1153rsmith

We are loving the trip report and the pictures. We are doing the southbound on the Island Princess in September. I sure hope there are still some type of flowers blooming and we get to see sea creatures and wildlife like you did.

I was wondering about dinner. We are on the Aug 9th sailing and as you said the train arrives at 8:30. How do they handle the Lifeboat drill ?

Our schedule for September 3rd shows the ship departing at 8:30 so I think our train arrives at 5-5:30. The lifeboat drill has to be after everyone is on, but before it sails. Or at least that is how it has been on every other ship I have sailed on. If it sails at 8:30, I would assume the lifeboat drill would be around 8:10.

Does anyone have a more recent room service menu? The most recent I have been able to find so far is from 2011.

Also, does Princess have a restaurant of any sort up by the pool? Say one that did burgers or chicken tenders?

Open seating for everyone in the Dining Rooms

 

 

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That makes sense. Thanks

We will be coming into Whittier on the Princess train to board the Island Princess. Since the ship does not leave until 8:30pm and since we are not scheduled to arrive until around 5:30pm, how does dinner work the first night?

If we have the 5:15 or 5:45 seating, we will not likely even be on the ship at that point. Do they push all the seatings later or do you have to hit the buffet if you miss your seating?

We are sailing the week of Labor Day.

Do you know if Princess heats the pools in Alaska? Are any of the pool areas enclosed? My teens love to swim, so being able to do that comfortably would certainly be a plus.

Is there mini-golf or a sports deck onboard?

We are sailing the Island Princess from Alaska in September. This will be our first Princess cruise. On other lines they have done a sail away party on deck. Does Princess do something similar?

So far we have sailed Carnival, Royal, and Disney. I'm curious to see how Princess compares. We have 2 teenagers going with us so I hope there is a good mix of age groups and activities on the cruise.

Thanks for all the information so far, it is very helpful. Maybe a little more information would help you assist me. Our party of 8 ranges in age from 13-72 and we are saving about $180 per airline ticket to spend the night in Vancouver as opposed to flying out the same day we dock. I am trying not to use up all that savings on hotels and airport transfers.

I would like to have us somewhere near things to see and do, and a safe area to walk in. None of us drink, so local breweries are not an issue for us. We are hoping to use the day we are in Vancouver to try to see part of the area.

I am not opposed to using a Priceline or other bidding site, as long as I can be pretty sure I am not going to get stuck somewhere I don't want to be. Not knowing anything about the area, it is really difficult for me to look at the maps on the various booking sites and determine what will be our best option.

If we decide to do a hotel in the low $200's would you recommend the Pan Am or the Delta Vancouver Suites?

Does anyone know anything about the Best Western Plus Uptown Vancouver at 205 Kingsway, Vancouver, British Columbia ? Is it a good area? How close to Sky Train and Port? Looks like a pretty good rate.

Another option would be to stay at a hotel near the airport, almost all of them offer free shuttle service to the airport. You would have to take the Sky train or taxi from port to the hotel; but once you've dropped your bags, hop on the Sky train back into downtown to wander about.

I am beginning to think this may be our best bet. Now, I just need to research ones that are near a variety of restaurants.

We are sailing into Vancouver on Princess Cruise Lines on 9/10/14 and spending the night to take advantage of better flights the next day.

Can someone recommend some reasonably priced (less than $180 a night) hotels that are near places to eat or something to do? Free airport shuttle would be great as would a free breakfast, but not deal breakers. I have heard mention of the light rail so near there to do a little sight seeing would be fantastic. It sounded like the Canada line went to the airport.

There will be 8 of us so trying to get around with taxi's is going to get expensive.

We just mainly need something clean and safe where we have access to something to eat without taking out a mortgage or having to travel great distances.

Considering we will have most of a day to look around, what would you suggest doing after we settle into our hotel?

Any advice is appreciated.

We want to do a cruise with a few days (probably on our own) before the cruise on land. We are leaning towards Princess because of Glacier Bay.

We want to see whales and wildlife. Which time would be better, Mid-June or early September?

Thanks for the advice guys. Keep it coming.

I will take a look at HAL to see what they offer. Have any of you used Royal Caribbean for an Alaskan cruise? Thoughts?

Would you be open to planning your own trip for the land portion? You can fly into Anchorage and rent a car and build your trip based on your interests.

But as mentioned, the park road isn't fully open until early June, so you will be limited there.

Yes, I would be open to trying to do the land portion on my own, but the biggest thing that concerns me is transportation. There may be as many as 8 of us, and I don't know what our options would be for getting 8 people plus luggage around.:confused:

Great review. Thanks for taking the time to do it. Does anyone have any experience with the other Princess ships sailing Alaska? I think the tours we have been looking at are on the Coral Princess.

Are any of the meals included on the land portion of the trip? If so, which ones?

We are planning on going with our two teenagers as well as two of my brothers and their spouses. A total of 8 in 3 cabins. We are looking at the mini-suites to give my teens each a separate bed.

Do any of the recommendations so far differ if you are taking a 15 year old and a 13 year old, as well as 2 other adult couples? I would definitely consider doing the land portion on our own, but I am concerned about getting a vehicle large enough for the 8 of us plus luggage.

How does Holland do for families? We have been looking at mini-suites on Princess to allow our children to have separate beds. One on the couch and the other on a pulldown.

We are wanting to do a cruisetour and in looking at the prices, it looks like I can save about 1/3 of the price by cruising in May vs. July. Does anyone know what the main differences in the 2 months will be? Do you see a good bit of wildlife and whales in Mid to late May or does it need to be later in the season. Temperatures are really not an issue. We just want to see the most that we can for the best price. What we are looking at is an 11 or 12 day total trip with 7 of those being on a southbound cruise. I hope to find one with a couple days in Denali.

Will we disappointed in what we don't see if we go in May vs other times during the summer? If so, does anyone know what time of year strikes the best balance between cost and what you get for it?

Hey everyone,

My family (2 adults, 2 teens) and 2 of my brothers (2 adults each) are wanting to do a cruise to Alaska this coming summer and have been recommended Princess ***** (specific TA reference removed) ***** because they said it has the best land portion as well as things to do for children.

Can you seasoned Princess folks give me your input on this? We are looking at an 11 day Denali with the land tour first. Has anyone done that trip?

We have cruised several times so far, but not on princess. We have done one on Carnival, one on Royal Caribbean, and 3 on Disney... All Bahamas/Caribbean itineraries.

We are looking for advice on what will work best for us. This will most likely be the only time all of us can go to Alaska as my oldest brother is 71, and with the cost of this trip, we certainly can't do this often. We want to see as much as we can and have a great onboard experience as well. :) We are accustomed to the activities on Disney and absolutely love it. Will we be disappointed at the activities on Princess.