Thinking about Sea Princess 10 Day Round Trip Alaska Inside Passage cruise in 2012

[12legs2tails]

Hi cruisers,

 

My husband and I are considering the Sea Princess 10 Day round trip Alaska Inside Passage cruise out of San Francisco in 2012. If you have been on this cruise before, we would love to hear your opinion, or receive a link to a prior post with your opinion and/or photos of the ship and shore excursions!

 

We have never been to Alaska or cruised with Princess before and are eager to learn more about it. We enjoyed cruising on the Disney Wonder together this year and I had fun cruising on Royal Caribbean with my parents.

 

Some questions about the Sea Princess Alaska Inside Passage cruise (please feel free to answer any or all of them if you wish):

- Do those partaking in the anytime dining option celebrate formal nights, or is anytime dining always business casual?

 

- Does anytime dining apply only to dinner, or are sit-down breakfasts and lunches available anytime with tables for two people?

 

- Vegetarians: What was available for you to eat? Was there a good selection of entrees, or were you limited to just salad every night?

 

- Which specialty restaurants did you go to on board, and what did you think of them?

 

- During sea days, is there enough to do indoors on the ship, such as shows and trivia games? I imagine outdoor activities on the ship are limited in cold weather.

 

- What was the weather like, both on the ship and at ports of call, during your Alaska Inside Passage cruise, and which month did you go?

 

- Which shore excursions did you go on during your Alaska Inside Passage cruise and would you recommend them to others?

 

Any other information you would like to share about this cruise would be greatly appreciated as well.

 

Thank you for your help!

[karatemom2]

We have cruised to Alaska twice from San Francisco - once on the Dawn and once on the Sea Princess. Both cruises were wonderful and I would happily do them again. I love having the option of getting to Alaska via a cruise that leaves from a port to which I can drive!

 

Here are some answers to your questions:

 

- Do those partaking in the anytime dining option celebrate formal nights, or is anytime dining always business casual?

 

The anytime dining venue follows the same dress guidelines as the traditional dining room, so yes, it is formal on formal evenings.

 

- Does anytime dining apply only to dinner, or are sit-down breakfasts and lunches available anytime with tables for two people?

 

Anytime is only for dinner. Breakfast and lunch is available in the dining room for everyone and you can always request a table for your party only.

 

- Vegetarians: What was available for you to eat? Was there a good selection of entrees, or were you limited to just salad every night?

 

I am not a vegetarian, but I often prefer a meatless entree and there were always good options available.

 

- Which specialty restaurants did you go to on board, and what did you think of them?

 

On the Sea Princess we ate at both the Pizzeria and in the Sterling Steakhouse (which is actually a cordoned off area of the buffet). We enjoyed both very much.

 

- During sea days, is there enough to do indoors on the ship, such as shows and trivia games? I imagine outdoor activities on the ship are limited in cold weather.

 

Actually in Alaska, there is a lot to see outdoors. People just dressed in layers and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery. I like to get outside as much as possible on our Alaska cruises because it is a feast for the eyes. However, there is much to do inside with the entertainment and games. We really enjoy trivia!

 

- What was the weather like, both on the ship and at ports of call, during your Alaska Inside Passage cruise, and which month did you go?

 

We were on the Sea Princess last summer in the end of July/beginning of August. The weather was wonderful. It is can be a little cool and choppy going in and out of San Francisco, but nothing too bad.

 

- Which shore excursions did you go on during your Alaska Inside Passage cruise and would you recommend them to others?

 

The choices are so vast that you really need to do some research on the Alaska Board -

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

to get an idea of the things that might appeal most to you.

 

Lots of great information is available just by searching through the different threads.

[timetravler]

Hi cruisers,

 

My husband and I are considering the Sea Princess 10 Day round trip Alaska Inside Passage cruise out of San Francisco in 2012. If you have been on this cruise before, we would love to hear your opinion, or receive a link to a prior post with your opinion and/or photos of the ship and shore excursions!

 

We have never been to Alaska or cruised with Princess before and are eager to learn more about it. We enjoyed cruising on the Disney Wonder together this year and I had fun cruising on Royal Caribbean with my parents.

 

Some questions about the Sea Princess Alaska Inside Passage cruise (please feel free to answer any or all of them if you wish):

- Do those partaking in the anytime dining option celebrate formal nights, or is anytime dining always business casual?

