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

[c-boy]

53 minutes ago, Sea Emerald said:

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.  

there's the spirit 🥂

[Don John]

4 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

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. ☕️

That, unfortunately, was the problem.  Not the lack of coffee at IC, but the lack of a simple explanation and the conflicting information from two Princess employees.  It turns out that in the past regular coffee has been available at IC, sometimes.

[Don John]

8 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

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.  

In the past, pre-COVID, Princess Alaska cruises included a port-of-call in Victoria, BC to comply with the law.  It is only because of a Congressional exemption that this year we can make Alaska cruises without an international stop.  That is why we are cruising a full day in Glacier Bay instead of the shorter visits of the past.  I certainly don't blame Princess for this.  It is what it is.  But Victoria is a very nice port.  We will be glad when it is restored.

[telecheck]

33 minutes ago, 4hunters said:

Wife and I disembarked yesterday.  I'm sorry to hear that this cruise is already missing ports due to the weather.  Stay warm up there, everyone!  Our cruise was cold, windy and rainy - but we still had a very enjoyable time. 👍

 

I also disembarked yesterday. Yes, our cruise was cold, windy, and rainy, but it was amazing that the bad weather mostly happened when we were at the sea. Once we went ashore the weather was much better. There was even a lot of sun in Skagway and Ketchikan. We were fortunate that we didn't miss anything.

[nini]

23 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!

 

Hello @farsight! We are your neighbors to the SW of you on the coast in Ocean Shores! WOW! We experienced that crazy storm beginning Saturday night through all day yesterday; 30 mph winds and rain. Our front yard flooded.Thank you so much for sharing your cruise. It was so nice of you to recognize the other thread starters as well. You are most likely on your way now as we have the sun shining.

[nini]

10 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.

 

 

 

Hello @tplombardo! We are your neighbors 75 miles west of you on the coast! It was CRAZY yesterday with the storm beginning Saturday night and going through yesterday with 30 mph winds and LOTS of rain! It is now sunny outside.

As has been mentioned, you most likely do not have the Princess Plus? Now that you have the Coffee Card, if Dear Wife wants just plain coffee, have her ask for an "Americano" at the International Cafe and that is a great cup of Coffee!

Enjoy!

[barrykel]

3 hours ago, twangster said:

Patter in my cabin once they opened (12:30pm). 

Quick question from the patters - any chance they're doing karaoke again? I remember reading on one of the earlier 'live from' threads that they dropped it for social distancing - we're booked on the Majestic in December, and I'm a huge karaoke fan.

[4hunters]

19 minutes ago, barrykel said:

Quick question from the patters - any chance they're doing karaoke again? I remember reading on one of the earlier 'live from' threads that they dropped it for social distancing - we're booked on the Majestic in December, and I'm a huge karaoke fan.

There was no karaoke on Majestic last week.

[Ferry_Watcher]

11 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

 

11 hours ago, tplombardo said:

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.

Wow, you reported two crew members over a cup of coffee?!    Will you think of the ramifications to the two crew members each time you return to the cafe to use the coffee card?  Hope you don't believe in karma.

[twangster]

1 hour ago, barrykel said:

Quick question from the patters - any chance they're doing karaoke again? I remember reading on one of the earlier 'live from' threads that they dropped it for social distancing - we're booked on the Majestic in December, and I'm a huge karaoke fan.

 

Not so far...

[Belle]

Don't understand the cruiser. Says he's Platinum and he doesn't know you need a 

coffee card at IC. Free coffee at Lido and DR's. Was all this just to get a free coffee card?

Who knows?

[cr8tiv1]

3 hours ago, tplombardo said:

In the past, pre-COVID, Princess Alaska cruises included a port-of-call in Victoria, BC to comply with the law.  It is only because of a Congressional exemption that this year we can make Alaska cruises without an international stop.  That is why we are cruising a full day in Glacier Bay instead of the shorter visits of the past.  I certainly don't blame Princess for this.  It is what it is.  But Victoria is a very nice port.  We will be glad when it is restored.

 

I knew that the cruise included Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau, and Glacier Bay.  In my opinion, that was the 4 "port" itinerary.  Missing Skagway reduced it to three "ports".  Victoria was never in the mix for this season.  I have been on several cruises where changes had to be made (mostly due to sea conditions/weather).  Always happy to just be on a cruise.  I would have loved a full day at Glacier Bay.  Highlight of the cruise, in my opinion.

[Don John]

1 hour ago, barrykel said:

Quick question from the patters - any chance they're doing karaoke again? I remember reading on one of the earlier 'live from' threads that they dropped it for social distancing - we're booked on the Majestic in December, and I'm a huge karaoke fan.

Definitely not - as per CDC instructions, according to Kevin, our Cruise Director.

