karatemom2

Yes, you will definitely see eagles everywhere - be sure to bring binoculars - often you will spot them in the trees, looking something like little white golf balls among the green. In Juneau, there is a place called Eagle Beach where they tend to congregate and you can get very good views there. In Ketchikan, they are also abundant. If you want to see them up close and personal, I have heard that the Deadliest Catch Crab Fishing tour feeds them the bycatch at the end of their presentation which brings them in droves, so that might be a tour to consider for both the fishing aspect and eagle viewing.

We have an awesome roll call going - not sure if you have joined yet, but here is the link:

The demographic is shifting - when we first started cruising there was a lot of 50's and 60's music and trivia. But it has evolved to 70's and now 80's as more the focal point which shows the transition to a new generation of late Baby Boomers and Gen Xers moving into our retirement years. But still ever so cool!!

Have you considered renting a car from Avis in Whittier that can be returned at the Avis at the airport? Then you have full control of your day and can hit the sites you want to see and also not worry about your bags because you can keep them in the car while you are touring?

Well, we are trivia buffs, and on some cruises they throw in some Alaska or Music trivia which we enjoy. If Libby Riddles comes on board for a lecture and brings some of her dogs, that is a big plus, but doesn't happen on every cruise or every ship. Watch your Daily Schedule. And of all the lovely things that Princess offers, if I had to pick one, it would be afternoon tea on sea days. It is a tradition that never grows old for me.

Outside of the glorious scenery and naturalist presentations, other activities onboard will include trivia, and other types of games/shows organized the the cruise entertainment staff if you enjoy that type of activity. There is also Bingo and Casino and evening production shows, so you will have a wide selection of options. Other types of daily events include afternoon tea, wine tasting, fruit carving, crafts, cocktail demonstrations, piazza entertainment, etc. Never a lack of things to do - although the best pastime is watching the beautiful scenery roll by

You'll be fine - enough room for hand wash in sink and there is a clothesline in the shower where you can hang it to dry.

We have definitely seen the 80's parties on all of our recent cruises - and they are awesome! Some people have mentioned White and Gold parties, but we haven't seemed to run into one of those yet. On our upcoming Norway cruise which goes in to the Arctic Circle, I hear they hold a Midnight Sun deck party at Midnight - so pretty excited about that!

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. is your scheduled port time. In general, in our experience, the ship docks earlier then that so that hopefully the all clear is called right on time or close to on time. We have even seen it called early. Remember, there are many ship tours that leave promptly as well and need to have clearance to get passengers rolling on those early excursions, so every effort is made to adhere to those posted times. If there is a going to be a significant delay or potential to miss a port, they will make every effort to notify passengers as early as possible.

Well, your mileage may vary. In the majority of our docked ports across the years, we have arrived on time - sometimes even early. We have successfully gotten off the ship literally within minutes of the all clear being called and often caught early tours. Most recently in PV for our New Year's cruise, we had a similar situation where the meeting time was at 8:30 with an 8:00 a.m. arrival - it was a little hair raising because we had to walk a lot further then what you are anticipating, but we made it by the skin of our teeth. We are gamblers too. : ) However, we have had experiences where we were delayed docking from an hour to two hours even, and we have missed ports. In Belfast, we were two hours late, but our private tour was all cruise ship passengers and waited for us and gave us an abbreviated tour. In a couple of instances we missed ports and the vendors refunded our money. It's a crap shoot when you are cutting it that close - but the odds are generally in your favor, so if it is a tour you really want to take and your are willing to take the risk - I say go for it. Roll those dice!!

Depends on a lot of variables. What port is it? Is it a tender port or a docked port? If it is a docked port, there is a good chance you can make it if there are no delays and the ship clears in a timely manner. There are always issues where a ship can be delayed docking for one reason or another, or may take longer to clear, so if you decide to go for it, maybe ascertain with the vendor if they offer refunds if the ship is delayed or misses the port for some reason. If they won't agree to that, it may be a gamble - a good one most likely, but a gamble nonetheless because delays do happen. But I know your a gambler! ; ) However, if it is a tender port, I wouldn't schedule a tour that close to arrival. Takes a lot longer to get off of the ship sometimes in situations where water shuttles are required.

