July 25, 2021 Live From Majestic Princess Alaska sailing

[stryker12]

Did you have to take a covid test to get on the ship if you are vaccinated?

[Jeter02]

1 minute ago, stryker12 said:

Did you have to take a covid test to get on the ship if you are vaccinated?

It's on the princess website under the frequently asked questions if you are vaccinated no need for a covid test prior to your cruise to board.

[Travlin grrl]

Can't wait to hear about everything. Thanks for posting. I will be following. 

[Kay S]

On 7/26/2021 at 7:15 AM, Cruise Raider said:

There is a piano bar .. it’s at the Crown Grill Bar.  It’s not anything like Crooners on any ship we’ve been on though.  It’s just relaxing piano music.
the VIP gaming room has actually been turned into the Vista Lounge.  Oceans Blue was playing some fantastic music there last night!   

I am still confused.  If that area by the casino (used to be Club 6 on Royal, etc.) is now the Vista Lounge, what is original Vista Lounge now?  There are two Vista Lounges on this ship?  And no Crooners, okay, but the beauty of Crooners was its location overlooking the atrium.  Is there no bar now that meets that criterion?  I have seen several versions of deck plans for this ship, and none of them agree with each other.

[Steelers36]

8 minutes ago, Kay S said:

I am still confused.  If that area by the casino (used to be Club 6 on Royal, etc.) is now the Vista Lounge, what is original Vista Lounge now?  There are two Vista Lounges on this ship?  And no Crooners, okay, but the beauty of Crooners was its location overlooking the atrium.  Is there no bar now that meets that criterion?  I have seen several versions of deck plans for this ship, and none of them agree with each other.

This has been answered some posts back.  The Vista Lounge is Deck 7 Aft as shown in the Princess.com deck plan for Majestic.  Technically, there is no Crooners.  The bar area on port side of casino was re-branded - they have not updated that on Deck 6 plan.  Not VIP Gaming.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

 

It’s a grey, damp, chilly morning as we head to Juneau. We gained an hour so I thought I’d quickly share some things I thought might be useful. I haven’t read past posts so some of it may have been covered. 

 

We had the BEST M&G ever!  It was soooooooo wonderful to meet my CC sailing mates finally!  We have a really 

fun and friendly group. I’m excited that our Maitre D’hotel, Neville, has agreed to do a chef table for us. 

 

Also every senior officer but Dr and executive chef came to our M&G. We met the Captain, Staff Captain, Chief Engineer, Hotel GM, Maitre D’hotel and also the CD, ED, Captain Circle Host and many others. And they didn’t come late and leave quickly.  They came early and stayed the whole time!  From Captain on down they chatted up our members. It was amazing.  Maybe others will say no big deal but for me it was the first time I’ve ever had a M&G like that. 

 

I was told by one of the officers embarkation day in the Elite/suite lounge that Jan will be on board tonight after being on the Amsterdam the last 2 days. We will see. But if you’re on board keep your ears open. 

 

If you are currently on board they have just today given phones back to the room stewards so we can call them during their regular work hours if we need them. My steward, Francisco just gave me his number. Yeah!  My steward works from 7 am to 2 pm and 5 to 9 pm. He has 18 cabins but only 12 have people in them.  

 

Up until now if you needed anything you had 4 choices: 1. call guest services, 2. stand in line at guest services, 3. use CrewCall chat (on homepage of Ocean Now) or 4. Crew Call Assistance (click on Order food/Drinks/retail/service and its right there). 

 

Option 1 phone rang  foreeeeeeeever for me

 

Option 2 except in early am or late pm the lines are Loooooooong 

 

Option 3 works like IM but it can take hours to get a reply although this morning at 7 am they were not busy and it was only a few minutes between messages. 

 

Option 4 I have had very good luck with. I’ve used it twice once at 2 pm during peak hours & 7 am this morning.  Both times I had a phone call within 5 minutes. But you have to be in your room to use this. 

