Jeremiah On a Cruise

The move makes sense; businesses seem to be trying to control more of their revenue stream, so buying a key revenue stream from a key port on a very popular itinerary makes sense. I'd bet that there were multiple bidders, and that the final bid had a fat premium on it.

From a business standpoint, I think this move only makes sense for Carnival if they can use the RR to drive passengers to their cruise lines. The best way I think to do this would be to limit a premium trip, such as to Emerald lake, to Carnival passengers. The intent here would be to make a guest pay a premium for a Carnival cruise in order to have access to the better RR tour - but I also don't see that really working...

The more aggressive option is that Carnival plans to limit all train rides to Carnival passengers. The train is central enough to Skagway that this could have a major impact on AK cruises, and I'd wager that other cruise lines would start replacing Skagway with less popular stops like Haines, Sitka, or Icy Straight Point (Hoonah). This move would be much higher risk as it would greatly decrease the revenue from their new investment, but also has way more upside if cruisers prefer Skagway (and thus Carnival) over the alternatives.

Interesting stuff...

A good list so far. A few things to add:

Extra shoes and socks. Your feet will get wet, and few things in life are worse than putting on wet shoes while on vacation....

An informal sweatshirt for lounging around the ship (we prefer hoodies).

A backpack, or something that you can take with you in port (you'll shed layers and will need a place for them).

Have a blast!

I'm still a novice, but have tried both.

If you're going to get a suite (really, Aqua on Celebrity or better), I think you should lean towards Celebrity. Blu (Aqua Class's special dining) remains the highlight of any cruise I've taken. For that reason, Aqua is superior to Club Class IMO - though CC was enjoyable...

If you're not going to get a suite, I'd lean towards Princess. Slightly better food, slightly better service and a better logistics. It may be harsh, but I think Princess is simply a better run company, and that really shows when it's an apples-to-apples comparison.

I'm pretty sure that they vary the number of offerings based on the number of requests. This means that, as long as you get your name on the list early, there's a good chance that you'll get an invitation. With that said, you do hear of people who didn't get an invitation, but I think most people do.

The dinner itself truly is amazing. I found the food to be very good; my personal view is that the food was roughly on par with the specialty restaurants. What makes this dinner so great is the service and presentation. I've paid way more for a single dinner many times, and I've never been more blown away with the service and presentation...

Hi,

 

I rented a car in Skagway and drove up Emerald Lake last September. The road was really easy and there was no traffic!

I preferred to rent a car vs the bus or train to be free to stop anytime for pictures and to enjoy scenic.

My daytrip highlights were: the Emerald lake, Carcross, and Carcross’s desert (the smallest desert in the world).

 

If you’re interested I wrote an article to describe my DIY Yukon daytrip: daydreamunderthestars.com/2017/11/20/the-yukon/

 

Let me know if you have any questions

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

Marie

I'm several months late to the party, but I really enjoyed this read (though the link didn't work at first)! Thank you for sharing.

Wonderful and informative review! We are doing the same trip in around two months, and lifted several ideas from your trip. Thank you!!!

A couple questions:

1: I was sorry to hear about your boarding experience. Can you give us a sense of time on that? When did you get to the pier? When did you get on the ship?

2: We are seriously considering having multiple dinners in the Pinnacle Grill, and have heard other glowing reviews. But, our concern is that the menu may not be diverse enough to justify multiple dinners. Thoughts?

3: Did you attend any of the naturalist's lectures? How where they? What was his/her name? Were they active on the ship?

Super Specialty Dining like Chef's Table and Ultimate Balcony Diner. I want special nights when I'm on vacation, and I haven't found better specialty dining options than these. I find the costs of these experiences to be tiny when compared to the value (and when put in perspective of the overall cruise price). These are also the main reason why I would select Princess over the others.

Exceptional service from onboard staff (without exception!). How do they do that?!?!?

Easy and enjoyable pre-cruise experience. This obviously includes the website and pre-cruise materials/discussions, but I also mean the people at Cruise Critic; I find the Princess posters on CC to be the most enjoyable group on CC.

They are very similar in our experience. I'll highlight a few areas where they do differ in a meaningful way (in our opinion):

Princess has a better website. I'll rephrase: Celebrity has a crappy website.

Princess has better super-special dinning events like Chef's Table and UBD. Those are addons, but are enjoyable and seem somewhat unique to princess.

Celebrity gets the nod for higher end travelers. Aqua Class is better than Club Class Mini, and Celebrity Suites have more perks than Princess Suites.

Just my two cents.

Alfredos seems to be a bit of an insider secret for lunch.

The buffet will have food, but probably not seats :)

If you're into nature and wild life, you've chosen the right cruise :)

Go Whale Watching from Juneau! We've used Harv and Marv before, had a great experience, and I can't warn you off of them. Just be sure you make note of the boat size before you book. Either way, go whale watching!

If you are willing to spend, use Island Wings in Ketichikan! We did float plane to bear watching, and enjoyed every bit of that trip (plane ride, scenery, bears, etc.). We also planned to fly into Misty Fjords with them, but we were fogged in and had to cancel... Anyhow, Island Wings is expensive, but awesome.

