Has anyone done the Ultimate Ship tour?

[Expat Cruise]

We did the tour last month on the Sun Princess, it was 14 total guests and lasted about 3 1/2 hours. It is well worth the cost of the tour. We had the added bonus of being a Australian Cruise the ship was on AUD Currency, the price was AUD$175 dollars per person or about USD$125 dollars.  The value of the free gifts is well over the tour price. Princess Robe, Princess Cooking Apron,  8 x 10 Picture frame, 1 8 x 10 picture with captain and 5 5 X 7 pictures , 2 Princess bags, Princess Note Pad with your name, letter from Captain, Letter from Hotel Director and we got crossing the equator certifications, being on the bridge for the crossing.  

 

Everyone on the tour really seem to enjoy it. It is always a sea day,  starts around 8 am and ends before lunch. They say no private pictures but you can take cell phone shots, if you do not delay the tour. The Captain  also told us once on the bridge we could shoot still photos but no video was allowed.

[whitneythegreat]

On 3/28/2019 at 9:36 AM, Eagleeye said:

We have done this tour several times. We usually try to do this on a new ship for us. The swag bag at the end is worth the tour itself. The key is to signup for the tour the minute you get on the ship. Do not pass the service desk and go to your room first. Signing up should be the first thing you do on board. Since there is usually is waiting list, if you give them enough time you won't be charged. The last tour we did was on the Royal. At the last minute my wife wasn't able to make the tour, but she still got the swag bag.

 

It is very interesting to see how the captains on the different ship treat your visit to the bridge. We had one captain told us where to stand and not move. Other captains let you walk around. Some even let you take pictures. 

 

Some of our highlights and one low light.

 

1. On the Royal the bell from the original Royal was on display. We was a nice surprise since we had sailed on the old Royal. The Captain had also sailed on the old Royal, but I can't remember how he ended up with bell.

 

2. We saw whales from the bridge.

 

3. We actually saw our laundry in the laundry room. They still won't let us take a picture.

 

4. On one tour they took us up to the funnels. This was the low light because it was freezing outside and very windy up top.

 

The tour takes from 3 to 4 hours. You won't be taken to the engine room, but you will see the control center. Be prepared to climb a lot stairs and keep an eye out for trip hazards. 

 

On last thing: When you get to the anchor room, do not look down through the hole to look at the anchor. It is a good way to get an expected shower of sea water. 

 

Roger

 

 

Roger - we just did the UST on the Royal last week. The story we were told regarding the bell was this. When there is a new ship, sometimes babies are christened on the ship. If this happens, the first baby has their name is engraved inside the bell. When the ship is retired, that person gets to keep the ship bell. The woman who received the bell from the original Royal decided to give the bell back to Princess when the new ship was launched. I believe that is basically the story they told us. I can't vouch for how accurate the story is but it seemed believable enough :)

 

The UST was great and I would recommend. We unfortunately weren't able to go to the engine control room due to some sort of drill being run I think. But the rest of the tour was fabulous. We spent over an hour on the bridge talking with the captain who was very personable and casual. 

[Baatman]

On ‎3‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 6:50 AM, 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

 

Good bet.

[EDDY0827]

Just off the Grand and did the UST yesterday. No medical center as it had a patient visiting. All the swag is the same with the exception of the photos. No hard frame for display, instead, we got a 2 photo cardboard album to put your favorite photos in, We received 1- 8x10 older (before the new livery) aerial photo of the Grand, 4- 8x6 group photos and 4- 8x10's. 2 copies of each photo in 2 different sizes, for a total of 9.

[suzyed]

We did it years ago on the Ruby!  We really enjoyed the tour and the gifts we got afterward! 
You should do it at least once, if it fits in your budget!
I know you didn't ask but the Chef's table is very worthwhile too!

[SmilesYourWay]

On ‎4‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 4:01 PM, EDDY0827 said:

Just off the Grand and did the UST yesterday. No medical center as it had a patient visiting. All the swag is the same with the exception of the photos. No hard frame for display, instead, we got a 2 photo cardboard album to put your favorite photos in, We received 1- 8x10 older (before the new livery) aerial photo of the Grand, 4- 8x6 group photos and 4- 8x10's. 2 copies of each photo in 2 different sizes, for a total of 9.

I'll be going on the Grand to Alaska in August with my parents. I'm planning to sign up for this.  When I was reading earlier posts and they mentioned getting robes, notepad, apron...I thought that was great.  Are you saying all you got was a few photos on the Grand?

[EDDY0827]

42 minutes ago, SmilesYourWay said:

I'll be going on the Grand to Alaska in August with my parents. I'm planning to sign up for this.  When I was reading earlier posts and they mentioned getting robes, notepad, apron...I thought that was great.  Are you saying all you got was a few photos on the Grand?

Not at all. I received everything mentioned. I was explaining an apparent change in the photo swag.

[SmilesYourWay]

1 minute ago, EDDY0827 said:

Not at all. I received everything mentioned. I was explaining an apparent change in the photo swag.

Oh, OK, Thanks

[Cyn874]

I was first to sign up for this on my sailing, but due to a miscommunication, they somehow let my dad cancel it for me without speaking to me at all, even though I booked it under my own name and ship board account. Only found out when I stopped by to confirm and learned it was earlier that same morning. Crushed.

