Has anyone done the Ultimate Ship tour?

[fluffybunny22]

I was reading the robe thread and someone mentioned the Ultimate Ship tour. I googled it and got the basics. I think it is something my husband would love to do but there are 3 of us so it would be $450. We have a healthy OBC so if I manage to pick up the drink package when the sip and sail sale happens I might splurge on the tour. Has anyone done it? Is it worth the money? Is there an age restriction because we have a 17 year old? When do they usually run it because we have a port intensive cruise? TIA.

[jsiegel]

I had a lot of ship board credit and decided to use it on the Ultimate Ship Tour instead of on things from the gift shops, etc. on board.  I also had wondered about the value.  My sister had done it a few years earlier and raved about it so I went ahead and signed up for it.  It was so interesting.  My favorite part was being on the bridge and looking out the side windows to the back and also seeing the expansive view forward.  The captain spoke to us and then was open to questions.  I had a few and he was so gracious in answering them.  You do end up with a lot of souvenirs to pack for home.  The robe (as you mentioned), a nice apron, a framed picture of the group, a personalized notepad and other things I've forgotten.  On some ships they don't advertise it so you could run the risk of there not being enough people for them to hold it.  That did happen to  me on one sailing and at the last day I had to run around spending $150 of shipboard credit in the shops.  Sign up at the guest services desk when you board and then check periodically if they've got enough people.  It's held on a sea day, usually near the end of the cruise.

 

I'm not sure about the age limit.

 

Jackie

[fluffybunny22]

3 minutes ago, jsiegel said:

I had a lot of ship board credit and decided to use it on the Ultimate Ship Tour instead of on things from the gift shops, etc. on board.  I also had wondered about the value.  My sister had done it a few years earlier and raved about it so I went ahead and signed up for it.  It was so interesting.  My favorite part was being on the bridge and looking out the side windows to the back and also seeing the expansive view forward.  The captain spoke to us and then was open to questions.  I had a few and he was so gracious in answering them.  You do end up with a lot of souvenirs to pack for home.  The robe (as you mentioned), a nice apron, a framed picture of the group, a personalized notepad and other things I've forgotten.  On some ships they don't advertise it so you could run the risk of there not being enough people for them to hold it.  That did happen to  me on one sailing and at the last day I had to run around spending $150 of shipboard credit in the shops.  Sign up at the guest services desk when you board and then check periodically if they've got enough people.  It's held on a sea day, usually near the end of the cruise.

 

I'm not sure about the age limit.

 

Jackie

Thank you. If it is on a sea day then we will most likely do it. Right now our OBC is drinking money so I'm hoping for sip and sail to free up the OBC. Ours is refundable so if we don't spend it I don't have to worry about blowing $450 at the shops. The bridge visit might be enough to get my husband to splurge even if I don't get sip and sail. We are celebrating our son graduating high school so he might be in a giving mood.

[voljeep]

we've never done it ...but some posters have posted you must wear long pants and closed toed shoes ... I'm SURE someone will correct me if wrong

[gottagocit]

We did it on the Emerald several years ago and really enjoyed it. Some of the things we enjoyed most was the ships bridge and seeing how the ship is steered/controled, main engine control room, Princess theater back stage operations and kitchen area. 

 

My advise is to take the tour

[eclue]

59 minutes ago, voljeep said:

we've never done it ...but some posters have posted you must wear long pants and closed toed shoes ... I'm SURE someone will correct me if wrong

You are correct on that, but I did not have any closed toe shoes and they allowed me to do the tour anyway....It was a real education and the gifts were lovely also...I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[Sea Hag]

We did it a few years ago, and we really enjoyed it. We liked the tour of the service areas below passenger decks - the print shop, laundry, etc. Also the medical center was really interesting. At that time, the tour included going outside and climbing a ladder to get up behind the Sea Witch on the side of the ship. Nice! Don't think they do that anymore, since I haven't seen anybody else mention it in some time.

