Day by Day Cruise Review: Grand Princess Alaska/Glacier Bay May 20, 2013

[Ms. T]

Love the pictures....can't wait to hear & see more

[Drews_Cruise]

Thanks for all the effort it takes to post like this. There's a lot of work involved and we are really enjoying your thoroughness. Great pics as well!

[MilliesMom]

Those photos are awesome! The IC foods look so good they are making me hungry! And I think I gained weight just looking at them.

 

I agree, everything always looked so good. It's funny tho, the chocolate chips cookies there were what I went back for every day. It was my snack before bed. :D

 

I didn't gain a pound this cruise. Normally don't (luckily) because we do so much walking. It is so tempting with all the FREE goodies around to try them all ... you know ... quality control for my blog review. :D

 

Love the pictures....can't wait to hear & see more

 

Thank you. I'm trying to post a bit each day. Some days I have more time than others. It's been great going back and reliving our adventure. We had so much fun and would do this itinerary/ship again without hesitation.

[MilliesMom]

Thanks for all the effort it takes to post like this. There's a lot of work involved and we are really enjoying your thoroughness. Great pics as well!

 

You are very welcome. Thank you for posting too.

 

I post to my blog first then copy & paste back to CC.

 

With my review, I'm trying to be very detailed. Hoping to answer many questions people have about the trip experience, the itinerary, and the ship. This is the first time I have written a day by day account. On the cruise, I made notes on my iPad mini each night before bed or random things I didn't want to forget. It has really helped with writing my review along with the patters I kept.

 

I will be posting more later today.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Excellent review so far and great photos (I like that they're not the thumbnail type that you have to click on). Never had a towel animal on any Princess cruise. I guess it depends on the cabin steward. But had plenty on Carnival so no biggie for us.

 

I'll have to show hubby the photos going under the Golden Gate. I'm a bit surprised my teen didn't go on a student trip being offered this week that stops in SF and goes all the way up to Portland (the band will be performing in their parade). I would have wanted to go on it.

[MilliesMom]

Excellent review so far and great photos (I like that they're not the thumbnail type that you have to click on). Never had a towel animal on any Princess cruise. I guess it depends on the cabin steward. But had plenty on Carnival so no biggie for us.

 

I'll have to show hubby the photos going under the Golden Gate. I'm a bit surprised my teen didn't go on a student trip being offered this week that stops in SF and goes all the way up to Portland (the band will be performing in their parade). I would have wanted to go on it.

 

Hi Patty, thanks for posting. As long as I copy and paste the photos from my blog they are the larger version. If I upload them from my computer then they are the thumbnails.

 

San Francisco was wonderful. I hadn't been there since 1970 when I graduated from high school. It was so neat too as some of the things were exactly as I remembered. Of course, other things had drastically changed. We will be there twice next May because of our back to back cruise planned. Congrats to the band on performing in the parade. What fun.

[tmcleanrn]

Gosh, just LOVE reading your report and looking at the pictures!! Looked at the You Tube video of your rough seas - YIKES !! I just bought Meclizine to take with us, just in case. This is our 5th cruise, neither hubby or I tend to get sea sick. I had one very queasy day on the way back from Hawaii a few years back but Meclizine did the trick. For the record, they brought in all the deck chairs that day & wouldn't let passengers out on the deck.

 

Thanks for your hard work and all your great information :) Getting sooooo excited !

 

~~Tracey

 

Cardqb - we must be on the same cruise - are you leaving the 19th?

Edited June 6, 2013 by tmcleanrn

[MilliesMom]

Gosh, just LOVE reading your report and looking at the pictures!! Looked at the You Tube video of your rough seas - YIKES !! I just bought Meclizine to take with us, just in case. This is our 5th cruise, neither hubby or I tend to get sea sick. I had one very queasy day on the way back from Hawaii a few years back but Meclizine did the trick. For the record, they brought in all the deck chairs that day & wouldn't let passengers out on the deck.

 

Thanks for your hard work and all your great information :) Getting sooooo excited !