[Don John]

23 minutes ago, Belle said:

Don't understand the cruiser. Says he's Platinum and he doesn't know you need a 

coffee card at IC. Free coffee at Lido and DR's. Was all this just to get a free coffee card?

Who knows?

Certainly did not request the freebie card.  Just wanted clarification.  As the Service Rep explained, in the past regular coffee has been available at IC .  There was a pour your own pot available - no charge.   COVID made that no longer possible.  The rep spoke to both employees at IC and agreed that they were giving conflicting information.  What @Belleexplained so easily in ten words above could have been explained by the server at IC and there would have been no problem.

[starboardcruiser]

4 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

I knew that the cruise included Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau, and Glacier Bay.  In my opinion, that was the 4 "port" itinerary.  Missing Skagway reduced it to three "ports".  Victoria was never in the mix for this season.  I have been on several cruises where changes had to be made (mostly due to sea conditions/weather).  Always happy to just be on a cruise.  I would have loved a full day at Glacier Bay.  Highlight of the cruise, in my opinion.

For anyone who booked before this summer, Victoria was sold in the itinerary. I was on the Majestic a few weeks ago and was bummed when the itinerary (and ship) changed. I completely understand why it happened, but the removal of that port was very recent in terms of how long Alaska 2021 sailings were available to book.

[dog]

17 hours ago, tplombardo said:

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.

Thank you for taking your vacation time to post a detailed account of your Day 1 

I would like to hear about the cruise as it progresses- positive & negative. 
I hope all goes well. 
Thanks for sharing. 

[cr8tiv1]

1 hour ago, starboardcruiser said:

For anyone who booked before this summer, Victoria was sold in the itinerary. I was on the Majestic a few weeks ago and was bummed when the itinerary (and ship) changed. I completely understand why it happened, but the removal of that port was very recent in terms of how long Alaska 2021 sailings were available to book.

 

Thank you for bringing this to my attention.  People do book years in advance (me too).  I should have taken that into consideration.  I am just glad Congress got their act together to pass this temporary over-ride.  I understand the PVSA all too well.  Growing up in Hawaii, Matson has a monopoly on shipping causing prices to be 15%-25% more than the mainland.  I do see the other side of the coin too, but there should be some compromise. Victoria is a short port.  Not much you can do in the 4 hours you are there.  

[jeeper2]

21 hours ago, trey420 said:

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.  

Wow!  We’re on the December 29th 10 day Mexico…I will keep that in mind!  Congratulations, and may you enjoy your voyage!  I’m looking forward to learning about onboard life since so many “group” activities will not be taking place. I expect that just being at sea will be wonderful, even if it is a bumpy ride!

 

[rheathslc]

If someone on board happens to visit the Spa and wouldn't mind checking something for me I'd really appreciate it. I'm trying to find out if they're still offering the 10/20/30 Deal where if you book 3 spa services you get 10%/20%/30% off the 1st, 2nd and 3rd services. 

[trey420]

Saw people going nuts at a store in piazza area.  Found out they had like 75% off Alaska stuff.  Looked like black Friday over there. 

 

Had breakfast in the restaurant it was fine they make a better omelet than the buffet.  Had lunch there too.  London broil, it was good too no issues. I think the buffet was better today had some lamb chops.  Formal night tonight. I had early dinner as my lady was feeling seasick a bit, and stayed in.  Had duck, it was dry.  Then leg of lamb, just ok kinda fatty.  Not the best dinner.  I'm back in my room now.  May order a drink after I blaze a bit.  Capt said seas are going to 5 meters tonight. We are rocking and rolling.  Some parts leading to the outside areas are closed off.  Saw a lady draggin her husband back inside he for some reason really wanted to go out there.  She won in the end. 

 

[Don John]

Day Two

Like nearly everyone I have spoken with on this cruise, we are thrilled to be back at sea and having a great time.  Certainly no one blames Princess for the bad weather, COVID or the changes they have necessitated.   I have learned so much by reading earlier Cruise Critic Live reports.  This has enabled me to avoid and solve problems.  I am trying to provide a balanced report of the cruise.  What has been excellent and what hasn’t  to help others.  For example today’s report offers several solutions if you are having trouble with the app.  Like Sergio Leone, I offer Il buono, il brutto e il cattivo (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.)  Use it, enjoy it or ignore it.  I don’t think a Pollyanna report would be much use.

Departed Seattle on the new schedule at 6:00am.  Of course, no Sail Away.

Great breakfast in Concerto.

Cruise Critic Meet & Greet with many of our number sporting their Mardi Gras beads.  Attended by a number of ship’s officers.

Excellent presentation in the Princess Theater by Naturalist Michael Modzelewski who was as much philosopher as naturalist.  Will definitely catch some of his other presentations, schedule permitting.

