LIVE / Discovery Princess / July 30th / Alaska's Inside Passage, RT Seattle 14 Day Cruise (B2B 7 day Cruises)

[Jeter02]

2 minutes ago, notatubaplayer said:

It was rainy at the beginning of th trip into the Dawes Glacier.  I was up and on deck at 5 am with most of the rest of the ship.  It was a beautiful sail in but I do not know that it is absolutely essential to be up that early.  The left side of the ship got the best view of the glacier at probably 7 am.  We were told we made it closer to the glacier than the discovery has done all season.

Great tip! Thank you for sharing! My Kevin I can see on that side so I'll be enjoying the game for my balcony.

[notatubaplayer]

The whales are in Juneau in huge numbers.  Really spectacular.  We took the ships tour on whale watching and Mendenhall Glacier.  It was really good.  You spend about three hours on the whale watching tour then the transfer you to the visitor center at the Mendenhall.  You get an hour to 90 minutes at the glacier.  We did the nugget falls hike which is one mile each way.  Very spectacular if you like waterfalls.  There is a spot on the left on the way to the falls for the pic of the trip!

 

Listen to the guide who will be doing presentations on board .  He is extremely good.

[Jeter02]

Just now, notatubaplayer said:

The whales are in Juneau in huge numbers.  Really spectacular.  We took the ships tour on whale watching and Mendenhall Glacier.  It was really good.  You spend about three hours on the whale watching tour then the transfer you to the visitor center at the Mendenhall.  You get an hour to 90 minutes at the glacier.  We did the nugget falls hike which is one mile each way.  Very spectacular if you like waterfalls.  There is a spot on the left on the way to the falls for the pic of the trip!

 

Listen to the guide who will be doing presentations on board .  He is extremely good.

With Princess I've done the glacier track on the actual glacier you get a helicopter right out there that was such a magical experience of a lifetime.

[milogurd]

4 hours ago, Jeter02 said:

Today is travel day!!!! I'm back, by popular demand for another LIVE thread after many have followed me recently along my adventures through Norway. This cruise I will be cruising my 9th season to Alaska, in a B2B 7-day sailing (identical itinerary) onboard the Discovery Princess. The cruise will be starting tomorrow, Sunday July 30th, RT from Seattle.

 

I will be flying out later today from Fort Lauderdale to Seattle. With my evening arrival time, I opted to book at the Hilton Garden Inn by the airport. After sitting on a plane for 6 hours, the last thing I want to do is sit in a car for an additional 30 minutes to get to downtown. This way I'll just catch an Uber first thing in the morning to take me to the pier. 

 

(The economical way, would have been for me to take the hotel shuttle back to the airport the next morning to take the princess shuttle bus for a much cheaper rate. However, I am not one who likes to sit and wait for buses to load up with 50-60 of my closest friends if I don't have to.)

 

As this will be my 9th season exploring Alaska, I plan on using this cruise more for relaxation and enjoying the amenities of the ship. I've seen and done most things excursion wise within these ports so calls. In my beginning visits to Alaska, I made sure I did all of those big, glamorous excursions that one could only dream of, thinking that this was going to be a one and done deal type of cruise. Obviously I've continued to come back annually, as I enjoy the cooler temperatures (Always trying to beat that Florida heat) and surrounding myself with such beautiful scenery.

 

If anyone has any questions about the ship, or itinerary please don't hesitate to ask, as I'll do my best to help answer them. I will also try to update you with all the fun that's going on on the ship, as well as the port of calls. 

 

So pack your imaginary bags, as I hope you enjoy coming aboard this cruise wi

th me!

 

Have you considered Seattle Express for your transfers hotel>ship and ship>hotel or Seatac?

They have many options:

https://seattleexpress.com/cruise-ship-transfers/

 

[Jeter02]

5 minutes ago, milogurd said:

 

Have you considered Seattle Express for your transfers hotel>ship and ship>hotel or Seatac?

