tcdcruiser

You are so correct.

I have cruised Princess to Alaska 6 or 8 times. IMHO Glacier Bay National Park is the crown jewel of Alaskan glacier cruising. Not all cruises visit GBNP, so check the itinerary. Anchorage is our least favorite Alaskan port. However, a day trip to the mendenhall glacier outside of anchorage is quite good. Also, anchorage is a good location if you desire a helicopter glacier tour. The helicopter tour that lands on the glacier for a walk or dog adventure rivals Machu Picchu. I think you can also do the helicopter tour from Skagway. The Vancouver/ Whittier departure advantage is you can sometimes visit College Fjord which is located near Whittier, Alaska. The cruise from San Francisco, my home port, only goes as far north as Glacier Bay. However, cruising under the Golden Gate from SF is maybe the best sail way view in the world. If you visit the Hubbard glacier, consider the one and only excursion. Hubbard Glacier is technically a sea and scenic cruise day, but sometimes they offer a special tour. The Princess ship enters the fjord as far as possible, then a tour will transfer you directly from the ship to a small tour vessel. The Princess ship then leaves. You sail much, much further into the fjord and you later catch up with the ship that is already in port. Quite spectacular. Reserve with Princess as soon as it is made available as it will be sold out soon Lots of short and non stop flights from LV to SF multiple times per day. Flight from LV to Anchorage, as I recall, all require a plane change in Seattle. Check Alaska Airlines for the Anchorage flights. Weather is always like Las Vegas. It is a gamble. We have had 75 degree weather in Anchorage in May and 45 degree weather in May. If you visit SF consider a day trip to Muir Woods National Park about one hour from downtown SF. Reservations are a must.

Have cruised 4 times this year and nobody has asked for our arrival group time slot or QR code. Seems to me, regardless of the requested or not requested, arrival group, everybody just shows up dockside at a time of their choice. Then, the port authority has a single security queue and clears arriving passengers on a first come first serve basis. Then, since the security process dribbles passengers into the check in area, the check in lines are always brief. IHMO if the Medallion App arrival group time slot is not enforced by port authority security (and of course they wouldn’t) then the arrival group app feature it is a pointless exercise.

As mentioned above even with an “In Transit” card you will have to deal with port security to reembark. Plan your return time carefully to avoid long lines.

It was shockingly fast. BTW lots of people did not do the Canada arrive step prior to arrival and were delayed. I had to explain to a fellow passenger that princess told them many times and that it was a Canada govt requirement not a princess requirement.l welcome back to cruising.

September 17 report. Arrived terminal 1030am. Arrived cabin 1115am. Arrived crooners 1130am. Luggage arrived 1pm.

With the Medallion App being used so widely it seems most passengers now carry a smart device all the time while aboard. No surprise PCL must be experiencing a vast increase in broadband usage. Previously passenger might check their email or social media a few times a day, not anymore!

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/what-to-pack-for-a-cruise/

Agree with riffatsea. Passenger Service "may" have some non-USD for exchange but they are not a bank and inventory is limited and not guaranteed. Euros are very easily obtained upon arrival. For more exotic currencies, I have previously, ordered via a financial institution that ships via USPS, FedEX, UPS, etc.

FYI. Some international ports ask for the actual, physical card to be in your possession upon disembarkation.

Last month ate at Skagway brewing company. Quite good

Used duct tape. Good idea for safety but 10x brighter than needed. What an annoyance at 3 am.

Record fast disembarkation (not walk off). First independent disembarkation. I was having coffee in the Marin district (with all my luggage) at 830am.

Thank you havedogwilltravel nice job