is behind the scenes ship tour worth the money ?

[Thoth]

I'm considering going on the behind the scenes ship tour. It appears to cost $150.

So for those who have done the tour...is it worth it ? What all did you see ? Is it required for a galley tour ?

Edited January 9, 2016 by Thoth

[Coral]

Galley tours are free. They are often on the last sea day and associated with a cooking demonstration. The galley tour comes after the cooking demonstration.

[fishywood]

To answer your last question first: on most Princess cruises there is still a free (though brief and fast-moving) galley tour offered. Many times also a free backstage tour.

 

But the closest thing to a near-unanimous consensus you will find on this board is the quality of the Ultimate Ship's Tour. Worth every penny of the $150 (in the US; higher price in A$ for the ships Down Under).

 

You will see: backstage/rope casting room in bow/galley and larders/hatches for loading & unloading luggage, provisions, garbage etc./laundry/print shop/photo lab/engine control room/medical center/bridge. Refreshments served in galley and bridge; senior officers (CD, maitre d's, engineers, captain and deputies) greet you throughout. Gifts include: photos of tour, personalized stationery, chef's jacket, deluxe bathrobe (sometimes other premium linen in place of one of the last two).

[tjschwalm]

Dw and I were also apprehensive to drop the $300 a few years ago but figured you only live once . Sooo worth the money to us !! We did ours on the Grand (with Skywalkers) and also paid $150 pp . We saw the theatre backstage , the engine control room , anchor system , water system, the theatre control booth , the entire kitchen , laundry, printing department (all paperwork is printed right there) , photo department ,infirmary , morgue , ship jail and of course the bridge with Captain . Not only did we see these places but the information and the way it was presented left us feeling really impressed . Not to mention huge appreciation for the portion of the crew you never see , yet they make your cruise so great . Hope we never lose that ! All our fellow tourers were also very into ships , and attentive so all in all , my opinion is it's a must do !

[Colo Cruiser]

I'm considering going on the behind the scenes ship tour. It appears to cost $150.

So for those who have done the tour...is it worth it ? What all did you see ? Is it required for a galley tour ?

 

 

A quick search found lots of info, here are 2 threads....

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2237673&highlight=ust

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2247807&highlight=ust

[MTJSR]

And it includes a "Swag" bag delivered to your cabin. Plush Princess robe, nice Princess apron, writing tablet with your name on it, photos and large frame and I forget, maybe a cookbook too.

[cruzsnooze]

Nothing I would pay, too expensive.

[capriccio]

We did this when it was first being offered (Emerald Princess Baltic cruise July 2009) and encouraged my DB and SIL to do it on the Royal Princess in December 2013. The entire experience ranks up there as one of the best 'excursions' ever. In addition to seeing all the areas normally 'off-limits' to passengers it was such a pleasure to listen to the heads of each section explain their responsibilities and the jobs of their staff. Each was justifiably proud of their section.

 

Forgot to add - the swag was great too but make sure you have space to bring it home with you; the robes take up lots of room! We ended up checking our carry-ons (luckily we each get 2 bags free) an bringing the Princess tote bag with the swag on the plane. DB and SIL drove home from the port so they didn't have an issue.

Edited January 9, 2016 by capriccio

[Loonbeam]

IF you are interested in how a cruise ship operates, its worth every penny, even before the 'gifts' (allow extra suitcase room for robes, they are huge!)

 

I've done a BTS on three lines now (2x on Princess because I wanted to see the differences between Coral and Royal) and Princess does it the best by far, they cover more and you meet with actual department heads in most departments (if avail).

[eclue]

Definitely worth it - we did it on the Ruby with Commodore Romano - wonderful man - wonderful tour.

I would do it again in a hearbeat.

 

eclue:rolleyes:

[hm9912]

Definitely worth it - we did it on the Ruby with Commodore Romano - wonderful man - wonderful tour.

I would do it again in a hearbeat.

 

eclue:rolleyes:

 

Did it on the Caribbean Princess. Well worth the money and included drinks.

The hospital section and where they put a dead body in case someone should expire on the cruise was interesting.

Would take the tour again

 

Howard

[Jellifer]

I did the tour on the Royal on the cruise this past Christmas. I signed up at Guest Services on the first day and then got a letter on day 8 saying that the tour would be on day 9 and to meet at the Princess Theatre. We saw the theatre first and met some of the performers and had a picture taken. Then it was to the backstage area to learn about the technical, and then the dressing room to hear from the lead dancer. The medical centre was fascinating and the Chief Medical Officer was very informative. Then it was on to the engine control room where another photo was taken. We visited the photo shop and the print room and then went to one of the galleys, which was great. We also saw the food storage areas and had an interesting chat with the lady responsible for ordering provisions. The laundry was next and then the tailors. We went to the area in the bow where the ropes are cast from and anchors are and had another photo op. Finally we went to the bridge and met the captain and a third officer who offered us refreshments and were happy to talk for a while. They also said we were welcome to take photos in the bridge which had not been permitted on the rest of the tour.

 

I thought the tour was excellent, it was fascinating to see behind the scenes and how things work. I was surprised when I got back to my room after dinner to find the bag of goodies as I didn't know this was part of the deal!