 

I’ve needed guest services for various reasons the last few days so getting the hang of how to do that the most efficiently was important to me. What I’ve found works for me is that when I see an erroneous charge on my stateroom account (only available on the ap on your phone/device or by waiting in line at guest services) or if I have another issue that is non urgent where an hour or more for a reply won’t matter option 3 is best. 

However, when I need someone quicker I use option 4. 

For example, yesterday I had a champagne flute on my coffee table next a bag with my book in it. The book fell over, the glass went down and small chards of glass all over. BTW I blame it all on Cruiseraider LOL, since she sucked me into Vines as I was walking by……one thing led to another and next thing I know there’s a glass of Gloria Ferrer blanc de noir (only place on ship to get it by the glass yes it’s in the bev pkg) in my hand. I was Derrick and Ricky and Ganna’s first customer at Vines so they’ve put my name on a stool and will hand me a glass of bubbly anytime I get within 10 feet.  

Back to the broken glass. I clearly needed a vacuum and I had no way to call steward yesterday. After trying option 3 and waiting an hour on my balcony (I know how horrible) I tried option 4 and the whole mess was cleaned up in 10 minutes. 

 

Prior to embarkation I  had selected 5:40 dining for every night and I was assigned Symphony dining room table for 2. When I got ready for dinner the first night I checked DMW to find I had been reassigned to Allegro. I went to Allegro and while it seemed like they were expecting me there was confusion as to what table. I was taken to one side of the room and then no that’s not right over to the other side. Dinner and service was lovely. I had a nice window seat. I ordered an ap and an entree. I easily was done by 6:30 in plenty of time to get to the Princess theater. When I left I asked if I’d have the same table and waitstaff all week and they yes if I wanted to. However on the next night that’s not at all what happened. I still had a window seat but it was different and with different waitstaff. When I left I was told that there was no more traditional dining. I was able to order ap, entree and dessert and be done by 6:40. Lots of time to get to the show Sweet soul music. 

 

Here’s my experience with whole order it have it delivered anywhere function.  I’ve ordered drinks with and without alcohol and various food using Ocean 5 times through the TV and my phone. At 6 am my international cafe mocha and macchiato got here in 15 min. At 11:30 pm my quesadilla, salad and bourbon (covered under pkg) took 45 min. At 2 pm my guacamole and chips (free) took 45 min but my Negroni never came. Food and booze come together. My 10 am burger took an hour. My Perrier that ordered at 8 am while sitting in vines area took 15 min.  Also the buttons are sticky on the ap when you order and three times I’ve gotten 2 if something instead of 1. Also if you order 2 drinks (even a second coffee that normally you don’t get cgarged for in person) you do get charged for the second. 

 

To say the internet is wonky is a complete understatement. It simply does not work the majority of the time for me. It is why my first day posts were weird. I hope all the references to my boarding pass got taken down. If you see any please report to moderator. I am using my iPad tethered to my iPhone cellular network. I am going to post what I have so far while I’m in port but it’s king crab leg night and I’m 30 minutes from dinner so I’ll stop here. 

 

Quickly though, I have never sailed with happier more friendly group of people. I have made so many new friends & not just my CC connections. I am having the best time ever!  So if you’re sailing solo like me I hope you have the same experience. There have been a couple of solo and singles meet ups but honestly I haven’t gone bc of all the new folks I am hanging with. 

 

 

 

 

[Cruise Raider]

11 minutes ago, Kay S said:

I am still confused.  If that area by the casino (used to be Club 6 on Royal, etc.) is now the Vista Lounge, what is original Vista Lounge now?  There are two Vista Lounges on this ship?  And no Crooners, okay, but the beauty of Crooners was its location overlooking the atrium.  Is there no bar now that meets that criterion?  I have seen several versions of deck plans for this ship, and none of them agree with each other.

