JUST BOOKED ROYAL PRINCESS for ALASKA and I AM TERRIFIED I MADE A HUGE MISTAKE HELLP!!!????

[OceanPrince]

As stated in my signiture, I only sail on Royal Class ships if possible and have been on Royal Princess 5 times. It's a beautiful ship with the best food. Did Coastal in last May and Alaska two months later in July on Royal Princess. I brought a group on first time cruiser for the July Alaska Cruise. Everyone loved the food/experience and one of them liked it so much that she bought CCL stock during middle of the cruise. Oh, we're all in our 40s or 30s.

Edited January 21, 2020 by OceanPrince

[fishin' musician]

14 hours ago, G03 said:

Thank you SO MUCH FOR this info.. we definitely PREFER Celebrity (By the way Celebrity offers complimentary binoculars and umbrellas for their Concierge class and above). but again their land offering for post/pre cruise were minimal and very hard to get information.. Do you know the local company they use?? The one you mentioned is used by  HAL??  I checked Alaska tours and they had a great one BUT It was a mission we would have had to go back to the airport to get to the hotel since we were starting 1 day earlier then the tour.

Maybe I can take a look at their land tours of the company you are talking about... Currently we are doing a Connesiuer  tour pre cruise for 8 days. Fairbanks/Denali/Mt Mckinlei cooper ridge and Kenai. Then picking up the cruise in Whittier. So I will be both in Kenai and Whittier I was just looking at which cruise to take In kenai so thanks for the info.

 

I still haven't ruled out going  back to X if I can find an adequate land tour..

 

if you happen to have the name of the tour company for X that’d be great cause Celebrity would to give it to me..

 

thanks!!

 

If I can figure out how to send a private message I will provide the name.  Their niche is being behind the scenes, name recognition be damned.  Their coaches carry the logo of the company using them be it NCL, RCL, X, Regent, etc... So to a Celebrity customer you will board what appears to be a Celebrity coach. 

[Oceansaway17]

Well I would like to say that the idea of HAL or Celebrity or Princess as being the only game in town is a myth.

 

Royal Caribbean (Radiance of the Seas) has many many land tour combos as does NCL.

 

I am doing Royal Princess this year on their packaged 14 day r/t Vancouver seeing everything twice except Dawes and Hubbard only once.  Awesome tour on Royal and all coastal.  We even have time in Anchorage from Seward.  

 

But I did a land tour combo in 2012 with Radiance and they were great.

 

Next year doing a NCL ship from Vancouver and a land tour for 5 days.  oh and NCL deposits are only $50 and always refundable.  You get the same tours in Denali and stay at the Hotel Alyeski just like everyone else.

 

I do not believe in loyalty to any one line.  RCCL is same company as X ships but has way more tour combos.

 

Also Holland is now taking land tours from Skagway.  That is right you sail for 3-4 days and then enter into Alaska via coach or Plane. They don't always go up to Seward.

[Thrak]

10 hours ago, fishin' musician said:

 

If I can figure out how to send a private message I will provide the name.  Their niche is being behind the scenes, name recognition be damned.  Their coaches carry the logo of the company using them be it NCL, RCL, X, Regent, etc... So to a Celebrity customer you will board what appears to be a Celebrity coach. 

 

Private messaging is disabled on these forums.

[Skai]

Thanks for expressing your concerns OP...

 

I am feeling much schadenfreude right now.

[Lovincruisin1321]

On 1/15/2020 at 12:11 AM, G03 said:

Hi Fellow Cruisers,

We are a couple in our 40s and typically sail Celebrity Concierge Class Aft balconies... After reading 2019's latest reviews for Royal Princess (Alaska) in conjunction with Princess vs Celebrity for Alaska; I think I'm having a MELTDOWN...

 

I JUST cancelled an aft cabin (CC1) on the newly renovated Celebrity Millennium with a $500 penalty because I was advised over and over Princess does ALASKA BEST and that their lodges are TOP NOTCH!!  But after reading all those reviews I'm concerned the food will be AWFUL or at best mediocre after spending 12K on cruise and Connoisseur land tour; and after reading the size of the Royal may not be allowed on some days into Juneau and no longer cruises the Inside Passage. Also, I booked an AFT cabin as should be done in Alaska and I read there is a HUGE SOOT problem on the aft balconies...

 

I'm FREAKING OUT!!! This is a 12K expense that I expect to be better then my Celebrity experiences as stated by Princess advertising.., but I fear it has turned into Carnival after reading reviews.  My Celebrity cruises had ALL been AMAZING, from the FOOD to the CREW, cleanliness, problem resolution, etc etc etc...

I checked to rebook my cabin on Celebrity and the price was 2K more in addition to I would have to figure out a land option all over again. 

 

If any of you have been on Royal Princess to Alaska 2019, am I freaking out OR is it going to be OK?? Should I cancel and beg Celebrity to take me back?

 

Best and THANK YOU,

G

When was your cruise on Celebrity?   $500???    That's insane!

[G03]

celebrity Cruise was for a July on Millenium newly refurbished. They gave me $300 back towards future cruise credit which I’m sure we’ll use so not worried about it.

[Thrak]

56 minutes ago, Skai said:

Thanks for expressing your concerns OP...

 

I am feeling much schadenfreude right now.

 

Really?

noun

noun: Schadenfreude; noun: schadenfreude

1. pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune.

[Skai]

15 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

Really?

noun

noun: Schadenfreude; noun: schadenfreude

1. pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune.

 

 

A wise man once imparted to me...

 

"Strive for perfection and accept the results."

