AvalonLuv

Must be a magical night, after days & days of rejections on the app, it finally allowed me to order Medallion Net.  I guess, one just has to keep trying until it finally works. 🙂

At least it shows but... now, like @sgmdiver  I'm also getting a "Failure" message on a good credit card.  Sigh... So frustrating.  I took a screen shot and will argue it on the ship if I can't get it to work between now and then.  

O.k.... after uninstalling app, resetting password, and logging back into #worseappever  I now have the MedallionNet showing.  Thank you to @Sea Hag for your kindness in helping us out!  All the best!

@Sea Hag  - Weird, it's not there.  I have under "OceanReady" Profile:

• Travel Checklist
• Safety Essentials
• My Preferences
• My Account

Then it goes to the "Journey View" box.

@Sea HagYes, I already have a CC entered.  I'm at the home screen, I've got my QR code, Green Lane (5 pending).  From the home screen, what am I looking for? I can't even get to the screen you are at.

I can't even find where to try to order Medallion Net on the App... 🙄  - #worseappever  I see "Dine My Way" - doesn't work... I see "Manage Drink Packages" (have to go online through website)... Nothing under "Ocean View" I can see for Internet...  Can't believe it would be under "Ocean Casino" right?

Great reporting!  Thank you so much as we are traveling on the Grand in March.  All your information is so helpful. 😀

2 Bookings for May 9, 2020 - Cancelled by Princess mid-March. Option #1 & Option #2 selected day or two later:

• Cabin #1 (Father-in-law):  No Refund, No FCC (Option #2)
• Cabin #2 (Wife & I) No FCC (Option #1)

We did not feel we needed scuba gloves for the paddle for warmth, but I did bring a pair of gloves I have (don't remember the material) that gave my hands some protection from the friction of the paddle. They might be neoprene but I'm not sure.

We did not do any other paddle excursions so can't comment on the other part of your question.

Hope that helps!

Sorry if you can't see the photographs, I guess the photos won't link individually from my Google Photos so here is the album link (Public Shared) since I can't edit my post above: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPiU9EntHQGiCQD6AbMNUIDcqpE9dma3PBZotUVZeSr4hW2DCJAftW8AUm3-jFARw?key=a3U5cGprWUd2Q1JWdGlEZkFyLTQxWHprOHE4bDFn

I tried to add my Google photos as public but guess they didn't show. I can't figure how to edit my post.

Here is the link to the album: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPiU9EntHQGiCQD6AbMNUIDcqpE9dma3PBZotUVZeSr4hW2DCJAftW8AUm3-jFARw?key=a3U5cGprWUd2Q1JWdGlEZkFyLTQxWHprOHE4bDFn

Our vote is for Sawyer Glaciers in Tracy Arm Fjord. We were there last week. Absolutely spectacular. We took the smaller boat on the Tracy Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer excursion via Emerald Princess. The Emerald did not get much within view but the smaller vessel on the excursion gave us an amazing view.

Ketchikan

·Weather conditions – 8/15/2017 – Rainy, windy and cloudy.

·Clothes: (RP) Rain jacket, fleece jacket, beanie, kufiyah, dry-wick short sleeve button up shirt, UnderArmour black vented t-shirt, cargo pants,Wigwam-brand socks and tennis shoes. (JP) Rain jacket, fleece jacket, tank-top,long sleeve shirt, lycra leggings, Wigwam-brand socks and tennis shoes. She had gloves but got wet from water, helped some but hard to operate camera with gloves.

·Emerald Princess in Port: 6:30am-2:30pm

Excursions

·Eagle Islands Sea Kayaking (KTN-770) 10:30am-2:00pm - $99.95 p/person

·Misty Fjords Seaplane Exploration (KTN-800) 7:00am-9:00am [Cancelled due to weather by Tour Operator.] - $269.95p/person

Very rainy when we arrived in port. We had an early Seaplane excursion that was to begin shortly after arriving. We made our way to the dock but never found a representative for the excursion. Other tour operators didn’t know anything but guessed that it was probably cancelled due to rain. One of them suggested we contact the Princess Excursion desk, so we reboarded and went there. When we first approached, the Princess staff member said, “No, we haven’t heard of any cancellations.” They asked us if we were in the right spot and we said yes. There were a few other couples who also did not find the tour operator and were worried that they had “missed them.” This caused a bit of anxiety and frustration. The Princess staff member then called someone who stated that, yes, it had been cancelled due to weather. We were not charged for the excursion but this left a big hole in our day but we understood about the weather being a safety and enjoyment factor.