I’ve not been on this ship before but have been on the Royal.  I don’t believe   The Vista Lounge is where the Club 6 is on the Royal but, my memory may be failing me.  
On the Majestic, the Vista Lounge is on deck 7 where the Vista Lounge is on the Grand class ships.  
There is no Crooners … the piano bar is in the Crown Grill Bar area.  
I think your confusion (and my confusion) and mine was that someone had mentioned (and I believe I may have repeated) that Crooners not took over the VIP gaming lounge.  Actually, the Vista Lounge looks to have taken over that area.  They made some changes since they took it from the Asian     market to the US.  So, some deck plans may be old and some may be new.  

.

[cruisindanx]

For anyone wondering they haven’t checked a reservation on anything I reserved through the JourneyView or DMW. There’s been no issues just doing anything I want anytime I want. 

Edited July 28, 2021 by cruisindanx

[Cruise Raider]

7 hours ago, Mary Ann 2 said:

Thanks so much for this info.  Do the disembarkation papers mention what time your flight has to leave from SEA to qualify for Luggage Valet program (where they take your luggage to the airport and you don't see it until arriving at home airport)?

Yes!  And those just came today … Yoo-hoo!  
The cut off time is no earlier than 11:00 AM.  
Not all but several airlines qualified. If I see the form again, I will try to remember to take a picture to post.  

[Cruise Raider]

7 hours ago, redrobin said:

I like prime rib and carrot cake, and am eager to have both on my upcoming cruise! 😀

 

Heartfelt thanks to all who are live posting!! I will try and pass it forward by answering lingering questions when I sail. 

 

Would love to get any updates regarding the casino, ie casino host, slot availability, covid protocols, ... anything at all!

Aha … I can help you with some of that.  I’m not sure who the casino host is.  If my memory from two days ago serves me right (and it may not because we are just having so much fun), it could be Anna.  
There do not seem to be any really obnoxious CoVid protocols except for you see the staff cleaning the high touch areas constantly.  
we went the other day and could pick about any machine we wanted. It may not be a huge gambling crowd on this sailing.  My DH won a little, I lost a little and will probably go back and try our luck again once we aren’t in port.  This is a pretty port rich sailing so, not a lot of time for gambling so far.  I know you can play online but what’s the fun in that?  
 

[Kenosha Cruiser]

Just wondering if the Noodle Bar on Lido Deck has been replaced with a "Pizza by the Slice" station? Love having pizza there several times during a cruise. 

 

Cheers - Ken & Darlene

 

[Denmal]

Can you reserve cabanas in the Hollywood conservatory,  for example when you ate in Glacier Bay

 We ate on the Majestic next year with a group of 6 so it would be fun for Glacier Bay if we could...Thanks for any info

[Cruise Raider]

So, I still have to return to page 23 or so to catch up on some questions I can speak to … but for now, just want to update on our experiences.  
 

We arrived in Juneau a bit late, which normally wouldn’t be an issue in the very least but it pushed our all day tour back later than we would prefer.  
They allowed us an exception for us to cancel so late once we were notified of the schedule change.  
It is a beautiful day in Juneau with temps in the mid sixties and even some gorgeous sunshine.  
We attended the MDR lunch onboard and the food and service were amazing!  It may actually have been our best meal so far.  A shout out to our waiter, Raul.  We are going to try to snag him for our dinner tonight.  

We docked very close to town .. from our aft balcony, we can see Tracy’s Crab Shack just a short walk away.  

Since we had no real plans, we were thinking of heading into town but decided instead to get a massage in the spa onboard.  The spa is amazing .. so, clean with CoVid protocols in p,ace.  The masseuse did such a wonderful job … loved her technique.  
Afterwards,   We went to take care of our disembarkation information and stopped at Vines for a nice glass of Chardonnay.  From there, we had a Jan Schwartz sighting.  It appears she will be sailing back to Seattle with us.  
 

 

[Steelers36]

31 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

When I left I was told that there was no more traditional dining.

That seems odd for sure as it seems they moved TD selections to Allegro.  Also, I wonder if it is for this early cruise since there have been so many issues with DMW?  I would think the MD would have setup dining as previously for TD style.

