Alaska Cruise on Grand Princess: help with a decision

[Thrak]

One thing that will tell you Princess has the reputation of doing Alaska well is the number of blue cards on Alaska cruises. Blue cards don't necessarily indicate new cruisers - merely cruisers who are new to Princess. The 3 Alaska cruises we have taken were overwhelmingly populated by folks with blue cards.

[flamomo]

I believe OP mentioned going in September. I've had two September and one early June AK cruises, and in all 3 instances there were not a lot of kids onboard, many schools being in session at those times. I consider that a plus, for me personally. Please don't take it the wrong way when I say that, as I have nothing against kids on cruise ships, but, being older, prefer to travel during the months when they are in school. A few versus herds of them works better for me.

[Dani24]

We're sailing on R/T Alaska from SF on the Grand in July/August. This will be our second Alaska cruise (the first was in 2010, on the Sea Princess, also R/T 10 day out of SF). I remember worrying leading up to the trip in 2010 that the ship would be "too old" and not live up to the experience we had on our prior cruises. But we had such an amazing time! Yes, there was wear and tear, but everything worked and the ship was clean (if a bit tired in some areas), the food and service were great, and as others said it was really about the amazing scenery in Alaska. I've been reading a lot on the Grand and have seen similar reports like I saw with the Sea Princess before we sailed. But I've also seen a lot of really encouraging things since the Grand came out of drydock, and I'm feeling comfortable that we're going to have a fabulous time.

I see that some feel the extra sea days sailing out of SF aren't "worth it". But I disagree -- especially if you live near the port. We picked this sailing because we also live very close to SF, and love not having to fly. I can't tell you how amazing it is to not have to pack luggage with TSA and airline restrictions in mind (especially when packing a lot of heavier cold-weather gear). It started and ended our vacation on a MUCH more relaxed note. Plus I really, really loved sailing out of the Bay and under the Golden Gate Bridge. The Bay Area is where I live and grew up, and it was such a unique and special view of the city unlike any I had experienced before. I'm really looking forward to doing it again!

 

This time we considered flying up to Seattle or Vancouver and doing a 7 day. But it really would have been a wash time-wise. The 10 day adds 3 extra sea days. At least two of those would have been consumed by travel to/from the cruise. I'd rather spend those two days relaxing than flying, checking into/out of hotels, etc. Plus, price-wise it ended up being cheaper for us to take the 10 day when considering airfare and hotel costs. Those three extra sea days are great for just relaxing and enjoying the amenities on the ship (we've never been bored!)

 

As for the age range, we last went in early August and the ship certainly skewed older. But we also met several others around our age (we were 30 at the time). We didn't have a child yet, so we didn't pay much attention to that, but I certainly don't recall the ship being overwhelmed by kids -- though there certainly were kids on board. We're sailing late July/early August this time. Our daughter starts school August 13th. So depending on when in August you're thinking of going you may see more of a younger/family demographic in early August vs. later August when kids will be more and more back to school.

Things I am excited about for the Grand include the wrap-around Promenade (we loved this on our last Alaska cruise), the covered pool, Alfredo's Pizzeria, the new Salty Dog grill on the Lido deck, seeing the shows (we've always found them enjoyable on Princess), enjoying the cultural presentations, and interacting with the crew (I've seen LOTS of people say the crew on the Grand is some of the best they've encountered). We also got a Window Suite this cruise (highly recommend it if you can snag one, and it's within your budget) and I'm really looking forward to experiencing that, as well as the suite amenities (we've never done a suite before). 

[Dani24]

 

 

 

On 5/4/2019 at 3:05 PM, ricklepickle said:

Alaska cruises have a slightly older clientele, in general - what can we expect on these cruises out of SF?

What kind of entertainment is there? 

What kind of daytime activities are there?

Anything else to know?

 

To better address your question about entertainment and activities on board, here are the Patters from the Grand's SF Alaska itinerary from two years ago. Keep in mind, some things have likely changed, but it shouldn't be too far off. It'll at least give you an idea of what you can expect.
 

http://www.cruisetipstv.com/download-grand-princess-patters-10-night-alaska-cruise/ (click on the image to open up the full document)

 

The above link came through this post, which also has a video that tours the Grand: 

 

[ricklepickle]

7 hours ago, Dani24 said:

 

To better address your question about entertainment and activities on board, here are the Patters from the Grand's SF Alaska itinerary from two years ago. Keep in mind, some things have likely changed, but it shouldn't be too far off. It'll at least give you an idea of what you can expect.
 

http://www.cruisetipstv.com/download-grand-princess-patters-10-night-alaska-cruise/ (click on the image to open up the full document)

 

The above link came through this post, which also has a video that tours the Grand: 

 

Thank you so much, Dani 24.  

 

We also live in the Bay Area (Palo Alto), so no flight is very very attractive to us.  My last Alaska cruise was Whittier to Vancouver, preceded by a land tour to Denali.  It was amazing, but I ended up doing a lot of planning.  This cruise, should we do it, would be less planning, more "let's go to Alaska" and have a much needed vacation!   

[Dani24]

9 hours ago, ricklepickle said:

Thank you so much, Dani 24.  

 

We also live in the Bay Area (Palo Alto), so no flight is very very attractive to us.  My last Alaska cruise was Whittier to Vancouver, preceded by a land tour to Denali.  It was amazing, but I ended up doing a lot of planning.  This cruise, should we do it, would be less planning, more "let's go to Alaska" and have a much needed vacation!   

 

I’m over in the East Bay, and I do think you’d really like sailing out of SF. I highly recommend you try it at least once!