Word of caution about the Seaplane: on the ticket, which we didn’t notice untillast minute was a “no carry on.” Thiswas a bit of an issue as I had planned to carry our extra clothes for the restof the day (rain jackets, snacks, etc.) but since the excursion was cancelledit wasn’t a factor. Plan to return tothe ship for extra stuff upon return if you will be doing other things laterthat day.

Luckily, we had booked the Eagle Islands Sea Kayakingexcursion for later that morning. In themeantime, we went and explored Ketchikan by the waterfront which was primarilytourist shops and alternate tour operators. The lady at the Visitor Center was very helpful. Prices for jackets and other things were notas much as we expected and very reasonable. For example, a windbreaker shell with “Alaska” logo was around $20. T-shirts were $10-$15, hats around $5 plus.

I went to search for the mosaic Octopus I had seen on theInternet which I found at the end of the waterfront near Berth 1. The “Welcome Arch” sign for Ketchikan wasanother landmark that I wanted to photograph and got a good shot. It was located about ½ way between our cruiseship and the end of the waterfront.

We returned to the Emerald Princess dock and located our tourbus transport for the Sea Kayaking. Thetwo ladies were very nice and the drive took about 15-20 minutes to Clover PassMarina. While on the bus they narratedlocal tidbit facts about Ketchikan which helped pass the time and wasinteresting. Arriving at the Sea Kayakcompany we met our guide and geared up. We had brought a dry-bag but wasn’t needed as they supplied one which mywife stored her cell phone and a few other things in.

Our paddle guide was very nice and provided a decent levelof information. Most in our group hadnever (kayak) paddled before, myself, Jill and one or two others had. We boarded the tandem (2-person) kayaks andgathered as a group then paddled across the marina area to the other side wherewe encountered our first Bald Eagle perched atop a tree.

The water was surprisingly warmer than expected. It felt the temperature of Southern California ocean water and I could keep my hands in it without freezing them. Along the shore line we saw various starfish. When I asked about if we’d see any whales during our paddle, the answer from our guide was evasive and though the brochure shows a magnificent whale breaching, I think it was really more of a rarity than anything else. We didn’t see any seals either during our paddle but we did see numerous bald eagles and the occasional jumping salmon.

We paddled across the channel to Eagle Islands where we observed more trees, rock formations and a few more Bald Eagles. Overall the paddle was easy and no one in our group had trouble keeping up. Challenges were taking photographs and paddling. If I had binoculars, I’m not sure I would have easily been able to use them. I did have a waterproof digital camera I kept tucked into the front of my life vest and tethered by carabiner to the side adjustment straps. Water occasionally spotted the lens due to splash and light rain during our trip. Take plenty of photographs as only a few good ones will come out. I also (carefully) used my Samsung Galaxy S8+ but safely tucked into my jacket chest pocket to keep from losing it. It was nice to have and did better pictures I think than the Fuji waterproof one but was harder to use without fear of dropping it intothe icy deep.

Final thoughts on the Eagle Islands Sea Kayaking:

This was a relatively (for Alaskan Cruise) inexpensive excursion at $99 per person. If you have never paddled before I think this is a great way to try your hand at kayaking and bring back bragging rights to say, “I kayaked in the ocean of Alaska.” If you have done a lot of kayaking, this one is average in the excitement level, but again, you do get to add it to the list of places you paddled and for that, I consider this worthwhile. Other kayak locations in Alaska may provide abetter or more exciting experience.

As for wildlife, don’t expect much. Starfish are ho-hum for us California folks,but seeing Bald Eagles in their natural environment was great. Had we seen a whale it would have been amazing, but that just rarely happens it seems. Staff was very nice, but plan to record your adventure yourself with a good waterproof camera. Use their “wetgear” to avoid getting too wet inside the kayak as some water will get inside and will not be dry. Your shoes you wear will be damp, so will your pants if you don’t use the waterproof pants (slipover your regular pants) that the company offers when you gear up at the beginning. I almost passed on them but so glad I didn’t!