They have many options:

https://seattleexpress.com/cruise-ship-transfers/

 

Have you personally used them before? I know a lot of people on the boards have mentioned this from what I did research over the years. I'm actually highly considering this especially since my hotel is on the list.

[notatubaplayer]

Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan was easy and fun.  Did the train in Skagway and that was awesome.  If you didnt want to do other excursions in Juneau a quick trip to do the trails at Mendenhall would be cheap and easy.  The waterfall hike would be really easy with kids.

[CruzeQueen2]

30 minutes ago, notatubaplayer said:

Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan was easy and fun.  Did the train in Skagway and that was awesome.  If you didnt want to do other excursions in Juneau a quick trip to do the trails at Mendenhall would be cheap and easy.  The waterfall hike would be really easy with kids.

@notatubaplayer Did you take a public bus to Mendenhall? The other bus option that I know about is $45 per person shuttle you there and return. I think you get to jump onto any "blue" bus of that company to return. From reading along here, I think that allows you to choose how much time you wish to spend at that location.

Since you mentioned "cheap and easy", you got my attention. Thanks!

[notatubaplayer]

I was on a ships tour so I did not do a transfer directly to the Glacier but I think there are several ways to get to the visitors center.  The trails are very well marked.

[milogurd]

For those planning on going to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau:

 

Top Alaska tourist attraction Mendenhall Glacier to hit capacity for visitors by late summer

https://www.ktoo.org/2023/07/08/top-alaska-tourist-attraction-mendenhall-glacier-to-hit-capacity-for-visitors-by-late-summer/

 

As Mendenhall Glacier hits tour capacity, Juneau visitors are opting for the city bus

https://alaskapublic.org/2023/07/24/as-mendenhall-glacier-hits-tour-capacity-juneau-visitors-are-opting-for-the-city-bus/

 

Getting to Mendenhall Glacier using Juneau's Capital Transit public (city) bus:

https://juneaucapitaltransit.org/how-to-ride-to-the-mendenhall-glacier-visitor-center-with-capital-transit/

Edited July 29, 2023 by milogurd

[GoDucksNation]

We used Seattle Express in July for a group of 13 of us. Could not have been any easier. We used it both ways. What’s nice is they use the smaller shuttle buses not big tour buses so you don’t have to wait for the whole big bus to fill up.

[CruzeQueen2]

6 hours ago, milogurd said:

For those planning on going to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau:

 

Top Alaska tourist attraction Mendenhall Glacier to hit capacity for visitors by late summer

https://www.ktoo.org/2023/07/08/top-alaska-tourist-attraction-mendenhall-glacier-to-hit-capacity-for-visitors-by-late-summer/

 

As Mendenhall Glacier hits tour capacity, Juneau visitors are opting for the city bus

https://alaskapublic.org/2023/07/24/as-mendenhall-glacier-hits-tour-capacity-juneau-visitors-are-opting-for-the-city-bus/

 

Getting to Mendenhall Glacier using Juneau's Capital Transit public (city) bus:

https://juneaucapitaltransit.org/how-to-ride-to-the-mendenhall-glacier-visitor-center-with-capital-transit/

@milogurd very interesting reads! Thanks for all three links. Very helpful, too.

[gottagoacruzn]

Hey Jeter, when you get into skagway, be sure to find the sourdough bakery there, I've heard good things about it, also in ketchikan is the jelly fish donuts. 

[Jeter02]

20 hours ago, milogurd said:

 

Have you considered Seattle Express for your transfers hotel>ship and ship>hotel or Seatac?

They have many options:

https://seattleexpress.com/cruise-ship-transfers/

 

 

12 hours ago, GoDucksNation said:

We used Seattle Express in July for a group of 13 of us. Could not have been any easier. We used it both ways. What’s nice is they use the smaller shuttle buses not big tour buses so you don’t have to wait for the whole big bus to fill up.

