Majestic Princess / June 17 2023 / Semi-Live Trip Report w/ Pre-Cruise AK Adventure … Let’s Go!

[Fishbone]

Day 11 – Sat Jun 17: Part 3/3

 

Home Away From Home! Once I turned our cold little cabin into a warm & cozy little igloo, I jumped into the shower for a super long hot soak (good pressure/good temp). Our Alaskan road trip was very fun, but I’m ready to be pampered! I like to shower to Lizzo’s “Good as Hell” song looping on my iPhone. I turned up the volume & sung my heart out. Baby how you feelin’? …

 

When I got out of the shower, the guys took theirs & we headed to dinner. I tried to make reservations on the app, but it didn’t work. Another day, another failed app. So many apps. Here an app, there an app, everywhere an app app. Sigh.

 

Guten Appetit! In advance of every cruise, I love looking over the menus! Often, my mom & I will play “Kellner”, where we ask each other for our dinner “order” (which is always the complete opposite of each other). I’m no “foodie”, but I do love to eat! We stick to the establishments that are included, versus paying extra, as there’s more than enough for us to choose from!

 

One thing we’ve never ever allowed Colt to do is order off the kids menu. Anywhere. As a result, he’s not a picky eater & is happy to try new things. We’re all looking forward to dinner, especially my husband. At home, he’s the designated Chef & the sole guy on the clean-up crew. Smirk.

 

Symphony Dining Room! We ended up here by chance. It’s the first dining room we stumbled upon. We were seated immediately & were treated to a nice dinner by a great wait staff. The dining room was extremely empty. We were the only table being served in our section. We thought it may be because it was the first night, but our waiters told us that the first night is the busiest and then it tapers off after that. He also said that the Symphony was always the least busy.  

 

Dessert! I’m probably the only person in the world that doesn’t like chocolate. I’ll only eat it if it’s my only option & thoroughly baked into a cake-like consistency. If it’s all ooey gooey fudgy sludgy … nope. Yuck. My most favorite cruise ship dessert is Grand Marnier Soufflé. But I also love a good cheese plate!

 

Beach House! After dinner, Colt went to check out the teen lounge.

 

My husband is feeling a little under the weather, so we headed back to the cabin to relax. We changed into our pajamas & relaxed on our extra-large balcony while listening to Love Boat reruns in the background.

 

Colt returned to the cabin around 10PM. He brought my husband a mug of hot water/honey & a few cookies for them to share. Sometimes he’s super sassy, but mostly, he’s very sweet.

 

He reluctantly put on his pjs & joined us on the balcony. I packed us all matching pajamas: red/white flannel bottoms dotted w/ polar bears; white t-shirts; & white fuzzy socks. Way too hot for Florida, but perfect for Alaska! The guys didn’t enjoy it as much as I did - there were a lot of eye rolls, w/ Colt loudly proclaiming that “Everyone above us can see us standing here in matching pjs!”. LOL! The guys had their fun, now it’s my turn! Anchor’s away!

[Fishbone]

I've decided that I'm not really good at this live trip report thing. I keep falling behind. The internet is not very good & every time I try to post, I have no service. My super old German mom, who is reading along, probably thinks something is wrong. Keine Angst meine allerliebste Mama! Alles Klar, Herr Kommissar! 

[Mike & Zen]

16 minutes ago, Fishbone said:

I've decided that I'm not really good at this live trip report thing. I keep falling behind. The internet is not very good & every time I try to post, I have no service. My super old German mom, who is reading along, probably thinks something is wrong. Keine Angst meine allerliebste Mama! Alles Klar, Herr Kommissar! 

You are sailing in Glacier Bay today and into the early evening.  The internet will be spotty (on and off) due to the mountains blocking the line of sight (LOS) from the satellite and the ship’s antennas.  Also, sailing in these higher latitudes impacts as well.

[Fishbone]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CruzeQueen2]

Fabulous photos! @Fishbone Thanks for sharing.

Were you warm enough today? Looks like the sun was out for you. Happy to see that for you.

[Cali Viajera]

We were on the Majestic last June on the same Whittier to Vancouver cruise. You will love it! Your style of writing is so engaging!

Can you show pics of your cozy stateroom?