 

~~Tracey

 

Cardqb - we must be on the same cruise - are you leaving the 19th?

 

Yes, I pack OTC Meclizine too. But haven't taken it so far. I took Meclizine a number of years ago for Benign Positional Vertigo. Doctor had me take it at night as it can cause drowsiness and it worked great!!! I had been so dizzy even turning my head could cause me to lose my balance. Had me back on track in no time.

 

The queasy beads were great for me and the Bio-bands for Hal (same principle of acupressure). We definitely were not allowed out on deck those two days. They roped off the outside doors. This cruise the bands and the green apples worked extremely well. It the first time we have had to use motion sickness things AND our 11th cruise. I understand and appreciate your excitement. You are going to have the trip of a lifetime.

 

I just posted LOTS more photos on my blog and now will copy and paste over here. Will take a few minutes, but you will get to see a lot more of the different venues on the ship.

[MilliesMom]

http://cruising.kreateskards.com/2013/06/05/cruise-review-day-3-grand-princess-sea-day-may-22-2013-wednesday-part-2/

 

Today the announced that we would miss Juneau completely as we have been delayed over eight hours because of the rough seas. Instead we will do a number of hours of scenic cruising of Endicott Arm (just below Tracy Arm on a map). Anyone that reserved their excursions through the ship would get a full refund and all passengers would receive a refund for missing the port. (Humor: Refund for missing the port ended up being $1.79 per person!!!! – I even called Princess yesterday to reconfirm this was correct.) Many who booked excursions independently lost the money paid for the excursions, some were able to get refunds — depending on the independent tour and their cancellation policy. In my book, this is another reason to book through the cruise ship, but again this is my opinion only and not shared by all.

 

Tonight was our first formal night and the champagne waterfall in the atrium area. We watched them build it, but it got too crowded so didn’t stay to see the full presentation. Most people were dressed up … some in tux and formal gowns, many in suits and nice outfits. This is the first time we didn’t take a tux and formal. Hal wore a suit with silk pullover shirt and I wore dressy slacks and blouse for both formal nights. Worked well for us and we fit right in.

 

Here are a number of photos taken that day:

 

The champagne waterfall was on Deck 5 atrium. The waterfall show was done at 7 PM with the Captain.

 

Hal and I went to the production show that night in the Princess Theater. It was jammed packed. Found most of the shows that if you wanted a good seat you had to be there 30 minutes early, otherwise you might miss out. Some nights they did 3 shows, some nights 2 and a couple of 1 show only in the Princess Theater. The show we saw was called Stardust. Performers were the Grand Princess Singers and Dancers. Good show, enjoyed it. You can enter the theater on both Deck 6 & Deck 7. We came in from 7.

 

We sat right next to the production booth at the back of the theater. The theater has steps into it. There is a ramp, but those in wheelchairs and scooters cannot come down into the theater which I feel is a true shame. The first three back rows at the entrances are reserved for those with walking issues. You still have to walk down steps to get to these seats. The photo above is what was to the left of us.

 

This is to the right of where we were sitting. Many people used their iPhones and iPads to take photos. No video allowed. I didn’t take photos during the show as it wasn’t clear to us if it was OK or not.

 

Straight ahead view.

[MilliesMom]

 

 

 

[MilliesMom]

http://cruising.kreateskards.com/2013/06/05/cruise-review-day-3-grand-princess-sea-day-may-22-2013-wednesday-part-3/

 

These photos were taken around the ship. Felt the ship was well maintained. Many areas to sit and relax. I’m sorry we miss trying Pizza at Alfredo’s. We ate pizza upstairs on Deck 14. Have seen heard from many, there is no comparison in quality between the two. Definitely will try it next May on the Star Princess.

