Alaska on Crown Princess June 2, 2023

[PurpleTraveller]

30 minutes ago, gottagoacruzn said:

Did you get the blues when you watch the Crown sail away without you?

 

We did but we were also looking forward to our land tour of Canada.

[PurpleTraveller]

30 minutes ago, CruzeQueen2 said:

@PurpleTraveller I love seeing my city through your eyes. You not only covered a lot of ground to see the best sights, you walked all over the place. Good job on getting to so many wonderful sights in this province. I will be on the Crown very soon, following the same itinerary as you did. 

Thank you for telling us about missing the inside passage. That is really one of my favourite parts of the coast to cruise through...but sadly, now I know that I will be missing that section this time. As lovely as Victoria is as a port stop, the inside passage is really spectacular.

Oh well, next time, I will be sure to find an itinerary that does not head home via sailing on the western side of the island on the way to Victoria.

I appreciate all the time that you have taken to share your trip with us. Loved your photos and your adventures.

 

Thank you. We absolutely loved Vancouver! My DH had never been to Vancouver before and I had only been once before in January 2005, during a snow storm, for only half a day on the way to Whistler. I think we covered a fair amount of ground and saw a lot of places which we really enjoyed. We loved sitting on the waterfront each afternoon watching the world go by and the seaplanes take off and land. Vancouver is just beautiful!

 

We were so looking forward to cruising through the Inside Passage during the day and were very disappointed to miss it. At least you are forwarned and hopefully won't be as disappointed as we were. If by chance (though unlikely) you do sail the Inside Passage it will be a lovely surprise for you. If we ever sail out of Vancouver again I will carefully check the itinerary (though I thought I did before choosing this one 🤔) to be able to cruise the Inside Passage on the eastern side of Vancouver Island during the day.

 

Thanks for reading along and I'm pleased that you enjoyed the photos.

 

[CruzeQueen2]

@PurpleTraveller To be sure - I not only enjoyed all of your photos, I enjoyed all the details of what you did on the cruise, and in BC as well. 

Living in Vancouver, I have sailed to AK many times, and never tire of the scenery that you see. I have my fingers crossed for a bed that is not too lumpy, nor uncomfortable on the Crown sailing coming up! Other than that, I am looking forward to returning to some of my favourite places in AK and finding some of the new places that you visited while in AK.

I hope you get to cruise to AK again, going through the inside passage. The last day before returning to Vancouver is the BEST one. As long as the ship is not stopping in Victoria first, nor too big to take that route. My last time to AK in May was onboard the Majestic. We missed the scenic route on that sailing as well. Royal class ships do not take the inside passage, either.

 

As you say - I try to do the right research...but then, sometimes, there are unexpected turns! Oh well, a cruise is a cruise. Can't complain too loudly.

Thanks again, for all your reporting. Well done!

[gottagoacruzn]

Did your wife shed a tear or two?

[PurpleTraveller]

25 minutes ago, CruzeQueen2 said:

@PurpleTraveller To be sure - I not only enjoyed all of your photos, I enjoyed all the details of what you did on the cruise, and in BC as well. 

Living in Vancouver, I have sailed to AK many times, and never tire of the scenery that you see. I have my fingers crossed for a bed that is not too lumpy, nor uncomfortable on the Crown sailing coming up! Other than that, I am looking forward to returning to some of my favourite places in AK and finding some of the new places that you visited while in AK.

I hope you get to cruise to AK again, going through the inside passage. The last day before returning to Vancouver is the BEST one. As long as the ship is not stopping in Victoria first, nor too big to take that route. My last time to AK in May was onboard the Majestic. We missed the scenic route on that sailing as well. Royal class ships do not take the inside passage, either.

 

As you say - I try to do the right research...but then, sometimes, there are unexpected turns! Oh well, a cruise is a cruise. Can't complain too loudly.

Thanks again, for all your reporting. Well done!

 

Thank you!

 

We thought the scenery we saw in Alaska was some of the best we have ever seen. We loved everywhere we went and would love to do another Alaska cruise. There are so many different things to do in each port we would never get bored and as for the scenery we would never tire of watching it. I also want to get to go whale watching! And I will make sure I get to cruise the Inside Passage!

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise and get a comfortable mattress! Happy cruising!

 

[gottagoacruzn]

After readin your posts, an seein the pictures, makes me wanna go now, but still gotta wait. Guess you can call me, "Willa have to wait."

