Donwoods123

I have had success resolving customer service issues by emailing Collin Steinke. His information is: Collin Steinke Director, Customer Relations 24305 Town Center Drive Santa Clarita, CA 91355 csteinke@princesscruises.com Might be worth a try.

We always use EZ Air. You get to pick your exact flights when you reserve it. We have not had any problems. We fly out of LAX with direct flights. We like the security of knowing that if we somehow are late, Princess will make arrangements for us to get to the ship at their expense. I would not hesitate to use them again.

Usually, the lectures about what to expect at Glacier Bay are a day or 2 b4 going to Glacier Bay. Princess also delivers to your cabin a paper handout that describes the main points about Glacier Bay. The ranger talks while the ship is at Glacier Bay are broadcast live on the stateroom tv. If you have a balcony, you can hear them from the tv. Glacier Bay is amazing. I am confident you will have a great time.

I have had success in the past when I emailed Collin Steinke. His info is: Collin Steinke Director, Customer Relations 24305 Town Center Drive Santa Clarita, CA 91355 csteinke@princesscruises.com

In the past, when we canceled a shore excursion before we sailed, we received a refund to our credit card. The Deadliest Catch shore excursion is amazing. One of the best things they did was to sail close to an island and feed the eagles. They flew really close to the boat to get the food. I am confident that you will have a great time.

The tram is a good option if it is a clear day. The views are pretty amazing. If it is not clear, I would skip it.

When we were in Juneau one time, we went on a Princess excursion that was a canoe ride to the base of the Mendenhall Glacier and we got to walk in the glacier. We really enjoyed it.

Princess does a really good job in Alaska. We have been there many times. They have many Alaska specfic activities such as ranger talks, bringing "sled dog puppies" on board, and a presentation by Libby Reynolds. Glacier Bay and College Fiord are amazing. If you go to Endicott Arm, you take the risk of the ship not being able to get close enough to even see the glacier if there is considerable ice in the water. This happened to us last August. They do offer an excursion where a small boat takes passengers from the ship and goes really close to the glacier. It is expensive, but worth it.

I agree that the Garden is underwhelming at night, although when we were there they had fireworks. They were ok, not great. Last time we were there, we just took a walk to the harbor. It took about 15 minutes to get there.

New Zealand is amazing. We sailed on the Royal last month around New Zealand. It is so clean and safe. It reminds me of how California used to be 40 years ago.

Ours rarely gets back to us. Very frustrating. We are elite and for the next cruise, we will use a TA for that reason.

On the Royal in February (rt Sydney) a gentleman was refused entrance to the mdr one evening because he was wearing shorts. I was surprised, but thought it was the right call.

Last August, we had a short time there. We just took a walk to the harbor. It took about 15 minutes to get there. It was ok, not great.

We always book our Princess excursions as soon as we book the cruise. The price seems to increase as you get closer to sailing and they are generally even more if you book while on the ship. The Hubbard glacier excursion is great. We were able to get really close to see and hear the calfing up close. Much better than remaining on the ship. They even offered us drinks made from glacier ice. As noted above. This excursion tends to sell out quickly. I recommend that you book this now. It can always be canceled if you change your mind.

We have been to Alaska many times in Princess, including in May and September. Two years ago we went at the end of September and the weather was good (but pretty windy) except in Glacier Bay where it was so foggy that we could barely see Marjorie Glacier. We went back the following May and the weather was glorious. As noted above, there are no guarantees on the weather any time of the year. I agree that you can get great values in the stores in September as they are trying to sell their remaining inventory. One thing to consider is that if you are going to visit Endicott Arm, the ship may not be able to get close enough to see the glacier if there is considerable ice in the water. In that case, September would be better. One time in Sepember, we were able to see the Northern Lites from our balcony the last night on the way from College Fiord to Whittier (port for Anchorage). I also agree that May is a little early to see Bears and salmon. Alaska is amazing any time of the year.

Once I was having an issue with Princess and couldn't get anywhere with cs. I then sent an email to Collin Stenke and got a prompt reply from his assistant. I was able to resolve the issue to my satisfaction. His info is: Collin Steinke Director, Customer Relations 24305 Town Center Drive Santa Clarita, CA 91355 csteinke@princesscruises.com

I hope it works out for you. When we were in Juneau one time, we took a Princess excursion that was a canoe ride to the Mendenhall glacier and walked on the glacier. It was a pretty good tour. It may be a good substitute for you if you have to cancel.

We just got off the Royal on Feb 18 rt from Sydney. No bags

I also recommend that you take the 26 Glacier tour. As noted above, it gets so much closer to the glaciers.

Just got off Royal Australian/New Zealand cruise today. Had a great time. Waiter Emilio and his assistant waiter Sommy in Allegro MDR are the best. New CD Esther did a fine job. The officers were around the ship and very approachable. Great meal in Crown Grill. Entertainment was good, especially tribute to Neil Diamond. Sailed on Royal several times, including in Alaska. I am confident you will have a great time. Alaska is amazing.

We have been to Alaska many times with Princess. We love the Royal Princess. It is one of our favorite ships. I would not hesitate to sail on the Royal again in Alaska. As for the viewing areas, you can always go up to the open deck (midship), where you can easily switch from the port to starboard side by just walking across. As between port and starboard sides, it doesn't matter because, on major viewings, the captain will rotate the ship so all sides can see. We always get a starboard balcony because we enter Glacier Bay in the early morning and I always get up early to watch the sunrise over the mountains from our balcony. It is so beautiful and peaceful. As for adjusting the fare because of later discounts or promotions, Princess used to adjust your fare. Recently, it has been much harder to get them to do that. Some on cruise critic have reported that they were able to get them to do that, but I have not been successful lately. If you are before final payment and have a refundable deposit, you could cancel and rebook at the lower fare. You would, of course, not protect your cabin or other benefits. You would need to crunch the numbers to determine if it is worth it for you. As for wifi, we have not had any problems with it. However, we use it only for emails and some web searching. We almost exclusively use Princess excursions. They are a little more expensive than private excursions, but we like them to take care of everything. On the one excursion that we were unhappy with, Princess resolved the matter to my satisfaction. I was able to resolve it on the ship and I didn't have to deal directly with the tour provider. Also, if the Princess tour is running late, they will hold the ship for you or pay to get you to the next port. Princess does a really good job in Alaska. I am confident you will have a great time.

When my wife and I took our grandson on an Alaskan cruise, I drafted a short "permission" document for his parents to sign. It identified the flights, the cruise, the intended excursions. It also gave us permission to consent to any medical treatment needed for an accident or illness. They had it notarized. Never had to produce the document, but we felt better knowing that we had it in case it was needed. He has a passport.

I agree. This was the schedule on our Alaska cruise in August 23.

We have been on many Alaska cruises, always with Princess (including on the Royal). If the cruise is going to Glacier Bay, we always get a balcony on the starboard side. This is because the ship enters Glacier Bay early in the morning and I get up early and watch the sunrise from our balcony. It is so peaceful. Sory, I can't comment on your other questions because we have not stayed in a penthouse suite.

We always use Princess transfers to the ship and attach our princess tag to the bag when we first meet the princess rep after we picked up our bag from the carousel. They have a stapler. We then give the bag in to the Princess collection people, and the next time we see the bag, it is in our room. Works well. Before we leave home, we fold the tag and put scotch tape on the paper tag to reinforce it. We don't have special holders. In 20+ cruises, we never had a problem with our luggage getting to our room.