[EDDY0827]

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

we've never done it ...but some posters have posted you must wear long pants and closed toed shoes ... I'm SURE someone will correct me if wrong

When I took the tour on the Ruby 12/17, I received instructions about the meeting place and time and an admonishment to wear closed toe shoes and long pants. I missed the long pants part and showed up in shorts. I was told about the long pants part by our tour guide. I observed and mentioned to her that she was about to lead the tour in white shorts herself. Nothing more was said and we started the tour. We were never exposed to anything that would require long pants. You will get as many as 5 group photos from various locations behind the scenes and a photo of you in the captain's chair with the Captain. All of your goodies will be delivered to your stateroom in a bag for packing on the last day/evening.

[Flowergirl56]

We just took this tour on the Regal, 3/23.  It is well worth it.  The group is limited in size but must have at least 5 people.  There was the letter explaining about closed toe shoes and long pants but, as mentioned about, the person running the tour wore shorts.  It took almost 4 hours to complete.  We received all the gifts that have been mentioned except for the notepad.  We were told we would get it but it wasn’t in the bag.  I checked with other tour takers and they didn’t get it either.  

[PrincessLuver]

3 hours ago, fluffybunny22 said:

I was reading the robe thread and someone mentioned the Ultimate Ship tour. I googled it and got the basics. I think it is something my husband would love to do but there are 3 of us so it would be $450. We have a healthy OBC so if I manage to pick up the drink package when the sip and sail sale happens I might splurge on the tour. Has anyone done it? Is it worth the money? Is there an age restriction because we have a 17 year old? When do they usually run it because we have a port intensive cruise? TIA.

 

We did it last year on the Regal and it was probably one of the best tours we have ever done.  They limited it to 12 people and it took over 4 hours.  We really became even more appreciative of how everything is done on the ship and why.  It gave us a whole new respect for all of the Princess staff and what is really going on behind the scenes to make your cruise special.  

 

We toured the Princess Theater back stage, medical center, food galleys, print shop, laundry center, photo processing center, engine control room, anchor room and the bridge.  At each stop there was staff to explain what goes on there and why.

 

They have a photographer along who takes pictures of you at each stop.  Meeting the Captain and being on the bridge for over 40 minutes was very memorable.  They even had drinks and treats/eats on the bridge.  

 

The next day they brought a bag of Princess swag to our room along with the photographs of us on the tour.  What they gave us was worth much more then what we paid for the tour.  A win - win for everyone.  We heard they fill up fast when they do one so I went to the Passenger Services desk right as we boarded and got signed up on the list for the tour on that cruise.  Just do it!!

[masterty]

Only 4 pictures on our Star Princess ultimate ship tour. Forecastle, bridge, engine room, princess theater stage. We also went to the med center, laundry room, kitchen, crew mess, photo, and printing rooms. Well worth the $150 charge.

http://hambyhome.com/ultimate-ship-tour

Edited March 27, 2019 by masterty

[Thrak]

I think I'd really like this. My wife doesn't seem too interested.

[XBGuy]

38 minutes ago, Thrak said:

I think I'd really like this. My wife doesn't seem too interested.

 

I did it on the Emerald Princess, last spring, and my wife was happy to let me go by myself while she slept in.

 

OP, it was fantastic.

 

The highlight, for me, was the visit to the engine control room.  That presentation was given by the Chief Engineer--an absolutely hilarious Irishman.  I received so much knowledge from his presentation:

• I now have a pretty good understanding of how the ship's propulsion system work.  I found this knowledge useful as I was following the 50-page thread regarding the recent Viking Sky incident.
• I have absolutely no qualms about drinking the water out of any dispenser--including the cabin's bathroom sink--on the ship.
• I was wowed about the waste treatment system.

When we visited the bridge, I was able to look down at our balcony.  Timing is everything, and at that moment my wife was out there, and we were able to wave to each other.

 

After the bridge tour, we adjourned to the Adagio Lounge for Champagne.

