First X Cruise:SILHOUETTE JAN 17 2016

[Bimmer09]

Although I don't use the Canyon Ranch Spa I'd say it's a beautiful facility. See for yourself...

 

 

 

It wasn't open yet but there was a staircase leading down to deck 12 so I had to follow

 

 

Nice staircase!

 

 

Treatment rooms

 

 

The Spa ladies were prepping for business so I left them to it. I tried my room key in the door to the Thermal Loungers (back upstairs) with the nice sea view but it didn't open. When I asked the receptionist why she said it is only open to Suite Guests on Port days-and I was fresh out of those. But now I know for the future!

[donswife]

Oh my! I just found this thread, so I have some catching up to do! As you journeyed home, I was embarking on our first Princess cruise, on the CB out of Houston.

[perfect match]

Thanks, Norris, for the great ship photos. My favorite from today's offerings is the one of you and Carol at dinner in Luminae. It looked as if you were having a wonderful time. :D

[Jane2357]

So I have been looking at Princess, X and HAL Alaska cruises for part of the day.

Looking first at suites on each (Neptune on HAL and Sky on Millie if they exist)

 

Best X itinerary for us is on the Millennium-but there's no grass.

 

Will let you know as thing develop. Solstice is an option if we have to have grass.

 

Anyone sailed Millennium? Since Solstice-ization?

 

Norris

 

 

We are booked on Millie for Alaska this May - shortly after she comes out of a dry dock - and we are very excited by her itinerary. We are also doing a 6 night post cruise tour and will end up in Fairbanks. :D During dry dock they will be adding the deck 12 movie area - which I happen to think looks like fun. However - as you know - there is no grass on the M class of ship.

 

I LOVE M class ship in a way different than I love the S class. Our next 2 cruises (Alaska and Panama Canal) are on M class ships - booked for the itineraries. M class ships are smaller - without the WOW factor glitz and glitter of the S class but with a more intimate feel that we love. Same great X service.

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Thanks, Norris, for the great ship photos. My favorite from today's offerings is the one of you and Carol at dinner in Luminae. It looked as if you were having a wonderful time. :D

 

I guess in this case "the camera doesn't lie"!

 

We were indeed happy campers on the Silhouette. The week flew by.

 

Todays photos will include more dazzling ship interiors.

 

Stay tuned!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Oh my! I just found this thread, so I have some catching up to do! As you journeyed home, I was embarking on our first Princess cruise, on the CB out of Houston.

 

Never too late to join us here!

 

Welcome aboard.

 

I did the Caribbean Princess out of Houston January 2014. Great itinerary.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

 

Next to the spa is the gym which opens at 6 a.m and closes at 11p.m

 

I took just a few pics today as I planned to return on Saturday to workout.

 

 

It was before 8 a.m and the place was already busy

 

 

 

We'll come back to the gym later and I'll show you some of the non-cardio apparatus.

My wandering takes me away from the busy gym and back into the Solarium

 

 

where I had forgotten to show you the hot tubs...

 

 

* Lounger hogs also work the Solarium but I am happy to report that when passing by during busy times I saw a "pool butler" removing towels, books etc that were used by the Hogs. If you are a guilty Hog and reading this-what's the matter with you? Quit it.

[LPYRCRUISER]

DH is also an early riser. As a lifelong dairy farmer it's a habit he can't break. He will be glad to know there will be coffee available at 5AM.

[Bimmer09]

We are booked on Millie for Alaska this May - shortly after she comes out of a dry dock - and we are very excited by her itinerary. We are also doing a 6 night post cruise tour and will end up in Fairbanks. :D During dry dock they will be adding the deck 12 movie area - which I happen to think looks like fun. However - as you know - there is no grass on the M class of ship.

 

I LOVE M class ship in a way different than I love the S class. Our next 2 cruises (Alaska and Panama Canal) are on M class ships - booked for the itineraries. M class ships are smaller - without the WOW factor glitz and glitter of the S class but with a more intimate feel that we love. Same great X service.

 

Jane, thanks for the response re the Millie. The 6 day land tour sounds great but not something we can do until we are retired (sigh)

 

Movies on deck? Princess has that (30 foot screen) and a lot of people enjoy it.

