SuzieQ521

Thank you. Do you know about what time you arrived and saw the large line?

Hello: I know Princess no longer has the selection of boarding times but I was wondering what you think the optimal window would be to arrive at Pier 27 for our Thanksgiving cruise? I'm trying to figure out when to have our shuttle pick us up...ideally was wanting to get to the Port around 10 am but not sure if that's too early (we will have a young child and a couple of elderly family members so the less waiting around, the better). My immediate family is in the Green Lane (medallions will be shipped) and then we have other family members who will be in the Accessibility lane. Thanks!

We did mid May this year (and had done late Sept a few years ago)--we lucked out both times in weather-- mild temperatures and barely a drizzle. And with the Whitepass Rail train ride in May, we had gorgeous views of snow. But you just never know about Alaska weather--it could be pouring rain in June or July too. Just bring lots of layers and plan accordingly. And I agree with what Tranquility Base said--better to go in low season, less crowded and also better deals.

Hello: We are taking a Thanksgiving cruise out of SF and it will be our first time on the Crown. From everything I read, people either complain about how rough looking she is but I know that some cruisers love her. We are going in with no high expectations--as long as we are generally satisfied by our room, food, entertainment, etc. that's good for us. Given that it will be Thanksgiving, I do expect it to be crowded (by way of background--we just sailed on the Royal Princess to Alaska this past May and for the most part, enjoyed her). I did have some Crown-specific questions and would appreciate any input: 1) I am expecting our room to be one of the ones to have the "lumpy" mattresses that people have complained about (we are Oceanview on the Emerald deck); Other than asking for a mattress topper from the steward, anything else we can do to help our bed situation? 2) Which Dining room is open on embarkation day? 3) Speaking of dining room, we are traveling with a big group (15 people); what we did on the Royal was have each party make reservations ahead of time on the app and then we would show up early and ask to be seated next to each other if possible. I don't expect us all to be on the same table obviously, but at least in the vicinity of each other would be nice. What is the best dining room to try to request this from? 4) On the Crown, is the only place to get a specialty coffee the International Cafe (other than ordering on the app)? (The Royal also had the Princess Live cafe and buffet); 5) Any experience with the Discovery kids club on the Crown? I hope it would be similar to that of the Royal which my (now) 5 year old loved! (minus the Alaska-specific programming). 6) Any complimentary afternoon tea? I could never locate that on the Royal. 7) Is there a similar version to the Enclave spa like the Royal had? 😎 Not sure if this is better for the West Coast departures thread, but a couple in our group may need wheelchairs upon embarkation...is that something we can request at the SF cruise port or do we need to request ahead of time? Any other recent input about the Crown would also be appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Here was my review: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2941041-camp-discovery-kids-club-review/

My son had the best time at the kids club this past May--he was 4.5 years old at the time but all age level groups were wonderful. It is the Discovery kids club and everyday there are different activities, crafts, movies, themes, pajama nights, video games, playhouse, etc. They are open during Port days but only during certain hours (you need to sign up the day before for port days). We were on an Alaska itinerary and they have wonderful Alaska-themed activities and even had a Glacier Bay park ranger come on board during the day. My son did not want to leave and had a much better time than he did on another cruise line (NCL's) kids club. They also give each parent a pager which is great for peace of mind. I did a pretty detailed review which I will find and post here.

Thanks hope that is the case for us; I guess it depends which deck/which room...fingers crossed!

We were on the Royal in May (Emerald Deck) and our mattress was wonderfully firm. Not looking forward to our November Crown sailing with the notoriously saggy mattresses...

We did! And loved it. There were some flowers starting to sprout but not much...you might be able to see more in early June (we were there May 22nd). But honestly, it was just amazing to be up that high and surrounded by gorgeous trees in the rainforest (a little scary if you're afraid of heights though). They take you up in a little trolley car (hold on tight) and you have the most amazing views of Juneau. We lucked out with a sunny clear day. I would recommend it.

How are the public beaches in Coronado? We have a Thanksgiving cruise and stop in SD the day after Thanksgiving. We were thinking of doing the hop on hop off tour or just a ferry to Coronado. Not looking to get in the water, but hopefully the weather will be decent enough to just sit on the beach. Thanks!

