Ultimate Ship Tour **Review**

[Astro Flyer]

How do you apply for this?

 

My experience has been there's a signup list at the Passenger Service Desk. It's best to do this when boarding the ship to improve your odds of getting this limited participation tour.

Edited November 21, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[Brisbane41]

I have done it before and really enjoyed it. In all honesty the only reason I think the majority of people sign up is to visit the bridge. They could take things like the medical centre out and I would not care the slightest.

 

Overall It is a great run package with the food portions they give you to try in the galley of what they prepare adds to some enjoyment and keeps you from going hungry.

[hm9912]

I have done it before and really enjoyed it. In all honesty the only reason I think the majority of people sign up is to visit the bridge. They could take things like the medical centre out and I would not care the slightest.

 

Overall It is a great run package with the food portions they give you to try in the galley of what they prepare adds to some enjoyment and keeps you from going hungry.

 

I took the tour last year and one interesting item upon visiting the medical center was the morgue.

A friend of ours wound up there a few years ago. It was on the last day of her cruise so she did get her money's worth on that cruise. Her husband had high praises for the crew the way they handled his wife's sudden death on board.

Overall I felt the UST was worth the money

 

Howard

[XBGuy]

We've took the tour on the Crown with captain Nash - worth every bit considering the robe, jacket, etc.. Just a thought, but if it was inexpensive there would be too many guests wanting to participate creating a lot of problems. I'm sure the tour has to be at least a little disruptive to the crew.

 

I, too, am looking forward to taking this tour on a future cruise.

 

I agree with Chuck 100% on his comment regarding the pricing. I really do not think that Princess is looking at this as a big money maker. It's a nice offering, and I'm sure that a vast majority of people who have taken the tour have enjoyed it. However, it sure seems like the UST takes a lot of time away from some very critical ship personnel. If they consistently had 30-40 people signing up for it, more tours would be needed. Rather than doing that, I'm pretty sure that Princess would then raise the price to $200 or $250.

 

I am also very sympathetic to the people who tried to sign up, but were denied the opportunity because of the lack of interest. That would be very disappointing.

[jeromep]

What a great review. My wife and I did the same tour on the Golden about 5 years ago. Our tour group was much smaller than yours, based on the number of people in your group photo.

 

My wife and I still use the bath robes, they wash very well. I still have the custom printed note pad and we have our chefs jackets in the closet someplace. I have used mine at least once as part of a Halloween costume.

 

For the cost, it is one of those things you do once and check off your cruise bucket list. I might consider doing it again if we were on one of the newer class ships.

[Pierlesscruisers]

Do they allow wheelchairs on this tour as it sounds like a lot of walking. Did you ever use your chef's jacket? Thanks for all the info.....it's great!

 

No, they do not allow those confined to wheelchairs on the tour. This is due to the fact that in many places you have to go from one place to another via a narrow passage or a stairwell and it would be virtually impossible to navigate that route in a wheelchair.

 

While I enjoyed the UST that I went on very much, everyone should realize that things vary from ship to ship. The one I went on, we received one group photo, taken on the bridge, and the very nice terry robe. No other photos and no chef's jacket (don't know what the heck I would have done with that anyway! :confused: ) but it was still a great tour and I learned a lot on it. A bit pricey? Yeah, I guess, but I suspect that the price is designed to limit the number of people who would want to go on it were the price lower. One reason behind that, I would guess, would be the problem with having a number of groups of 20 people touring through working areas of the ship that might impact health (food service areas) and safety (laundry areas) of all involved. One or two groups might be doable, but more than that could cause problems in those or other areas.

 

Just supposition on my part.

 

Tom

[luv2travel06]

For the photographers wanting to take photos, I took a Nikon D3s w/ a 17-35 f/2.8 lens, no flash attached. I just asked if I could snap a photo here and there and was never refused.

 

 

 

I made sure not to slow the group down.

 

 

 

That a BIG camera, no hiding it...

 

 

 

framer

 

 

I did the Behind The Fun tour on the Carnival Elation and they confiscated our phones and cameras and "wanded" us. No big deal as I was able to take photos on NCL Pearl BTS tour a year prior. Some fun souvenirs from Carnival including a photo with the Captain. Cost was $75 on those ships.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Deeleedog]

No, they do not allow those confined to wheelchairs on the tour. This is due to the fact that in many places you have to go from one place to another via a narrow passage or a stairwell and it would be virtually impossible to navigate that route in a wheelchair.

 

While I enjoyed the UST that I went on very much, everyone should realize that things vary from ship to ship. The one I went on, we received one group photo, taken on the bridge, and the very nice terry robe. No other photos and no chef's jacket (don't know what the heck I would have done with that anyway! :confused: ) but it was still a great tour and I learned a lot on it. A bit pricey? Yeah, I guess, but I suspect that the price is designed to limit the number of people who would want to go on it were the price lower. One reason behind that, I would guess, would be the problem with having a number of groups of 20 people touring through working areas of the ship that might impact health (food service areas) and safety (laundry areas) of all involved. One or two groups might be doable, but more than that could cause problems in those or other areas.

 

Just supposition on my part.

 

Tom

 

We did the tour on The Grand and there were many times while going thru doorways in the inner sanctions of the ship that we had to step up and over about a 6 inch high part of the wall where the door opening began and there was no other way around it so yes unfortunately it would not have worked for wheelchairs or scooters.

 

We received several group photos, 8/10" picture frame, the robe, no kitchen jacket, an apron, cookbook and the personalized notepads made in the print shop. We did not have any food on our tour but did have a nice non alcoholic drink.

[shredie]

My SIL did the Grand tour this fall, and he can't stop talking about it. He also goes on and on about the robe they gave him.

[Deeleedog]

Been reading lots of nice comments about the Princess Ultimate Ship Tour. My twist - is there any recommendation for what NOT to do? I plan on signing up as soon as practical once on-board. Thanks in advance.

 

Honestly I can't think of what NOT to do as there is so much to choose from and everyone is different. I don't think i have done anything that I wouldn't do again.

 

I will say that as well as The Ultimate Ship Tour the other really NICE and ENJOYABLE extra special event you can attend if lucky to be picked and sign up quickly is The Chef's Table Dinner. Supper special. They did 3 of them on our cruise which was a 15 day. We did ours on the evening after we left Kauai. 10 People for each dinner were chosen.

 

Galley tour, lot's of time with the head chef, special appetizer tasting in the galley in a specially set up spot for us with an ice carving and some veggie/fruit carvings. Champagne and 5 different very nicely presented appetizers with the chef each time explaining them in detail and eating them with us.

 

Then back to the dining room to our specially set up table with a beautiful floral arrangement and extra pretty plates etc. Wine was served throughout and depending on what we ate different ones were paired. Nice Multi Course meal with each course fully explained & last minute fix ups done by the chef. It was very interactive, delicious and we felt we got our monies worth. I think it was $80.00 per person without wine & $95 with wine. They sent us each a signed cook book along with some photos of the group and each couple with the chef and matre'd as well as a plate of beautifully made chocolate that the pastry chef presented to us. It was an evening to remember.

 

Just like the Ultimate Tour need to sign up at the pursers desk early like as soon as you get on the ship to be put on a list. Then they send out letters with agreements and rules that we all needed to agree to like closed toed shoes, clean clothes, I will touch nothing in the kitchen and I am not sick. Then later we were send our invitation if we were chooses and which nite we would dine and were to meet. It was sort of like a covert mission we were going on.

[Lucky TGO]

Very nice thank you for sharing.

Tony