First timers Princess Alaska

[tenayafan]

First cruise for both of us. Princess from Seattle to Alaska and back. Some silly beginner questions. From the website get the strong impression we cannot carry our own bags when boarding, but there will be folks aching to do this, for a tip. How much tip is appropriate? Does anyone know the temperature in the stateroom on a trip like this? We don't generally like maids in our room when we stay in motels, and since we likely will spend most all of this trip in the room, can we post a go away sign on the door?

[JF - retired RRT]

First cruise for both of us. Princess from Seattle to Alaska and back. Some silly beginner questions. From the website get the strong impression we cannot carry our own bags when boarding, Actually, you can carry your own bags. They have to fit through the scanner (standard airport type) & you must be able to do stairs/escalators without help. How much tip is appropriate? We generally tip $1/bag, more if they are heavy. Does anyone know the temperature in the stateroom on a trip like this? Adjustable thermostat. No thermometer, just an up/down button. We don't generally like maids in our room when we stay in motels, and since we likely will spend most all of this trip in the room, can we post a go away sign on the door?

Do you have a balcony? If not, you won't get much viewing done in your cabin. Plus, you can't go from one side to the other for viewing on both sides of the ship.

The stewards are very unobtrusive and will go in when you aren't there. Twice a day service (AM & PM). You can request no service. But you'll miss out on one of the great things about cruising.

Someone to make your bed in the AM and turn the bed down in the PM (with a chocolate for your pillow). The steward will straighten your bathroom...clean the toilet (vacuum toilets need daily cleaning), put in new towels, etc., fresh ice in the ice bucket.

If you want no service or only AM or only PM, just tell the steward.

[/color]

Edited June 10, 2016 by JF - retired RRT

[gotta cruise again]

Welcome to Cruise Critic and to Princess!!

 

We will be on our 3rd Alaska cruise, RT Seattle, soon. We pack only one bag to check on the airline so that's what we give to the porter at the pier. Tipping is personal but we usually give a couple of bucks. Anything we carry onto the airplane, we carry onto the ship ourselves.

 

Cabin temperature: in 30 years of cruising, have found it varies a LOT. That said, there is a thermostat in your cabin that usually works pretty well. When the steward make up the cabins, they often prop open the doorway to the hall and open the balcony door so your cabin can air out, however, sometimes doing this "upsets" the cabin temp so it make take a little bit of time to either cool down or warm up. We always just take that in stride.

 

So be aware that leaving your balcony door open (if you have one) will affect the cabin temp during your cruise.

 

Yes, there is a "do not disturb" sign you can put on the door. You can limit how much service you'd like in your cabin. We like that they make up the bed, change the towels (sometimes more than once a day!) and put ice in the ice bucket 1-2 times per day; they also vacuum when they come in, empty the trash, clean the bathroom, etc. I have found that I don't mind the cabin steward doing all of this at all. In a hotel, we often will only swap the towels and not have the maid in the room otherwise. Try it a time or two just to see what you think. You may find you'll go out at times and can let the steward know so s/he can stop by then. They seem to be pretty intuitive about when you're in or out.

 

Do more reading on the boards and also look at the FAQs and Princess Answer Book on their website to help you in your quest for information.

 

Also, you really should consider being on the open decks when your cruise goes to either Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm as that's the very best way to see these areas...even if you have a balcony! There will be a Ranger or two on board to give talks and tell about what you're seeing too. We start the day (early!!) in Skywalkers then move about the ship after that.

 

Enjoy!

 

(And I concur with JF's post, which appeared while I was still typing mine!)

Edited June 10, 2016 by gotta cruise again

[elliair]

First cruise for both of us. Princess from Seattle to Alaska and back. Some silly beginner questions. From the website get the strong impression we cannot carry our own bags when boarding, but there will be folks aching to do this, for a tip. How much tip is appropriate? Does anyone know the temperature in the stateroom on a trip like this? We don't generally like maids in our room when we stay in motels, and since we likely will spend most all of this trip in the room, can we post a go away sign on the door?

