Live from Majestic Princess - August 15, 2021

[trbarton]

16 minutes ago, Mary Ann 2 said:

I don't see the post that I did this morning.  I just wanted to let you know that if you plan to take a taxi from the cruise port to the airport, be sure that you ask what it will cost.  I asked for a flat rate taxi coming from the airport, but we were in such a hurry to get to the airport due a very early flight, that I failed to ask on the way ay the port the price.  We were charged $124.80 which is outrageous.  He claimed that it was posted at the port , but we never saw it.  I am calling tomorrow when they are open to complain to the taxi  company at the number posted on the taxi if you think you were overcharged.  We couldn't see the meter and had no idea that it would be that much.  So heed our warning.  Ask for a flat rate taxi or ask what the current rate is.  We did get to the airport quickly and were dropped off at the door and were at the gate at 8pm (walked off at 7), but of course, the plane was two hours late, so we didn't need to rush so.

 

On a positive note, we had a great time.  In Ketchikan, we went with Hummer Adventures to a US Forest Service bear blind one hour north by boat and saw two black bears catching salmon from the river.  It was incredible!!  Also did Jayleen Alaska in Juneau on a private 6 passenger boat whale watching and followed pods of orcas for an hour!! Also saw humpbacks.  Such an incredible cruise!!  Loved the staff at Vines, Ganna is amazing!  Have a great time if you are going soon!! We so look forward to our cruise in several months on the Majestic to Mexico.😃

Another reason that I would use UBER/LYFT rather than a taxi. it’s very clear what you will be charged. 
 

Tom😀
 

 

[Postman806]

On 8/20/2021 at 9:28 AM, ClassyApplePie said:

CC members are the BEST. Thank you for your responses and comments. October will be first time on Majestic. Question for CPAP users...is there an electrical outlet on the nightstand or behind the bed? 

No.  I asked for and got an extension cord from our room attendant 

[Postman806]

On 8/21/2021 at 2:00 PM, geoherb said:

Can anyone recommend great places on the ship for viewing the glaciers for folks without balconies?

Deck 16 aft was not overly crowded, maybe because it is not inside.  After a while we went up to 17 aft.  Even less crowded 

[Postman806]

On 8/21/2021 at 5:23 PM, CaliforniaDon said:

Hi -

Can you share any insights on the buffet situation?  Other than a couple of posts earlier about difficulty in finding "spooner outers" on the line - what else is new post Covid?

 

Does one still have to troll to score an empty table and take turns getting food? How does tool management work now? I assume that piles in napkins on the table are a thing of the past. Can you get alcohol in the buffet in any reasonable amount of time? Is the food selection even close to the good old days?

 

Thanks to all the folks sharing their experiences!

We never found the buffet area to be crowded.  On a related note the food selection was minimal.   Many areas designated for food serving were empty,  I think because of the reduced number of passengers onboard.   Evidently a majority of passengers were eating elsewhere 

[CEinNJ]

@Mary Ann 2 We walked off about 7:40. It was a quick taxi ride. We used Port Valet so only needed to put a walker in the trunk.  Our fare for 4 adults was $48.00. Sorry you were taken advantage of!

[Princess Cruises Fann]

3 minutes ago, CEinNJ said:

@Mary Ann 2 We walked off about 7:40. It was a quick taxi ride. We used Port Valet so only needed to put a walker in the trunk.  Our fare for 4 adults was $48.00. Sorry you were taken advantage of!

We walked off the ship just after 7 am. We had made a reservation with Seattle Express that cost us $20 per person. We were through security (we do have TSA Pre-Check) and at our gate by 8:10 am, which was plenty of time for our 9:45am flight. 

[caribill]

2 hours ago, CEinNJ said:

@Mary Ann 2 We walked off about 7:40. It was a quick taxi ride. We used Port Valet so only needed to put a walker in the trunk.  Our fare for 4 adults was $48.00. Sorry you were taken advantage of!

 

Fixed rate or meter?

[Ombud]

9 hours ago, Postman806 said:

On 8/20/2021 at 9:28 AM, ClassyApplePie said:

CC members are the BEST. Thank you for your responses and comments. October will be first time on Majestic. Question for CPAP users...is there an electrical outlet on the nightstand or behind the bed? 