[minniegidget]

Glad you are having a good time. Had to laugh with the thought of matching PJ's. Not many husbands would go along with something fun like that.

[happy42cruise]

I'm enjoying your adventure!  We were supposed to be on the Ruby in May but we both caught covid & had to cancel.  First time for covid & first time we've ever canceled a trip!  So following your post I'm vicariously on an Alaska cruise.  Thank you!  Also from your lodging descriptions we will definitely do a connoisseur cruisetour if we decide to see more of Alaska. 

Edited June 20, 2023 by happy42cruise
More info

[hello]

Thank you so much .... I have been loving your report!!

[gottagoacruzn]

On 6/19/2023 at 10:05 AM, Fishbone said:

I've decided that I'm not really good at this live trip report thing. I keep falling behind. The internet is not very good & every time I try to post, I have no service. My super old German mom, who is reading along, probably thinks something is wrong. Keine Angst meine allerliebste Mama! Alles Klar, Herr Kommissar! 

If you say so. Better yet, think I had that removed last week!! Just jokin, mind you.

[Purple Gallinule]

Our day in Hoonah began with so much promise. The sun was shining, breakfast in the Reserve Collection dining room was perfect, our excursion did not meet until 10:45am giving us plenty of time to take in the beauty of the area.

 

We had booked the Birds of Hoonah excursion months ago. We are avid birders and there are not many (any?) other places that have official Princess excursions especially for that. The excursion tickets specified "Must be able to walk for one hour over uneven ground." No problem there as we do that on a regular basis on any birding field trip. Our guide, Hannah, was terrific. She knew where to go and had an idea of what would be there when we arrived. She made sure everyone was able to see all the birds, and just in case of bears (we saw 3) she was armed with a .45 cal pistol.

 

So far, the excursion had lived up to expectations. Then we returned to the port and the day took a bad turn. We already knew we would have to tender to the ship (fodder for a different post), but we assumed we would be dropped off where we were picked up. NOPE!!!! Hannah pulled into a parking lot that led to the dock for the Celebrity ship in port. We asked to be taken back to our dock and were told that we had to walk all the way through the commercial area until we got to a free gondola that would take us where we wanted to go. No choice. And get this. After dropping us off, she drove to OUR DOCK to pick up folks for the next excursion!!!!!!!!!

 

She told us she was sorry to leave us there, and we did not blame her for this ridiculous policy. It turns out it was all about getting us to walk through a long area of stores. By the time we got off the gondola and walked to our tender, more than a half-hour had passed. Needless to say we did not spend any money in those shops. It was more than a quarter-mile walk to reach the gondola, and then a line to board.

 

There is no mention of this requirement on the excursion tickets or the excursion description. If you take this excursion, be prepared to walk farther to get back to the ship than you did on the excursion itself. And of course when we got back on the ship, the excursion desk was closed!

[Fishbone]

On 6/19/2023 at 8:31 PM, CruzeQueen2 said:

Fabulous photos! @Fishbone Thanks for sharing.

Were you warm enough today? Looks like the sun was out for you. Happy to see that for you.

 

@CruzeQueen2 Sadly, we've all been feeling a little under the weather. But we found an excellent spot on deck where we were sheltered from the wind & the sun beat down on us! We soaked it up for hours!

[Fishbone]

22 hours ago, Cali Viajera said:

We were on the Majestic last June on the same Whittier to Vancouver cruise. You will love it! Your style of writing is so engaging!

Can you show pics of your cozy stateroom?

 

@Cali Viajera Thanks so much! I will take a few photos before we depart, but not right now as it's in a state of complete disarray! My goodness, someone might think we're the three little piggies! It's usually immaculate, but we're tired and cold. Have I already mentioned how cold we are? 😁

[Fishbone]

21 hours ago, minniegidget said:

Glad you are having a good time. Had to laugh with the thought of matching PJ's. Not many husbands would go along with something fun like that.

 

@minniegidget He didn't really want to, but they are so soft and fuzzy! I think he only agreed to it because they are so warm! 

