14 Day from Los Angeles - Help!

[saryj]

I am looking to book a 14 day Alaska cruise on the Golden Princess from L.A.,  but wanted to hear from people that have done this and I can't seem to find anything online.  Will we be missing out on major views cruising from L.A.?  How was the overall experience?  What temps would I expect on the sea days heading to and returning from Alaska? 

[mapleleaves]

i've seen roundtrips from SanFran but never LA.  Maybe that's why you can't find past info.  What month is this?

  

Interesting that it's considered an Alaska cruise when half the time is spent NOT in Alaska.

Looks like lot of sea days since much of the cruise is too far from the coastline to see anything.

 

If you have 14 days and want to SEE and EXPERIENCE Alaska, why not do a one way 7 day cruise and 7 days on land?

[saryj]

We would be cruising at the end of June.

[CruiserBruce]

I think it is a new route...that is why you are having difficulty getting info.

[disneyochem]

We just booked the 14 day Alaskan roundtrip out of LA for July 2021.  Daughter is graduating from UCI in June, so we are doing a family graduation present-cruise.  Our trip is on the Sun Princess.  If you do book this cruise, you'll have to tell us how it was!

 

We have cruised to Alaska numerous times--out of Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco--and have enjoyed them all.  The SF trip was little rocky for first couple of days when you are in the open ocean.  I don't mind the motion but a number of folks had trouble the first two days at sea.  Crew had vomit bags in all of the restrooms and on the stairwells.  Couple of our table mates didn't make it to dinner.  The voyage was also a bit rough on the last day (leaving Victoria) out on the open ocean.  Temps are certainly cooler on an Alaskan cruise.  So it was chilly (high 50-low 60) on the way up and mid-60 in Alaska.  Didn't use the pool but did sit in the hot tub a few times.

 

We really like look of the route out of LA--three sea days (which I love), 3 ports, glacier viewing day, 3 ports, 3 sea days.  On the July 2021 cruise, the ship stops at Prince Rupert instead of Victoria.  Excited because that is a new port for us.

Edited February 17, 2020 by disneyochem

[saryj]

25 minutes ago, disneyochem said:

We just booked the 14 day Alaskan roundtrip out of LA for July 2021.  Daughter is graduating from UCI in June, so we are doing a family graduation present-cruise.  Our trip is on the Sun Princess.  If you do book this cruise, you'll have to tell us how it was!

 

We have cruised to Alaska numerous times--out of Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco--and have enjoyed them all.  The SF trip was little rocky for first couple of days when you are in the open ocean.  I don't mind the motion but a number of folks had trouble the first two days at sea.  Crew had vomit bags in all of the restrooms and on the stairwells.  Couple of our table mates didn't make it to dinner.  The voyage was also a bit rough on the last day (leaving Victoria) out on the open ocean.  Temps are certainly cooler on an Alaskan cruise.  So it was chilly (high 50-low 60) on the way up and mid-60 in Alaska.  Didn't use the pool but did sit in the hot tub a few times.

 

We really like look of the route out of LA--three sea days (which I love), 3 ports, glacier viewing day, 3 ports, 3 sea days.  On the July 2021 cruise, the ship stops at Prince Rupert instead of Victoria.  Excited because that is a new port for us.

Thanks for the info.  Do you anticipate rough waters on the 3 sea days at the first and at the end?  Will the weather be warm leaving and returning from LA?

[zqvol]

30 minutes ago, saryj said:

Thanks for the info.  Do you anticipate rough waters on the 3 sea days at the first and at the end?  Will the weather be warm leaving and returning from LA?

 

I would be more surprised if you don't have rough water until you get close to Ketchikan and then after you leave Sitka, but you never know the ocean could be calm the whole way.

[RSF Cruiser]

We did the round trip from LA in April/May 2019 and have it booked again in July 2021. We loved it because we could cruise to Alaska without flying. We've cruised to Alaska from LA, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver. Like anything else, each has its advantages and disadvantages - it really depends on your priorities. If spending the maximum amount of time in Alaska is your priority, this cruise may not be for you. On the LA round trip you will spend most of your time traveling to and from Alaska, so be sure you enjoy sea days! We're aren't sensitive to the ship's rocking, so I'm not a good one to ask about rough seas. One of the things I like about the 2021 itinerary, is the number of stops in Alaska - it's been a long time since we've been in Sitka.