Hello: We have family that are arriving the afternoon before their November Princess Cruise out of SF--6 adults. They will be staying the night with another family member in Redwood City. They were thinking of renting a car from SFO after their flight lands (I guess it would have to be a very large SUV/van to fit 6 people plus luggage) and then dropping it off near the Port right before embarkation the next morning. It appears there are possible rental places near Fisherman's Wharf which seems like the closest to the Port--has anyone ever done anything like this? Otherwise, I think their best bet would be to get a couple Lyfts/Ubers from airport to Redwood City, then again the next morning to the Port. Or if anyone has any recommendations on shuttle companies, that would be great. A couple of them are mobility-challenged so BART is out of the question (and they will have a lot of luggage). Thanks!

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!

Also May and September prices generally tend to be more reasonable; peak prices are during summer months June-August. Excursions are also generally expensive (depending on what you want to do) so I would budget for that. But Alaska is definitely well worth it...trip of a lifetime!

Here's my review of the kids club:

Definitely Princess, especially their amazing Alaska-centered Discovery Kids club. We just did the Royal Princess with our little guy (almost 5) and he did not want to ever leave the kids club. They have the best activities that are very Alaska-oriented. I did a pretty detailed review of the kids club that you can find in this forum (search, "discovery kids club"). In my opinion, the must haves at least for your first Alaska cruise (I have done 2) are Skagway and if possible Glacier Bay. Princess has been doing Alaska for a long time and has great programming and priority in the Ports. I've only ever done RT from Seattle but I hear how the inside passage from Vancouver has even better scenery. You never know with Alaska Weather; a few years ago, we did mid-September and lucked out with great weather but it is generally colder and rainy... but you never know. Our trip this past May was cold on a couple days but fine on other days--best tip is to pack layers and dress accordingly. Enjoy your trip!

Anything you recommend we bring from home to help with that? (we prefer a firm mattress). I've read the posts here and it seems like the Emerald deck (our deck in November) is hit or miss with new mattresses. We were just on the Royal and loved those mattresses. Thanks!

What a strange experience in the dining room you had but glad management resolved it. Regarding afternoon tea, was that included? I was dismayed on our Royal cruise in May that there was now a surcharge. I didn't see the complimentary tea offered anymore (unless I missed it). Thank you.

That's too bad...it seems like the Emerald Deck mattresses have not been replaced. We are on the Emerald Deck on the Crown in November so not looking forward to sleeping on those...😐

Not really lol. I celebrated my birthday on our first Sea Day for our May Alaska cruise. I added my birthday on the cruise planner ahead of time but basically just got the special door greeter when my medallion opened my room door. The wait staff did sing to me at dinner (per my husband's request).

I believe you can request a tender ticket (that way you have a set time to get off the ship by groups) the night before but you can ask Guest services. The information will also be in the Patter so take a look at that.

We were on it this past May. For us, the water shuttle was very fast and efficient from RRF. If you have a Princess excursion, you will receive tickets the night before to meet at a certain time somewhere on the ship...ours was in the Princess Theater. at 9 am. (those with independent excursions have to line up after or try to request a tender ticket the day before and it will tell you the time to line up). They then take people in groups onto the tender boats which is a very short ride (about 5-10 min);you then get off at the dock which is right where the line for the Railroad starts (if that's your excursion). Otherwise, you can take a 15 minute walk into town or use one of the free shuttles to get there.

Yep, you are correct...only 2 Port stops. This updated article discusses that. https://abc7news.com/ruby-princess-cruise-sf-pier-crash-san-francisco-collision-27/13472802/

NO; the only outlets are in the desk area. I believe you can ask the room steward for an extension cord but if you bring something, make sure it is WITHOUT a surge protector.

For our cruise in May, the daily specials (usually on Port days) were actually cheaper than pre-cruise. I would check the spa everyday while on board and see what specials they have.

We were supposed to get free shipping with our Plus package but we were charged for our May cruise (which seems to be a recurring issue). I ended up going to guest services while on board and getting it reversed.