LIVE - 4cats4me’s last-minute cruise on the Majestic Princess, August 29, 2021

[4cats4me]

2 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

We were able to hear the narration in our cabin. There were times when the girl talking took a break for several minutes before continuing with the commentary. We just left it on the bridge channel all morning to catch bits and pieces when we would come back in our canin.

Interesting.  Nope,  I kept it on the channel the whole time , no audio, unfortunately.  Oh well this was my fourth to GB,  so I’ve heard the narration before,  but it’s always nice to hear it again. 😊

[Thrak]

2 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

You can book them on the ship IF someone cancels. Usually, when the excursion is "closed" it means that it's sold out. You can request to be put on the wait list. We got on a sold out excursion by getting on the wait list.

 

Sadly, people will sometimes book multiple excursions they "might" want to do. Later they cancel some of them but, in the meantime, the excursion is "sold out" and folks who really do want to take the excursion are blocked from booking.

[cruiseesusee]

1 hour ago, dalest said:

Can you order off the main dining room menu for delivery to your room?

Yes if you are in a full suite

[KLM3164]

1 hour ago, 4cats4me said:

WHY does this site keep kicking me off?

I’m having the same problems on CC that you are. 😤

[cruzrbachoua]

34 minutes ago, cruiseesusee said:

Yes if you are in a full suite

Are they allowing that now with COVID-19 protocols?

[14baja]

4 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

We did a great shore excursion this morning called Black Bear, Wildlife & Nature Walk. It was amazing! One of my favorite shore excursions ever. Because it was raining we saw so many black bears and 4 baby bears. Last time I came to Alaska I only saw 1 bear so this trip made up for it. Hoping one video I took with mom and 2 babies can upload to CC. I’ll post more photos later. 

IMG_1521.MOV 51.58 MB · 0 downloads

I am so happy to hear this, because I booked that same excursion, and since it was a bit pricey, I was worried about being disappointed.  My biggest goal with this trip is to see some bears (and whales) so I'm very excited!!! 🙂

[Italy52]

2 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

Photo highlights from today.This next photo makes me sad. It’s a mother bear who lost her 2 cubs recently. They were most likely killed by a male bear. 😢She has a mark on her nose which is a wound. The guide said she most likely was injured trying to save her cubs.

Nice bear pictures.  Did you take the bear tour at the Rainforest Sanctuary?  We did this last week and had a great time. 

[coo359a2]

1 hour ago, Thrak said:

 

Sadly, people will sometimes book multiple excursions they "might" want to do. Later they cancel some of them but, in the meantime, the excursion is "sold out" and folks who really do want to take the excursion are blocked from booking.

Not sure if this is done as much as it was several years ago.  Now you pay for your excursions when you book them either using OBC or a credit card.  Also after you have booked an excursion and then try to book another excursion (same port and covering same time frame),  you will get a "schedule conflict - Continue Shopping" notice when you try to add that excursion to your Cart.

[NSWP]

2 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Sadly, people will sometimes book multiple excursions they "might" want to do. Later they cancel some of them but, in the meantime, the excursion is "sold out" and folks who really do want to take the excursion are blocked from booking.

One reason why Princess make you pay for your shorex when booking. Good idea, might deter some from block booking.  But as coo359a2 said above, not as common now.

 

Edited September 4, 2021 by NSWP

[KLM3164]

2 hours ago, Italy52 said:

Nice bear pictures.  Did you take the bear tour at the Rainforest Sanctuary?  We did this last week and had a great time. 

Yes we were at the rainforest sanctuary. Did you have rain last week too? Our guides said the bears were very active today because it was raining. I think we saw at least 12 bears today. I would have been happy to see just a couple so I was over the moon happy.

[KLM3164]

2 hours ago, 14baja said:

I am so happy to hear this, because I booked that same excursion, and since it was a bit pricey, I was worried about being disappointed.  My biggest goal with this trip is to see some bears (and whales) so I'm very excited!!! 🙂

We saw at least 12 bears today so I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

[KLM3164]

Tonight’s dinner in the Crown Grill.

[CruzeQueen2]

23 minutes ago, KLM3164 said:

Tonight’s dinner in the Crown Grill.

Desserts look amazing! What were you drinking with your appetizer?

Thanks for the delicious pics.

[KLM3164]

3 minutes ago, CruzeQueen2 said:

Desserts look amazing! What were you drinking with your appetizer?

Thanks for the delicious pics.

Malibu Sunrise. 

[KLM3164]

8 hours ago, geoherb said:

Also do you know the number of days it took to make the top 40 lunch?

385 days.

[caribill]

3 hours ago, NSWP said:

One reason why Princess make you pay for your shorex when booking. Good idea, might deter some from block booking.  But as coo359a2 said above, not as common now.

