Cheapo Dad's Trip Report on the Majestic Princess (Maybe with few pictures added)...

[harryfat1]

So what’s next? With people being less worried about Covid and the cruising world seeming more open to things going back to normal, we are looking to go back to cruising more often.

 

For now, we booked for a Southern Caribbean cruise next Christmas on RCI’s Odyssey of the Seas as we have never been on the Quantum class ship.  Then maybe Europe sometime in 2024 as we have cruised out of the four corners of the US and it’s time to venture off overseas.  Although the new Carnival ships look interesting so that’s an option as well.

 

It’s difficult to have a reasonable price vacation during the Holiday season as everything from airfare to cruise prices all skyrocketing.  But as long as I have kids in school, that’s the price we must pay as we try to create family memories on our next vacation. Looking forward to days when my wife and I can cruise during non-peak travel season and not having to pay a premium.

 

Last but not the least, thanks again to everyone for reading up to this post as I know my trip reports are overly long but I error on the side of too much info to help newbie cruisers than not enough info. Our family vacation through our cameras and I hope you find some of the pictures & info helpful in your Alaska cruise planning.  If nothing else, hope you got your money’s worth for your next CC renewal.

 

As I said in previous posts, I appreciate all the old friends I have met throughout the years that have come back for another installment.  I still only have a joke writing staff of one so some of these jokes in the trip report are repeats. Thank you for reading and providing the “likes” in the background as I get notifications when you do.

 

Thank you for the new friends I met in this trip report as I always meet new friends in every installment.  Appreciate everyone for chiming in and contributing to this trip report as with different perspective, it gives the newbie cruisers a different glimpse at another part of the elephant.

 

Think that’s all I have to say.  I will hang around to answer any questions if people want to ask them.  I’ll likely be around the Princess and Alaska boards for a bit to answer any questions other cruisers might have before I start to drift over to the Caribbean section later on to start planning for next year’s cruise planning.

 

Hope you all enjoy your next cruise wherever it may take you.

 

Cheers,

 

Harry

[Pluto_fan]

Harry, thank you again for your wonderful report.  I know it took a lot of time to put together and we truly appreciate your efforts!  We are also frugal family travelers so your perspective was exactly on target for us.  Looking forward to following along with your future travels!

[CallieS]

Thanks for your wonderful trip report! I’ve read your prior trip reports over the years and had been wondering if you were cruising again. So glad I found this! I guess I’m joining the party while the clean-up crew is in progress. Lol.
 

Speaking of Odyssey, I’ll be on her in a few weeks. Regular balconies, no excursions, no specialty dining, no pinnacles or diamonds or whatever. Cheapo all the way!

[harryfat1]

On 10/23/2022 at 10:35 PM, martincath said:

I've been reading backwards up the chain, or I would have asked about the Direct to Bus already as it seems... odd. When it was offered in TheBeforeTimes it didn't just skip over CBSA (Canadian I&C) but also put you straight into the Secure area at YVR, i.e. no need to see anyone from CBP (US I&C) either! This seems like a weird half-way house, no Canadian processing but even though you have gone from US jurisdiction to US jurisdiction you still have to be processed again!?

 

For a flight that tight, skipping even the usually-entirely-behind-the-scenes CBSA step is perhaps worthwhile, but the old way would have had an even bigger time saving - we'll need to see whether this version sticks for next season, the old one comes back, or yet another weirdly random process is trialed ("Redheads can skip CBSA, Blue Rinses can skip CBP, and if you are traveling in a trio and your third has white hair you get the special Flag Matching Package and we put you in a helicopter right to your front yard!")

Yeah, the whole process was odd once we got to the airport as I thought we would be more sequestered after we got off the bus.  I was surprised when we were dumped with all the other passengers.

 

In theory if we somehow missed our flight and WestJet couldn’t accommodate 6 of us on another flight until the next day as they only have one direct daily flight to SFO, we would have stayed in Vancouver overnight.  Then we would technically have snuck into Canada without ever being processed by CBP.  I thought for sure they would want to make sure we don’t sneak out somehow.

 

The US Customs guy asked “How long is your trip to Canada?” Answer: “About 3 hours  - after the ship docked…”

 

People have longer layovers in Canada for connecting flights than us going from bus to airport. Total waste of time/manpower to have us go through US Customs.