 

You can carry a carry-on type suitcase on board but it must be able to go through the security scanner. I saw security tell a passenger that he will have to give his bag to the porter as it was too big to go through the scanner. We give the porter $2 per bag. It's the same as if you checked your bags at the airport at the curb, or taxi or shuttle.

 

Temperature in the stateroom varies. I always ask for an extra blanket if it's too cold. It's difficult to get the temperature just right. Don't leave your balcony door open in Alaska.

 

I don't understand why anyone would spend most of their time in the cabin going to Alaska. The beauty is breathtaking and you won't see any of it unless you have a balcony and want to see it all from there. Don't you plan on getting off the ship at ports? If you don't want the cabin steward coming into your room, just tell him no room service. How do you plan to get clean towels and your bathroom serviced, your bed made? There's a tipping fee for everyday service, do you plan on not paying that if you ask for no room service? :confused: We only have 1-day service. We tell the steward no evening service and we hang the "snoozing" sign on our door. We like to enjoy our wine on the balcony in the evening and not be bothered.

Edited June 10, 2016 by elliair

[tenayafan]

We will be taking care of a three year old grandchild so her parents can enjoy the cruise, and also keeping my elderly father company so we are pretty much going to be in our stateroom for the duration so the others can have fun. We will have a balcony and likely a few opportunities to go on deck when the others are around. Neither of us do crowds well so won't miss the masses pushing each other out of the way to see things. Looking forward to catching up on some reading and writing. Don't much worry about making our own bed or a chocolate on the pillow.

[1025cruise]

If you keep the DND sign out the entire cruise, you might get a knock on the door as a welfare check.

[tenayafan]

Welfare check? Wow. I thought we were grownups. :) We will try to let them know we are just relaxing and not dying. The more I learn about cruising the more confused I get. If we get our meals by room service will that let them know we are OK?

[4cats4me]

We tip $2-3 per bag depending on weight

Respectfully, if you don't do crowds well, a cruise isn't really the sort of vacation where you can avoid crowds. You will encounter crowds at least at the beginning and end and upon disembarking and embarking from different ports of call. If you go to the buffet to get a bite to eat, might I suggest not going at peak hours and wait until the crowds thin out a bit for a better experience if you have anytime dining, you might encounter crowds. Hopefully you have traditional dining. Or maybe you have a full suite where you can have all meals delivered in your stateroom cabin. If not in a full suite you can expect a limited offerings menu.

Good luck and enjoy your trip

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[kayred]

Perhaps you will spend more time out of the room than you think. I am sure the three year old will need to get out of the room and move around a bit. There will be so much for him/her to explore and see it will be a great adventure. Enjoy!

[cruzsnooze]

We tip $1 per bag and carry on the smaller size suitcase that we would have put in the over head on the plane.

I think you'll find no crowds on deck when you are in port since the vast majority of people will have gone ashore.

When the room steward comes in to make your cabin you can just go sit on your balcony and let him/her do their thing. Are you planning to eat every meal in your cabin and never use the buffet or dining room?

[sherryf]

We will be taking care of a three year old grandchild so her parents can enjoy the cruise, and also keeping my elderly father company so we are pretty much going to be in our stateroom for the duration so the others can have fun.

 

So you plan to keep a 3 year old cooped up in a tiny cruise ship cabin for a week? That sounds like a nightmare to me! Little kids need to run around and play. If she is potty trained, you can take her to the kids club to play and you can have some time to enjoy yourselves!

[Carolyn R]

I doubt Princess will allow you to decline cabin service for your entire cruise. I cannot imagine going all that time without having your trash emptied, dirty dishes removed, sheets changed, bathroom cleaned etc. There is a sign you can hang on the door that says service my room please that you can put out when you leave the room for meals. FYI, the room service menu is very limited unless you are in a full suite.

