion clip and make your reservations for your specialty dining.

Oh my goodness, we just ate there last night and it was fantastic! We had a salad, the Rolatta and ordered a split pizza. There must have been a communication error as we got two whole pizzas. Yikes … we couldn’t finish it but what we had was delish. I guess, to each his own!

Seeing that you are fully mobile, definitely consider BART. You will have to transfer once at the Daly City Station, I think that’s where it is, and then roll into the Embarcadero station. Once there, you can either just catch the muni bus there. You will want the one that goes down the Embarcadero. A agent will be there to help you. Or, take the exit to the Embarcadero and walk the opposite direction from the Bay Bridge along the water front. It’s only a mile walk. They never have checked our boarding times. People start lining up around 9:45 but let in to the terminal around 10:00 AM. There is no priority line for security but once past that, you will be directed to the appropriate check in line. Around 11:00 - 11:30 PM is when you be allowed to board if the previous disembarkation went smoothly. this is all if you board at Pier 27. Occasionally, there is a larger ship than the Crown in Port and they use pier 27, in which case, you will board at pier 35 .. just a bit further down the Embarcadero. I hate to say it, but boarding at Pier 35 is horrible. I choose all my cruises out of SF based on which pier they use.

No flames from me … I am interested in trading in my mini bar for additional $50 OBC if possible. Wow .. the money I could have saved as we never even touch it since we always get the package. I’m trying that on my next cruise.

Wow… I just heard about that on our local news. That’s incredible! They were warning people to just stay off the roads. I’m am wondering how the cruise ships will respond. Stay safe everybody.

I’m not sure I eat more pizza now that the delivered pizza is complimentary than we did before as we travel with someone that is so picky, we oftentimes go to Alfredo’s or GiGis, anyway. If we are all gathered to watch an event or activity, we order a pizza wherever we may be with some salads to go with it. Amongst all the different cruiselines, Princess really does have the best pizza, IMO.

We went to the Crown Grill on the Royal last week and it was outstanding. I think everyone got the lobster, if that is of any importance. I do think the lobster in the dining room has greatly improved, though. Had I known that, I would have probably ordered the sea bass. It is always incredible.

I know .. $3 is not a big deal. Just noting that the extra charge no longer exists but, I imagine it can come back at any time.

There are still other forms of transportation to get back to the US where is possible without a passport, though. We’ve gone to Victoria and to Vancouver many times without a passport by ferry and by car, even by train it is possible. Prince Rupert may be more difficult to navigate but it still is possible.

I’d be surprised to see it… the place is nowhere we’d ever go again!

The state department warnings have been in place for a really long time in Mexico. Princess did cancel the port of Mazatlan for a couple of years when the cartels took over. So, if any consistent unrest does happen, they will most likely cancel it again. But for now, they have assurances from the city officials to keep the tourist areas safe to the extent that is possible. There are no assurances that bad things can happen but that is anywhere, even in our home town. But, exercising some increased awareness of your surroundings and remaining in the clearly marked tourist areas is your best bet to staying safe. Enjoy your cruise.

it’s only if you upgrade to the newer package

here on the Royal, there is also an Alfredo’s. It probably did come from there as the one in charge of Alfredo’s noted that the pizzas were complimentary as of the last Hawaiian cruise back in the middle of the month.

No, just in a mini suite .. not club class.

Funny you asked that because Silvija just said to say hi to you! We are having a great time … there is so much to do, I’m finding it hard to keep up with all the activities! We were upgraded to a mini suite on the Marina deck. I’ve always dreaded being under the pool deck but so far, so good! Can’t look a gift horse in the mouth! The food and entertainment has been awesome. The staff couldn’t be nicer and more attentive. With 3250 guests, it started off feeling empty but now now, the crowds are quite apparent. I think it was the rough seas that kept them in their cabins those first couple of days. We went to the winemakers dinner and it was phenomenal! It was probably one of the best meals I’ve ever had in my whole life! We are going to the Tuscany dinner later in the cruise.