What did you think of the Sea Princess???

[RickEk]

Thanks for the info because that gives us an idea as what to pack. RickEk: did you stay in San Francisco prior to your cruise or did you travel the day of your cruise? This is a big trip for us and there is so much to plan ahead. Thanks again!

 

We actually drove up from LA a couple of days before the cruise. There were four of us and it took just under 6 hours. My son's friend's mother is a big-wig with Hilton so we had a suite at the Hilton at Union Square. He's also a native so we had a tour guide too. I didn't know that SF has a subway system other than BART... :p We did a bunch of walking and took the subway too.

 

I did not realize I would start such a frenzie about the Sea Princess. It seems most people like the ship. She may not be the largest or the grandest but comfortable, clean and friendly. I am likely one of the younger people cruising regularly year to year. For me it is all about the vacation (holiday) time away from work and time with my husband. I am sure any cruise ship is better than a day at the office :D and any ships meal is better than a cold spam sandwich eaten at your desk. :rolleyes:

 

Thank you for all the wonderful posts and pcitures.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for excursions in Alaska. Something a little less expensive. Either through Princess or with another tour company. We are a younger and a more active couple but my husband has problems walking for long distances on a fused ankle. We are visiting Haines, Ketchican and Juneau in July. We also plan on spending a little time in SF. Has anyone done an SF tour through Princess?

 

Thanks again for all your great insight on the Sea Princess.

 

We did most things on the cheap. In Juneau, we took the blue bus to Mendenhall Glacier and then walked the trails to the waterfall. It was spectacular and we saw a few bears.

 

In Haines, my son and his friend took a bicycle excursion with Princess and had a great time. We walked around town (which is quite quaint), bought some custom knives (they made them to our specifications and shipped them to us a few weeks later) and basically just enjoyed the day. (We did skip the Hammer Museum :p:rolleyes:)

 

In Ketchikan, we did the Bering Sea Crab Fishing excursion. 'Twas fun. There's a point where they stop and feed the eagles... we didn't see too many since it was late in the season (I've heard tell that in May and June there are flocks of eagles there).

 

In Victoria, we took the shuttle to downtown and walked around. Very nice town.

 

I am really enjoying this thread and particularly loved the awsome pictures posted by RickEk. The more information the better since Alaska seems so foreign to me, it is a big change for us from our usual Caribbean sailings. Keep it coming!

 

Thanks! :o We actually thought about taking the cruise again this season, but we've opted to do a 9-day cruise to the Caribbean from New York this summer. Another great city to cruise out of...

[ChelleR]

We actually drove up from LA a couple of days before the cruise. There were four of us and it took just under 6 hours. My son's friend's mother is a big-wig with Hilton so we had a suite at the Hilton at Union Square. He's also a native so we had a tour guide too. I didn't know that SF has a subway system other than BART... :p We did a bunch of walking and took the subway too.

 

In Ketchikan, we did the Bering Sea Crab Fishing excursion. 'Twas fun. There's a point where they stop and feed the eagles... we didn't see too many since it was late in the season (I've heard tell that in May and June there are flocks of eagles there).

 

Thanks! :o We actually thought about taking the cruise again this season, but we've opted to do a 9-day cruise to the Caribbean from New York this summer. Another great city to cruise out of...

 

 

Oh no...I didn't realize there was a season for eagles. We are going to be on the Sea Princess starting June 29th...I hope we still see some. Eagles are the top thing on my 10-year old sons wish list! :)

[Elequieu]

. Did you guys see the little Dall porpoises frolicking in the wake of the ship when we were thereI hope our paths will cross again on another cruise!

 

Did not see the porpoises, darn it. Hope to see you also.

[RickEk]

Oh no...I didn't realize there was a season for eagles. We are going to be on the Sea Princess starting June 29th...I hope we still see some. Eagles are the top thing on my 10-year old sons wish list! :)

 

The salmon start running in late June, early July (I believe) and the eagles begin to move to the mouths of rivers. The Bering Sea Crab excursion goes by their nesting areas and if you're there early in the season, you'll see lots of eagles. By the time we were there (late July), many had moved on to the feeding grounds, although we did see a few. I'll think you'll be fine...

[RaMar]

Thanks! :o We actually thought about taking the cruise again this season, but we've opted to do a 9-day cruise to the Caribbean from New York this summer. Another great city to cruise out of...

 

That's a great cruise which I've really enjoyed and the ports are nice. Have a great cruise!

[RickEk]

 

That's a great cruise which I've really enjoyed and the ports are nice. Have a great cruise!

 

We did the 9-day cruise from New York a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. Hopefully this time we'll actually get to Bermuda! :p

[RaMar]

We did the 9-day cruise from New York a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. Hopefully this time we'll actually get to Bermuda! :p

 

Did Bermuda last August from NY and it was a great cruise. Bermuda is really nice!