[luvteaching]

Good morning,

 

I don't have a young child to watch but I have a husband who has some medical and mobility issues. He's very content in the cabin but he loves to get out and about and I encourage that. There are so many things to see and do on the ship.

 

If you are watching a little one there is a Kids Club and, if you don't want to leave them there, I believe there are "free play" times where you can take them and enjoy the area.

 

Dinner in the dining rooms is so nice for families to do and the wait staff dote on the children. There is a kids menu and they will expedite the child's food if needed so the little one is kept occupied.

 

There are lots of places to have the child get out and walk around, have fun, explore, etc.

 

I know cruising can seem a bit intimidating at first. There are a lot of places on the ship you can find to read a book, relax, and be away from others.

 

I encourage you to get out of the room, let the stewards pamper you (just as you are pampering your family) and enjoy the ship! There's nothing like coming back to the cabin after dinner to everything cleaned, the bed turned down, etc. It's pampering at its best!

 

Karen

[tenayafan]

This cruise is a family obligation, a wedding we very much wish to attend. Looking forward to the scenery but have little desire to see yet another city so will likely remain on board when in port. The cost of this trip is already nearly three times what we have ever spent on a vacation so adding expensive tours while in port is out of the question. Frankly, just hoping to get to the end of the boat ride without having a panic attack. Appreciate that all you folks truly appreciate a cruise, but we hope to survive it.

[Elitein85days]

This cruise is a family obligation, a wedding we very much wish to attend. Looking forward to the scenery but have little desire to see yet another city so will likely remain on board when in port. The cost of this trip is already nearly three times what we have ever spent on a vacation so adding expensive tours while in port is out of the question. Frankly, just hoping to get to the end of the boat ride without having a panic attack. Appreciate that all you folks truly appreciate a cruise, but we hope to survive it.

 

It seems with your attitude already that you've decided this will be an awful experience. I think you're going to hate every aspect of the cruise because it doesn't seem like a cruise fits your travel wants and needs.

 

If you don't want to see a port there isn't any obligation to get off the boat.

 

Is the wedding on the boat? If not, cancel the cruise and find another way to attend the wedding.

[snoopy5386]

We will be taking care of a three year old grandchild so her parents can enjoy the cruise, and also keeping my elderly father company so we are pretty much going to be in our stateroom for the duration so the others can have fun. We will have a balcony and likely a few opportunities to go on deck when the others are around. Neither of us do crowds well so won't miss the masses pushing each other out of the way to see things. Looking forward to catching up on some reading and writing. Don't much worry about making our own bed or a chocolate on the pillow.

 

Unless you have some sort of gigantic cabin you will be mighty cramped and that 3 year old will quickly tire of staring at those 4 walls. There aren't even enough chairs inside the cabin for 3 adults to sit on! Is there a reason why the 3 year old won't be going to the kids club to burn off some steam? If you don't want to be "among the masses" look for empty lounges and bars during the day to let that little girl run!

[snoopy5386]

This cruise is a family obligation, a wedding we very much wish to attend. Looking forward to the scenery but have little desire to see yet another city so will likely remain on board when in port. The cost of this trip is already nearly three times what we have ever spent on a vacation so adding expensive tours while in port is out of the question. Frankly, just hoping to get to the end of the boat ride without having a panic attack. Appreciate that all you folks truly appreciate a cruise, but we hope to survive it.

 

You can get off the ship and walk around for free. Most of the ports are not "cities" by any stretch, but tiny towns. I can't imagine going all the way to Alaska and not at least spending an hour walking around a port.

[Cruise Raider]

If you plan on staying in your cabin, the little one can always go out with the children in the kid's club and will be well taken care of. From what I have understood, there is no charge for this. I am not sure of the minimum age to enter but I assume a 3 year old would be old enough. We've met parents that rave about it as they get time to themselves. I do believe, though, someone within the family has to be onboard during a port day....I am sure you would also have that no other way.