[saryj]

31 minutes ago, RSF Cruiser said:

We did the round trip from LA in April/May 2019 and have it booked again in July 2021. We loved it because we could cruise to Alaska without flying. We've cruised to Alaska from LA, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver. Like anything else, each has its advantages and disadvantages - it really depends on your priorities. If spending the maximum amount of time in Alaska is your priority, this cruise may not be for you. On the LA round trip you will spend most of your time traveling to and from Alaska, so be sure you enjoy sea days! We're aren't sensitive to the ship's rocking, so I'm not a good one to ask about rough seas. One of the things I like about the 2021 itinerary, is the number of stops in Alaska - it's been a long time since we've been in Sitka.

Thanks for the response!  How did you find the weather on the 3 sea days at the beginning and end of the cruise?  Will it be warm for the first couple and last?  Will be able to use the outdoor pools etc...

[crystalspin]

RT/LA: We're booked on Golden Princess 13 June 2020, us two and my mom in one minisuite and sister/BIL next door. I booked it the day it became available and added the BSE perks when THEY became available.

 

The not-having-to-fly aspect was the clincher in choice of itinerary, which will be our first Princess cruise.

 

I also have a similar booking on the Sun Princess in July 2021! That will depend on how the others get on with the sea days. (DH and I know we like them!)

[RSF Cruiser]

4 hours ago, saryj said:

Thanks for the response!  How did you find the weather on the 3 sea days at the beginning and end of the cruise?  Will it be warm for the first couple and last?  Will be able to use the outdoor pools etc...

I don’t remember any rough seas, but then they would have to be really rough for me to notice, so I’m not a reliable judge. As for the weather, we were one if the first ships to get to Alaska. Alaska was colder that the later months, but not a problem for me. I’d say the weather going

up the coast was the normal spring weather. Since you’re going in the summer, it should be warmer. I find the best attitude regarding weather is to expect it to be bad - then you are generally happy with what ever happens. The coldest day will be a whatever glacier you are going to - from the ice radiating out, but you’re o ly there for an hour or so. 
 

I don’t generally go in the pool, but I always go in the hot tub. That was delightful. 

[Gardyloo]

16 hours ago, saryj said:

Thanks for the response!  How did you find the weather on the 3 sea days at the beginning and end of the cruise?  Will it be warm for the first couple and last?  Will be able to use the outdoor pools etc...

The Pacific is quite a lot colder than other oceans and seas, so I wouldn't expect particularly warm temperatures on your (many) sea days.  Might, might not be, but nothing to bank on.  And you will be on open ocean so expect considerably more ship movement than you'd have on, say an Inside Passage round trip from Vancouver.  (The round trips from Seattle also travel on open ocean to the west of Vancouver Island, so less scenic and potentially more bumpy conditions than the Vancouver departures.)

[disneyochem]

22 hours ago, saryj said:

Thanks for the response!  How did you find the weather on the 3 sea days at the beginning and end of the cruise?  Will it be warm for the first couple and last?  Will be able to use the outdoor pools etc...

We sailed from SF so a little different from LA.  Your first sea day may be warm, but the further north you get the cooler it will get (very different from a topical cruise).  I'm not familiar with your ship but the Grand Princess had a covered pool that was really nice. Was warm and steamy in that area.  I didn't swim but hubby did.

[snoozecrooze]

Hello! Well, if I'm not to be mistaken, I believe Princess has only recently (re?)introduced Alaska voyages that were round-trip from Los Angeles. I believe the most recent voyages were two 12-day voyages on Ruby in April 2019 and on Royal in September 2019. Princess' rationale for offering 14-day round-trips on Golden this year (and also on Sun next year) was basically that demand was so high for LA trips, so here they are!

 

There is a specific 22-page trip story written by another poster here on CC who took the Ruby trip and it's a great read, if you have the time. Take a look here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2460801-april-23-2019-ruby-princess-rt-alaska/?do=findComment&comment=57447726

 

I can vouch for the cooler temps and the rockier cruising experience when cruising north from California (and back down). Golden Princess is nearly identical to Grand and Star Princess in most places, so you will have a nice indoor pool (the "conservatory") to use, in addition to an outdoor one. If you're sensitive to motion sickness, make sure to bring bonine/meclizine, something that isn't drowsy. Seek your physician's advice to make sure you will be fine taking them. Keep yourself busy throughout the ship, and you'll be less prone to thinking of the motion. 

 

I can understand if flying poses many discomforts or is simply inaccessible, but if you can, I highly suggest the 14-day "Voyage of the Glaciers" round-trip from Vancouver. You'll be able to experience the inside passage on the east side of Vancouver Island and also visit Glacier Bay, and the dual 7-day trip allows you to get two tries at the ports. Definitely different strokes for different folks, but I would love coming back to a port a second time in one trip 🙂 Also, the seas should be more serene (maybe a little nudging closer to Whittier). Let us know what you end up choosing and hope this helps a little!

Edited February 19, 2020 by snoozecrooze