[seattlecruiser]

We were on the June 23rd Crown Princess sailing and also were very disappointed that we sailed west of Vancouver Island on the return to Vancouver.  Northbound out of Vancouver we did go inland but the problem is that since you depart Vancouver in the afternoon is almost dark by the time you get to Seymour Narrows and by morning most of the inland passage is done.  Southbound on the last day it is daylight for most of the passage...at least up until Seymour.   I agree it is one on the best days of the trip and a beautiful way to end the cruise. I have been to Alaska on 5 or 6 cruises and this is the first time we have gone west of Vancouver Island.  I'm sure it is an easier day for the Bridge to be out in the open ocean and probably cheaper for princess,  but I feel that the advertising maps are bait and switch.  From here on out I will be sticking with Holland America since I think they are more reliably sailing the inside route from Vancouver.  

[PurpleTraveller]

53 minutes ago, gottagoacruzn said:

Did your wife shed a tear or two?

 

Maybe there was a glisten in the eye and a sniff or two. 😂

 

41 minutes ago, gottagoacruzn said:

After readin your posts, an seein the pictures, makes me wanna go now, but still gotta wait. Guess you can call me, "Willa have to wait."

 

You will have a wonderful time once you get to go! 😊

[latebuyer]

Its interesting on my royal caribbean sailing i thought there were not a lot of people on the deck for the inside passage. The best time to be out there was when they had the closing show. I had the whole deck to myself!

[PurpleTraveller]

9 minutes ago, seattlecruiser said:

We were on the June 23rd Crown Princess sailing and also were very disappointed that we sailed west of Vancouver Island on the return to Vancouver.  Northbound out of Vancouver we did go inland but the problem is that since you depart Vancouver in the afternoon is almost dark by the time you get to Seymour Narrows and by morning most of the inland passage is done.  Southbound on the last day it is daylight for most of the passage...at least up until Seymour.   I agree it is one on the best days of the trip and a beautiful way to end the cruise. I have been to Alaska on 5 or 6 cruises and this is the first time we have gone west of Vancouver Island.  I'm sure it is an easier day for the Bridge to be out in the open ocean and probably cheaper for princess,  but I feel that the advertising maps are bait and switch.  From here on out I will be sticking with Holland America since I think they are more reliably sailing the inside route from Vancouver.  

 

Sorry to hear that you also missed out but sadly not surprised since I was told that will be the route that they are sailing on this itinerary for the rest of the season.

 

We didn't get to see any of the Inside Passage or Seymour Narrows northbound on the day we left Vancouver as we left more than three hours late due to the medical evacuation and it was dark by the time we got there. Fortunately we did get to see some of the northern end the following day.

 

I think that at the very least Princess should have informed their passengers of the change so that we weren't so disappointed. If I ever do an Alaskan cruise again we will certainly be checking the itinerary very closely to make sure that we can cruise the Inside Passage southbound during daylight.

 

[PurpleTraveller]

4 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

Its interesting on my royal caribbean sailing i thought there were not a lot of people on the deck for the inside passage. The best time to be out there was when they had the closing show. I had the whole deck to myself!

 

How fortunate for you!

 

I was also surprised that there were so few people on deck on the morning of our first sea day when we were sailing northbound through the Inside Passage. I was on the Promenade so maybe it was busier up on the Sun Deck and it was very busy anywhere inside with a view outside. It was cold but great to be almost alone.

 

[gottagoacruzn]

Hey, how far is the steam clock, from the pier?

 

Virginia

[PurpleTraveller]

10 minutes ago, gottagoacruzn said:

Hey, how far is the steam clock, from the pier?

 

Virginia

 

Not far at all, maybe a ten to fifteen minute walk.

 

Edited July 21, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[gottagoacruzn]

Oh good, & thanks for everything.

[PurpleTraveller]

The next few posts will technically have nothing to do with the cruise but I hope to inspire future cruisers, particularly overseas cruisers, travelling to Vancouver to extend their trip and see some of the spectacular area of Canada around Vancouver.

 

I will also give some information about Seattle and San Francisco for anyone who may be starting or ending a cruise in those cities. 

 

If you're not interested just skip these next few posts and go to my Conclusion which will be at the end.

 

Canada

 

After our time in Vancouver we travelled to Kelowna, Banff, Jasper, Sun Peaks, Whistler and Victoria before returning to Vancouver. We had a wonderful time and here are some of my favourite photos.

