GloriaF

I was unable to edit. The proper quote from Sonny in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: "Everything will be all right in the end ... if it's not all right, then it's not yet the end."

Prior to our cruise last week, where I saw the changes in Glacier Bay from our 2005 visit there, I would have said definitely include GB. The changes of the regressing glaciers, particularly Margerie, is sad. It is still impressive, but not sure that it is better than Tracy Arm or Hubbard Glacier. Maybe someone can chime in with other opinions.

One more thing ~ I believe life is an adventure, some good, some bad, but all colored by your attitude and reactions, and all having some good to be gleaned from every experience. I try to always look at everything in a positive light. I find this quote from the movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel to be a good way to cope with the trials and tribulations of life in general: "It will all be all right in the end, and if it isn't all right, it is not the end." (hope I didn't misquote this)

We booked with EZ Air and our flight was cancelled on the last leg of our travel just this weekend. Because it was 5:30 AM Eastern time, calling Princess or the TA was not an option. We worked directly with the airline. If needed the airline will also give you meal, hotel, and transportation vouchers. It's not fun having canceled flights, but it all worked out in the end.

Our saga for getting home after the cruise just kept getting worse! We spent a full day at Sea-Tac waiting for 9:35 Flight to JFK. We had planned on sightseeing in Seattle, but it was cold and rainy and we decided to forego our plans. As I mentioned earlier, we arrived in JFK at 5:30 AM Sun, but the Sun flight to JAX was cancelled/we were on standby for 4:15pm flight that was already overbooked. We spent the better part of Sun At JFK and when Delta finally offered us a hotel about 4 PM (we chose Hyatt Regency), we jumped at it. Delta provided Lyft vouchers to/from the hotel, which we used but that is another entirely different story - more later on Lyft. Monday's flight to JAX was cancelled, too, and we ended up going to Reagan in Washington DC on Delta, and had a confirmed American Airlines flight at 8:03 PM for JAX. Luckily, we got onboard AA as standbys on a much earlier flight, and were home by 2:30 PM. Now about Lyft: First I should say we don't use taxis except when traveling and Uber/Lyft never, we live in a suburban setting and drive ourselves anywhere we need to go, and I have been leary of Uber & Lyft from the beginning. My two recent experiences just strengthened this belief. Our driver to the hotel took us into some scary neighborhoods and then announced we were at our destination, which was nowhere in sight. I said I wasn't getting out of the car and this started an argument with the 20 yr old driver. He said I was disrespecting him and parked his car at the curb -- finally my husband was able to soothe his feelings and we cajoled him block by block to the hotel by looking at street numbers! I learned at the hotel another guest had a similar experience. Then today going to the airport, the driver didn't show up and we asked hotel reception for help. Finally he came but only if we would give him an additional $20, which we did - we were desperate to check in for our flight that we didn't know was cancelled, and TSA at JFK is a zoo in itself. What a day!! We had nice long naps when we got home and hopefully tomorrow will be a normal day!!

Our week, June 11-18, was wet, cold and extremely windy. Weather is changeable and where you're from/what kind of weather you're used to makes a big difference. It was 90 and humid when we boarded our flight in Jacksonville, FL. I was bundled up the entire cruise!

We did not buy the Plus or Premium, packages. We don't drink much alcohol or specialty coffee, and it didn't make financial sense. Wifi was $45 (50% off for elite) for the week. $200 OBC just about covers gratuities for the week, so didn't matter that it was non-refundable. ($203 for balcony cabin). We had $750 total OBC, and thought we would be buying perfume or jewelry for Christmas gifts, but we checked at Guest Services and learned they use the non-refundable credits first. At that time we had about $400 refundable credit, but paid for another shorex and baggage fees to Delta through Port Valet. Expecting about $200 check for refundable OBC - but not holding our breath about when it will come. GS said 2-3 weeks, but I'll be surprised if it isn't 10-12 weeks instead.

It is stressful. Going on 36 hours in the same clothes! DH sees problems, and I’ve always tried to look on the brighter side. It’s not fun but we will survive. I immediately thought of you when this happened bc I know you’ve been through it. Being Sunday and arriving at 5:30 AM, calling Princess or TA was not an option so went straight to Delta’s “help” desk.

Port Valet was a confused mess onboard. When we didn’t receive the form to fill out in our cabin, we went to Guest Services. They said Princess was not taking part. I filled out the PV form online and took it back to GS. Another person told us they would email our airline (Delta) to be sure they were participating and they would leave a voicemail for us. No messages so we checked again to no avail, so we booked Seattle Express ($42 for pier pickup for 2), then on Friday we received Port Valet tags and disembarkation instructions. So, we used Port Valet but rode Seattle Express to the airport. We had EZAir reservations. Today when we arrived from Seattle toNYC (JFK) our final flight is canceled. We’re waiting around to see if we can get on later today as stand by, and if not we will get hotel voucher for tonight. Trying to stay positive, but not a good ending!

ISP was canceled before the cruise started. Princess gave everyone $200 in OBC (non refundable) for cancellation of Ketchikan and then ISP but these canceled ports were announced prior to boarding. Juneau time was shortened, but day of Juneau the ship made better time and got to port at 3:30 instead of anticipated 5:30. The original time on itinerary was to arrive at 12:30. Skagway was a full day. 6:0 am to 8:00 pm I think, but could have been 10 pm. Glacier Bay was the full time 6 am - 3 pm. We saw GB in 2005, and the regression of the glaciers in the past 17 years was sad. Margerie glaciers is half what I remember from 2005. Victoria times were slightly longer than advertised. Supposed to be arriving at 7 pm and ship actually arrived closer to 4 pm. Libby Riddle was on board in Juneau, and a couple puppies were onboard in Skagway. Of course the puppies became a photo op for Princess. There was a long line to hold a puppy and pose for the pic. but we didn’t do it. We did stop by to look at the pups. since it was our second Alaska cruise, and Glacier Bay was what we cared about, we enjoyed the cruise.

