Royal Princess to Alaska and Back Aug 3-17 REVIEW

[ceilidh1]

Sorry for the delay in getting this review wrapped up - real life seems to have hit me hard! Just a few more things to touch on!

 

ELITE PERKS: Although I booked this sailing as a 14 day cruise, it was technically two 7 day B2Bs and my elite perks were treated as such. I received two mini bar set ups (I called and had the alcohol switched out to beer for both), 2 bathroom kits (complete with gold bags, loofer, conditioner, nail file, linen spray, shower cap), 2 invites to Captain's reception (we didn't attend). We took full advantage of the free laundry - there was no warning that there was a delay due to number of elites onboard (this seems to be the case on most sailings now). I would send it out in the morning and it was usually back next day at turndown. The only time it took an extra day was the day before Whittier, which is understandable as this is turn around day. The only small problem we had was that one set that was returned had a t-shirt that wasn't ours and we discovered that one of DDs shirts was missing. I left a note for the steward and by the time we returned to the room, the t-shirt that wasn't ours was gone and DDs was there! I also received two calls regarding the complimentary wine tasting - there always used to be a card in the room but recently that isn't the case and you just have to search in the Patter to find when it is. No need for that this time as both weeks I got a call to let me know the day/time/place and that it was free to attend (I didn't attend...) Internet - I think I already mentioned that both DS and DD got elite minutes, despite them being minors. This was a welcome surprise! I upgraded my free minutes to the unlimited 1 device package - for two weeks it cost $89! Pre cruise it was priced over double this amount! Complimentary hors d'oeuvres - there was a card left in the room for you to order these for formal nights. I never did! The elite lounge was in Club 6 from 4pm to 6pm or sometimes at 4:30pm. Given that we had early dinner at 5pm, we never much felt like trekking all the way forward to grab a drink and an appie and then all the way aft the the restaurant. We did go on turnaround day in Whittier as it was open seating in the dining room for that night. There was a nice selection of cheese, dips, guacamole, etc and the featured drinks were about $2 cheaper. There were only 4 others in there besides us so not much atmosphere. I did miss Skywalkers on this ship!

[ceilidh1]

Disembarkation: We didn't have to disembark in Whittier, since we were doing the B2B so we received the usual envelope in our cabin informing us of dining options, letting us know we did not need to leave the ship, and providing us with an in transit card if we did leave. We took a shore excursion and everything went smoothly. Our medallions carried over to the next leg of the cruise, as did internet, OBC, and the folio. Surprisingly, the only thing that DIDN'T carry over was the kids' registration in the youth program! This caused a bit of commotion as they went up that evening to sign themselves in but weren't allowed to as I had to fill out the registration forms (again)....

 

Disembarkation in Vancouver couldn't have gone smoother! We requested a late time and were given 9:30am. This was perfect as we left the room at 8am, caught the dining room for breakfast and then headed to Princess Live (where the elite disembarkation was) to wait to be called off. We barely sat down and they called our colour to leave! Our bags were waiting for us and we simply handed in our customs form and we were on our way!

 

CONCLUSIONS: As someone that vowed never to sail Royal again after a less than great experience in March, I am so glad I gave it another chance! As someone who said that Royal was not a good choice for Alaska due to lack of outdoor viewing areas, I am so glad I gave it a chance! We had a fantastic 2 weeks where everything was just about perfect. Aside from a few minor glitches, I really have nothing negative to comment on. The cruise was made even more perfect by Matt O and his team - he is just an amazing, fun, ball of energy and you can't help but enjoy yourself if he is around. I am looking forward to hopping back on Royal for a quick repositioning cruise with him on September 14th!

[tobyt]

Thank you for sharing a very balanced review! There are always good and not so good points to every cruise and you did a great job sharing the points of concern and the highlights!

[musicpro442]

Solomon Jaye is outstanding.  I enjoy the fact that he tap dances in his show but DW and I agreed his genre choice is somehat limited and his show is too long.  Barbi McCulloch (the correct spelling I believe) does a solo show which is completely different from Encore.  We've seen her as a headliner on several ships.  Nothing opera.  Everything from the alien song from The Fifth Element to Whitney Houston and Bohemian Rhapsody.  Her genre and vocal range is unbelievable.  DW and I loved the tribute to her grandmother.  Very inspiring show and nothing like it I've seen on ships, more like what I'd see at 54 Below in New York City but in a large theater. 

 

Jennifer Singer is, in my opinion, a lackluster vocalist with the exception of one Celine Dion number at the end of her show.  DW and I have seen her before and nothing to write home about.  Worth skipping for a game show or trivia with Matt O any day of the week.

 

AJ Jamal is always funny.  I find myself laughing every time I see his show, even if I know the punchlines.  

 

Secret Silk is temporarily withdrawn due to an intellectual property/ rights issue fleetwide.  Not sure when it'll be back.  But Encore is a great classical crossover show in my opinion.

