Golden Princess Alaska Inside Passage--Port or Starboard?

[mcfaddensfarm]

We are planning on sailing on Golden Princess on 9/15/12 on an Alaska Inside Passage 7 night cruise. Can anyone who is familiar with this cruise tell us which would be better to be booked on--port or starboard? I'm sure we'll spend a bit of time up on the public decks, but it would be nice to know if one side is better than the other just for stuff like being in port, or views while cruising. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Puckolio]

It won't matter... the captain will turn the ship around so both sides of the ship can see the glaciers, etc while you're in Glacier Bay and other scenic viewing spots. You'll have a great time on the trip... we really enjoyed the Golden when we went to Alaska! Glacier Bay National Park is a great place to visit.

[mr green]

Port side! Going in to GBNP there is a full commentary, and most of the points noted are on the Port Side. Just keep your balcony doors open, and hear it through the TV. We also take a flask of coffee from the buffet, so that we can keep warm.

 

john

[kaseyoz]

We have just returned from the 16th July sailing and had a cabin on the port side. In all ports we had our side facing the town so we were lucky but it depends on which pier you dock at. One ship was tendering in. For Glacier Bay, it does not matter. Check out E728 if going for a mini suite as it is nearly aft with a huge balcony that you can see the wake from. Great spot.

[Countrygirl44]

We have just returned from the 16th July sailing and had a cabin on the port side. In all ports we had our side facing the town so we were lucky but it depends on which pier you dock at. One ship was tendering in. For Glacier Bay, it does not matter. Check out E728 if going for a mini suite as it is nearly aft with a huge balcony that you can see the wake from. Great spot.

 

Cabin E728 is what we had on the Golden in May. We have been to Alaska five times, not much compared to some of our CC friends. We have not done the land tours. We have gone south bound, north bound, and Seattle R/T. I prefer the south bound (two days of glacier viewing). However, due to some health issues of DH, Seattle R/T works better flight wise.

Now back to the subject, we always get the port side. We also try to book far enough out that we can get the last cabin on the Emerald deck on the port side.

We asked our room stewart to get us some extra blankets. It was chilly the day we were in Glacier Bay, however, the blankets kept us cozy. We did have room service breakfast the morning we went into Glacier (just the regular breakfast). Requested extra coffee. Made for a very pleasant morning. Do leave the balcony door open. We missed seeing the rangers board the ship, but we did see them disembark.

Have a wonderful voyage!

[TracieABD]

Port side.:)

[mcfaddensfarm]

Thanks for all of the input! Sounds like there are a lot of good reasons for port side, so that's what we've gone with. We're in just a regular BC balcony cabin, A710. This is my first Alaska cruise and my first cruise on Princess (and my husband's first cruise ever) so we're really excited for this cruise! Thanks again for your suggestions & info.

[Putterdude]

I am of the opinion that it really doesn't matter which side of the ship you are on with a Seattle itinerary you are missing the most scenic part of the Inside Passage. When in Glacier Bay if you really want to take it all in you need to be out on deck and moving around, if you stay on your balcony you are going to see 1/2 it at best.

[loliola]

True, but early in the morning it is quite cold entering Glacier Bay; a port-side balcony is a great way to start the day as you can duck back into your stateroom and warm up as needed. By mid-morning, the temperature is much more moderate and pleasant to be out on the upper deck.