Live From - 5/22 and 6/1/15 Golden Alaska

[cr8tiv1]

I'll see if we can't stop in tonight...

 

Thank you. I just noticed your signature. Wouldn't it be nice if Joey were on your Tahiti run in October. Doubtful. I think he does the shorter runs. He is one of the best dance bands Princess has.

[Belle]

Thanks, Elite here too.

Great we meet at the Crown

and get on the tenders. Easier.

 

It's where I thought the tendering

was..the end. Wish it was the middle

of town.

 

Glad your enjoying your cruise with

your wife and granddaughter. She's

a lucky girl. Then you get to do

another ten days June 1st.

 

Really enjoying reading about your

cruise on the Golden. Thanks again!

[Nancyquilts]

Thank you for posting this. I must be missing something :confused: as I cannot figure out how to decipher the codes after the ship name. I tried looking at the port codes and ship codes from that website and it did not follow??? I was looking at the Golden Pricess for August as an example and could not figure out how to tell Tendering from Anchor vs. Docking, etc..

 

What can I use as a secret agent decoder ring? Anyone know how to figure this out? Or is there another site that has the port load info including dock assignment or tendering?

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Mark

What date will you be in Ketchikan?

[ar1950]

Thank you for posting this. I must be missing something :confused: as I cannot figure out how to decipher the codes after the ship name. I tried looking at the port codes and ship codes from that website and it did not follow??? I was looking at the Golden Pricess for August as an example and could not figure out how to tell Tendering from Anchor vs. Docking, etc..

 

What can I use as a secret agent decoder ring? Anyone know how to figure this out? Or is there another site that has the port load info including dock assignment or tendering?

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Mark

 

Check out the "Berth Codes", "Port Codes" and "Ship Codes" links on the top right side for the "secret agent decoder" info. :cool:

[lovevacadays]

I'm really enjoying reading about your experiences. I can relate to your concern about your granddaughter out and about by herself in the late evening. I've cruised with 3 of my nieces. The first couple of times it was a bit difficult to not worry. Now, the niece I cruise with is in her mid thirties so all is well. I stay up with her until about 11 or 12 and then she is on her own.:D:D:D

[Ethel5]

Check out the "Berth Codes", "Port Codes" and "Ship Codes" links on the top right side for the "secret agent decoder" info. :cool:

 

 

Thank you for the "Secret decoder" info!

[bhopal21]

Thank you for the "Secret decoder" info!

 

Remind me to give you one of the decoder rings, I have several.:D

 

Mike:)

[Ethel5]

Remind me to give you one of the decoder rings, I have several.:D

 

Mike:)

 

I will add it to my bling collection!! :p

[Doug95630]

Do you know the make and model of the TVs in the mini suites? I would like to play movies from my iPhone using the hdmi port. Has anyone done this?

[francot]

Do you know the make and model of the TVs in the mini suites? I would like to play movies from my iPhone using the hdmi port. Has anyone done this?

 

Last year I used the video ports to play movies from my lap top.

[ccrain]

Short day at Victoria. Blue sky, brisk breeze. We arrived around 0700 and all aboard is 1330. Not sure what we’ll do today. Might go for a walk. Might go for a nap! Late night last night, lots of dancing, lots of fun.

 

The Most Traveled Luncheon was fantastic. We sat with the Ship’s doctor. He has 7 on his staff on this ship, which includes another MD and two EMTs. He’s from South Africa and has been with Princess for 8 years. Very nice to chat with him in an informal setting. The luncheon was in the Crown Grill with personalized menus, name plates and a photo with the captain. There was a cold seafood appetizer with lobster, scallops and shrimp, then we had the seafood main course, and then dessert. Very, very nicely done. This is our second luncheon and we like it much better than the cocktail party.

 

Ally had to amuse herself for much of the afternoon, and apparently found plenty to do. It was Kim’s b-day so we wrapped up a box of fudge for her. Ally had gotten her a little necklace in Ketchikan. The wrapping of her box was kind of fun. We used a paperbag, chopped down to size, and bandaids to hold the edges in place as we had forgotten our duct tape. Looked pretty cool though.

 

Dinner was formal with the typical lobster and beef wellington on the menu. Judy just had soup and salad. Ally is consistently having shrimp cocktail and fettucine Alfredo. I did try the beef wellington. It was ok. Needed some seasoning though. One of these days we are going to try Gordon Ramsey’s beef wellington.

 

We went to Michael Wilson’s show. It was fun. He stopped by and chatted with us for a while before he went on stage. Very nice guy. His show is a blend of impressions, standup, music. His “It’s a Wonderful World” is a scary good impression.

