Possibility of boarding earlier?

[caribill]

On 4/26/2019 at 9:47 PM, sskate said:

I'm still struggling whether I should join the 26 glacier tour or not, I want to because Royal seems not an appropriate ship for Alaska, so I would like to take a smaller boat so as to get a closer view of the Glaciers.  However, I have read some reviews that if you get a bad seating on the 26 Glacier tour boat, your view of the Glacier will be very limited and the boat is very cramped.  Luck has never been on my side.

 

I would drop my luggage off at the cruise pier and then head to the glacier tour. You can check-in and board the ship after the glacier tour.

 

The only disadvantage to this is that you will have your carry-on items with you on the glacier tour.

 

Do not miss a very unique Alaska experience just so you can get to your cabin around 12:30.

[LeeW]

On 4/27/2019 at 11:32 PM, caribill said:

 

I would drop my luggage off at the cruise pier and then head to the glacier tour. You can check-in and board the ship after the glacier tour.

 

The only disadvantage to this is that you will have your carry-on items with you on the glacier tour.

 

Do not miss a very unique Alaska experience just so you can get to your cabin around 12:30.

 

 

Agree with this.  We did a B2B from Vancouver and ship starts disembark in Whittier around 6 AM.  Town is pretty deserted until around 10.  Booked the 26 Glacier cruise on their web site - the earlier you book the better the seats.  Great food, by the way. Port luggage guys start taking bags around 10.  Checkin for 26 Glacier is just to left of port entrance (gate lets you through from port) and they open up for checkin around 12 for 12:30 departure.

 

You sit mostly at 4-6 person diner-type seating on the 26 Glacier trip.  Not much luggage space there but they do have some in common areas and between some tables.  Once you are done eating everyone gets up and moves all over the ship taking pictures and watching the scenery.  You can certainly then store your carry-ons on your assigned seats - gets kind of cold outside so people come back and forth.

 

Got back to the pier around 6 and headed for dinner at 6:30.  All open seating in main dining rooms that night.  Lots of people still getting onboard.  Muster drill was 7:30, with late arrival muster at 8:15, just after ship scheduled to sail.  We've done many Sanctuary trips but would not do one for an Alaska cruise.

[sskate]

47 minutes ago, LeeW said:

 

 

Agree with this.  We did a B2B from Vancouver and ship starts disembark in Whittier around 6 AM.  Town is pretty deserted until around 10.  Booked the 26 Glacier cruise on their web site - the earlier you book the better the seats.  Great food, by the way. Port luggage guys start taking bags around 10.  Checkin for 26 Glacier is just to left of port entrance (gate lets you through from port) and they open up for checkin around 12 for 12:30 departure.

 

You sit mostly at 4-6 person diner-type seating on the 26 Glacier trip.  Not much luggage space there but they do have some in common areas and between some tables.  Once you are done eating everyone gets up and moves all over the ship taking pictures and watching the scenery.  You can certainly then store your carry-ons on your assigned seats - gets kind of cold outside so people come back and forth.

 

Got back to the pier around 6 and headed for dinner at 6:30.  All open seating in main dining rooms that night.  Lots of people still getting onboard.  Muster drill was 7:30, with late arrival muster at 8:15, just after ship scheduled to sail.  We've done many Sanctuary trips but would not do one for an Alaska cruise.

How would you compare a forward view on the ship into the passage of Glacier Bay vs the glacier tour in Prince William Sound?  I have to choose between the two.  Princess Royal has no forward deck.

[Steelers36]

I have dropped into this thread a couple of times.  Folks are posting about a forward viewing deck.  Is this necessary, or does the ship swing about in Glacier Bay?  We were on a S.A. cruise and visited the Amalia Glacier.  The ship swung around so there were views from all angles before we departed the channel.

 

Edited May 5, 2019 by steelers36

[LeeW]

On 5/4/2019 at 9:18 PM, sskate said:

How would you compare a forward view on the ship into the passage of Glacier Bay vs the glacier tour in Prince William Sound?  I have to choose between the two.  Princess Royal has no forward deck.

 

Apples and oranges.  The 26 glacier tour route is on their web site, but they go across the sound, around a couple of islands, up the sound and back, then into a small fjord just north of Whittier for a very close view of some glaciers.  On the ship the glaciers are mostly to the side and Glacier Bay is often foggy/rainy early in the morning when you are heading in.

 

Personally wouldn't take Royal Princess on an Alaskan cruise unless I had no other options.  Have done four on Coral and Island.  Those ships have an enclosed swimming pool with nice padded loungers and you can hop outside on two levels for photos.  For Glacier Bay you want to move around a lot, including down to the Promenade deck for a look UP at the glaciers.  Of course the one they stop by and rotate the ship near (Marjorie Glacier) is 200' higher than the ship, so even from three ship lengths away you look up at it from the top deck.  Nothing like seeing a chunk of ice 1/2 the size of the ship break loose and rock the ship.  The splash would have gone over the top deck if we had been closer.

 

First two pictures are Marjorie icefall from Island Princess.  Second two from 26 Glacier Phillips Cruises boat of Harriman Glacier.

Edited May 7, 2019 by LeeW
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