Kitty Ellas Mom

When I booked a Princess NYC to Quebec Canada / New England for mid Sept 2023 I didn't think at all about hurricanes. But, I was just watching a cruise video about a couple on a current similar cruise who had a very bad night due to a recent hurricane. What are the odds of one for this time of year and this itinerary? I'm already planning to have insurance and will watch the weather so there's not much else to do, I'm just curious. I know Aug - Sept is peak hurricane season but just didn't think about it being that far north, even though I've heard of hurricanes there before, just not as often as FL etc.

Maybe yours calls on Bar Harbor and mine calls on Portland because you're going the opposite direction than I am. I noticed this same thing about some of the Alaska Princess itineraries. One port was different depending on which direction you are going. I had to choose Vancouver to Whittier if I wanted Skagway as a stop because the opposite direction replaced Skagway with Icy Straight Point.

I'm a bit embarrassed to point out that my stop on Caribbean Princess in Sept 2023 is not to Bar Harbor, but to Portland, MD. I don't know if it was always this way or if it were changed. I may have thought Bar Harbor b/c others were talking about it in threads here. I just wanted to correct this in case others were wondering how a Caribbean Princess itinerary would include BH when it is Portland, if Portland is typical.

I'm following b/c I was about to ask the same question. I really want to go to Skagway and specifically chose my itinerary for 2023 to be one that includes it (after many attempts to cruise since 2020 on this same itinerary).

I've seen some recent cruise videos on you tube saying that Bar Harbor is interested in curbing the amount of cruise passengers in the port. I see that there is a thread from a few weeks ago about that but it got very confusing. I'm booked on a Canada / New England cruise starting mid Sept 2023 on Caribbean Princess. In short, should I expect that I might not be allowed off the ship when it docks at this port? Or, might the ship just not stop there after all?

Following. I hope you have a great trip!

Thank you all so much! To answer questions: My DH is fine with whichever cruise I choose, and our kids are mostly teens and will be able to help him out a lot at that point. The oldest might even be driving then. I'm just unsure how we will all feel about me being gone so long in Sept b/c some things might change in our lives by that point; it's a very unsettled time for us. This is why I did the $1 deposit sale for the Canada cruise and made sure I had a fully refundable deposit for the Alaska one--it could all get canceled. I've never been to Alaska or Vancouver and was very much looking forward to that exploring of a completely new place. I've been to Boston and Maine before but would enjoy seeing things again by myself, and older. I've never been to any of the Canadian ports on the Canada / New England cruise. I too saw that the Canada / New England is very port intensive and have thought I might skip a port or two to make more sea days for myself b/c I'd want to have ship time. I want ,as a solo, to be able to explore all the areas of the ship and see what I like and don't like. I got very interested in cruising in mid 2019 and originally booked my Alaska group cruise in Oct 2019, which was then rescheduled from June 2020 to 21 and 22. The group sailed without me when I had to cancel a week before the trip, so I rebooked 2023 b/c I was by then very attached to this itinerary, I even had purchased all the light layers of jackets etc specifically for Alaska. If I don't do Alaska in 2023 I'll do it later unless I just hate cruising, in which case I'd probably still fly there and tour around on land, b/c I'm very interested in going there. Majestic Princess is going to Glacier Bay and that's part of why I rebooked her again. In general I am more interested in a newer, bigger ship but found the Caribbean Princess to be an acceptable alternative when I first started looking at her online. I've never been on any ship bigger than the standard tourist ship in a city that takes you down the river and back, so any big cruise ship will be an amazing experience for me. I have considered doing Royal Caribbean to the Caribbean. I have a dear friend who has traveled exclusively on RC and warm weather places and she's been my main source of cruise info other than the net. I may eventually do a cruise with her, but she's a mom like me with very little time to go cruise and most of her cruises are with a family member. I found Princess to be a line that I'd like to do solo but probably not take my kids on yet; if I love cruising I was thinking of taking the family on a RC cruise. I want Princess stuff like specific spa relaxation areas and Movies Under the Stars for my solo trip.

