Its Going to Be Majestic - Live Review Princess Majestic Cruisetour - June 10-22

[Stealthdog]

Today is Ketchikan Day (Day 3)!  We went back an hour over night so everyone should be well rested.  I woke up early and was able to watch out entry into port.  The port looks really quaint!  We have a private tour at 9am and all aboard is 230pm.  I have a little catch-up to do with some posts from yesterday - will try to get them updated after the tour.

[CruzeQueen2]

Enjoy the day in Ketchikan! @Stealthdog You are docked at the far end from town and will have a bit of a walk to get to the main area of town, heading to the right as you exit the ship.. Looks like the clouds should lift for you as the day progresses. Fingers crossed! 

Last year, there was a fancy donut shop across the street and a nice T-shirt store called Woodlands where they sell clothing with locally designed logs and such. We were docked at the other port (in town) last time, so I didn't get back to those two places this year. I did wear my local tee-shirt while in town though!

Jellyfish donuts in the blue building, I just checked...

Have fun.

Edited June 12, 2023 by CruzeQueen2
adding info

[Stealthdog]

7 minutes ago, CruzeQueen2 said:

Enjoy the day in Ketchikan! @Stealthdog You are docked at the far end from town and will have a bit of a walk to get to the main area of town, heading to the right as you exit the ship.. Looks like the clouds should lift for you as the day progresses. Fingers crossed! 

Last year, there was a fancy donut shop across the street and a nice T-shirt store called Woodlands where they sell clothing with locally designed logs and such. We were docked at the other port (in town) last time, so I didn't get back to those two places.

Have fun.

Lol, how funny - the first thing I saw was the sign for Jellyfish Donuts.  Will definitely be checking that place out!

[Mike & Zen]

[gottagoacruzn]

Thats a new one on me, jellyfish donuts. Never heard of that before.

[Purple Gallinule]

Just a couple of comments about our day in Ketchikan. Rain very early gave way to a warm and beautiful day. We chased birds at a couple of parks and along Ketchikan Creek. The three best were Pacific Wren, Swainson's Thrushes, and two American Dippers along the creek by the small rapids.

 

After birding, we went to the Great Alaska Lumberjack Show. This is our 4th time in Ketchikan, but we had never done this show. It was SO MUCH FUN!!! We had a great time and I recommend it for all ages. The concession stand was fun, too, because everything I bought cost $2 - popcorn, sodas, cookies, etc. There were four ships (or more) in port today, so the show was sold out.

 

Tomorrow we are renting a car so we can go birding at Mendenhall Wetlands, and several parks in the area.

[Stealthdog]

On 6/11/2023 at 7:30 PM, CruzeQueen2 said:

When you have time, if you could take a picture of the senior staff board, that would be great, and appreciated. I believe it can be found on deck 7, forward from the photo gallery...

Specifically, I am wondering if you still have the same DORO (Director of Restaurant Operations)  that was onboard in May. I won't name him, the photo will tell me what I need to know. 

looks like someone beat me to the punch and posted already!  Thanks!

[Stealthdog]

Ketchikan was a very nice stop. I’ve heard some people don’t enjoy it, but we had a blast there.  It’s a nice change from repeating the same port stops in the Caribbean.

 

We did a private tour with Wild Wolf tours.  The port makes it very easy to get to the private tours - once you leave the ship, they we will mixed in with the Princess tours and waiting for you.

 

We ended up being the only 2 on the tour, which was great because we could personalize it however we want.  We had a Rainforest Walk and Totem Park tour.  We were disappointed with the rain forest part because we didn’t see any wildlife (outside of 2 Red Squirrels and 3 Slugs).  The guide did his best to walk us through the different foliage, trees, and terrain to help make up for no animal sightings.  We walked up to a waterfall spot (very small waterfall) and back to the entrance.  The path was modified to make it flat and easy to walk on, but there are a couple of steep inclines which will make it very difficult for anyone with mobility issues to do this tour.  It seems alot of locals use the park to walk their dogs the area. I got excited when I saw some animal droppings, but it wasn’t a bear, it was a dog.  😂

 

The totem park was a nicer part of the tour.  It was helpful the tour guide was married to a Native American and has experience with the culture, history, and meanings.  There are a few different tribes that were in the area and their totem styles differ by tribes.  Seeing these huge totems (they are technically recreations by local native residents) and what we think they meant was really impressive.  Each totem has its own meaning and story.  
 