 

I don't know if there is an age limit, but there was an 18-year old on the tour with me.  I'm saying go ahead and sign up your 17-year old.

 

This may be of interest--the image of the invitation that I received,  Personally, I made sure I read each of the bullet points very carefully.  Being a man of a certain age I paid special attention to the item regarding bathroom breaks--or the lack, thereof.  So, I drank no wine the evening before and I skipped breakfast, and, so, had no coffee that morning.

 

😉

 

 

 

 

[Colo Cruiser]

18 minutes ago, XBGuy said:

 

I did it on the Emerald Princess, last spring, and my wife was happy to let me go by myself while she slept in.

 

OP, it was fantastic.

 

The highlight, for me, was the visit to the engine control room.  That presentation was given by the Chief Engineer--an absolutely hilarious Irishman.  I received so much knowledge from his presentation:

• I now have a pretty good understanding of how the ship's propulsion system work.  I found this knowledge useful as I was following the 50-page thread regarding the recent Viking Sky incident.
• I have absolutely no qualms about drinking the water out of any dispenser--including the cabin's bathroom sink--on the ship.
• I was wowed about the waste treatment system.

When we visited the bridge, I was able to look down at our balcony.  Timing is everything, and at that moment my wife was out there, and we were able to wave to each other.

 

After the bridge tour, we adjourned to the Adagio Lounge for Champagne.

 

I don't know if there is an age limit, but there was an 18-year old on the tour with me.  I'm saying go ahead and sign up your 17-year old.

 

This may be of interest--the image of the invitation that I received,  Personally, I made sure I read each of the bullet points very carefully.  Being a man of a certain age I paid special attention to the item regarding bathroom breaks--or the lack, thereof.  So, I drank no wine the evening before and I skipped breakfast, and, so, had no coffee that morning.

 

😉

 

 

 

 

Thanks for posting the letter.

The rules are right there in B&W yet still there are those  that will disregard the HGM's requests.

[Yehootu]

We did it on the Island and had the champagne on the bridge. If interested best thing to do is go the customer service desk and sign up right away. There is a 12-14 person limit on the tour. I forget the minimum number, but there is that limitation also and it will be on a sea day.

[peanutter]

We just did the tour on the Emerald and loved it.  I think everyone else has given you great info, but one thing I would add is the gift bags they gave us were a bit hefty in regards to weight.  Each weighed 6 lb.  Not a huge deal, but we had to do some creative shuffling to keep our weight limits down for our (Delta) checked luggage!

[fluffybunny22]

21 minutes ago, peanutter said:

We just did the tour on the Emerald and loved it.  I think everyone else has given you great info, but one thing I would add is the gift bags they gave us were a bit hefty in regards to weight.  Each weighed 6 lb.  Not a huge deal, but we had to do some creative shuffling to keep our weight limits down for our (Delta) checked luggage!

How big would you say the bags are? We usually only travel with carry ons and one big checked piece.

[Flowergirl56]

If you have been on a Princess ship recently it is the same blue bag they give you.  Think canvas grocery bag.

[peanutter]

Exactly what Flowergirl56 said - regular blue bag size and maybe 3-4 inches thick with all the stuff in it.  There was a nice photo frame (8X10), so that makes the packed bag not very "smushable."  But you could take the stuff out and rearrange as possible around your clothes.  The robe is what is so heavy - it is pretty thick.

[Gimer]

fluffybunny22, I did a two page UST review when we were on the Majestic's Maiden Voyage to Shanghai.  If interested, email me at  Sgchin39@gmail.com  and I'll be glad to reply,  with a .jpg attachment for you to read and down load.  My first UST was on Grand Princess.  Different Class ships and both were so very interesting.  Well worth every penny spent.  