 

We travelled along roads with spectacular views,

 

 

Tasted wine (Summerhill Pyramid Winery, Kelowna),

 

 

Saw beautiful scenery,

 

 

Admired magnificent mountains,

 

 

 

Visted glorious lakes (Peyto Lake, Alberta),

 

 

Walked on a glacier (Athabasca Glacier, Columbia Icefields),

 

 

Spotted wildlife,

 

 

 

Enjoyed gorgeous waterfalls (Athabasca Falls),

 

 

Hiked through a river canyon (Maligne Canyon, Jasper),

 

 

Went to an Olympic village (Whistler),

 

 

Travelled on a gondola with a view (Peak to Peak Gondola, Whistler),

 

 

Smelled the roses (Butchart Gardens,

Vancouver Island)

 

 

And had a wonderful time!

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Seattle

 

After visiting friends we then spent a day in Seattle so DH could revisit the Museum of Flight.

 

We stayed at a hotel close to the airport as we had an early flight the next morning. We walked from the hotel to the Tukwila International Boulevard Station which took about 20 minutes. There we caught the 124 bus at 9.47am and it cost USD2.75 each.

 

We got to the Museum of Flight just after opening at 10.05am. Entry cost USD26.00 each. My DH had assured me that we would only be at the museum for two hours or so. More than six hours later.......

 

To be fair the museum had expanded since we were last there in 2004 with a huge new gallery with WW1 and WW2 displays. We were also pleased to see that the planes displayed outside are now under a massive roof to protect them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At 4.30pm we left the museum even though we still hadn't seen everything. DH now has an excuse to go back again! We caught the 4.47pm 124 bus back to Tukwilla International Boulevard Station and walked back to the hotel. It had been a very warm 89°F/30°C day so the 20 minute walk was very hot and sticky.

 

We met a friend and had a great dinner with him at Wally's Chowder House.

 

[PurpleTraveller]

San Francisco Day 1

 

Our trip concluded with three days in San Francisco. We flew from Seattle to San Francisco and caught the BART train from the airport to Powell Street Station which cost USD10.00 each. We had to buy a paper ticket which cost an extra 50 cents each as the airport station currently doesn't have plastic Clipper cards to buy. We also had to buy our return ticket as it is not possible to buy paper tickets at other BART stations. So we bought two USD21.00 tickets at a machine using our credit card. While there is a person at the information booth they do not sell tickets so the only way to buy a ticket is at a machine.

 

When we got to Powell Street Station we walked the couple of blocks to our hotel. We stayed at the King George Hotel near Union Square which is in an old building and in a very convenient location. Our room was small but clean and comfortable.

 

The next morning we walked from our hotel to Pier 33 which took about 40 minutes.

 

We had a tour booked to go to Alcatraz Island. I had booked the tour in April and it cost USD45.25 each. All tours for the day and for the following four days were booked out and people walking up without a booking were being turned away. If you want to go to Alcatraz Island during the busy season I would recommend that you book a tour well before you go.

 

We had the 11.00am tour booked but our ferry was late as it had an issue and they had to swap ferries. We left at 11.15am and were on Alcatraz Island 20 minutes later.

 

The city was covered in fog but the island was in the sunshine.

 

 

 

We toured the old prison and while it was sunny it was very windy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also had a view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

 

We got the 2.00pm ferry back with great views of the city.

 

 

We then walked the short distance to Pier 39 to get some lunch, look at some shops and check out a few seals.

 

 

 

 

We then walked to our hotel through the streets of San Francisco avoiding the steepest of the hills. We were able to get a view of Lombard Street but since we had walked it previously decided not to walk down and up the hill to get there.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[PurpleTraveller]

San Francisco Days 2 and 3

 

The following day we went to Golden Gate Park. We caught the 5 bus from Powell Street to the far end of the route to the ocean at the end of the park. The bus fare cost USD3.00 each. 

 

Who knew that there are windmills

 

 

 

and a small herd of bison in Golden State Park?

 

 

 

We spent most of the day walking the entire length of the park stopping for a picnic lunch at one of the many lakes.

 

 

 

 

 

We then walked to Alamo Square to see the "Painted Ladies".

 

 

We then got the 5 bus back to Powell Street before returning to our hotel.

 

 

On our last day we went Salesforce Park, a rooftop garden built on the fourth floor of the San Francisco Transit Center. It was quite amazing to walk through a garden four storeys off the ground.

 

 

 

 

We then walked down to the waterfront to see the Oakland Bridge and visted the Ferry Building.

 

 

We then walked back to our hotel through Chinatown. 

 

 

 

 

 

After getting the BART back to the airport we then flew home after a wonderful six weeks.

 

[PurpleTraveller]

Conclusion 

 

We had a wonderful cruise and this is my opinion only.

