Quick Sea Princess Review

[Cruising Rules]

Just back from our Sea Princess cruise go Alaska. We have had 20 cruises and so I offer this feedback based on comparison to many other cruise lines (5 to be exact)

 

POSITIVE OBSERVATIONS

 

1. MDR food and service excellent

2. Most staff very focused on providing excellent service

3. While the ship is 12 years old it is in very good condition and very clean

4. Cushions on some of the chairs around the pool (a little thing but important to me)

5. Did not try and constantly sell things like other lines often do

6. Very few PA announcements

7. Heated pools!!!!

 

AREAS OF CONCERN

 

1. Buffet food very poor compared to other lines

2. Decision made to bypass the advertised Tracy Arm leg of the trip for Endicot Arm and the Dawes Glacier due to "traffic". Dawes Glacier is much less majestic and not near as impressive. Big mistake!!! Many on the ship very upset by this last minute decision including us.

3. Stop at Haines Alaska for 12 hours a complete waste of time. There is little to do here and frankly many were bored with this small town.

4. Cabins were very small compared to other lines we have been on.

5. If your a gambler this is the smallest casino by far I have ever seen on a cruise ship. (if your not a gambler of course you won't mind)

 

Overall I would give this cruise a score of 7 out of 10 and this because Alaska is such a beautiful destination. Some may disagree with this short review but this is our humble opinion.

[RickEk]

Just back from our Sea Princess cruise go Alaska. We have had 20 cruises and so I offer this feedback based on comparison to many other cruise lines (5 to be exact)

 

POSITIVE OBSERVATIONS

 

1. MDR food and service excellent

2. Most staff very focused on providing excellent service

3. While the ship is 12 years old it is in very good condition and very clean

4. Cushions on some of the chairs around the pool (a little thing but important to me)

5. Did not try and constantly sell things like other lines often do

6. Very few PA announcements

7. Heated pools!!!!

 

AREAS OF CONCERN

 

1. Buffet food very poor compared to other lines

2. Decision made to bypass the advertised Tracy Arm leg of the trip for Endicot Arm and the Dawes Glacier due to "traffic". Dawes Glacier is much less majestic and not near as impressive. Big mistake!!! Many on the ship very upset by this last minute decision including us.

3. Stop at Haines Alaska for 12 hours a complete waste of time. There is little to do here and frankly many were bored with this small town.

4. Cabins were very small compared to other lines we have been on.

5. If your a gambler this is the smallest casino by far I have ever seen on a cruise ship. (if your not a gambler of course you won't mind)

 

Overall I would give this cruise a score of 7 out of 10 and this because Alaska is such a beautiful destination. Some may disagree with this short review but this is our humble opinion.

 

Thanks for the short review. We're going on this cruise next week. Thankfully we're scheduled to see Glacier Bay and surely hope we don't have "traffic" problems. I have heard Haines is small and boring. We've investigated heading over to Skagway, but we'll probably just hang by the pools. And for whatever reason, the casino is small because the ship caters to the Brits when it's not doing the Alaskan run. It is a shame that they can't bring in some extra gaming tables and more casino staff when the ship is in Alaska.

[Cruising Rules]

Hi Rick

 

I am sure you will enjoy your cruise. Alaska is incredible. You will see there is plenty of room to increase the size of the casino :-)

Enjoy your cruise and let us know how you liked it upon your return.

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks for your thoughts.....

 

Bob

[cathatgirl]

I think the thing about Haines is that you have to go with an agenda in mind. Whether it's to take an excursion with the ship or renting a car for fishing, golfing, kayaking, visiting the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve or the Chilkoot State Park, ferrying over to Skagway for train ride to White Pass, or take a flight tour to Glacier Bay or Rainbow Glacier (if weather permits, but it kinda sucked during our trip) there are stuff to you but you need to plan it out in advance. In Haines, you are not bombarded with local tours and excursion booths at the docks like in Juneau and Ketchikan, and the local tours they do have seem lame. Souvenir shopping in Haines is pretty much non-existent as are the jewelry shops that seem to line the shore as soon as you step off the ship in Juneau and Ketchikan. So choices are quite limited if you do not have something planned in advance.