 

In as far as staying in your room, yes ... you will be able to get room service (food) but it is customary to tip a little extra on top of your daily gratuities for this. Even though you don't think you will want anyone in your room to straighten up, those dirty dishes will stack up very quickly and you won't even have room to move so you might consider having someone come in to at least clean up.

 

It might not be necessary to say this, but it is not correct to remove your daily gratuities because you don't want your room cleaned on a daily basis. Cabin attendants, who are not the only crew that is included in the tip pool, rely on this income. However, that may not have been of any concern but just thought I would mention it. No need for anyone to flame me for noting this.

 

If you still plan on staying in your room and do not want anyone to come into your room, just make sure the cabin attendant knows your intentions. Do not simply hang the sign on the door and not notify your steward. He/she will wait and wait to be able to enter your room, sometimes running into his/her time to sleep or go ashore. You can always exchange towels, get extra tissue / toilet paper and soap or give them your dirty dishes and trash when you see your steward out in the hallway. Just an FYI - it is not customary to just put your dirty dishes out in the hallway as you will see at many hotels. The hallways are narrow and it creates a huge hazard for those with mobility problems when hallways are cluttered with trays.

 

In as far as your luggage, we have just traveled with just carry on luggage before. If you do not intend to go out and about or to the formal dinners, you may be able to get away with that. There are self service laundromats on every deck. The same rules at the airport apply regarding the size of your carry on .. it must fit through the scanner. If you do check bags, it is customary to give the stevedore a $2-$5 tip per bag, the larger amount being for the heavier bags.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise, nonetheless.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

To answer your questions. I bring two carryons (must be able to fit through the security scanner like at the airport) instead of large suitcases. I bring my luggage on the ship myself. If you have to check the bags at the curb- tip $5.00 for two bags.

 

Yes- you can leave the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. They clean the room twice a day, but won't come in if the Do Not Disturb sign is on. Rooms will be comfortable temperature wise.

 

Your three year old grandchild will absolutely love the youth program on Princess. So don't limit her to the cabin if you don't have to. Secondly- children will LOVE the ship and exploring it. Princess does a great job of crowd control IMO. Avoid the buffet during peak hours if you hate crowds, but otherwise it's not a crowded ship. Movies under the stars are wonderful (dress warmly). The three year old will like many of those movies.

 

I really would not avoid exploring the ship during the day- there are lovely lounges and places to hear classical music throughout the day and night. Most children get a great kick out of dancing in the atrium at happy hour. They are often the star of the show in that regard.

 

Have fun- don't limit yourself. I don't like crowds (as in festivals, concerts and the like), but I LOVE cruise ships. Perhaps your last experience was on a different, more crowded line. One of the great things about Princess ships are the many intimate areas where you can sit. Taking in the scenery on one of the outside decks is a highlight for me. Dress appropriately of course.

 

Alaska is gorgeous and the best viewing is from out on the deck.

Edited June 11, 2016 by rebeccalouiseagain

[tenayafan]

The wedding is on board, so we will be taking the cruise. We get to see our grand daughter rarely as a continent comes between us, and likely will have her for no more than an afternoon. Grand mother will take all the time with her she can get. We will find a way to keep the child busy and happy. Will spend considerable time with my father as time with him is precious and the clock is ticking at age 95. He gets cold easily, so we will have the stateroom nice and warm for him, and when with him we likely will not wander out on deck. If the choice is wandering about a town or sweating in the stateroom with Dad, guess what. Don't mean any insult to you folks, and appreciate the help you have offered. This is our first cruise, and so far it seems a bit more than intimidating. Knowing that we can retreat to our stateroom in some comfort if the chaos, noise, and impatient people become too intrusive helps our confidence as we undertake this new challenge. Thanks all for the input. We will have fun, I'm sure. You have explained things to us nicely, so we have a few less things to worry about as we prepare for this experience.