Floating through the eagle preserve in Haines was nice and fun. If you want to see eagles and get some nature, it's a good trip. But, I grew up with tons of eagles so it didn't blow me away like the other two mentioned above.

I'd do the hike, and it's not even close.

For me, there's something more authentic about Alaska (or anywhere) when you see it... well... naturally. I've heard wonderful things about Kroschel, and I'm sure that it would be fun, but the ability to do that hike is a once in a lifetime thing.

Can't go wrong either way. But, if you can do it, I'd do the hike and not think twice about it.

The Regal is pretty great. I did a ton of research on her before sailing, and loved every minute of the cruise. The comments mentioned above seem pretty similar with both my experience and my research - though just a few things to add:

The Regal offers some outstanding dining options. The buffet as among the best out there, both in terms of options, food quality, service, and space. And, the Regal offers super-duper special dinners that don't have an equivalent on HAL (Chef's Table, Ultimate Balcony Dinning); these are spendy, but if you can swing it, I would highly recommend both.

She's a big ship, and we did run into several bottlenecks on our cruise, including getting on/off at the piers (especially, but not exclusively when tendering), waiting for food, and even not getting into popular shows in the main theater as several were full well in advance to the show. With that said, our experience on these seems to be atypical.

The biggest downside to the Regal is that the balconies are notoriously small, and occasionally not private due to the SkyWalk. We had a hump cabin on the side opposite to the SkyWalk, so these were not issues for us, but these are typically the two big drawbacks to the Regal.

Sorry to revisit an old thread, but I found myself reminiscing about our Sept 2017 cruise on Regal, and wanted to chime in on the old Crown vs Sabatini discussion.

We did both, and while we had positive experiences at each, they were extremely different experiences for us.

The service at the Crown, while still OK, was the worst we got on the cruise. We didn’t have reservations and just swung by, and while they accommodated us, it sure felt like they were doing us a favor. Once seated, service was a bit slow to arrive and then a bit slow through the course of the dinner – even though the restaurant was mostly empty. The service was never awful, but on a ship that provided otherwise exceptional service, this did stand out a bit. However, the food was very good with the steaks being high quality (probably not prime, but very good) and perfectly prepared - praise that I don't hand out lightly. This was clearly the best steak on the ship, and maybe even the best food on the ship, on par with Chef's Table, and better than UBD in terms of actual food. Well worth the $29/pp.

We also didn't have reservations when we went to Sabatini, but when we swung by, we were warmly greeted and treated as royalty. They not only accommodated us, but seemed appreciative of the opportunity (high praise and stark contract to the Crown). The server and service staff was also excellent, prompt, informative, warm, but personable. The service that we got in the UBD and Chef’s Table was probably “better”, but both of those were in atypical settings; Sabatini’s provided the type of service that you might expect from a traditional, but top-end restaurant. The food was good, miles better than the MDR, but I wouldn’t call the food great. Again, easily worth the $29/pp.

Based on my experience, you can't go wrong with either.

We did the Regal in late Sept 2017 as a club class. You're in for a treat!

The room you're in, if it's the one I'm thinking about has the largest deck I've ever seen on a cruise ship. A friend had this cabin (I think - I know it was a club class corner like this one, just not positive on the deck) and hosted a meet-and-greet with ~20 people on the deck and room to spare. I think the railing was metal and not glass, but the outside space was still two steps beyond fantastic.

Club Class is nice - clearly a step above the main dining room in terms of service. There was never any waiting for either a table or for service. The food is the same as the MDR food, which we did not love, but the experience was a clear plus for us.

We loved Boston (did a guided freedom trail walk and then Cannolis at both Modern Pastery (A+) and Mike's (B+). Just be sure you know how you're getting from the pier to the town; book transportation in advance to the square, even if you plan to just walk around.

If you enjoy history, do the mansions in Newport. There are lots of options to research, but I would recommend trying a few out. They apparently have a great bus system in Newport, but I'm embarrassed to admit that I couldn't figure it out - so we just used Uber (not great, not awful).

Bar Harbor was the surprise favorite of the trip. I highly recommend that you make time to go up Cadillac Mountain! We hiked it, which was probably the highlight of the trip - but it's not an easy hike, and took something like 90 minutes one-way (and if you hike up, you MUST hike down). I'm fit, and was tired by the end. Taking a tour up the mountain would also be nice as the views really are great. Either way, make some time to walk the town! It's a really cute little (tiny) town with just a few blocks of cuteness bubbling over.

We didn't especially care for St. John. Nothing wrong with it, but not nearly the appeal or activities as the other ports. Halifax has a ton to do, but it poured when we were there, and were pretty tired, so it was a shorter day for us.

I don't think that you will see the leaves turning with your trip, but it's still pretty nice scenery. You'll have a great time!

Yes it does. It’s Chef’s Table Lumiere on the Regal.