 

I have been informed that Princess intends to continue TD as they promised in the promo materials for DMW.  They also realize that table-size selection is important as well in the selection process.  I don't have a time-line at this time, but I am expecting them to deliver.  At least you were told you could have same wait staff.  Who knows what is really going on as they get started?  At least people are getting fed and happy as you stated.

 

We shall see how DMW evolves on the next and following voyages.  But I doubt that TD is `00% no more.

 

 

ETA - From a couple of other posts by fellow cruisers, it seems they may be taking a pretty "open" approach to dining this voyage.  Don't know though - just guessing.

Edited July 28, 2021 by Steelers36

[Host CJSKIDS]

25 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

 

It’s a grey, damp, chilly morning as we head to Juneau. We gained an hour so I thought I’d quickly share some things I thought might be useful. I haven’t read past posts so some of it may have been covered. 

 

We had the BEST M&G ever!  It was soooooooo wonderful to meet my CC sailing mates finally!  We have a really 

fun and friendly group. I’m excited that our Maitre D’hotel, Neville, has agreed to do a chef table for us. 

 

Also every senior officer but Dr and executive chef came to our M&G. We met the Captain, Staff Captain, Chief Engineer, Hotel GM, Maitre D’hotel and also the CD, ED, Captain Circle Host and many others. And they didn’t come late and leave quickly.  They came early and stayed the whole time!  From Captain on down they chatted up our members. It was amazing.  Maybe others will say no big deal but for me it was the first time I’ve ever had a M&G like that. 

 

I was told by one of the officers embarkation day in the Elite/suite lounge that Jan will be on board tonight after being on the Amsterdam the last 2 days. We will see. But if you’re on board keep your ears open. 

 

If you are currently on board they have just today given phones back to the room stewards so we can call them during their regular work hours if we need them. My steward, Francisco just gave me his number. Yeah!  My steward works from 7 am to 2 pm and 5 to 9 pm. He has 18 cabins but only 12 have people in them.  

 

Up until now if you needed anything you had 4 choices: 1. call guest services, 2. stand in line at guest services, 3. use CrewCall chat (on homepage of Ocean Now) or 4. Crew Call Assistance (click on Order food/Drinks/retail/service and its right there). 

 

Option 1 phone rang  foreeeeeeeever for me

 

Option 2 except in early am or late pm the lines are Loooooooong 

 

Option 3 works like IM but it can take hours to get a reply although this morning at 7 am they were not busy and it was only a few minutes between messages. 

 

Option 4 I have had very good luck with. I’ve used it twice once at 2 pm during peak hours & 7 am this morning.  Both times I had a phone call within 5 minutes. But you have to be in your room to use this. 

 

I’ve needed guest services for various reasons the last few days so getting the hang of how to do that the most efficiently was important to me. What I’ve found works for me is that when I see an erroneous charge on my stateroom account (only available on the ap on your phone/device or by waiting in line at guest services) or if I have another issue that is non urgent where an hour or more for a reply won’t matter option 3 is best. 

However, when I need someone quicker I use option 4. 

For example, yesterday I had a champagne flute on my coffee table next a bag with my book in it. The book fell over, the glass went down and small chards of glass all over. BTW I blame it all on Cruiseraider LOL, since she sucked me into Vines as I was walking by……one thing led to another and next thing I know there’s a glass of Gloria Ferrer blanc de noir (only place on ship to get it by the glass yes it’s in the bev pkg) in my hand. I was Derrick and Ricky and Ganna’s first customer at Vines so they’ve put my name on a stool and will hand me a glass of bubbly anytime I get within 10 feet.  

Back to the broken glass. I clearly needed a vacuum and I had no way to call steward yesterday. After trying option 3 and waiting an hour on my balcony (I know how horrible) I tried option 4 and the whole mess was cleaned up in 10 minutes. 

