ceilidh1

DS didn’t want to get off the ship today so I took him to kids club. It’s always been the policy that kids could stay there all day so that parents could leave the ship. I guess something changed since the last time I sailed in April as when we got there I was told that they would close between 12 and 2 so I would need to collect him before 12 as there are no sign in/ out privileges in port. Obviously that wouldn’t work, as it was already after 10 and we had been planning on eating lunch in port. The manager explained that they could only accommodate kids if parents were taking princess excursions. However, just like all staff on this ship, she went the extra mile and said that for today she would make an exception and let him stay. Turns out we were back on before lunch anyways since our lunch spot was closed, but I really appreciated the gesture. On the way back we picked up Jellyfish Donuts for the kids club staff as a thank you

Ketchikan plans got scuppered since my beloved Burger Queen is closed on Mondays. We ended up just walking around and enjoying the glorious sunshine. As I mentioned at the start of this thread, you never know what you will get weather wise in Alaska. It’s mid September and we had the best weather we have ever had in Ketchikan

Headed up to buffet for a quick breakfast. They keep a big portion of it closed off, which means the portion that is open is pretty packed. They have the usual offerings- no pictures as there were just too many people jostling for food. I grabbed a waffle and got out of there. One thing that has changed is that the specialty coffee area in the Pastry Shop of the buffet now has a server that stands at the counter. Instead of ordering at the counter from the coffee guy, you order from the server standing at the counter and then wait for it to be made so the server can hand it to you. It’s really odd and causes a line up of confused people not knowing where to go or what to do.

Looks like a beautiful morning in Ketchikan

Yes!

So far we have gotten good value from the photo portion of the premiere package. You can view and download the digital pictures in the app - I think we have around 30 already. I have been able to easily download most of them but a few that are of the kids without me in them are available to view but not download. I was worried that might happen since it works with facial recognition but hopefully the photo department people will still let me have them…

Today is Ketchikan, which means we put our clocks back one hour. Trouble is, I’m not sure if our devices automatically set themselves back or if I need to do it manually so no idea if it’s 7am or 8am right now. Everyone else is still sleeping so I can’t turn on the tv to check. Another reason I hate the lack of outlets is not being able to have my phone next to the bed (if it’s charging) to check the time… Our plans fir Ketchikan are to walk around Creek Street and check out the shops, look for spawning salmon and then walk over to our favourite bar/restaurant for lunch - The Asylum and Burger Queen

I found the mattresses on both sofa bed and bunk a little hard for my liking (I tried them out) but both teens find them very comfortable.

I will attempt to do a “live from” on our upcoming cruise on Royal Princess. I have read reports of wifi being awful, or CC not cooperating, so can’t promise anything but will post as/when I can. We are still one week from sailing, but since I have already started thinking/obsessing/planning/writing I figured I would get this rolling in the hopes that anyone else sailing might chime in. Our roll call has been pretty quiet, but I know there are a few of us on this sailing! Background: Boring stuff first. On this sailing is myself, DS (11), DD (15) and DD’s BFF (15). Kids and I are seasoned cruisers, with Princess being our go-to line for many years. We are starting to branch out and try other lines these days – partly because the kids want more excitement, and partly because I haven’t been thrilled with the direction Princess has been taking (can we talk app???) This is BFF’s first cruise and I’m a little nervous – she’s a great kid, but she’s a teen…my kids have been cruising since they were babies so know the rules and the expectations. Let’s hope BFF is quick to learn! After booking this cruise, I learned that there are a number of ex coworkers/friends of ours also sailing! Ironically, we all worked together for Princess Cruises back in the day when Princess actually hired their own staff to work shoreside at the ports. Those were the good old days. It’s going to be fun to sail with them – we all booked separately, not realizing that each other was going so this is definitely meant to be! This cruise was a bit of a last-minute thing to use up FCCs before they expired. I had originally booked on Crown for a roundtrip Hawaii sailing in October, but then DD informed me there was NO WAY she would miss 2 weeks of school. After a lot of juggling, searching, and tears, we found this sailing that met all of our requirements so I immediately booked it. We have cruised Alaska more times than I care to remember – one great advantage to where we live in Vancouver is that we can walk to the port (yes, walk) BUT you are also restricted on where those sailings will take you… - Royal Princess docked at Canada Place

I will attempt a live from, internet and CC permitting! If you are on this sailing, please feel free to add your posts! Background Sailing this time is myself and DS (10). Just 6 days ago we got off NCL Bliss doing this exact itinerary. We live in Vancouver, so these coastal s are faves for us. We haven’t been on Princess since pre Covid- sept 2019. This was one of our best sailings, marking the 4th trip in a year with Matt O! I’m not sure how much we will enjoy princess without Matt, but going in with an open mind and hoping to have a blast! Pre Cruise This was not ideal! We have sailed medallion class many times before the app and loved it. Sadly, the app has taken away much of the pre cruise excitement and replaced it with frustration! First off, my perfectly good iPhone 6 was not compatible with the app. At that time, there was no web version to use and I reluctantly upgraded my phone (much to my teens delight as she now has the brand new iPhone 12 which also didn’t work well with the app). I was able to get to the green lane after many hours of switching between app and web. However I was never able to choose an arrival time or complete the health questionnaire. It was made even more infuriating with all the emails from princess reminding me to complete these steps! I gave up and will just roll with it. Originally, I went with this sailing as the departure time from LA was 11pm. I’m not one to fly in day of but with this late time I felt confident in doing so. I booked EZAir at a decent price and was ready to roll. Then they changed departure time to 5pm and my flight was just not going to cut it! Four hours on hold and I had a flight the day before and now needed to pay for a hotel. I booked Crowne Plaza again - we just stayed there two weeks ago and it suited us fine. Testing We still need negative tests to fly to US as well as to board, so I booked a proctored session through azova.com and used my own free rapid tests. Went off without a hitch and both negative! Completed ArriveCAN easily and checked in for air Canada flight, uploading proof of vax and proof of negative test. Ready to roll! We are very familiar with transportation in Vancouver, living downtown so we hopped on the Canada line to the airport and breezed through security and US CBP. Currently having dinner at the Canucks Bat and Grill!