Edited January 9, 2016 by Jellifer

[Parrottdizes]

If you do book the tour, there is a dress code. No sandals, no high heels, no shorts, no skirts, etc. You are to wear long pants and regular shoes such as gym shoes. Oh, and do please wear a shirt or blouse. :D

There is a lot of walking and standing......sometimes you will use the elevator and sometimes the stairs. Another thing I should mention.....no potty break.

 

We did this tour on the Coral and thought it was worth every penny of the cost. The goody bag was worth as much or more than the cost of the tour. The plush bathrobe alone is priced at $90, if you were to buy it in the gift shop.

[lucymae28]

Just curious, I couldn't find a place to book it prior to our cruise next week. Do we have to wait until we get onboard to book?

[raider23]

Galley tours are free. They are often on the last sea day and associated with a cooking demonstration. The galley tour comes after the cooking demonstration.

 

How, where, when would I sign up for the galley tour. That one sounds interesting to us.

Thanks in advance! :D

[mdgary]

Just curious, I couldn't find a place to book it prior to our cruise next week. Do we have to wait until we get onboard to book?

 

 

You can only sign up once onboard. Normally you go to the customer service desk.

[fishywood]

Just curious, I couldn't find a place to book it prior to our cruise next week. Do we have to wait until we get onboard to book?

 

Can't be pre-booked. Once onboard go straight to the purser's desk to put your name(s) on the list. You will sign a form stating if the UST runs and you are selected you agree that the $150 p/p will immediately be charged to your shipboard account. (Which I believe means if each person is paying for their own they need to sign up separately).

 

How, where, when would I sign up for the galley tour. That one sounds interesting to us.

Thanks in advance! :D

 

Nothing to sign up for. On the final sea day (usually) there is a cooking demonstration in the Princess Theatre, after which you are marched through the galley. Check the Patter, normally around 10:00 that morning.

[lucymae28]

Thank you for the quick response, I will definitely head there first!

[jwattle]

First thing I'm doing onboard: book UST!!

[raider23]

 

 

Nothing to sign up for. On the final sea day (usually) there is a cooking demonstration in the Princess Theatre, after which you are marched through the galley. Check the Patter, normally around 10:00 that morning.

 

 

Just our luck, last sea day is my wife's birthday with spa reservations at 11:00 a.m. Oh well, guess we'll just have to book another cruise! :cool:

[ginabab]

We did this 2 years ago and still talk about You get to appreciate how Grand the Grand really is

Expensive, but so nice We met a few whose career was the sea and they told us all about why and how

It's all very impressive

I can't forget the massive food storage areas and the laundry

[Shmoo here]

I'm considering going on the behind the scenes ship tour. It appears to cost $150.

So for those who have done the tour...is it worth it ? What all did you see ? Is it required for a galley tour ?

 

In a word - yes. Worth every penny. I'm thinking we'll probably do it again.

[aimee0715]

We just took this tour on Grand Princess about a month ago. It was definitely worth the money even without the swag bag. But I do want to mention that we got Princess aprons, not chef's jackets and we got waffle robes, not plush robes. I was looking forward to getting a chef's jacket and super plush robe because I read about it on here but that must be a thing of the past or maybe different swag depending on the ship. On the bright side, the waffle robes don't take up a lot of space in your luggage if you leave them in their plastic bags.

[Thoth]

thank you thank you thank you :D to everyone who responded. I'll go see the purser once I board. I've been on 18 cruises, but never the behind the scenes tour like this. Before Sep 11 2001 bridge tours were free and open to all, and I've toured the galley.

My Dad is 81 so hopefully he can go as well. He would love the bridge and engine control room. I think my mother will enjoy the cooking + gallery tour instead.

thanks again :)

[Paula_MacFan]

thank you thank you thank you :D to everyone who responded. I'll go see the purser once I board. I've been on 18 cruises, but never the behind the scenes tour like this. Before Sep 11 2001 bridge tours were free and open to all, and I've toured the galley.

My Dad is 81 so hopefully he can go as well. He would love the bridge and engine control room. I think my mother will enjoy the cooking + gallery tour instead.

thanks again :)

 

We did the tour on the Crown in 2013. It was WELL worth the money. We also had an older gentleman on our tour (I'd guess 70's - 80's) and they were very nice about accommodating him. He said he'd always wanted to do it but his wife wasn't up to it with all the stairs, but he decided just to do it on his own. Several people in our group made sure he was in the front so he could clearly hear everything being said. I think your Dad would love it and they will accommodate him.

 

Here's what I posted from my original cruise review:

 

We met our group around 1, and got to see all the sites people have already reported here on CC. It was great and I highly recommend the tour. It lasted around 3 hours, and ended in Adagio where they opened 3 chilled bottles of champagne for our group of 9. For gifts we received the robes, blue aprons with Princess embroidered on them, 8x10 picture frames, and a set of photos taken on the tour stops.

 

Somebody in this thread said there are no potty breaks, but that wasn't true on our tour. Also, I feel you need to think about the cost as just another shore excursion expense -- just on a sea day. It's something you'll always remember and the gifts make it worth it. You'll remember the experience with your Dad, but probably not the cost:)