I will give you my review on them later. I made the executive decision 11:00 p.m. last night before I fell asleep and went ahead and booked Seattle Express round trip. Economically you really can't beat it and I do like that if I had to take a Shuttle, I'm glad it's one of the smaller sized ones like the hotel courtesy shuttles. After taxes and all it's $50 round trip which beats princesses shuttle transfer from the airport at $60. And I looked up the prices for Uber and I know inflation is all over but I swear every time I come to Seattle the prices keep jumping up higher and higher. It was estimating about $68 just one way and when I looked on the left are slightly cheaper but I would still be paying well over $100 for the ride shares.

 

So thank you for the tip and for easing me letting me know that they were excellent when you used them. I've known about them for a long time through the forum boards, but never have bitten the bullet.

[notatubaplayer]

Getting off the ship took about three minutes.  Aside from the elevators, I have nothing but positive things to say about the Discovery Princess.  Everyone have fun on the next cruise.

[wineforhealth]

Hope your having a great sailaway, looking forward to your posts

 

love the Discovery Princess

Edited July 31, 2023 by wineforhealth

[Jeter02]

Yesterday was a great first day to kick off the cruise. I took the Seattle Express (which I made the executive decision The night before last second to book them round trip as my shuttle service) and all I have to say is, best decision I ever made! They came promptly at my schedule time of 9:00 a.m. and it actually was there about 5 count to 10 minutes earlier. For round trip service going to the port and then bringing you back to the airport What's $50. It really is the cheapest way to get from point A to point b and honestly the convenience of having no more than 12 passengers on a shuttle versus a big coach bus made of a world of a difference for me personally. And as mentioned in an earlier post the prices for Uber or Lyft have to skyrocketed, making this a million times more of a fabulous option for me. I honestly cannot recommend them enough. Seattle Express does do pickups from select hotels as well as the airports and at the end of your cruise you have the option of being brought to the airport or to one of their selected hotels that they service.

 

I arrived to the pier about 9:30. Only had to wait about 5 or 10 minutes before they open the doors to let us in to get all checked in. That was probably the quickest checking process I have ever experienced and my cruising life. Picking up the medallions was a Sanchez always like I said two added seconds of your life will not kill you better than paying the $10 be to have it shipped. We were able to board the ship around 10:30. Please be advised and I noticed the last time I was on the Discovery Princess The cabins were not ready till about 1pm. Like I always do I always walk on with my own luggage and then I'll just stop by my cabin to drop my things off and then go back on the cabin is ready, to unpack.

 

Lunch on embarkation day in the main dining room started at 11:30 a.m. Some other options you do have is you do have for a bite to eat is Gigi's which opens at 11am, as well as international cafe and the buffet on the widow which is always readily available once on board. On embarkation day I always prefer to eat in the MDR where I had a lovely lunch. I had the amazing beef tenderloin which simply melted in your mouth and was so well to seasoned. Then I topped off with some delicious espresso gelato. Not going to lie I did a mess debate international Cafe as I always like to test out the oatmeal cookies to see if they're up to par, aka: quality control 😂. The cookies were fantastic! But one thing that caught my eye that I've not seen before that I had to try and I had simply ask for a very small little of the smoked Alaskan salmon chowder. I have to say that chowder did not disappoint That was phenomenal. Definitely helps get into that Alaskan spirit.

 

The sail away celebration on the pool deck was packed, which I can find as a good thing in a sense of watching everyone genuinely having a great time knowing they're kicking off their vacation so that's always nice and refreshing to see. Lots of large groups and when I say large groups I'm talking groups that are 20 and more. Lots of families on board which is to be expected on any Alaskan sailing as this is a great family itinerary. I inquired about the number of children on board just out of curiosity and there are about 500 kids and 500 teens, rounding it to 1,000 altogether.

 

For those who've not sailed in Alaskan sailing The nice thing that they do in the dining room is they do have a lot of great fish which is imported in it from Alaska so it's always a must to try some of those great fish options. For dinner tonight I started with the marinated goat cheese antipasto which is one of my favorites I love the goat cheese that they use and it just marries so well with the vegetables. For my entree I created my own dish where I got the beautifully and well done sockeye salmon lying on top of a bed of Caesar salad I completed my dining experience with the blueberry marsapone dessert which is so nice and light but yet so delicious.