[Fishbone]

16 hours ago, happy42cruise said:

I'm enjoying your adventure!  We were supposed to be on the Ruby in May but we both caught covid & had to cancel.  First time for covid & first time we've ever canceled a trip!  So following your post I'm vicariously on an Alaska cruise.  Thank you!  Also from your lodging descriptions we will definitely do a connoisseur cruisetour if we decide to see more of Alaska. 

 

@happy42cruise Oh no! I bet that was so disappointing! It seems that half of the ship (if not more) is sick - everyone is coughing, sneezing, blowing their nose, etc. The good thing about roughing it in Alaska before our cruise is that we really had something to look forward to! I loved our little place in Homer & the Marriott Anchorage Downtown was very nice. 

[Fishbone]

3 hours ago, hello said:

Thank you so much .... I have been loving your report!!

 

@hello Thank you so much!

[Fishbone]

1 hour ago, Purple Gallinule said:

Our day in Hoonah began with so much promise. The sun was shining, breakfast in the Reserve Collection dining room was perfect, our excursion did not meet until 10:45am giving us plenty of time to take in the beauty of the area.

 

We had booked the Birds of Hoonah excursion months ago. We are avid birders and there are not many (any?) other places that have official Princess excursions especially for that. The excursion tickets specified "Must be able to walk for one hour over uneven ground." No problem there as we do that on a regular basis on any birding field trip. Our guide, Hannah, was terrific. She knew where to go and had an idea of what would be there when we arrived. She made sure everyone was able to see all the birds, and just in case of bears (we saw 3) she was armed with a .45 cal pistol.

 

So far, the excursion had lived up to expectations. Then we returned to the port and the day took a bad turn. We already knew we would have to tender to the ship (fodder for a different post), but we assumed we would be dropped off where we were picked up. NOPE!!!! Hannah pulled into a parking lot that led to the dock for the Celebrity ship in port. We asked to be taken back to our dock and were told that we had to walk all the way through the commercial area until we got to a free gondola that would take us where we wanted to go. No choice. And get this. After dropping us off, she drove to OUR DOCK to pick up folks for the next excursion!!!!!!!!!

 

She told us she was sorry to leave us there, and we did not blame her for this ridiculous policy. It turns out it was all about getting us to walk through a long area of stores. By the time we got off the gondola and walked to our tender, more than a half-hour had passed. Needless to say we did not spend any money in those shops. It was more than a quarter-mile walk to reach the gondola, and then a line to board.

 

There is no mention of this requirement on the excursion tickets or the excursion description. If you take this excursion, be prepared to walk farther to get back to the ship than you did on the excursion itself. And of course when we got back on the ship, the excursion desk was closed!

 

@Purple Gallinule Well, at least you walked up an appetite! Now you can treat yourself to a wonderful meal aboard the ship!

[Fishbone]

Day 12 – Sun Jun 18

 

Happy Father’s Day to ALL the dad’s out there, especially to my super old dad & to my wonderful husband (who I probably don’t deserve, but am eternally grateful for).

 

Greetings from the Gulf of Alaska! Baby, it’s cold outside! C O L D !!!

 

We woke up very, very late. I had hoped we could still grab breakfast somewhere, but everything was already turned over for lunch.

 

Yakutat Bay! Gorgeous scenery all around. Little “bergs” floating by. Birds soaring in the wind. The water looks so cold … almost as though anything that touches it will instantly turn to ice.

 

Disenchantment Bay! You spin me right ‘round, baby, right ‘round, like a record, baby, right ‘round, ‘round, ‘round!

 

Hubbard Glacier! Ice, ice, baby!

 

We spent the majority of the day doing nothing. It felt amazing!

 

One of us did get legitimately locked in the bathroom of our cabin. I won’t say who, because that would be inappropriate & embarrassing … but it wasn’t me! I had to get the Stu to come open the door. He used a special tool to open it & said the lock was broken. Thank goodness we were all here in the cabin together. Otherwise, the stuck person could have ended up in there forever. Alone & afraid in Alaska. That doesn’t sound very fun.

 

Table Tennis! AKA ping pong! Four enclosed tables, which is super nice ‘cause you don’t have to go chasing the ball! I like to play, but not with the guys, who take it all way too seriously. I don’t want to lose an eyeball!