 

In my case, my mom and I were so busy and active in the last two ports, it was nice to be a little more chill at a slower pace town like Haines. My brother and his wife went to the library to use their computers and catch up with friends on facebook. My mom and I eventually took a walk down the coast and hiked Battery Point trail through the woods to Kelgaya Point, and bumped into several fellow cruisers along the way. My brother and his wife were bored so they went back onto the ship for lunch and then hit the pools while mom and I made it back in time for an early seating for dinner. It was still great time to be had for all, even if it's different from the last two ports.

 

With that being said though, I think our time in Haines could have been reduced by a bit and our time in Victoria expanded by a bit! That stop was just way too short!!! Not enough time to do much if you've never been there!

[DougH]

Thanks for the review, its always nice to hear what others think. I love this class ship but with both the Sun & Dawn "down under:" only the Sea is left in the fleet. My favorite is the Pizzeria and wish they had this on all ships as a sit down space rather than just a by the pool grill.

 

Haven't been to Haines in a while but this is much more like what Alaska was even 10 years ago before all of the big jewlery/souveneir stores drove out all of the local Mom & Pop stores. Far from an improvement IMHO. I wish more ports were like this as I go to Alaska for the scenery not the shopping.

[pretenda]

[ And for whatever reason, the casino is small because the ship caters to the Brits when it's not doing the Alaskan run. It is a shame that they can't bring in some extra gaming tables and more casino staff when the ship is in Alaska

Yep - we Brits think so too!!! We were on the ship in March around the Caribbean and would have preferred a little more choice - but just think of the dollars we saved!!!:D

To the OP - many thanks for the review, we enjoyed the ship too.:)

Glenda and Tony

[Clutterlady]

Thank you for your fair and honest review:)

[RickEk]

Thanks for the review, its always nice to hear what others think. I love this class ship but with both the Sun & Dawn "down under:" only the Sea is left in the fleet. My favorite is the Pizzeria and wish they had this on all ships as a sit down space rather than just a by the pool grill.

 

Haven't been to Haines in a while but this is much more like what Alaska was even 10 years ago before all of the big jewlery/souveneir stores drove out all of the local Mom & Pop stores. Far from an improvement IMHO. I wish more ports were like this as I go to Alaska for the scenery not the shopping.

 

Well, technically the Sun and Dawn Princesses are still in the fleet. They are just homeported in Australia. :)

 

I think the thing about Haines is that you have to go with an agenda in mind. Whether it's to take an excursion with the ship or renting a car for fishing, golfing, kayaking, visiting the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve or the Chilkoot State Park, ferrying over to Skagway for train ride to White Pass, or take a flight tour to Glacier Bay or Rainbow Glacier (if weather permits, but it kinda sucked during our trip) there are stuff to you but you need to plan it out in advance. In Haines, you are not bombarded with local tours and excursion booths at the docks like in Juneau and Ketchikan, and the local tours they do have seem lame. Souvenir shopping in Haines is pretty much non-existent as are the jewelry shops that seem to line the shore as soon as you step off the ship in Juneau and Ketchikan. So choices are quite limited if you do not have something planned in advance.

 

In my case, my mom and I were so busy and active in the last two ports, it was nice to be a little more chill at a slower pace town like Haines. My brother and his wife went to the library to use their computers and catch up with friends on facebook. My mom and I eventually took a walk down the coast and hiked Battery Point trail through the woods to Kelgaya Point, and bumped into several fellow cruisers along the way. My brother and his wife were bored so they went back onto the ship for lunch and then hit the pools while mom and I made it back in time for an early seating for dinner. It was still great time to be had for all, even if it's different from the last two ports.

 

With that being said though, I think our time in Haines could have been reduced by a bit and our time in Victoria expanded by a bit! That stop was just way too short!!! Not enough time to do much if you've never been there!

 

I think it'll be nice to see an unsullied Diamonds International-less port!

[ITMan]

Many thanks for the review. We are aboard in just under 4 weeks now.... cant wait... It is good to see some balanced views fo the ship and facilities.

 

Thanks again.

[W247]

We didn't do any excursions in Haines. I loved the hometown feel of the place but I would have to agree that 12 hours there was a bit too long.

 

My sisters family did a jeep excursion and had a blast, I am thinking that would have been a great tour to combine in with the time we had at Haines.

 

Enjoy the small town feel of it, it will take you about 2 hours to explore the place but also do an adventure excursion to get out into the wildlife. DON'T pay for an in-town excursion! You can walk the 3 blocks of this city and see the same sights.

