rjgdjg

On the formal night menus, the first formal night (night #2 onboard) on RCI has filet mignon as the special dish. The second formal night (second-to-last night onboard) has lobster tail.

If you roam around YouTube, you can find a few videos that actually display the menus in the main dining room.

Fyi, we did the five-day specialty package on Allure recently and loved it. I can't speak to the two-night (you might call the cruise line and ask your questions), but we found the package experience much more flexible than we thought. You can choose where you want to eat and when, if they're not booked up for the time you want.- Musing About Cruising

Many thanks to all for your kind words--it was my first attempt. You've spurred me on to try another! - Diana Greenburg aka Musing About Cruising

WW8WpiS1af4

There's also a really nice park--Wilhelmina Park--within walking distance of the port (take a right onto the main street and follow it along the water). It has a lot of green space, where you'll sometimes see folks spread out on blankets, and several statues--one of Queen Wilhelmina and another of Anne Frank.

The best part for kids--there are iguanas wandering all around the park (they don't come near you). The park staff actually encourages them, by periodically tossing them lettuce. - Musing About Cruising

We just did a dining package on the Allure and had a blast. The cost varies by number of nights. We paid about $115 a person for a 5-night package, which is much cheaper per meal than if you just ate in a restaurant one night. Fyi, I have a video on YouTube with tips and photos on the packages, if you're interested. - Musing About Cruising

I agree with AmberCascades--Ketchikan is fabulous for just walking around. It's picturesque, there are totem poles everywhere in town, salmon for sale every which way, and of the three ports we went to--Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan--Ketchikan had the best shopping (widest variety at the best prices). There's Eskimo art, Russian nesting dolls and all sorts of souvenirs. - Musing About Cruising

The folks who had the stateroom before us a few years ago must have really been in a rush on Debarkation Day--they left behind a half of a bottle of Jack Daniels and a leather portfolio. - Musing About Cruising

We live in FL too (but originally from the Northeast) and went to Alaska around Memorial Day a few years ago, roundtrip out of Seattle on the Golden Princess. We found it was too uncomfortable to hang out on the deck (windy and low '60s) and spent all our non-port time indoors.

That being said, I remember vividly sitting in the buffet with the doors constantly opening as people came in and out, blowing the chilly air into the room and shivering...Best to have sweaters/coats, etc.--for outside the ship and inside! - Musing About Cruising

I've never been on an Alaskan cruise - I'm always fighting the air conditioning on a caribbean cruise...

 

Can someone tell me what kind of temperature I can expect around the ship? I mean, if the high in Juneau is 60 degrees, can I assume the heat will be on? (I know, this probably sounds like one of the more stupid questions on here...)

Coming from Florida, cruising in August, it's hard to truly accept that we don't need sundresses and tank tops. But I also don't know that I should be packing the turtlenecks - lol!

 

Thanks!

I'm with Purplsmurf--there's a real risk to taking a non-cruise ship-sponsored excursion. Also worth noting is that very often, the ship's time is not the same as island time. - Musing About Cruising

I must share this--in April, as we were just about to leave for our trip, I checked the weather forecast in the three ports we were going to. I was mortified and depressed to see that all three had a high risk of rain the whole week--including Labadee, which is a full day at the beach.

Guess what. Not only did it not rain, but we had a whole week of perfect weather.

So much for weather forecasts! - Musing About Cruising

Great stories! I've got one:

On one of our cruises, the sea was a bit rough and as we were walking on one of the public decks, we found ourselves walking behind a middle-aged man and an elderly woman.

As she grabbed his arm, we heard her say, "I must be getting old, I'm feeling so unstable all of a sudden."

"We're all feeling unstable, Ma," he said. "It's the high seas."

- Musing About Cruising

We're mulling over a mini-suite on the Crown Princess that's about 13 rooms from the stern (702) on Deck 9. We've never been that far back and wondered if anyone has experience to share? Specifically, is there vibration/noise/smell this far back in the ship? Thanks in advance! - Musing About Cruising

I would agree that the main dining room food on Princess is fair--but then, I've found it just fair on the other three lines I've been on as well (Royal, Celebrity and HAL).

Where I personally think Princess shines is in the buffet--particularly on the Regal Princess. The buffet was truly extensive, with a lot of higher end surprises, such as smoked mahi mahi for breakfast, extensive cheese spreads and poached salmon at dinner, very interesting roll arrays that changed every day and really decent desserts.

We've found ourselves at the buffet more and more, and the MDR less and less...- Musing About Cruising

I think that's the hardest question of all--how to build an audience. There are so many blogs out there (mine included!) that it's hard to get attention. I find that promoting my blog takes more time than actually writing it! Here are some suggestions:

* This is obvious: post here in Cruise Critic

* Develop a presence on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google +, etc. and drive visits to these sites to your blog

* List your site on blog directories

* Be active in other cruise sites

* Have compelling (and unique, if possible) content and big strong graphics

* Spread the word--and the URL!