Yes, they hold up to 30 people but you don’t need a group of 30 to book. You book as individuals on the tour. Their boats are large and comfortable with plenty of viewing area and more than enough space for 30 passengers - and still much more personal than the really large cruise ship tours with 100 plus people. We enjoyed our tour with then immensely and saw lots of whales. Yes, Glacier Wind is also amazing. We did a small boat tour with them with just our family of 6 one year and it was great. But the OP has pointed out they are not an option as they are already booked the day she and her family are there.

Given your interest in Orcas and since you will be spending a few days in Vancouver, I would recommend you do your whale watching there. There are good options to choose from and much better odds of seeing orcas in that region where there are several resident pods. Orcas are very rare on Alaska based whale watch trips. We have seen them only out of Vancouver and Victoria. Bear viewing is possible in both Icy Strait Point and Ketchikan in August as the salmon will be running. In Icy Strait Point you may see brown bears on a tour - although there is never a guarantee. In Ketchikan, you will often be able to observe black bears catching salmon at Herring Cove. We have had very good luck there on our trips. in terms of kayaking, there are very good options in both ISP with Hoonah Travel Adventures and with a few different companies in Ketchikan. So I would decide which is your priority for trying bear viewing (brown or black) and then book your kayak tour at the other port. Just remember, bears can be elusive but your chances improve when there is salmon and they are feeding. For glacier hiking, your only real option on this itinerary is Juneau. Mendenhall has receded quite a lot, but there are hikes there to Nugget Falls, or even a canoe excursion that takes you right up to the glacier and the allows for hiking nearby and even in ice caves. Other options would involve a helicopter flight that lands on the glacier - very cool from what people have reported but super expensive. Do your research on each port based on these preferences you’ve expressed and you will find vendors that you can ask about here or vet via online reviews.

Agree with this. Out of all of our cruises, the only times I have ever seen pools emptied was in particularly rough weather when the water was literally sloshing out everywhere. That was on a couple of our Hawaii cruises from Los Angeles when we had very rough seas. Other than that or a few times for what appeared to be maintenance issues on certain hot tubs, the pools have always been filled and open.

I think the key point here is that the OP is looking for a fun distraction from their “empty nest” situation on the holiday which I totally understand. Our one Thanksgiving with both kids elsewhere was the most depressing holiday I have ever endured. I don’t care how crowded, noisy, or chaotic the ship might be or how less than stellar the Thanksgiving feast is - I would have much rather been on a fun and festive cruise that day surrounded by happy and celebrating fellow passengers - even the rude pushy ones! It sure would have been nicer than staring at photos of my babies and feeling sorry for myself!!

For us, choosing the Princess tour wasn’t as much about the entrance to the castle, although it was helpful. I knew we could reserve tickets on our own in advance. it was more about guaranteeing we were on one of the first tenders off the ship and had ready and waiting transportation that did not require us to try to scramble for a taxi or Uber when we were new to this area and uncertain how quick and convenient it would be. Given our limited hours with everything we wanted to see, every minute counted and the Princess tour to the castle seemed to be our quickest and most expedient way. Fellow passengers without a tour were stuck waiting in long tender lines to get off the ship which really slowed them down, some for hours. We were fortunate to be on the very first shuttle to head to shore. I definitely look forward to coming back again to see sites we missed including Mary Kings Close and an inside tour of Holyrood Palace as well as just soaking up more local culture and history. It’s an amazing city. I loved all of our Scotland ports.

We paid a bit extra to book the early excursion through Princess to Edinburgh castle. It ensured we were first off the ship and walking in right at opening. Thanks to this, we were ahead of the crowds and didn’t have to deal with long lines. We spent a couple hours there and had midmorning tea and scones in the cafe. We then spent about an hour on the Royal Mile but unfortunately did not have a reservation for Mary Kings Close. We viewed Holyrood Palace from the exterior but did not tour as Royal Yacht Britannia was a priority for us. We took an Uber from the Royal Mile to the yacht and spent a couple hours there including a brief lunch in the tea room. It was a highlight of our day. We then Ubered back to the ship.