[Cruisin' Chick]

The wedding is on board, so we will be taking the cruise. We get to see our grand daughter rarely as a continent comes between us, and likely will have her for no more than an afternoon. Grand mother will take all the time with her she can get. We will find a way to keep the child busy and happy. Will spend considerable time with my father as time with him is precious and the clock is ticking at age 95. He gets cold easily, so we will have the stateroom nice and warm for him, and when with him we likely will not wander out on deck. If the choice is wandering about a town or sweating in the stateroom with Dad, guess what. Don't mean any insult to you folks, and appreciate the help you have offered. This is our first cruise, and so far it seems a bit more than intimidating. Knowing that we can retreat to our stateroom in some comfort if the chaos, noise, and impatient people become too intrusive helps our confidence as we undertake this new challenge. Thanks all for the input. We will have fun, I'm sure. You have explained things to us nicely, so we have a few less things to worry about as we prepare for this experience.

 

As many above have said, you really don't need to be confined to your stateroom on the ship. During seven days of your cruise, you will have time...and perhaps your dad might actually like to go out on the deck. You'll see many who are over 70, even some your father's age, out and about the ship.

 

The good thing about Princess is that it's not as crowded (passenger per space) as some cruise lines. There's lounges, there's open areas with seats and tables by windows, there's the open deck.

 

As for your suitcases, aside from carry ons (which you will use for medications, valuables, toiletries, sunscreen -- yes, sunscreen, documents), you can give the suitcases to the porter with a tip per bag. No need to lug everything on board with you, especially as you're traveling with an elderly man and a little child. There are self service laundries on board Princess ships, but I've read that per Alaskan laws, there's a limit on hours when these are open (maybe after the ship sails off from a port).

 

In your grandchild's cabin, the parents will find a packet of information about the children's program. It's absolutely free, except for any post 10-pm kidsitting, which it sounds like you won't need. My daughter couldn't wait every morning until the program was open -- she would even ask if "ship's school" was open yet. I hope the parents look over the packet of info and look at the daily schedule. If they find it interesting, they certainly should go on the first night with the child and sign her up. There's no obligation for her to go all the time...maybe there might be one or two activities she wants to join in, especially if she hits it off with another child. And don't get offended if a small child wants to hang out with her peers. You can still have plenty of time seeing your grand child.

 

You might also want to consider the shows at night (sometimes a production show might get repeated in the afternoon, too). From our daughter's first cruise at 23 months of age to her latest cruise at 15 years of age, she has enjoyed seeing the musicals. And it helped sparked her interest to be in children's theater and advanced drama at school (in musicals such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Annie, to name a few). It's good to get them interested in music at an early age. We sat in the back her first time on a cruise (even though that wasn't her first live show, which was a kids' oriented one in a large theater). If your father is getting cabin fever, he may want to enjoy a show -- many of the musicals are meant for all ages.

 

As for food, unless you're in a full suite, the room service menu is limited. Someone in your group can bring back food to their cabin or yours from the buffet, the International Cafe (not a true cafe, but a wonderful place on most Princess ships that offer plates of items ranging from sandwiches to soups to salads to desserts...and you're allowed to take them most places on the ship). The pool side grill serves hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches (my hubby loves these) and is next to the pizzeria. So great places to take the grandchild for food, but there's a children's menu in the main dining room that even some adults order off of. All of these are included in the fare.

 

We have done some traveling in hotels quite a bit this year (visiting our now college kid) and sometimes will put up the DND sign when we would leave for sightseeing, etc. But usually hotels will let you do this for only a few days before bugging you. If it's a matter of not having your dad disturbed, maybe you can see if your father wouldn't mind stepping out for a while so that your steward can change out towels, replace toilet paper, run a vacuum on the carpet...you can come up with a time that your steward will do this that's convenient for everyone concerned. It will add to his comfit in the long run.

 

You are not required to leave the ship at all until the last day, and some people who are repeating an itinerary for the umpteenth time (yes, some people do, we've been on the Hawaiian RT three times, and I would go again) might stay on board for some or all ports they've been to before. It might be neat if your grandchild does step onto Alaskan ground and have photos taken -- not every child gets to visit our 49th state. Also Victoria is a pretty place to visit. You certainly aren't required to buy an excursion and many of us tour ports on our own. Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau are right there by the pier and don't even require a taxi ride to see.