 

- Does anytime dining apply only to dinner, or are sit-down breakfasts and lunches available anytime with tables for two people?

 

- Vegetarians: What was available for you to eat? Was there a good selection of entrees, or were you limited to just salad every night?

 

- Which specialty restaurants did you go to on board, and what did you think of them?

 

- During sea days, is there enough to do indoors on the ship, such as shows and trivia games? I imagine outdoor activities on the ship are limited in cold weather.

 

- What was the weather like, both on the ship and at ports of call, during your Alaska Inside Passage cruise, and which month did you go?

 

- Which shore excursions did you go on during your Alaska Inside Passage cruise and would you recommend them to others?

 

Any other information you would like to share about this cruise would be greatly appreciated as well.

 

Thank you for your help!

We loved this cruise. We took the Vallejo 10:am ferry which goes to both the ferry building and pier 39, to the city, walked a short distance and right on to the ship. We were in our cabin by 11:45am.

Anytime dinning does do formal night just like everywhere else. But if you do not want to do formal, you can eat in the buffet on formal nights.

You can always find good vegeterian dishes in both the MDR and the buffet like stir fry tofu, lots of pasta dishes, many salads, etc

Sabatini's is fantastic, but go hungry as you get a huge amount of food. Also love the chefs table, but if your strict vegetarian this may not be good for you.

On sea days you can go to a lecture, swim in the heated indoor/outdoor pool(it has a retractable roof), play games like amazing race or trivia, watch a movie, gamble, watch demostrations, etc.

I've cruised to Alaska in mid may, June, and August. We had some rain, some sun and some fog around the fjords and glaciers. So bottom line is be prepared for anything. I bring a warm hat and gloves, a light weight jacket and a knitted scarf, plus a rain poncho and have used all those items every time. Only once did I wear shorts.

My favorite shore excursion is the white pass railroad which I have done twice. Also did a bike tour in Juneau which was really fun. It ended at the Alaskan beer brewery which was even more fun.

If your lucky enough to sail out of San Francisco on a clear day, be sure to go top side when going by Alcatraz and under the GG bridge.

If you drive to the city, there is cruise ship passenger parking right across the street(I think it is $12 a day, but not 100% sure on that).

Very fun cruise to take, no doubt!

[kiwipete]

Did this cruise last July. Loved every minute of it and hope to do it again. JUST DO IT.

[flashdog_1]

To get some good ideas, I'd read as many member reviews as possible. Go to the top banner and click the word "reviews." Then "member reviews" and cruiseline/ship etc.

 

Not only will some of your questions be answered but you may hear of stuff you didn't even know was available to see or do!

[karatemom2]

Sabatini's is fantastic, but go hungry as you get a huge amount of food.

 

On sea days you can go to a lecture, swim in the heated indoor/outdoor pool(it has a retractable roof), play games like amazing race or trivia, watch a movie, gamble, watch demostrations, etc.

 

Just wanted to point out that I think you may be talking about a Princess ship other than the Sea Princess as it does not have a Sabatini's or indoor pool like the newer ships. Not that it would stop me from cruising on the Sea Princess again because it is a lovely ship.

[ofthesea]

Hi cruisers,

 

My husband and I are considering the Sea Princess 10 Day round trip Alaska Inside Passage cruise out of San Francisco in 2012. If you have been on this cruise before, we would love to hear your opinion, or receive a link to a prior post with your opinion and/or photos of the ship and shore excursions!

 

We have never been to Alaska or cruised with Princess before and are eager to learn more about it. We enjoyed cruising on the Disney Wonder together this year and I had fun cruising on Royal Caribbean with my parents.

 

Some questions about the Sea Princess Alaska Inside Passage cruise (please feel free to answer any or all of them if you wish):

- Do those partaking in the anytime dining option celebrate formal nights, or is anytime dining always business casual?

 

- Does anytime dining apply only to dinner, or are sit-down breakfasts and lunches available anytime with tables for two people?

 

- Vegetarians: What was available for you to eat? Was there a good selection of entrees, or were you limited to just salad every night?

 

- Which specialty restaurants did you go to on board, and what did you think of them?

 

- During sea days, is there enough to do indoors on the ship, such as shows and trivia games? I imagine outdoor activities on the ship are limited in cold weather.