 

Colors of the World was also withdrawn but will be returning soon.  Princess is also going to test out a smaller production show with Fee Fee and the Sentiments as the stars.  Rumor has it they will be on the Sky with this show.

 

Those are my recommendations and agreements.  Everything is worth seeing once, in my opinion.  Some more than once.

[ceilidh1]

3 hours ago, musicpro442 said:

Solomon Jaye is outstanding.  I enjoy the fact that he tap dances in his show but DW and I agreed his genre choice is somehat limited and his show is too long.  Barbi McCulloch (the correct spelling I believe) does a solo show which is completely different from Encore.  We've seen her as a headliner on several ships.  Nothing opera.  Everything from the alien song from The Fifth Element to Whitney Houston and Bohemian Rhapsody.  Her genre and vocal range is unbelievable.  DW and I loved the tribute to her grandmother.  Very inspiring show and nothing like it I've seen on ships, more like what I'd see at 54 Below in New York City but in a large theater. 

 

Jennifer Singer is, in my opinion, a lackluster vocalist with the exception of one Celine Dion number at the end of her show.  DW and I have seen her before and nothing to write home about.  Worth skipping for a game show or trivia with Matt O any day of the week.

 

AJ Jamal is always funny.  I find myself laughing every time I see his show, even if I know the punchlines.  

 

Secret Silk is temporarily withdrawn due to an intellectual property/ rights issue fleetwide.  Not sure when it'll be back.  But Encore is a great classical crossover show in my opinion.

 

Colors of the World was also withdrawn but will be returning soon.  Princess is also going to test out a smaller production show with Fee Fee and the Sentiments as the stars.  Rumor has it they will be on the Sky with this show.

 

Those are my recommendations and agreements.  Everything is worth seeing once, in my opinion.  Some more than once.

Nailed it!! I agree with what you stated above!

[geoherb]

On 8/18/2019 at 9:59 PM, ceilidh1 said:

In Whittier we did the 26 Glacier Cruise, simply because it is a long turnaround day and there really isn't a whole lot in Whittier.... I used the Best Price Guarantee form to submit lower prices I found online for the same tours. They honoured the lower pricing and we received 110% of the difference in price back as OBC. This worked out to almost $400 for the four of us! I definitely recommend checking pricing if you book through Princess as they do offer the guarantee.

 

 

I'm not sure how it worked out to be almost $400. It was $23.10 when I did the best price guarantee: $199.95 through Princess and $178.95 if booked directly.

[ceilidh1]

3 minutes ago, geoherb said:

 

I'm not sure how it worked out to be almost $400. It was $23.10 when I did the best price guarantee: $199.95 through Princess and $178.95 if booked directly.

That was the price difference total for 4 people, two shore excursions!. Sorry, I was a little unclear!

[rkacruiser]

On 8/26/2019 at 6:13 PM, ceilidh1 said:

As someone that vowed never to sail Royal again after a less than great experience in March, I am so glad I gave it another chance!

 

As I am as well.  My New Year's Cruise on Royal Princess ranks as one of the three most disappointing ones.  Thinking I learned how to "navigate" myself on such a large ship, I am willing to sail on Royal Princess or on one of her sisters.  Thanks for an interesting report.

[corsage]

Can you tell me the cost of pay as you go pop and water were during your cruise?

[ceilidh1]

1 hour ago, corsage said:

Can you tell me the cost of pay as you go pop and water were during your cruise?

I never purchased water but the sodas were around $2.75 each I believe. These were cans - if you do the soda package you are served fountain. In my opinion, the increased price of the soda package is no longer worth it if you drink mainly sodas. If you drink mocktails, then you might break even or "win" but you would need top drink a lot of soda to make it worthwhile! You can also pre-order canned soda and water on the personaliser and they are priced quite reasonably.

 

The buffet has a drink machine with water and iced tea for free (as well as tea, hot chocolate, and coffee) and you can also request lemonade for free from the waiters. At breakfast, apple juice and orange juice is also complimentary.

[Networker]

If I’ve never been to Alaska should I be concerned with the fact that the ship doesn’t do the inside passage.   I think that is what you said.  Or are the two glacier cruising days sufficient for scenery.  Biggest concern I have for this ship. 

[rkacruiser]

7 hours ago, Networker said:

If I’ve never been to Alaska should I be concerned with the fact that the ship doesn’t do the inside passage.   I think that is what you said.  Or are the two glacier cruising days sufficient for scenery.  Biggest concern I have for this ship. 

 

You need to decide what is the most important itinerary for you.  A round trip from Seattle or Vancouver will probably provide you with the most Inside Passage cruising.  Even with a Vancouver/Whittier-Seward itinerary, there will be a segment of Inside Passage cruising.

 

Remember, some of the Inside Passage cruising will be when you are "tucked in bed".  You really need to do more research and thinking of what you want to experience.

[ceilidh1]

The inside passage is beautiful but there is a great deal more beautiful scenery as well! It shouldn’t be a deal breaker! I would prefer an inside passage sailing but wouldn’t make it my primary reason for sailing that ship/itinerary