 

 

Explorer’s Lounge is on Deck 7 mid-ship. We spent quite a bit of time here. Music, trivia, and just relaxing. Buying drinks was never forced in any area of the ship. In the Explorer’s Lounge we didn’t like the sofas (uncomfortable), but the barrel chairs at the tables were great. You can see the barrel chair in the photos below. Half the lounge wall decoration was Egyptian and half was African. Didn’t check the other side, but the African side had carpet to match the theme. There was always music playing when we went in. Many people dancing. Was fun to watch. Some evenings there was singers and bands. Overall good entertainment on the ship. Many, many choices of what to do each day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MilliesMom]

Internet Cafe

 

 

 

Vista Lounge — Deck 7 Aft — this lounge is all ramps in, no stairs. Comfortable seating on the sofas and the chairs. No table for drinks though if you are sitting on the sofa. The had our muster drill, a Nikon Lecture to learn more about camera settings etc., and the Captain’s Welcome Back party for past cruisers here. Nice lounge. Photos below were taken duringthe Nikon lecture. Hal really enjoyed the lecture. Don’t tell, but I nodded off — I was so tired and I use my camera on the automatic settings … LOL.

 

 

 

[MilliesMom]

 

The carpet on both sides of the ship is the same EXCEPT for the swirled border. The swirl is blue on the Starboard side and pink on the Port side. This made knowing which way to turn when we got off the elevators for our cabin so much easier. I didn’t get a photo of the port side carpet … but it is just the swirl that is different. This photo was taken mid-ship and looking down to the long walk to our cabin. We are the 3rd cabin from the end on the left, so we got LOTS of walking in each day.

 

You can go on a Princess cruise and NOT see a rerun of the Love Boat Series. Yes, that is Julie and Gopher.

 

 

Never saw too many people in here. There are books, games and tea … tea was served there from 1 pm to 6pm … no sushi or tapas like on the other ships. Only tea on the Grand.

Edited June 6, 2013 by MilliesMom

[MilliesMom]

The following two photos are of the Crown Grill. We didn’t eat there except for one of the Pub Lunches which is complimentary and was offered on 3 of our sea days.. Dinner is the Crown Grill had a service fee I believe of $25 per person.

 

 

[Wavesprite]

MilliesMom, Can you tell me (if you know or remember) how often Zumba was offered as an exercise class onboard? THANKS!

[MilliesMom]

MilliesMom, Can you tell me (if you know or remember) how often Zumba was offered as an exercise class onboard? THANKS!

Zumba Fitness: Join the party and dance yourself into shape to high energy Latin and international rhythms with our Onboard Licensed Zumba instructors.

 

Full days ... the day after we boarding the ship

 

1: 12:15 pm

2: 9 am

3: 9 am

4: none

5: 12:00 Noon

6: none

7: 9 am

8: 1:45 pm

9: 9 am

 

I didn't take any of the classes, so have no idea how well done they are.

Edited June 6, 2013 by MilliesMom

[Wavesprite]

Zumba Fitness: Join the party and dance yourself into shape to high energy Latin and international rhythms with our Onboard Licensed Zumba instructors.

 

Full days ... the day after we boarding the ship

 

1: 12:15 pm

2: 9 am

3: 9 am

4: none

5: 12:00 Noon

6: none

7: 9 am

8: 1:45 pm

9: 9 am

 

I didn't take any of the classes, so have no idea how well done they are.

 

Thanks so much!!!!!!

[MilliesMom]

Thanks so much!!!!!!

 

You are very welcome.

[MilliesMom]

http://cruising.kreateskards.com/2013/06/06/cruise-review-day-4-grand-princess-sea-day-may-23-2013-thursday/

 

Sky: 3/8 Cloud Cover

Wind: Northwesterly, Force 6

Temperature: 8.0 C / 46.4 F

 

Originally we were supposed to dock in Juneau today, but because of rough seas on the way here they were forced to cancel Juneau. Hal and I both have been to Juneau before. It is a great city. One of the things that I loved about it was seeing all the bald eagles up in the trees as we walked into town. What a sight to see. Even though we missed Juneau this cruise, Princess is substituting Endicott Arm for us. Neither of us have been there before. It was beautiful. We heard many comments that it was worth missing Juneau for. We cruised the Arm from 5:30 PM to 10:00 PM. There was a Naturalist on board giving talks plus narrated through the Endicott Arm cruise.