 

You will be required to go to the muster drill right before sailaway (that's a law) but someone in your party can talk with the passenger services desk and find out how your father can attend in comfort. These are held inside on the 7th deck, usually in lounges so that passengers can sit during the drill.

 

And one thing your grand child might love is on the day of the glacier cruising -- usually an Iditarod racer and perhaps some of the dogs will be on board to meet passengers.

[cruzsnooze]

.

 

In as far as staying in your room, yes ... you will be able to get room service (food) but it is customary to tip a little extra on top of your daily gratuities for this.

 

It might not be necessary to say this, but it is not correct to remove your daily gratuities because you don't want your room cleaned on a daily basis. Cabin attendants, who are not the only crew that is included in the tip pool, rely on this income. However, that may not have been of any concern but just thought I would mention it. No need for anyone to flame me for noting this.

 

 

.

It is NOT customary to tip room service since they are in the daily tipping pool. If I had all my meals in my cabin I would definitely reduce my suggested daily tips because if you didn't use the dining room why would you tip ( waiters, assistant waiters, head waiter and Matre D) for service not rendered. I would suggest you don't take assigned seating or they will hold your seats at a table and then you've tied up seats someone may have wanted.

Some people want to shame and bully people on these boards to tip more then customary. I sincerely doubt if everyone who states they hand out all this free money really do. If they really do tip all the extra they brag about then the staff gets more then enough to compensate for those of us that only tip the daily amount as suggested and placed on our account no more.

[CU64]

Just a nice way of thanking our cabin steward and if we do traditional dining, we always thank our waiter, et al for their good service....

 

The poster before tips very low for baggage, IMHO, and seems to think people on CC "brag" about throwing money around. Sorry to hear that. The service people make low wages and do all the work as per usual in most businesses.

 

However, as you say: no extra required.

 

As far as the 3 yr old, I saw a couple with a young child with a cute harnass type affair, fitting for the gender of the child. Thought it was a great SAFE idea for walking or standing with a child in an open area where many people are around.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Keep in mind that you aren't going to Antarctica. In summer- the weather can be quite pleasant in Alaska. I've worn shorts on occasion. If you are going from Seattle to Alaska roundtrip- you aren't going to any cities. Victoria the largest place, where the ship stops briefly is more of a town. All the other locations are very small and remote towns. There is no need to get off the ship however. The beauty of the cruise is that you sail by and are docked in lovely locations. You will love the scenery. I think you will pleasantly surprised by your cruising experience. I'm sure that the wedding is a big event, and you'll be out of the cabin for that- and will see for yourself that there are plenty of places to enjoy onboard.

 

Since you are a "newbie" to cruising- on the first day be prepared for the lifeboat drill. This occurs at around 4 in the afternoon. All passengers must attend the drill and they don't make an exception for anyone- including your 95 year old father. If his mobility is an issue- make sure to arrange for a wheelchair. The lifeboat drills are not on the open decks. They are held in the lounges onboard.

Edited June 12, 2016 by rebeccalouiseagain

[LeeW]

This cruise is a family obligation, a wedding we very much wish to attend. Looking forward to the scenery but have little desire to see yet another city so will likely remain on board when in port. The cost of this trip is already nearly three times what we have ever spent on a vacation so adding expensive tours while in port is out of the question. Frankly, just hoping to get to the end of the boat ride without having a panic attack. Appreciate that all you folks truly appreciate a cruise, but we hope to survive it.

 

We had no idea what a cruise was when we started in 2004. And got hooked. The staff go out of their way to be nice to you and you can do as much or as little as you like. The dining room dinner alone would cost $100/pp around here, plus I can actually watch the scenery instead of driving (I still don't remember much from the Road to Hana - just the narrow road and curves). Most ports have inexpensive things to do.

 

Relax and enjoy your time with your dad.