We’re on Crown now. Captain announced today there are 1600 something pax and 1200 are first timers. Now it makes sense since we received an invite to the most traveled pax luncheon. Never before and probably never again. We have lots of cruises with Princess, but not in the most traveled category usually. Weather was good but windy and cold. Seattle was warm and sunny and I was beginning to think I had packed too many warm clothes. Just before sail away yesterday we felt a cool wind and it just kept getting colder. Monday and rest of week has rain at least part of the day. Rainy with low clouds/fog InJuneau. 50 F. we are visiting Mendenhall Glacier but will not do the hike to Nugget Falls in the cold rain. Hoping for better weather later. Captain announced we have made better time than expected and we will arrive in Juneau earlier than anticipated. Great news. Now if only rain stops and clouds lift! All cruises are fun in my opinion!!

I have to say I've never had anyone at Princess be abusive either! And when they notice we are elite, they thank us for our loyalty.

Wow! Welcome to Cruise Critic and to Princess! It's hard to say the Princess general age range as it varies on different cruises. In general the longer cruises are older passengers, probably bc they have more time being retired. We were on one 7 day Caribbean cruise full of spring breakers, but that is unusual for Princess. Avoiding ship excursions gives you the advantage of more time to do what your group wants to do, and less time waiting for the slowest people in your group. The disadvantage to not being on a ship excursion is that the ship is not obligated to wait for you should you be late getting back to port. So you need to keep a close eye on the time in port and we always plan to get back 30 minutes earlier than specified just to be on the safe side. I've not been to the Canaries, so can't comment on your plans in port. As for disembarkation, times vary due to unforeseen circumstances (health inspections due to illness on board comes to mind) but you should certainly be off by 9 am probably earlier. Keep in mind, they are anxious to get their returning passengers off so that the turnaround cleaning and prep can begin as a new set of passengers will be boarding early that afternoon. Not sure if I've covered your questions, but hopefully have made a start and others can jump in with more info.

Thanks for the heads up about rain in Juneau. Hope it changes! Longterm forecasts aren't all that accurate, but I will pack rain gear just in case!

That's the same itinerary we had. Thanks for the reply

Our Hawaii cruise only had 8 sea days total, 4 each way. The first 2 and the last 2 were chilly on deck. Did your Hawaii cruise have 5 ports as well? It's been a few years for ours, itinerary may have changed.

I'm in the be prepared camp. We've carted a self-made sea sickness kit on every cruise for years and only had to use it once. We figure having it was the reason we didn't need it. Same with cold/cough and tummy remedies. Check expiration dates and replace as needed.

I would not reserve the Sanctuary for Alaska, but I usually bring a couple blankets down from the pool deck/MUTS to use on our own balcony.

I am completely sympathetic to this issue and hope it is resolved satisfactorily. If no accessible inside cabins remain available, then Princess must upgrade them to an accessible cabin even if it is a full suite. I agree with the suggestion to contact Jan Swartz directly. Mention the American Disability Act as well, and threaten to involve them if necessary. Princess is not registered in USA but they do business in US and want to maintain goodwill. This telephone has been posted, and while it probably is not the correct department it may help to connect you to the correct department - 800-872-6779. (Ext 30317 seems to have been disconnected, but maybe calling the number will help.). I have a fax # as well that I used when applying for shareholder benefit. The # is 661-753-0180. No idea if these numbers will help, but worth a last minute try. Lastly, in the future reservations should be marked 'No Upgrade' to possibly avoid this issue.

We're on the June 11th cruise, too. I second the desire for good weather. Planning on spending lots of time on our balcony watching the scenery go by. Cancelled and shortened ports are a disappointment, but making the best of it. We have always enjoyed sea days in the past, so this should be no different. I'm sure the cruise director & staff have lots of trivia and games planned to pass the sea days. Good service, food, entertainment and good companion will make it enjoyable! Safe travels!!

Sure hope this will also apply to Seattle cruises!!

Loving it!

I hope the Covid protocols are in full force on these cruises as well! We leave on Crown June 11 and plan to wear masks when in public places on and off the ship. Compared to the risk of getting sick, wearing a mask is simple and makes sense to me. We will also be spending considerable time on our balcony. I would also be delighted if the buffet went back to crew serving everyone.

I wish you luck in making the change. My personal option would be to include Glacier Bay on Majestic. If many of your party have never been to Alaska and will not return, Glacier Bay is a priority. You could keep the flight out of Seattle to return home and use a shuttle service from Vancouver cruise port to Seattle Airport. With 13 people, you may do better with a private shuttle. We booked two seats on a large bus full of other cruisers being transferred from Vancouver cruise port to Seattle Airport and the cost was not bad...I can't recall exact cost bc our last cruise to Alaska was in 2005! (We return to Alaska on the crippled Crown June 11th and we are sticking with it.) Of course, there's no getting around the expense of 1 change flying into Anchorage. Again, GOOD LUCK!!!

Glad you are now on your way! We are using them for our transfer next week. How did you handle getting in touch with Seattle Express? Is there a telephone #, since we booked online I never noticed phone contact. Guess I need to look at our receipt.