Have you checked with Hoonah Travel Adventures? They are excellent and local native owned and operated. https://hoonahtraveladventures.com

Every time we have cruised on Sapphire or any other Princess ship with a conservatory where there is an indoor pool, it has been heated and very popular - especially with the kids during the summer in Alaska. And we have been on a couple of Alaska cruises where it was warm enough on a couple of days that people were even using the outdoor pools too. Hot tubs are heated as well. So if you enjoy taking a swim or using the hot tubs, by all means bring swimwear!

Generally all aboard is 30 minutes prior to your posted departure time. So in the case of 7 pm, all aboard would be 6:30 pm. However, if you are tendering your all aboard time will generally be 60 minutes prior to your scheduled departure time. We generally try to allow at least a 60 - 90 minute buffer in any event if we are doing a private tour.

No need to apologize or explain your preferences - people like different things and there is nothing you HAVE to do - even whale watching no matter what anyone tries to insist here. Be sure to bring some good binoculars - you will spot whales from the ship and although not close, still a chance to get a glimpse. You will often see otters, seals, and eagles from the ship as well. We had friends who did the kayak trip with Hoonah Travel Adventures and they loved it - by the way they saw both bears and whales. One of the best, most budget friendly options that we love and has resulted in some of our most memorable days in Alaska was just renting a car (or van when we had a group of 6) and exploring on our own. There are guides for all the ports with things to do and see and driving in these AK ports is so easy. Just another thought to consider.

The come back offers that are given at the end of a cruise are usually limited to 14 days and need to be used within 6 months. Other casino promotions unrelated to a come back offers may be available for use on longer cruises. We had a free inside we could have booked on a 28 day cruise with one of our promotions. Sadly work doesn’t allow us to do those long cruises until that glorious retirement day!

You have a number of options including just enjoying it from your own balcony, which we often prefer. Keep in mind the ship will do a full turn at the glacier so you get good views from both sides of the ship. Furthermore, as far as views approaching and leaving the glaciers, from your balcony you will see it both ways - one side coming in and the other side going out. But, if you want a more expansive view, you can always go out to the promenade deck and follow it all the way forward to the bow if it is open. Or, you could go out to the small aft deck and have wide ranging views from that angle as well. You can also get great views from the top lido and sports decks in the open areas as well. Keep in mind, public areas can get crowded - all the people who don’t have balconies will be looking for viewing areas. That’s one of the advantages of having a balcony in Alaska as you have your own dedicated space for viewing. We generally order from room service or bring staples from the buffet, stock up with a couple of pots of hot water for hot chocolate or tea and just enjoy the day on our own balcony. If you want to be out and about though, you will have a lot of viewing areas to enjoy.

I totally sympathize! A couple of years ago our daughter spent the holiday with her fiancé’s family and our son who was in law school on the East coast opted to go to DC with friends so we were at loose ends. By the time we found out it was too late to book a cruise, but we sure wished we would have because it would have been much more fun then sitting home with our sad little tiny turkey. Although there are lots of families, there are also a lot of people just looking to get away and have a fun holiday - there will be plenty of people with whom you can socialize. If you go, be sure to join your roll call!

The problem is that not all cabins in the same category are created equally. People often have very specific reasons for cabin choices, whether it be location, special balcony size, a better obstructed view cabin that offers good visibility. People who cruise Princess frequently tend to land on specific cabins they prefer - for example we love the forward facing balconies on the Royal class ships and those all hold more than 2 people. We always specify no upgrade and, like the OP here, I would be very upset if they bumped us to another cabin. Often, an upgrade really isn’t if it is to a cabin that is less satisfactory based on personal preferences. Yes, Princess is a business, but part of being a good business that promotes loyalty is treating your customers well by respecting their choices, especially when they booked first and did so in order to reserve a specific cabin. That should be honored.