Ultimate Ship Tour

[robthens]

If you haven't taken the "Ultimate Ship Tour", I highly recommend it. Space is limited on tour so it is important to sign up as soon as you get on the ship.

[easyboy]

How much is it now? What is the maximum number that can sign up?

 

 

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[getting older slowly]

Hi Easyboy,

We did it on the golden Dec 2016, booked it as soon as we got on the ship, group size was 16 max and cost $175 Aus and they only did the one on the 13 night cruise, price included photos, princess dressing gown and cooking apron, overall we thought it is was very good, but a little dear.

 

cheers Don

[Colo Cruiser]

It's $150pp, a must do at least once. :)

[RyanR1982]

I'm hoping to book it on my b2b on the star after her refit

 

 

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[SantaFeFan]

I did it on Grand in June. There were 15 of us. It was very interesting. The three hour fifteen minute tour included visits to the galley and food prep rooms, the food storage areas, the infirmary, the crew quarters, the main employee corridor through the middle of the ship called M1 (some US ships call it I5), the stage and back stage areas in the main theater, the print shop, the photo developing shop, the laundry, the winch room for anchor and mooring lines, and of course, the bridge. After the tour a "gift bag" with a Princess robe, four photos taken by the ship's photographer, a photo frame, and a note pad with my name and Princess printed on it was delivered to my room.

 

At $150 is was a bit pricey. I have no use for the robe, and the photo frame doesn't fit in with our home decor - both have been donated to Good Will. I would have rather they had skipped the "gifts" and lowered the price a bit lower.

[robthens]

I felt it was worth every penny. The behind the scenes in all the above mentioned areas was so interesting.

[floridalover5623]

At $150 is was a bit pricey. I have no use for the robe, and the photo frame doesn't fit in with our home decor - both have been donated to Good Will. I would have rather they had skipped the "gifts" and lowered the price a bit lower.

All of their gifts are pretty much useless. Lower the price, eliminate all the gifts & they could definitely get more takers.

[MrSchwump]

I did it on the Regal last February and it was excellent. It's long and there's not a lot of down time. You're either standing or walking all the time so it could be demanding for some.

The most impressive part was the bridge tour. Commodore Romano went out of his way to make everyone feel welcome. He answered all questions and genuinely seemed to enjoy sharing his knowledge and insights with the group.

It is a little pricey but it was worth it to me.

[satxdiver]

I did the UST on the CB last September on a TA. It is a lot of walking and standing with many stairs involved between decks. We almost always used stairs accessible by the crew only but did use some pax stairs. There was no sitting space anywhere except the final stop at Skywalker's. They showed us the morgue and the 3 ER rooms on the ship. The captain came on the bridge with us and answered all our questions plus posing with the group for a picture.

 

No cameras or smart phones are allowed on the tour. A security officer accompanied us at all times along with the ship photographer. We were led by a member of the CD staff. Each area the ship person in charge of the area talked to us and explained what they do there.

 

This is a ship with 2600+ pax where only a handful are allowed on the single tour (on most cruises) each cruise. The $150 fee may be high but it separates those who really want the tour from the casual observers. The crew is really going out of their way to offer this tour.

[Thrak]

I think I would probably love to do this but, like others, I would prefer to do away with the gifts and lower the price. I would probably also have to take "extra" meds to do 3.5 hours of climbing stairs and not being able to sit. My back is total poop and going "up" is very hard on it. We do use the stairs a lot on cruises but I get to rest or sit. Pain hurts so, like I said, I would have to "double medicate" in order to do the tour. Sigh... Getting old is really not for sissies but I'm thinking it beats the alternative.

[tamsocal]

Agreed my suitcase nor I wanted the gifts.

 

tour was fun- It was my third tour- not as exciting as the first but still a nice experience and a few new places visited but sadly a few things not included- my first tour we had snacks and drinks in the Captains lounge/conference area- not sure the exact room title- but it was fun sitting in there with the captain for a few minutes.

 

This past tour 2 people decided to join us :(and you could easily see why the number of people on the experience needs to be limited. It was a challenge to see things once the extra 2 came into the group. Tour size needs to be limited for good cause in many of the locations. doesn't seem the cost will likely be lowered- they usually have too many people signing up from what PS said. usually have too many people on wait list

[fishywood]

 

This past tour 2 people decided to join us :(and you could easily see why the number of people on the experience needs to be limited. It was a challenge to see things once the extra 2 came into the group. Tour size needs to be limited for good cause in many of the locations.

 

What do you mean by "two people deciding to join us"? Did two additional people who weren't chosen just show up at the appointed place and time and were actually allowed to glom onto the tour? When I took the UST on Star Princess in 2011 ship's security checked, double checked and rechecked again everyone's cruise card against the list of participants at the start of the tour. And on that cruise the tour was almost cancelled due to lack of interest (which contrary to the posts above is quite common); I was not informed until Day 8 of a 10 day cruise that the tour would run the next morning--and they ran it even though one couple apparently changed their mind once learning the tour would start at 8:30 AM on the last sea day.

[Womble99]

How much is it now? What is the maximum number that can sign up?

 

 

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Price of the tour depends where in the world your ship is located, for the majority of people on this board you will be in the US so it will be $150USD. Numbers are limited, normally around 16 but again it can vary by ship (it was limited to 12 on one we did)

[SantaFeFan]

I did it on Grand in June. There were 15 of us. It was very interesting. The three hour fifteen minute tour included visits to the galley and food prep rooms, the food storage areas, the infirmary, the crew quarters, the main employee corridor through the middle of the ship called M1 (some US ships call it I5), the stage and back stage areas in the main theater, the print shop, the photo developing shop, the laundry, the winch room for anchor and mooring lines, and of course, the bridge. After the tour a "gift bag" with a Princess robe, four photos taken by the ship's photographer, a photo frame, and a note pad with my name and Princess printed on it was delivered to my room.