[harryfat1]

On 10/24/2022 at 10:44 AM, Pluto_fan said:

Harry, thank you again for your wonderful report.  I know it took a lot of time to put together and we truly appreciate your efforts!  We are also frugal family travelers so your perspective was exactly on target for us.  Looking forward to following along with your future travels!

Thank you for your kind words.  Glad to know the info was helpful.  Family cruisers are under-represented here on CC so I'm happy you have enjoyed reading the trip report.

 

With a screen name like Pluto_fan, are you referring to the Disney cartoon character or the planet? Assuming it's Disney, we are also big Disney fans as well. One item on my bucket list is to visit all the Disney theme parks around the world.

 

So far we've only been to Anaheim and Orlando and Tokyo Disney parks.  Still need to go to France and Hong Kong and Shanghai to complete the cycle.

[harryfat1]

23 hours ago, CallieS said:

Thanks for your wonderful trip report! I’ve read your prior trip reports over the years and had been wondering if you were cruising again. So glad I found this! I guess I’m joining the party while the clean-up crew is in progress. Lol.
 

Speaking of Odyssey, I’ll be on her in a few weeks. Regular balconies, no excursions, no specialty dining, no pinnacles or diamonds or whatever. Cheapo all the way!

Thank you for your compliment and reading the previous installments. We took a break from cruising by going to Disneyworld in 2018 and then Tokyo in 2019.  We all know what happened to the cruise industry in 2020/2021 so now we are getting back to cruising more frequently as it's the easiest form of vacation for multi generational families.

 

Very nice to hear that you will be going on the Odyssey of the Seas.  We have never been on a Quantum class ship so will be super excited to sail on her next year. Are you doing the 6 or 8 night sailing on the Odyssey?  We are doing the 8 nights going to Southern Caribbean so we'll be visiting new ports as well as a new ship.

[CallieS]

11 minutes ago, harryfat1 said:

Very nice to hear that you will be going on the Odyssey of the Seas.  We have never been on a Quantum class ship so will be super excited to sail on her next year. Are you doing the 6 or 8 night sailing on the Odyssey?  We are doing the 8 nights going to Southern Caribbean so we'll be visiting new ports as well as a new ship.

Jealous of your 8 nights! We are doing the 6 night. We’re going with my parents and even seven nights is too long for my mom, so six it is. We have also never been on Quantum class. 
 

Side note - we are also big Disney fans. I live in FL, so it’s easy to visit frequently. And cruise frequently. 🤑 

[Coralc]

Just an aside, East Bay Times is now over $1200 a year. And every 6 months, I try to decide whether to renew. But I so love reading the newspaper in the morning and Bill loves the crosswords and puzzles. It is getting more and more difficult to decide to keep the subscription. 🤔

 

Thanks so much! I always love reading your cruise reviews from your perspective. And your photos and commentary are wonderful! 😃

Edited October 26, 2022 by Coralc

[Pluto_fan]

17 hours ago, harryfat1 said:

Thank you for your kind words.  Glad to know the info was helpful.  Family cruisers are under-represented here on CC so I'm happy you have enjoyed reading the trip report.

 

With a screen name like Pluto_fan, are you referring to the Disney cartoon character or the planet? Assuming it's Disney, we are also big Disney fans as well. One item on my bucket list is to visit all the Disney theme parks around the world.

 

So far we've only been to Anaheim and Orlando and Tokyo Disney parks.  Still need to go to France and Hong Kong and Shanghai to complete the cycle.

 

Yes, Pluto the dog 😊 I spent way too much time on the DISboards before joining CC, and kept the same screen name.

 

We have been to the Florida and California parks several times, and were annual passholders at DLP for a year when we lived in Belgium.  I need to start planning an extensive trip to Asia to round out our experiences!

[dgh203]

Harry, I have been enjoying your cruise reports for many years.  I was so happy when I happened to see this one. I know you normally cruise RCI, so it was a bit of a surprise to find you on Princess. Your reports make me laugh out loud. My husband thinks I'm crazy. "You're laughing  at something on Cruise Critic?? Really?"  I have even turned my boss into a Cheapo-dad fan!  Gee whiz,  I sound like a creepy stalker fan.  Thank you for the wonderful entertainment.  Now I have to get ready for my own cruise.

