portiemom

First, I disagree with those who say let a TA guide your trip. That will only work if you can find a TA who thinks like you do. I'm sure some are very talented, but I have yet to find one. Not that I've looked THAT hard. I'm a DIYer and LOVE the research. Know thyself! And know that's where my advice is coming from.:) Instead I suggest you get on over to the Alaska forum. I learned a TON there before our first cruise. Scroll down to Ports, if you have yet to find it. Next, some general info. You need to carefully read the details of the cruises you're considering on the Princess website. All the info is there. You are looking at cruise tours. When they talk about the train or the coach (bus), that is just transportation to your next stop. It's not an excursion or tour. You will see some scenery on the way, of course. For some, the train (Alaska Railroad) is a must-do. There are some sections that are more scenic than others. For example, Anchorage to Whittier and Talkeetna (McKinley Lodge) to Denali. Between Anchorage and Talkeetna, not so scenic. Another general tip, pay attention to how many nights you are at any particular lodge. You want at least 2 nights if you plan to enjoy that area. The day you arrive there will be only a few hours left because it takes so long to get there on the bus or train. Alaska is huge! Distances are far! So especially Denali, if you're going, get at least 2 nights! Another tip: Look at a map. Google Maps is my friend whenever I'm trip planning! It shows the train track. It shows the roads. You can look at satellite views. I love planning Alaska trips. It was our first cruise (with land tour) and we are about to go back for our third time. Can't wait!

My husband did this in Ketchikan through a Princess excursion. I can't be sure of the name of the company, but I just googled "Ketchikan fishing charter" and Fish Finder looks familiar. But as I say it was booked through Princess. Many of the participants did not want to pay to have their fish shipped home, so my husband took it, as well as the fish he caught!! They held it and shipped it to arrive after we got back home. We had a LOT of salmon, which we both enjoyed!! Fantastic!

So essentially you will have a few hours the day you arrive. And in September, daylight will be quickly waning. Then you will have one full day to really get into Denali on a bus, whether shuttle or tour. Be sure to research well on the NPS website to make the most of your (short) time there.

I was on the Crown March 2-17, 2023, and I have to concur. Love the ship and our stateroom (C752), but the mattress was the worst I ever had on Princess. So lumpy and uneven that I actually used a bed pillow to fill in the sag and slept on top of it. Just awful.

Yakutania Point, Upper and Lower Dewey Lake Trails.

May 25th was Thursday. Discovery Princess was scheduled to be at RRA.

Interesting. I tried interior, oceanview, and balcony and all show refundable deposits for me in the choose your own option.

My tips are to plan to be outside for extended periods of time and to move all around the ship. The scenery is so beautiful! Get out there early! You'll want to have maximum layers, at least 3. I use silk long underwear base layer, fleece, and Goretex outer layer. Don't forget gloves and a hood or hat!

OMG!! What an awesome, awesome story! Thank you so much for sharing. I've got goosebumps and a huge smile on my face and I'm almost crying myself! You and your sister did a wonderful thing to create such a beautiful moment.

Agreed.

Very sorry that you missed so many ports. We hope to get to Iceland eventually, and this thread is showing me just how difficult that may be, as it seems weather concerns are common on this itinerary! But I'm not sure what the National Holidays in Norway has to do with it. Weren't they already scheduled when you booked the cruise?

Yes, we had this type of offer on our last cruise on board Crown Princess (March 2023). We missed 2 of the 4 Hawaii ports due to weather and received FCC of 15% of our cruise fare. Only cruise fare counts, so based on what you stated, $340 would be the correct amount.

I'm glad you found a way to make your reservations. I get that screen on my iphone sporadically. I've even gotten it while on board, trying to change reservations. Obviously I have paid in full if I am on the ship! I'm platinum so no reason to see that screen, which is what I told the medallion app person I was referred to on board Crown in March. The person I spoke with agreed I should not see that screen. He took screenshots to look for answers but could only agree with me that the app is glitchy. He could not fix it. He suggested there may be an app update soon.🤨

Yep, as with most things go directly to the source.😀 You mentioned a 13-day cruisetour on the Majestic. One example is the Denali Explorer cruise tour. You start in Fairbanks and 2 nights of lodging are included. You can choose any excursions (tours) in Fairbanks that you are interested in from the Princess web site. These excursions are not included. Or you can book an independent tour. Or nothing at all. Choice is yours! Next you board a bus to go to your Denali lodging. You stay in lodging that is included for 2 nights. There is an included Natural History Tour on your second day that takes you into Denali National Park. (You can upgrade this tour to a longer one, if you want. Or cancel it.) You can choose other excursions that Princess offers or do something else. Next you go to Mt. McKinley lodging by bus where you spend another 2 nights. As before, you can do what you want while you are there. Princess excursion, independent excursion, no excursion. Then you board the train to Whittier where you embark the cruise portion. You are done with the land portion. Your 7-day cruise stops at various ports along the way, where you can pay for an excursion, do something on your own, like walk around the town, or just stay on board, if you're not up to it that day. Cruise ends in Vancouver. Just one example. You can do this same itinerary with the cruise first and then the land. Or find something that better suits you. Explore more on the Princess site and these boards. The Alaska forum is a wealth of information. There are so many choices and decisions to make, it can be overwhelming. Many people plan a year or two before going to Alaska to really get the most out of their visit. Enjoy the process!😀

See my answers in red above. Hope this helps.