[RickEk]

Did Bermuda last August from NY and it was a great cruise. Bermuda is really nice!

 

So I've heard... we lingered outside the harbor for a couple of hours and then the Captain decided that it was too dangerous to attempt the channel and we were off on another sea day... a lot of people were unhappy, but it was what it was. No worries from me, hey, we got the port and excursion fees back. :)

[RaMar]

So I've heard... we lingered outside the harbor for a couple of hours and then the Captain decided that it was too dangerous to attempt the channel and we were off on another sea day... a lot of people were unhappy, but it was what it was. No worries from me, hey, we got the port and excursion fees back. :)

 

We were actually docked there for 3 days and it was very relaxing. Great weather and the beach was superb. We were debating whether to go back this year but it was a toss up between Alaska, Canada or Bermuda. Alaska won!

[STEVENJAN]

Sailing her in August

[RickEk]

Oh no...I didn't realize there was a season for eagles. We are going to be on the Sea Princess starting June 29th...I hope we still see some. Eagles are the top thing on my 10-year old sons wish list! :)

 

Here's one!

 

601 by RickEk, on Flickr

[ellbelle]

Can anyone tell me whether the aft of the Aloha deck is an actual "viewing" deck? It looks like it from two websites that I use but the stairs that are showing are confusing. I'm thinking of booking a balcony on this deck and having the extra aft deck would be a bonus.

 

Thanks!

[STEVENJAN]

That would be cool. We just got placed in the aft Aloha deck,

[RickEk]

Can anyone tell me whether the aft of the Aloha deck is an actual "viewing" deck? It looks like it from two websites that I use but the stairs that are showing are confusing. I'm thinking of booking a balcony on this deck and having the extra aft deck would be a bonus.

 

Thanks!

 

Yes, it's accessible from doors on Aloha deck or the stairways outside from the Riviera deck above. It's very nice back there... there are loungers and it's quite large with some of the loungers in the sun and some sheltered.

[ellbelle]

RickEk,

 

Thank You!!!

[STEVENJAN]

Yes, it's accessible from doors on Aloha deck or the stairways outside from the Riviera deck above. It's very nice back there... there are loungers and it's quite large with some of the loungers in the sun and some sheltered.

 

Is the area sheltered enough for Alaska weather? Hope so.

[RickEk]

Is the area sheltered enough for Alaska weather? Hope so.

 

Well, the sheltered area is against the back wall. It'd be enough to shelter you from the rain. Remember it's on the aft section, so it's pretty sheltered from the wind. Amazingly I was trying to find pictures of it... I have pictures taken from there, but no pictures (that I can find) of the space.

[tlgoblue]

We had an oceanview on Emerald deck. We liked the location except for the jogger who would start running on the Promenade above us every morning at 5-ish. We complained and they finally posted signs restricting jogging in the morning till after 9am.

 

Hi Rick,

 

I'm assuming you had one of the few quad staterooms and am wondering how it is configured, i.e. are the lowers under the window with the uppers directly above or are the lowers facing fwd/aft? I did not see any pics of your stateroom other than what looks like the view out of the window and the pic a very tired traveller.:) We are a family of 4 in a quad on Plaza deck.

[AirbusPat]

We have been on her sister ship the Dawn Princess and really liked it. After 23 cruises we are over the mega ship thing. Except for the QM2 but that's another topic.

 

We like a smaller ships, it seems like they have a better personality. Also a wrap around non stop promenade deck is a must.

[RickEk]

Hi Rick,

 

I'm assuming you had one of the few quad staterooms and am wondering how it is configured, i.e. are the lowers under the window with the uppers directly above or are the lowers facing fwd/aft? I did not see any pics of your stateroom other than what looks like the view out of the window and the pic a very tired traveller.:) We are a family of 4 in a quad on Plaza deck.

 

We had a quad on the Dawn Princess (the Sea Princess' sister) on the Plaza deck... here's how it was configured. Basically the same as the cabin on Emerald deck. It did seem that the cabin on Emerald was a tad bigger..

 

Final Sea Day by RickEk, on Flickr

[Cruzman]

We cruised last June to Alaska on the Sea Princess. My primary criticism has to do with the tiny cabins. The insides, OV's and standard balcony cabins are precisely the same size (about 148 sq ft). To avoid this, one must upgrade to a mini suite which will cost you several thousand dollars more because there are so few of them. The other concern that we had was that we spent roughly 3-4 days of our cruise getting to and from the Alaskan inside passage. If we had it to do over, we would have chosen a 14 day round trip from either Seattle or Vancouver.

[tlgoblue]

Thanks Rick...I guess the beds will stay as twins. Last sailing on the Diamond we had a 3rd upper and we were able to talk the cabin steward into making up the queen, but my head suffered for it. :(