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Live From Majestic Princess - The Sept. 26th Last Alaska cruise of 2021 Season

farsight

By farsight,
in Princess Cruises

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milogurd Holiday Sharing Rare

milogurd

Posted
Posted

Forecast for the SW coast of Vancouver Island:

Today Tonight and Monday.Gale warning in effect.Wind southwest 10 to 20 knots except southeast 25 to 35 near the coast south of Tofino. Wind becoming southeast 30 to 40 this afternoon then veering to southwest 25 to 35 this evening. Wind diminishing to southwest 15 to 25 Monday afternoon.

From:

https://weather.gc.ca/marine/forecast_e.html?mapID=02&siteID=16200

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c-boy "Live from...." Rare

c-boy

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, awhcruiser said:

She's not happy the ship is not leaving until tomorrow morning which will cause her to miss the train in Skagway.  Therefore, another cruise will have to be taken to ride the train in Skagway.

aka: there's a fly in my soup .

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QuilterGirl "Live from...." Rare

QuilterGirl

Posted
Posted

The letter in our cabins upon boarding:

 

"Due to forecasted adverse weather conditions and in order to provide you with the most comfortable cruise, we have made the decision to delay our departure from Seattle until 6:00 AM on Monday, September 27 and to alter our scheduled route north to Alaska in order to avoid the most severe of the weather.  As a result, we will no longer call at Skagway on Wednesday, September 29, and our call to Juneau will now take place on Wednesday, September 29 from 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM.  Please be advised that during this overnight stay in Seattle, limited port facilities will be available and we have been advised that guests are unable to proceed ashore once they have embarked the ship."

 

[letter continues on with remarks about how shore excursions will change as a result]

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cr8tiv1 Holiday Sharing Rare

cr8tiv1

Posted
Posted
31 minutes ago, QuilterGirl said:

The letter in our cabins upon boarding:

 

"Due to forecasted adverse weather conditions and in order to provide you with the most comfortable cruise, we have made the decision to delay our departure from Seattle until 6:00 AM on Monday, September 27 and to alter our scheduled route north to Alaska in order to avoid the most severe of the weather.  As a result, we will no longer call at Skagway on Wednesday, September 29, and our call to Juneau will now take place on Wednesday, September 29 from 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM.  Please be advised that during this overnight stay in Seattle, limited port facilities will be available and we have been advised that guests are unable to proceed ashore once they have embarked the ship."

 

[letter continues on with remarks about how shore excursions will change as a result]

 

Sorry you will be missing Skagway, but glad Princess is keeping you safe.  Bummer that you will not be able to explore Seattle as an option during the delay.  there is so much to see, do, and eat.  That is some wicked weather for a sea voyage.  

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rheathslc "Live from...." Rare

rheathslc

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, farsight said:

Leaving Seattle has been delayed until tomorrow morning at 6:00AM due to weather. No Skagway. We're just glad to be here!

I just checked the Bridge cam and was so confused about why it was still showing Seattle. Bummer about the weather and I applaud your positive outlook. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this Live From! Enjoy every minute of your trip!

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trey420

trey420

Posted
Posted

Made it on board had my first couple drinks.  Went to the CS desk as my bistro la mer reservations disappeared.  They told me it's closed for 3 days due to technical issues.  Talked to them about an upgrade and not even a blink went from balcony to mini suite. No cost, I was prepared to pay something but free.

Captain said seas were 10 meters so we should stay put.  He said we will try tomorrow but expect a bumpy ride.  

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rheathslc "Live from...." Rare

rheathslc

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, scott4020 said:

too bad but you really don't want to be in Puget Sound in high winds.

My first cruise was on the Sea Princess in 2007 RT from Southampton around the Mediterranean. Crossing from France to Portugal across the Bay of Biscay was wild. I swear we were catching air while we were trying to sleep. I would not wish that experience on anyone. Even on a fancy cruise ship. 🙂

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rj59

rj59

Posted
Posted

I’m on Ovation of the Seas in Juneau, with no rain today or forecast for the next two port days. Friday was mid70s in Seattle and we had a fairly smooth ride up. Luckily I’m a local and can jump on a cheap deal when there’s a rare dry week in September. I hope my Mexican Majestic cruise in October will also be dry.