I’m a big planner when it comes to vacations. I like to have all the details hammered down before we go. Back before smartphones, I used to travel with an small accordion folder of information/confirmations/tickets/etc. I keep detailed spreadsheets for road trips. And I like to plot out our days and possible timelines to ensure we have adequate time for everything we want to do.

But cruising is special. Outside of making the initial arrangements and booking a few shore excursions, it’s one vacation where I don’t have to do much planning. No researching restaurants/lodging/activities for every day, making reservations, etc. We get on the ship and there are a few things I like to get lined up (like the Chefs Table or a spa treatment), and then I just “be”. Everything is there and ready, and I can decide on a whim what I want to do. Not having to plan flights and pre/post-cruise hotels enhances that. And the extra sea days are extra days to force myself to relax.

 

I hope you end up going, and you have an amazing time! 

[josher_m]

3 minutes ago, Dani24 said:

 

I’m over in the East Bay, and I do think you’d really like sailing out of SF. I highly recommend you try it at least once!

I’m a big planner when it comes to vacations. I like to have all the details hammered down before we go. Back before smartphones, I used to travel with an small accordion folder of information/confirmations/tickets/etc. I keep detailed spreadsheets for road trips. And I like to plot out our days and possible timelines to ensure we have adequate time for everything we want to do.

But cruising is special. Outside of making the initial arrangements and booking a few shore excursions, it’s one vacation where I don’t have to do much planning. No researching restaurants/lodging/activities for every day, making reservations, etc. We get on the ship and there are a few things I like to get lined up (like the Chefs Table or a spa treatment), and then I just “be”. Everything is there and ready, and I can decide on a whim what I want to do. Not having to plan flights and pre/post-cruise hotels enhances that. And the extra sea days are extra days to force myself to relax.

 

I hope you end up going, and you have an amazing time! 

 

That's exactly why we chose a cruise and to do it out of San Francisco.  I usually do all of the planning, all of the driving, etc.  I'm the exact same way and that is NOT very relaxing.  haha

When hubby asked where to go, what to do, nothing else sounded like a vacation if I have to do everything.  lol   I'm a type A (bit OCD as well) so this will be perfect for us 🙂

 

 

[ricklepickle]

This is all very encouraging...

 

Unfortunately, my SO won't go unless the internet is ok (this is his issue, he feels he needs to be work accessible, for the occasional call, etc).  In another thread, I asked and the response was not encouraging.  😞  

[brisalta]

On 5/8/2019 at 10:46 AM, ricklepickle said:

This is all very encouraging...

 

Unfortunately, my SO won't go unless the internet is ok (this is his issue, he feels he needs to be work accessible, for the occasional call, etc).  In another thread, I asked and the response was not encouraging.  😞  

 

If he is accessible for work then he is not on vacation!!!

I had a former colleague who was a VP and he chose to go on cruises so he would not be accessible.

[stoneharborlady]

On 5/4/2019 at 7:25 PM, bemis12 said:

 

 But the extra sea days gives them time to do things on the ship. Things that they want to do, regardless of whether you want to or not 

I very much agree.  We are all different, and different things appeal to different folks.

[josher_m]

Ok, so we just got off the Grand and I did buy one package for just surfing (mostly to check on our dogs as our boarder uploads pics on Facebook).  Internet worked fairly well but you would have to keep reconnecting during busy times.  I wouldn't use it yet for streaming or downloading/uploading yet as loading pics/videos would literally sometimes take hours.  Yes, hours!

 

But to use email and surf, as long as I was connected, it worked just fine.

[DRS/NC]

46 minutes ago, brisalta said:

 

If he is accessible for work then he is not on vacation!!!

I had a former colleague who was a VP and he chose to go on cruises so he would not be accessible.

 

This one of the reasons my late DH & I started to cruise 45 years ago  -- so his firm couldn't call him back to solve some "problem".

[voljeep]

for some of us, still working or semi-retired, the reason we can cruise is because we are still somewhat accessible during our trips , j/s ...

 

I know, I know ..

[ronandannette]

On 5/5/2019 at 5:46 PM, flamomo said:

I believe OP mentioned going in September. I've had two September and one early June AK cruises, and in all 3 instances there were not a lot of kids onboard, many schools being in session at those times. I consider that a plus, for me personally. Please don't take it the wrong way when I say that, as I have nothing against kids on cruise ships, but, being older, prefer to travel during the months when they are in school. A few versus herds of them works better for me.

This is exactly how we feel about elderly travellers, and we were very surprised at how few older people were apparent on our Alaska cruise, which we had expected to be a mobility-scooter mob scene. We sailed in mid-August and while it didn't rival a cheaper Caribbean itinerary for numbers of kids, there certainly were tons of multi-generational family groups aboard. I think the OP will find this as well if they sail in August, although Princess may skew just slightly to an older crowd (we sailed RCCL).

Edited July 7, 2019 by ronandannette

[BarbinMich]

On 5/4/2019 at 7:32 PM, Coral said:

I would not sail from SFO as I don't live near there but for those who do - it makes sense and it makes affordable. There is no need for them to pay for airfare.

 

They often go to the same ports as those that are RT Seattle.

--------------------

Alaska is amazing - definitely go. You may love it so much that on your next trip - you do a land trip with it.

 

All Alaskan cruises have older clientele, even Carnival. Don't let that stop you.

Our last cruise to Alaska was from SF back in May 2014.  We live in Michigan so we have to fly to the west coast (as would the great majority of Americans) to do an Alaskan cruise and chose SF because we hadn't been there in awhile, love to visit it (spent several pre-cruise days there), and had never cruised from there (loved going under the GG Bridge!).  We have also sailed twice from Vancouver and once from Seward AK.