 

Embarkation and Disembarktion

 

As I wrote in the review the embarkation was a mess and took a long time. I would think twice before sailing out of Vancouver again.

 

The disembarkation was quick and easy and a complete contrast to the embarkation.

 

Cabin

 

We were very happy with our cabin. The cost was much less than a Balcony and a good compromise. We were very close to the stairs so had quick access to the Promenade and spent scenic viewing time outside on deck. The cabin was quiet, well located and had a good view with little obstruction. 

 

The bed unfortunately was uncomfortable with large sags in each single mattress despite a mattress topper and a large hump in the middle where the two single beds were pushed together to make a queen bed. Every other bed we have had on previous Princess cruises has been very comfortable so this was a disappointment. 

 

I found the night lights to be annoying and wish there was an override switch for the light in the wardrobe area so that the light would stay on when getting things out of the cupboard or safe.

 

Food

 

We found the food in the Michaelangelo Dining Room to be very good and of the same if not better quality that we have had on previous cruises.

 

The food in Sabatinis was excellent as always.

 

We found the food in the Horizon Buffet for breakfast and lunch was good and pretty much the same as we have previously had.

 

The food at the Salty Dog Grill and Pizza on deck 16 was also the same as previous cruises.

 

We did not notice any reduction in quality or choice.

 

Packages

 

We did not buy any type of package as we drink little alcohol, I only use internet for a few minutes a day and gratuities are not included in packages for Australians and are still added to our daily on board account unless they have been prepaid.

 

The total for drinks purchased for the two of us during the cruise was USD127.96.

 

I did purchase one day of internet mid way through the cruise to pick up my emails and I thought the price of USD10.00 with my Platinum 50% discount was reasonable. 

 

The total of USD137.96 for drinks and one day of internet was a lot less than purchasing a package.

 

Internet

 

I only bought internet for one day during the cruise on the Sea Day between Icy Point Strait and Ketchikan and the internet worked well for my minor needs.

 

Medallion App

 

This was my first Princess cruise using the Medallion App. I really liked the way the cabin door unlocked when approaching the door. I also liked that crew members could call me by name and knew we were at the dining room when we approached. I liked having access to the events information throughout the cruise on the app and also being able to look at our on board account. Otherwise I did not use the app and did not try ordering food or drinks using the app. 

 

I saw a number of passengers complaining to crew members that they had ordered drinks that had not arrived, taken a long time to arrive or arrived cold in the case of coffee. I think that it is a lot quicker and easier to just go and get what you want or order a drink from a crew member and that Princess has created a rod for their own back with the ordering of food and drinks on the app.

 

Servive

 

We thought the service we received from all crew we encountered throughout the cruise was excellent (except for the one person in the Botticelli Dining Room). Our team in the Michaelangelo Dining Room were wonderful and Maddela was exceptional and we received the best service we have ever had in a Dining Room on any Princess cruise.

 

It was a pleasure to receive such great service from the crew.

 

Entertainment 

 

We didn't actually go to any shows in the theatre which is unusual for us but we preferred to spend our time after dinner enjoying the wonderful scenery we were sailing through.

 

We listened to some of the music in the Piazza which was enjoyable and also enjoyed the band on deck during sail away.

 

The Ship 

 

While Crown Princess is an older ship I thought she was in good condition. We like the size and design of Crown class ships with their full Promenade deck and Skywalkers. I spent a lot of time on the Promenade enjoying the scenic cruising. I would happily sail on Crown Princess again.

 

Weather

 

Before the cruise the weather forecast had not been very good. Cool temperatures and rain was forecast for most days. As always we prepared for the worst by bringing rain jackets, waterproof shoes, warm clothes and layers and hoped for the best. We were very pleasantly surprised by the weather we actually got. It was very cool and overcast at the Hubbard Glacier, overcast but mild at Sitka which improved to sunshine in the afternoon, overcast and very cold and windy in Skagway in the morning but warm and sunny in the Yukon on our excursion, overcast but mild in Icy Strait Point and warm and sunny in Juneau, Ketchikan and Victoria. The Sea Days were cool and mostly overcast but we did get to enjoy the sun a few times. The only rain we had during the day was a brief shower when sailing in the Inside Passage.