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Don John

Don John

Posted
Posted (edited)

Day One Review

Day  One was a very mixed bag.

The drive to Seattle Terminal went smoothly.

The check-in at the terminal was flawless.  Leave your luggage with the uniformed Port of Seattle staff outside the terminal and get in the line which was about one hundred when the terminal opened a half hour before the scheduled 11:00am.  The only documents needed were passport, proof of vax and proof of negative COVID test plus your Medallion.  No MedallionClass app. on your device was needed for boarding and it was a good thing since it works even worse than at home, if at all.

Next, upstairs to the security station which was nearly identical to the air port.  Carry-ons on the belt.  Passengers through the scanner.  Smooth and trouble-free.

Then we were sorted to Elite, Platinum, Steerage.

It was now that we learned by a memo from the Skipper that, due to bad weather, the ship would not be departing Seattle on schedule with a Sail Away, but rather at 6:00am Monday and the port call at Skagway (where our favorite Quilt Shop is located) was cancelled.  So an Alaska one-week cruise that normally includes four ports-of-call was now down to two.  Half a cruise.  I fully understand we can't control the weather - still a disappointment.

After a comfortable wait, boarding went smoothly and quickly.  We were cheered aboard by an enthusiastic crew.  We were told that we could leave our carry-ons, etc. in our staterooms but not remain there yet.

Next, down to the Concerto Dining room for a fine lunch at a table for six.  We were given our choice.

Safety check in was next.  Check-in at your muster station and watch the safety video in your cabin which was now available.

Checked baggage arrived in timely fashion.

Then things started to turn ugly.

For a ship that was supposed to be only 60% full, the Majestic seemed very crowded as hundreds of passengers milled about trying to get problems solved.  (As the day progressed and passengers got settle in it seemed less crowded)  The Service Desk was understaffed.  So, things went slowly.  Most passengers were walking around with the noses down in their devices – if they were fortunate enough to have one that worked.  We were not that lucky.  We will try again tomorrow morning to get help getting it working.

Many, many passengers were having trouble with the app. which for us worked so slowly as to be unusable.  It had worked slowly at home the past couple of months.  But at least it worked.

There was confusion about whether there would be daily Patters.  The TVs said no.  The desk said yes.  Monday’s has arrived.  So, it looks like yes.

The Internet we had pre-purchased wouldn’t work without a trip to the Internet Café.

My wife was disappointed to learn that she could not get a cup of plain coffee at the International Café.  But especially upset by the run-around she got.  One Princess staffer said yes, another no.  Apparently the answer is no.  The only place on the ship you can get a cup of coffee without charge is on Deck 16.

Platinum cruisers – this was the first time I felt it appropriate to lodge a formal complaint.  The Princess Service person, after a thorough investigation concluded that it had been handled in a manner not up to Princess standards and apologized with a Coffee Card.

All together we had to stand in line to get problems solved at least six times today.

Lovely dinner in Concerto followed by the 9:15pm comedy show which was enjoyable.

We love Princess Cruises and have long been looking forward to this one. 

With the coffee problem and the Princess’ struggle with technology that is clearly in the Beta stage, Day One was only fair.

We are hopeful things go better tomorrow.

Edited by tplombardo
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cr8tiv1 Holiday Sharing Rare

cr8tiv1

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, tplombardo said:

My wife was disappointed to learn that she could not get a cup of plain coffee at the International Café.  But especially upset by the run-around she got.  One Princess staffer said yes, another no.  Apparently the answer is no.  The only place on the ship you can get a cup of coffee without charge is on Deck 16.

Platinum cruisers – this was the first time I felt it appropriate to lodge a formal complaint.  The Princess Service person, after a thorough investigation concluded that it had been handled in a manner not up to Princess standards and apologized with a Coffee Card.

All together we had to stand in line to get problems solved at least six times today.

 

We love Princess Cruises and have long been looking forward to this one. 