 

The theater showtimes in the evening are at 7:30 and 9:00 p.m., and the entertainment stops game shows take place at 8:30 p.m. at Princess Live. Tonight shows included comedian Phil Tag, with a game show of Strikeout (a music related game). I unfortunately did not catch the Canadian as I know for me comedians are very hit and miss but he is performing later this week if not tonight, as I will catch him then. Today was more just of a settling in and relaxing type of day for me.

 

Today is day two and he had a beautiful relaxing sea day filled with lots of great activities on board. So far the energy on board is fantastic The crew or phenomenal as always and I'm looking forward to an exceptional cruise as always. Those have followed me on my last voyage no I'm very easy to please and get excited on the simplest things in life. 

 

[CruzinNoony]

On 7/29/2023 at 10:54 AM, Jeter02 said:

Have you personally used them before? I know a lot of people on the boards have mentioned this from what I did research over the years. I'm actually highly considering this especially since my hotel is on the list.

We have used the shuttle service in Seattle several times.  Very reliable.

[azbirdmom]

Have a great cruise.  We've done Alaska from Seattle the last two years and are skipping this year so I'm really looking forward to following your journey.

[Steelers36]

On 7/31/2023 at 11:17 AM, Jeter02 said:

comedian Phil Tag, with a game show of Strikeout (a music related game). I unfortunately did not catch the Canadian as I know for me comedians are very hit and miss but he is performing later this week if not tonight, as I will catch him then.

He is quite funny for me.

[alanasgpa]

On 7/29/2023 at 10:02 AM, basor said:

Don't mean to highjack this thread but this will be our first time back on Princess for awhile...I am reading that there is a service charge for room service orders and for ordering thru the medallions (never been on a medallion cruise before).  Could you please let me know if this is true - cruising with 4 late teen grandchildren and want to let them know the options. TIA

This post has nothing to do with the post

[Jeter02]

Day 2 (Monday) was such a fun and yet very relaxing sea day as we make our way to Ketchikan. Lots of great activities going on throughout the ship all day long My favorite always are the activities that involve crew versus guests games, which was water pong today. 

 

I had lunch in the Main dining room where I started off with my favorite Thai chili soup. It does have a really nice kick to it, which I personally love. Then I followed up with some chicken korma which was delicious.

 

Also another fabulous lunch option that was available on the CD today was the Crab shack which they hold in the Salty Dog Gastropub. There is a cover charger $29.99 to dine here. I have attached photos of the menu for those interested.

 

Captain's Gala was this evening with the champagne waterfall, as it was a formal night as well. It's always fun to See all of the top officers introduced who help run this magnificent vessel. 

 

For dinner tonight the meal was absolutely spectacular and probably one of the best versions I've ever had of my entree throughout all my princess sailings. I did start off the evening with a simple Caesar salad followed by the beef tenderloin. The meat once again melt it right in your mouth seasoned so beautifully but the star on that dish besides the beef was the scalloped potatoes which were to die for. It wasn't too hungry for a sweets this evening so I opted for the peach Melba and I will say it did not disappoint at all. I'm not a huge peach person but I figured I'd give it a try The peaches were magnifebt topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and like strawberry sauce with a little decorative waffle coned Carmel piece for the court on top.

 

This evening theater showtimes are 7:30 and 9:30. My favorite production show, Spotlight Bar was being performed this evening. They do such an amazing job pairing the right songs for the storylines throughout the show. The singers and dancers as well as musicians really do put such a phenomenal show on with this one. Highly recommend going to see this show.

 

I was able to catch the second act of Phil Tag, the comedian in the Vista Lounge. I am very happy that I did, as it was a funny and enjoyable show.

 

The entertainment staff game show for the evening was he yes no game show which princess is very well known for. It's always good I providing some great laughs throughout the game show.