[SmilesYourWay]

Oh my gosh! So sorry. I’d be crushed too. Hope you get another chance to do it. I’ll be sailing with my parents. They aren’t interested in this, but I sure am.

[JoRoy218]

Another positive vote here, we just got off the Grand two days ago. The UST was on Saturday, last full day. We toured medical center, theatre and backstage area,  galley (spent about 1 hr there), ship control, print shop, photo shop, laundry and finally the Bridge. Fantastic tour! We have tried to do this last three cruises and finally got in. Once on board, we made a beeline for Passenger Services and were the first to sign up. And yes, the “swag” is nice too. Robe in particular is fairly heavy. We were concerned about tipping airport scales,  but fortunately we made it. DH was at 49# and me at 50#. Whew! Bottom line, if you can swing the $150. do it! 

 By the way, they had so many interested, there were two groups of 14. We ended up on the Bridge at the same time and think we overwhelmed them. Great picture with the Captain! 

Edited April 24, 2019 by JoRoy218

[SmilesYourWay]

30 minutes ago, JoRoy218 said:

Another positive vote here, we just got off the Grand two days ago. The UST was on Saturday, last full day. We toured medical center, theatre and backstage area,  galley (spent about 1 hr there), ship control, print shop, photo shop, laundry and finally the Bridge. Fantastic tour! We have tried to do this last three cruises and finally got in. Once on board, we made a beeline for Passenger Services and were the first to sign up. And yes, the “swag” is nice too. Robe in particular is fairly heavy. We were concerned about tipping airport scales,  but fortunately we made it. DH was at 49# and me at 50#. Whew! Bottom line, if you can swing the $150. do it! 

 By the way, they had so many interested, there were two groups of 14. We ended up on the Bridge at the same time and think we overwhelmed them. Great picture with the Captain! 

How exciting!  I don't have to worry any extra weight in luggage as we aren't flying.  Fortunate to live a couple hours from port.  How long before the tour did they let you know? A day or more?  How did they let you know?

[donswife]

13 minutes ago, SmilesYourWay said:

How exciting!  I don't have to worry any extra weight in luggage as we aren't flying.  Fortunate to live a couple hours from port.  How long before the tour did they let you know? A day or more?  How did they let you know?

We received a letter in our cabin with detailed instructions a day or 2 before. It was a wonderful experience.

[JoRoy218]

9 hours ago, SmilesYourWay said:

How exciting!  I don't have to worry any extra weight in luggage as we aren't flying.  Fortunate to live a couple hours from port.  How long before the tour did they let you know? A day or more?  How did they let you know?

They told us when we signed up and mentioned when the tour would probably occur. And as donswife mentioned above, a letter to confirm arrived in cabin several days before.  I envy you, not having to fly. We had a very long travel day on Sunday after leaving the Grand. Have fun! 

[richmke]

I did the UST equivalent on CCL. Is it worth doing it again on a Princess ship?

[LHARTWICK]

On 3/27/2019 at 10:09 AM, EDDY0827 said:

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.

We've done the ship's tour with Carnival and really enjoyed it. I wasn't aware PCL offered one.  Can you book it prior to sailing or do you have to wait until you board??

[JF - retired RRT]

2 hours ago, LHARTWICK said:

We've done the ship's tour with Carnival and really enjoyed it. I wasn't aware PCL offered one.  Can you book it prior to sailing or do you have to wait until you board??

When you board.

The best plan (to be sure you get on the list) is to go immediately to the Passenger Services desk to sign up.

[EDDY0827]

3 hours ago, LHARTWICK said:

We've done the ship's tour with Carnival and really enjoyed it. I wasn't aware PCL offered one.  Can you book it prior to sailing or do you have to wait until you board??

Like JF said, do it asap upon boarding. If they make you wait to get to your cabin, that would be an excellent time to hit the PSD and sign up.

[suzyed]

3 minutes ago, EDDY0827 said:

Like JF said, do it asap upon boarding. If they make you wait to get to your cabin, that would be an excellent time to hit the PSD and sign up.

We did the UST on the Ruby Princess.  Very interesting!  And yes, sign up as soon as you get on the ship!

[LHARTWICK]

Thanks for the responses!  We very much enjoyed the behind the scenes tour with CCL.  However, once we got to the bridge portion, the Captain was less than hospitable.  I got the feeling he really didn't want us there - he was certainly no Captain Stubing - LOL!  Maybe he was just having a bad day.  However, it was still very interesting to see.  We have a large OBC for this next cruise, so I may consider this. 

[suzyed]

1 hour ago, LHARTWICK said:

Thanks for the responses!  We very much enjoyed the behind the scenes tour with CCL.  However, once we got to the bridge portion, the Captain was less than hospitable.  I got the feeling he really didn't want us there - he was certainly no Captain Stubing - LOL!  Maybe he was just having a bad day.  However, it was still very interesting to see.  We have a large OBC for this next cruise, so I may consider this. 

On our UST, the Captain was great!  They were all very welcoming and informative.  Sorry your experience was not as nice.