 

This morning we slept in … what a luxury. When we opened the drapes, we were greeted with beautiful sunshine. The main dining room closes at 9 AM so we were too late for that and headed up to the buffet. Ended up with lunch instead of breakfast. This is funny and a bit embarrassing. I had complained to Hal earlier on the cruise that the buffet area sure was small. It wasn’t until this morning, that I realized there was a buffet on both sides of the ship with seating areas on both sides. Discovered this because they were closing the breakfast side and told us to go over to the lunch side buffet as we arrived. Because we took different elevators upstairs and entered the buffet at different points … it hadn’t dawned on me that there were too sides. LOL. There are times that only one side is open as the other is preparing for the next meal. This morning we are late so ended up setting right by one of the automatic doors to outside. WOW, it was COLD sitting there. So glad I had my sweatshirt jacket with me.

 

Endicott was absolutely beautiful. We also saw the most amazing sunset. Water was pretty smooth and the air brisk if you were outside.

 

General notes:

We watched Parental Guidance with Billy Crystal and Bette Midler on TV today.

With our Patter tonight we received paperwork to fill out about what time we wanted to disembark in San Franciso in SIX DAYS !!! Sure hated to think of it now.

Had a tuna sandwich at lunch. It was AWFUL!!! Not sure how they make it, but was super sweet and just odd tasting.

One day they had Sheppard’s Pie at the buffet, it was fantastic!!!

If you have problems finding a seat in the buffet area, just remember there is seating on the other side of the doors on both ends.

No trays in the buffet. Silverware and napkins are on the tables already and they come ask you which drinks you would like and bring them to you.We have always cruised in September to Alaska, this was our first time in May. It was wonderful to see all the snow. Think we like May better in this respect.

People are great about offering to take photos of us together. We have many photos of each other, but so nice to have ones of both of us too.

 

Here’s photos taken today by Hal and I. The first group is of the buffet area. There is some beautiful artwork there, and be sure to check out the carpets too. Fun to see all the different patterns in the rugs on the ship. You can see the drink stations behind Hal. I did see a few people go up and help themselves, but the staff was quick to come over to the tables and ask about drinks as soon as we set down.

 

 

 

 

This map was posted right outside the gift shop. It was so nice to see exactly where we were going. Endicott Arm is directly below Tracy Arm. We cruised Tracy Arm on our last Alaska cruise and really enjoyed it.

Edited June 6, 2013 by MilliesMom

[MilliesMom]

 

 

 

 

[MilliesMom]

 

 

[MilliesMom]

Doesn't the icebergs look like mushrooms!!!!! AND the ice on the left reminded us of a Dr. Seuss’ character laying its side with its chin on its hand. Yes, we do have good imaginations.

 

The sunset was breathtaking tonight. We thoroughly enjoyed cruising Endicott Arm. Princess made a great choice of areas for us to see. We cruised down the Arm, then turned around and came back.

 

[MilliesMom]

 

 

 

Off to bed, we will be in Skagway tomorrow the whole day … 7 AM to 8 PM.

[cardqb]

Wow, stunning photos! And you're right about the Dr. Seuss iceberg! LOL

 

Thanks again for the detailed review, enjoying every bit of it!

[MilliesMom]

Wow, stunning photos! And you're right about the Dr. Seuss iceberg! LOL

 

Thanks again for the detailed review, enjoying every bit of it!

 

Hal and I both love taking photos. He has a Nikon, I have a Canon. This time, surprisingly, I took 2/3 of the photos. I think it is because while on the ship I always had the camera with me. In town, we took his and I would borrow if I saw something I wanted to take a photo of.

 

I'm so glad you saw the Dr. Seuss character too. We couldn't decide if it was a character from Grinch or Cat in the Hat. :D I saw it first, then Hal saw it too.