[vakamalua]

We took the tour several years ago the Saphire and thought it was really great and worth every penny! The visit to the bridge was fantastic--the Captain spent about 45 minutes answering our questions even though he was up very late the night before getting us out of fogged-in San Francisco. Last year we did a ship's tour on Celebrity--it was a huge disappointment compared to Princess.  The Captain never even bothered to come to the bridge while we were there; we hear she was behind the counter of the coffee shop chatting up passengers at the time.  And no 'goodies;' I still wear the Princess robe from the tour on really cold mornings.

[fluffybunny22]

29 minutes ago, vakamalua said:

We took the tour several years ago the Saphire and thought it was really great and worth every penny! The visit to the bridge was fantastic--the Captain spent about 45 minutes answering our questions even though he was up very late the night before getting us out of fogged-in San Francisco. Last year we did a ship's tour on Celebrity--it was a huge disappointment compared to Princess.  The Captain never even bothered to come to the bridge while we were there; we hear she was behind the counter of the coffee shop chatting up passengers at the time.  And no 'goodies;' I still wear the Princess robe from the tour on really cold mornings.

OMG. You had the fabled Captain Kate and she didn't show up. I'm absolutely booking this as soon as we get on board. We don't sail until June 2020 so I've earmarked this year's Christmas cash from my parents for this. They try and demand we spend the money on a physical item so every year we come up with some ridiculous experience to spend the money on and text them pictures. Last year we did a helicopter excursion to an Alaskan glacier.

[XBGuy]

Coda to my previous post.

 

The day of our tour we were actually sailing in some pretty foggy conditions.  At the assembly in Vines the tour leader did tell us that because of the weather, a bridge tour could not be guaranteed.   Obviously we did get the green light, and we went up to the bridge.  We were herded over to the starboard wing of the bridge from which I waved to Mrs. XBGuy on our balcony.  The bridge presentation was given by one of the 3rd Officers.  It was interesting, and he did a good job of addressing questions.  I don't think it took much more than 20 minutes. 

 

After the various stops, we'd learned the drill.  At the end of each presentation, the photographer would take a group picture.  So, we were ready for that.  The leader said she would see if the Captain could join us.  She walked over to the central section of the bridge, where, seven or eight bridge personnel looked very seriously at work,  The officer in the middle chair stood up and walked over with her.

 

I was so impressed.  The Captain was on watch.  After being told that we might not be able to visit the bridge, and, then, seeing the Captain on watch, I truly appreciated how seriously they took the less than optimal weather.

 

The Captain, of course, was very gracious, chatted with us for a few minutes, answered some more questions, posed for the picture, thanked us for choosing Princess, and excused himself.

[63 Super Sport]

We loved the Ultimate Ship Tour. We are elite and had never done the tour. We were able to do the tour in February on the CB. The tour fills up fast! We had missed signing up on a cruise in December.

 

I have a food service background, my husband is a HVAC guy so we like to see "behind the scenes" to see how things work. For us it was great. We were were able to ask questions based on what we had happen on past cruises, (ie "asking for O blood for a passenger in need") to  gain more details on the internal happenings. There were approx 20 people on our tour. I am not sure if everyone had an understanding of what they were seeing based on the person's individual experiences.

 

We are hoping to sign up to do the tour on the Sky next year.

[fluffybunny22]

15 minutes ago, 63 Super Sport said:

We loved the Ultimate Ship Tour. We are elite and had never done the tour. We were able to do the tour in February on the CB. The tour fills up fast! We had missed signing up on a cruise in December.

 

I have a food service background, my husband is a HVAC guy so we like to see "behind the scenes" to see how things work. For us it was great. We were were able to ask questions based on what we had happen on past cruises, (ie "asking for O blood for a passenger in need") to  gain more details on the internal happenings. There were approx 20 people on our tour. I am not sure if everyone had an understanding of what they were seeing based on the person's individual experiences.

 

We are hoping to sign up to do the tour on the Sky next year.

We are also on the Sky. Knowing my husband we will be at the dock as soon as they allow boarding so we will be immediately going to sign up as soon as we board. We've done the free kitchen tour a couple of times on Celebrity so I'm sure we will find this interesting.