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks for the review, its always nice to hear what others think. I love this class ship but with both the Sun & Dawn "down under:" only the Sea is left in the fleet. My favorite is the Pizzeria and wish they had this on all ships as a sit down space rather than just a by the pool grill.

 

Haven't been to Haines in a while but this is much more like what Alaska was even 10 years ago before all of the big jewlery/souveneir stores drove out all of the local Mom & Pop stores. Far from an improvement IMHO. I wish more ports were like this as I go to Alaska for the scenery not the shopping.

 

You could always take a cruise down under.....:):):)

 

Bob

[lehb]

Thanks for the short review. We're going on this cruise next week. Thankfully we're scheduled to see Glacier Bay and surely hope we don't have "traffic" problems. I have heard Haines is small and boring. We've investigated heading over to Skagway, but we'll probably just hang by the pools. And for whatever reason, the casino is small because the ship caters to the Brits when it's not doing the Alaskan run. It is a shame that they can't bring in some extra gaming tables and more casino staff when the ship is in Alaska.

 

You won't have "traffic problems" for Glacier Bay. It is a National Park and only permitted ships can go there. They only allow a certain number a day and it's all arranged in advance. I have heard that they have to occasionally miss it if there is severe fog, though. Hopefully, it will be alright (we had fog last year, and still got in there and it cleared for the glaciers).

 

To the OP, as for Tracy Arm, you often don't get to see the glacier very well, anyway, so maybe you got to see the other glacier better (who knows). There's usually too much ice in the water in Tracy Arm to get very close to the glacier. In fact they often have to miss it because of the ice conditions. I wonder if that's what the Captain meant by traffic, or if too many boats were in there for the ice conditions and it would have been unsafe. It isn't regulated like Glacier Bay. Passengers have to remember that the ship doesn't skip something just to annoy them. It is for their safety.

 

Most of the ships go to Skagway instead of Haines (including most of the Sea's Alaska runs). I bet the residents are pretty excited when a ship comes in. It is a cute little place and more real Alaska. Our last 2 Alaska trips, the ship stopped in Skagway, but we took excursions in Haines. Haines is definately better for nature explorations; Skagway is better for shopping and access to Canada via the train or tour buses. I wonder why they sometimes go to Haines instead of Skagway (maybe too many ships at Skagway that day). Anyway, it sounds like you had a good trip. Thanks for the report.

[theyurfs]

We also were on the same cruise and I disagree with a few things. I enjoyed Haines. We found a great pub for the World Cup match and then walked around town, tasting at the brewery, shopping a bit and beach combing. I found it refreshing after how busy the other ports were. I also find it silly to complain about stopping in Haines when it was clearly marked on the itinerary from the beginning. There are other cruise choices that go elsewhere. We investigated this itinerary and made an educated decision to take the Haines option.

 

As far as the captain's choice to go to Endicot Arm, I really enjoyed how calm and pristine it was without other ships around. I also believe we got closer than would have been possible at Tracy Arm. However, because of the change in itinerary at the last minute, I do see how you might be disappointed.

 

All in all, I loved the cruise.

[katisdale]

I love Haines. We left Skagway for the wilderness excursion in Haines and the bears certainly cooperated as well as the eagles otters and whales. If I was going to Alaska as a land tour I would definitely include Haines. Different strokes as they say.

[kiwipete]

We also were on the same cruise and I disagree with a few things. I enjoyed Haines. We found a great pub for the World Cup match and then walked around town, tasting at the brewery, shopping a bit and beach combing. I found it refreshing after how busy the other ports were. I also find it silly to complain about stopping in Haines when it was clearly marked on the itinerary from the beginning. There are other cruise choices that go elsewhere. We investigated this itinerary and made an educated decision to take the Haines option.

 

As far as the captain's choice to go to Endicot Arm, I really enjoyed how calm and pristine it was without other ships around. I also believe we got closer than would have been possible at Tracy Arm. However, because of the change in itinerary at the last minute, I do see how you might be disappointed.

 

All in all, I loved the cruise.

 

Hi all,

We too (or two) were on the last return trip to Alaska on Sea Princess. I can assure you it wasn't the Captains choice to go to Endicott Arm it was the Pilot. He has the final choice and on the day with a few other cruise ships heading to Tracey Arm he felt it would be safer and nicer for the passengers to have Endicott arm to ourselves.