 

- What was the weather like, both on the ship and at ports of call, during your Alaska Inside Passage cruise, and which month did you go?

 

- Which shore excursions did you go on during your Alaska Inside Passage cruise and would you recommend them to others?

 

Any other information you would like to share about this cruise would be greatly appreciated as well.

 

Thank you for your help!

 

- Do those partaking in the anytime dining option celebrate formal nights, or is anytime dining always business casual?

If it's formal night, it's formal night everywhere, except the buffet and the cafe corniche [maybe not for the cafe] but the traviata and the rigoletto, sterling steakhouse are formal attire on formal night... there will be two nights that are formal night... in the dining room, the serve my fav dishes that night. so go to the dining room! which in your case would be the rigoletto [plaza deck 5], since you're doing anytime dining.

 

 

- Does anytime dining apply only to dinner, or are sit-down breakfasts and lunches available anytime with tables for two people?

anytime dining applies to dinner... but in they do the same thing for breakfast and lunch but anyone can go to those... so it's not limited to the people who are assigned anytime dining... people who do traditional can do it... but most people go to the horizon court buffet to eat breakfast [deck 14 lido], and for lunch, most people go to the buffet, riviera grill [deck 12 riviera], or cafe corniche [deck 8 dolphin]

 

- Vegetarians: What was available for you to eat? Was there a good selection of entrees, or were you limited to just salad every night?

depending if you eat fish or not, there is a lot of that... [some vegetarians eat fish, not to offend anyone]... but there were many options and the head waiter or matr'd will be happy to assist you with any requests... because they're there to fufill your dietary needs.

 

- Which specialty restaurants did you go to on board, and what did you think of them?

well the sterling steakhouse [deck 14 lido, closes half the buffet for this] is 20 dollars per person, last year it was 15... and i heard the steak is like the steak in the dining room.... and in the dining room you can order as many entrees as you want... so personally i would not go to the steakhouse and waste money....

 

cafe corniche- very good pizza i love the hawaiian and californian... the only problem is it gets SUPER busy and its a long wait... but worth it!

 

riviera grill- super tasty burger, hot dogs, fries, chicken, brautwurst [idk the spelling to that], and some other stuff.

 

- During sea days, is there enough to do indoors on the ship, such as shows and trivia games? I imagine outdoor activities on the ship are limited in cold weather.

 

there is no limit to cold weather unless its raining... there are more than enough activities that are indoor and outdoor during sea days and port days!

 

 

- What was the weather like, both on the ship and at ports of call, during your Alaska Inside Passage cruise, and which month did you go?

july 2008, 2009, and 2010 warmer weather, haines/skagway hit around 70's to 80's [WAY to hot haha], juneau usually in the 60's, ketchikan usually in the 60's too. victoria, sunny, 70's/80's

 

june 2011, skagway 70's, ketchikan high 50's, juneau, high 50's low 60's, about an hour of sprinkles but a clear day after. victoria, grey sky, ship left at 1 o' clock and just began to pour! about 60's.

 

- Which shore excursions did you go on during your Alaska Inside Passage cruise and would you recommend them to others?

alaskan lumberack show [ketchikan] i thought this was fun for everyone... kids love it, adults love it, teens love it. it has the audience going and participating.... the lumberjacks are funny and do stuff i couldn't do and stuff not many others could do either...

 

mt.roberts tram [juneau] great view from the top, if you're a hiker or like to walk there are trails, they have a lot up there for something up in the mountain....

 

mendenhall glacier [juneau] just go off the ship and there are always a million tour booths, go there to get a bus ride to the glacier...

 

 

extra information: this is the best cruise ever, been on it 4 times [for the reason of; i love it!].... i just came back from it a week ago... it's something you must do! be prepared for any kind of weather though, alaska does have weather where it can hot in one city and cold in another...i know practically everything about the ship [sea princess], i know every decks name, and whats on that deck, and what you can do on that deck, what there is, etc.... i knew the ship better than a lot of the workers did... i know alaska pretty well too...

 

well i love answering questions about this cruise so feel free to keep the questions coming! :) bon voyage!

[BridgeMates]

Our ship will be in Victoria from 7pm to midnight. Not very much time, but we would love to go out to Butchart Gardens. The ship has a tour but it's rather pricey for 4 people and we're thinking a cab would be more economical, but are concerned that it might not be so easy to get a cab when the Gardens close around 10. Since it's a Sat. night I know they have a fireworks show and it will be crowded, but we would leave just before that to be sure we can get a cab.