 

[Jeter02]

I will be posting hopefully later today, my overview of the day from yesterday (Tuesday) born Ketchikan. Sorry for being delayed on these posts as I'm in full relaxation mode. This is one of the major positives to doing an itinerary you have done multiple times in the past is it gives you an opportunity to step back, decompress, and be fully relaxed, as no plans are needed to rush around out and about. Just enjoying the amenities of the ship.

 

A completely different speed from my most recent cruise in Norway. I do love cruising to new areas as well, to explore amazing destinations and going out adventuring. 

[Jeter02]

Also to know for those with curious minds I did speak to the head maturity in Gigi's also known as Alfredo's on some of the other foya class ships in regards to the upcoming changes in two more cruises. He was very surprised that I was even aware of this as he thought it was not announced to the public and explained to him it's spreading like wildfire.

 

He was so incredibly kind to tell me what the pricing will look like for those looking forward to dining in Gigi's / Alfredo's. Obviously those who have the premier package will be able to eat there unlimited amount of times. If you have a plus package you will have an opportunity to eat at one of the casual dining including Gigi's / Alfredo's twice throughout your voyage. Finally if you book standard if you wanted to do a three-course meal it'll be that $14.99 or you can choose to pick your items à la carte. He did not have any of the menus printed yet, as they were just looking over everything that's been sent over from corporate.

 

Prices will be as follows:

Salads $5

Pizza $8.50 

Calzones $8.50

Eggplant and Veal dishes $8.50

Dessert $4.50

[azbirdmom]

3 minutes ago, Jeter02 said:

Also to know for those with curious minds I did speak to the head maturity in Gigi's also known as Alfredo's on some of the other foya class ships in regards to the upcoming changes in two more cruises. He was very surprised that I was even aware of this as he thought it was not announced to the public and explained to him it's spreading like wildfire.

 

He was so incredibly kind to tell me what the pricing will look like for those looking forward to dining in Gigi's / Alfredo's. Obviously those who have the premier package will be able to eat there unlimited amount of times. If you have a plus package you will have an opportunity to eat at one of the casual dining including Gigi's / Alfredo's twice throughout your voyage. Finally if you book standard if you wanted to do a three-course meal it'll be that $14.99 or you can choose to pick your items à la carte. He did not have any of the menus printed yet, as they were just looking over everything that's been sent over from corporate.

 

Prices will be as follows:

Salads $5

Pizza $8.50 

Calzones $8.50

Eggplant and Veal dishes $8.50

Dessert $4.50

 

Thanks for checking!  Interesting that the prices are different from the menus that are being circulated.  I sure hope the pizza and pasta dishes are accurate - didn't like the $12 charges on the menus.

 

And no need to apologize about relaxing on your cruise.  Most folks here are on Cruise Critic are appreciative of any information provided, whenever it is provided.  Keep enjoying the beautiful Discovery Princess!

[Jeter02]

11 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

 

Thanks for checking!  Interesting that the prices are different from the menus that are being circulated.  I sure hope the pizza and pasta dishes are accurate - didn't like the $12 charges on the menus.

 

And no need to apologize about relaxing on your cruise.  Most folks here are on Cruise Critic are appreciative of any information provided, whenever it is provided.  Keep enjoying the beautiful Discovery Princess!

Of course! You're very welcome! One thing I have said before on the boards here in regards to people claiming that the venues now have pricing, is false but I can only say things once because I don't like to overstep on toes on the forum boards. 

 

On the Gigi's menu ONLY, not Alfredo's, which Gigi's are strictly on the Enchanted and Discovery Princess. There's always been fancy pizzas on the right side of the menu that have that $8.50 surcharge. I'm a very frequent cruiser on Princess but especially on the loyal classes and I can ensure there has never ever been pricing on that Gigi's menu or any Alfredo's menu with a la cart pricing or prices for anything else.

 

I'm guessing people who think that they add it pricing are doing quick glances at that menu. I can try to take a picture later but those menus are going to be obsolete after one more cruise. I just giggle at those who quickly jump to conclusions without reviewing. What to do. I'm happy I'm able to hopefully clear that up for.manu people.