 

Cheers!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

DH is also an early riser. As a lifelong dairy farmer it's a habit he can't break. He will be glad to know there will be coffee available at 5AM.

 

Yes, the coffee in the buffet is 24/7 and a good brand too-Lavazza.

 

Thanks for stopping by. Welcome!

 

Norris

[Nashna]

Norris...

 

I love the idea of the lawn. However, with one very bad knee there is no way I can rise like a Phoenix from the turf. Do you know if chairs are provided in the area?

 

Thanks for sharing your journey!

[Bimmer09]

Norris...

 

I love the idea of the lawn. However, with one very bad knee there is no way I can rise like a Phoenix from the turf. Do you know if chairs are provided in the area?

 

Thanks for sharing your journey!

 

Nashna, no furniture allowed on the lawn but available along the border....

 

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

I walk back through the Solarium towards the pool-nice furniture!

 

 

Next time I will try this hammock!!

 

 

If you have forgotten to bring sunscreen or have any swim needs you can shop here. If you want to practice snorkeling for an upcoming excursion they have snorkel gear. There are no fish in the swimming pools though so don't get your hopes up.

 

 

More cool pool furniture

 

 

 

There's shade if you want it

 

[Bimmer09]

There are plenty of loungers provided...

 

It's always nice to see recycling encouraged

 

 

As I am only one deck below the Oceanview Cafe I pop up for a double espresso at Il Secondo Baccio (the 2nd kiss)- you have to love an espresso bar in a buffet. Another nice touch! (coffee included in my beverage package)

 

 

Time to meet Carol at Blu for breakfast!

 

[Bimmer09]

I'll spare you shots of the same food you have already seen as we ordered much the same again today.

 

One interesting thing- we both ordered Mango Madness smoothies and they brought out banana ones- yellow color versus orange. We asked for them to be changed and the waiter argued that they were mango. We said but they look and taste like banana. He said that the person who makes them uses banana. Say what? I raised my eyebrows and rolled my eyes like a pair of craps dice. We stuck to our guns even though we were feeling an Alice in Wonderland moment coming on. The waiter went back to the kitchen and returned- "we are out of mangos!" That would have been enough of an answer when we questioned the banana flavor and appearance. The waiter's name was something,something....Einstein.

 

We asked the Maitre 'd in Blu if he could have the waiter stretched over the Muesli table and be flogged with stalks of asparagus. He went to the kitchen

and returned red-faced-"we are out of asparagus, sir". I let it go.

 

I took a few pics during another yummy Blu breakfast.

 

 

 

 

Believe it or not but I actually have something planned this morning! There's a Q & A with the Captain in the Silhouette Theater at 10.30 that I am keen to go to.

[Bimmer09]

After breakfast I hit the smoking section near the elevators, Deck 5 aft, portside.

 

 

Then down to the cabin. Where are we?

 

 

A fruit plate has been dropped off by the Butler

 

 

In the hallway I meet up with Su (L) and Andrew ® our room stewards

 

 

As I have time to kill I grab a few more photos before the Captain's Q & A.

[jagoffee]

Morris, I notice you have breakfast in the Blu instead of the Luminae most days. I assume you preferred Blu? What is it that you liked better? If you are going to cover it later please feel free to just say you are covering it later.

Thanks.

Jim

[Bimmer09]

I'm down on deck 3 where our favorite piece of ship art stands.

 

 

 

Forgot your snorkel? You can get one here.

 

 

The Passport Bar

 

 

Stairs to deck 4

 

 

Decks 4 & 5 above

 

[SheriffJoe]

Doing both is best Anne!

 

We are aiming Northbound this time as we did on Diamond Princess for a couple of reasons.

 

We start with a shorter flight of 5 hours to Vancouver vs 7 hours to Anchorage.

 

We have the option of going to Victoria and Butchart gardens on a day trip.

 

The hotel we stay in takes our luggage to the ship so we don't have to.

 

We get to sail out of a dazzling harbor and the Van weather has been warm 80's no rain both times we have been there "recently" (i.e within the 4.5 years we have been cruising-we have been to Van before all that)

 

We get a sea day on the 2nd day in good weather-Carol loves her sea days.