When I lost my June 2022 Alaska group cruise due to a family emergency I immediately rebooked 2 cruises for 2023. One is the same ship and itinerary I originally was on, Majestic to Alaska doing Vancouver to Whittier 7 day for early August 2023, but completely solo instead of with the large group I was supposed to originally be with. I also booked the next group cruise with that group that I could manage, which was Sept 2023 Caribbean Princess Canada / New England going from NYC to Quebec, and a 10 day. I will only do one, and it will be my first cruise. I'm finding that I am not leaning more towards one than the other; I have until about. May to decide. This will be a gift to myself for dealing with many very difficult family situations of the past few years, and I haven't been able to travel solo for many years. I'm finding myself feeling lonely thinking about doing Alaska completely alone, but it's that or take my family of 5, which I'm not willing to pay for Alaska without having checked out what cruising is like first. The original idea I had was to go on this group cruise b/c I could be solo, which is a way of traveling I love, but I wouldn't be 100% alone b/c there would be group activities I could join. But the Caribbean Princess cruise is so long, at 10 days, that if I find cruising not to my liking it would be a long time to be on a ship. (If I do the Alaska I will arrive several days early so it will be the same length / cost as the longer cruise.) Other considerations: very expensive and long flights from the US east coast to Alaska, but if I go to the NYC departure all I have to do is take the train a few hours. I really like the idea of not having to deal with airplanes before the cruise; I would have to fly home from Quebec but the cost is far less than getting home from Anchorage. Honestly I've wondered if I should scrap all of these plans and do something like a few days in the Caribbean to be my first cruise instead--something very traditional cruising. But I'm constrained by the school year which is about to start for my 3 kids, DH just had surgery, and spring break is already spoken for. So....next summer is probably the earliest I can go anywhere, and I don't want to do a warm weather cruise in the summer b/c I don't do heat well. That's another thing: the Sept cruise is during school, which is probably doable, but might be difficult for DH. That might be the deciding factor eventually. I'd appreciate thoughts from cruisers who've been on these ships / itineraries. Right now they still seem equal to me in many ways. Thanks!

Thanks everyone. Based on these answers I'm feeling pretty confident about flying into Vancouver. Since I've never been there, there's no reason to see Seattle first, since I'd not get to spend much time in Seattle anyway.

Thanks martincath! I remember that you gave me a plan when I was expecting to be departing from the Vancouver airport in mid June. That was a much more scary prospect than coming into it.

I am wedded to United airlines b/c of the credit I have from canceling my Alaska cruise last minute this year.

I tried to post this earlier in Alaska forum but it doesn't seem to have posted. I have rebooked (for the 4th time....) my Vancouver to Whittier Alaska cruise (last time it was going the opposite direction but I chose to start in Vancouver b/c only those are showing as having Skagway on the itinerary for Majestic Princess 2023). So, I can either arrive at the Vancouver airport from the US east coast, or go to Seattle and then take a bus or train in. The only reason I'd consider going through Seattle is b/c I've heard so much about how the Vancouver airport is terrible, with several hours long waits for anything. Do I need to fear this as someone coming in and staying the night? I plan to allow 2 full days to explore Vancouver before embarkation, and to allow a large buffer in case of flight delays. I'd love to see Seattle but probably would be very anxious about getting to my final pre cruise destination. thanks for any advice; this isn't until early August 2023 so I have plenty of time to figure things out. I don't plan on booking flights yet b/c I'm deciding between this or a Canada / New England with a group on Caribbean Princess in mid Sept 23. I'm more likely to go on the Alaska one however b/c I have kids and a long cruise in Sept will interfere with school.

I didn't get to go on my cruise, but I was booked on a June 2022 Alaska cruise and had booked this excursion solo. I too was worried that I'd end up being the one odd person with a family or couple. But, I figured that they'd dealt with this before b/c I wouldn't be the first solo traveler around there (they being the dog sledding staff). I've rebooked the cruise for next summer and intend to choose the same excursion.

My TA put me on the Majestic Dolphin Deck for my next July (2023) Alaska and I'm balking b/c I've read several times that they've used that deck as the covid quarantine cabins. Is that still true? I don't want to have an expectation of my cabin and then get moved b/c that floor is sealed off, if possible. I'm wondering if I should ask her to move me, as I haven't paid the deposit yet. But, if covid stuff is still as bad a year from now as it is now I will probably cancel before final payment anyway.....

