Taykee1

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Rock Opera is a production show on several Princess cruises across the fleet.  It will be offered on one day with 2 shows that night. 
 

Night will vary depending on Entertainment Director scheduling.  Seating availability will be dependent on which ship you are sailing on.  The bigger the ship (Royal Class ship), the more difficult it will be to get a seat.  Princess Theater capacity was not increase with the building of bigger ships.

Thanks for the info, I will be on the Discovery

Hi Guys,

My husband and I are soon to be on our Alaskan cruise 25th June. I have read lots of comments of how good the Rock Opera show is.

Can anyone tell me if it is a nightly show or only on a couple of nights during the cruise. I really would like to see it and don't want to miss out. Basically wanting to know do I have to line up at the door of the theatre early to ensure we actually get in 🙂 . Would anyone who has done this cruise be able alleviate my fears, and advise how many shows there are. Starting to get very excited for my very first Princess Cruise

Thanks for any help

Hi,

I understand I am travelling to Alaska and weather can be 4 season in one day. I will be packing layers for when we are off the ship. What I would like to know is how is the temperature on the ship. For example walking from room to MDR, or different bars that we would sit in to have a drink. Is it set to warmer tones or will I need to carry a coat whilst roaming throughout the boat. I am aware if on balcony or outside I will require the coat. This is only for inside areas. Sorry for this strange question just don't want to over pack as we will be travelling for a further 4 weeks around Canada and US which will be summer time, so don't want to bring unnecessary items. Thanks for any help

Just now, SwapSeasons said:

Excellent. Hopefully Princess will now fix the bookings in our online accounts, so that cruisers from Australia (going to USA) don’t still see the option to pre-pay gratuities when they’ve paid the Princess Plus fare. It feels like a trick to pay even more than we need to.

Sorry I’m confused, I actually paid for the crew appreciation on top of the plus package. Do I go to service desk when I board and ask for refund. 

I have been looking to book our dinner times via the app. It only shows 2 choices, Skagway and Ketchikan. Not sure why Juneau MDR isn't on the app. I know they all have the same food. is there a preference I should be picking over the 2 showing or are they much the same just in different areas of the ship.  Our room is closer to the bow of the ship and walking the length of the ship isn't an issue for us. Just curious for others opinions on which MDR is your preference. It's just for myself and hubby, we would prefer to book a table for 2 for evening meals. Also if I book in a time now is this able to be changed to other times of MDR's. Thanks for any help/opinions. 

30 minutes ago, Crow9 said:

When is your cruise?  Can you keep us updated on what happens?  I am in the same position you are, my cruise is not until the end of May.

sorry you will be before me, we are 25th June

1 hour ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

Old packages at the $12 limit will be grandfathered in to cover the new $15 limits, resulting in those packages receiving $3 discount per drink. With the increase in prices, the old packages have had their limits increased as well at no additional cost the the purchaser, giving those packages the same drink variety as when purchased. It would be a  PR disaster if they sold packages with a promise of $12 drinks only to raise the prices out of reach of those packages. 

I hope that is the case, I called princes and they told me to upgrade to the new plus package will cost me and extra $10 per person per day. So I really hope you are right and I will still be able to drink what was previously on the old Plus Package with no further cost to myself. fingers crossed.

I'm on the old Plus Package of $12UD per drink, would love to see some of the new drink menus posted to see what I will actually be able to drink. A little scared that I will have to pay extra for each drink now its changed. Thanks everyone. 

I just had a look at the cruise I will be going on in June 2023 and fare has gone up over $700.

You could take the Airtrain (1 Line) from airport to Westlake Station then it's a 10 min walk to your hotel. This would be a cheaper option and still 1 hour in travelling. Just a thought, incase you wanted a cheaper option

Thanks for all the responses, I think I will just book the 10.45am bus/train after all. 

Hi,

Cruising in June 2023 arriving seattle from Alaskan Cruise. We are training it to Vancouver on day of disembarkation. I have been looking at catching the 10.45 am train. Now considering catching the later train at 1.45pm so we can relax in the morning and have a nice breakfast. What is the latest time we can leave the ship. I was thinking if we can stay until around 11am and just take our time might be a nicer way than rushing brekky and getting to Amtrak station for 10.45 am train.  Thanks for any advise. 

We fly into Seattle 2 days before cruise, I have started to research what to do in Seattle. There seems a lot to do which is great. 

One of the things I have been looking at, is booking the Agrosy Harbour Cruise that takes 1 hour. Do you think this would be worth it or just a waste of money as I may possible just see the same views as we sail out of the harbour on the cruise. Never been to Seattle before so asking for people who may have either done this or sailed out of Seattle for their cruise and could help me out. Thanks and appreciate any feedback. 

Coming from Aus, I get very confused with the tipping system in the US. For our Alaskan 8 night cruise next year we are paying $17.12AU per person. Myself and hubby. 