 

We get to the Glaciers last, rather than first on the Southbound trip

 

We end up in Alaska, in Anchorage, a nice town for the cruise wind-down and flight home.

 

We haven't sailed in July but I imagine more kids then vs late August but that's not a major reason to avoid July.

 

Ideally we should be going in May when there is a chance of snow still in the mountains as we want to do the Alaskan dog-sled ride excursion. In August it will be run over dirt and meadow so not quite so "dream like". We are visiting Houston in May.

 

Regardless, Alaska is excursion heaven as far as we are concerned and the Princess website is the best we've found for showing you what you are signing up for, even breaking the tour down into how far you walk and on what kind of terrain. It also has videos of the tour highlights and customer interviews (which I know aren't going to say "it was crap") In looking through half a dozen cruiseship websites over the past year Princess has the model site for speed and ease of use. It shows you which cabins are already sold- I picked a couple of suites on the HAL site and it came back with "already sold" after I hit submit-if it's sold don't show it!!

 

Hope this helps.

 

Norris

 

 

Bimmer

 

Hello again and we too love Glacier Bay but prefer to sail Solstice so we book a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay out of Skagway....the flights are MUCH better than sailing in anyway as you see dozens more glaciers and get much closer to them....we like to have our lawn and eat the Glacier too so we sail Solstice and flight see Glacier Park!

[Bimmer09]

Morris, I notice you have breakfast in the Blu instead of the Luminae most days. I assume you preferred Blu? What is it that you liked better? If you are going to cover it later please feel free to just say you are covering it later.

Thanks.

Jim

 

Jim- Blu for a bigger menu and better quality food, in our opinion.

 

Norris

[Ma Bell]

Great review and really lovely photos, thanks for posting!:)

[Bimmer09]

Bimmer

 

Hello again and we too love Glacier Bay but prefer to sail Solstice so we book a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay out of Skagway....the flights are MUCH better than sailing in anyway as you see dozens more glaciers and get much closer to them....we like to have our lawn and eat the Glacier too so we sail Solstice and flight see Glacier Park!

 

Hi Joe, is that via helicopter from Skagway? The red ones? How long are you in the air and what's the name of the vendor?

 

On a ship we are there from morning to mid afternoon. A National Park Ranger comes aboard and narrates what we are seeing over the PA, often poetically.

Waiters wheel a cart around the upper decks serving hot chocolate and hot liquor drinks like Irish coffee (Mexican coffee, French etc)

 

Lawn and Glacier has a nice ring to it!

 

Thank you for the idea.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Great review and really lovely photos, thanks for posting!:)

 

Thanks Ma!

 

Nice to welcome a new face. I'm glad you are enjoying and following along!

 

Norris

[SheriffJoe]

Hi Joe, is that via helicopter from Skagway? The red ones? How long are you in the air and what's the name of the vendor?

 

On a ship we are there from morning to mid afternoon. A National Park Ranger comes aboard and narrates what we are seeing over the PA, often poetically.

Waiters wheel a cart around the upper decks serving hot chocolate and hot liquor drinks like Irish coffee (Mexican coffee, French etc)

 

Lawn and Glacier has a nice ring to it!

 

Thank you for the idea.

 

Norris

 

There are several options for your flight, here is a link....just spoke with the owner/pilot last week to secure our ressies for May 31st!

 

http://www.mountainflyingservice.com/haines-skagway-glacier-bay-flightseeing-tours

 

 

Flight line and office is a 10 minute walk from the cruise dock....perfect scenario..oh and its planes, not helicopters....much less expensive then a helo...

Edited February 9, 2016 by SheriffJoe

[Bimmer09]

There are several options for your flight, here is a link....just spoke with the owner/pilot last week to secure our ressies for May 31st!

 

http://www.mountainflyingservice.com/haines-skagway-glacier-bay-flightseeing-tours

 

 

Flight line and office is a 10 minute walk from the cruise dock....perfect scenario..oh and its planes, not helicopters....much less expensive then a helo...

 

Thanks Joe, I'll bookmark this.

 

#3 looks good plus the snowfield landing and walk around for an extra $75.

 

Norris