 

To be (and I quote) "TERRIFIED", (having a)"MELTDOWN" and "FREAKING OUT" about something as trivial as whether or not one has chosen the right cruise-line to Alaska(among two very similar lines)...

 

It gives me great pleasure at their expense.

 

Life is too short.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

On 1/20/2020 at 7:40 PM, G03 said:

I still haven't ruled out going  back to X if I can find an adequate land tour..

 

if you happen to have the name of the tour company for X that’d be great cause Celebrity would to give it to me..

Celebrity has a "microste" for their Alaska Cruisetours, it's primarily aimed at agents but has TONS of information for the public as well:  www.celebritycruisetours.com  

[G03]

On 1/16/2020 at 2:26 AM, cheeseclan said:

We were on the Royal and had a wonderful time.  No soot on our aft suite balcony at any time.  

 

As far as the connoisseur tour:  we absolutely loved it and would do it again.  Great service and food throughout.

 

To us it was worth every penny and we would do it again.

 

[cruisequeen4ever]

The company used by Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and the smaller cruise lines is called Premier Alaska Tours. They are local and good but not as good as Princess (HAP Tours For Holland America Princess Tours). Princess owns their own lodges, whereas Premier Alaska contracts out to independent lodges, none of which are as nice as the Princess ones. The train and bus experiences would be equal, though. 

[dylandog25]

On 1/14/2020 at 9:11 PM, G03 said:

Hi Fellow Cruisers,

We are a couple in our 40s and typically sail Celebrity Concierge Class Aft balconies... After reading 2019's latest reviews for Royal Princess (Alaska) in conjunction with Princess vs Celebrity for Alaska; I think I'm having a MELTDOWN...

 

I JUST cancelled an aft cabin (CC1) on the newly renovated Celebrity Millennium with a $500 penalty because I was advised over and over Princess does ALASKA BEST and that their lodges are TOP NOTCH!!  But after reading all those reviews I'm concerned the food will be AWFUL or at best mediocre after spending 12K on cruise and Connoisseur land tour; and after reading the size of the Royal may not be allowed on some days into Juneau and no longer cruises the Inside Passage. Also, I booked an AFT cabin as should be done in Alaska and I read there is a HUGE SOOT problem on the aft balconies...

 

I'm FREAKING OUT!!! This is a 12K expense that I expect to be better then my Celebrity experiences as stated by Princess advertising.., but I fear it has turned into Carnival after reading reviews.  My Celebrity cruises had ALL been AMAZING, from the FOOD to the CREW, cleanliness, problem resolution, etc etc etc...

I checked to rebook my cabin on Celebrity and the price was 2K more in addition to I would have to figure out a land option all over again. 

 

If any of you have been on Royal Princess to Alaska 2019, am I freaking out OR is it going to be OK?? Should I cancel and beg Celebrity to take me back?

 

Best and THANK YOU,

G

We went on the royal last year and loved it and are going again this year. Definately two different styles of ships . But I personally think princess does Alaska better culturally

[ceilidh1]

I have yet to sail Celebrity, so can't comment on that but I have sailed Royal Princess 3 times last year, one of which was a 14 day roundtrip Alaska. I will be 100% honest and say that Royal is NOT my favourite ship (I personally prefer the Grand class). However, given that I just booked her again for March, she can't be all bad - lol.

 

Our cruise to Alaska was wonderful but there are things you need to be aware of to avoid disappointment. Firstly, as others have mentioned, Royal does not sail the inside passage (or at least didn't in 2019) so if that is something you are looking forward to, then find another ship. It is spectacular scenery, so sad that Royal passengers miss it - I knew this going in and have sailed it multiple times before so it didn't impact me.

 

Secondly, there is no promenade on Royal. Once again, if this will impact you then find another ship. While I did miss the ability to walk around on deck 7 I didn't find the lack of outside viewing areas to be as much of an issue as had been suggested on CC. Deck 7 had 4 open areas that were always empty - in fact, some of my best pictures at Glacier Bay were taken from these areas on deck 7 when it was just myself and my kids out there!

 

Since you haven't sailed Princess previously, the lack of Skywalkers and the weird layout of Princess Live will likely have no impact on you. For Grand Class fans like myself, these were annoyances. But not to the point where they ruined my trip and, since I knew about it ahead of time, didn't come as a surprise!

 

On the plus side, the lectures and naturalists on Princess ships are outstanding. As are the food specials from Alaska (be sure to visit the top deck when Tracy's Crab Shack comes onboard). Never any complaints about food - the buffet is huge (a little too huge if you're like me and get overwhelmed by choice) and Alfredos and International Cafe are both excellent choices if you want to skip buffet food. Dining room food was always good and the waitstaff really go above and beyond to make guests happy.

 

If you have any specific questions, I would be happy to help. I didn't do the cruisetour, but anything ship or port related let me know!

[ceilidh1]

Forgot to say, I absolutely second the poster that recommended the 26 Glaciers Cruise out of Whittier. By far the best trip I have ever taken!

[PandaBear62]

You've heard from lots of people, but I will chime in. My dh and I booked an Alaska cruisetour on the Royal for last year with my girlfriend and her dh. I started reading that the Royal would ne terrible in Alaska, it would be awful and I was freaking out. I was so stressed we would have a terrible cruise AND I ruined it for my girlfriend as well. I was a wreck!

 

We had an awesome time. We never had difficulty finding a place to be outside. My girlfriend and I booked the Sanctuary and we always found a ceramic lounger. I attended most of the Alaska speakers and they were excellent.  My girlfriend and I attended the cooking demonstration and kitchen tour and that was fantastic. (The guys enjoyed the bars!) I had no complaints and would absolutely sail on the Royal again. In fact, we are on the Regal in June for a British Isles cruise.