 

At $150 is was a bit pricey. I have no use for the robe, and the photo frame doesn't fit in with our home decor - both have been donated to Good Will. I would have rather they had skipped the "gifts" and lowered the price a bit lower.

 

Two corrections/additions to my original description. The tour also included the engine CONTROL room where they explained how they operate and monitor the power on the ship. The actual engine room is off limits to visitors. Some people report that the engine room itself is on the tour, but that is never the case for security and hazard reasons.

 

Also, that main corridor that runs the length of the ship is called I-95 on some cruise lines, not I-5 as I originally wrote. In the US, I-95 is the main highway along the entire east coast, running from the Canadian border to the tip of Florida. So many US based ships call it that. The M1 is the first major road built to highway standards in the UK about 50 years ago. Princess was once owned by a British company and still retains many British traditions, such as calling that corridor the M1.

 

Sorry for the off topic highway trivia - it's a bit of a hobby of mine.

Edited August 22, 2017 by SantaFeFan

[caribill]

Also, that main corridor that runs the length of the ship is called I-95 on some cruise lines, not I-5 as I originally wrote. In the US, I-95 is the main highway along the entire east coast, running from the Canadian border to the tip of Florida. So many US based ships call it that.

 

I-95 also has another meaning for a ship's crew https://www.cbp.gov/document/forms/form-i-95-crewmans-landing-permit

[tamsocal]

What do you mean by "two people deciding to join us"? Did two additional people who weren't chosen just show up at the appointed place and time and were actually allowed to glom onto the tour? When I took the UST on Star Princess in 2011 ship's security checked, double checked and rechecked again everyone's cruise card against the list of participants at the start of the tour. And on that cruise the tour was almost cancelled due to lack of interest (which contrary to the posts above is quite common); I was not informed until Day 8 of a 10 day cruise that the tour would run the next morning--and they ran it even though one couple apparently changed their mind once learning the tour would start at 8:30 AM on the last sea day.

 

yep- they joined us at the 2nd or 3rd stop and I wasn't quite sure what was going on and ignored them. then when we were in completely confined spaces and they were standing up front and myself and others could not see. I mentioned something to the CD staff that those people joined our trip just before we went to backstage theater- are they supposed to be here- she answered LOL yeah we frequently get tour hijackers (I don't know if she used that exact word but whatever word it was it was fairly similar meaning). kind of caught me off guard so I didn't have a response although I thought to myself *** tell them to go away since I paid $150 and they are impacting my hearing, seeing and enjoyment of the tour.... if you are going to hijack at least stand in the back??? so then I said something again about 2 stops later having to do with- I don't really think it is fair that they join in the tour when I am paying and they are not and some of these spaces are really crowded. She then responded oh- I didn't;t realize before that they are family of the Ships Doctor on board. I told her that made no difference to me and she should arrange for their own tour and that it was inappropriate they tag along on something that is mentioned repeatedly of space is limited due to the nature of the tour.

She told me a few minutes later they would be leaving. Then the couple when walking away made a point of saying goodbye we will not be continuing on with you.

if you are going to tag along for free, do you really have to stand in the front?:confused:

 

we didn't get notice until probably 48hrs in advance but they mentioned please notify asap as we have a waitlist - I asked at probably day 5 so have you made a decision about UST at PS desk and they looked for me and there was definitely a long list and additional page

[lola2013]

My friend and I did the tour on the Caribbean Princess the last time we sailed on her. Because the tour is pricey, we "treated" each other to the tour rather than exchanging birthday gifts that year. Worked out great and we really enjoyed it. In addition to all the other gifts that people have mentioned, we received a chef's jacket which was HUGE... and since the most cooking I do is in a microwave, I really didn't need it. And the robe is still hanging in my closet...wish they could have provided sized robes rather than one size fits most! But I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth...It was still a fascinating tour and I'm glad we did it.

[robthens]

All of their gifts are pretty much useless. Lower the price, eliminate all the gifts & they could definitely get more takers.

 

Regarding the gifts: We loved the robes. They were top of the line. Aprons are very nice. I kept one & gave the other one to daughter who picked us up at airport. Personalized notepads were nice too. Enjoyed having group pictures. Picture frames were of no use to us.

 

Would I like the price to be lower? Yes

Would I do the tour again? Maybe

Would I want gifts again if I toured again? No

 

My favorite part of the tour was the laundry.

 

What was yours?

[floridalover5623]

The chef's jacket is one of the most ridiculous item among the bunch.:D:'):rolleyes:

Does anyone actually ever get to use them? :confused:

[robthens]

The chef's jacket is one of the most ridiculous item among the bunch.:D:'):rolleyes:

Does anyone actually ever get to use them? :confused:

 

Lol .... I didn't get a chef's jacket. We got aprons & I do use it. Guess I'm a sous-cheft

[floridalover5623]

Lol .... I didn't get a chef's jacket. We got aprons & I do use it. Guess I'm a sous-cheft

Looks like they've cut back.

[WVBill]

Looks like they've cut back.

 

Yeah - a few years ago (1913), we got the Princess Cookbook instead of the Chef's jacket or Apron....

[floridalover5623]

Yeah - a few years ago (1913), we got the Princess Cookbook instead of the Chef's jacket or Apron....

Now that's one thing most people would rather receive.

But 1913? I gather the recipes have changed quite a bit since then. ;);)

[WVBill]

Now that's one thing most people would rather receive.

But 1913? I gather the recipes have changed quite a bit since then. ;);)

 

Oops - I knew that looked odd for some reason when I typed it... Obviously 2013. :D