 

Video Arcade! This is a sour spot for me. All it took was a quarter back in the day (or two quarters if you were playing Gauntlet). Prices are outrageous. I know it’s 2023, but there’s simply no ethical reason for these games to be priced so high. The guys played a few rounds of Jurassic Park.

 

Paper Airplane Competition! The guys participated in the paper airplane competition, but both of their planes took a nose dive straight into the atrium. Thus, I was a late entry & my plane … soared through the rings. I won a little plastic Princess coaster. Yay me. I can’t actually take any credit for my B-52 Bomber though as my husband folded it for me.

 

SeaWalk! These walkways jutting out from the ship make me nauseous. They’re quite slippery too & there’s always a sign out urging caution.

 

Alfredo’s! It was formal night & I was ready to go, but the guys wanted a quick slice of pizza first, so we headed to Alfredo’s. We ordered & then waited & waited & waited. During our wait, the champagne tower was disassembled & distributed. I grabbed a glass & was giggling after three sips. Such a lightweight.

 

Our pizzas finally arrived after an hour. Hawaiian for Colt; Pepperoni for my husband; Seafood for me (& a piece of Tiramisu). They were good, but our intention was to just grab & slice & go. We didn’t realize it would take a long & leisurely Italian minute.

 

The best pizza I ever had on a cruise was on Carnival. It was called “De Chevre”: roasted garlic, mushroom, & tangy goat cheese. It was delicious & didn’t take more than 5 minutes for them to toss me a slice. Sadly, they took it off the menu. Sigh.

 

Colt gobbled up his pizza & then headed to the Beach House. My husband & I nixed the formal dinner & took a stroll around the ship instead.

 

Afterwards, we all met up in the cabin. It was very cold & we quickly discovered that the vent was blowing out cold air. At first, I thought we must have inadvertently set the thermostat to cold, but it was not set incorrectly. I went to find the room steward, but the hallway was empty & his cart was gone for the night. I made the executive decision for us to all snuggle up in one bed & layered five blankets on top of us. We spent the rest of the night watching movies. One by one we all drifted off to sleep. I am grateful for my family.

 

[#55worktoplay]

On 6/2/2023 at 11:31 AM, Fishbone said:

PRE RAMBLE – Part 3

 

The cruise that did not happen in 2020 was scheduled to encompass a 10-day sail aboard the Carnival Miracle, round-trip from San Francisco w/ pre & post cruise adventures in California.

 

I intended to re-book something similar until a very nice poster on the TripAdvisor Hawai’i forum (after reading my exhaustive trip reports) privately messaged me about my intent to do so, suggesting that our travel style sounded more suited to a land-based vacation in Alaska. She kindly sent me the reports from her own trips to Alaska & I was immediately intrigued!

 

Although we’re seasoned cruisers, having cruised many times aboard various lines (Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Carnival), I read her reports w/ intrigue & wonder. Perhaps a cruise to Alaska was no longer the most appropriate mechanism to tour the 49th state. We’ve taken an incredible amount of road trips all across the USA, but never considered a land-based vacation in Alaska.

 

Subsequently, I delved into the Alaska forums on both TripAdvisor & Cruise Critic & found myself reading & reading & reading into the wee hours of the morning - reminiscent of days gone by when, on a school night, I’d read Apple paperbacks under the covers by the light of my dad’s Army flashlight that was affixed w/ a red lens (so as not to alert my parents that I was awake way past my bedtime).

 

Recently, I discovered a setting on my iPhone that mimics the old flashlight of my youth. Thus, I’m often up until 3AM contemplating the thoughtful recommendations, detailed responses, & excellent advice by the refreshingly kind posters on both forums (TripAdvisor & Cruise Critic)!

 

Ok, so that’s not entirely true. I especially enjoy reading the posts that bring out the popcorn. I would never personally engage in slingin’ pizza with complete strangers, but it sure is fun to read. Just sayin’! 🤪

I don’t know how I’m about to be quoting above but oh well!  
 

I just found your thread tonight and read front start to current and have enjoyed every part of it. I’m glad I’m caught up because it is way past my bedtime. 
 

Seems like a great trip, too bad you didn’t have better clothing but I get it, like you’d ever use the same clothes in Florida.

 

Fantsstic pictures and your writing skills are to be admired. 
 