[harryfat1]

On 10/25/2022 at 7:28 PM, Coralc said:

Just an aside, East Bay Times is now over $1200 a year. And every 6 months, I try to decide whether to renew. But I so love reading the newspaper in the morning and Bill loves the crosswords and puzzles. It is getting more and more difficult to decide to keep the subscription. 🤔

 

Thanks so much! I always love reading your cruise reviews from your perspective. And your photos and commentary are wonderful! 😃

That's crazy expensive at over $3 per newspaper.

 

You should at least switch carriers periodically as they always give best deals to new customers.  For example, switch over to SF Comical (err, I meant Chronicle) for awhile and then come back to EBT.  You will get new subscriber rate whenever you are away for awhile.

 

I'm sure when you try to cancel your existing subscription, they will want to keep you by giving you a lower price promotion.  That's what they did when I call to cancel my subscription couple of years ago.  Even afterwards, they kept sending me email on coming back for a heavily discounted price as they need "subscribers" to convince advertisers that there are eyeballs on the other side of the papers.

 

 

 

If you just want digital access, SF Chronicle has the 6 months for ONE DOLLAR  promotion they keep spamming my email box.  I can forward that email offer to you if you like. The money you save annually can help pay for a cruise.

 

 

 

[harryfat1]

On 10/26/2022 at 12:15 PM, Pluto_fan said:

 

Yes, Pluto the dog 😊 I spent way too much time on the DISboards before joining CC, and kept the same screen name.

 

We have been to the Florida and California parks several times, and were annual passholders at DLP for a year when we lived in Belgium.  I need to start planning an extensive trip to Asia to round out our experiences!

Yeah, I used to be active on Disney Boards myself years ago as just plain old Harryfat, without the "1". Dang CC forces me to add a "1" to my screen name when I couldn't access my old AOL email.

 

Oh, yes, definitely make a trip to Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea.

 

Check out this article on ranking the Disney Parks around the world - the Tokyo Disney Sea is #1 on the ranking. Here are few pics from our visit:

 

 

 

 

 

You won't find this food at US or Europe Disney Parks

 

 

 

Their Main Street area is covered

 

 

Mickey ear soap in bathroom

 

 

 

 

Unlike US parks where they make you stand to watch the parades, in Japan, they ask you to sit to watch parades so people in the back rows can see.  Cultural differences you will experience at the Tokyo parks.

 

Yeah, I can write a whole trip report on my Disney experience...

 

[harryfat1]

On 10/26/2022 at 6:17 PM, dgh203 said:

Harry, I have been enjoying your cruise reports for many years.  I was so happy when I happened to see this one. I know you normally cruise RCI, so it was a bit of a surprise to find you on Princess. Your reports make me laugh out loud. My husband thinks I'm crazy. "You're laughing  at something on Cruise Critic?? Really?"  I have even turned my boss into a Cheapo-dad fan!  Gee whiz,  I sound like a creepy stalker fan.  Thank you for the wonderful entertainment.  Now I have to get ready for my own cruise.

Thanks for reading my previous installments and sticking around to read this one as well.

 

Yeah, RCI is our default cruise ship as they fit our demographics/preferences better than other cruise lines but for this Alaska sailing, we chose Princess because they visit Glacier Bay National Park and Hubbard Glacier which isn't an option if we stuck with RCI. 

 

My joke writing staff of one will be glad to hear that his jokes are appreciated. I had others tell me that they read CC while at work and started laughing out loud in the quiet office setting so it's not always a good thing...

 

Have fun on your next cruise and perhaps we can chat again after my next cruise on RCI's Odyssey of the Seas when I will be back over at RCI boards posting the next trip report.

[harryfat1]

On 10/25/2022 at 7:20 PM, CallieS said:

Jealous of your 8 nights! We are doing the 6 night. We’re going with my parents and even seven nights is too long for my mom, so six it is. We have also never been on Quantum class. 
 

Side note - we are also big Disney fans. I live in FL, so it’s easy to visit frequently. And cruise frequently. 🤑 

We have to fly 5 hours across the country to go on a Florida departure cruise so I prefer to be on a longer cruise just to make the time worthwhile.

 

For me, a perfect cruise would be around 9 days with 6 ports where I can get off daily to see new places and just have couple of sea days to rest and pack for home.

 

I uploaded some Disney Sea and Tokyo Disneyland pics above. Next on the list is Disneyland Paris whenever we go on an European cruise, we will fly to Paris first and spend few days there pre cruise.