 

We did some dancing in Explorer’s with Lots of Fun. They are a good R&R band. Natalie is an excellent lead singer. Great voice. Stopped by the wheelhouse to talk to Phoenix Rising a couple of times, but they were either on stage or out on break. I’ll keep trying. We entered, but did not get into, the newlywed game. Lots of fun. Matias hosted with Sam and Kim helping. They need to start scheduling more time for that show and let it run long. It’s a lot of fun for everyone and it shouldn’t be rushed.

 

We were going to hit skywalker’s afterwards, but they were in the midst of a Madonna Power Hour – nope, not my cup of tea. So we turned Ally loose with Shannon and Keith, and called it a night.

 

Tonight is British Invasion and Dan Horn, along with Liar’s Club (one of our favorite game shows). So its going to be a busy night. We’re not going to do dinner in the MDR. Schedule is too tight. So we’ll probably hit the Elite Lounge or the Buffet for a light dinner, and try and get some dancing in between times. They have the Piazza party tonight along with a special Princess 50th Anniversary Trivia. Don’t know if the questions are about Princess or about trivia, but its highlighted. Looks like after Liar’s Club, we can dance with Lots of Fun.

 

That’s it from Victoria BC. Later…

[ccrain]

Glad you enjoyed your Haines tour with Javier. We had him last year, and he was not the smoothest on the microphone. "The river's a foot lower than yesterday, so I can't talk too much now as I don't want to get us stuck." "Wow, the current really changed since yesterday, you're lucky I have (however many years) of experience driving boats, or we'd be stuck." "It rained a lot last night, so the river is a foot lower." (Huh?)

 

Love the live posts you're providing. Hope they're as much to write as they are for us to read!

 

he was the one who spotted the cow and calf moose after we'd passed them, and then maneuvered so that all of us could get some photos.

 

The river was very high do the warm weather and snow melt, so we didn't have a real problem with depth for the most part. Stick in the intakes, yes, but not depth!

[ccrain]

Do you know the make and model of the TVs in the mini suites? I would like to play movies from my iPhone using the hdmi port. Has anyone done this?

 

We have two in the mini and don't know if the other cabins have the same, but I'll check it out..

[ccrain]

Thank you. I just noticed your signature. Wouldn't it be nice if Joey were on your Tahiti run in October. Doubtful. I think he does the shorter runs. He is one of the best dance bands Princess has.

 

This cruise we are tending towards explorers and R&R rather than the smaller wheelhouse floor and ballroom.

 

Couldn't speak to them last night, but will keep trying to hit them during a break..

[Colo Cruiser]

Short day at Victoria. Blue sky, brisk breeze. We arrived around 0700 and all aboard is 1330. Not sure what we’ll do today. Might go for a walk. Might go for a nap! Late night last night, lots of dancing, lots of fun.

 

The Most Traveled Luncheon was fantastic. We sat with the Ship’s doctor. He has 7 on his staff on this ship, which includes another MD and two EMTs. He’s from South Africa and has been with Princess for 8 years. Very nice to chat with him in an informal setting. The luncheon was in the Crown Grill with personalized menus, name plates and a photo with the captain. There was a cold seafood appetizer with lobster, scallops and shrimp, then we had the seafood main course, and then dessert. Very, very nicely done. This is our second luncheon and we like it much better than the cocktail party.

 

Ally had to amuse herself for much of the afternoon, and apparently found plenty to do. It was Kim’s b-day so we wrapped up a box of fudge for her. Ally had gotten her a little necklace in Ketchikan. The wrapping of her box was kind of fun. We used a paperbag, chopped down to size, and bandaids to hold the edges in place as we had forgotten our duct tape. Looked pretty cool though.

 

Dinner was formal with the typical lobster and beef wellington on the menu. Judy just had soup and salad. Ally is consistently having shrimp cocktail and fettucine Alfredo. I did try the beef wellington. It was ok. Needed some seasoning though. One of these days we are going to try Gordon Ramsey’s beef wellington.

 

We went to Michael Wilson’s show. It was fun. He stopped by and chatted with us for a while before he went on stage. Very nice guy. His show is a blend of impressions, standup, music. His “It’s a Wonderful World” is a scary good impression.

 

We did some dancing in Explorer’s with Lots of Fun. They are a good R&R band. Natalie is an excellent lead singer. Great voice. Stopped by the wheelhouse to talk to Phoenix Rising a couple of times, but they were either on stage or out on break. I’ll keep trying. We entered, but did not get into, the newlywed game. Lots of fun. Matias hosted with Sam and Kim helping. They need to start scheduling more time for that show and let it run long. It’s a lot of fun for everyone and it shouldn’t be rushed.