Thanks all. I decided on the deluxe balcony b/c it had the couch and was less $ than the mini suite. But I could see a mini suite in my future if traveling with family. I am soooo happy there is a small couch in there, as I like to be comfy when hanging out in the room, and sitting up in the bed isn't always comfy for me.

I was booked for the last 3 yrs on various dates in early June for Alaska Northbound, with a group, and missed the group b/c something came up last minute. I now am rebooking on my own so I have flexibility I never had before. For a lot of reasons I've decided to do Late July, embarking on July 22. One thing I didn't like about my original timing is that the bears wouldn't be out yet. Will I have a better chance of seeing them in late July? My only concern is that it might be getting too late for the dog sledding on the glacier, which is something I really wanted to do. But the only earlier in July date with the ship and itinerary I wanted would put me flying on July 5 and I didn't want to deal with any July 4th flight crowds. I am flexible and would be ok with doing the dog sledding on ground and glacier viewing without dogs, if necessary. But I've mostly heard that the dog sledding on the glacier becomes unavailable in August so I thought July was ok.

Oh, I had no idea. That's why I asked here where people know their stuff. Thank you! That sounds like the perfect solution.

I'm rebooking....again....my originally summer 2020 Princess to Alaska, Vancouver to Whittier, which I most recently missed this b/c we had a death in the family. I was originally booked in a balcony cabin and am considering upgrading to a mini suite. I am a solo traveler though so this seems kind of extravagant. Mainly, I think it would be nice to have the couch. I was just watching videos about the two cabin types and when they got to the point where they showed there are 2 tvs I though well I don't need that. But, I still really like the idea of having the couch. This will be my first cruise so I don't have any experience actually being in a cruise cabin yet. I don't have any claustrophobic etc so a small room is fine. I just tend to be a homebody and think I might spend more time in the room than others might. Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks!

I'm so sorry about your husband. I don't know the answer to your question and hope Princess is able to give you a good one.

Actually I booked one with the4 $1 deposit sale but I wasn't ready yet to figure out my other cruise. I wish I'd just booked something.

Yes, now that a few weeks have passed the prices that I have looked up before have gone up. Should have booked earlier maybe. Trouble is, I don't know what I'm doing next summer. Sigh. I WISH I could just go on my missed cruise now b/c I see what you mean about the deals out there right now. The ship I was supposed to be on sailed at about 60% capacity. Wish I had been on there.

I regret not booking a replacement Alaska cruise for the one I missed this June during the $1 deposit sale, but I wasn't ready. I did book a $1 deposit for a different cruise but am very iffy on whether I'll go; it's either one or the other. next summer / fall. Now I want to book the Alaska but I want to get my $ all back if I cancel later. When I initially booked in late 2019 it was with a $100 per person refundable deposit sale. Is that something that Princess does with some regularity? Or do I need to just keep looking? I will tell my TA to keep an eye out for me too.

Thank you for your responses. I had expected prices to increase a lot which is why I was so surprised. I am thinking I should definitely look into booking something for Alaska for next summer soon before prices increase. I was a week away from my June cruise, which had been booked in 2019 originally, and then we had a death in the family. The insurance paid for the expenses. I had already bought all the clothes etc for Alaska and really do want to do that same itinerary. I still haven't been on my first cruise.

Oops, I made a mistake and CC isn't letting me edit for some reason. I forgot about taxes and port fees, and that I bought the Princess insurance. So, the 2023 prices I'm seeing aren't as low as I thought. But, still significantly lower. My 2022 cruise was about $4k and the same thing is now $3k. I also heard that my cruise sailed at only 60% capacity. I am wondering if prices went down to attract more buyers. I did already book something else next Sept but I'm really not at all sure I can go; I booked during the $1 deposit sale. That one is 10 day Caribbean Princess Canada and New England.

Am I seeing things? I was booked on a Princess 7 day Southbound on Majestic Princess for 2022 I wasn't able to go on. Prices I'm seeing for very similar cruises for 2023 are close to half the cost I was originally paying for 22 for same cabin type. Admittedly I have had little time to research this. But I'm wondering if others have seen this same trend. I'm very unsure of summer 23 plans but wondering if I should book another Alaska cruise before the prices go up.