I notice a lot of people saying they will also tip extra. The exchange rate from AU to US is terrible so paying extra for multiple staff on top of the crew appreciation charge can become very costly for myself and hubby.

What would the normal hourly rate be for cruise staff, and I am assuming they do not pay for food or room whilst on the ship. 

Is there more staff per passengers or the opposite. I'm trying to do the math of each person paying approx 17.12AU per day and then divided amongst the staff, I would have thought this to be a good bonus on top of their weekly wage. Or do I have it totally wrong and their wage is very low. 

I have also read for excursions which we pay for in US $$ once converted to AU $$ are expensive, we also need to tip the tour guide. 

I find travelling to the US from AUS is very expensive lol.

Just want someone from the US to explain wages on cruise ships and if they are so low why are so many wanting to work on them. 

Thanks for all who will answer my query. 

I have read many threads from cruisers who discuss getting on the ship early and having lunch. Seattle departure time is 4pm. Anyone who has taken this cruise on the discovery could you please tell me approximately what time they will start boarding passengers. I have a checkout time from my room at 12pm, really don't want to be dragging our bags around seattle for a couple of hours, would be great if we could go straight from hotel to ship and board mid afternoon. 

I have booked from Australia for and Alaskan Cruise and I also have to pay the crew appreciation as its not included in the Plus Package. Must not be included in the package for us Aussies. My understanding is once we pay this then we don't have to carry any money around with us for tipping on the ship. I hope this is correct. 

I am booked on 25th June and been able to book shore excursions from the time I booked my cruise. 

My husband and I are looking to go to Mendenhall Glacier on our stop to Juneau. I have 3 options.

1st is to book with the cruise which  is for 3.5 hours. I now this one will guarantee us a seat on the bus. 

2nd is to book the combined Glacier and Gold Belt Tram with the cruise line for only 4 hours

3rd is to just book the bus from the Dock  - M & M Blue bus and then to the Gold Belt tram when we return.

So with 1st option has anyone done this and approx once travel time taken out how long do you get at the Glacier, we are fairly fit and fast walkers so I am assuming we would only need 1 to 1 1/2 hours there. We would only walk to Nugget Falls and then to viewing deck, and possibly  have a look at the visitors centre.

With option 2 would this not give us enough time as I am assuming we would require an hour up on the top of the Gold Belt tram (basically just want the views no need to be doing any of the walks up there). So my concern is would this only give us maximum an hour at the Glacier and if so would this be long enough.

Option 3 has anyone just bought a tour with the blue bus from the dock, which I know runs every 30 min, and been able to hope straight on the bus or are the lines long and we may have to wait for the next bus. Don't fancy standing in a bus line for 30 min. I sort of feel if no queues this may be the one for us as we can spend as much or as little time at the Glacier. Then return and go straight up the on the Tram.

we will be on the Discovery which docks from 12.30pm to 9pm. 

Any help appreciated. 

sorry I think I have asked this in the wrong board. I have copied it over to Ports of Call board.

My husband and I are looking to go to Mendenhall Glacier on our stop to Juneau. I have 3 options.

1st is to book with the cruise which  is for 3.5 hours. I now this one will guarantee us a seat on the bus. 

2nd is to book the combined Glacier and Gold Belt Tram with the cruise line for only 4 hours

3rd is to just book the bus from the Dock  - M & M Blue bus and then to the Gold Belt tram when we return.

So with 1st option has anyone done this and approx once travel time taken out how long do you get at the Glacier, we are fairly fit and fast walkers so I am assuming we would only need 1 to 1 1/2 hours there. We would only walk to Nugget Falls and then to viewing deck, and possibly  have a look at the visitors centre.

With option 2 would this not give us enough time as I am assuming we would require an hour up on the top of the Gold Belt tram (basically just want the views no need to be doing any of the walks up there). So my concern is would this only give us maximum an hour at the Glacier and if so would this be long enough.

Option 3 has anyone just bought a tour with the blue bus from the dock, which I know runs every 30 min, and been able to hope straight on the bus or are the lines long and we may have to wait for the next bus. Don't fancy standing in a bus line for 30 min. I sort of feel if no queues this may be the one for us as we can spend as much or as little time at the Glacier. Then return and go straight up the on the Tram.

we will be on the Discovery which docks from 12.30pm to 9pm. 

Any help appreciated. 

We are travelling from Australia for a cruise on the 25th June out of Seattle to Alaska and returning to Seattle. We are arriving 23rd so hoping this will give me time to find a place that I can test. (Don't even know where to start there ). I have also just realised when we arrive back in Seattle on the 2nd July, I have planned to catch Amtrak to Vancouver to continue our travels, I want to catch the 10.45am train which I know I will have plenty of time to catch. My issue is since I am returning to Canada I am assuming I will have to have another COVID test. Not sure how I will get this done in a 3 hour window from disembarking to catching my train. I know a lot can change in 9 months, however if Canada still require a negative test I'm at odds as to what to do especially now the trip is planned and booked. Any help on where in seattle I can get tested on the 24th June and also the 2nd July would be much appreciated. I hope I will wake up one day soon and see COVID testing is no longer needed but I can't see that happening :). 