With the coffee problem and the Princess’ struggle with technology that is clearly in the Beta stage, Day One was only fair.

We are hopeful things go better tomorrow.

 

I am a bit confused.  Have you sailed Princess before?  From the sound of your report it looks like you did not purchase Princess Plus (drink package) that would include coffee from the International Cafe.  Otherwise purchasing a coffee card (that was complimentarily given to you) is one of the ways to get coffee.  Or have it charged to your account.  I agree, that you were given an unfortunate incorrect answer to your inquiry.  

 

Your cruise was off to a rocky start.  I do hope it improves.  Which two ports were cancelled (Skagway and ?).  

 

Thank you for adding your report to this thread.  

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KLM3164

KLM3164

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, tplombardo said:

My wife was disappointed to learn that she could not get a cup of plain coffee at the International Café.  But especially upset by the run-around she got.  One Princess staffer said yes, another no.  Apparently the answer is no.  The only place on the ship you can get a cup of coffee without charge is on Deck 16.

In my past experience on Princess you do pay for coffee at the IC unless you have the coffee card or the drink package. In those 2 cases, cups of coffee were free and unlimited. Seems odd that an employee would tell you differently especially since the ship has now been cruising for over 2 months. I’m sorry to hear this happened to your wife but happy to hear Princess took care of her with a complimentary coffee card. ☕️

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dog

dog

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, trey420 said:

My dinner was great had short ribs, and a caipirinha. Then went to see the comedian got some good food and laughs in.  20210926_210653.thumb.jpg.7226dde9690983c02c2f3baa21e8586e.jpg

Looks delicious. Great cruise to have the Plus drink & wifi package!

hope all improves and you enjoy yourselves. Thanks for sharing 

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Sea Emerald

Sea Emerald

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, trey420 said:

My dinner was great had short ribs, and a caipirinha. Then went to see the comedian got some good food and laughs in.  20210926_210653.thumb.jpg.7226dde9690983c02c2f3baa21e8586e.jpg

We had the ribs too.  Loved them.  Mini suite upgrade sounds cool.  We are having a great time.  Little ferry trouble getting to Seattle but no real problems.  Drove from Bremerton to Bainbridge and took a different ferry because of a cancelation.  Arrived at the port by taxi from pier 52.  I was just so happy to be at pier 91.  Check in was quick.  We were there before 11:00 so a little wait before boarding.  Teared up going up the gangway.  Just so happy to be here!!  We were OK with staying in Seattle overnight. We had a fabulous day.  Had a great lunch in Concerto.  Some trivia later which we have never done.  Needed @geoherb on our team.  DH and I are lousy at it,, but it was still so fun we will do more.  Did a game in Princess Live.  I got a prize for going out first song on several rounds.  LOL. We were up until 1:00 and I am an early to sleep girl.  We were just having too much fun.  This morning  a quick run to the International Cafe for some tea and now on the balcony sailing through Puget Sound.  Ahhh,  this is so great.  This was a long time coming.  Excited  for more fun and adventures.  

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twangster "Live from...." Rare

twangster

Posted
Posted

First time Princess cruiser.  

 

Pretty smooth embarkation.  Patter in my cabin once they opened (12:30pm).  Luggage arrived 10 minutes after cabin opened. 

 

Internet connected immediately, SES/O3b (for now) 45Mb down, 22Mb up, 210 ms latency.   Not expecting to remain as we venture North beyond the SES operational latitude.

 

1798597904_MJDay1.thumb.jpg.143e5019edc8798f9da7f85c294a8081.jpg

 

Couple of drinks last night, latte this morning, no issues with Princess Plus.  

 

Looking at the Windy.com app I can understand why we delayed.  Good call on the Captain's part.  

 

1994993577_MJWindyapp.thumb.jpg.b84deeb556213533c23fea20733ff4da.jpg

 

Fourth cruise of the restart for me but on four different lines.  I'm spreading my cruise spend to support different lines.  So far this has been a great experience.  Sad to lose Skagway but I've been before and have more visits booked in 2022 so it is what it is.  Ship happens.   

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