Crown Princess Escorted CruiseTour Sept 2014

So it's been a few months, and I am missing cruising already so I thought I would post a quick review of my September 2014 CruiseTour on the Crown.

About us

In our early 60's (our 34 year old daughter accompanied us on the cruise portion). Not particularly social (DH likes to stay in the cabin), so I have little to say about ship activities. Used only Princess excursions because they were very careful to tell you about how much walking, bathroom facilities, etc.

On the Crown

Ship: The ship is indeed a bit dated, but clean and pleasant. I took the ship's tour and was very impressed with the behind the scenes efficiency. While we were on board there was a small electrical fire and there were power issues a couple of times. I ascribed it to the age of the ship. Certainly things were not shiny new (scuffed rails, dated décor), but it was Alaska so, hey, who cares. A word about the demographic -- in September it was definitely a senior crowd. I felt positively young!

Cabin Review: We were in Cabin C748 (aft suite). Our first suite experience and will probably never go back again. Our first aft cabin experience and must say the same. An Aft cabin is fabulous for Alaska - not windy at all and cruising the glaciers you could see everything. The one downside is you couldn't hear the commentary, but sitting on the deck with a delivered lunch watching the fabulous scenery can't be beat. I had read on CC that there was an odd odor on the balcony from time to time (in port), which was true. Nothing nauseating, but it was there from time to time.

Service: I must say I was impressed with our service all around. We were new to suite life and didn't know to fill out order cards, etc. Didn't matter. Our cabin steward anticipated our needs and just took care of us. Everyone had a smile and was very helpful (except for one somewhat surly Maitre 'd (how the heck do you spell that anyway?) That was the most outstanding aspect of our trip.

Food: The buffet was always pretty crowded, but there was good selection, and the serving stations were broken up a bit. The Crown Grill was fabulous, and breakfast in Sabatini's was delish. (Definitely one of the better perks for a suite.) We ate in our cabin quite a bit, and the food was good. That said, overall food was just that -- good, but not spectacular. Of course, no one ever starves on a cruise, but I have had better elsewhere.

Ports: Ports were a good "taste" of Alaska, and I liked that we had some sea days too. As mentioned, excursions were all booked through Princess and were all excellent (no disappointments at all). They are organized so you can have a little town/port time if you want it. Our favorite was the dog sled camp in Juneau. Also did the Mendenhall Glacier and whale watching (sadly just a few whales) tour in Juneau. Lighthouse, Eagles tour in Ketchikan, and the train/bus in Skagway, but had sort of poor weather. Liarsville was fun with great food.

Tour Portion

We were on the 8 day escorted connoisseur tour. First off - lots of bus/train travel (which meant sleep for some of us), but a great way to see stuff if you are travelling with someone less than mobile. We stayed at three Princess Hotels (Kenai, McKinley, and Denali) and liked them all. Kenai however was my favorite - fireplaces were fun! Included meals were great, and worth the extra cost. It was also nice to have a dedicated guide who traveled with us. Dave arranged lots of little extras for us, gave us treats, and took care of everything. Very thoughtful on dinner pairings (we usually ate with someone else at the table) and a wealth of information about Alaska. Tours were all great, especially of course the Tundra Tour in Denali.

All in all, the trip of a life time. Feel free to post questions and I'll be happy to answer all!

We are on a similar tour next August, (also conissour with meals included) but starting in Fairbanks. Thank you for your report. I have a few questions.

1. Did you take any optional excursions from the lodges on the land portion?

2. How was the Tundra Wilderness tour?

3. What was the bus trip like from McKinley to Kenai? I thought I read someplace that you have a stop in Anchorage but I can't find that again.

4. Did you have a hard time getting into dinner times you wanted in the lodges?

Thank you.

Thanks for taken the time to write and then share your review.

Keith

Thanks for your review!

We have booked a similar eight day connoisseur tour, but are spending two days in Copper River rather than McKinley. We have two long travel days and have read stops are made for lunch, breaks, and sights.

Can you, or anyone who has been on this type of tour, please tell us what sort of stops you made on your long travel days?

Thanks

We are on a similar tour next August, (also conissour with meals included) but starting in Fairbanks. Thank you for your report. I have a few questions.

 

1. Did you take any optional excursions from the lodges on the land portion?

 

2. How was the Tundra Wilderness tour?

 

3. What was the bus trip like from McKinley to Kenai? I thought I read someplace that you have a stop in Anchorage but I can't find that again.

 

4. Did you have a hard time getting into dinner times you wanted in the lodges?

 

Thank you.