Any ideas? We've been unable to reserve a cab for both ways. Obviously getting back to the ship by 1130 is our concern. Maybe someone on here can give me a better plan?

[timetravler]

Just wanted to point out that I think you may be talking about a Princess ship other than the Sea Princess as it does not have a Sabatini's or indoor pool like the newer ships. Not that it would stop me from cruising on the Sea Princess again because it is a lovely ship.

My mistake. I get my cruises confused sometimes.

[12legs2tails]

Thank you so much for your help Karatemom2, Timetravler, Kiwipete, Flashdog_1 and Ofthesea! I really appreciate it!

[cruisehappi]

- Do those partaking in the anytime dining option celebrate formal nights, or is anytime dining always business casual? Formal night applies to both main and anytime dining rooms.

 

- Does anytime dining apply only to dinner, or are sit-down breakfasts and lunches available anytime with tables for two people? Breakfast and lunch you will be seated first-come first-served. When you arrive for either meal, you may request a table for two, but of course you'll have to wait for one to open up.

 

- Vegetarians: What was available for you to eat? Was there a good selection of entrees, or were you limited to just salad every night? Sorry, not a vegetarian, but I do recall one or two (maybe more) meatless entrees available each evening. You can always request something - if they're able to make it they will bend over backwards to do so.

 

- Which specialty restaurants did you go to on board, and what did you think of them? We did eat at the Sterling Steakhouse, and it was well worth the $15 charge. On the Sea Princess, this is not a separate restaurant. Instead, they close off half the Horizon Court and put screens up so you cannot see other diners and they cannot see you. It was very pleasant, the food and service were great, and like I said, well worth the $15.

 

- During sea days, is there enough to do indoors on the ship, such as shows and trivia games? I imagine outdoor activities on the ship are limited in cold weather. Lots of indoor activities. But with the awesome scenery you'll be passing through, be sure to bring a coat so you can enjoy the outdoors too.

 

- What was the weather like, both on the ship and at ports of call, during your Alaska Inside Passage cruise, and which month did you go? We were lucky - it was August and the weather was in the 80s the entire time we were there. No rain in sight. But the weather in Alaska is unpredictable so always be prepared for anything. Best to bring layers of clothing.

 

- Which shore excursions did you go on during your Alaska Inside Passage cruise and would you recommend them to others? We did the White Pass Yukon bus/train ride and I would recommend it to EVERYONE of all ages! We went to a native area in Ketchikan (can't remember the name), but learned all sorts of stuff about their history and about totem poles. We enjoyed it but it would be a little slow for the younger crowd.

 

Any other information you would like to share about this cruise would be greatly appreciated as well. This is a must-do cruise! I didn't look to see where you're from, but if you haven't spent any time in San Francisco, add a couple of days to your visit! Also, check out the threads regarding cruises that go to Glacier Bay vs Tracy Arm, etc. We went to Glacier Bay and I'm still re-living it! Can't say enough good about this cruise.

 

Thank you for your help!

 

Hope this is helpful!

[12legs2tails]

Hi again,

 

I'm a non-smoker and I read that starting in 2012, smoking will no longer be permitted in the staterooms of Princess cruise ships.

 

- Was smoking allowed in all of the rooms on the Sea Princess ship before, or only in designated smoking staterooms?

 

- Are passengers able to request non-smoking staterooms?

 

- Do many of the indoor common areas smell like smoke?

 

 

Also, Do U.S. citizens on the Sea Princess Alaska cruise need a passport for Canada shore excursions?

 

 

Thank you for your help!

[Pam in CA]

Yes, smoking is, and has been, allowed in cabins and on balconies but that is stopping as of January 15, 2012. The only time I've ever smelled smoke in a cabin was on Celebrity last month; never on a Princess ship. I have smelled smoke on my balcony, though. They do a good job of cleaning the cabins plus the air exchange in cabins is excellent.

 

Smoking in public lounges has been severly limited over the past few years. They used to have a smoking section in the lounges but no longer. Usually, smoking is allowed on one side of open deck near the pool. Smoking is also allowed in the casino. Chances are you won't be bothered by the smell of smoke.