After the Totems, our guide dropped us off at Creek Street and we slowly made our way back to the ship.

 

I probably wouldn’t recommend this tour for anyone (would recommend the company though - Wild Wolf).  The rainforest part was just a little boring and there are probably better things to do in town.  Entrance to the Totem Park is $5, so you could get a ride from the port to the Park and back for much cheaper.

[Stealthdog]

11 hours ago, gottagoacruzn said:

Thats a new one on me, jellyfish donuts. Never heard of that before.

It was awesome.  Gourmet donuts, dumplings, coffees, and smoothies.  They had more than a dozen different donut options.  Looking back into the kitchen area, they warm up donuts, dip the top into your chosen toppings, and then finish decorating it for you.  The line was a little long when we got there so we had a small wait.  Once you get your donut order it, it comes out quick.  Dumplings (which were awesome) take about 7 minutes.  

 

IMHO Jellyfish Donuts is a cant miss event if you stop in Ketchikan.

 

Pictured below are the strawberry cheesecake and salmon donuts.

 

 

[Stealthdog]

Ketchikan had 5 ships in port (3 Princess, 1 Holland, and 1 Regent).  With a population of 14,000 people the city more than doubled in size!

 

We did the Creek Street walk, stopped in a lot of the shops along the way, had some seafood at a grill near one of the other cruise ships, heard the hollering and cheering from the lumber jack show, and then head back to the ship.  There was a long line to get back on the ship that maintained until the all aboard time (230).  I got myself a mimosa to watch for pier runners from the balcony, but no luck today - everyone was too responsible.  
 

We particularly got a laugh if the “streets” that are just stairs up to a persons house.
 

got some wonderful shots of the port on the way out.  Ketchikan is a great port to view - find a spot either inside or outside to enjoy the views! 

[CruzeQueen2]

@Stealthdog Great reporting from Ketchikan! So glad to hear that the weather yesterday was good for walking around the town and trails.

You selected the donut flavours that I am also interested in. I will definitey get there next time.

 

Here's my two cents worth for today - have you found the monkey bread at the IC in the mornings yet? It's a soft, pull-apart version of a cinnamon roll. I missed it last month, but last year on Royal P, they had it every morning! Hope you like it, if you ask for it on the right day! They don't have it in the glass cases. It is usually on large cookie sheets, behind the servers.

Edited June 13, 2023 by CruzeQueen2
word added

[Stealthdog]

We have a couple hours before our meet up time for our tour in Juneau.  Time to charge phones and go grab breakfast.  Still owe some posts about Crown Grille, some of the shows, a picture outside the indoor pool spaces look for any adult only signs, and last nights narration with whale, seal, and porpoise sightings.

[Stealthdog]

2 minutes ago, CruzeQueen2 said:

@Stealthdog 

 

Here's my two cents worth for today - have you found the monkey bread at the IC in the mornings yet? It's a soft, pull-apart version of a cinnamon roll. I missed it last month, but last year on Royal P, they had it every morning! Hope you like it, if you ask for it on the right day!

I’ll look for it!

[EDVM96]

10 hours ago, Purple Gallinule said:

There were four ships (or more) in port today, so the show was sold out.

They do up to 5 shows per day, depending on the number of ships in port.

[Orange Yuzu]

1 hour ago, Stealthdog said:

It was awesome.  Gourmet donuts, dumplings, coffees, and smoothies.  They had more than a dozen different donut options.  Looking back into the kitchen area, they warm up donuts, dip the top into your chosen toppings, and then finish decorating it for you.  The line was a little long when we got there so we had a small wait.  Once you get your donut order it, it comes out quick.  Dumplings (which were awesome) take about 7 minutes.  

 

IMHO Jellyfish Donuts is a cant miss event if you stop in Ketchikan.