Have found work-arounds for most of what is supposed be done on the MedallionClass App.  You can go to the dining room the old fashioned way – by just showing up.  Or you can make reservations on the TV in your cabin. Nobody is checking reservations for shows.  You can certainly order drinks without the app.  It appears that the app is working for many.  Maybe I just have a too old phone. It will often work, but just too darn slow.

Princess staff have worked diligently to get my MedallionClass app to work better.  Today, success!  It seems that the app is a huge memory hog.  If your phone doesn’t have the minimum required memory the app runs very slowly, freezes or just plain won’t work.  Today a Princess technician in the Internet Café installed a slimmed down version of the app without all the fancy graphics.  It requires much less memory and works fine.  I will be submitting a terrific comment card for him.

I do wish that you could still request a hard-copy ship’s directory as in the past.  I requested one at the Service Desk and was told they no longer exist.  Next cruise I will print one out for myself from the Princess Website.

Most passengers are masking very well.  There are, of course, the few that have limited understanding of anatomy and are unaware that the nose is part of the respiratory system and the beak should be covered by the mask.   At last night’s show we had to move when a large group of non-maskers sat down in front of us.  But the theater was not crowded.  So, it was easy to adjust.

The purchased internet continues to be quite slow but functional.  We are barely out of Seattle.  Can only wonder what it will be like further north.

Thought we would try Alfredo’s for lunch.  It was packed with a waiting list.  So, we went to Chopsticks (the noodle bar) instead.  Good won ton soup.  It was convenient to the World Fresh Marketplace to add other goodies.

Another excellent presentation in Princess Theater this afternoon.  Rachel Moreno, who spoke on Native Alaskan cultures.

The seas have become rough enough that the production show “Encore” originally scheduled for tonight has been rescheduled.

After another great dinner with terrific new friends we went to the evening show – impressionist Mike Wilson.  We’ve seen him before and he is a lot of fun.  But, unfortunately, because of the rough seas (remember the Princess Theater is all the way forward, where the ship’s motion is worse) the audience was very small.  Mike was giving it his all and the audience was appreciative, but just so small.   It was a tough house.  I hope he gets another chance to perform when the seas are calm and the house is big.

Day Two – a very good day.

Edited September 28, 2021 by tplombardo

[trey420]

Its Tuesday cold crisp morning, not as rough.  I had an omelet at buffet, mushrooms, ham, and green &red peppers.  It was good.  Still dark out at that time rockin good.  I ordered a Irish coffee and egg mcmuffin type thing just to see how it went.  Came fast.  I didn't like mcmuffin thing.  Never had Irish coffee before, not sure I ever will again.   I'm really just trying drinks so any suggestions I'll give it a shot.  

[farsight]

 

Sorry to have started the thread then disappeared. It has been hard to get started back on a post with all of our return to cruising excitement.

 

We have been having an absolutely fantastic cruise and I sometimes wonder if we could have any other kind. We tend to roll with the punches on cruises better than any other facet of our lives.

 

I have been absolutely loving the rough seas. Maybe it's my fascination and enjoyment of roller coasters, but I love the bucking and swaying of the ship. It appears that my iron stomach also applies to motion sickness. I think our next cabin might be on a higher deck and further forward. I do feel for those less fortunate and wish that they weren't suffering.

 

I don't like typing on a smartphone or tablet so brought my laptop. I need to buy a Bluetooth keyboard for my mobile devices. With some futzing around, I had the phone and tablet connecting to MedallionNet in fairly short order. I do sometimes have to reconnect to my internet package but now know the drill. This good fortune did not extend to my laptop and taxed my troubleshooting endeavors.The laptop refused to connect to the WiFi. As I am tech savvy, I tried multiple potential solutions with no love. Finally went to the internet cafe and discussed at length, as well as retrying possible solutions, with one of the staff. Still no love. He was great and we left it at me trying my suggestion to later disable the firewall and give that a try. He didn't seem to be interested in trying that with me (probably due to that being risky behavior that he didn't want to participate in). This morning I disabled the firewall and was able to connect. I immediately re-enabled it and have had no further problems. I didn't make any exceptions but won't be tempting the fates by delving any further.

 

[Sea Hag]

11 minutes ago, farsight said:

 

I have been absolutely loving the rough seas. Maybe it's my fascination and enjoyment of roller coasters, but I love the bucking and swaying of the ship. It appears that my iron stomach also applies to motion sickness. I think our next cabin might be on a higher deck and further forward. I do feel for those less fortunate and wish that they weren't suffering.

 

 

We really like lots of motion in the ocean! Love those cabins high up and far forward.

[farsight]

Pictures of the Enclave. We were noodles yesterday afternoon. The steam room met up to my expectations. ❤️💖❤️

 

Remember to click on the image to get the right aspect ratio.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2021 by farsight