 

You will need a passport for any shore excursion that enters Canada. That includes the White Pass Railroad in Skagway and any helicopter or flightseeing trip that lands in Canada.

[sassyredhat]

We are taking this very cruise on Sept. 7, 2011. It is our 2nd cruise to Alaska, but our first with Princess.

From all the posts I have read, the Sea is a good ship, even if she is older. We are used to HAL, and have no anxiety at all about taking this cruise. I had some of the same questions you do.

We have 2 more PCL cruises booked, one of which includes 2 days in San Francisco. We didn't think we had enough time on this cruise.

 

Do what did~~~~book it. :D

Pat

[ggprincess2004]

Our ship will be in Victoria from 7pm to midnight. Not very much time, but we would love to go out to Butchart Gardens. The ship has a tour but it's rather pricey for 4 people and we're thinking a cab would be more economical, but are concerned that it might not be so easy to get a cab when the Gardens close around 10. Since it's a Sat. night I know they have a fireworks show and it will be crowded, but we would leave just before that to be sure we can get a cab.

Any ideas? We've been unable to reserve a cab for both ways. Obviously getting back to the ship by 1130 is our concern. Maybe someone on here can give me a better plan?

 

Butchart Gardens is a bit of a drive from the port area. I am not sure cab fare would be much less than the Princess tour. Frankly, we would book this one with Princess and not worry about finding transportation back or missing the ship.

[BridgeMates]

Butchart Gardens is a bit of a drive from the port area. I am not sure cab fare would be much less than the Princess tour. Frankly, we would book this one with Princess and not worry about finding transportation back or missing the ship.

 

Your point is well taken. We've pretty much come to that conclusion too. We should have booked the ship excursion earlier as we sail this weekend and of course my personalizer is closed for tours now. Will see what we can do when we get on board.

Thanks for your input.

[12legs2tails]

Thank you so much for your help Cruisehappi, Pam_in_CA, Sassyredhat, Ggprincess2004 and BridgeMates! I really appreciate it!

[dchip]

Here is a link to our Family Anniversary Trip on the Dawn in 2008. We have also cruised the Sea Princess and they are the same ship :D

 

The pizza restaurant is the best on seven seas in our opinion!!!!

 

There is nothing like sailing out of San Francisco. We just love it. Not to mention an hour after we leave home.....we are on the ship!

 

http://www.pbase.com/dchip/alaska_2008

 

Cheers, Denise

[12legs2tails]

Dchip:

Thank you for sharing your amazing photos! The Alaskan scenery looks as breathtaking as I imagined and you got such great pictures of the flowers and the bear!

[RickEk]

And here's a link to our photos from last year on the Sea Princess:

 

[biggerbearmom]

We just returned yesterday from the 10 day Alaskan cruise aboard the Sea Princess. It was our first time with Princess and we had a fantastic trip. Float plane trip to Misty Fjords was our favorite excursion. We had late traditional dining which is what we enjoy. I did hear many complaints though about the Anytime Dining...long wait times. Ate in the buffet a few times and it was okay...just average. We were never bored on sea days but compared to other cruises we've taken it did seem like the activities were somewhat lacking. Our cabin was on the Aloha deck, balcony, midship. If I was taking a warm weather cruise on the Sea Princess I wouldn't want to be on deck 11. It is below the pool deck and we could hear kids running around from inside our room. I would imagine the noise from a busy pool and MUTS would be annoying. I highly recommend this cruise. p.s. sailing out under the Golden Gate bridge was awesome.

[laura1960]

Sounds like a great trip! How was the weather/the seas going up and back to Alaska?

We're also in Sonoma County...in Santa Rosa!

[ofthesea]

rickEK... we've cruised together!!!!!!!!!

 

anddd you sonoma county fellows! I LOVE SANTA ROSA...

 

totally off cruise subject, but thats okay, because santa rosa is amazing... haha

 

but this 10 day cruise is just a tad bit more amazing than SR... thats how good this cruise is....i've been on it 4 times... 4 times too little! haha

[biggerbearmom]

Sounds like a great trip! How was the weather/the seas going up and back to Alaska?

We're also in Sonoma County...in Santa Rosa!

 

We did have just a few days of rough water but it really wasn't too bad.

 

We are in Healdsburg

[12legs2tails]

RickEk:

Thank you for the link to your cruise photos! I especially loved seeing photos of the food available on Sea Princess!