 

We were going to hit skywalker’s afterwards, but they were in the midst of a Madonna Power Hour – nope, not my cup of tea. So we turned Ally loose with Shannon and Keith, and called it a night.

 

Tonight is British Invasion and Dan Horn, along with Liar’s Club (one of our favorite game shows). So its going to be a busy night. We’re not going to do dinner in the MDR. Schedule is too tight. So we’ll probably hit the Elite Lounge or the Buffet for a light dinner, and try and get some dancing in between times. They have the Piazza party tonight along with a special Princess 50th Anniversary Trivia. Don’t know if the questions are about Princess or about trivia, but its highlighted. Looks like after Liar’s Club, we can dance with Lots of Fun.

 

That’s it from Victoria BC. Later…

 

 

How's the weather been holding up?

[trbarton]

Short day at Victoria. Blue sky, brisk breeze. We arrived around 0700 and all aboard is 1330. Not sure what we’ll do today. Might go for a walk. Might go for a nap! Late night last night, lots of dancing, lots of fun.

 

The Most Traveled Luncheon was fantastic. We sat with the Ship’s doctor. He has 7 on his staff on this ship, which includes another MD and two EMTs. He’s from South Africa and has been with Princess for 8 years. Very nice to chat with him in an informal setting. The luncheon was in the Crown Grill with personalized menus, name plates and a photo with the captain. There was a cold seafood appetizer with lobster, scallops and shrimp, then we had the seafood main course, and then dessert. Very, very nicely done. This is our second luncheon and we like it much better than the cocktail party.

 

Ally had to amuse herself for much of the afternoon, and apparently found plenty to do. It was Kim’s b-day so we wrapped up a box of fudge for her. Ally had gotten her a little necklace in Ketchikan. The wrapping of her box was kind of fun. We used a paperbag, chopped down to size, and bandaids to hold the edges in place as we had forgotten our duct tape. Looked pretty cool though.

 

Dinner was formal with the typical lobster and beef wellington on the menu. Judy just had soup and salad. Ally is consistently having shrimp cocktail and fettucine Alfredo. I did try the beef wellington. It was ok. Needed some seasoning though. One of these days we are going to try Gordon Ramsey’s beef wellington.

 

We went to Michael Wilson’s show. It was fun. He stopped by and chatted with us for a while before he went on stage. Very nice guy. His show is a blend of impressions, standup, music. His “It’s a Wonderful World” is a scary good impression.

 

We did some dancing in Explorer’s with Lots of Fun. They are a good R&R band. Natalie is an excellent lead singer. Great voice. Stopped by the wheelhouse to talk to Phoenix Rising a couple of times, but they were either on stage or out on break. I’ll keep trying. We entered, but did not get into, the newlywed game. Lots of fun. Matias hosted with Sam and Kim helping. They need to start scheduling more time for that show and let it run long. It’s a lot of fun for everyone and it shouldn’t be rushed.

 

We were going to hit skywalker’s afterwards, but they were in the midst of a Madonna Power Hour – nope, not my cup of tea. So we turned Ally loose with Shannon and Keith, and called it a night.

 

Tonight is British Invasion and Dan Horn, along with Liar’s Club (one of our favorite game shows). So its going to be a busy night. We’re not going to do dinner in the MDR. Schedule is too tight. So we’ll probably hit the Elite Lounge or the Buffet for a light dinner, and try and get some dancing in between times. They have the Piazza party tonight along with a special Princess 50th Anniversary Trivia. Don’t know if the questions are about Princess or about trivia, but its highlighted. Looks like after Liar’s Club, we can dance with Lots of Fun.

 

That’s it from Victoria BC. Later…

 

The Elite Lounge was added during the dry dock. What can you tell us about it and where is it located and are they serving food there?

 

Will you having any photos to post when you get back especially of the areas that were changed in the dry dock? People are wanting to see photos of the work that was done.

 

Thanks for all of your work posting information for everyone!😁

 

Tom😎

[RickEk]

The Elite Lounge was added during the dry dock. What can you tell us about it and where is it located and are they serving food there?

 

Will you having any photos to post when you get back especially of the areas that were changed in the dry dock? People are wanting to see photos of the work that was done.

 

Thanks for all of your work posting information for everyone!

 

Tom

 

As far as I know, the Elite/Suite/Platinum lounge is held in Skywalkers from 5pm-7pm. It's not a separate room...

[Colo Cruiser]

The Elite Lounge was added during the dry dock. What can you tell us about it and where is it located and are they serving food there?

 

Will you having any photos to post when you get back especially of the areas that were changed in the dry dock? People are wanting to see photos of the work that was done.