I personally think he was right. It was beautiful and serene! In fact the Captain told us in his career he has only managed to get to the closest point of the Tracey Arm glacier a few times in his life as a cruise ship Captain because of either too much ice or fog.

Re the comment on Haines. mmmmm we staid on the ship!

We had a ball and enjoyed Alaska for the second time and what is more, we'll be back.

Pete and Norma

[W247]

I think the best thing I liked about cruising was the opportunity to see so many different places in a short amount of time. Even though we weren't in one city for a long period of time, it gave me enough exposure to that area to start planning longer future family vacations. I know our 16 yo son loved Ketchikan, so we might plan a few days to go there again on a family vacation so that we can explore even more. I loved Victoria so that will be another place we will put on our "list" for a future multi-day family vacation.

 

I had a good time on the ship, met lots of good people and became addicted to late night piano music at the Crooners bar! I had a good time listening to the pianist, his wonderful voice and his great wit!

[theyurfs]

Yes...oddly enough I was just tellin DH that of everyone we met, I think I'll miss Larry (at Crooners) the most.

 

W247: We are already looking through the guidebooks for the next Alaska vacation. Not cruising next time, Marine highway instead.

[Cruising Rules]

You may call it "silly" I say 12 hours there was boring.

 

We also were on the same cruise and I disagree with a few things. I enjoyed Haines. We found a great pub for the World Cup match and then walked around town, tasting at the brewery, shopping a bit and beach combing. I found it refreshing after how busy the other ports were. I also find it silly to complain about stopping in Haines when it was clearly marked on the itinerary from the beginning. There are other cruise choices that go elsewhere. We investigated this itinerary and made an educated decision to take the Haines option.

 

As far as the captain's choice to go to Endicot Arm, I really enjoyed how calm and pristine it was without other ships around. I also believe we got closer than would have been possible at Tracy Arm. However, because of the change in itinerary at the last minute, I do see how you might be disappointed.

 

All in all, I loved the cruise.

[kath00]

My friend is going on this trip in a few weeks. It is her first cruise and she is very excited but very worried about the sea sickness potential sailing out of SFO. How were the seas coming and going to Alaska if I may ask?

 

Thanks! Katherine

[Cruzman]

My friend is going on this trip in a few weeks. It is her first cruise and she is very excited but very worried about the sea sickness potential sailing out of SFO. How were the seas coming and going to Alaska if I may ask?

 

Thanks!

 

We sailed on the Sea Princess out of SF 6/1 and the first couple of days were pretty rough. Quite a few people were sea sick. I would recommend meds for that condition if you are prone to it. Motion was not so much of a problem on the return trip.

[Cruising Rules]

Its always a little rougher going northbound, but it was not that bad. Once you got to the inside passage and all the way home fairly smooth ride.

 

My friend is going on this trip in a few weeks. It is her first cruise and she is very excited but very worried about the sea sickness potential sailing out of SFO. How were the seas coming and going to Alaska if I may ask?

 

Thanks! Katherine

[Cruising Rules]

Unfortunetly this decsion was made the day before we went to Endicot Arm. I doubt this was a safety decision. In fact the Captain only mentioned traffic. This announcement was made several times by the Captain and then the naturalist on board. We felt like they were trying to convince us this change would be good. (In fact the naturalist actually mentioned he had never been to Endicot Arm.

 

Hi all,

We too (or two) were on the last return trip to Alaska on Sea Princess. I can assure you it wasn't the Captains choice to go to Endicott Arm it was the Pilot. He has the final choice and on the day with a few other cruise ships heading to Tracey Arm he felt it would be safer and nicer for the passengers to have Endicott arm to ourselves.

I personally think he was right. It was beautiful and serene! In fact the Captain told us in his career he has only managed to get to the closest point of the Tracey Arm glacier a few times in his life as a cruise ship Captain because of either too much ice or fog.

Re the comment on Haines. mmmmm we staid on the ship!

We had a ball and enjoyed Alaska for the second time and what is more, we'll be back.

Pete and Norma

[theyurfs]

You may call it "silly" I say 12 hours there was boring.

 

My point is that very few cruises actually stop at Haines. There are far more that go to Skagway, Sitka or other ports. We did our homework and chose Haines. We enjoyed the entire day there. If you didn't want to go to Haines, you could have made other choices. Don't blame the cruise line.

[Sailaway John]

And the Sea Princess is also on its way "Down Under". Great! We are booked to go to New Zealand in October next year.