3 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

When are you cruising? Amtrak doesn't start running their trains into Canada until September.

not until next year, I'm just researching now so I know exactly where and what to do. 

Itinerary advises Seattle 7am, I am assuming the boat has already docked by this stage. I want to catch to 10.45am amtrak bus/train to Vancouver. I have checked bus times knowing it's around a 30 - 40 min bus trip from Pier 91 to Amtrak Station. Can anyone tell me what time do they usually start to disembark and approximately how long it takes for everyone to be off the boat. I'm hoping to be up early grab some breakfast and be off the boat as soon as possible. Not having cruised before not sure if they send people off the boat in deck order or different times. I will be on deck 17. Or is it possible to advise them early in the trip we need to be off early or ideally by 8-8.30am so this can be arranged. Thanks for any help. 

On 5/24/2022 at 4:53 AM, 5:00_Somewhere said:

We boarded the beautiful Discovery Princess in Seattle, pier 91, Sunday, May 22, and I thought I’d offer a few thoughts throughout the week. This will NOT be a true “live from” thread, both because I try not to be online a lot while I’m on vacation, and because the MedallionNet internet service is already proving to be extremely slow and choppy, and it seems especially bad with CruiseCritic.

 

First, despite early forecasts, Sunday turned out to be an absolutely beautiful, sunny, warm day in Seattle. We were visiting family so didn’t board until 1:00. There were lines inside the building (none outside), but it only took us about 10 minutes in the Priority/Elite line. I heard others who were Green Lane but not priority say it took them almost 45 minutes.

 

One tip: there was no internet and no cell reception inside the port terminal, so we could not access the Medallion App, ArriveCan, the Novica app our email with our eMed covid test results. So, I strongly recommend doing what we did and either take a screenshot of or print out your Green Lane QR code, your Negative Covid Test Results and ArriveCan receipt with QR code. They were fine with screenshots from our phone.

 

Once on board, we found the ship absolutely beautiful, the staff friendly and helpful, and the service very, very good, as usual. Sail Away from Seattle and through the Puget Sound was spectacular. We spoke with an officer who said there were 2,143 passengers on board, or a little less than 60% (rated for 3,660). The ship  seems lively and active, and comfortable, but not “packed”.

 

We have a standard balcony cabin on Sun Deck (17) forward, which we quite enjoy. The balcony is somewhat larger than the majority of standard balconies on Royal Class ships, and our front door opens onto the windows looking over the Retreat Pool, which is very nice.

 

We dined in the Skagway MDR and, again, found the service great, and the food tasty – with the exception of the Bananas Foster dessert, which was shockingly inedible, but our waitress brought the chocolate soufflé which was a wonderful replacement.  

 

We enjoyed the Jazz trio in Take 5 after dinner and had a sound night’s sleep.

 

Today we are cruising the inside passage, and it’s gray, windy and cold (45 degrees f) with high ocean swells. The ship is rockin’ and rollin’ quite a bit, and the pools are sloshing. They have closed the Retreat Pool and The Sanctuary. There seem to be a lot of indoor activities throughout the ship today, from bingo and trivia to the art auction and various classes, games, music, etc.

 

One odd thing I wanted to report is that, all over the ship, we hear more creaking and squeaking – especially in our cabin – than I can ever recall hearing on any other ship.

 

And finally, I have to report that virtually everyone I have spoken with is having problems with the Medallion App. No matter which way I log in (using my email and password, booking number, stateroom number), it will only stay properly connected for a short time, and then my picture will disappear and all the features become non-functional (such as Dine My Way, viewing your onboard account, Journey View, everything). Oh, and it makes my phone think it’s on US Eastern Daylight Time instead of Pacific Time. The tech’s on board cannot explain or suggest any fix these issues, and the only solution seems to be that you have to log out, then log back in and hope it functions long enough for you to do what you want to do before becoming inactive again. This is especially disappointing because, this time, the app actually functioned properly and well right up until we boarded the ship, which is the exact opposite of our prior experiences. I’ll report back if I become aware of a permanent remedy.

 

Oh, and because people always ask, the formal nights are the 2 sea days: Monday and Friday.

 

I’ll try to add more thoughts as the week goes on.

I am staying on Deck 17 S205, was your room in this area. Asking as you said the view from your balcony was good. Is it worth sitting on your balcony when sailing the inside passage or would you suggest other areas on the ship which would be better. Thanks

has anyone visited this area on Deck 18, can I ask the cost for 1/2 or full day please. Also in your opinion is it worth spending time there on an Alaska cruise. Thanks.