 

Thanks for all of your work posting information for everyone!

 

Tom

 

What lounge and what drydock? Its always been in Skywalkers.

[trbarton]

What lounge and what drydock? Its always been in Skywalkers.

 

The Golden just came out of drydock in San Francisco and one item posted was the addition of an new Elite lounge thus my question. They also gutted and redid the buffet and changed the casino.

 

I'm doing a BVE on the Golden on June 11th and will post photos of the work done in the drydock.

 

Tom😎

[Colo Cruiser]

The Golden just came out of drydock in San Francisco and one item posted was the addition of an new Elite lounge thus my question. They also gutted and redid the buffet and changed the casino.

 

I'm doing a BVE on the Golden on June 11th and will post photos of the work done in the drydock.

 

Tom

 

 

Interesting, thanks. We always like Skywalkers.

Wonder where that would be?

[crochetcruise]

Same deck as the Skywalk, think, no brochure to check in, it's the topmost deck. There is lift access for those who don't like heights-me included, but I am going to try the Skywalk in the daylight, it'll be yet another new experience!

 

Crochetcruise :cool:

[cr8tiv1]

We did some dancing in Explorer’s with Lots of Fun. They are a good R&R band. Natalie is an excellent lead singer. Great voice. Stopped by the wheelhouse to talk to Phoenix Rising a couple of times, but they were either on stage or out on break. I’ll keep trying. We entered, but did not get into, the newlywed game. Lots of fun. Matias hosted with Sam and Kim helping. They need to start scheduling more time for that show and let it run long. It’s a lot of fun for everyone and it shouldn’t be rushed.

 

Thanks for dancing. Unfortunately, the CD/Entertainment manager usually schedules the bands to play alternately. Meaning when Explorer's club is on a break, Wheelhouse is playing.

 

Thanks for trying. And keep on dancing.

[cruisehappy001]

Check out the "Berth Codes", "Port Codes" and "Ship Codes" links on the top right side for the "secret agent decoder" info. :cool:

 

Thanks for the help... I had looked on that area of the page and totally missed the most important link for the BERTH CODES as it was just a little above and to the right of the other two I looked at! :o I found the ship and port codes and felt something was missing, and as usual my pals at CC helped me out finding the obvious!

 

My decoder ring was obviously missing the precious gem that makes it work! Thanks for making me take another look at the hidden location!

 

Thanks also to others that were trying to help me out!

 

Happy Cruising! :D

 

Mark

 

P.S. No tendering for us! WooHoo! Much easier for my Mom this way!

Edited May 31, 2015 by cruisehappy001

[ccrain]

Still overcast and cloudy, but not too much wind or swells, so the ride is very comfortable. Hardly any motion whatsoever. Realized yesterday what was missing from these 10 day cruises – a day inside the inside passage! We’ve only done Voyage of the Glaciers and one repo from Asia, and all did a day down the inside passage below Ketchikan. This one did not. You do get a little flavor of the inside passage around the various ports, but not some of the more notable sights that you do coming up or going down via Vancouver. I imagine its because of the 10 days since you can make much better speed in the open ocean than you can in the inside passage.

 

Yesterday was a beautiful blue sky day with a slight cool breeze. Perfect for a nice walk along the shoreline from the docks in Victoria. The grass was waist high, the flowers in bloom, everything all leafed out. It was a very nice and much needed walk.

 

We also viewed the results in the Platinum Studio. 100+ photographs, down selected to 32 then to 7. It was not easy as these photos are very special. Something about the black and white, the lighting, the mood David set, just set these apart. We’ve had family studio photos before, but in color, and with the dogs, and special valentine photos, and those were also very nicely done, but these seem more vibrant, more alive, more moment frozen in time, than any we’ve ever had done. Needless to say, there went the entire Christmas budget!

 

We skipped the dining room and hit the buffet and found something really different. An Asian noodle station, outside the HC area at the dessert bar, reminiscent of Singapore shops in the Hawker Centers. Basically you selected various vegetables and meats that went into a bowel along with buckwheat noodles, and then steaming hot broth is poured over everything. In concept, when done right, it’s absolutely delicious. In this incarnation, forget it. Asian broths, beef, chicken, sea food, are fantastic, and even when clear, taste hearty and have plenty of seasoning. This broth tasted like watered down canned chicken broth, or chicken flavored hot water, with some noodles and veggies. Really disappointing. I’ve made chicken noodle soup with bullion cubes that had more flavor. And packaged Top Ramen beats this stuff hand down…

 

Basically dinner in the HC was a disappointment. Seasoning was lacking on almost everything but the pre-prepared stuff, although the cold salads were well seasoned and quite good. Judy liked the mushroom soup as well, but still had to add a little salt and pepper. Tonight we are going to try the elite lounge since last night it was closed because of the Captain’s Circle party.