 

Pictured below are the strawberry cheesecake and salmon donuts.

 

 

Ohhh I'm so jealous. We are on Sapphire princess and were also in Ketchikan with Ruby and Majestic yesterday.  By the time we got back from excursions the jellyfish donut shop already sold out for the day!

 

DH is definitely sad about missing the salmon donuts.  He said he read about them in a book in his childhood. 

[Stealthdog]

12 hours ago, Purple Gallinule said:

After birding, we went to the Great Alaska Lumberjack Show. This is our 4th time in Ketchikan, but we had never done this show. It was SO MUCH FUN!!! We had a great time and I recommend it for all ages. The concession stand was fun, too, because everything I bought cost $2 - popcorn, sodas, cookies, 

 

12 hours ago, Purple Gallinule said:

so jealous about the lumberjack show.  We should have done it - sounded like everyone was having a blast.  I think I even heard you yelling.  😁

[gottagoacruzn]

Ok, where is jellyfish donuts located? Gonna have check that out.

[gottagoacruzn]

Hi, got to lookin at the donut shop, an it looks like I jest might have to diet either before goin on this cruise comin up, or diet after. The pictures of it all look so tasty!!!

 

Virginia

[Stealthdog]

1 hour ago, gottagoacruzn said:

Ok, where is jellyfish donuts located? Gonna have check that out.

it’s the bright blue store in this picture - it’s a few minutes walk from the creek street and downtown area.  Will depend on which spot your ship uses in port.  For us, it was across from our ship.

[Stealthdog]

Night 2 dinner at Crown Grill.  Formal night and Eric’s birthday, so we got dressed up.  The cheesy bread they serve at the beginning was awesome.  Really enjoyed it.  The Black and Blue Onion Soup was also fantastic.  It’s saltier than the Onion Soup in the MDR, but it had so much more flavor.  Eric went with the Surf and Turf upgrade and I got the Filet.  Both of our filets came out really well done, so we sent them back to the kitchen.  The next were served really rare, so those went back too.  Third time was perfect - medium rare for Eric and medium for me.  The filets were very good once we got the right temperatures with very nice flavor.

 

I don’t know why this ship is having such a hard time with steak temperatures.  The waiter, who was wonderful, waived the up charge fee for the lobster because of the filet challenges.  
 

For desert we got the cobbler and cheesecake and really enjoyed both.  The staff brought out a small birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to a Eric, which is always nice.  Someone else after that had a birthday cake delivered and I joined the wait staff in their singing to her. 
 

Overall, the food ended up being very nice, but was surprised by the temperature issues at a restaurant you have to pay to eat at.

 

Not a knock on Princess specifically, but every recent ship we have been on (including the Majestic), the specialty dining restaurants all have obstructed views out their windows (engineering equipment, life boats, etc).  I’d think these ships would want people to have nice views looking out the windows if they are paying a big surcharge to eat there.

Edited June 14, 2023 by Stealthdog

[Stealthdog]

Some of the menus at for the MDR dinners.  Also, the juice bar menu - a really nice perk if you have a drink package.

[CruzeQueen2]

Happy Birthday to Eric!

I feel that we are already on a first name basis...hope that's ok with you. @Stealthdog

[Stealthdog]

Formal night was Day 2 - we went around the ship for the picture stops with the Princess photographers.  Will check them out at the end and maybe get a photo book this time.  A lot of people looked very nice.

[CruzeQueen2]

@Stealthdog Be sure to watch for the photographers while you are out on deck in GB and Hubbard. They will take shots for you, with glaciers in the background. They are more than happy to oblige. 

 

They even have times that they hang out around the seawalk; usually posted in the patters (daily events page)  I got a few photos there as well. 

Why not? 

[Stealthdog]

31 minutes ago, CruzeQueen2 said:

Happy Birthday to Eric!

I feel that we are already on a first name basis...hope that's ok with you. @Stealthdog

Absolutely - I’m JC (the bald one).  Eric is the one with hair.

 

We went to the IC before leaving the ship today. I pointed to the cookie tray behind the counter and got this.  It was delicious.