Expand  

No.  I asked for and got an extension cord from our room attendant 

Once again it appears to be dependent on what room category you've got. I had a BW (e425 to be precise) with the bed in Queen set up and I did have outlets at the bed

Which room / bed set up did you have Postman806?

 

Edited August 23, 2021 by Ombud

[Glaciers]

1 hour ago, Ombud said:

Once again it appears to be dependent on what room category you've got. I had a BW (e425 to be precise) with the bed in Queen set up and I did have outlets at the bed

 

Which room / bed set up did you have Postman806?

 

 

We were in M609 and the outlets/USB ports were the same as Postman noted.

[JF - retired RRT]

10 hours ago, Postman806 said:

No.  I asked for and got an extension cord from our room attendant 

There is an outlet behind the bed that the lamps plug into. You just need an adapter for 220 with 110 outlets, so you can plug in the CPAP plus the lamps.

[azbirdmom]

2 hours ago, Ombud said:

Once again it appears to be dependent on what room category you've got. I had a BW (e425 to be precise) with the bed in Queen set up and I did have outlets at the bed

Which room / bed set up did you have Postman806?

 

 

That's because the desk was next to the bed in your room and there are always outlets over the desk.  In mini suites and some other rooms, the desk is not next to the bed.  That's when you need to get creative with moving the bed or extension cords.

[Postman806]

3 hours ago, Ombud said:

Once again it appears to be dependent on what room category you've got. I had a BW (e425 to be precise) with the bed in Queen set up and I did have outlets at the bed

Which room / bed set up did you have Postman806?

 

Interior with queen setup.  When I asked for an extension cord I was not made aware of the plug-in under the bed.  Didn’t have an adapter anyway.  So unless it was a standard outlet I wouldn’t have been able to use it

[CEinNJ]

@caribillit was a metered rate. 

[Esjung1]

22 hours ago, Mary Ann 2 said:

I don't see the post that I did this morning.  I just wanted to let you know that if you plan to take a taxi from the cruise port to the airport, be sure that you ask what it will cost.  I asked for a flat rate taxi coming from the airport, but we were in such a hurry to get to the airport due a very early flight, that I failed to ask on the way ay the port the price.  We were charged $124.80 which is outrageous.  He claimed that it was posted at the port , but we never saw it.  I am calling tomorrow when they are open to complain to the taxi  company at the number posted on the taxi if you think you were overcharged.  We couldn't see the meter and had no idea that it would be that much.  So heed our warning.  Ask for a flat rate taxi or ask what the current rate is.  We did get to the airport quickly and were dropped off at the door and were at the gate at 8pm (walked off at 7), but of course, the plane was two hours late, so we didn't need to rush so.

 

On a positive note, we had a great time.  In Ketchikan, we went with Hummer Adventures to a US Forest Service bear blind one hour north by boat and saw two black bears catching salmon from the river.  It was incredible!!  Also did Jayleen Alaska in Juneau on a private 6 passenger boat whale watching and followed pods of orcas for an hour!! Also saw humpbacks.  Such an incredible cruise!!  Loved the staff at Vines, Ganna is amazing!  Have a great time if you are going soon!! We so look forward to our cruise in several months on the Majestic to Mexico.😃

I scheduled an Uber for the exact reason that I heard taxi's were outrageous.  I was able to preschedule the Uber Saturday night for Sunday morning pick-up (we came in one night early).  The Uber was $45 and picked us up at the hotel, we also Ubered back after we got off the ship.  It was definitely cheaper then princess transfers and totally convenient. 

[echoshipmate]

We also did 7:15 walk off, straight through, in a cab, made sure was flat rate, and it was, $48  to airport.  At gate about 8, including tram to get to N gates. Of course, flight delayed,  but oh well. Was a great cruise  

 

 

[Mary Ann 2]

9 hours ago, CEinNJ said:

@caribillit was a metered rate. 