FINAL THOUGHTS ON KETCHIKAN

No one can control the weather and our visit certainly reinforced the concept of layering and being prepared for any weather condition. The amount of time “in port” in Ketchikan was very small. We would have missed a lot by booking the two tours like we did. Even though one got cancelled, by the time we figured everything out and got looking around, our time was very limited. Some pre-planning helped me get a few pictures I wanted (mosaic octopus, Welcome Arch, totem pole) but I would have missed a few of those if I hadn’t done some research. As it was we didn’t have enough time to see Creek Street or get more pictures of totem poles or other landmark sites. We are really disappointed we didn’t get to do the Seaplanes but weather was the culprit and now we have a good reason to return. I wish Princess spent more time in Ketchikan. A 2:30pm departure seems VERY early to leave, but maybe it has too. Choose wisely what you want to do and take lots of pictures!

If you'd like to read our review of our Room on the Emerald Princess, here is the link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=53867840#post53867840

Ship: EMERALD PRINCESS

Class: Grand

Deck: 15 - LIDO

Stateroom # L210

Category: Balcony (BF)

Port/Starboard/Bow/Stern: Port

Connects With Cabin #: Next to L206 & L214

Accessible:

Quiet: Yes. Some minor noise when on balcony from people walking on decking of Deck 16, but never noticed in room, only when outside on balcony.

Balcony Size: Standard (See pictures)

View: Great views. Can see Port-Side bridge from balcony but still enough privacy to not feel like they were looking in at all.

Privacy Issues: None

Wind: Not an issue with the room and surprisingly not any more than expected on the balcony.

Soot: None

Problems: Not really see comments below.

Comments: See our information below!

Room Features& Amenities

·Bed – Very comfortable.

·Pillows – 4 (Down) pillows. Great and comfortable. 2 extra throw pillows.

·Mini-Fridge

·TV – appears to have an hdmi hook up butextremely difficult to access. RCA jacksare accessible for tall people.

·Closet – enough space to hang all our clothesand jackets. 17 hangers, but reallyneeded like 25.

·Safe – worked. Standard 4-code hotel safe. Not enough room to store laptop, but camera,phones, passports, etc. not an issue.

·Robes provided (upon request and arrived Monday(Day 2)

Bathroom

·Shower – small, but to be expected. Had shampoo & conditioner available inshower pump bottles.

·Sink

·Towels: 2 bath towels, 2 hand towels, 2 wash cloths. Standard hotel quality.

Balcony

·2 Chairs

·1 small round table

Needs Improvement (Room)

·No Clock; Phone had time and TV had time when turned on to certain channels.

·Wish it had a small love seat but space would not allow with desk and room layout.

·Larger TV would be nice, especially if they could mount it on the wall instead of the small TV in the corner above“mini-bar.”

·TV channels did not have a “ship tracker” map to see where our cruise ship was during its travels.

What You Can Do to Make It Better

• ·Electric candles. We brought 6 of them. Placed 3 in corner by TV, 1 in bathroom, 1 bybed side table, 1 on “bar area” above mini-fridge. Nice subtle ambient light without the fire hazard.
  
• ·Bluetooth speakers. We brought a nice portable Bluetooth speaker which was great for music on the balcony and in the room. Some nice relaxing music on the balcony is anice addition to the sound of the ocean. Connected it via my cellphone.
  
• ·Magnets. Now I had heard a bit of this on the CruiseCritic forum before we left,but am definitely a fan now. We put our one magnet we bought in Seattle on the wall and later added all the others from our ports and tours. Would be nice to put “where we have been” magnets on the wall on future cruises too. Might also be nice to get family photos made into magnets (flat so they are flush with the wall) so that you can enjoy seeing those who you love that couldn’t come along. Might be good for kids too if traveling with Grandparents, etc. of their pets, mom & dad, etc.
  
• ·Bring a thermometer. We were always wondering how cold/warm it was outside on our balcony. There were little ones on magnets in the gift shops, but we were never too sure how accurate they would be so we didn’t buy one. Wedidn’t like how they looked either.
  

Decks 9 (Dolphin) & 10 (Caribe) as seen from our balcony. (Don't let the reflection confuse you.) Be aware that if you do a balcony on those decks everyone from above can see in your balcony. Also seagulls may do "their" thing when in port.

Great review so far. Keep them coming. We are on Emerald next month for the same trip. :-)