 

Clothing 

 

As we were travelling for six weeks and to a number of different places we brought a range of summer to winter clothing. On the cruise we wore long pants every day and either T'Shirts or long sleeve shirts with a fleecy jacket. Our wind/rain jackets were invaluable for keeping the wind out and we wore them on most days. We only wore our beanies and gloves a few times but we were very glad to have them when we were at the Hubbard Glacier, in Skagway in the morning where it was very windy and cold and at the Suspension Bridge on our excursion to the Yukon where it was also very windy. In Juneau, Ketchikan and Victoria we delayered to T'Shirts throughout the day as it was warm and sunny. Layers are key to being dressed in the appropriate clothing for varying weather conditions.

 

Ports

 

We really enjoyed all of the ports. We had a great day on our excursion to the Yukon from Skagway and also had great days in Juneau, Ketchikan and Victoria obviously helped by the great weather we had. We really enjoyed seeing Sitka and Icy Strait Point. The scenery we experienced throughout the cruise was spectacular and we loved being able to see snow capped mountains as we sailed.

 

Passengers

 

With only a few exceptions all of the passengers we encountered were friendly, polite and a pleasure to cruise with. There was a good mix of ages. Most passengers were from the USA or Canada and there were quite a few passengers from Asian countries such as China, Taiwan and Japan. We did not meet any other Australians though I am sure there were some on board. There were also quite a few multigenerational family groups. 

 

Changes

 

We noticed many small changes and reductions since we last cruised before the shutdown. Some such as the loss of free internet minutes, which were sufficient for my needs, were greatly missed. Others such as no nightly chocolates, no bars of soap, no individual tubes of body lotion, no blue bag, no note pad, no cruise summary, no flowers on the dining tables and reduced size of the Princess Patter were noticed and missed but not to the detriment of our cruise.

 

What did affect my cruise was the change of itinerary to not sail southbound in the Inside Passage on the eastern side of Vancouver Island. I understand when an itinerary is changed due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances but to permanently change an itinerary and Princess not to inform their passengers is disappointing. I have had no feedback to my after cruise survey or email I have sent to Princess regarding the change of itinerary.

 

Overall

 

We had a wonderful cruise and would not hesitate to sail on Crown Princess again. I was a bit apprehensive after reading the complaints of changes, reduced service and lesser quality of food but need not have worried. We received the best service we have ever had in a Dining Room on any Princess cruise in the Michaelangelo Dining Room and thought the food was as good as we have ever had. It was never difficult to order a drink or find a crew member. We found all crew (with one notable exception) to be friendly, cheerful and willing to help. Yes, there have been many small changes and while they were noticed they did not affect our overall pleasure of the cruise.

 

It is now time to wrap up this review. Thank you for reading along.

 

Where will my next adventure be to? We have a 13 day cruise to New Zealand on Royal Princess booked for the beginning of December this year. This will be a "take three" in the hope that we will get into the Sounds which we missed on our previous two New Zealand cruises.

 

We then have a land trip to India booked for the end of February 2024 which is a redo of our trip that was cancelled in 2020.

 

For June and July 2024 we have a four day trip to Istanbul followed by a seven day Greek Islands cruise on Celebrity Infinity and after a couple of days in Rome, a ten day Italy and Croatia cruise on Celebrity Constellation followed by some more time in Italy.

 

So I have plenty to look forward to and I will do a review after each cruise.

 

Once again thank you and Bon Voyage until next time!

 

 

[latebuyer]

Thanks very much for sharing your experience! It was a great review. I’d like to sail crown princess now!

[PurpleTraveller]

15 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

Thanks very much for sharing your experience! It was a great review. I’d like to sail crown princess now!

 

Thank you and thanks for reading the review. I hope our next cruise on Royal Princess is as good as this one on Crown Princess.

[Ramblergirl]

Thank you very much for your detailed reviews. We will be on board soon, and doing similar excursions as you. Therefore I enjoyed even more about your writings and photos. 🤗

Edited July 22, 2023 by Ramblergirl

[TM]

What an amazing trip you had!  Thank you so much for sharing with us.  We will be sailing on the Crown to Alaska toward the end of August and your review has certainly enhanced our excitement for it.

[gottagoacruzn]

That goes for me too.

 

Virginia

[SuzieQ521]

1 hour ago, PurpleTraveller said:

 

Thank you and thanks for reading the review. I hope our next cruise on Royal Princess is as good as this one on Crown Princess.

Thank you for the wonderful review! We sail the Crown in November so your review gave me a good preview.

 

We were just on the Royal in May--No Skywalkers and full Promenade but a wonderful ship nonetheless. The staff and dining room food were great and it also has an Alfredos--amazing pizza and antipasto (included in cruisefare)!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Edited July 22, 2023 by SuzieQ521