 

Prior to embarkation I  had selected 5:40 dining for every night and I was assigned Symphony dining room table for 2. When I got ready for dinner the first night I checked DMW to find I had been reassigned to Allegro. I went to Allegro and while it seemed like they were expecting me there was confusion as to what table. I was taken to one side of the room and then no that’s not right over to the other side. Dinner and service was lovely. I had a nice window seat. I ordered an ap and an entree. I easily was done by 6:30 in plenty of time to get to the Princess theater. When I left I asked if I’d have the same table and waitstaff all week and they yes if I wanted to. However on the next night that’s not at all what happened. I still had a window seat but it was different and with different waitstaff. When I left I was told that there was no more traditional dining. I was able to order ap, entree and dessert and be done by 6:40. Lots of time to get to the show Sweet soul music. 

 

Here’s my experience with whole order it have it delivered anywhere function.  I’ve ordered drinks with and without alcohol and various food using Ocean 5 times through the TV and my phone. At 6 am my international cafe mocha and macchiato got here in 15 min. At 11:30 pm my quesadilla, salad and bourbon (covered under pkg) took 45 min. At 2 pm my guacamole and chips (free) took 45 min but my Negroni never came. Food and booze come together. My 10 am burger took an hour. My Perrier that ordered at 8 am while sitting in vines area took 15 min.  Also the buttons are sticky on the ap when you order and three times I’ve gotten 2 if something instead of 1. Also if you order 2 drinks (even a second coffee that normally you don’t get cgarged for in person) you do get charged for the second. 

 

To say the internet is wonky is a complete understatement. It simply does not work the majority of the time for me. It is why my first day posts were weird. I hope all the references to my boarding pass got taken down. If you see any please report to moderator. I am using my iPad tethered to my iPhone cellular network. I am going to post what I have so far while I’m in port but it’s king crab leg night and I’m 30 minutes from dinner so I’ll stop here. 

 

Quickly though, I have never sailed with happier more friendly group of people. I have made so many new friends & not just my CC connections. I am having the best time ever!  So if you’re sailing solo like me I hope you have the same experience. There have been a couple of solo and singles meet ups but honestly I haven’t gone bc of all the new folks I am hanging with. 

 

 

 

 

 

Glad to see you back! The M&G sounds amazing and it sounds like you are having a ball.  

 

Don’t worry, your personal information is all gone.  

 

Hope the king crab dinner was fantastic.  

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Waiting for my king crab checking out joirneyview to plan the evening. Saw this and had to laugh out loud. Look at spaces available for all aboard snd how many are going. . 
Dskenn was right and my PvP was wrong about journey view reservations. Venues are first gone first serve just like always. 

[Steelers36]

7 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

From there, we had a Jan Schwartz sighting.

In case you meet up with her, it's Jan Swarz.

 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Tonight they did take me to the same table and same great servers. I had to specially ask to stay here all week so I’m just saying what my experience is. 
I made friends with the table of 6 in this corner. My god they are a hoot!!! 

[caribill]

34 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

 

 

 I was told that there was no more traditional dining.

 

Thanks for your report.

 

Very disappointing that traditional dining with the same staff at the same table with the same other new friends has been eliminated.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

@CruiseRaiderwas that after we had our drink in vines today? 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Just now, caribill said:

 

Thanks for your report.

 

Very disappointing that traditional dining with the same staff at the same table with the same other new friends has been eliminated.

Ask for it. I have it now it seems

[Jeter02]

2 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Tonight they did take me to the same table and same great servers. I had to specially ask to stay here all week so I’m just saying what my experience is. 
I made friends with the table of 6 in this corner. My god they are a hoot!!! 

This makes me extremely happy to hear. That's one of the things I love about the traditional dining not just the same table but enjoying and making conversation with my wonderful wait staff night after night.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

There’s still a noodles bar. I haven’t eaten there but I see the sign

[Roberto256]

I'm sorry if I missed it ... how full is the ship?

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Our Maitre d is Neville. If you ask guest services there is no chef table. I’ve sailed with Neville and have done his chef table. He did finally agree to hold a chef table for cc members. He said there are no behind the scene ship tours and we will not get the galley tour. But we will get a wonderful experience. 
at first he said he was only doing our table but when I saw him today he said he might have to do a second. 
I’m so grateful we get to have this experience 

 

king crab here and delicious bye!!!!