Thanks , see u tomorrow. 

[Fishbone]

21 hours ago, #55worktoplay said:

I don’t know how I’m about to be quoting above but oh well!  
 

I just found your thread tonight and read front start to current and have enjoyed every part of it. I’m glad I’m caught up because it is way past my bedtime. 
 

Seems like a great trip, too bad you didn’t have better clothing but I get it, like you’d ever use the same clothes in Florida.

 

Fantsstic pictures and your writing skills are to be admired. 
 

Thanks , see u tomorrow. 

 

Thanks so much for your kind words @#55worktoplay! We did think that we were prepared for the weather, but I guess not. 

[Fishbone]

Day 13 – Mon Jun 19

 

Happy Juneteenth! Commemorate, celebrate, educate, reflect!

 

Greetings from Glacier Bay National Park, an UNESCO World Heritage Site! We had an incredibly scenic day transiting the park.

 

National Park Service (NPS) Rangers boarded the ship this morning & brought along their “paraphernalia”, so we were able to stamp Colt’s National Park Passport.

 

It was cold, but we were able to soak up the sun from our extra large balcony while sailing past glaciers & those cute little lazy otters.

 

Colt spends the majority of his time at the Beach Club. We are helicopter parents, but decided to give him full run of the ship. I guess it’s time we gave him a little more freedom. Little does he know that we were (I was) tracking his every move via the Medallion App. He goes from the Beach Club to the Bakery to Swirls. Beach Club, Bakery, Swirls. Beach Club, Bakery, Swirls. After a few days, we stopped checking. That's not true. My husband ordered me to stop checking. "Give him a little bit of privacy," he said. Sigh. I guess we know where to find him! Last night, we saw him on the Lido Deck, at a large table next to the Bakery – filled with teenage boys laughing & eating cookies. We ducked out of sight before he saw us. Sure wish we could stop the hands of time.

 

The cruise seems to be going by very quickly. We’re all very tired & are definitely under the weather. My husband & I snuggled up in the cabin & watched movies again. Colt stopped by around 9PM to check in & again at 10PM. “You don’t have to check in every hour,” I told him. “I know,” he said, “But I know how much you worry."

 

I think if we ever took another Alaskan cruise, I'd opt for a longer one. Perhaps a north bound & a south bound on two separate ships? Although that might be more trouble than it's worth. I'd also time it differently - going in late July when the salmon are running. It would be warmer then too. And I'd buy myself a pair of the short little puddle jumpers that I saw a fellow passenger wear. I've never seen them before in Florida, but I could definitely use them there on days that I have to walk from the triangle lot to campus during torrential rains. 

[minniegidget]

I'm taking it as there   would be no polar dip in the ocean for you. Glad you are having a good time. Sorry you are so cold.

[cr8tiv1]

The Medallion locator is one of the best features of the app.  Glad you are helicopter parents.  You've taught him well (checking in on you...haha/tables have turned).  Actually, while "at sea" there really is no where for him to go.  Happy he has found some friends to hang out with.  In today's world, technology will keep them close.  

 

BTW...I have several National Park Passports.  Mostly because I would forget to bring them along and have to buy a new one.  Don't have nearly the stamps Colt has, but I'm good with the West!

[Buckeye10640]

I am loving your trip report, you are such an entertaining writer.  I hope you are feeling better. it sounds like you are worn out from all of the pre-cruise adventures!

We sailed this itinerary (but with Skagaway) last year on Majestic in May. If you are looking for 'warm' check out Hollywood Conservatory, with the indoor pool/hot tub and lots of seating along the glass walls. Also the noodle bar on Lido Deck for a snack. It is on Majestic only, most ships have quick-serve pizza in that spot. As you found, Alfredos is not really a place for a  'quick' bite but we will go there in place of the dining room for dinner. 

[Fishbone]

15 hours ago, minniegidget said:

I'm taking it as there   would be no polar dip in the ocean for you. Glad you are having a good time. Sorry you are so cold.

 

LOL! I would consider a "polar dip" @minniegidget! But only if there were warm & snuggly "just out of the dryer" towels to dry off with, unlimited hot cocoas to sip, & a blazing fire by which to sit! A mama bear I am, but a polar bear ... I am not!