 

 

Main reason they make you pay when booking is because every other cruise company makes you pay at that time.

 

Bit by bit, Princess is eliminating things that made them unique.

[Italy52]

3 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

Yes we were at the rainforest sanctuary. Did you have rain last week too? Our guides said the bears were very active today because it was raining. I think we saw at least 12 bears today. I would have been happy to see just a couple so I was over the moon happy.

Yes we did have some rain -- nothing real heavy just short bouts of sprinkles and quite a bit of fog throughout the cruise.  We saw about 6 to 8 bears on our excursion -- hard to keep count as some of them were weaving in and out of the bushes.  Definitely made our day.  Glad you saw so many and had a good time.

[JF - retired RRT]

11 hours ago, cruzrbachoua said:

Are they allowing that now with COVID-19 protocols?

No reason not to...they're allowing room service to deliver morning breakfast orders/coffee/etc. Ordering from the MDR menu in a suite isn't any different. Nothing extra fancy. The whole meal is delivered at the same time.

Others have posted that the way to do it (without having melted ice cream or cold main dish) is to order each course separately. Which would be a PITA for the wait staff & the diner.

[Steelers36]

11 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

I’m having the same problems on CC that you are. 😤

CC dumps me several times a day.  

[AstoriaPreppy]

On 8/31/2021 at 6:20 PM, hpeabody said:

Is this because we Americans have known these tiny pastries as Petit fours and the rest of the world calls the by a more European name gourmandises?   Princess never ceases to amaze me with some of the things they change for no really important reason except to change.  (With the exception of when it comes to money matters where the constantly cheapen or eliminate the things we know.  When it comes to money matters I may not like, but I can understand)

In the pastry world, petit four is a French term that translates to "little oven."  Mignardises are like petit four, but usually aren't baked (but the terms can be interchangeable).

So most of the time, a petit four is a little cake or other baked good, while mignardise are like  a custard or (American) pudding. 

[phabric]

12 hours ago, Italy52 said:

Nice bear pictures.  Did you take the bear tour at the Rainforest Sanctuary?  We did this last week and had a great time. 

Were you not afraid that the bears would charge at you?

 

You were only walking on a pathway?

[Italy52]

1 hour ago, phabric said:

Were you not afraid that the bears would charge at you?

 

You were only walking on a pathway?

Not afraid at all.  The two guides had pepper spray and flares to scare off the bears if necessary.  The viewing area is elevated and the pathway to get to the viewing area is minimal.  I have gone to Anan Creek twice and was more scared taking the pathway to that elevated viewing area because the trek was longer. In Anan, we had to stop our walk because a bear was coming across our path.  In Anan, our guides had guns, a knife and pepper spray.  With both trips I knew we were in capable hands as all the guides took the appropriate precautions to keep us informed and safe.  I would not hesitate to do the trips again. 

Edited September 4, 2021 by Italy52

[KLM3164]

1 hour ago, phabric said:

Were you not afraid that the bears would charge at you?

 

You were only walking on a pathway?

I felt very safe as well. This photo shows the platform you walk along to view the bears. The guides you are with know what they are doing. I would do this tour again in a heartbeat.

[KLM3164]

The water is a little rough this morning so we are getting bounced around a bit. We have an aft cabin so perhaps this makes for more movement. We’ve never had an aft cabin before. I’m enjoying all the movement. As a child I spent a lot of time on a boat in the CA delta so I’ve always enjoyed the movement on a ship. This is the first movement I’ve felt. The rest of the trip has had really smooth waters.

 

Saw my first kid on the ship yesterday. A young boy who I’m sure was at least 12 years old so probably vaccinated.

 

Haven’t heard of anyone being tested for COVID on the ship this week.

[4cats4me]

23 minutes ago, KLM3164 said:

The water is a little rough this morning so we are getting bounced around a bit. We have an aft cabin so perhaps this makes for more movement. We’ve never had an aft cabin before. I’m enjoying all the movement. As a child I spent a lot of time on a boat in the CA delta so I’ve always enjoyed the movement on a ship. This is the first movement I’ve felt. The rest of the trip has had really smooth waters.

 

Saw my first kid on the ship yesterday. A young boy who I’m sure was at least 12 years old so probably vaccinated.

 

Haven’t heard of anyone being tested for COVID on the ship this week.

Ugh.  It’s quite pronounced up here in bow. Slam.  Clunk. Clunk .  Ka-BAM!

We’ve had afts in the past,  and it is a wild ride back there , too.   Up here,  it feels like I’m at the epicenter  of a 4.5-5.2 earthquake every 30-45 seconds, and not a roller but a thruster.  LOL

It’s fun to have a little movement. 

Our current seas.  We are on the outer side of Vancouver Island. 

 

Edited September 4, 2021 by 4cats4me