Answers:

1. Yes. I did the Kenai Fjords National Park Tour. Really well done. Fabulous scenery and lots of wildlife (but not too many whales). I did the Devil's Canyon Adventure in McKinley. By far and away my favorite tour of the entire trip. And the White Pass Railway (up) bus tour back. Fun, but the weather was not good.

2. Tundra Wilderness Tour was GREAT. Our weather was spectacular and we saw McKinely completely unobstructed. A little sparse on the wildlife (did see my bear at last though), but the scenery was stunning.

3. Kenai to McKinley we stopped for lunch in Anchorage. About and hour and half to grab a bite to eat and stretch our legs. Some people hoofed it to the Museum.

4. Dinner Times. These are set up by your guide, usually with other people in your group. All you have to do is let him/her know your preferences and they will try to accommodate.

Mary

Thanks for your review!

We have booked a similar eight day connoisseur tour, but are spending two days in Copper River rather than McKinley. We have two long travel days and have read stops are made for lunch, breaks, and sights.

Can you, or anyone who has been on this type of tour, please tell us what sort of stops you made on your long travel days?

Thanks

On our long trips they tried to make stops about half way or a couple of times during the long trips. So we stopped in Anchorage for lunch Kenai to McKinley. We also stopped twice on the way from Denali to Fairbanks, once at a dog sled camp and once for a quick restroom/snack break. I did not find the travel too much, but I like just riding alone either snoozing or looking at scenery.

We are on a similar tour next August, (also conissour with meals included) but starting in Fairbanks. Thank you for your report. I have a few questions.

 

1. Did you take any optional excursions from the lodges on the land portion?

 

2. How was the Tundra Wilderness tour?

 

3. What was the bus trip like from McKinley to Kenai? I thought I read someplace that you have a stop in Anchorage but I can't find that again.

Did you look at the photo journal from MVPinboynton? It's in the 2014 trip report list, above. Their tour wasn't identical to yours but they visited the same places and the report is very detailed so it might be helpful.

Thanks everyone.

When you did the whale watching and glacier in Juneau through Princess, did you get to spend much time at Mendenhall Glacier? Did you have time to get any closer to the glacier or were you in the visitors center the whole time?

When you did the whale watching and glacier in Juneau through Princess, did you get to spend much time at Mendenhall Glacier? Did you have time to get any closer to the glacier or were you in the visitors center the whole time?

We had about an hour at Mendenhall. It was barely enough time to hoof it to the falls and back (not for me and these old legs), but some on our tour managed it. I thought the views of the glacier were pretty spectacular from the visitor's center and with a good zoom on the old camera it was not bad at all. I HIGHLY recommend the Visitor's Center (don't miss being able to touch the glacier ice). One note, the bus driver said this is one place you cannot be late to the bus because they are restricted in the time the bus can stay at the parking lot.

We had about an hour at Mendenhall. It was barely enough time to hoof it to the falls and back (not for me and these old legs), but some on our tour managed it. I thought the views of the glacier were pretty spectacular from the visitor's center and with a good zoom on the old camera it was not bad at all. I HIGHLY recommend the Visitor's Center (don't miss being able to touch the glacier ice). One note, the bus driver said this is one place you cannot be late to the bus because they are restricted in the time the bus can stay at the parking lot.

Could you have taken the Blue Bus back to the pier instead of the Princess bus? Or did you need to return immediately because of the ships departure time?

Could you have taken the Blue Bus back to the pier instead of the Princess bus? Or did you need to return immediately because of the ships departure time?

I don't know if they do the two tours in the same order every time. Our tour was whale watching first, Mendenhall second. So doing it in that order, you could easily stay longer at Mendenhall and take the Blue Bus back. Obviously if it was in the reverse, you would not be able to do it that way. We left at 8:30 am and got back to the ship by 1:30, had lunch and went to the Dog Sled Camp at 3:00. The ship didn't depart until 9 pm.

I don't know if they do the two tours in the same order every time. Our tour was whale watching first, Mendenhall second. So doing it in that order, you could easily stay longer at Mendenhall and take the Blue Bus back. Obviously if it was in the reverse, you would not be able to do it that way. We left at 8:30 am and got back to the ship by 1:30, had lunch and went to the Dog Sled Camp at 3:00. The ship didn't depart until 9 pm.

Note, I revised this. I checked my itinerary and noted we got back at 1:30 not 11:30. Still had enough time for a bite to eat and then the dogs (one of my favorite excursions). So there would still be plenty of time to spend longer at Mendenhall.