 

 

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Yup, but I don't recall any stairs on our tour. We just did one level of the galley, and I think that the galley was on the same floor as both the meeting place and table. There may have been a flight to get into/out of the galley, but that would have been immediately next to an elevator, so taking that shouldn't be a problem.

Go. Enjoy. Eat. Then eat some more...

We are off the Regal about a month ago, and we were able to expedite a few meals. We were in a rush and shared that with the host when being seated, and I think we were out in around 30 minutes. Service in CC was fast and pretty dang accommodating - I'd be shocked if you couldn't get out in 25 for breakfast or 45 for dinner if you let them know up front.

Ship - Regal

Class - Royal

Deck - Baja

Stateroom # B422

Category - M1

Port/Starboard/Bow/Stern - Port

Connects With Cabin # N/A

Accessible - No

Quiet - Yes

Balcony Size - Extended. Not huge, but big enough for us to do UBD or have morning coffee without feeling cramped. Clearly bigger than the standard Regal balcony.

View - Good.

Privacy Issues - Mostly private. We were several decks below the Skylight bar, so if we tried, we could look up to see the occasional passer-by. Though, this was no more invasive to our privacy than someone on a joining stateroom leaning on their railing and looking forward/backwards. We are extremely private people, and this didn't bother us in the least.

Wind - Very little

Soot - N/A

Problems - None worth mentioning.

Comments - Wonderful location, stateroom, and attendant. I would not hesitate to recommond, or book this stateroom again.

Regal is now scheduled to get to NY a day early to avoid Jose (Friday instead of Saturday). By my count, that just puts the Regal *more* in the way of Jose, but I'm sure Princess knows better than me :)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2017/09/18/princess-cruises-ship-races-new-york-ahead-jose/677905001/

Thanks for the update Kiwi! We are boarding in NY on the 23rd, and have been tracking Jose with great interest. I'm sorry to hear that Jose has thrown a wrench in your plans, but I hope you have a great trip regardless of the change.

Stay safe.

While onboard, I believe texts sent are .50 (per recipient). So, a group text to seven people is .5 X 7, or $3.50

While onboard, I believe texts received are .10 per text.

It's not a bad option for urgent updates or must-dos, but using that for a normal means of communication would get expensive quickly.

For now, low-tech is probably the way to go.

I'm on Regal next week. I've never heard of Kory Simon before this thread, but I'm now super stoked to see him so we can form an opinion of our own! Love him or hate him - this should add to the fun :)

A menu from a couple years ago posted on another thread specified cold water lobster:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2315965&page=2

Post 33

While I can't speak from experience, I've researched several of these exact questions. Here's my understanding:

Boarding will probably start somewhere between 10:30 and 12:00 with priority giving to certain groups. There's no harm in arriving around 10:00, and that would probably get you onboard ASAP, but you'll also probably wait for a bit.

Once onboard, your room may not be ready (typically they are, but you'll be on the early side, so who knows). Your bags may not arrive for a few hours later, so be sure that your carry-on in packed accordingly.

Alredos is a bit of a insider secret for lunch on day 1 as the buffet tends to be a mad house. There should also be a dining room open, but with a limited menu. It's also possible that some staff may try and politely nudge you away from the MDR and into the buffet on day one. I plan to side-step this and just have (first) lunch in Alfredos.

Once onboard, you can speak with the Maitre' D, but most people just call the DINE line from their room.

The Patter should say when you need to be back on the ship in each port. And remember that the goal is to be back onboard *before* that time, not *at* that time. :)

We have the same ship and trip as you, but leaving on 9/23. We'll try and leave some food for ya :)

No, not required on Princess. You did not mention where you are boarding, but in general it works as below in the U.S.. It is similar in other countries.

Arrive at the pier between 10:30 & 11pm

You will be checked in and shown upstairs to the waiting area, and grouped according to order of arrival.

Around 11:30/noon boarding begins. BVE's, full suites, elite, platinum, then general boarding.

Once boarding begins it goes quickly. If you arrive as above you should be on board by 12:30.

Go directly to your cabin. Cabins are ready.

Lunch is served in one DR from noon to 1:30. The buffet, International Cafe, Alfredo's on certain ships, and Lido deck food areas will also be open.

If you want to avoid waiting arrive around 2pm.

Staggered boarding information provided by Princess is just a suggestion.

When a ship returns to the U.S. from Europe, South America, there is normally delayed boarding due to government inspections.

To verify, is CC included in that same, board early list?

My wife and I are in our 30's and have had wonderful experiences on Celebrity with multiple future cruises booked on both Celebrity and Princess. For each of these bookings, we could afford upgrading to a premium line, but have not done so because we are not sure if the added price will result in much more *value*. In fact, we've been worried about losing some of the features of wider-market/bigger ship companies (e.g. production shows, guest entertainment, naturalists in AK, side shows throughout the ship) or being priced out of things that we enjoy (e.g. table limits in the casino, art auctions, etc.).

With that said, we do enjoy being pampered and love high quality meals - and could be open to upgrading if we thought that value were commensurate with the price. So, I guess my question is: What is your value proposition to a Celebrity/Princess customer?