I book directly with Princess and use the same strategy discussed above. Probably every cruise I've booked has been refared at least once. These days I use a Princess vacation planner, but before I had a PVP, I called the regular Princess number for refares. These days I still monitor for lower prices on my own. I check to make sure it is a deal I want because sometimes there are trade-offs in OBC, or specialty dinners, etc. but the overall cruise fare is lower. In other words, you need to compare the current booking to the promo in effect at the time of the refare. I look at the total picture. Then I call my PVP, previously I called Princess customer service. You don't need to do anything special when you book. You just need to keep an eye on prices after you book. I tend to be picky about my stateroom, which is why I book early and then watch for price drops and refare. You don't lose your room in a refare. I don't think I've ever done a refare after final payment, but not 100% sure. Might have.

I book directly online with Princess, place a courtesy hold and then my PVP takes over. I've always received multiple final payment reminders in my email. Just got one yesterday! Not that I need them. I have the final payment dates posted all over the place: on my calendar, in my planner, on an index card I keep prominently placed on my desk just for keeping track of my various cruises. I always have several booked and my memory is not the best so I lean toward overkill. 😆

There will be a Princess rep to meet you either at the airport or at the hotel. They really don't allow you to take anything other than a tote bag or backpack on the train (or bus, as I recall). You luggage will be tagged and picked up at the hotel and transferred by truck. There is really no place to put any luggage, especially bags with wheels, at your seat on the train other than under your feet or on your lap. That was my experience. ymmv We will be on another Alaska cruisetour this season and I plan on carrying a backpack and DH will have a tote bag that I'm bringing folded up in our luggage. I'll just use the tote bag on the land tour transfers, if needed. I hope you have good weather for the train transfer. The trip from Anchorage to Whittier is very scenic. Go out on the train platform for pictures!

You're from Chicago, so I'm going to go out a limb here and say other than Glacier Bay you probably don't need a heavy coat. I didn't take one at all and never felt like I needed it. On the day I was on Mendenhall Glacier I wore a fleece and a Goretex windbreaker/ rain coat. The temperature was in the 65 to 70 degree range. On the glacier. The guy driving the dog team wore a short sleeve T-shirt and a fleece vest. It was end of July and this is not unusual. YMMV if you're going early or late season. For Glacier Bay, if you're going there, be sure to have a hat, gloves, and maybe long underwear, which packs easier than a heavy coat. Oh and bring sunglasses on the Glacier excursion! They do provide sunglasses and glacier boots. No heavy coat is provided. Have fun dogsledding! It's awesome!!

You do know that the summer camp is not a sledding experience. The dogs pull a cart on wheels. I'm sure it's a fun excursion and you will get to be around the dogs, but I wanted the dog sled on snow experience so I chose the helicopter to Mendenhall Glacier. It was worth it. Plus I was ON A Glacier!! Plus I was never in a helicopter before. I did this on my 50th birthday so I splurged! That said, I understand that the helicopter excursion is often cancelled if the weather doesn't allow the flight. So there is an element of luck to get to do it. Hope that helps.

Agreed. DH needs help getting on and off the tenders, and the assistance has been wonderful.

Thank you very much for your excellent review and especially your helpful photos. I probably read those older posts as I was researching these staterooms not long ago. Based on what I'm seeing I believe this would work well for DH as he is disabled (not in a wheelchair, but does have mobility issues.) I would definitely use the twin bed set up, as he wouldn't deal well with those choke points. Will keep an eye out and may just try booking one of these sometime. Thanks again and enjoy Alaska!!

I'm sure more experienced folks will chime in soon, but the first thing that jumps out at me is did your TA put your Captain's Circle number on your booking? Maybe you should start with your TA. It's been a long time since I used a TA. Never found a good one, but my PVP is awesome. Good luck.

😳 Wow!

I prefer these organizers for our daily meds: https://www.amazon.com/Lewis-N-Clark-Organizer-Supplement/dp/B083YVH8DD/ref=sr_1_5?crid=TXYGEYUV6PNN&keywords=lewis%2Band%2Bclark%2Bpill%2Borganizer%2Bpouches&qid=1682894752&sprefix=lewis%2Ba%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-5&th=1 I use one pouch for each day, instead of a pouch for am and one for pm. For really long trips, I might keep 2 days of meds in one pouch. I have 3 organizers: one for each of us and another that we share half and half, if needed. Then I use pill pouches similar to Rick&Jeannie for any other meds. And I do keep photos of the original bottles for prescription drugs on my phone.