Members Report from Princess' Fourth of July Festivities in Alaska

[kimmiekaz]

We've already reached out to members sailing on Princess cruises in Alaska during the Fourth of July holiday on the roll calls. Are you going, too?

 

If you haven't heard yet, Princess has teamed up with Declare Yourself (a nonprofit whose goal is to encourage every eligible 18-year-old in America to register to vote) to bring a rare, original copy of the Declaration of Independence onboard Princess ships for sailings during the Fourth of July holiday and to commemorate Alaska's 50th anniversary of statehood -- and since you'll be onboard (we're jealous!), we'd love for you to share your experiences with us.

The historical document, one of only 25 known to be remaining, will be brought onboard Princess ships while they are docked in Juneau. Plus, Princess tells us that ships will be decorated in patriotic red, white blue colors, and holiday-themed activities and specially-themed menus reflecting the Fourth of July holiday are planned.

We invite you to become a "citizen reporter" and post photos of the holiday events onboard your ship and your journey through the 49th state right here on this thread. We are planning to showcase the feedback we get from you about the events of these eight special Princess sailings by including your photos and stories in our e-letter and on our homepage. If you are having trouble uploading photos, please feel free to email photos directly to me at kimberly@cruisecritic.com, and I'll take care of getting them up on the Cruise Critic message boards for you. Check to see when the Declaration will be visiting your ship in the schedule below.

Thanks for your participation and we hope you have a wonderful time celebrating The United States' Independence on your Alaska cruises!

We've tracked down the times that the historical copy of the Declaration of Independence will be onboard each ship. Here's the breakdown:

Diamond Princess -- July 1 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Star Princess -- July 1 from 5 to 7 p.m.

Coral Princess --July 2 from 5 to 8 p.m.

Island Princess -- July 3 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Pacific Princess -- July 6 from 12 to 2 p.m.

Golden Princess -- July 6 from 3 to 5 p.m.

Sapphire Princess -- July 8 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Sea Princess -- July 8 from 5 to 7 p.m.

 

Thanks a million and happy cruising!

 

Kim Kazell

Assistant Editor

[kimmiekaz]

If you're on any of the Alaska sailings posted above, it would be great to see photos from the Meet & Greets onboard, in addtion to photos of the festivities surrounding the holiday.

 

You can post them here (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1012759) or email them to me at kimberly@cruisecritic.com for inclusion in the Cruise Critic e-letter and on our home page.

 

Have a great time on your cruise!

 

Kim

[melehundele]

I was on the Sapphire Princess from July 4 to July 11, sailing Whittier to Vancouver, with the stop in Juneau on July 8. Attached is a photo of the decorations on the ship on July 4...that seemed the extent of the festivities.

 

The Sapphire was one of the ships that was toured by the Declaration of Independence on July 8. HOWEVER, the time for the viewing was stated in the daily Princess Patter as being from 1-4 pm. When we--and other cruisers--got on the boat after 3 following excursions, the Declaration had already been removed. This was a big disappointment to those of us who had hoped to see it, and who even cut our time short on shore in Juneau for the opportunity. The folks at the purser's desk had nothing to say.

 

This was still an excellent cruise, and the weather was exceptional. But I am quite disappointed in the way Princess handled this special event.

[Tigger B]

Hello Kim...

 

We were on the Golden July 6th and cut our activities short to get back to the ship and see the Declaration of Independance. Even as fast as we could get back there, we were the last ones in line to go thru the line and see it.

 

Much to our dismay, pictures were strictly forbidden. I was really looking forward to getting some pictures of it as well. So, to make a long story short, when I am told I can't do something I look at that as a challenge. Ha Ha...

 

There were people all over the place to make sure there were no pictures taken but I did manage this one here. Not all that high quality, but hey at least I got one.

 

Other than this event and maybe a few people dressed up in red, white, and blue clothes, there was virtually nothing at all planned by Princess to celebrate our Independence Day. I expected more.

 

Brian.