 

The highlight of last night was the British Invasion show, followed closely by The Liar’s Club. Once again this dance troupe is far better than most. Their timing and synchronization is spot on and very well done. The vocalists really get to stretch themselves in this show (especially Ashley’s very emoting solo) and the costume changes are numerous and quick. Ally was marveling at the fact that they were not only changing costumes, but wigs as well, and that, she explained, is not simple as she has done it herself in various plays and productions.

 

Very, very well done…

 

Oh, and the 50th anniversary trivia was about Princess Cruises. 30 questions about the history and events surrounding Princess Cruises. The ships, the dates, the godmothers, the personalities. It’s not an easy trivia.

 

Liar’s club was, as usual, a hoot. It’s a don’t miss. It’s only once per cruise and it allows the cruise staff to improve their improv skills. A few of the words I recognized from prior cruises, but you still have to listen to all the stories because they weave entire false images around the meaning of the word, even if they are telling the truth. Kim MC’ed, Jamie, Sam and Megan were the panel. Of course Jamie brought the house down when he demonstrated the act of chubble, which is the aerobic action of the body when putting on panty hose. Yep, he put them on, over his socks and pants, in front of the audience, with great flair, while chubbling. Get the picture?

 

Oh a couple of other notes from around the ship. The videographers on this cruise are great. And yes, Reflections is personalized to this cruise, and the previews on TV are fantastic. HOWEVER, they no longer film the themed events. Country and Western Night, Rock and Roll night, game shows, etc. are not filmed anymore as directed by corporate. What a shame. Seeing yourself and some of your new found friends in the videos was always one of our highlights to take home to show others. The other thing is that we are trying to get their promotional clip into the Reflections DVD. We’re sitting in the theater and they are running the highlights, and then the promotional clip starts. It’s the moose gangway costume, skipping down through the photo gallery, carrying his DVDs, when out of the wheelhouse barrels the bear gangway costume, tackles the moose, mugs the moose, and steals the DVDs and runs off. Absolutely hilarious.

 

Let’s have a discussion of the ‘lumberjack’ costumes that the cruise staff is wearing – I promised the girls I would. Plaid wool shirts, VERY tight jeans and red suspenders. Frankly, only Jamie looks good in this outfit and appears comfortable. Last night the girls were thrilled to get back into their white skirts and blue blazers. Dancing in that ‘lumberjack’ costume looks very painful! Guys in the jeans and plaids, girls in more period skirts or dresses. Sound about right Princess?

 

The Princess@sea is working very well. No connection issues with laptop or Ipad. Information is up to date, bill easy to read, and connecting from there to the internet is no problem. Nice alternative to all of those connecting via laptop, but I would recommended being able to download a pdf of the patter so that connections are not necessary to see the schedule, especially if you go ashore.

 

The most traveled on this cruise has 1154 days. Jeez, our paltry just under 400 days just doesn’t add up does it!

 

So let’s look at the Patter for today. No Zumba today as there are church services in Vista. (Interdenominational, Bible Study and Catholic Mass) So I will hit the gym later. Judy and Ally are sleeping in. Ally was up late, as usual. Now that she gets cut loose until 0100, she just can’t wait to ditch grandma and grandpa at night…we’re just not as much fun…kids!

 

This morning is the cooking demo and galley tour. No backstage tour this trip. Bingo is on. There is apparently going to be a passenger talent show – but no international crew show – darn, no throwing of panties or shorts this time! A grand finale art auction…a holiday at sea sale!. A special showing of the Tracey Arm Experience DVD – I guess another DVD for sale. A lecture on the various gold rushes in the area. Another penny whistle class. Princess pop choir rehearsal. The passenger talent show this afternoon in Vista.

 

For the evening “American Sniper” had two showings in Vista. The ‘Sound of Music’ is on MUTS. Jesse Hamilton is in the theater, Pop Star grand finale is up, as well as a lot of music and dancing to Lots of Fun and Phoenix Rising.

 

Today is packing day for most, but we get to watch. Since we have a 1300 flight next week, I want to get a feel for taxi, vs. bus transfer to the airport.

 

That’s it for now…e’ya all later!

[ccrain]

Weather has been good. Not like the cruises before. A lot of marine layer overcast, showers in Juneau and Ketchikan, but nothing really bad. Typical spring Alaska weather.

 

Blue sky in Tracy Arm and Victoria.

 

Probably not the best weather for flying excursions in Juneau and Ketchikan...