That is what we were afraid of; that this guy totally ripped us off.  We don't even think he ran the meter as we couldn't see any amount.  However, I have started an investigation.  Something prompted me to write down his cab number and the phone number to report him.  Won't get me the money back, but got me some satisfaction that he was reported and will be investigated and flagged.

 

We you left in the garage where the taxi stand is?  He dropped us off at the correct door, and I didn't even think they were allowed to do that?

[jbhermes]

On 8/22/2021 at 12:22 AM, caribill said:

 

In the past they have been available for purchase on the Room Service menu.

Our travel agent ordered some chocolate covered strawberries for us as a gift. They never showed up in our room and our stateroom folio upon checkout showed an $8 “gift credit”. Pretty lame—the gift was such a nice gesture and I would have loved to get them!! 

[caribill]

2 hours ago, jbhermes said:

Our travel agent ordered some chocolate covered strawberries for us as a gift. They never showed up in our room and our stateroom folio upon checkout showed an $8 “gift credit”. Pretty lame—the gift was such a nice gesture and I would have loved to get them!! 

One of the advantages of checking the cabin account during the cruise is to discover items like that.

[Donyb]

On 8/22/2021 at 9:44 AM, Esjung1 said:

It was raining pretty good the day we were at Glacier Bay so common spaces were very crowded but I found it to be very empty in the gym and lots of huge windows.  I jumped on a treadmill and the ship was backed right up to the glacier with a perfect view. 

Are you talking about Glacier Bay on Aug. 19th? If so, we weren't on the same ship as you! It was somewhat cloudy but the sun was also visible at times.  

[Donyb]

22 minutes ago, Donyb said:

Are you talking about Glacier Bay on Aug. 19th? If so, we weren't on the same ship as you! It was somewhat cloudy but the sun was also visible at times.  

Sorry, just read back and you were on the cruise prior to us. One note of interest to us was the size of the glacier. We did Glacier Bay in 1996 and couldn't believe how much smaller the glacier was. 
Twenty five years of warming hasn't helped! It is still impressive but we didn't have to strain our necks looking up at it.

[Esjung1]

4 hours ago, Donyb said:

Are you talking about Glacier Bay on Aug. 19th? If so, we weren't on the same ship as you! It was somewhat cloudy but the sun was also visible at times.  

No, we were in Alaska the week before you.  Rain pretty much everyday, there were pockets of dry weather but not much too much.  We went to Mendenhall Glacier and it was pouring during the walk to the glacier, it rained during our Skagway train tour and also rained when we went to Totem Bright Park. I have heard the same thing about the glaciers, my parents were there about 17 years ago and I saw the pictures from the trip and was so impressed by the size but you could definitely tell they were much smaller now.  Nothing like I've ever seen so it was still really cool and I thought the overall cloud cover was cool the way it came rolling in from the rain and covered the landscape.  So no blue skies but some pretty cool views despite the weather. 

[RJAM3]

the boards sure seem to hijacked   Looking for the view from the one on the cruise??

[Ombud]

On 8/22/2021 at 9:30 PM, Princess Cruises Fann said:

We walked off the ship just after 7 am. We had made a reservation with Seattle Express that cost us $20 per person. We were through security (we do have TSA Pre-Check) and at our gate by 8:10 am, which was plenty of time for our 9:45am flight. 

As a solo with WAY TOO MUCH FCC I just took the Princess transfer & Seattle luggage Port Transfer. My suitcase is 23" anyway. Off at 7:30 sharp. Waited in airport for over an hour to board at 10:45. Just $29 (I think, anyway its on FCC)

[Sea Hag]

2 minutes ago, Ombud said:

As a solo with WAY TOO MUCH FCC I just took the Princess transfer & Seattle luggage Port Transfer. My suitcase is 23" anyway. Off at 7:30 sharp. Waited in airport for over an hour to board at 10:45. Just $29 (I think, anyway its on FCC)

This is good to know, since we have Princess transfers and a 10:55 flight. Do I understand you to say that you were able to use Port Valet? I thought their cutoff was no flights before 11:00. 

[Ombud]

Yes .... BUT my boarding time was 10:45 for an 11:15 flight. Ask at PSD if they can fudge for 5 minutes