Hope this helps. - Musing About Cruising

Something similar just happened to us--we were booked on the Crown Princess in a balcony room and then recently received a notice that they were upgrading us at no cost to a mini-suite. If you were upgraded, I say, enjoy it! (But check where the room is on the deck plan to make sure you're okay with the location.) - Musing about Cruising

We'll be on the Royal Princess in a few months. We had picked room E425 because it had a somewhat larger than normal balcony that wasn't as obstructed as some (at least, that's what I gather from reading reviews). Then when we returned from a cruise during which I only once checked email, I found an email from Princess telling us they'd moved us to E409. The email said we could call them and change it back within 2 days, but of course, it was well after that when I read the email.

 

So.....does anyone know if the room we've now been assigned is comparable to what we had originally picked? And why would Princess do this?

 

Thanks!

Hi-

Welcome to the wonderful world of cruising! To answer your questions:

• Meals in the main dining room and Oceanview café buffet are included in the cruise fare, so there's no extra cost there
  
• Alcoholic drinks, sodas, specialty coffees, bottle water all cost extra
  
• Gelato from the specialty shop costs extra
  
• Specialty restaurants cost extra
  
• It's been a few years since we've sailed with Celebrity, but wine and mixed drinks on our Princess trip in December averaged about $8.95
  

Hope this helps! - Musing About Cruising

Hi-

I can't tell you about a beach, but there's lots to see within walking distance from the pier. You can cross a "floating bridge" (it's a pedestrian bridge that parts to let ships through) to the colorful Punda District. The gingerbread-style buildings in pastel colors are quite unique. You can stop for a drink at a cafe along the water, or visit the fruit and vegetable market wherevendors sell their goods out of wooden boats tied up to the dock. It's a great walking town and makes terrific picture-taking. - Musing About Cruising

Hi-

We took the Golden Princess to Alaska (stops included Glacier Bay) a few years ago the week of Memorial Day and had a balcony room. Here were some of the advantages of the balcony:

* A private place to hangout and take photos. We went onto one of the covered decks while in Glacier Bay to see what it was like, and there were too many people competing for the same viewing space

* A place to warm up quickly. Glacier Bay in late May was 49 degrees. We kept bopping into the cabin and back out to the balcony to deal with the cold

* Comfortable and convenient photo taking. Taking photos were a big part of our trip, so we appreciated being able to lay our photo equipment on the bed, go onto the balcony to take photos, and go back into the stateroom to change equipment

Princess, by the way, did a terrific job in Alaska, with a great naturalist giving many talks--including a narration while we were in Glacier Bay, several other great speakers, salmon buffet, etc.

Also of note, Alaska tends to draw an older crowd on Princess.

Hope some of this helped. - Musing About Cruising

In a recent Traveler magazine article, Sigourney Weaver quoted this from the song "Bon Voyage" of the musical "Anything Goes":

"And there's no cure like travel

To help you unravel

The worries of living today.

When the poor brain is cracking

There's nothing like packing

A suitcase and sailing away."

Wouldn't you agree???! - Musing About Cruising

Oh, what a tough question! We've been on 20 cruises and sailed on Princess, HAL, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, and have found the food overall to be what I somewhat not affectionately called "Applebee's by the Sea." I classify myself as a foodie (born and raised in NY!) and am always disappointed by the food on ships. We've eaten in specialty restaurants with RCI and Princess, and found them to be not worth the cost.

That being said, I've found a handful of dishes I've loved in the buffet, because I'm passionate about ethnic food and that's where you'll find the Asian and Latin dishes. I had a particularly memorable Mexican dish in Oasis' Windjammer, for example. It was so great I was hunting down a recipe when I got home.

Of the four lines, though, I would vote for Princess for the overall best. We just came back from the Regal, and enjoyed the lobster on formal night, the several luscious Norman Love desserts, and found the overall quality and choice in the Horizon Court buffet (e.g., a variety of smoked fish at breakfast, blue cheese, brie and dried dates at night) to be the best. - Musing About Cruising

...are fabulous. I love close-up shots and yours really pop. Thanks for sharing! - Musing About Cruising

I've never been on Carnival, but I've been on Oasis, as well as its sister ship, Allure, and would highly recommend it for your trip. It has a ton to do and see for all ages, such as:

* Zip lining, rock climbing, full-sized carousel, water park, DreamWorks parades for the young folks

* The best entertainment at sea for the older folks--full-length Broadway quality shows, water shows with high diving, comedy shows

(Fyi, check with RCI; I believe I heard that "Cats" was being replaced with another Broadway show)

* 3 "neighborhoods," each with a different feel--Boardwalk has the carousel, candy store, etc., Central Park is a foliage-filled oasis adults love and Promenade is the hub of the ship for parades, theme parties and has a pub and 24-hour cafe that's great for people watching

In short, it's really a fun ship that everyone can enjoy. You can't go wrong with Oasis. -- Musing About Cruising

There's usually crew manning a table at the gangway and when they see you carrying in alcohol, they'll ask you for it. They'll record your name and stateroom, and they'll give it back at the end of the trip. - Musing About Cruising

We're going on the Regal for the first time next month with a beverage package. Can someone who has sailed with the Regal or Royal recently share sample prices for:

* Glass of wine

* Simple mixed drink (e.g., gin and tonic)

* Tropical mixed drink (e.g., Bahama Mama)

* Specialty alcoholic coffee (e.g., Irish coffee)

Many thanks for your help! - Musing About Cruising

Let me know if anything jumps out at you! - Diana Greenburg, aka Musing About Cruising